SPECTROPHOTOMETRIC METHODS FOR THE QUANTIFICATION OF CARISOPRODOL USING FERRIC CHLORIDE, O-PHENANTHROLINE, AND P-NITROANILINE, SODIUM NITRITE AS ANALYTICAL REAGENTS

Objective: The present study represents the development of two spectrophotometric methods for the determination of carisoprodol (CCP) in pure and formulations using ferric chloride, o-phenanthroline, and p-nitroaniline (PNA), sodium nitrate as analytical reagents. Methods: The proposed spectrophotometric methods were developed based on oxidation of Fe3+ by CCP, and then, the resultant product was reacted with o-phenanthroline in acidic condition forms an orange-colored complex and diazotization of PNA followed by coupling with CCP in an alkaline medium forms yellow-colored complex. Results: Under the optimized conditions, the absorbance of CCP concentration obeyed the Beer’s law in the ranges of 10–60 μg/mL with good correlation coefficient values of 0.9992 and 0.9990 with the limit of detection values of 1.286 and 2.408 μg/mL, respectively. Conclusion: The proposed methods were successfully applied for the determination of CCP in pure and in their formulations

The Difference of Brainstem Auditory Evoked Potential Latency in Diabetic Patient with Good and Poor Glycemic Control

BACKGROUND: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a metabolic disorder which may complicate other organs, including the nervous system. Literatures which discuss about DM complications in the peripheral nervous system are easy to find but not so many of the central nervous system. Central diabetic neuropathy is a new concept which could be detected by a simple and non-invasive method, called brainstem auditory evoked potential (BAEP). AIM: The aim of the study was to find differences in BAEP latencies of a diabetic patient with good and poor glycemic control. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study of 80 patients who came for follow-up in diabetic center and neurology polyclinic at Sanglah Hospital, from April to July 2016. The subjects were divided into two groups, depending on their glycemic control, then having BAEP examination. RESULTS: The unpaired t-test found prolonged BAEP latencies (either peak latency of wave III, V, IPL I-III, III-V, and I-V) in both ears at the poor glycemic control group, but the results were not differed significantly (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: BAEP wave latencies were found prolonged in DM patient with poor glycemic control but not statistically significant. Further evaluation of BAEP latencies in DM patients is needed with prolonged duration and their relation with other comorbid factors, especially smoking habit

The calorically restricted ketogenic diet, an effective alternative therapy for malignant brain cancer

BACKGROUND: Malignant brain cancer persists as a major disease of morbidity and mortality in adults and is the second leading cause of cancer death in children. Many current therapies for malignant brain tumors fail to provide long-term management because they ineffectively target tumor cells while negatively impacting the health and vitality of normal brain cells. In contrast to brain tumor cells, which lack metabolic flexibility and are largely dependent on glucose for growth and survival, normal brain cells can metabolize both glucose and ketone bodies for energy. This study evaluated the efficacy of KetoCal(®), a new nutritionally balanced high fat/low carbohydrate ketogenic diet for children with epilepsy, on the growth and vascularity of a malignant mouse astrocytoma (CT-2A) and a human malignant glioma (U87-MG). METHODS: Adult mice were implanted orthotopically with the malignant brain tumors and KetoCal(® )was administered to the mice in either unrestricted amounts or in restricted amounts to reduce total caloric intake according to the manufacturers recommendation for children with refractory epilepsy. The effects KetoCal(® )on tumor growth, vascularity, and mouse survival were compared with that of an unrestricted high carbohydrate standard diet. RESULTS: KetoCal(® )administered in restricted amounts significantly decreased the intracerebral growth of the CT-2A and U87-MG tumors by about 65% and 35%, respectively, and significantly enhanced health and survival relative to that of the control groups receiving the standard low fat/high carbohydrate diet. The restricted KetoCal(® )diet reduced plasma glucose levels while elevating plasma ketone body (β-hydroxybutyrate) levels. Tumor microvessel density was less in the calorically restricted KetoCal(® )groups than in the calorically unrestricted control groups. Moreover, gene expression for the mitochondrial enzymes, β-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase and succinyl-CoA: 3-ketoacid CoA transferase, was lower in the tumors than in the contralateral normal brain suggesting that these brain tumors have reduced ability to metabolize ketone bodies for energy. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that KetoCal(® )has anti-tumor and anti-angiogenic effects in experimental mouse and human brain tumors when administered in restricted amounts. The therapeutic effect of KetoCal(® )for brain cancer management was due largely to the reduction of total caloric content, which reduces circulating glucose required for rapid tumor growth. A dependency on glucose for energy together with defects in ketone body metabolism largely account for why the brain tumors grow minimally on either a ketogenic-restricted diet or on a standard-restricted diet. Genes for ketone body metabolism should be useful for screening brain tumors that could be targeted with calorically restricted high fat/low carbohydrate ketogenic diets. This preclinical study indicates that restricted KetoCal(® )is a safe and effective diet therapy and should be considered as an alternative therapeutic option for malignant brain cancer

Reprograming of gut microbiome energy metabolism by the FUT2 Crohn's disease risk polymorphism.

