PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

S K Bose

Publications and source records attributed to S K Bose.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Momentum-resolved electron-phonon interaction in lead determined by neutron resonance spin-echo spectroscopy.

Neutron resonance spin-echo spectroscopy was used to monitor the temperature evolution of the linewidths of transverse acoustic phonons in lead across the superconducting transition temperature over an extended range of the Brillouin zone. For phonons with energies below the superconducting energy gap, a linewidth reduction of maximum amplitude was observed below . The electron-phonon contribution to the phonon lifetime extracted from these data is in satisfactory overall agreement with ab initio lattice-dynamical calculations, but significant deviations are found.

Journal Article↗

Flurbiprofen, a unique non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug with antimicrobial activity against Trichophyton, Microsporum and Epidermophyton species.

AIMS: The objective of this study was to determine the antifungal activity of flurbiprofen against dermatophytes like Trichophyton, Microsporum and Epidermophyton species. METHODS AND RESULTS: Susceptibility tests were performed against dermatophytes like Trichophyton, Microsporum and Epidermophyton species by the microbroth dilution method. Among the dermatophytes tested, Trichophyton, Microsporum and Epidermophyton species are remarkably susceptible to this compound (MIC(50): 8-16 microg ml(-1)). A yeast pathogen, Candida albicans, and a bacterium, Staphylococcus aureus, are also susceptible to flurbiprofen. CONCLUSIONS: Flurbiprofen is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory compound with strong antifungal activity, which is not found in two well known and medically used antifungal organic acids like benzoic and salicylic acids. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The present action of flurbiprofen on microbes indicates its future prospects as an antimicrobial agent against dermatophytes and yeast pathogens. However, in view of the anti-inflammatory property of flurbiprofen, its antifungal action may provide an additional advantage for use as a skin ointment.

Animals↗

A histidine thiol 100 kDa, tetrameric acid phosphatase from lentil, Lens esculenta, seeds with the characteristics of protein tyrosine phosphatases.

A non-specific acid phosphatase (APase) hydrolysing L-tyrosine-O-phosphate and 3'-AMP was purified to electrophoretic homogeneity from mature lentil seeds with apparent native molecular mass of 100 kDa and subunit molecular mass of 24 kDa. These activities appear to reside on the same protein which shows a single band in native and SDS-PAGE. The pH optimum is 5.5, while the K(m) (mM) and V(max) (micromoles/min/mg protein) for p-nitrophenyl phosphate (pNPP) are 0.7 and 9.2 and for L-tyrosine-O-phosphate 1.4 and 10.1, respectively, at 30 degrees C and for 3'-AMP, 2 and 4.4 at 37 degrees C. The protein also hydrolyses other phosphomonoesters to a lesser extent. L-Tyrosine-O-phosphate, 3'-AMP and pNPP hydrolysis is potently inhibited by micromolar orthovanadate and also to nearly the same extent by sodium fluoride, potassium tartrate and metal ions. Histidine and cysteine are likely to be involved in the catalysis. Thermal inactivation studies indicate that the active site conformations for pNPP and 3'-AMP hydrolytic activities are different. The enzyme shows the characteristics of the animal protein tyrosine phosphatase.

Adenosine Monophosphate↗

Inhibition of early DNA-damage and chromosomal aberrations by Trianthema portulacastruml. In carbon tetrachloride-induced mouse liver damage.

The underlying molecular mechanisms of the antihepatotoxic activity of Trianthema portulacastrum by monitoring its effect on mouse liver DNA-chain break, sugar-base damage and chromosomal aberrations, during chronic or acute treatment with carbon tetrachloride (CCl(4)) have been studied. Daily oral feeding with the ethanolic extract (150 mg/kg basal diet, per os) was given 2 weeks before CCl(4)treatment and continued until the end of the experiment (13 weeks). T. portulacastrum extract offer unique protection (P< 0.05-0. 001) against the induction of liver-specific structural-type chromosomal anomalies 15, 30 or 45 days after the last CCl(4)insult, compared to control mice. This was further evidenced by extract-mediated protection (15 days prior feeding following a single necrogenic dose of CCl(4)) of the generation of DNA chain-break and Fe-sugar-base damage assays. The observed hepatoprotective mechanism could be due to its ability to counteract oxidative injury to DNA in the liver of mouse.

Acute Disease↗

Induction of a germination specific, low molecular weight, acid phosphatase isozyme with specific phosphotyrosine phosphatase activity in lentil (Lens esculenta) seeds.

