Antimetastatic efficacy of orally administered ginsenoside Rb1 in dependence on intestinal bacterial hydrolyzing potential and significance of treatment with an active bacterial metabolite

BACKGROUND: Single small enhancing computerized tomographic (CT) lesions (SSECTLs) are common in children with focal seizures. These are considered to represent solitary cysticercus granulomas. Controversy exists regarding their treatment. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of albendazole in cases of focal seizures with SSECTLs. DESIGN: Randomized, placebo-controlled, double blind trial. SETTING: Pediatric service of Nehru Hospital, PGIMER, an urban tertiary care teaching hospital. SUBJECTS: 63 children between 2 and 12 years of age with focal seizures for <3 months and SSECTLs. INTERVENTION: All children were randomly assigned to receive either albendazole (15 mg/kg/ day) or placebo for 28 days. CT scan was done at 1 and 3 months after beginning treatment. Codes opened after 6 months of inclusion in the study showed that 31 had received albendazole and 32 had received placebo. All children were followed up for at least 15 months. RESULTS: Disappearance of lesions on CT scan was noted in 41% of albendazole vs. 16.2% of placebo patients after 1 month of follow-up (P < 0.05) and 64.5% of albendazole- vs. 37.5% of placebo-treated patients after 3 months of follow-up (P < 0.05). During the first 4 weeks of therapy seizure recurrence was seen in 9.7% of albendazole vs. 3.2% of placebo-treated children (odds ratio, 3.32; 95% confidence interval, 0.33 to 33.8). After 4 weeks seizure recurrence was seen in 31.3% of placebo-treated children vs. 12.9% of albendazole-treated children (odds ratio, 3.07; 95% confidence interval, 1.18 to 11.15). CONCLUSIONS: Albendazole therapy results in significantly faster and increased resolution of solitary cysticercus lesions (SSECTLs) and appears to reduce the risk of late seizure recurrences.     

Long-term cure of a malignant lymphoma of the pleural cavity treated by irradiation

Malignant lymphomas arise in the pleura in association with a long-standing chronic tuberculous pyothorax. We report a case of a non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of the pleural cavity, inoperable because of local invasion into thoracic wall, who has survived more than 6 years without recurrence. This patient represents the longest reported survival after radiation therapy alone. Radiotherapy holds an important role in the treatment of locally advanced lymphoma of the pleural cavity.     

Effects of the lazaroid, tirilazad mesylate, on sepsis-induced acute lung injury in minipigs

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effects of the lazaroid, tirilazad mesylate, a potent lipid peroxidation inhibitor, in an animal model of Pseudomonas sepsis. DESIGN: Comparison of four experimental groups: a) saline control; b) Pseudomonas sepsis control; c) tirilazad mesylate control; and d) sepsis with tirilazad mesylate pre treatment. SETTING: University animal laboratory. SUBJECTS: Hanford minipigs (20 to 25 kg), anesthetized with pentobarbital and mechanically ventilated on an FIO2 of 0.4. INTERVENTIONS: Sepsis was induced by infusing Pseudomonas aeruginosa at 1 x 10(6) colony-forming units/kg/min over 120 mins. The tirilazad mesylate-treated group received a 5-mg/kg bolus 30 mins before, and a 3-mg/kg bolus 3 hrs after, the onset of sepsis. Hemodynamics, PaO2, and neutrophil counts were measured for 6 hrs. Thiobarbituric acid reactive material (TBARM) in tissue (lung, liver, and intestine), lung wet/dry weight ratio, lung myeloperoxidase activity, plasma tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha concentrations, protein content, and percent neutrophils in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid were evaluated at the time the animals were killed (6 hrs). MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Sepsis induced significant systemic hypotension, pulmonary hypertension, hypoxemia, and neutropenia. Sepsis also significantly increased TBARM content, lung wet/dry weight ratio, myeloperoxidase activity, plasma TNF-alpha concentrations, and bronchoalveolar lavage neutrophil percentage. Treatment with tirilazad mesylate significantly attenuated hypoxemia and decreased TBARM content, lung wet/dry weight ratio, myeloperoxidase activity, bronchoalveolar lavage protein, and bronchoalveolar lavage neutrophil percentage, but did not affect sepsis-induced hemodynamics, including systemic hypotension and pulmonary hypertension, plasma TNF-alpha concentrations, or neutropenia. CONCLUSIONS: Pretreatment with the tirilazad mesylate did not change P. aeruginosa sepsis-induced hemodynamic consequences. However, tirilazad mesylate attenuated sepsis-induced acute lung injury.     

