Involvement of ras p2I in Neurotrophin-induced Response of Sensory, but Not Sympathetic Neurons

Little is known about the signal transduction mechanisms involved in the response to neurotrophins and other neurotrophic factors in neurons, beyond the activation of the tyrosine kinase activity of the neurotrophin receptors belonging to the trk family. We have previously shown that the introduction of the oncogene product ras p21 into the cytoplasm of chick embryonic neurons can reproduce the survival and neurite-outgrowth promoting effects of the neurotrophins nerve growth factor (NGF) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and of ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF). To assess the potential signal- transducing role of endogenous ras p21, we introduced function-blocking anti-ras antibodies or their Fab fragments into cultured chick embryonic neurons. The BDNF-induced neurite outgrowth in E12 nodose ganglion neurons was reduced to below control levels, and the NGF- induced survival of E9 dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons was inhibited in a specific and dose-dependent fashion. Both effects could be reversed by saturating the epitope-binding sites with biologically inactive ras p21 before microinjection. Surprisingly, ras p21 did not promote the survival of NGF-dependent E12 chick sympathetic neurons, and the NGF-induced survival in these cells was not inhibited by the Fab-fragments. The survival effect of CNTF on ras-responsive ciliary neurons could not be blocked by anti-ras Fab fragments. These results indicate an involvement of ras p21 in the signal transduction of neurotrophic factors in sensory, but not sympathetic or ciliary neurons, pointing to the existence of different signaling pathways not only in CNTF-responsive, but also in neurotrophin-responsive neuronal populations

Ras p21 protein promotes survival and fiber outgrowth of cultured embryonic neurons

Although evidence obtained with the PC12 cell line has suggested a role for the ras oncogene proteins in the signal transduction of nerve growth factor-mediated fiber outgrowth, little is known about the signal transduction mechanisms involved in the neuronal response to neurotrophic factors in nontransformed cells. We report here that the oncogene protein T24-ras, when introduced into the cytoplasm of freshly dissociated chick embryonic neurons, promotes the in vitro survival and neurite outgrowth of nerve growth factor-responsive dorsal root ganglion neurons, brain-derived neurotrophic factor-responsive nodose ganglion neurons, and ciliary neuronotrophic factor-responsive ciliary ganglion neurons. The proto-oncogene product c-Ha-ras also promotes neuronal survival, albeit less strongly. No effect could be observed with truncated counterparts of T24-ras and c-Ha-ras lacking the 23 C-terminal amino acids including the membrane-anchoring, palmityl-accepting cysteine. These results suggest a generalized involvement of ras or ras-like proteins in the intracellular signal transduction pathway for neurotrophic factors

Oesophageal intramural pseudodiverticulosis: a rare endoscopic finding

Oesophageal intramural pseudodiverticulosis is an uncommon condition, characterized by multiple small rounded cavities seen in the oesophageal wall during Oesophagogastroduodenoscopy. It is often associated with gastro-oesophagealreflux disease, achalasia, oesophageal candidiasis and diabetes mellitus. We report a 40 year old Nigerian man who presented with recurrent dysphagia and endoscopic findings typical of oesophageal intramural pseudodiverticulosis.The patient was managed medically with resolution of the dysphagia. This report highlights the occurrence of this rare and benign cause of dysphagia in Nigeria.Keywords: oesophagus, pseudo diverticulosis, endoscopy, Nigeria, dysphagia, MANFunding: None declare

Evaluation of voglibose on body weight in rats

Background: As of 2018, 2.1 billion people nearly 30% of the world’s population are either obese or overweight. Worldwide obesity has nearly tripled since 1975. It is an emerging health problem with major adverse effects on health. It is a risk factor for many chronic diseases but is best known for its role in metabolic syndrome, which can lead to type 2 diabetes mellitus as well as cardiovascular diseases. Anti-obesity drugs are available but have many side effects. Voglibose, an antidiabetic drug, is an alpha glucosidase inhibitor which shows promising results in the reduction of body weight with minimal side effects.Methods: Voglibose (7 mg/kg) was administered to rats fed with normal laboratory chows and high fat diet to see its effect on body weight, body mass index, abdominal and thoracic circumference, and lipid profile at the end of 12 weeks.Results: Administration of voglibose significantly reduced food consumption, feed efficiency and increase in body weight induced by high fat diet in rats. Rats fed on normal diet also showed reductions in the same parameters, suggesting its weight lowering effect. Reductions in the anthropometric measurements, hypolipidemic effects and glucose lowering effects were also observed.Conclusions: Voglibose prevented high fat diet-induced obesity and improvement in metabolic profile, which ultimately has systemic effects on body weight in rats. Further studies are needed to see its potential therapeutic use in obese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, and related complications

