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Biomedical subjects

N Aggarwal

Publications and source records attributed to N Aggarwal.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Peripheral bone mineral density and its predictors in healthy school girls from two different socioeconomic groups in Delhi.

UNLABELLED: Peripheral bone density measurements are scarce and the factors, which predict bone mineral density at these sites, especially in children, are not clearly known. In this study, age, height, weight and alkaline phosphatase had a significant association on peripheral bone mineral density in healthy Indian school girls. INTRODUCTION: Factors that lead to the attainment of peak bone mass at peripheral sites, during period of growth are not clearly known. METHODS: Six-hundred and sixty-four randomly selected 7- to 17-year-old girls from upper and lower socioeconomic status (USES/LSES) schools were assessed clinically and a recording of their height and weight was undertaken. Serum calcium, phosphorus, total alkaline phosphatase (ALP), 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OHD) and parathyroid hormone (PTH) were measured in all of them. Bone mineral density (BMD) was measured at the distal forearm (BMDdf) and calcaneum (BMDca) by peripheral dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (pDXA). RESULTS: Girls belonging to the USES were significantly taller (149.7 +/- 12.3 cm vs 144.4 +/- 11.9 cm; P < 0.001) and weighed more (44.3 +/- 12.9 kg vs 35.9 +/- 10.0 kg; P < 0.001) than girls from the LSES. USES girls had a significantly higher mean serum calcium (9.3 +/- 0.7 mg/dl vs 9.2 +/- 0.8 mg/dl; P < 0.05) and significantly lower alkaline phosphatase (316 +/- 166 IU/l vs 423 +/- 228 IU/l; P < 0.01) and iPTH (29.9 +/- 18.4 pg/ml vs 45.7 +/- 64.6 pg/ml; P < 0.01). There was no significant difference in mean serum phosphorus and 25-OHD levels between the two groups. USES subjects had higher BMD at both sites than LSES subjects. BMDdf and BMDca increased with age and tended to plateau by 16 years and 12 years of age respectively in both the groups. Age, height and weight explained approximately 50% of the variability, while biochemical parameters explained approximately 30% of variability in BMD at both the sites. The only biochemical parameter which had a significant association with BMD was ALP at the distal forearm. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, age, nutrition, height and weight are significantly associated with BMD at peripheral sites.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Preparation of hydrogels of griseofulvin for dermal application.

In an attempt to prepare topical formulations of griseofulvin that can deliver the drug locally in effective concentration, various hydrogel formulations were prepared using carbomer (940 NF) as base; essential oils, propylene glycol (PG), N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) as penetration enhancers. The in vitro skin permeation studies through Laca mouse skin were performed using vertical type cells. PG in the hydrogel formulation was found to influence drug release rate by increasing its solubility and partitioning. Further combinations of PG with varying amounts of NMP in the hydrogel formulations exhibited a significantly greater increase in the flux on comparison with the control and formulation containing PG alone. The diffusion samples obtained by in vitro permeation studies through mouse skin when subjected to microbioassay using Microsporum gypseum as tester microorganism exhibited antifungal activity. This indicates that the drug permeated through the mouse skin possess sufficient antifungal activity in vitro against the tested microorganism. The prepared hydrogels did not show any skin sensitization and histological studies were carried out to check the safety of permeation enhancers used. Further these formulations were found to be stable at three different temperatures 4, 25 and 40 degrees C with respect to percent drug content, release characteristics, pH, transparency, feel and viscosity.

Acrylic Resins↗
PubMed2006

Porcine gammadelta T cells: possible roles on the innate and adaptive immune responses following virus infection.

gammadelta T cells recognise different types of antigen in alternative ways to alphabeta T cells, and thus appear to play a complementary role in the immune response. However, unlike alphabeta T cells, the role or function of gammadelta T cells is still unclear. As pigs possess a high proportion of circulating gammadelta T cells, they are suitable large animal model to study gammadelta T cell functions. This as yet has not been fully exploited, leaving porcine gammadelta T cell biology and its role in immunity in its infancy. Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) high potency "emergency" vaccines are able to induce early protection from challenge and it has been suggested that, in part, there is some involvement of innate immune responses. The antigen component of the vaccine is able to stimulate purified naive pig gammadelta T cells and induce the mRNA of various cytokines and chemokines. This observation suggests that gammadelta T cells probably contribute to the early phase of the immune responses to FMD vaccination, and perhaps infection. A subset of these circulating gammadelta T cells display a phenotype similar to professional antigen presenting cells and are able to take up and present soluble antigen to CD4(+) T cells in a direct cell-cell interaction via MHC class II. This direct interaction between gammadelta T cells and CD4(+) T cells is likely to have a significant influence on the out come of the adaptive immune response.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed2005

Detection of antibody to the foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) non-structural polyprotein 3ABC in sheep by ELISA.

