Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to R R Sharma.
A case of late progressive myelo-radiculopathy associated with severe canal stenosis secondary to post-traumatic hypertrophy of thoracic laminae and ossification of spinal ligaments viz. ligamentum flavum and posterior longitudinal ligament in the absence of developmental spinal stenosis or post-traumatic deformity, is presented with a brief critical review of the relevant literature.
Treatment of guinea pigs on adequate ascorbic acid (AA) with 20-methylcholanthrene (MCA) and phenobarbital (PB) significantly increased hepatic arylhydrocarbon hydroxylase (AHH), cytochrome P-450 and cytochrome-b5 activities. In lungs, only MCA treatment significantly enhanced the activities of AHH, cytochrome P-450 and cytochrome b5. In animals on excessive doses of AA, there was inhibition of hepatic AHH, cytochrome P-450 and cytochrome b5 levels by treatment with these xenobiotics. Also, inhibition was observed in pulmonary AHH and cytochrome P-450 levels. The relevance of these observations in excessive AA-fed guinea pigs to carcinogenesis requires further extensive investigations.
Thirty cases of cerebellopontine angle epidermoid cysts treated over a period of 20 years are reviewed with regard to their clinical features, the pathophysiology of their symptoms and their management. The predominating symptoms were related to the 7th and 8th cranial nerves and headaches. The signs and symptoms were present for an average period of 4 months. It was not always possible to determine if the signs and symptoms were due to local involvement by the epidermoid, increased intracranial pressure, or both. Diagnostic procedures evolved from angiography and ventriculography to non-invasive computed tomography and MRI. The posterior cranial fossa approach was used in 27 cases. Total excision of the epidermoid was the aim and was carried out in five (18%) patients but concern regarding the preservation of nearby important neurovascular structures forced partial removal in 22 patients. To minimise reformation, the residual epidermoid was carefully coagulated with the aid of the operating microscope and bipolar cautery without damaging surrounding neurovascular structures.
A computer program, called Pro Digest-LC, has been developed which assists scientists in devising methods of size-exclusion, cation-exchange and reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography for the analytical separation and purification of biologically active peptides and peptide fragments from enzymatic and chemical digests of proteins. Pro Digest-LC accurately predicts the retention behaviour of peptides of known composition, containing 2-50 amino acid residues, and simulates the elution profiles in all three modes of chromatography. In addition, Pro Digest-LC is a user-friendly program, designed as a teaching aid for both students and researchers in selecting the correct conditions for chromatography, that is, the mode of chromatography, column selection, mobile-phase selection, and has the ability to examine the effects of flow-rate, gradient-rate, and sample size on the separation. We have designed a set of peptide standards for each mode of chromatography to aid the researcher in eliminating non-specific interactions, to standardize retention behaviour on the user's columns, to monitor column performance and to compare packing materials. In the development of each prediction mode, experimental peak heights, peak widths, and retention times from model synthetic peptide standards were incorporated directly into the program and can be used as default values. Pro Digest-LC is an interactive program, in that researchers can run peptide standards on their particular columns and enter the peak width at half-height, peak height, retention time and quantity injected to adjust the simulation to their particular column. The simulated experiments eliminate the time-consuming trial-and-error methods used to suitable separation or purification procedures. The researcher would perform the actual experiment only after predicting the optimized conditions, thereby saving valuable sample and research time. The general concepts of the program along with representative separations of protein digests are displayed.
Inhalation of cigarette smoke significantly increased glutathione (GSH) content and increased lipid peroxidation without altering the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) or glutathione reductase (GR) in the lung (six male Wistar rats). Following intratracheal administration of benzo[a]pyrene (BP), an increase in pulmonary GSH-Px activity, GSH content and lipid peroxidation was observed after 12 h. GSH-Px activity and GSH content returned to control values by 7 and 30 days, respectively, whereas lipid peroxidation in the lung remained significantly greater than the control value for up to 7 days of BP administration. Hepatic activity of SOD was increased significantly, whereas the activities of GSH-Px, catalase, GR, and GSH content were not changed by inhalation of cigarette smoke. On administration of BP, a significant increase in the activities of SOD and GSH-Px was observed at 12 h. After 7 and 30 days, the activities of these antioxidant enzymes were comparable to their respective control group values. No change in the activity of catalase or in the level of lipid peroxidation was noted throughout the entire study period.
