安心酮对心血管系统作用的实验研究

目的研究安心酮（麻黄苯丙酮,Ｏｘｙｆｅｄｒｉｎｅ）对心脏血流动力学、冠脉流量和急性心肌缺血的药理效应方法观察药物对大鼠离体灌流心脏和在体狗心脏血流动力学、冠脉流量和心肌缺血的影响结果安心酮在一定的剂量范围内明显地增强心肌收缩力和对抗戊巴比妥所致的心力衰竭。但是,高剂量的安心酮可导致心功能抑制,使心肌收缩力和血压降低,β受体阻断剂可阻断其对心脏的激动作用,而安心酮又可拮抗异丙肾上腺素对心脏的兴奋作用。因此认为,本品可能是一种β受体部分激动剂。此外,安心酮可明显增加冠脉流量,减轻结扎冠状动脉引起的心肌梗死,以及拮抗高剂量的脑垂体后叶素所致的急性心肌缺血,这些作用可能是激动血管β２受体、选择性扩张冠脉和降低心肌耗氧量的结果结论安心酮明显地增强心肌收缩力、增加冠脉流量和改善心肌缺血。     

Target-cell-induced anergy in natural killer cells: suppression of cytotoxic function

 Our earlier studies have demonstrated that natural killer (NK) cells are the effectors that participate during the spontaneous regression of AK-5 tumour in syngeneic hosts. We have shown that the tumour cells are killed by necrosis and apoptosis. In this study, we have examined the induction of functional anergy in NK cells following coculture with fixed AK-5 tumour cells at high ratio. NK cells, upon coculture with fixed AK-5 cells (1:1 ratio), showed loss of cytotoxic function against both AK-5 (antibody-dependent cell cytotoxicity) as well as YAC-1 targets. The response of these cells to the activation by recombinant interleukin-2 and recombinant interferon γ was poor. Induction of tumour necrosis factor α (TNFα) secretion was observed after coculture of NK cells with fixed AK-5 cells. The cocultured cell supernatant inhibited the cytotoxic activity of NK cells, which was partially restored with anti-TNFα antibody. In addition, NK cells, after treatment with fixed tumour cells showed overexpression of the Fas receptor. We have also observed induction of apoptosis in cocultured NK cells. These studies suggest that the fixed tumour cells (antigen) at high ratio are able to suppress NK cell function as well as induce death in NK cells. Received: 16 September 1999 / Accepted: 13 January 2000     

A unique example of a pseudo-peptide containing noncoded amino acids self-assembling into a supramolecular β-sheet-like structure in crystals

The crystal structure of a pseudo-peptide with noncoded amino acids (such as N-substituted 3-aminophenylacetic acid and -aminoisobutyric acid) exhibits almost an extended backbone conformation and this pseudo-peptide self-assembled to form an infinite hydrogen bonded, supramolecular, antiparallel -sheet-like structure in solid state.     

Rough-Fuzzy Clustering and Unsupervised Feature Selection for Wavelet Based MR Image Segmentation

Image segmentation is an indispensable process in the visualization of human tissues, particularly during clinical analysis of brain magnetic resonance (MR) images. For many human experts, manual segmentation is a difficult and time consuming task, which makes an automated brain MR image segmentation method desirable. In this regard, this paper presents a new segmentation method for brain MR images, integrating judiciously the merits of rough-fuzzy computing and multiresolution image analysis technique. The proposed method assumes that the major brain tissues, namely, gray matter, white matter, and cerebrospinal fluid from the MR images are considered to have different textural properties. The dyadic wavelet analysis is used to extract the scale-space feature vector for each pixel, while the rough-fuzzy clustering is used to address the uncertainty problem of brain MR image segmentation. An unsupervised feature selection method is introduced, based on maximum relevance-maximum significance criterion, to select relevant and significant textural features for segmentation problem, while the mathematical morphology based skull stripping preprocessing step is proposed to remove the non-cerebral tissues like skull. The performance of the proposed method, along with a comparison with related approaches, is demonstrated on a set of synthetic and real brain MR images using standard validity indices.     