The specificity and sensitivity of an ELISA for detecting IgG to the 3ABC non-structural protein of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) virus was evaluated in FMD naive, aerosol-infected, aerosol plus direct contact infected and field-exposed sheep. All 12 sheep that were experimentally infected without prior vaccination seroconverted in the test, although fewer field sera from FMD-exposed sheep were scored seropositive compared to test results for structural protein antibodies. The 3ABC test specificity was 98 or 100% according to whether sera reacting in the doubtful range were scored as positive or negative. The test was then used to investigate the antibody response of sheep vaccinated against FMD and exposed to the virus by an aerosol challenge 4-14 days later. The response of individual animals varied. Whether immunised with high or low doses of vaccine, the development of 3ABC antibody was most likely in sheep from which live virus was recovered at or beyond 9 days post-challenge. Non-structural responses were also more frequent in animals from which multiple incidences of live FMD virus isolation (perhaps more indicative of true virus replication) were demonstrated.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Hallervorden spatz disease: MR and pathological findings of a rare case.

We describe a child with pathologically proven Hallervorden Spatz disease. He presented with extrapyramidal symptoms and characteristic "eye-of-the-tiger" sign on magnetic resonance imaging. He was given the possible benefit if any of deep brain stimulation with no much improvement. Pathological examination of the brain showed iron deposition in bilateral globus pallidi, spongiform change and neuron axonal degeneration (spheroids).

Child↗
PubMed2004

Closed mitral valvotomy in pregnancy and labor.

OBJECTIVE: To study the feasibility and benefits of closed mitral valvotomy (CMV) during pregnancy. DESIGN: Prospective study from 2000 through 2003 to study the effect on maternal condition and perinatal outcome of closed mitral valvotomy during pregnancy were evaluated. METHODS: Eight pregnant women with severe mitral stenosis refractory to medical therapy had closed mitral valvotomy at different stages of pregnancy (one during labor). RESULTS: All patients improved clinically (according to the New York Heart Association classification), and the mitral valve area increased. There was no mortality or major morbidity. CONCLUSION: Closed mitral valvotomy offers excellent results and is cost effective during pregnancy. It is still the procedure of choice in poor countries when balloon mitral valvotomy (BMV) is not affordable.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Differentiating infection from vaccination in foot-and-mouth-disease: evaluation of an ELISA based on recombinant 3ABC.

Recent devastating outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in Europe have reopened the discussion about the adequacy of the non-vaccination strategy implemented by the EU in 1991. Here we describe the evaluation of a new commercially available test kit for the discrimination between vaccination and infection. The test is based on the detection of antibodies against the recombinant non-structural (NS) protein 3ABC. In contrast to immunization with vaccines free of 3ABC, these antibodies are elicited as a consequence of infection. Testing more than 3600 negative sera from several countries revealed a specificity of > 99% for bovine, ovine, and porcine samples. Antibodies specific for 3ABC can be detected as soon as 10 days post-infection. As compared with the occurrence of antibodies against structural proteins of FMDV, anti-3ABC antibodies can be detected 5-10 days later, depending on the species. No anti-3ABC antibodies were detected in sera from vaccination experiments or in field sera from vaccinated animals. However, anti-3ABC antibodies can be detected in vaccinated animals upon challenge. These results provide evidence that this test can facilitate the use of vaccines in new strategies against FMD.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Evidence that high potency foot-and-mouth disease vaccine inhibits local virus replication and prevents the "carrier" state in sheep.

The ability of a single administration of a high, medium and low potency foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccine to decrease or inhibit local virus replication and excretion in the oropharynx of sheep following aerosol challenge with homologous live virus 14 days later was examined. Unvaccinated sheep showed signs of clinical FMD, whereas all of the vaccinated sheep, regardless of antigen payload, were protected against clinical disease and development of viraemia. Virological and serological results confirmed that there had been no local virus replication in the oropharynx of sheep from the high potency vaccine group in contrast to moderate or substantial virus replication in the oropharynx of the low potency vaccinated or unvaccinated sheep respectively. The vaccines showed no evidence of promoting a local mucosal antibody response at the time of virus challenge, but were capable of stimulating a systemic gamma interferon response, the level of which was related to the antigen payload. This suggests that the systemic gamma interferon response could be a useful indicator of the ability of a FMD vaccine to elicit a sterile immunity and indicates that further work is warranted to investigate the role of systemic gamma interferon in this immunity. This is the first experiment to clearly show that high potency, high payload, FMD vaccines are capable of inhibiting local virus replication and consequently persistence and the carrier state in this target species.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Dietary niacin and the risk of incident Alzheimer's disease and of cognitive decline.

