Psychomotor functions at various weeks of chronic renal failure in rats

In chronic renal failure there is a gradual retention of substances in the tissues and body fluids, called as uremic retention toxins, which can bring about a number of biochemical activities in the body. Chronic renal insufficiency also leads to progressive behavioural conflict. Uremic toxins can affect both the central and the peripheral nervous system. Uremic encephalopathy is also associated with problems in cognition and memory. To study the psychomotor functional disorders in rats with progressive chronic renal failure surgical nephrectomy was done by resection method. The animals were grouped into two control groups, Sham control (SC) and normal control (NC) and two uremic groups, moderate uremia (G_M) and severe uremia (G_S). Psychomotor analysis was done by passive avoidance and open field in these animals at 4, 8, 12, and 16 weeks. After the incubation period, the nephrectomised groups (G_M and G_S) showed significant changes in exploratory, locomotor and emotional behaviour when compared to the controls (NC and SC). Psychomotor changes involve poor cognition, reduced memory, reduced locomotor activity and decreased exploratory drive and emotional disturbance like increased fear during the initial stages. During the later stages a restless behaviour was noticed, associated with diminished fear.     

Isoenzyme Polymorphism in Flowering Plants III Gel Electrophoretic Methods and Applications

Gel electrophoretic methods and equipment which were devised or modified for rapid and economic application to angiosperm tissues are described. Staining schedules are outlined that proved effective on a wide variety of tissues for elucidation of isoenzymes with the following activities; eslerase, peroxidase, catalase, leucine amino peptidase, phosphatase, amylase, and glutamic-oxalacetic-transaminase. Illustrative applications are discussed.     

Effect of Photoperiod on Isoenzymic Composition of Citrus and Poncirus

Long day photoperiod treatments given to Dancy and Clementine tangerines (Citrus reticulata Blanco.), the Mineola tangelo (C. parodisi Macf. × C. reticulata Blanco.) and the Rubideaux trifoliate (Poncirus trifoliata (L.) Raf.) produced 1.5 to 2.5 times the stem area, total linear growth and number of branches compared to short day treatments. Growing shoot tips were snbjected lo etectrophoretic analyses of tbe isoenzymic composition of esterases, teucine aminopeptidases, peroxidases and amylases. Differences were observed in the number and activity of the isoenzymes between the sbort and the long day treated plants of the three Citrus species aiid Hnbideaux trifoliate orange. The possible significance of tbese differences is discnssed in relation to Ihe growth in response to the photoperiodic treatments.     

Clinically oriented physiology teaching: strategy for developing critical-thinking skills in undergraduate medical students

Medicine is an applied science, interpreting evidence and applying it to real life by using clinical reasoning skills and experience. COPT (clinically oriented physiology teaching) was incorporated in physiology instruction aiming to relate the study of physiology to real-life problems, to generate enthusiasm and motivation for learning, and to demonstrate the vocational relevance of physiology among students by integrating clinical experience with teaching. COPT consisted of two elements: 1) critical-thinking questions (CTQ) and 2) clinical case studies. After a few topics were taught, CTQ and case studies were given as an assignment. Answers were discussed in the next class. Two exams, each of which contained CTQ and recall questions, were conducted, one before (exam 1) and one after (exam 2) the implementation of COPT. Analysis of student performance in the examinations revealed that the students did better in exam 2 (P < 0.0001). Feedback from students indicated that this method was useful and challenging.     

A multicenter study confirms CD226 gene association with systemic sclerosis-related pulmonary fibrosis

Idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs) comprise a group of autoimmune diseases that are characterized by symmetrical skeletal muscle weakness and muscle inflammation with no known cause. Like other autoimmune diseases, IIMs are treated with either glucocorticoids or immunosuppressive drugs. However, many patients with an IIM are frequently resistant to immunosuppressive treatments, and there is compelling evidence to indicate that not only adaptive immune but also several non-immune mechanisms play a role in the pathogenesis of these disorders. Here, we focus on some of the evidence related to pathologic mechanisms, such as the innate immune response, endoplasmic reticulum stress, non-immune consequences of MHC class I overexpression, metabolic disturbances, and hypoxia. These mechanisms may explain how IIM-related pathologic processes can continue even in the face of immunosuppressive therapies. These data indicate that therapeutic strategies in IIMs should be directed at both immune and non-immune mechanisms of muscle damage.     

Pair-wise interactions of polymerization inhibitory contact site mutations of hemoglobin-S

The linkage of pair-wise interactions of contact site mutations of HbS has been studied using Le Lamentin [His-20 (α)→Gln], Hoshida [Glu-43 (β)→Gln] and α₂β₂^T87Q mutations as the prototype of three distinct classes of contact sites of deoxy HbS fiber. Binary mixture experiments established that β^A-chain with the Thr-87 (β)→Gln mutation is as potent as the γ-chain of HbF (α₂γ₂) in inhibiting polymerization. On combining the influence of Le Lamentin mutation with that of β₂^T87Q mutations; the net influence is only partial additivity. On the other hand, in binary mixture studies, combined influence of Hoshida mutation with that of β₂^T87Q mutations is synergistic. Besides, a significant level of synergistic complementation is also seen when the Le Lamentin and Hoshida mutations are combined in HbS (symmetrical tetramers). Le Lamentin and Hoshida mutation introduced into the cis-dimer of the asymmetric hybrid tetramer completely neutralizes the Val-6 (β) dependent polymerization. Accordingly, we propose that combining the perturbation of intra-double strand contact site with that of an inter-double strand contact site exhibit synergy when they are present in two different chains of the αβ dimer. A comparison of the present results with that of the earlier studies suggest that when the two contact site perturbations are from the same sub-unit of the αβ dimer only partial additivity is observed. The map of interaction linkage of the contact site mutations exposes new strategies in the design of novel anti-sickling Hbs for the gene therapy of sickle cell disease.