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N Agnihotri

Publications and source records attributed to N Agnihotri.

9 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1995

Duodenal ulcer. Calcium status in isolated parietal cells.

Although the etiology of duodenal ulcer is not known, its treatment with drugs that reduce acid secretion is well accepted. The central role of calcium in stimulus-secretion coupling resulting in acid secretion by gastric parietal cells is documented. However, the status of intracellular calcium in gastric parietal cells in the basal state in patients with duodenal ulcer is not known. Multiple endoscopic gastric mucosal biopsies from the corpus of the stomach of 52 patients were processed and isolated parietal cells were studied. Intracellular calcium was estimated using fura-2-acetoxymethyl ester. Influx and efflux were determined by using radioactive calcium. Acridine orange retention was used to assess acid production. Only calcium influx at 20 min was significantly (P < 0.01) more in patients with duodenal ulcer as compared to the control group. There was no difference between the groups in calcium influx at 0 and 60 min; calcium efflux at 0, 20, and 60 min; intracellular free calcium and acid secretion. We conclude that in the unstimulated state calcium homeostasis in isolated parietal cells of patients with duodenal ulcer shows only a minimal difference as compared to controls.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Role of reactive oxygen species in renal damage in experimental leprosy.

Renal involvement is known to occur in leprosy. In the present study the possible role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in causation of renal damage in mice infected with Mycobacterium leprae has been investigated. At least six animals from each group (control and infected) were killed at 0 day, 3, 6 and 9 months postinfection. The results showed a significant increase in the chemiluminescence (CL) response of peritoneal macrophages which was maximum between 3 and 6 months. No significant increase was observed in CL response of blood neutrophils. A significant increase in lipid peroxidation was observed at 3 and 6 months as evident by an increase in malondialdehyde levels. The increased ROS production might be the cause of lipid peroxidation. The renal damage is alos evident by decrease in the activity of renal brush border membrane enzymes, namely, alkaline phosphatase, leucine aminopeptidase and r-glutamyl transpeptidase. Thus ROS might play a role during early stages of M. leprae infection but in the later stages other immunological mechanisms may overpower the effect of ROS.

Alkaline Phosphatase↗
PubMed1992

Detection of a Mycobacterium leprae cell wall antigen in the urine of untreated and treated patients.

A total of 90 leprosy patients, 12 household contacts and 10 normal subjects were studied for the detection of Mycobacterium leprae cell wall antigen in urine using monoclonal antibody (ML30A2 IgG). In untreated multibacillary leprosy (BL-LL) the M. leprae cell wall antigen could be demonstrated in the urine of 14 (64%) patients by immunofluorescence (IF) and 22 (100%) by ELISA. In untreated paucibacillary leprosy (TT-BT), it could be demonstrated in 3 (11.5%) and in 13 (50%) patients by IF and ELISA methods respectively. All but 1 household contact (later confirmed to have BL leprosy) and all 10 normal subjects' urine was negative for M. leprae cell wall antigen by both methods. The same antigen was, however, demonstrated in urine of 50% paucibacillary patients who had received 6 months of treatment and in 68% multibacillary patients who had received 24 months of WHO recommended multidrug therapy. M. leprae cell wall antigen assays in urine will not be useful in the follow-up of leprosy patients on multidrug therapy.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

C-reactive proteins, immunoglobulin profile and mycobacterial antigens in cerebrospinal fluid of patients with pyogenic and tuberculous meningitis.