No significant change occurred in the uptake by the thyroid of male Wistar rats of a standard dose of carrier-free 131I administered intraperitoneally and its retention by the thyroid, as measured by biological and effective half-life, after feeding these rats a powdered pelleted diet containing lithium carbonate (1.1 g per kg of diet) for 7 days. However, continuing this diet for 10 days inhibited thyroid uptake and increased the retention of 131I. Uptake remained suppressed for up to 4 months after lithium treatment and continuing this treatment for 6 months did not result in any significant change in 131I uptake by the thyroid. Lithium treatment for 10 days increased the biological and effective half-life of 131I in the thyroid and this increase continued for the 6 months treatment period. The dose of 131I delivered to the thyroid was significantly lower after 10 days and 1 month of lithium treatment but there was no change in this dose after 2 and 4 months of treatment. However, there was a significant increase after 6 months.
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The long-term effect of lithium treatment on the digestive and absorptive function has been investigated in male albino rats. The uptake of D-glucose, amino acids and activities of cellular and brush border enzymes were evaluated after every 3 months. Significantly increased uptake was observed in 6-month lithium-treated rats. The absorptive capacity (Vmax) for D-glucose increased significantly without alteration in the Michaelis constant. Activities of cellular, brush border membrane disaccharidase, leucine aminopeptidase and Na+,K+-ATPase enzymes were significantly augmented in 6-month lithium-treated animals. The elevation in sucrase activity may be due to induction of enzyme since only Vmax was increased in lithium-treated animals. The present biochemical alterations suggest that long-term lithium ingestion stimulates the small bowel digestive and absorptive functions.
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Guinea pig is the animal model of choice for studies on effects of ascorbic acid (AA). However, rat is one of the largely used animals for investigations related to chemical carcinogenesis. Therefore, the present study was designed to evaluate the changes induced by high intake of the vitamin in xenobiotic and carcinogen metabolizing status of the organs. Male Wistar rats, dosed daily with 50 mg AA/100 g body weight for 10 weeks, demonstrated a small non-significant increase in hepatic, pulmonary and colon cytochrome P-450 (Cyt. P-450) contents, which was accompanied with a significant increase in hepatic and pulmonary arylhydrocarbon hydroxylase (AHH) activities. Phase II enzymes of drug metabolism responded in different ways to increased intake of AA. UDP-glucuronyltransferase (UDPGT) activity was unaffected in liver and colon, but it was increased (p less than 0.005) in lung. Activities of glutathione S-transferase (GST) were decreased in the three organs. Inducibility of AHH by 3-methylcholanthrene (MCA) or phenobarbital (PB) was largely reduced due to AA feeding. Besides this, MCA and PB had differential effects on enzymatic levels in AA fed rats. When compared with our earlier observations in guinea pig, it was found that rat responded similarly to guinea pig to increased intake of AA with regard to hepatic AHH, Cyt. P-450, UDPGT and GST, pulmonary AHH, Cyt. P-450 and Cyt. b5, and all studied colon enzymes, except GST.
Circulating thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3) concentrations in rhesus monkeys were determined after various periods of cadmium administration in diet. No significant change in serum T4 and T3 levels was observed after 2 months of cadmium treatment. However, cadmium treatment for 4 months and 6 months showed a significant decrease in serum T4 and T3 levels indicating the adverse effect of long-term cadmium intake which increased gradually with duration of treatment.
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Effect of depot medroxyprogesterone acetate on the hepatic drug-metabolizing enzymes was studied in female protein-deficient and normal pair-fed rats. Treatment with this drug did not cause any change in organ weight, microsomal protein, and soluble protein yield per gram of tissue in both groups. MPA administration resulted in significant increases in the content of cytochrome P-450 and b5, and activities of benzo[a]pyrene hydroxylase, UDP-glucuronosyltransferase, and NADPH-Cyt c reductase in both pair-fed control and protein-deficient rats. However, the content of glutathione and activity of glutathione-S-transferase were not affected appreciably. The present study suggests that MPA treatment induces drug-metabolizing enzymes in liver to almost the same extent in both protein-deficient and normal pair-fed rats.