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Biomedical subjects

J Chakraborty

Publications and source records attributed to J Chakraborty.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources

The relationship of cholera to water source and use in rural Bangladesh.

The cholera experience of a sample of families in a rural area of Bangladesh is reported in relation to water supply and use. Tanks were the primary source for 65% of families, canals for 20% and the river for 14%. The highest attack rate was associated with access to canal water (13%). Attack rates did not vary markedly according to the purpose for which a source was used. The importance of cultural patterns in water use is identified.

Bangladesh↗

Clinical efficacy of testosterone undecanoate in male hypogonadism.

Testosterone undecanoate (Restandol, Organon Laboratories Ltd) dissolved in oleic acid, was administered orally to seventy-six hypogonadal males for three consecutive 3-week periods and the subjective clinical response assessed by a standard interview. Plasma testosterone and testosterone undecanoate levels were determined by radioimmunoassay before the study and after 3, 6 and 9 weeks treatment. The treatment was effective in sixty of the sixty-six patients who completed the trial. Ten patients did not complete the trial; two for reasons unrelated to the drug and eight because of side effects, mainly gastro-intestinal. There was a significant rise in plasma testosterone levels during treatment and a positive correlation between plasma testosterone and testosterone undecanoate levels. Testosterone undecanoate is a potentially valuable drug for the oral treatment of male hypogonadism.

Administration, Oral↗

Serum methylprednisolone levels following intra-articular injection of methylprednisolone acetate.

Twenty-one patients with rheumatoid arthritis received injections of either 40 mg or 80 mg of methylprednisolone acetate into one or both knee joints. Serum methylprednisolone and cortisol levels were measured at intervals up to 1 week following injection. Peak serum levels of methylprednisolone were reached at between 2 and 12 hours following injection, and increasing the injected dose resulted in correspondingly higher serum levels. Injection of 80 mg of methylprednisolone as 40 mg into each knee produced consistently higher peak serum levels than when given as a single intra-articular injection. Serum cortisol levels were substantially suppressed for up to 1 week, and this effect was seen at all dose levels.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid↗

Serious renal transplant rejection and adrenal hypofunction after gradual withdrawal of prednisolone two years after transplantation.

Ten patients with stable renal function two years after transplantation had their sole immunosuppressive treatment (oral prednisolone 10 mg daily) withdrawn by reducing the daily dose by 1 mg at monthly intervals. Plasma prednisolone concentration, cortisol concentration, creatinine clearance, and serum creatinine concentration were measured in all patients, and the adrenal response to corticotrophin was determined in five by measuring plasma cortisol concentrations before and after tetracosactrin injection. No episodes of rejection occurred in patients taking over 7 mg prednisolone daily. Although three patients apparently required only minimal immunosuppressive treatment (less than 5 mg daily) the remainder suffered episodes of rejection at daily doses below 7 mg. There was a tenuous association between rejection and low plasma cortisol concentration, but neither the pattern of plasma prednisolone concentrations nor the response to tetracosactrin were related to episodes of rejection. Reducing the daily dose of oral prednisolone to under 7 mg should not be attempted in patients with renal transplants unless there are extenuating circumstances.

Adrenal Insufficiency↗

Oral contraceptives and family health in rural Bangladesh.

A case-control survey of mothers was undertaken in rural Bangladesh to assess the health problems of oral contraceptive users compared with two groups of nonusers. The complaint most often reported was weakness--more than 80% of all women surveyed. Significantly more pill users than nonusers reported experiencing dizziness and eye problems. However, only one fifth of dizziness complaints among pill users could be attributed to the pill. Although more pill users reported a decrease in lactation, a greater problem among the control group was total cessation of lactation related to a subsequent pregnancy. Therefore, in this context the pill may postpone weaning more often than it reduces lactation. That few women choose to use oral contraceptives in the early postpartum period, when a reduction in breast milk would be most hazardous to the child, contributes to this favorable balance. The attitude toward early termination of pregnancy was positive for 61% of pill users and 34% of nonusers. It is likely that abortion services would be favorably received in this traditional society.