Fucosyltransferase 2 (FUT2) is an enzyme that is responsible for the synthesis of the H antigen in body fluids and on the intestinal mucosa. The H antigen is an oligosaccharide moiety that acts as both an attachment site and carbon source for intestinal bacteria. Non-secretors, who are homozygous for the loss-of-function alleles of FUT2 gene (sese), have increased susceptibility to Crohn's disease (CD). To characterize the effect of FUT2 polymorphism on the mucosal ecosystem, we profiled the microbiome, meta-proteome and meta-metabolome of 75 endoscopic lavage samples from the cecum and sigmoid of 39 healthy subjects (12 SeSe, 18 Sese and 9 sese). Imputed metagenomic analysis revealed perturbations of energy metabolism in the microbiome of non-secretor and heterozygote individuals, notably the enrichment of carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, cofactor and vitamin metabolism and glycan biosynthesis and metabolism-related pathways, and the depletion of amino-acid biosynthesis and metabolism. Similar changes were observed in mice bearing the FUT2(-/-) genotype. Metabolomic analysis of human specimens revealed concordant as well as novel changes in the levels of several metabolites. Human metaproteomic analysis indicated that these functional changes were accompanied by sub-clinical levels of inflammation in the local intestinal mucosa. Therefore, the colonic microbiota of non-secretors is altered at both the compositional and functional levels, affecting the host mucosal state and potentially explaining the association of FUT2 genotype and CD susceptibility

MEASUREMENT OF SERUM TESTOSTERONE IN KACANG GOAT BYUSING ENZYME-LINKED IMMUNOSORBENT ASSAY (ELISA) TECHNIQUE: THE IMPORTANCE OF KIT VALIDATION (Pengukuran Testosteron Serum Kambing Kacang dengan Teknik Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA): Pentingnya Validasi Kit)

This study was conducted to validate a commercial testosterone enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits (DRG EIA-1559) inanalytic and biological manner for measuring serum testosterone concentrations in kacang goats. This study used 18 healthy kacang goats, six bucks (2 years), six kids (6 months), and six does (2 years). Blood samples were collected from jugular vein and prepared as serum. Two validation tests were performed, an analytical validation comprises a parallelism, accuracy, precision and sensitivity and a biological validation by comparing testosterone concentration from bucks, kids, and does. Testosterone concentrations were measured using ELISA technique. Data of analytical validation were analyzed descriptively and test of equality of slope was performed to see the parallelism between samples and standard curves. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used for biological validation data. Results of parallelism showed that sample curve was parallel to the standard curve. Accuracy, precision (% CV of intra-and inter-assay) and sensitivity of the assay were 99.65±4.27%, 10%, 15% and 0.083 ng/ml, respectively. Results of biological validation showed that the assay used were accurately measured testosterone which testosterone concentrations in bucks were significantly higher compared to kids and does (P0.05). In conclusion, a commercial testosterone ELISA kits (DRG EIA-1559) is a reliable assay for measuring serum testosterone concentration in kacang goats. Key words: analytical and biological validations, ELISA, testosterone, kacang goa

EEG Signal Classification Automation using Novel Modified Random Forest Approach

Digitalization and automation are the two aspects in the medical industry that define compliance with industry 4.0. Automation is essential for speeding up the diagnosis process, while digitalization leads to smart medicine and efficient diagnosis. Epilepsy is one such disease that can use these automation techniques. The automatic monitoring of epilepsy EEG is of great significance in clinical medicine. Aiming at the non-stationary characteristics of EEG signals, the classification of EEG signals is based on the combination of overall empirical mode. It is proposed using the random forest method. The EEG signal data set has an epileptic interval over 200 single-channel signals with a seizure period. A total of 819,400 data are used as samples. First, the overall epileptic EEG signal modal is decomposed into multiple intrinsic modal functions. The effective features are extracted from the first-order intrinsic modal function. Finally, random forest and Least Square SVM (LS-SVM) are considered to classify the EEG signals characteristics. The correct recognition rate of random forest and LS-SVM is compared. The results show that random forest classification method has an ideal classification effect on epilepsy EEG signals during and between seizures. The recognition accuracy is 99% and 60%, which is higher than the accuracy of the LS-SVM. The proposed method improves clinical epilepsy. The efficiency of EEG signals analysis

Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of indole and N-benzylated indole Mannich bases as potent antitubercular agents