BACKGROUND: Dementia can be caused by severe niacin insufficiency, but it is unknown whether variation in intake of niacin in the usual diet is linked to neurodegenerative decline. We examined whether dietary intake of niacin was associated with incident Alzheimer's disease (AD) and cognitive decline in a large, prospective study. METHODS: This study was conducted in 1993-2002 in a geographically defined Chicago community of 6158 residents aged 65 years and older. Nutrient intake was determined by food frequency questionnaire. Four cognitive tests were administered to all study participants at 3 year intervals in a 6 year follow up. A total of 3718 participants had dietary data and at least two cognitive assessments for analyses of cognitive change over a median 5.5 years. Clinical evaluations were performed on a stratified random sample of 815 participants initially unaffected by AD, and 131 participants were diagnosed with 4 year incident AD by standardised criteria. RESULTS: Energy adjusted niacin intake had a protective effect on development of AD and cognitive decline. In a logistic regression model, relative risks (95% confidence intervals) for incident AD from lowest to highest quintiles of total niacin intake were: 1.0 (referent) 0.3 (0.1 to 0.6), 0.3 (0.1 to 0.7), 0.6 (0.3 to 1.3), and 0.3 (0.1 to 0.7) adjusted for age, sex, race, education, and ApoE e4 status. Niacin intake from foods was also inversely associated with AD (p for linear trend = 0.002 in the adjusted model). In an adjusted random effects model, higher food intake of niacin was associated with a slower annual rate of cognitive decline, by 0.019 standardised units (SU) per natural log increase in intake (mg) (p = 0.05). Stronger associations were observed in analyses that excluded participants with a history of cardiovascular disease (beta = 0.028 SU/year; p = 0.008), those with low baseline cognitive scores (beta = 0.023 SU/year; p = 0.02), or those with fewer than 12 years' education (beta = 0.035 SU/year; p = 0.002) CONCLUSION: Dietary niacin may protect against AD and age related cognitive decline.

Aged↗
PubMed2003

Longevity of antibody and cytokine responses following vaccination with high potency emergency FMD vaccines.

The ability of high potency emergency foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccines to promote sustainable immune responses in sheep and pigs following a single application was examined. All vaccine formulations induced a rapid seroconversion in both species, as expected, which was maintained at near peak titres for up to 6 months in sheep and 7 months in pigs. The Montanide ISA 206 formulation gave the best results in sheep. Vaccinated pigs challenged with homologous FMDV were protected from disease at 7 months post vaccination. Systemic levels of cytokines IL-6, IL-8, and in some pigs IL-12, increased following vaccination and were often maintained at an increased level for the duration of the trials. These initial results suggest that high potency vaccines may promote longer lasting immunity than the conventional lower potency vaccines in ruminants and a comparable response in pigs. Results indicate that in an outbreak situation, should emergency vaccination be done with these high potency vaccines, protection should be conferred for a long enough period for the outbreak to be brought under control without the need to revaccinate. Given the increased interval for re-vaccination the use of high potency vaccines for routine prophylactic campaigns could provide a more cost-effective and efficient means of maintaining herd immunity and is an area thus worthy of further examination.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Maternal and perinatal outcome in rheumatic heart disease.

OBJECTIVES: To study the maternal and perinatal outcome of pregnancies complicated by rheumatic heart disease. METHODS: A retrospective study was carried out in the cardio-obstetric clinic of the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh (India) over a period of 13 years (1987-1999) involving 486 pregnant patients with rheumatic heart disease. Maternal and perinatal outcome was reviewed. RESULTS: Three hundred and four patients (63.3%) had single valve involvement and mitral stenosis was the most predominant lesion (89.2%). One hundred and seventy one (38.6%) patients had undergone surgical correction prior to the onset of pregnancy. One hundred and thirteen patients (22.6%) were identified as NYHA class III-IV. Mitral valvotomy was performed during pregnancy in 48 patients. The incidence of preterm birth and small for gestational age newborns was 12% and 18.2%, respectively. There were 10 maternal deaths, of which eight patients were NYHA III and IV. CONCLUSIONS: Rheumatic heart disease in pregnancy is associated with significant maternal and perinatal morbidity in NYHA class III-IV patients.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

People with dementia and their relatives: personal experiences of Alzheimer's and of the provision of care.

