A study of retrograde degeneration of median nerve forearm segment in carpal tunnel syndrome of variable severities

Introduction: Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a disorder of the hand which results from compression of the median nerve within its fibro-osseous tunnel at the wrist. The slowing in the forearm motor conduction velocity suggests the presence of retrograde degeneration. Existing studies conflict regarding a correlation between the severities of the entrapment neuropathy in CTS and slowing of median motor nerve conduction velocity in the forearm.Aims: The objective of this work was to study retrograde degeneration (RGD) of the median nerve forearm segment in patients with CTS and its relation to variable severity of CTS in Egyptian patients.Patients and methods: Twenty-four patients with CTS were included in this study. The Forearm mixed nerve conduction is presumed to be indicative of the conduction of the median nerve over the forearm and is used widely to assess the causes of slowing forearm conduction velocity in CTS. In addition to conventional nerve conduction studies of the upper limb, forearm median mixed conduction studies were performed. Median motor forearm amplitudes and nerve conduction velocities (NCVs) as well as forearm median mixed amplitudes and NCVs were considered as parameters of RGD. Results: There were statistically significant differences as regards forearm mixed nerve action potential (MNAP) amplitude and median motor amplitude in the forearm segment but there were no statistically significant differences as regards forearm median mixed peak latency and NCV. There was no statistically significant relation between grades of severities of CTS in the studied hands and both forearm median motor NCV and forearm MNAP amplitude using Monte Carlo test (MCp = 0.323 and 0.464).Conclusions: Retrograde degeneration exists in patients with CTS. Forearm median motor NCV and median mixed conduction study are valid electrophysiologic tools for the assessment of RGD in patients with CTS. Retrograde degeneration is not related to grade of severity of CTS.KEYWORDS Carpal tunnel syndrome; Electrodiagnosis; Forearm median mixed study; Retrograde degeneratio

Perceived quality of care and contraceptive use among social marketed and commercial health establishment clientele in urban Pakistan.

The objective was to examine predictors of perceived quality of care and contraceptive use and to provide more information on the influence of social marketing programs on quality of care and contraceptive use by comparing Greenstar social marketing outlets with other commercial health establishments. This study is based on an urban exit survey of 5,321 clients conducted in May and June 2001. Quality of care was measured in terms of features clients liked at the health establishments they visited. Predictors of contraceptive use include indicators of quality of care, social environment, exposure to channels of communication, exposure to Greenstar information, and background characteristics. Analysis involved descriptive statistics and logistic regression. Of the clients interviewed, 5 1 percent were male; 89 percent were at least 25 years old; 93 percent had at least one child; and 72 percent had some schooling. The results show that perceived quality of care varied according to sex, years of schooling, and how often clients listened to the radio or watched TV. Significant predictors of contraceptive use were years of schooling, number of children, how often a client listened to the radio or watched TV, awareness of the Greenstar logo and what it represented, and perceived quality of care--closeness of the health establishment to home or work, affordable fees, availability of a doctor at the outlet, and knowledgeability of the provider. Results suggest that social marketing programs have an impact on both quality of care and creating a demand for contraceptives. Program interventions that increase the perceived quality of care at a health establishment may attract more family planning clients and increase contraceptive use among couples in Pakistan. (author's

Inhibition of Human T-Cell Proliferation by mTOR antagonists requires Non-Coding RNA growth-arrest-specific transcript 5 (GAS5)

BACKGROUND: Eosinophils are characteristic participants in allergic inflammation. The intracellular signalling mechanisms involved in the migration of eosinophils to sites of allergic inflammation are poorly understood. Chemotactic responses of eosinophils to platelet-activating factor (PAF), but not eotaxin, have been demonstrated to be dependent upon the activation of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) but the specific isoform of PI3K involved has not been identified. OBJECTIVE: To determine the roles of the leukocyte-specific PI3K gamma and PI3K delta isoforms of PI3K in PAF-induced chemotaxis of human eosinophils. METHODS: Chemotactic responses of the EoL-1 eosinophilic cell line and human peripheral blood eosinophils were measured. The effects of a PI3K gamma-selective inhibitor (5-[2,2-difluorobenzo(1,3)dioxol-5-ylmethylene]-thiazolidine-2,4-dione; AS604850) and gene knock-down of PI3K gamma and PI3K delta on chemotactic responses were determined. RESULTS: AS604850 caused a concentration-dependent suppression of chemotactic responses of EoL-1 cells and blood eosinophils to PAF but not eotaxin. Specific siRNAs reduced the expression of PI3K gamma and PI3K delta in EoL-1 cells. Knock-down of PI3K gamma by siRNA resulted in a 75% inhibition of the chemotactic response to PAF but had no effect on the response to eotaxin. Knock-down of endogenous PI3K delta by siRNA resulted in a 38% inhibition of the chemotactic response to PAF but had no effect on the response to eotaxin. CONCLUSION: PI3K gamma plays a major role in the induction of chemotaxis in PAF-stimulated eosinophils, while PI3K delta plays a lesser role. Interventions which reduce the activity The central importance of the serine/threonine protein kinase mTOR (mammalian Target of Rapamycin) in the control of cell growth and proliferation is well established. However, our knowledge both of the upstream pathways controlling mTOR activity and of the downstream events mediating these effects is still seriously incomplete. We report a previously unsuspected role for the nonprotein-coding RNA GAS5 in the inhibition of T-cell proliferation produced by mTOR antagonists such as rapamycin. GAS5 transcripts are up-regulated during growth arrest and after rapamycin treatment, and GAS5 has recently been shown to be necessary and sufficient for normal T-cell growth arrest. Down-regulation of GAS5 using RNA interference protects both leukemic and primary human T cells from the inhibition of proliferation produced by mTOR antagonists. The GAS5 transcript is a member of the 5' terminal oligopyrimidine class of RNAs, which is specifically controlled at the level of translation by the mTOR pathway, and the effects of GAS5 on the cell cycle provide a novel and important link to the control of proliferation. These observations point to a significant advance in our understanding of the mechanism of action of mTOR inhibitors, which is likely to lead to improvements in immunosuppressive and cancer therapy