Assessment of airport performance in India

Since the advent of privatisation and deregulation in the 1990’s, the Indian aviation industry has been perceived as a lucrative market in the Asian region. Recognising the sheer potential in improving the airport facilities, the Indian aviation industry underwent a major overhaul through policy changes and liberalisation of air transport services. Despite such various initiatives for upgrading airport infrastructure, the Indian airports are still considered inadequate to handle the upsurge in air traffic and suffer from cost inefficiencies. This paper is an investigation aimed at establishing the key performance measures that airports in the Indian context should use to evaluate performance. It measures and compares the performance levels of five newly privatised international airports in India while addressing several critical areas of activity such as operations, economics, customer service, environmental issues, and safety and security. The research heavily relies on the use of benchmarking to make the comparatives across this representative sample of airports and serves as a framework for the development of Key Performance Indicators. For this purpose, the paper identifies and confirms a list of performance measures relevant to the Indian conditions that emerged from surveying airport professionals associated with best practice in the global aviation industry. The research seeks to foster the expansion of the Indian airport market by developing an efficient performance management framework that could be used by Indian airport managers to validate the operational performance of their airports by comparing them to other award winning global terminals. The paper also begins to develop a database of performance measures and generates a reference for airport infrastructure assessment in developing countries

A Retrospective Study of Common Diseases of Animals in a Private Clinic in Kaduna Metropolitan

Data from clinical records of ECWA Veterinary Clinic, Kaduna, were retrieved for diseases of livestock retrospectively over a period of 10 years (January1997 – December 2006). The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics. The results indicate that a total of 5296 cases were handled during the 10 year study period and 48 different disease conditions werediagnosed and treated. Of the 48 disorders, Helminthosis appeared to be the most common disease condition with 2177(41%) of all cases handled, followed by Piroplasmosis 771(14.2%), Myiasis 572(10.9%), Bacterial infections 538(10.7%), Ectoparasitism 318(6%), Canine parvoviral enteritis267(5.04%), Mange 242(4.7%), Traumatic injury 1 3 2 ( 2 . 5 1%) , S e p t i c emi a 8 0 ( 1 . 5%) a n d Dermatomycosis 40(0.55%). Other conditionshandled included Caudectomy 20(0.38%), hematoma 16(0.30%), castration 15(0.28%), canine distemper 11(0.21%), food poisoning, fracture, infectious canine hepatitis presenting 10 (0.19%) each. Othersinclude Orchidectomy 7(0.13%), pinnal ulcers 6(0.11%), malnutrition 5(0.09%), organophosphate poisoning and still were handled 4 (0.08%) times each, while Conjuctivitis and Orchitis were handled only 3(0.06%) times each. There are other 11 diseases grouped as A which appeared only twice each throughout the study totaling 22(0.42%) and other 13 diseases grouped as B appeared only once each totaling 13(0.25%). Canine species were the most presented of all animal species with 4413(83.3%), followed by bovine 383(7.23%), ovine 260(4.9%), caprine 170(3.2%), porcine 50(0.94%), feline 19(0.35%) and equine 1(0.02%). Lack of routine de-worming and location of the clinic is responsiblefor this outcome. The findings elucidate the relevance of private veterinary clinics in disease reporting.Keywords: Common diseases of livestock, Helminthosis, Piroplasmosis, ECWA Veterinary clinic, Kaduna Stat

Effect of nicotine on serotonin (5-HT) levels in brain of depressed rats

Background: Reduction in brain serotonin (5-HT) levels contributes to depression. Nicotine may have antidepressant properties and smokers self-medicate underlying depression. Epidemiological findings suggest that smokers more often demonstrate depressive symptoms than non-smokers and depressed patients are less likely to cease smoking. Therefore, the study was planned to evaluate the effect of nicotine on serotonin levels in brain of depressed rats.Methods: Antidepressant action of study drugs was evaluated using isolation induced hyperactivity model in rats. Rats were divided into five groups with six rats in each group. Study groups: Vehicle in normal rats 1 ml/kg (subcutaneous); vehicle after isolation 1ml/kg (subcutaneous); imipramine 10 mg/kg (intraperitoneal) for 7 consecutive days; single dose of nicotine 0.4 mg/kg (subcutaneous); single dose of nicotine 0.2 mg/kg (inhalational). Brain serotonin assay was carried out. The statistical significance was determined by ANOVA followed by Tukey test (p<0.05).Results: Serotonin levels (55.93ng/g of brain tissue) in rats after isolation were significantly less than in normal rats (335.87ng/g) (p<0.001). In imipramine treated group, serotonin levels (301.4ng/g) after isolation were highly significant as compared to serotonin levels in vehicle treated group after isolation (p<0.001). Nicotine administered by subcutaneous and inhalational route showed significantly higher brain serotonin levels, i.e. 175ng/g and 254.62ng/g respectively as compared to vehicle treated rats after isolation (p<0.001).Conclusions: Single dose nicotine (inhalational) produced significant antidepressant action comparable to that of seven days’ treatment of standard antidepressant drug imipramine in rats. In rats, nicotine by both routes i.e. subcutaneous and inhalational increased serotonergic activity

Studying monogenetic volcanoes with a Terrestrial Laser Scanner: Case study at Croscat volcano (Garrotxa Volcanic Field, Spain)

