IMPACT OF ROTATORY VESTIBULAR STIMULATION AND CURCUMA LONGA ON SPATIAL LEARNING AND MEMORY IN WISTAR ALBINO RATS

ABSTRACTObjective: This study was aimed at investigating the effect of rotatory vestibular stimulation and the capacity of the powerful antioxidant curry spiceCurcuma longa (turmeric) on neuromorphological and brain cholinesterase activity in rats to analyze the behavioral changes and cognition in healthyWistar albino rats.Methods: A total of 72 adult male Wistar albino rats were randomly assigned into four groups. For Group A (control group) neither vestibularstimulation nor the turmeric was administered, Group B (rotatory vestibular stimulated group), rotatory vestibular stimulation was given for5 minutes in a rotatory vestibular apparatus at a rate of 50 revolutions per minute in clockwise direction for 30 days, Group C (turmeric alone) treatedwith 2 mg/kg of turmeric for 30 days, Group D (turmeric+vestibular), treated with 2 mg/kg of turmeric followed by 5 minutes of rotatory vestibularstimulation for 30 days.Results: Group B shows improvement in learning via a reduction in number of trails for acquisition and retention, and an increase in dendriticbranching points and intersections and also a reduction in acetylcholinesterase level.Conclusion: Rotatory vestibular stimulation provides improvement in cognition via neuromorphological and biochemical changes than rotatoryvestibular stimulation and turmeric in combination and turmeric alone, though there is no significant difference between the treated groups.Rotatory vestibular stimulation in combination with turmeric (Group D) shows a nonsignificant increase in dendritic arborization ensures a longlasting promising effect in cognition enhancement through a long period of treatment. Further detailed study on combination of rotatory vestibularstimulation and turmeric is required to explore the mechanism of therapeutic action of this intervention as a useful remedy for the management ofcognitive disorders. Keywords: Rotatory vestibular stimulation, Turmeric, Learning and memory, Hippocampal neuron

Supervised Treatment Interruption (STI) in an Urban HIV Clinical Practice: A Prospective Analysis

Background: In acute HIV-1 infection, STI may induce immunologic control of HIV-1 replication. Several prospective trials of STI in chronic HIV-1 infection have been less encouraging. A previously presented retrospective analysis of our patients showed that in those with a significant CD4 increase (\u3e200 cells) on antiretroviral therapy (ART), 2 or more interruptions may significantly lower viral set point. This prospective study describes STI in a cohort of patients. Methods: 10 patients with either a positive response to therapy interruption retrospectively or those expressing interest in the strategy who met inclusion criteria (VL BLQ on ART, good adherence, robust CD4 response) were selected. Interruptions analyzed were prospective and supervised. Timing of STI cycles was based on CD4 and Viral Load (VL) responses not a predetermined schedule. Data collected included demographics, ART, VL, CD4, and illnesses during STI. Results: Of 7/10 patients with data at 4 weeks off ART, the mean VL was 1.78 log10 copies/ml below baseline (BL). In 10 patients \u3e 8 weeks off ART, the mean VL was 1.38 log10 below BL. 7/10 maintained VL 8 weeks off ART (mean 27 weeks, 1 \u3e 2 years). 4/7 with data during more than one STI showed an increase in time to reach 5000 copies/ml. None developed resistance-conferring mutations nor HIV-related illnesses during interruption. ART regimen or Hepatitis C seropositivity were not statistically significant factors affecting response to STI (durationΔVL; p\u3e0.05). Conclusions: Although no consensus exists concerning the effectiveness of STI in chronic HIV infection, a majority of our subjects were able to stop ART and maintain viral control for a period of time. Closely monitored STI was associated with lowered viral set point during the interruption in most cases. A larger prospective study is warranted but we recommend future trials measure additional parameters and avoid using the same STI schedule for all subjects

Capsular profiling of the Cronobacter genus and the association of specific Cronobacter sakazakii and C. malonaticus capsule types with neonatal meningitis and necrotizing enterocolitis

Background: Cronobacter sakazakii and C. malonaticus can cause serious diseases especially in infants where they are associated with rare but fatal neonatal infections such as meningitis and necrotising enterocolitis. Methods: This study used 104 whole genome sequenced strains, covering all seven species in the genus, to analyse capsule associated clusters of genes involved in the biosynthesis of the O-antigen, colanic acid, bacterial cellulose, enterobacterial common antigen (ECA), and a previously uncharacterised K-antigen. Results: Phylogeny of the gnd and galF genes flanking the O-antigen region enabled the defining of 38 subgroups which are potential serotypes. Two variants of the colanic acid synthesis gene cluster (CA1 and CA2) were found which differed with the absence of galE in CA2. Cellulose (bcs genes) were present in all species, but were absent in C. sakazakii sequence type (ST) 13 and clonal complex (CC) 100 strains. The ECA locus was found in all strains. The K-antigen capsular polysaccharide Region 1 (kpsEDCS) and Region 3 (kpsMT) genes were found in all Cronobacter strains. The highly variable Region 2 genes were assigned to 2 homology groups (K1 and K2). C. sakazakii and C. malonaticus isolates with capsular type [K2:CA2:Cell+] were associated with neonatal meningitis and necrotizing enterocolitis. Other capsular types were less associated with clinical infections. Conclusion: This study proposes a new capsular typing scheme which identifies a possible important virulence trait associated with severe neonatal infections. The various capsular polysaccharide structures warrant further investigation as they could be relevant to macrophage survival, desiccation resistance, environmental survival, and biofilm formation in the hospital environment, including neonatal enteral feeding tubes

Conceptualizing pathways linking women's empowerment and prematurity in developing countries.