Control of phosphatidylserine biosynthesis through phosphatidylserine-mediated inhibition of phosphatidylserine synthase I in Chinese hamster ovary cells

Phosphatidylserine (PtdSer) synthesis in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells occurs through the exchange of L-serine with the base moiety of phosphatidylcholine or phosphatidylethanolamine. The synthesis is depressed on the addition of PtdSer to the culture medium. A CHO cell mutant named mutant 29, whose PtdSer biosynthesis is highly resistant to this depression by exogenous PtdSer, has been isolated from CHO-K1 cells. In the present study, the PtdSer-resistant PtdSer biosynthesis in the mutant was traced to a point mutation in the PtdSer synthase I gene, pssA, resulting in the replacement of Arg-95 of the synthase by lysine. Introduction of the mutant pssA cDNA, but not the wild-type pssA cDNA, into CHO-K1 cells induced the PtdSer-resistant PtdSer biosynthesis. In a cell-free system, the serine base-exchange activity of the wild-type pssA-transfected cells was inhibited by PtdSer, but that of the mutant pssA-transfected cells was resistant to the inhibition. Like the mutant 29 cells, the mutant pssA-transfected cells grown without exogenous PtdSer exhibited an approximately 2-fold increase in the cellular PtdSer level compared with that in CHO-K1 cells, although the wild-type pssA-transfected cells did not exhibit such a significant increase. These results indicated that the inhibition of PtdSer synthase I by PtdSer is essential for the maintenance of a normal PtdSer level in CHO-K1 cells and that Arg-95 of the synthase is a crucial residue for the inhibition.     

Effect of applied voltage frequency on swarming pulsive microdischarges in closed voids

The extinction of the partial discharge (PD) pulse has frequently been observed in an epoxy specimen with a closed void during voltage endurance tests using a CIGRE Method-II electrode. The individual discharge pulse becomes so small that the discharges cannot be detected by conventional pulse detection methods. Such discharges are known as “swarming pulsive microdischarges” (SPMD). In this paper, the SPMD characteristics are investigated by varying the frequency of the applied voltage from 0.1 to 240 Hz. As a result, the SPMD are found to occur less frequently as the frequency is lowered. To seek this cause, one-shot voltages were applied repeatedly at constant intervals. By varying the interval from 0.02 to 100 s, the PD off an electrically aged specimen was measured. It was revealed that the discharge magnitude increases as the interval becomes longer. The onset of SPMD was found to depend on the preceding discharge. The results explain the reason why swarming is harder to occur at lower frequency with a longer discharge interval. Hence, in the conventional pulse detection, it is useful to employ the very low frequency for diagnosis of machine insulation containing enclosed voids.     

Release behavior of tritium from graphite heavily irradiated by neutrons

The release behavior of tritium formed in graphite has been investigated as a function of radiation damage by means of isochronal annealing of samples heavily irradiated by neutrons. The lithium impurities in graphite were estimated as the source of tritium formation. The main chemical form of released tritium was hydrogen accompanied by a small quantity of methane. No other hydrocarbons could be detected. Tritiated water was always measured, but the formation mechanism was experimentally confirmed as the secondary oxidation of released HT molecule. The release spectrum of tritium in isochronal annealing was shifted to a higher heating temperature with the increase of the neutron fluence received by the graphite crystal. A relationship was established between the amount of tritium released up to a certain temperature and the degree of graphitization of the sample.