Time of day effect on balance performance,functional capacities and risk of fall in women with rheumatoid arthritis

ABSTRACT

Objective: This study explored the time of day effect of balance performance, functional capacities and risk of fall in three different times in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and the association between these variations and those of RA symptoms.

Methods: A “discontinual” protocol, composed of three test sessions, carried out at 6 am, 2 pm and 10 pm was set up, in order to investigate the time of day effect of balance performance, functional capacities, risk of fall, stiffness, range of motion, swollen and painful joints in women with RA.

Results: Time Up and Go Test (TUGT), Functional Reach Test (FRT) and tinetti test scores were significantly higher (p < .01) at 6 am and at 10 pm compared to 2 pm. Stiffness, range of motion, swollen and painful joints values were significantly higher (p < .01) at 6 am and at 10 pm compared to 2 pm. A significant difference was observed on the stiffness, range of motion and swollen joints values between 6 am and 10 pm that were higher at 6 am (p < .05).

Using Pearson’s coefficient, correlations were found between RA symptom values; and TUGT, FRT and Tinetti test scores.

Conclusion: Results showed a time of day effect of balance performance, functional capacities and risk of falls in women with RA. This variation indicates an alteration of performance at 6 am and 10 pm. Fluctuations of stiffness, limited range of motion, swollen and painful joints noted are concomitant to those of balance performance, functional capacities, and risk of fall.

Abbreviations: RA: rheumatoid arthritis; H&O questionnaire: Horne and Ostberg questionnaire; PSQI: Pittsburgh sleep quality index; HAQ: health assessment questionnaire; SF-36: the short form-36; WOMAC: Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index; TUGT: Time Up and Go Test; FRT: Functional Reach Test     

Beneficial effects of n-hexane bark extract of Onosma echioides L. on diabetic peripheral neuropathy

Onosma echioides Linn (Boraginaceae) is the most frequently used curative herb widely used for kidney obstruction, sciatic pain, and gout. The present study was designed to investigate the therapeutic effects of n-hexane bark extract of O. echioides (OE) L. root in vivo against Streptozotocin-induced diabetic neuropathy in SD rats. For in vivo activity, the experiment was categorized into five different groups (n = 5). Group-I was considered as nondiabetic/normal control (NC) treated with 0.5% carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), Group II as diabetic control, Group-III, IV, and V served as diabetic treated with OE 50, OE 100, and pregabalin at a dose of 50, 100, and 10 mg/kg body weight, orally, respectively. Body weight, blood glucose, oral glucose tolerance test, behavioral studies (motor coordination test, thermal hyperalgesia, cold allodynia, locomotor activity, oxidative biomarkers (thio barbituric acid reactive substances [TBARS], superoxide dismutase [SOD], glutathione [GSH], and catalase), and histopathology of the sciatic nerve were performed. Treatment with OE showed a dose-dependent increase in neuroprotective activity by improving the myelination and decreasing the axonal swelling of nerve fibers. The verdicts of behavioral activities showed a remarkable effect on animals after the treatment of extract and standard drug pregabalin. In conclusion, our findings supported the traditional application of OE and explored its importance in the management of diabetic neuropathy. Additional clinical experiments may provide novel therapeutic drugs for diabetes and its complications.     

Neisseria meningitidis: heterogenicity in the outer membrane proteins released into the growth medium

Eight strains of Neisseria meningitidis belonging to different serogroups were analysed for their virulence in mice and their release of outer membrane proteins into the medium during growth. All strains released proteins. No detectable lipopolysaccharide was observed. However, SDS-PAGE showed a heterogenicity in the protein number and profile among the different strains of N. meningitidis tested.     

Structure of the gene of tum- transplantation antigen P91A: the mutated exon encodes a peptide recognized with Ld by cytolytic T cells

Mutagen treatment of mouse P815 tumor cells produces immunogenic mutants that express new transplantation antigens (tum- antigens) recognized by cytolytic T cells. We found that the gene conferring expression of tum- antigen P91A contains 12 exons, encoding a 60 kd protein lacking a typical N-terminal signal sequence. The sequence shows no significant similarity with sequences in current data bases. A mutation that causes expression of the antigen is located in exon 4; it is the only apparent difference between the normal and the antigenic alleles. A short synthetic peptide corresponding to a region of exon 4 located around this mutation makes P815 cells sensitive to lysis by anti-P91A cytolytic T cells. The mutation creates a strong aggretope enabling the peptide to bind the H-2 Ld molecule. Several secondary tumor cell variants that no longer express tum- antigen P91A were found to carry deletions in the gene.     

Plasmodium falciparum: gene structure and hydropathy profile of the major merozoite surface antigen (gp195) of the Uganda-Palo Alto isolate

The gene encoding the 195,000-Da major merozoite surface antigen (gp195) of the FUP (Uganda-Palo Alto) isolate of Plasmodium falciparum, a strain widely used for monkey vaccination experiments, has been cloned and sequenced. The translated amino acid sequence of the FUP gp195 protein is closely related to the sequences of corresponding proteins of the CAMP (Malaysia) and MAD-20 (Papua New Guinea) isolates and more distantly related to those of the Wellcome (West Africa) and K1 (Thailand) isolates, supporting the proposed allelic dimorphism of gp195 within the parasite population. The prevalence of dimorphic sequences within the gp195 protein suggests that many gp195 epitopes would be group-specific. Despite the extensive differences in amino acid sequence between gp195 proteins of these two groups, the hydropathy profiles of proteins representative of both groups are very similar. The conservation of overall secondary structure shown by the hydropathy profile comparison indicates that gp195 proteins of the various P. falciparum isolates are functionally equivalent. This information on the primary structure of the FUP gp195 protein will enable us to evaluate the possible roles of conserved, group-specific and variable epitopes in immunity to the blood stage of the malaria parasite.     

Evidence that a system similar to the recA system of Escherichia coli exists in Vibrio cholerae

Summary Two lines of evidence suggest that a gene analogous to the recA gene of Escherichia coli exists in Vibrio cholerae and that its product serves a proteolytic function in the SOS response. Firstly, Southern blot hybridization using the recA gene of E. coli as a probe revealed a genomic sequence in V. cholerae which hybridized with the probe. Secondly, the SOS-like response in V. cholerae (as measured by beta phage induction) triggered by DNA damaging agents like Furazolidone could be blocked by Antipain, a protease inhibitor known to inhibit RecA protease action in E. coli. Maximal blocking effect of Antipain on beta phage induction occurred at 1 mM. At this concentration neither the viability of the host bacterium nor the lytic growth of a clear plaque mutant of the phage was affected by Antipain.     

Chromosomal mapping and nucleotide sequence of a human DNA autonomously replicating sequence

A 1.1-kb human DNA fragment (ARSH1) capable of functioning as a putative origin of replication in yeast cells has been characterized both by in situ hybridization to human metaphase chromosomes and by DNA sequencing. Our hybridization studies show a preferential localization of ARSH1 in chromosome regions 1p34-36 and 2q34-37. DNA sequence analysis indicates that in addition to the consensus sequence required for ARS function in yeast cells, nuclear matrix-associated DNA motifs are also present in the 1.1-kb fragment. These results suggest that ARSH1 sequences may serve as points of anchorage to the nuclear matrix for chromosomes 1 and 2.