Assessment of genetic diversity in French bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L) based on RAPD marker

RAPD molecular markers were used to evaluate the genetic diversity in the fourteen varieties of French bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) of three eco-geographical regions of Bangladesh. Out of the 20 primers only, 6 yielded polymorphic banding patterns. In total, 40 different DNA bands were reproducibly obtained, out of which 28 (70%) were polymorphic. The polymorphisms were scored and used in band-sharing analysis to identify genetic relationships. Cluster analysis based on Jaccard’s similarity coefficient using UPGMA grouped all the 14 genotypes into two major groups. Pair-wise variety comparison of the varieties showed that inter-variety similarity indices for PV004 versus PV005 (98.51) was higher than all other varietals pairs. On the other hand, inter-cultivar similarity index for BARI 01 versus PV009 (59.58) cultivar was lower than all other cultivar pairs. Therefore, the inherent simplicity and efficiency of RAPD analyses will be to facilitate the construction of RAPD-based genetic linkage maps in French bean.Key words: RAPD, French bean, polymorphism

Phylogenetic and characterization of salt-tolerant rhizobial strain nodulating faba bean plants

Improvement of faba bean production in the new reclamation land in Egypt requires isolation and selection of effective abiotic stress tolerant rhizobial strains. Three rhizobial strains were isolated from healthy faba bean plants growing in different geographic areas in Egypt. These isolates were adapted against different concentrations of NaCl (100, 150 and 200 mM) by using the enrichment method. They were evaluated by measuring the symbiotic N2-fixation parameters under greenhouse and field conditions during two seasons (2010/2011 and 2011/2012). One rhizobial strain exhibited the highest values of symbiotic N2-parameters, nitrogenase activity and proline content. Based on 16S rDNA and nifH gene sequence, this strain was shown to belong to the Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. viciae. A strong similarity was found between the 16S rDNA and nifH gene sequence of the strain E15 and R. leguminosarum bv. viciae 3841 (100% similarity for 16S rDNA and 95% similarity for nifH gene). The results show that the maximum growth of this strain was obtained at pH 7 and 30°C. This strain was tolerant to drought stress till 20% polyethylene glycol and it yielded the highest concentrations of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) at the end of the logarithmic phase. This strain solubilized inorganic phosphorus. R. leguminosarum bv. viciae was able to survive, persist, grow and effectively nodulated faba bean plants at high salt concentrations under greenhouse and field conditions and it could be used for biofertilization to reduce the severe effects of salinity and drought stress in the new reclamation land in Egypt.Keywords: Vicia faba, Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. viciae, abiotic stress, nifH geneAfrican Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 12(27), pp. 4324-433

Effect of Foot Refelexology on Preeclampsia

Purpose: This study was conducted to investigate the effect of foot reflexology on mean arterial blood pressure, Serum Cortisol level, proteinuria and quality of life in pregnant women suffering from mild preeclampsia. Subjects and Methods: Sixty mild preeclamptic pregnant women were selected randomly from Out Patient Clinic of Obstetrics Department in Minia University Hospital in Minia to participate in this study. Their ages were between 20-36 years old. Their body mass index less than 35 kg/m2. They were divided randomly into two equal groups (A & B); Group A (control group): It comprised thirty pregnant women with mild preeclampsia who were treated by antihypertensive drugs only while group B (study group): It comprised thirty pregnant women with mild preeclampsia who were treated by antihypertensive drugs and foot reflexology sessions (25 minutes, 2 sessions weekly for 8 weeks). Assessment: Mean arterial blood pressure (MABP), Serum Cortisol level and proteinuria were assessed before and after treatment for all patients in both groups (A&B), as well as quality of life was evaluated through World Health Organization quality of Life Questionnaire (WHOQOL). Results: revealed that, between groups; pretreatment, there was insignificant difference between both groups A & B in MABP, serum cortisol level, proteinuria and WHOQOL questionnaire scores. While post treatment, there was significant difference between both groups A &B in MABP, serum cortisol level, proteinuria and WHOQOL questionnaire scores [in favor of group B (more decrease in MABP, serum cortisol level and proteinuria; and more increase in WHOQOL questionnaire scores)]. Conclusion: Foot reflexology is an effective modality in decreasing MABP, serum cortisol level and proteinuria, as well as enhancing the quality of life of mild preeclamptic pregnant women

