Shell MIddens of the Coast of Balochistan

Summary paper on the prehistoric shell middens of the coast of Las bela in Balochistan and southern Sindh (Pakistan

Clinical profile and treatment of infantile spasms using vigabatrin and ACTH - a developing country perspective

Background: Infantile spasms represent a serious epileptic syndrome that occurs in the early infantile age. ACTH and Vigabatrin are actively investigated drugs in its treatment. This study describes the comparison of their efficacy in a large series of Patients with infantile spasms from Pakistan. Methods: All Patients with infantile spasms who presented to Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan from January, 2006 to April, 2008 were included in this study. Inclusion criteria were clinical symptoms of infantile spasms, hypsarrythmia or modified hyparrythmia on electroencephalography, at least six months of follow-up period and receipt of any of the two drugs mentioned above. The type of drug distribution was random according to the availability, cost and ease of administration. Results: Fifty six cases fulfilled the inclusion criteria. 62.5% were males. Mean age at onset of seizures was 5 +/- 1.4 months. Fifty two (92.8%) Patients demonstrated hypsarrythmia on electroencephalography. 64.3% cases were identified as symptomatic while 19.6% were cryptogenic and 16.1% were idiopathic. Eighteen Patients received ACTH while 38 Patients received Vigabatrin as first line therapy. Initial response to first line therapy was similar (50% for ACTH and 55.3% for Vigabatrin). Overall, the symptomatic and idiopathic groups responded better to Vigabatrin. The relapse rate was higher for ACTH as compared to Vigabatrin (55.5% vs. 33.3%) when considering the first line therapy. Four Patients evolved to Lennox-Gastaut variant, all of these Patients had initially received Vigabatrin and then ACTH. Conclusion: Vigabatrin and ACTH showed no significant difference in the initial treatment of infantile spasms. However, Patients receiving ACTH were 1.2 times more likely to relapse as compared to the Patients receiving Vigabatrin when considering monotherapy. We suggest that Vigabatrin should be the initial drug of choice in Patients presenting with infantile spasms. However, larger studies from developing countries are required to validate the therapeutic trends observed in this study

Efficacy of Anti-Inflammatory Therapy in a Model of Acute Seizures and in a Population of Pediatric Drug Resistant Epileptics

Targeting pro-inflammatory events to reduce seizures is gaining momentum. Experimentally, antagonism of inflammatory processes and of blood-brain barrier (BBB) damage has been demonstrated to be beneficial in reducing status epilepticus (SE). Clinically, a role of inflammation in the pathophysiology of drug resistant epilepsies is suspected. However, the use anti-inflammatory drug such as glucocorticosteroids (GCs) is limited to selected pediatric epileptic syndromes and spasms. Lack of animal data may be one of the reasons for the limited use of GCs in epilepsy. We evaluated the effect of the CG dexamethasone in reducing the onset and the severity of pilocarpine SE in rats. We assessed BBB integrity by measuring serum S100β and Evans Blue brain extravasation. Electrophysiological monitoring and hematologic measurements (WBCs and IL-1β) were performed. We reviewed the effect of add on dexamethasone treatment on a population of pediatric patients affected by drug resistant epilepsy. We excluded subjects affected by West, Landau-Kleffner or Lennox-Gastaut syndromes and Rasmussen encephalitis, known to respond to GCs or adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH). The effect of two additional GCs, methylprednisolone and hydrocortisone, was also reviewed in this population. When dexamethasone treatment preceded exposure to the convulsive agent pilocarpine, the number of rats developing status epilepticus (SE) was reduced. When SE developed, the time-to-onset was significantly delayed compared to pilocarpine alone and mortality associated with pilocarpine-SE was abolished. Dexamethasone significantly protected the BBB from damage. The clinical study included pediatric drug resistant epileptic subjects receiving add on GC treatments. Decreased seizure frequency (≥50%) or interruption of status epilepticus was observed in the majority of the subjects, regardless of the underlying pathology. Our experimental results point to a seizure-reducing effect of dexamethasone. The mechanism encompasses improvement of BBB integrity. Our results also suggest that add on GCs could be of efficacy in controlling pediatric drug resistant seizures

Polo kinase recruitment via the constitutive centromere-associated network at the kinetochore elevates centromeric RNA

The kinetochore, a multi-protein complex assembled on centromeres, is essential to segregate chromosomes during cell division. Deficiencies in kinetochore function can lead to chromosomal instability and aneuploidy-a hallmark of cancer cells. Kinetochore function is controlled by recruitment of regulatory proteins, many of which have been documented, however their function often remains uncharacterized and many are yet to be identified. To identify candidates of kinetochore regulation we used a proteome-wide protein association strategy in budding yeast and detected many proteins that are involved in post-translational modifications such as kinases, phosphatases and histone modifiers. We focused on the Polo-like kinase, Cdc5, and interrogated which cellular components were sensitive to constitutive Cdc5 localization. The kinetochore is particularly sensitive to constitutive Cdc5 kinase activity. Targeting Cdc5 to different kinetochore subcomplexes produced diverse phenotypes, consistent with multiple distinct functions at the kinetochore. We show that targeting Cdc5 to the inner kinetochore, the constitutive centromere-associated network (CCAN), increases the levels of centromeric RNA via an SPT4 dependent mechanism

Síndrome de West: evolução clínica e eletrencefalográfica de 70 pacientes e resposta ao tratamento com hormônio adrenocorticotrófico, prednisona, vigabatrina, nitrazepam e ácido valpróico West syndrome: clinical and eletroencephalographic follow up of 70 patients and response to the adrenocorticotropic hormone, prednisone, vigabatrin, nitrazepam and valproate

Em estudo retrospectivo avaliamos a evolução clínica e eletrencefalográfica das formas criptogênica e sintomática da síndrome de West e analisamos a eficácia do hormônio adrenocorticotrófico, vigabatrina, prednisona, ácido valpróico e nitrazepam no controle dos espasmos. Participaram do estudo 70 pacientes, acompanhados por período maior que 2 anos. Doze (17%) eram criptogênicos e 58 (83%) sintomáticos. O grupo criptogênico apresentou percentagem significativamente maior de pacientes que frequentavam escola regular e desenvolvimento motor normal, melhor controle das crises epilépticas, tendência menor a evoluir para síndrome de Lennox Gastaut e 83,3% tiveram controle completo dos espasmos (72,4% dos pacientes do grupo sintomático obtiveram controle completo dos espasmos). O hormônio adrenocorticotrófico e a vigabatrina foram as drogas mais eficazes, controlando 68,75% e 60% dos espasmos, respectivamente, quando utilizados como droga de primeira escolha e 75% e 50%, respectivamente, como drogas de segunda escolha.<br>In a retrospective study we assessed the outcome of the criptogenic and symptomatic forms of West syndrome and evaluated the efficacy of adrenocorticotropic hormone, vigabatrin, prednisone, valproate and nitrazepam in the spasms control. Seventy patients were follwed up by 2 years. Twelve (17%) were criptogenics and 58 (83%) symptomatics. In criptogenic group significantly more patients were in regular school classes and with normal motor development, better control of seizure, less tendency to evoluate to Lennox Gastaut syndrome and 83.3% had control of spasms (72.4% of patients from symptomatic group had control of spasms). Adrenocorticotropic hormone and vigabatrin were the most efective drugs, with 68.75% and 60% of spasms control, respectivelly, when used as first line of therapy and 75% and 50%, respectivelly, as second line of therapy