BackgroundGlobally, prematurity is the leading cause of death in children under the age of 5. Many efforts have focused on clinical approaches to improve the survival of premature babies. There is a need, however, to explore psychosocial, sociocultural, economic, and other factors as potential mechanisms to reduce the burden of prematurity. Women's empowerment may be a catalyst for moving the needle in this direction. The goal of this paper is to examine links between women's empowerment and prematurity in developing settings. We propose a conceptual model that shows pathways by which women's empowerment can affect prematurity and review and summarize the literature supporting the relationships we posit. We also suggest future directions for research on women's empowerment and prematurity.MethodsThe key words we used for empowerment in the search were "empowerment," "women's status," "autonomy," and "decision-making," and for prematurity we used "preterm," "premature," and "prematurity." We did not use date, language, and regional restrictions. The search was done in PubMed, Population Information Online (POPLINE), and Web of Science. We selected intervening factors-factors that could potentially mediate the relationship between empowerment and prematurity-based on reviews of the risk factors and interventions to address prematurity and the determinants of those factors.ResultsThere is limited evidence supporting a direct link between women's empowerment and prematurity. However, there is evidence linking several dimensions of empowerment to factors known to be associated with prematurity and outcomes for premature babies. Our review of the literature shows that women's empowerment may reduce prematurity by (1) preventing early marriage and promoting family planning, which will delay age at first pregnancy and increase interpregnancy intervals; (2) improving women's nutritional status; (3) reducing domestic violence and other stressors to improve psychological health; and (4) improving access to and receipt of recommended health services during pregnancy and delivery to help prevent prematurity and improve survival of premature babies.ConclusionsWomen's empowerment is an important distal factor that affects prematurity through several intervening factors. Improving women's empowerment will help prevent prematurity and improve survival of preterm babies. Research to empirically show the links between women's empowerment and prematurity is however needed

The devil is in the details: trends in avoidable hospitalization rates by geography in British Columbia, 1990–2000

BACKGROUND: Researchers and policy makers have focussed on the development of indicators to help monitor the success of regionalization, primary care reform and other health sector restructuring initiatives. Certain indicators are useful in examining issues of equity in service provision, especially among older populations, regardless of where they live. AHRs are used as an indicator of primary care system efficiency and thus reveal information about access to general practitioners. The purpose of this paper is to examine trends in avoidable hospitalization rates (AHRs) during a period of time characterized by several waves of health sector restructuring and regionalization in British Columbia. AHRs are examined in relation to non-avoidable and total hospitalization rates as well as by urban and rural geography across the province. METHODS: Analyses draw on linked administrative health data from the province of British Columbia for 1990 through 2000 for the population aged 50 and over. Joinpoint regression analyses and t-tests are used to detect and describe trends in the data. RESULTS: Generally speaking, non-avoidable hospitalizations constitute the vast majority of hospitalizations in a given year (i.e. around 95%) with AHRs constituting the remaining 5% of hospitalizations. Comparing rural areas and urban areas reveals that standardized rates of avoidable, non-avoidable and total hospitalizations are consistently higher in rural areas. Joinpoint regression results show significantly decreasing trends overall; lines are parallel in the case of avoidable hospitalizations, and lines are diverging for non-avoidable and total hospitalizations, with the gap between rural and urban areas being wider at the end of the time interval than at the beginning. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that access to effective primary care in rural communities remains problematic in BC given that rural areas did not make any gains in AHRs relative to urban areas under recent health sector restructuring initiatives. It remains important to continue to monitor the discrepancy between them as a reflection of inequity in service provision. In addition, it is important to consider alternative explanations for the observed trends paying particular attention to the needs of rural and urban populations and the factors influencing local service provision

Emergence of new types of Theileria orientalis in Australian cattle and possible cause of theileriosis outbreaks

Theileria parasites cause a benign infection of cattle in parts of Australia where they are endemic, but have, in recent years, been suspected of being responsible for a number of outbreaks of disease in cattle near the coast of New South Wales. The objective of this study was to identify and characterize the species of Theileria in cattle on six farms in New South Wales where disease outbreaks have occurred, and compare with Theileria from three disease-free farms in Queensland that is endemic for Theileria. Special reference was made to sub-typing of T. orientalis by type-specific PCR and sequencing of the small subunit (SSU) rRNA gene, and sequence analysis of the gene encoding a polymorphic merozoite/piroplasm surface protein (MPSP) that may be under immune selection. Nucleotide sequencing of SSU rRNA and MPSP genes revealed the presence of four Theileria genotypes: T. orientalis (buffeli), T. orientalis (ikeda), T. orientalis (chitose) and T. orientalis type 4 (MPSP) or type C (SSU rRNA). The majority of animals showed mixed infections while a few showed single infection. When MPSP nucleotide sequences were translated into amino acids, base transition did not change amino acid composition of the protein product, suggesting possible silent polymorphism. The occurrence of ikeda and type 4 (type C) previously not reported to occur and silent mutation is thought to have enhanced parasite evasion of the host immune response causing the outbreak