5 research outputs found
Japanese Encephalitis—A Pathological and Clinical Perspective
Japanese encephalitis (JE) is the leading form of viral encephalitis in Asia. It is caused by the JE virus (JEV), which belongs to the family Flaviviridae. JEV is endemic to many parts of Asia, where periodic outbreaks take hundreds of lives. Despite the catastrophes it causes, JE has remained a tropical disease uncommon in the West. With rapid globalization and climatic shift, JEV has started to emerge in areas where the threat was previously unknown. Scientific evidence predicts that JEV will soon become a global pathogen and cause of worldwide pandemics. Although some research documents JEV pathogenesis and drug discovery, worldwide awareness of the need for extensive research to deal with JE is still lacking. This review focuses on the exigency of developing a worldwide effort to acknowledge the prime importance of performing an extensive study of this thus far neglected tropical viral disease. This review also outlines the pathogenesis, the scientific efforts channeled into develop a therapy, and the outlook for a possible future breakthrough addressing this killer disease
Correlation of clinical profile of myotonic dystrophy with CTG repeats in the myotonin protein kinase gene
The molecular genetic analyses (PCR and Southern hybridization) of Indian patients with myotonic dystrophy (DM) were carried out to determine the degree of repeat expansion and an attempt was made to correlate the repeat number with disease severity. A scoring system based on the salient clinical features was devised to objectively assess the disease severity. The repeat expansion was seen in 11 of 12 patients examined and showed an inverse correlation with the age of onset confirming the phenomenon of anticipation. This was further established in the two pedigrees studied, dearly demonstrating both clinical and genetic anticipation. The clinical severity score,, however, did not correlate well with the repeat number. Nonetheless, such molecular genetic analyses may have immense value as a screening procedure to identify premutations as well as in prenatal diagnoses
Antiparkinsonian Effects of Aqueous Methanolic Extract of Hyoscyamus niger Seeds Result From its Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitory and Hydroxyl Radical Scavenging Potency
Hyoscyamus species is one of the four plants
used in Ayurveda for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease
(PD). Since Hyoscyamus niger was found to contain negligible
levels of L-DOPA, we evaluated neuroprotective
potential, if any, of characterized petroleum ether and
aqueous methanol extracts of its seeds in 1-methyl-4-phenyl-
1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) model of PD in
mice. Air dried authenticated H. niger seeds were
sequentially extracted using petroleum ether and aqueous
methanol and were characterized employing HPLC-electrochemistry
and LCMS. Parkinsonian mice were treated
daily twice with the extracts (125–500 mg/kg, p.o.) for two
days and motor functions and striatal dopamine levels were
assayed. Administration of the aqueous methanol extract
(containing 0.03% w/w of L-DOPA), but not petroleum ether extract, significantly attenuated motor disabilities
(akinesia, catalepsy and reduced swim score) and striatal
dopamine loss in MPTP treated mice. Since the extract
caused significant inhibition of monoamine oxidase activity
and attenuated 1-methyl-4-phenyl pyridinium (MPP?)-
induced hydroxyl radical (�OH) generation in isolated
mitochondria, it is possible that the methanolic extract of
Hyoscyamus niger seeds protects against parkinsonism in
mice by means of its ability to inhibit increased �OH
generated in the mitochondria