Erosional processes (natural or anthropogenic) may partly destroy the relatively small-sized volcanic edifices characteristic of monogenetic volcanic zones, leaving their internal structure well exposed. Nevertheless, the study of these outcrops may be extremely challenging due to restricted accessibility or safety issues. Digital representations of the outcrop surface have been lately used to overcome such difficulties. Data acquired with terrestrial laser scanning instruments using Light Detection and Ranging technology enables the construction of such digital outcrops. The obtained high-precision 3-D terrain models are of greater coverage and accuracy than conventional methods and, when taken at different times, allow description of geological processes in time and space. Despite its intrinsic advantages and the proven satisfactory results, this technique has been little applied in volcanology-related studies. Here, we want to introduce it to the volcanological community together with a new and user-friendly digital outcrop analysis methodology for inexperienced users. This tool may be useful, not only for volcano monitoring purposes, but also to describe the internal structure of exposed volcanic edifices or to estimate outcrop erosion rates that may be helpful in terms of hazard assessment or preservation of volcanic landscapes. We apply it to the Croscat volcano, a monogenetic cone in the La Garrotxa Volcanic Field (Catalan Volcanic Zone, NE Spain), quarrying of which leads to a perfect view of its interior but restricts access to its uppermost parts. Croscat is additionally one of the most emblematic symbols of the La Garrotxa Volcanic Field Natural Park, and its preservation is a main target of the park administration

Istraživanje zadovoljstva pacijenata radiološkim uslugama u javnim i privatnim zdravstvenim ustanovama u saveznoj državi Kano

Background: Patient satisfaction is the extent to which the patients feel that their needs and expectations are being met by the service provider. The survey of patient satisfaction with health care services is a growing concept in Nigeria, where study on this subject is just beginning to develop. Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the patients’ satisfaction level with radiological services and to identify the factors that may account for the differences in their satisfaction between a public and a private health facility in Kano state Nigeria. Method: The study was a cross-sectional prospective survey that targeted patients who visited radiology departments. Data was collected using a 43 item self-completion questionnaire designed in line with the objectives of the study. The data were categorized into groups and analysed using a statistical package for social sciences version 20.0, where descriptive statistics such as the percentages and frequencies were generated and tabulated. A chi-square test was used to test for the differences in the patients’ satisfactory level at (p<0.05). Results: The results showed that 60.7% (n=85) were female while 39.3% (n=55) were male, 52.2% (n=47) of the respondents from the public hospital were dissatisfied, while 47.8% (n=43) were satisfied. At the private hospital, only 20% (n=10) were dissatisfied, while 80% (n=40) were satisfied with the radiological services received. The type of health facility and patients’ satisfaction was found to be statistically significant at (p<0.05). Conclusion: The patients in the private health facility of the study were more satisfied than those at the public health facility because of prompt attention given to them immediately after arrival, immediate collection of their radiological reports, and high ergonometric environment provided by the hospital staff.Uvod: Zadovoljstvo pacijenta jest predodžba pacijenta o stupnju u kojem određeni pružatelj zdravstvene usluge zadovoljava njegove zahtjeve i očekivanja. Ispitivanje zadovoljstva pacijenata zdravstvenim uslugama sve više dobiva na važnosti u Nigeriji, gdje se ta tema tek počinje proučavati. Cilj: Cilj je ovog istraživanja bio usporediti zadovoljstvo pacijenata radiološkim uslugama te izdvojiti čimbenike koji mogu objasniti razlike između zadovoljstva pacijenata javnim i privatnim zdravstvenim ustanovama u saveznoj državi Kano u Nigeriji. Postupak: Ovo je prospektivno presječno istraživanje proučilo odgovore pacijenata koji su posjetili odjele za radiologiju. Podaci su prikupljeni s pomoću upitnika s 43 pitanja oblikovanog u skladu s ciljevima istraživanja. Podaci su grupirani i analizirani primjenom statističkog programa za društvene znanosti verzije 20.0 kojim se opisne statistike poput postotaka i frekvencija generiraju i tabuliraju. Hi-kvadrat test primijenjen je kako bi se ispitale razlike u razini zadovoljstva pacijenata (p < 0,05). Rezultati: Rezultati su pokazali da je 60,7 % (n = 85) ispitanika bilo ženskog spola, a 39,3 % muškog. Nezadovoljno je bilo 52,2 % (n = 47) pacijenata javne bolnice, dok je 47,8 % (n = 43) bilo zadovoljno. U privatnoj je bolnici samo 20 % (n = 10) ispitanika bilo nezadovoljno, dok je 80 % (n = 40) bilo zadovoljno radiološkim uslugama. Ustanovljeno je kako su vrsta zdravstvene ustanove i zadovoljstvo pacijenata statistički značajni (p < 0,05). Zaključak: Pacijenti privatne zdravstvene ustanove bili su zadovoljniji od onih u javnoj zdravstvenoj ustanovi zbog brzine kojom im je pružena pažnja nakon dolaska, brzine kojom su im izdani radiološki nalazi te visokog stupnja ergonometrijskog okruženja koje im je osiguralo bolničko osoblje