Abortion, Induced↗

Breast-feeding patterns in rural Bangladesh.

Nearly 1500 women with live births from February through September 1974 were included in this multiple phase study of breast-feeding patterns in a rural area of Banglandesh. The median duration of breast feeding was observed to be 30 months. Over 75% of the women whose most recently born children were living were breast feeding at 2 1/2 years postpartum. The major reason for discontinuing breast feeding in the 1st year was infant death, and in the 2nd year, pregnancy. Insufficient milk was given as a reason for discontinuing breast feeding by 18% of the women who stopped breast feeding for reasons other than child death; among these women almost 60% were pregnant at the time they stopped. Of the breast-feeding women who became pregnant, over 50% continued to breast feed through the 6th month of pregnancy. A sample of 200 breast-feeding women with children ages 17 to 25 months were followed longitudinally for 1 1/2 years or until the mothers conceived. A seasonal trend in suckling time was observed with women reducing suckling during the harvest season. Total suckling time was inversely associated with socioeconomic factors and with infant nutritional status. No association was found between mean suckling time and maternal nutritional status, maternal morbidity, infant morbidity, or child's sex.

Age Factors↗

Failure of a large dose of vitamin A to enhance the antibody response to tetanus toxoid in children.

Field studies to determine the effects of a large dose of water miscible vitamin A on selected parameters of children's immunological function were completed in rural Bangladesh. There was no difference between vitamin A treated or control groups in tetanus antitoxin responses after tetanus toxoid immunization or in skin test reactivity to common antigens. Subsequent studies with mice demonstrated vitamin A dose-related antitoxin responses, but the animals required amounts of vitamin that would be likely cause undesirable side effects if administered in similar doses to children.

Animals↗

Plasma steroid levels after intra-articular injection of prednisolone acetate in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Eight patients with rheumatoid arthritis received an intra-articular injection of either 50 mg or 100 mg of prednisolone acetate into the knee joint. After the injection plasma levels of prednisolone were measured by radioimmunoassay and plasma cortisol levels were estimated fluorimetrically. Peak prednisolone levels were reached at between 2 and 4 hours after the intra-articular injection at both dosage levels, though the peak was higher with the larger dose. The 50 mg dose did not have any effect on the plasma cortisol level at 24 or 48 hours, but there was some suppression of plasma cortisol levels for up to 48 hours after the 100 mg dose.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid↗

Prednisolone absorption in acute colitis.

Peak plasma levels were reduced after an oral dose of 40 mg prednisolone in six patients with severe acute colitis as compared with six normal subjects, though total absorption appeared to be similar; the findings suggest that prednisolone absorption was delayed in acute colitis. A dilutional fall in plasma albumin was observed in normal subjects and in the patients after 40 mg prednisolone by mouth.

Acute Disease↗

Purification and characterization of mammary myoepithelial and secretory cells from the lactating rat.

Myoepithelial and secretory cells from the mammary gland of the lactating rat have been isolated, purified, and characterized. Mammary tissue was dissociated with collagenase into basket-like networks of myoepithelial cells and single secretory cells. Because of their larger size, the myoepithelial cell networks could be separated from other mammary and blood cells by differential centrifugation. Isolated secretory cells were purified by isopycnic centrifugation in 25% bovine serum albumin. The purified myoepithelial and secretory cells were viable, as shown by the incorporation of 32P into distinct macromolecules that were separable by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Both myoepithelial and secretory cells retained their characteristic morphology after isolation and purification, as shown by light, transmission, and scanning electron microscopies. The isolated myoepithelial cells were unique and, thus, distinguishable from other mammary cells in a number of respects; they 1) contracted in response to the addition of oxytocin, 2) bound [3H]oxytocin specifically, 3) accounted for the content of alkaline phosphatase and [Na+ + K+]ATPase in mammary tissue, and 4) reacted specifically with antiserum prepared against purified myoepithelial cells. The purified secretory cells were unique in possessing glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity. The different cell markers not only gave independent estimates of the purity of the cell fractions, but they also may be helpful in identifying mammary cells in stages of differentiation and neoplastic transformation.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗

Effects of unilateral torsion of the spermatic cord on the contralateral testis in human and guinea pig.