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples were collected from 12 patients with pyogenic meningitis (PM), 19 with tuberculous meningitis (TBM), 20 with clinically suspected but not definitely proved cases of tuberculous meningitis (STBM) and 12 normal controls. C-reactive proteins, immunoglobulins G, A, M and mycobacterial antigens were estimated in the CSF samples. Seven out of 51 (13.7%) samples obtained from the patient groups were positive for CRP. Immunoglobulins M and A were significantly raised in the PM group. When the TBM and STBM groups were compared with the controls a highly significant increase was obtained for all immunoglobulins. Mycobacterial antigens/epitopes were identified in 36.8% samples with TBAGB1 and TB68-H monoclonals and in 26.3% with WTB72-A2. In case of patients with suspected TBM, 6.6% were positive with TBAGB1 and WTB72-A2 and 13.3% with TB68-H. However, non-tuberculous patients also reacted with WTB72-A2 (10.5%) and TB68-H (21.0%). This is, to the authors' knowledge, the first report on the presence of CRP in the CSF. Technique for immunoglobulins in CSF is also updated in this paper. We infer that the monoclonal antibody TBAGB1 and immunoglobulins G and A may be safely considered as diagnostic markers of TBM. Estimation of CRP in CSF samples may be made to give a preliminary or additional diagnosis of meningitis regardless of its aetiology.

Antigens, Bacterial↗
PubMed1992

Field utility of phenolic glycolipid coated latex agglutination test for rapid detection of bacilliferous leprosy cases.

Serum samples were collected from eighty-three leprosy patients and twenty-five healthy controls supposedly not exposed to Mycobacterium leprae infection. Phenolic glycolipid-1 coated latex agglutination test (PGL-LAT) was carried out with the serum samples to detect antibodies specific to M. leprae. Samples showing positive agglutination were 50% in the lepromatous leprosy (LL) group showing no erythema nodosum leprosum (ENL) complications, 66.6% in LL group with ENL complication, 60% in borderline lepromatous (BL) group, 50% in borderline (BB) and 33.3% in borderline tuberculoid (BT). The patients belonging to the tuberculoid (TT) group and most of the long-term treated patients were interestingly negative, and so were sera from all the healthy controls. PGL-LAT developed by us therefore is specific and a fairly sensitive technique to detect antibodies specific to M. leprae and will be very useful in field conditions.

Agglutination Tests↗
PubMed1991

Biochemical response to cadmium. Dose-time effect.

Dose- and time-related effects of Cd (II) (0.5 or 1.0 mg/kg, Cd as CdCl2.H2O, subcutaneously, daily for 48 h, 1, 3, or 6 wk) were investigated in rats. A dose-related increase in the activity of plasma alkaline phosphatase (ALP), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), aspartate aminotransferase (GOT), and alanine aminotransferase (GPT) was evident only at 6 wk, whereas an early rise in ALP and LDH was seen at 3 wk in 1.0 mg Cd group only. The hepatic and renal metallothionein (MT) induction displayed a dose- as well as time-related increase with Cd accumulation. A significant increase in hepatic Zn and renal Cu, no change in hepatic Cu, and a slight increase in renal Zn was observed. Urinary ALP and leucine aminopeptidase (LAP) showed an initial increase at 48 h, thereafter returned to near normal. A second phase of enzymuria (ALP, LAP, GOT, GPT, gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase), proteinuria, and aminoaciduria occurred at 6 wk in a dose-related manner. The urinary excretion of specific renal enzymes appeared closely related to the MT induction and organ Cd levels.

Alanine Transaminase↗
PubMed1991

Acute phase reactants in leprosy.

Serum levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) and plasma levels of fibronectin (Fn) were studied in 74 untreated leprosy patients. CRP was detected by latex agglutination in 25.6% of the patients. A significant increase in Fn levels was seen in all the groups of leprosy patients, as compared to the controls.

Acute-Phase Proteins↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Bacillaemia and Mycobacterium leprae cell wall antigen in paucibacillary leprosy.

A study was undertaken to estimate bacillaemia and M. leprae antigen detection in 54 paucibacillary leprosy patients (TT, BT). Acid-fast bacilli were detected in the blood of 14.8% patients of borderline tuberculoid (BT) leprosy. M. leprae antigen was demonstrated in 48.2% patients of BT leprosy. Slit-skin smears were negative in all these patients. At the end of treatment (6 months of WHO-MDT) all the follow-up blood samples were negative for both bacillaemia and M. leprae antigen in the serum.

Adolescent↗