Długotrwała ocena okskarbazepiny w warunkach naturalnych: badanie retrospektywne

Wprowadzenie. Pacjenci lepiej tolerują nowe leki przeciwpadaczkowe. Współczynnik retencji leków przeciwpadaczkowych może być użytecznym wskaźnikiem ich praktycznego zastosowania. Cel. Ocena długotrwałych wyników stosowania okskarbazepiny w warunkach naturalnych poprzez wyznaczenie współczynnika retencji. Metoda. Badanie retrospektywne, do którego włączono wszystkich chorych na padaczkę, leczonych okskarbazepiną w okresie 3,5 roku w referencyjnym ośrodku leczenia padaczki. Współczynnik retencji okskarbazepiny w 1. i 3. roku terapii był estymowany dla każdej grupy badawczej przy użyciu metody Kaplana-Meiera i mieścił się w 95-procentowym przedziale ufności. Wyniki. Przebadano grupę 98 osób. Okskarbazepinę stosowano w monoterapii u 14 pacjentów (14,3%), a jako lek dodatkowy - u 84 (85,7%). Średnia dawka dzienna wynosiła 947 ± 492 mg; 60% badanych otrzymywało 900 mg na dobę lub mniej. Stosując analizę przeżycia Kaplana-Meiera, wyznaczono retrospektywnie współczynnik retencji okskarbazepiny w 1. i 3. roku na poziomie odpowiednio 0,853 (0,749-0,956) i 0,737 (0,570-0,904). Wnioski. Okskarbazepina, zarówno stosowana w monoterapii, jak i w leczeniu skojarzonym, jest lekiem dobrze tolerowanym przez pacjentów

STUDIES ON DORMANCY AND GERMINATION DYNAMICS OF Macaranga peltata(KANDA), AN EARLY SUCCESSIONAL SPECIES

Macaranga peltata is one of the most widely occurring early successional woodyspecies, specially in low country wet zone. Although Macaranga spreadsprofusely by seeds, the seed biology and germination behavior has not beenstudied. According to the preliminary studies, it was revealed that, thegerminability of freshly isolated seeds is very low. Therefore this work wasundertaken to understand the germination behavior and measures to enhance seedgermination of Macaranga. The study was conducted during May-July, 2000, atthe faculty of Agriculture, University of Ruhuna, Mapalana, kamburupitiya, SriLanka.Three treatments used, i.e. mechanical scarification using sand papers (T I),Chemical scarification using H2S04 acid (T2) and hormone treatment using GA(T3)' with the control. Fully ripened seeds were harvested and thoroughly washedto remove the peel and air-dried for one day. Dried seeds were treated asindicated above and placed in petri dishes containing sand media and allowed togerminate. Three replications were used for each treatment and percentage ofgermination was recorded at 7,14,21 and 28 days after planting.Germination of Macaranga seeds started after 14-21 days in control by afterseven days in treated seeds. Mechanical and chemical scarifications were noteffecting in increasing the percentage of germination significantly. But thegibberelic acid treatment has made a tremendous important in the percentage ofgermination and at the same time resulted in significant reduction it time taken forgermination. Although scarification treatments may have improved permeabilityof seed coat, it has not contributed to the germinability of seeds, the significantimpact made by GA treatment both in increasing and accelerating the germinationprobably reveals that there exists a dormancy in Macaranga seeds which is ofphysiological or metabolic in nature GA treatment of more effectively at higherconcentration: (20mm) was capable of breaking the dormancy and thus enhancedgermination.

DEVELOPMENT OF AN ECO~BUSINESS DIRECTORY: APPROACHES AND CHALLENGES

Eco-business is the provision of products and services that are environmentally friendly.When the preferences of the society are heading towards environmental safety, ,manufacturers need to adjust their production and marketing strategies to respond to thischange in consumer preferences. Eco-business aims at exploiting the market mechanismto provide the market with more environmentally responsible products. This studypresents the approaches used and challenges faced in the development of an eeo businessdirectory for Sri LankaThe building of the preliminary model for an eco business directory was done with thehelp of five types of surveys. Firstly, an island-wide industrial survey has been carried outwhich included major industries, hotel industry and minor industries. Secondly, an expertopinion survey was carried out to review the existing situation on a sectoral basisregarding eco-friendly products/services and to explore the possibilities and recentdevelopments of new products and services. Thirdly, a survey of existing literature wasdone in order to understand experiences regarding eco-friendly products in differentcontexts. In addition, NGO activities related environment has been collected in order toidentify gaps in public participation. In addition, available financial mechanisms for ecoindustries have also been listed.The main challenges faced in the preparation was the limited response from the relevantparties for the surveys. The lack of awareness on the 'eco friendly' products and serviceswas another issue which need further theoretical and practical definitionsIf eco ousinesses are to be establisued as a complete business s.rategy, environmentalclaims had to be accurate and independently substantiated. It is not likely that marketplace would resolve these problems on its own. The paper elaborates on the need ofguidelines and specifications on eco friendly products and services.