A critical review on recent advancements of the removal of reactive dyes from dyehouse effluent by ion-exchange adsorbents

The effluent discharged by the textile dyehouses has a seriously detrimental effect on the aquatic environment. Some dyestuffs produce toxic decomposition products and the metal complex dyes release toxic heavy metals to watercourses. Of the dyes used in the textile industry, effluents containing reactive dyes are the most difficult to treat because of their high water-solubility and poor absorption into the fibers. A range of treatments has been investigated for the decolorization of textile effluent and the adsorption seems to be one of the cheapest, effective and convenient treatments. In this review, the adsorbents investigated in the last decade for the treatment of textile effluent containing reactive dyes including modified clays, biomasses, chitin and its derivatives, and magnetic ion-exchanging particles have been critically reviewed and their reactive dye binding capacities have been compiled and compared. Moreover, the dye binding mechanism, dye sorption isotherm models and also the merits/demerits of various adsorbents are discussed. This review also includes the current challenges and the future directions for the development of adsorbents that meet these challenges. The adsorption capacities of adsorbents depend on various factors, such as the chemical structures of dyes, the ionic property, surface area, porosity of the adsorbents, and the operating conditions. It is evident from the literature survey that decolorization by the adsorption shows a great promise for the removal of color from dyehouse effluent. If biomasses want to compete with the established ion-exchange resins and activated carbon, their dye binding capacity will need to be substantially improved

Evaluation of the sleep modulating effects of methanolic extracts of Strychnos spinosa and Strychnos innocua fruits in mice

This study aimed to evaluate the sleep modulating properties of Strychnos spinosa and Strychnos innocua fruits in Swiss albino mice. The depressant effect of the extracts on the central nervous system was studied using a diazepam-induced sleep model in mice. The mice were divided into four groups of six mice each. The test groups received Strychnos spinosa and Strychnos innocua fruits extracts at the doses of 250, 500, and 1000 mg/kg body weight intraperitoneally. In contrast, the control group received distilled water at 10 ml/kg. Diazepam (Ranbaxy®, India) was used as a standard drug and administered 30 minutes after the initial treatment. The lethal doses (LD50) of the two extracts were estimated to be >5000 mg/kg. The results obtained from the onset of sleep of rats administered methanol extracts of Strychnos spinosa, and Strychnos innocua fruits showed that the extracts at 250, 500, and 1000 mg/kg, respectively, did not significantly (p >0.05) alter the onset of sleep when compared with the control. The onset of sleep in the groups treated with Strychnos spinosa fruit extracts indicated a dose-dependent decrease pattern. The study also revealed a prolonged duration of sleep in all the experimental groups treated with the two extracts compared to the control group. The treated groups of 250, 500 and 1000 mg/kg significantly (p <0.05) prolonged the duration of diazepam-induced sleep in a dose-dependent manner when compared to the control group. The group treated with 1000 mg/kg of Strychnos innocua fruit extract was significant (p <0.05) compared to the control group. In conclusion, the high LD50 observed in this study suggests that the two extracts are relatively safe and contain promising bioactive ingredients that cause sleep modulation in mice

Survival and hepatitis status among Asian Americans with hepatocellular carcinoma treated without liver transplantation

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) are established causes of HCC. HCC patients are often diagnosed late and receive palliative therapies, however, the survival of Asian American patients with HCC treated without transplantation has not been well studied. We reviewed our institution's experience to determine predictors and rates of survival in Asian American HCC patients treated without transplantation.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We identified Asian American patients with HCC referred to M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. Patients were tested for HBV and HCV. Survival curves were generated by Kaplan-Meier method. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression was used to test the relationship between prognostic factors and survival.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Of 82 Asian American HCC patients, most had advanced disease (65%) and received treatment (68%); however, only 11% had surgical resection. 94% had positive anti-HBc and 61% had positive HBsAg. 20% had positive anti-HCV. There were no significant changes in the rates of HBV and HCV over time. Male gender, high alpha-fetoprotein levels, and stage IV disease were associated with shorter survival Overall median survival was 9.2 months (95% CI 6.5–11.9), and the survival of HCV and HBV patients was not statistically different.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The survival rate of Asian American patients with advanced HCC, for whom transplantation was not available, was low. Timely hepatitis screening and interventions by primary care physicians may be the most logical solution to reduce the burden of hepatitis-associated HCC among Asian Americans.</p