Analysis of in vitro and in vivo sensitivity of oral cancer cells to methotrexate

Aim: The present study was directed on the assessment of the response of treatment-naive oral cancer cells to methotrexate (MTX) in vitro and clinical response to MTX therapy. Methods: A pilot study of in vitro evaluation of MTX response of oral cancer cells from 10 patients was conducted using a cell viability assay to determine the sensitivity/resistance to MTX. Quantitative in vitro data were correlated to the clinical outcome to MTX therapy. Results: A positive correlation was observed between the effect of MTX on tumor cells in vitro and clinical response for 7 out of 10 patients. Conclusions: Observations from the proof-of-principle pilot study suggests that oral cancer cells have intrinsically variable response toMTX. Confirmation ofthese findings with a larger cohort of patients could aid in the development of individualized therapies for this class of malignancy

Genetic diversity and evidence for acquired antimicrobial resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis at a large hospital in South India

AbstractObjectives: To assess genetic diversity and drug resistance of Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates collected at Christian Medical College Hospital (CMCH), Vellore, India, between July 1995 and May 1996.Materials and Methods: Isolates were subjected to IS6110-based restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis and tested for resistance to isoniazid, rifampin, ethambutol, streptomycin, and pyrazinamide, and DNA from selected strains was sequenced in regions associated with drug resistance.Results: One hundred and one M. tuberculosis isolates were collected from 87 patients with pulmonary tuberculosis. Charts of 69 patients were reviewed for history of tuberculosis illness and treatment. DNA from 29 strains was sequenced in katG, rpoB, and gyrA, and sometimes pncA regions. Analysis by RFLP revealed a high degree of genetic diversity, with no identifiable clusters of infection. Of the strains tested, 51 % were resistant to at least one antibiotic, and 43% were resistant to more than one drug. There was a high rate of resistance observed in patients whose charts indicated a history of improperly administered tuberculosis treatment, whereas little drug resistance was observed in patients never previously treated for tuberculosis. Sequencing of genes associated with drug resistance revealed several previously unreported mutations in resistant strains.Conclusions: This analysis suggests that the cases of tuberculosis in the sample are largely reactivation of long-standing infections and that the drug resistance among patients in CMCH is largely acquired or secondary rather than attributable to the spread of drug-resistant strains

Comparison of different culture media and storage temperatures for the long-term preservation of Streptococcus pneumoniaein the tropics

OBJECTIVE: The preservation of Streptococcus pneumoniae by standard freezing methods for subsequent tests - such as serotyping and antibiotic susceptibility - is not possible or is difficult in many developing countries because of the high cost of equipment, inadequate equipment maintenance, and irregular power supply. We evaluated alternative low-cost methods, by comparing different culture media and storage temperatures. METHODS: Clinical isolates of five capsular types (1, 5, 7, 19, and 23) of S. pneumoniae were preserved in rabbit blood, sheep blood, skimmed milk, or glycerol-chocolate broth, and stored at -20 masculineC or -70 masculineC. The cultures were also preserved by lyophilization or sand desiccation, followed by storage at room temperature and 4 masculineC. The viability of the preserved cultures was determined by making serial colony counts on day 0 and after 1 week, 4 weeks, 4 months and 16 months. The viability of cultures preserved by sand desiccation and storage at 4 masculineC was also determined every 6 months for up to 68 months. FINDINGS: Irrespective of the media used, cultures maintained at -20 masculineC became nonviable by the fourth month, while those maintained at -70 masculineC were still viable at 16 months. Cultures preserved by lyophilization or sand desiccation lost their viability by the fourth month when maintained at local room temperature (30-42 masculineC), but remained viable when stored at 4 masculineC for up to 68 months. CONCLUSION: Our results confirm that freezing at -70 masculineC, or lyophilization and storage at 4 masculineC are the ideal methods for the preservation of S. pneumoniae. In laboratories where lyophilization is not feasible, sand desiccation and storage at 4 masculineC offers an alternative low-cost method for the long-term preservation of S. pneumoniae

Not Available

Not AvailableNot AvailableKarnataka Agricultural Price Commissio

Fluoroquinolone Resistance in Clinical Isolates of Streptococcus pneumoniae from Asian Countries: ANSORP Study

10.1089/107662904323047781Microbial Drug Resistance10137-42MDRE

Spread of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii global clone 2 in Asia and AbaR-type resistance islands

10.1128/AAC.00633-13Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy57115239-5246AMAC

High prevalence of multidrug-resistant nonfermenters in hospital-acquired pneumonia in Asia

10.1164/rccm.201102-0349OCAmerican Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine184121409-1417AJCM