Comparison of antimicrobial effect between Triclosan Toothpaste and Nono-Silver Toothpaste

This journal suppl. entitled: Special Issue: Abstracts of the 2012 FDI Annual World Dental CongressTheme: Preventive Dentistry - Caries (Oral Presentation)OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the antimicrobial effect of two commercial available toothpastes in vitro. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two toothpastes: Colgate Total® toothpaste (triclosan containing) and NanoCare Nano silver® toothpaste (nano-silver containing) were investigated. The antimicrobial effect on bacteria planktonic status was tested by agar diffusion assay. A dual-species biofilm mod...postprin

Domino-like transient dynamics at seizure onset in epilepsy

This is the final version. Available on open access from Public Library of Science via the DOI in this recordData Availability: We have made publicly available the 15 epochs of human EEG data containing generalized paroxysms classified as focal onset, and all 15 epochs containing seizures from one individual used in the manuscript, 1252 EEG epochs containing seizures classified as generalized onset and the 6 mouse mEC recordings. All data and the code used for the data analysis and model simulations they can be accessed via DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/G2EXK.The International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) groups seizures into “focal”, “generalized” and “unknown” based on whether the seizure onset is confined to a brain region in one hemisphere, arises in several brain region simultaneously, or is not known, respectively. This separation fails to account for the rich diversity of clinically and experimentally observed spatiotemporal patterns of seizure onset and even less so for the properties of the brain networks generating them. We consider three different patterns of domino-like seizure onset in Idiopathic Generalized Epilepsy (IGE) and present a novel approach to classification of seizures. To understand how these patterns are generated on networks requires understanding of the relationship between intrinsic node dynamics and coupling between nodes in the presence of noise, which currently is unknown. We investigate this interplay here in the framework of domino-like recruitment across a network. In particular, we use a phenomenological model of seizure onset with heterogeneous coupling and node properties, and show that in combination they generate a range of domino-like onset patterns observed in the IGE seizures. We further explore the individual contribution of heterogeneous node dynamics and coupling by interpreting in-vitro experimental data in which the speed of onset can be chemically modulated. This work contributes to a better understanding of possible drivers for the spatiotemporal patterns observed at seizure onset and may ultimately contribute to a more personalized approach to classification of seizure types in clinical practice.Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)Medical Research Council (MRC

Protein-retention expansion microscopy of cells and tissues labeled using standard fluorescent proteins and antibodies

Expansion microscopy (ExM) enables imaging of preserved specimens with nanoscale precision on diffraction-limited instead of specialized super-resolution microscopes. ExM works by physically separating fluorescent probes after anchoring them to a swellable gel. The first ExM method did not result in the retention of native proteins in the gel and relied on custom-made reagents that are not widely available. Here we describe protein retention ExM (proExM), a variant of ExM in which proteins are anchored to the swellable gel, allowing the use of conventional fluorescently labeled antibodies and streptavidin, and fluorescent proteins. We validated and demonstrated the utility of proExM for multicolor super-resolution (~70 nm) imaging of cells and mammalian tissues on conventional microscopes.United States. National Institutes of Health (1R01GM104948)United States. National Institutes of Health (1DP1NS087724)United States. National Institutes of Health ( NIH 1R01EY023173)United States. National Institutes of Health (1U01MH106011

Circadian distribution of epileptiform discharges in epilepsy: Candidate mechanisms of variability