Little is known about the experiences of people with dementia, as there has been relatively little research carried out that includes their perspectives. In the past, user perspectives on experiences of dementia and on services have mostly been solicited from family carers, rather than from people with dementia themselves. It has been suggested that these studies may lack information and insight into the experiences of people with dementia. This study aimed at eliciting the views and feelings of people in all stages of dementia, as well as those of their relatives, on care services and on experiences of dementia. Twenty-seven people with dementia from residential and day care settings were interviewed and their daily lives videotaped. Interviews were also conducted with next of kin. This article reports on findings and issues arising from the study.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2002

Further studies on the early protective responses of pigs following immunisation with high potency foot and mouth disease vaccine.

The ability of an emergency oil adjuvanted foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccine to elicit early protective immunity in pigs against direct contact homologous challenge was examined. All vaccinates showed reduced viraemia and shedding of FMDV, and certain animals were protected, showing no clinical signs. IL-6, IL-8 and IL-12 were consistently detected in challenged animals that had been vaccinated. Other cytokines--IL-1, IL-2, TNF, TGF and interferons--were not detected. This demonstrates that the vaccine did not induce a systemic inflammatory response, nor a systemic elevation of T lymphocyte activity. Although the IL-6 and IL-8 did not relate to protection, IL-12 production was highest in the protected vaccinated pigs. Thus, the induction of monocytic cell activity, demonstrable by the production of IL-6, IL-8 and IL-12, appears to play a critical role in FMDV emergency vaccine induction of the innate immune defences which relate to early protection against FMD. The possible modes of defence in which such cytokine activity would be involved are discussed.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Experimental studies with foot-and-mouth disease virus, strain O, responsible for the 2001 epidemic in the United Kingdom.

In 2001, the United Kingdom experienced its worst epidemic of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). To date approximately 3.9 million animals have been culled and direct and indirect revenue losses are probably in excess of pound 12 billion. This study was carried out to investigate the biological characteristics of the FMD virus strain O/UKG/2001 responsible for the epidemic. Animal transmission experiments indicated that this strain is not host restricted and will infect the three main susceptible livestock species (cattle, sheep and pigs). Immunisation with high potency emergency vaccine derived from O(1) Manisa strain of FMD virus protected all three species against clinical disease when challenged with FMD virus strain O/UKG/2001.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Antigenic sites of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV): an analysis of the specificities of anti-FMDV antibodies after vaccination of naturally susceptible host species.

Of the known neutralizing antigenic sites of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV), site 1 or A, formed in part by the G-H loop of VP1, has historically been considered immunodominant because of evidence implicating its importance in the induction of a protective immune response. However, no systematic study has been done to determine the relative importance of the various specificities of antibodies against the known neutralizing antigenic sites of FMDV in the polyclonal immune response of a natural host after vaccination. In this report, we have adopted a monoclonal antibody-based competition ELISA and used antibodies specific to sites 1, 2 and 3 to provide some insight into this issue. Following vaccination of the three main target species, cattle, pigs and sheep, with an O1 serotype strain, results indicate that none of these three antigenic sites can be considered immunodominant in a polyclonal serum. Interestingly, pigs did not respond to epitopes on the carboxy terminus end of VP1 as efficiently as the ruminant species. In addition to the known sites, other as yet undefined sites might also be important in the induction of a protective immune response. Possible implications for the design of new vaccine strategies for foot-and-mouth disease are discussed.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Non-cirrhotic portal hypertension in pregnancy.

OBJECTIVE: To study the outcome of pregnancy in women with non-cirrhotic portal hypertension (NCPH). METHOD: A retrospective analysis of 50 pregnancies in 27 women with NCPH was carried out. Pregnancy outcome was compared in extra hepatic portal vein obstruction (EHPVO) and non-cirrhotic portal fibrosis (NCPF). RESULTS: The mean maternal age was 24.60+/-2.857 years, and the disease was diagnosed during pregnancy in 15 (55.6%) patients. Variceal bleeding occurred in 17/50 (34%) pregnancies and the majority (88.2%) of them responded to endoscopic sclerotherapy. Incidence of variceal bleeding during pregnancy was lower in pregnancies where the disease was diagnosed prior to pregnancy (8.6%), and it was 43.5% in EHPVO and 25.9% in NCPF. The mean birth weight of the neonates was 2668.4+/-427.42 g, and the incidence of abortion, prematurity, small for gestational age babies and perinatal death was 20, 17.5, 12.5 and 20%, respectively. Variceal bleeding during pregnancy was associated with a higher incidence of abortion (29.4%) and perinatal death (33.3%). CONCLUSION: Variceal bleeding is the most common complication in pregnancies with NCPH. Pregnancies can be allowed and managed successfully in patients with NCPH.

Adult↗