Cytotoxic Helix-Rich Oligomer Formation by Melittin and Pancreatic Polypeptide

Conversion of amyloid fibrils by many peptides/proteins involves cytotoxic helix-rich oligomers. However, their toxicity and biophysical studies remain largely unknown due to their highly dynamic nature. To address this, we chose two helical peptides (melittin, Mel and pancreatic polypeptide, PP) and studied their aggregation and toxicity. Mel converted its random coil structure to oligomeric helical structure upon binding to heparin; however, PP remained as helix after oligomerization. Interestingly, similar to Parkinson’s associated α-synuclein (AS) oligomers, Mel and PP also showed tinctorial properties, higher hydrophobic surface exposure, cellular toxicity and membrane pore formation after oligomerization in the presence of heparin. We suggest that helix-rich oligomers with exposed hydrophobic surface are highly cytotoxic to cells irrespective of their disease association. Moreover as Mel and PP (in the presence of heparin) instantly self-assemble into stable helix-rich amyloidogenic oligomers; they could be represented as models for understanding the biophysical and cytotoxic properties of helix-rich intermediates in detail.     

PKDL—A Silent Parasite Pool for Transmission of Leishmaniasis in Kala-azar Endemic Areas of Malda District,West Bengal,India

Post Kala-azar Dermal Leishmaniasis (PKDL) is a chronic but not life-threatening disease; patients generally do not demand treatment, deserve much more attention because PKDL is highly relevant in the context of Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL) elimination. There is no standard guideline for diagnosis and treatment for PKDL. A species-specific PCR on slit skin smear demonstrated a sensitivity of 93.8%, but it has not been applied for routine diagnostic purpose. The study was conducted to determine the actual disease burden in an endemic area of Malda district, West Bengal, comparison of the three diagnostic tools for PKDL case detection and pattern of lesion regression after treatment. The prevalence of PKDL was determined by active surveillance and confirmed by PCR based diagnosis. Patients were treated with either sodium stibogluconate (SSG) or oral miltefosine and followed up for two years to observe lesion regression period. Twenty six PKDL cases were detected with a prevalence rate of 27.5% among the antileishmanial antibody positive cases. Among three diagnostic methods used, PCR is highly sensitive (88.46%) for case confirmation. In majority of the cases skin lesions persisted after treatment completion which gradually disappeared during 6–12 months post treatment period. Reappearance of lesions noted in two cases after 1.5 years of miltefosine treatment. A significant number of PKDL patients would remain undiagnosed without active mass surveys. Such surveys are required in other endemic areas to attain the ultimate goal of eliminating Kala-azar. PCR-based method is helpful in confirming diagnosis of PKDL, referral laboratory at district or state level can achieve it. So a well-designed study with higher number of samples is essential to establish when/whether PKDL patients are free from parasite after treatment and to determine which PKDL patients need treatment for longer period.     

Manipulation of genes could inhibit SARS-CoV-2 infection that causes COVID-19 pandemics

The year 2020 witnessed an unpredictable pandemic situation due to novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreaks. This condition can be more severe if the patient has comorbidities. Failure of viable treatment for such viral infection caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is due to lack of identification. Thus, modern and productive biotechnology-based tools are being used to manipulate target genes by introducing the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/Cas (CRISPR-associated) system. Moreover, it has now been used as a tool to inhibit viral replication. Hence, it can be hypothesized that the CRISPR/Cas system can be a viable tool to target both the SARS-CoV-2 genome with specific target RNA sequence and host factors to destroy the SARS-CoV-2 community via inhibition of viral replication and infection. Moreover, comorbidities and COVID-19 escalate the rate of mortality globally, and as a result, we have faced this pandemic. CRISPR/Cas-mediated genetic manipulation to knockdown viral sequences may be a preventive strategy against such pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2. Furthermore, prophylactic antiviral CRISPR in human cells (PAC-MAN) along with CRISPR/Cas13d efficiently degrades the specific RNA sequence to inhibit viral replication. Therefore, we suggest that CRISPR/Cas system with PAC-MAN could be a useful tool to fight against such a global pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2. This is an alternative preventive approach of management against the pandemic to destroy the target sequence of RNA in SARS-CoV-2 by viral inhibition.     

Inheritance and molecular mapping of a gibberellin-insensitive dwarf mutant in groundnut (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Arachis hypogaea</Emphasis> L.)

A dark green dwarf mutant, TGM 167, was isolated from a gamma ray + sodium azide mutagenised population of cultivated groundnut breeding line, TFDRG 5. The mutant had a 45.8% reduction in height due to its shorter internodal length. Further, it was found to be insensitive towards exogenous GA₃ application, although it had nearly the same level of endogenous GA₃ as the parent. Genetic analysis revealed that the dwarfism is under the control of a single dominant gene. This dominant dwarfing gene was mapped with an SSR marker TC3H02 at a distance of 9.7 cM.