This is the final version. Available on open access from Public Library of Science via the DOI in this recordData Availability: All code used to produce the results presented in this manuscript are available on GitHub at https://github.com/imarinelli/Marinelli_PLOSCB2022Epilepsy is a serious neurological disorder characterised by a tendency to have recurrent, spontaneous, seizures. Classically, seizures are assumed to occur at random. However, recent research has uncovered underlying rhythms both in seizures and in key signatures of epilepsy-so-called interictal epileptiform activity-with timescales that vary from hours and days through to months. Understanding the physiological mechanisms that determine these rhythmic patterns of epileptiform discharges remains an open question. Many people with epilepsy identify precipitants of their seizures, the most common of which include stress, sleep deprivation and fatigue. To quantify the impact of these physiological factors, we analysed 24-hour EEG recordings from a cohort of 107 people with idiopathic generalized epilepsy. We found two subgroups with distinct distributions of epileptiform discharges: one with highest incidence during sleep and the other during day-time. We interrogated these data using a mathematical model that describes the transitions between background and epileptiform activity in large-scale brain networks. This model was extended to include a time-dependent forcing term, where the excitability of nodes within the network could be modulated by other factors. We calibrated this forcing term using independently-collected human cortisol (the primary stress-responsive hormone characterised by circadian and ultradian patterns of secretion) data and sleep-staged EEG from healthy human participants. We found that either the dynamics of cortisol or sleep stage transition, or a combination of both, could explain most of the observed distributions of epileptiform discharges. Our findings provide conceptual evidence for the existence of underlying physiological drivers of rhythms of epileptiform discharges. These findings should motivate future research to explore these mechanisms in carefully designed experiments using animal models or people with epilepsy.University of Birmingham Dynamic Investment FundEpilepsy Research UKEngineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR)Medical Research Council (MRC

The use of biomedicine, complementary and alternative medicine, and ethnomedicine for the treatment of epilepsy among people of South Asian origin in the UK

Studies have shown that a significant proportion of people with epilepsy use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). CAM use is known to vary between different ethnic groups and cultural contexts; however, little attention has been devoted to inter-ethnic differences within the UK population. We studied the use of biomedicine, complementary and alternative medicine, and ethnomedicine in a sample of people with epilepsy of South Asian origin living in the north of England. Interviews were conducted with 30 people of South Asian origin and 16 carers drawn from a sampling frame of patients over 18 years old with epilepsy, compiled from epilepsy registers and hospital databases. All interviews were tape-recorded, translated if required and transcribed. A framework approach was adopted to analyse the data. All those interviewed were taking conventional anti-epileptic drugs. Most had also sought help from traditional South Asian practitioners, but only two people had tried conventional CAM. Decisions to consult a traditional healer were taken by families rather than by individuals with epilepsy. Those who made the decision to consult a traditional healer were usually older family members and their motivations and perceptions of safety and efficacy often differed from those of the recipients of the treatment. No-one had discussed the use of traditional therapies with their doctor. The patterns observed in the UK mirrored those reported among people with epilepsy in India and Pakistan. The health care-seeking behaviour of study participants, although mainly confined within the ethnomedicine sector, shared much in common with that of people who use global CAM. The appeal of traditional therapies lay in their religious and moral legitimacy within the South Asian community, especially to the older generation who were disproportionately influential in the determination of treatment choices. As a second generation made up of people of Pakistani origin born in the UK reach the age when they are the influential decision makers in their families, resort to traditional therapies may decline. People had long experience of navigating plural systems of health care and avoided potential conflict by maintaining strict separation between different sectors. Health care practitioners need to approach these issues with sensitivity and to regard traditional healers as potential allies, rather than competitors or quacks

International Veterinary Epilepsy Task Force recommendations for systematic sampling and processing of brains from epileptic dogs and cats

Traditionally, histological investigations of the epileptic brain are required to identify epileptogenic brain lesions, to evaluate the impact of seizure activity, to search for mechanisms of drug-resistance and to look for comorbidities. For many instances, however, neuropathological studies fail to add substantial data on patients with complete clinical work-up. This may be due to sparse training in epilepsy pathology and or due to lack of neuropathological guidelines for companion animals. The protocols introduced herein shall facilitate systematic sampling and processing of epileptic brains and therefore increase the efficacy, reliability and reproducibility of morphological studies in animals suffering from seizures. Brain dissection protocols of two neuropathological centres with research focus in epilepsy have been optimised with regards to their diagnostic yield and accuracy, their practicability and their feasibility concerning clinical research requirements. The recommended guidelines allow for easy, standardised and ubiquitous collection of brain regions, relevant for seizure generation. Tissues harvested the prescribed way will increase the diagnostic efficacy and provide reliable material for scientific investigations