The fine structure of the contralateral, so-called unaffected, testis of two of three patients with unilateral testicular torsion revealed varying degrees of abnormalities, apparently related to the time course of the condition. In one patient (H-87) with unilateral torsion of 16 days duration, the contralateral testis revealed various morphological abnormalities. These included abnormal nuclear condensation in spermatids, disappearance of the inner component of the basal lamina, degeneration of the germinal epithelium, and "intermixing" of germinal epithelial cells with peritubular components. In the other patient (H-109) with severe atrophy of one testis as a result of torsion, the contralateral testis revealed abnormalities which included spermatids with degenerating heads and tails within the Sertoli cell cytoplasm near the basal lamina and peritubular thickening accompanied by a greater than usual number of Leydig cells. In guinea pigs with experimentally induced unilateral torsion, abnormal spermatid development was seen in the contralateral testis of those animals in which the affected testis was severely damaged. Moreover, the Sertoli cells exhibited a high degree of phagocytic activity. Fewer abnormal spermatids in the spermatogonial compartment were found in the contralateral testis of the animals which had only moderately altered histology of the affected testis. No fine structural change was noted in the contralateral testis of control or sham operated animals or in those which displayed only minimal damage in the affected testis. This study suggests that unilateral torsion of the spermatic cord resulting in moderate to severe damage to the affected testis may be associated with morphological abnormalities in the contralateral testis.

Adolescent↗

Village-based distribution of oral rehydration therapy packets in Bangladesh.

The distribution of sucrose-electrolyte oral therapy packets (1 liter) by community-based workers in a rural Bangladesh population of 157,000 was evaluated. A similar population of 134,000 served as a comparison group. The locally-produced packets showed satisfactory chemical composition with a shelf-life of up to 3 months and a cost of U.S. $0.05. After 4 months the workers were distributing an average of 70 packets/1,000 population per month. Most patients used one packet for each episode of diarrhea; 13% of children used two packets, and 15% and 8% of adults used, respectively, two and three packets. The electrolyte composition of the oral fluids prepared by field workers and mothers showed substantial variation, but no hyperconcentrated solutions were noted. A comparison of the hospitalization rate from the two study areas suggested a 29% reduction in hospitalization for diarrhea during the 4 months of distribution.

Administration, Oral↗

Membrane sterols and the development of the preimplantation mouse embryo.

The role of membrane sterols in the compaction and subsequent development of the preimplantation mouse embryo was studied by incubating embryos in 7-ketocholesterol and other oxygenated sterols. These sterols have been shown to inhibit sterol synthesis and deplete membranes of cholesterol in a variety of ther cell types. Compaction and subsequent blastocyst formation were normal when embryos were incubated in physiological sterols but were inhibited by oxygenated sterols to a degree which depended upon the concentration of sterol, duration of incubation and developmental age of the embryos. Precompaction 8-cell embryos were most susceptible to the action of these sterols and failed to compact (as assessed by cell flattening and increased intercellular adhesion) but continued to divide, whilst later stage embryos developed normally, 7-ketocholesterol had a specific effect on the ultrastructure of the smooth endoplasmic reticulum of treated embryos. The developmental and ultrastructural effects induced by the oxygenated sterols could be reversed or prevented by the use of products of the blocked reaction (i.e. mevalonate, desmosterol or cholesterol). These results substantiate the evidence that preimplantation mammalian embryos are capable of synthesizing membrane sterols from the 8-cell stage onwards and emphasize the importance of the sterol composition of membranes for normal cytokinesis and compaction of the mouse embryo.

Animals↗