Prolonged intermediate syndrome pue to prganophosphate poisoning

Organophosphate poisoning can present as acute cholinergic syndrome, Intermediate syndrome and delayed neuropathy. Intermediate syndrome secondary to organophosphate poisoning is a serious health problem leading to increased morbidity and mortality. The incidence of problem varies and range from 8%-84% of organophosphate poisoning cases. The factors account for this difference is nature of organophosphate compound, severity of poisoning and inadequate Oxime therapy. The recognition of this syndrome is important as organophosphate poisoning is common in our country. We presented this case of organophosphate poisoning leading to prolonged intermediate syndrome. The muscle weakness associated with this syndrome generally resolves in 5-18 days but in our case this lasted for 23 days. After a prolonged Intensive Care Unit (ICU) stay patient was discharged home with no residual symptoms. The case highlights anticipation and recognition of this problem after cholinergic crisis is over

Contribution of Li+ Ions to a Gel Polymer Electrolyte Based on Polymethyl Methacrylate and Polylactic Acid Doped with Lithium Bis(oxalato) Borate

In this work, gel polymer electrolyte systems based on a polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and polylactic acid (PLA) blend that was doped with various compositions of lithium bis(oxalato) borate (LiBOB) were successfully prepared. Several characterizations, which included Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray difraction (XRD), and electrical impedance spectroscopy, were carried out to determine their structural and ionic conduction properties. FTIR analysis revealed that molecular interactions had occurred via Li+ ions in several regions, representing the functional groups of C-O, C=O and C-H stretching of the PMMA–PLA. Moreover, an increase in the amorphous phase upon the incorporation of LiBOB was revealed through XRD analysis. A sample containing 20 wt.% of LiBOB (PPLi20) was found to be the most amorphous sample in this study. This result is in alignment with the ionic conduction properties, showing an increase of ionic conductivity up to the PPLi20 sample, which exhibited the highest ionic conductivity with a value of 1.37 × 10−3 S cm−1. The contribution of Li+ ions towards the enhancement of ionic conductivity was determined through the transport parameter analysis. It was proven that upon the addition of LiBOB, the value of η,μ , and D increased, which signifed the high dissociation of ions. Beyond 20 wt.%, the transport parameters decreased due to the overcrowding of ions

Human mesenchymal stem cells stimulate EaHy926 endothelial cell migration:combined proteomic and in vitro analysis of the influence of donor-donor variability

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) stimulate angiogenesis within a wound environment and this effect is mediated through paracrine interactions with the endothelial cells present. Here we report that human MSC-conditioned medium (n=3 donors) significantly increased EaHy-926 endothelial cell adhesion and cell migration, but that this stimulatory effect was markedly donor-dependent. MALDI-TOF/TOF mass spectrometry demonstrated that whilst collagen type I and fibronectin were secreted by all of the MSC cultures, the small leucine rich proteoglycan, decorin was secreted only by the MSC culture that was least effective upon EaHy-926 cells. These individual extracellular matrix components were then tested as culture substrata. EaHy-926 cell adherence was greatest on fibronectin-coated surfaces with least adherence on decorin-coated surfaces. Scratch wound assays were used to examine cell migration. EaHy-926 cell scratch wound closure was quickest on substrates of fibronectin and slowest on decorin. However, EaHy-926 cell migration was stimulated by the addition of MSC-conditioned medium irrespective of the types of culture substrates. These data suggest that whilst the MSC secretome may generally be considered angiogenic, the composition of the secretome is variable and this variation probably contributes to donor-donor differences in activity. Hence, screening and optimizing MSC secretomes will improve the clinical effectiveness of pro-angiogenic MSC-based therapies

Smart nanocrystals of artemether: fabrication, characterization, and comparative in vitro and in vivo antimalarial evaluation

YesArtemether (ARTM) is a very effective antimalarial drug with poor solubility and consequently low bioavailability. Smart nanocrystals of ARTM with particle size of 161±1.5 nm and polydispersity index of 0.172±0.01 were produced in <1 hour using a wet milling technology, Dena® DM-100. The crystallinity of the processed ARTM was confirmed using differential scanning calorimetry and powder X-ray diffraction. The saturation solubility of the ARTM nanocrystals was substantially increased to 900 µg/mL compared to the raw ARTM in water (145.0±2.3 µg/mL) and stabilizer solution (300.0±2.0 µg/mL). The physical stability studies conducted for 90 days demonstrated that nanocrystals stored at 2°C-8°C and 25°C were very stable compared to the samples stored at 40°C. The nanocrystals were also shown to be stable when processed at acidic pH (2.0). The solubility and dissolution rate of ARTM nanocrystals were significantly increased (P<0.05) compared to those of its bulk powder form. The results of in vitro studies showed significant antimalarial effect (P<0.05) against Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax. The IC50 (median lethal oral dose) value of ARTM nanocrystals was 28- and 54-fold lower than the IC50 value of unprocessed drug and 13- and 21-fold lower than the IC50 value of the marketed tablets, respectively. In addition, ARTM nanocrystals at the same dose (2 mg/kg) showed significantly (P<0.05) higher reduction in percent parasitemia (89%) against P. vivax compared to the unprocessed (27%), marketed tablets (45%), and microsuspension (60%). The acute toxicity study demonstrated that the LD50 value of ARTM nanocrystals is between 1,500 mg/kg and 2,000 mg/kg when given orally. This study demonstrated that the wet milling technology (Dena® DM-100) can produce smart nanocrystals of ARTM with enhanced antimalarial activities

Expanded human blood-derived &#947;&#948;T cells display potent antigen-presentation functions

Cell-based immunotherapy strategies target tumors directly (via cytolytic effector cells) or aim at mobilizing endogenous anti-tumor immunity. The latter approach includes dendritic cells (DC) most frequently in the form of in vitro cultured peripheral blood monocytes-derived DC. Human blood \u3b3\u3b4T cells are selective for a single class of non-peptide agonists ("phosphoantigens") and develop into potent antigen-presenting cells (APC), termed \u3b3\u3b4T-APC within 1-3 days of in vitro culture. Availability of large numbers of \u3b3\u3b4T-APC would be advantageous for use as a novel cellular vaccine. We here report optimal \u3b3\u3b4T cell expansion (>107cells/ml blood) when peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from healthy individuals and melanoma patients were stimulated with zoledronate and then cultured for 14 days in the presence of IL-2 and IL-15, yielding \u3b3\u3b4T cell cultures of variable purity (77 \ub1 21 and 56 \ub1 26%, respectively). They resembled effector memory \u3b1\u3b2T (TEM) cells and retained full functionality as assessed by in vitro tumor cell killing as well as secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IFN\u3b3, TNF\u3b1) and cell proliferation in response to stimulation with phosphoantigens. Importantly, day 14 \u3b3\u3b4T cells expressed numerous APC-related cell surface markers and, in agreement, displayed potent in vitro APC functions. Day 14 \u3b3\u3b4T cells from PBMC of patients with cancer were equally effective as their counterparts derived from blood of healthy individuals and triggered potent CD8+ \u3b1\u3b2T cell responses following processing and cross-presentation of simple (influenza M1) and complex (tuberculin purified protein derivative) protein antigens. Of note, and in clear contrast to peripheral blood \u3b3\u3b4T cells, the ability of day 14 \u3b3\u3b4T cells to trigger antigen-specific \u3b1\u3b2T cell responses did not depend on re-stimulation. We conclude that day 14 \u3b3\u3b4T cell cultures provide a convenient source of autologous APC for use in immunotherapy of patients with various cancers