Hemiconvulsion-Hemiplegia-Epilepsy Syndrome

ObjectiveHemiconvulsion-Hemiplegia-Epilepsy syndrome (HHE) is an initial phase of unilateral or predominantly unilateral convulsive seizures usually of long duration, with a second phase of hemiplegia (usually permanent), immediately following the hemiconvulsions;and then a third stage, characterized by the appearance of partial epileptic seizures. The causes of the initial convulsions in HHE syndrome are multiple but in many patients no cause in obvious. Neuroimaging studies demonstrate an acquired atrophy, that often is preceded by swelling and edema of the hemisphere. Here we report a case of 18 monthold boy, with an initial phase of repeated episodes of partial  seizures, followed by hemiparesis and epileptic seizures, with one episode of generalized convulsive status epilepticus . Minor head trauma was the trigger factor of the initial attack. Brain neuroimaging showed generalized atrophy , that was more prominent in the left hemisphere.

Centrosymmetric graphs and a lower bound for graph energy of fullerenes

The energy of a molecular graph G is defined as the summation of the absolute values of the eigenvalues of adjacency matrix of a graph G. In this paper, an infinite class of fullerene graphs with 10n vertices, n ≥ 2, is considered. By proving centrosymmetricity of the adjacency matrix of these fullerene graphs, a lower bound for its energy is given. Our method is general and can be extended to other class of fullerene graphs

Recycling of Spent Mushroom Substrate for the Production of Oyster Mushroom

The huge amount of spent mushroom substrate (SMS) was disposed, especially around the mushroom cultivation complexes. The present study aimed at utilizing this SMS in a productive and sustainable way. Experiment was carried out to reuse of SMS of oyster mushroom for the production of oyster mushroom at Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU), Mymensingh. Two mushroom species (Pleurotus ostreatus and P. florida) were grown on SMS supplemented with sawdust and wheat bran at different proportions. The results showed that SMS supplement with 60% sawdust + 20% wheat bran demonstrated the highest biological yield, economic yield and biological efficiency for both P. ostreatus and P. florida. Yield parameters were increased with increasing C/N ratio where as 36:1 C/N ratio exhibited the highest yield. The C/N ratio below or above 36:1 decreased yield of both species of oyster mushroom. The optimum C/N ratio for economic yield varied between the two oyster mushroom species and found to be 35.2 for P. ostreatus against C/N ratio of 40.1 for P. florida. Concerning biological yield and biological efficiency the optimum C/N ratio was found 35.7 for P. Ostreatus and 40.6 for P. florida. The study emphatically indicated that reuse of spent mushroom substrate with supplementation can be a good solution to address the disposal problem where as supplemented SMS can be a good substrate for further mushroom production

The quality of life in boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy

We conducted a study to evaluate the quality of life in boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy aged 8–18 years, compared with that in matched healthy controls. A total of 85 boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy aged 8–18 years and 136 age, sex and living place matched healthy controls were included in this study. Patients and one of their parents separately completed the 27-item Persian version of KIDSCREEN questionnaire (child and adolescent version and parent version). From the children's perspective, the quality of life in patients was found to be lower in two subclasses: “physical activities and health” (p < 0.001) and “friends” (p = 0.005). Parental estimation of their sick child's quality of life was significantly lower than children's own assessment in two subclasses: “physical activities and health” (p < 0.001) and “general mood and feelings” (p < 0.001). Our results indicate that boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy have quite a satisfactory quality of life. A happier and more hopeful life can be promoted through increasing social support and improving the parental knowledge regarding their child's more positive life perspective. © 2016 Elsevier B.V

Apolipoprotein A1 as a novel anti-implantation biomarker in polycystic ovary syndrome: A case-control study

