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Biomedical subjects

G Bali

Publications and source records attributed to G Bali.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

[Iloprost therapy in systemic sclerosis].

Systemic sclerosis is an autoimmune disease of unknown origin affecting multiple organ systems. The management of this disease is challenging. Many therapeutic attempts have only been moderately successful. Iloprost, a stable prostacyclin analogue, with its antifibrotic effect can influence an important step in the pathogenesis of systemic sclerosis. In this review we analyze the published data for the optimal dose and duration of treatment. In three different studies, iloprost given for 5 days in the highest tolerated dose of 1-2 ng/kg/min provided a significant improvement of the disease measured by the number and intensity of Raynaud attacks, healing of digital ulcers, and digital perfusion. This improvement lasted for about one month. When the infusions were repeated once a month, treatment effect could be maintained. Although the effect of this treatment regimen should be proven in further long-term studies, we think that an intermittent continuous therapy with iloprost could result in an improvement or stabilization of systemic sclerosis.

Controlled Clinical Trials as Topic↗

Reduced GAP-43 mRNA in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex of patients with schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia has been associated with anatomical and functional abnormalities of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), which may reflect abnormal connections of DLPFC neurons. We measured mRNA levels of growth-associated protein (GAP-43), a peptide linked to the modifiability of neuronal connections, in post-mortem brain tissue from two cohorts of patients with schizophrenia and controls. Using the RNase protection assay (RPA), we found a significant reduction in GAP-43 mRNA in the DLPFC, but not in the hippocampus, of patients with schizophrenia. With in situ hybridization histo- chemistry (ISHH), performed on a separate cohort, we confirmed the reduction of GAP-43 mRNA in the DLPFC of patients with schizophrenia. We detected reduced GAP-43 mRNA per neuron in layers III, V and VI of patients with schizophrenia compared with normal controls and patients with bipolar disorder. Thus, glutamate neurons in DLPFC of schizophrenic patients may synthesize less GAP-43, which could reflect fewer and/or less modifiable connections than those in normal human brain, and which may be consistent with the deficits of prefrontal cortical function that characterize schizophrenia.

Adult↗

Effect of temperature and relative humidity on spinning behaviour of silkworm (Bombyx mori.L).

The rate of spinning of silkworm larva (Bombyx mori.L) was slow at 22 degrees C and fast at 38 degrees C. The time taken for completion of cocoon was longest at 98 +/- 2% and least at 40 +/- 2% RH. However, good quality cocoons were spun at 22 degrees C and 65 +/- 5% RH, hence it would be advantageous to maintain this temperature and relative humidity at the time of cocoon spinning in the case of CB race of silkworm.

Animals↗