210-224Though effective medicines have been available for treating drug-susceptible tuberculosis infections, the chances go from bleak to null as we move from multidrug resistant (MDR) to extremely drug resistant (XDR) or totally drug resistant (TDR) disease. Coordinated efforts made by international community have resulted in the identification of a few important anti TB agents like BM212, SQ109, AZD5847 and Sutezolid which are in the late phases of clinical trials. After Rifampicin, only two drugs Bedaquiline (2013) and Delaminid (2014) have been approved for the treatment of tuberculosis. This clearly shows the need for new leads towards fighting tuberculosis. In our present work, we have synthesized a series of indole and substituted indole Mannich bases designed by using structural features of BM212. Further, these synthesized derivatives have been analyzed by IR, NMR and mass spectral studies and are screened for anti-tubercular and antimicrobial activity. Among these, 23 compounds have shown potent anti TB activity with a MIC ≤3.12 μg/mL against M. tuberculosis H37Rv. We report here the synthesis, screening data and SAR studies of indole and substituted indole derivatives as antitubercular agents

Primary vaginal Ewing's sarcoma or primitive neuroectodermal tumor in a 17-year-old woman: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Primary Ewing's sarcoma or primitive neuroectodermal tumor of the genital tract of women is uncommon. Rarer still is its occurrence in the vagina, with only five cases described so far. Out of these, only one case was confirmed using molecular analysis.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>We present an extremely rare case of Ewing's sarcoma or primitive neuroectodermal tumor in a 17-year-old Indian girl. She presented with a vaginal mass that was initially diagnosed as a malignant round cell tumor. Immunohistochemistry showed diffuse positivity for vimentin, membranous positivity for MIC2, and positivity for BCL2 and FLI-1. On the other hand, she was negative for cytokeratin, epithelial membrane antigen, desmin, Myo D-1, myogenin and smooth muscle actin. A diagnosis of primitive neuroectodermal tumor was thus offered. Furthermore, a molecular analysis of our patient using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction technique showed positivity for t(11; 22) (q24; q12) (EWSR1-FLI1), thus confirming the diagnosis of a Ewing's sarcoma/primitive neuroectodermal tumor. Our patient was offered chemotherapy on Institutional protocol EFT 2001.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This is a rare case of primary vaginal Ewing's sarcoma or primitive neuroectodermal tumor, which was confirmed with molecular analysis, in the youngest patient known so far. This study reinforces the value of integrating morphological features with membranous MIC2 positivity, along with application of molecular techniques in objective identification of an Ewing's sarcoma or primitive neuroectodermal tumor at uncommon sites.</p

Reprograming of gut microbiome energy metabolism by the FUT2 Crohn's disease risk polymorphism

Fucosyltransferase 2 (FUT2) is an enzyme that is responsible for the synthesis of the H antigen in body fluids and on the intestinal mucosa. The H antigen is an oligosaccharide moiety that acts as both an attachment site and carbon source for intestinal bacteria. Non-secretors, who are homozygous for the loss-of-function alleles of FUT2 gene (sese), have increased susceptibility to Crohn's disease (CD). To characterize the effect of FUT2 polymorphism on the mucosal ecosystem, we profiled the microbiome, meta-proteome and meta-metabolome of 75 endoscopic lavage samples from the cecum and sigmoid of 39 healthy subjects (12 SeSe, 18 Sese and 9 sese). Imputed metagenomic analysis revealed perturbations of energy metabolism in the microbiome of non-secretor and heterozygote individuals, notably the enrichment of carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, cofactor and vitamin metabolism and glycan biosynthesis and metabolism-related pathways, and the depletion of amino-acid biosynthesis and metabolism. Similar changes were observed in mice bearing the FUT2−/− genotype. Metabolomic analysis of human specimens revealed concordant as well as novel changes in the levels of several metabolites. Human metaproteomic analysis indicated that these functional changes were accompanied by sub-clinical levels of inflammation in the local intestinal mucosa. Therefore, the colonic microbiota of non-secretors is altered at both the compositional and functional levels, affecting the host mucosal state and potentially explaining the association of FUT2 genotype and CD susceptibility

Wound dressings for a proteolytic-rich environment

Wound dressings have experienced continuous and significant changes over the years based on the knowledge of the biochemical events associated with chronic wounds. The development goes from natural materials used to just cover and conceal the wound to interactive materials that can facilitate the healing process, addressing specific issues in non-healing wounds. These new types of dressings often relate with the proteolytic wound environment and the bacteria load to enhance the healing. Recently, the wound dressing research is focusing on the replacement of synthetic polymers by natural protein materials to delivery bioactive agents to the wounds. This article provides an overview on the novel protein-based wound dressings such as silk fibroin keratin and elastin. The improved properties of these dressings, like the release of antibiotics and growth factors, are discussed. The different types of wounds and the effective parameters of healing process will be reviewed