Background: Women with polycystic ovary syndrome have lower pregnancy rates, possibly due to the decreased uterine receptivity. Successful implantation depends on protein networks that are essential for cross-talk between the embryo and endometrium. Apolipoprotein A1 has been proposed as a putative anti-implantation factor. In this study, we evaluated apolipoprotein A1 expression in human endometrial tissues. Materials and Methods: Endometrial apolipoprotein A1 messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein expression were investigated using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and Western blot. The distribution of apolipoprotein A1 was also detected by immunostaining. Samples were obtained from 10 patients with polycystic ovary syndrome and 15 healthy fertile women in the proliferative (on day 2 or day 3 before ovulation, n = 7) and secretory (on days 3-5 after ovulation, n = 8) phases. Results: Endometrial apolipoprotein A1 expression was upregulated in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome compared to normal subjects. However, apolipoprotein A1 expression in the proliferative phase was significantly higher than in the luteal phase (P value < 0.05). Conclusion: It seems that differentially expressed apolipoprotein A1 negatively affects endometrial receptivity in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome. The results showed that apolipoprotein A1 level significantly changes in the human endometrium during the menstrual cycle with minimum expression in the secretory phase, coincident with the receptive phase (window of implantation). Further studies are required to clarify the clinical application of this protein. © 2015 Journal of Research in Medical Sciences

The Effect of Estradiol and Progesterone on Toll Like Receptor Gene Expression in A Human Fallopian Tube Epithelial Cell Line

OBJECTIVE: Toll like receptors (TLRs) are one of the main components of the innate im- mune system. It has been reported that expression of these receptors are altered in the female reproductive tract (FRT) during menstrual cycle. Here we used a fallopian tube epithelial cell line (OE-E6/E7) to evaluate the effect of two sex hormones in modulating TLR expression. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this experimental study, initially TLR gene expression in OE- E6/E7 cells was evaluated and compared with that of fallopian tube tissue using quanti- tative real time-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and immunostaining. Thereafter, OE-E6/E7 cells were cultured with different concentrations of estradiol and progesterone, and combination of both. qRT-PCR was performed to reveal any changes in expression of TLR genes as a result of hormonal treatment. RESULTS: TLR1-10 genes were expressed in human fallopian tube tissue. TLR1-6 genes and their respective proteins were expressed in the OE-E6/E7 cell line. Although estradiol and progesterone separately had no significant effect on TLR expression, their combined treatment altered the expression of TLRs in this cell line. Also, the pattern of TLR expres- sion in preovulation (P), mensturation (M) and window of implantation (W) were the same for all TLRs with no significant differences between P, M and W groups. CONCLUSION: These data show the significant involvement of the combination of es- tradiol and progesterone in modulation of TLR gene expression in this human fal- lopian tube cell line. Further experiments may reveal the regulatory mechanism and signalling pathway behind the effect of sex hormones in modulating TLRs in the hu- man FRT

In Situ Hybridization and Monoclonal Antibody Analysis of Plasma Membrane Ca-Pump mRNA and Protein in Submandibular Glands of Rabbit, Rat and Man

The degree of supersaturation of saliva with calcium (Ca) is related to the mineral phase of enamel in erupted teeth, the incidence of caries, and the formation of calculus. The mechanisms for regulating salivary Ca concentration are therefore of relevance to dentistry. Sections of rabbit, rat and human submandibular gland (SMG) were processed for immuno-histochemistry with a specific anti-plasma membrane Ca-pump antibody, 5F10. Western blots confirm that the molecular weight of the proteins identified by our antibody (135 kDa) is consistent with an appropriate molecular weight for PMCA antigen (135-150 kDa). Tissue sections were also processed for in situ hybridization to study the distribution of the PMCA mRNA isoforms. In mammals, the PMCAl gene is reported to code for a PMCA protein with a role in maintaining the intracellular Ca levels in both epithelial and non-epithelial cells. Other genes including the PMCA2 and PMCA4 genes may code for PMCA proteins specific to Ca transporting tissues. Our studies demonstrate cytoplasmic labeling of PMCA mRNA with hPMCA-1 and hPMCA-4 specific cDNA probes in humans, and rPMCA-1 and rPMCA-2 specific oligonucleotide probes in rats. Labeling of PMCA protein and all mRNA isoforms was found in the cytoplasm of the interlobular and intralobular ducts (except for intercalated ducts). The demonstrated presence of PMCA in SMGs of rabbit, rat, and man, may suggest a role for PMCA in the regulation of intracellular Ca and in a mechanism for regulating and maintaining the high concentration of Ca in saliva