A germination specific isozyme of acid phosphatase (EC 3.1.3.2) hydrolysing O-phospho-L-Tyrosine, pH optima 5.5 is induced in lentil seeds. When seeds at 0 h, 24 h and 36 h of germination are electrophorezed, native PAGE on specific enzyme staining shows several constitutive isozymes of acid phosphatases. At 48 h, an isozyme is induced which gradually decreases and then disappears at 108 h of germination. The short lived, induced isozyme is present in the embryo and seed-coat but not in the plumule and the radical. Induction of this isozyme is inhibited by cycloheximide and actinomycin-D and increased by plant growth regulators such as heteroauxin and gibbrellic acid treatment during germination. The induced isozyme is a single 30 kD polypeptide, with subunit molecular mass of 25 kD, shows activity for O-phospho-L-Tyrosine. It is strongly inhibited by vanadate (microM), molybdate, tungustate as also by iodoacetate, p-chloromercuribenzoate and diethylpyrocarbonate. This study shows for the first time that the germination induced low molecular weight Acid phosphatase is a Tyrosine phosphatase super family class IV enzyme, having a role in cellular differentiation and development during seed germination.

Acid Phosphatase↗

Isolation and properties of an ATP transporter from a strain of Aspergillus niger.

A purified ATP transporter from Aspergillus niger did not show release or uptake for any of the nucleotides (ADP or UTP) except ATP. The release and uptake did not result from non-specific binding, but appeared to be concentration-dependent processes. ATP was shown by a double-isotopic technique to be transported across membrane vesicles without degradation. The ATP-transport protein was purified to near homogeneity from the membrane vesicles of a strain of A. niger and its apparent Mr was approximately 60000. The purified protein showed the properties of a membrane-bound protein in that the carrier protein was shown, during the liposome-preparative process, to translocate from the aqueous phase into the lipid bilayer of the liposome, unlike the cytosolic protein glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, which remained confined to the aqueous compartment. Mycobacillin, a lipid-reactive antibiotic, was bound to the transport protein at a site other than the ATP-binding site, leading to its enhanced release or uptake, which was very feeble in absence of the antibiotic.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

Antiinflammatory activity of tissue plasminogen activator in the carrageenan rat footpad model.

Exogenous plasminogen activators (PAs), such as streptokinase (SK) and tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), have been shown to significantly improve the mortality of patients with acute myocardial infarction. However, reperfusion of the myocardium is associated with neutrophil activation and infiltration into the infarct region. Plasminogen activators influence neutrophil function in vitro, but no data exists regarding the effect of exogenous PAs on inflammation in vivo. Therefore, we evaluated the effect of PAs on inflammation using the carrageenan-induced rat footpad inflammation model. The magnitude of carrageenan-induced inflammation was determined by water-displacement and neutrophil infiltration, following administration of either tPA or SK to Sprague-Dawley rats. tPA (12 mg/kg) inhibited carrageenan-induced inflammation (p < .01). In contrast, administration of SK (40,000 U/kg) enhanced inflammation. These results suggest that exogenous PAs influence the inflammatory process but specific PAs differ in their actions. Ultimately, these differences may influence the efficacy of these agents in the management of acute myocardial infarction and lead to further evaluation of tPA in other inflammatory diseases such as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA), in which neutrophil-mediated injury is likely.

Animals↗

Studies on the aerobic photooxidation of cysteine using riboflavin as a sensitizer: evidence for the photogeneration of a superoxide anion and hydrogen peroxide.

The riboflavin sensitized oxidation of cysteine under an aerobic condition was investigated. The effects of various scavengers, such as superoxide dismutase, catalase, mannitol, sodium azide and potassium ferrocyanide (an electron donor), on the photooxidation were determined. A reaction mechanism involving the superoxide anion is proposed for the photooxidation of cysteine to cysteic acid.

Cysteine↗

A novel Escherichia coli vector for oxygen-inducible high level expression of foreign genes.

By utilizing the oxygen-sensitive Escherichia coli Mn-superoxide dismutase (Mn-SOD) promoter, we have developed a vector system that expresses high levels of cloned foreign genes. The promoter for the bacterial Mn-SOD, as well as both 5'-untranslated and transcriptional termination sequences were ligated to a synthetic linker containing two restriction enzyme cloning sites. The vector also contained the gene for beta-lactamase, which confers ampicillin resistance to the host bacterium and provides a selectable marker. After screening and selection, high level of expression was achieved by exposure to the superoxide-generating agent paraquat (methyl viologen) as the inducer. To test the vector, both native and mutated human Mn-SOD cDNAs were cloned and expressed, respectively. To determine the optimal concentration of inducer necessary for maximal expression, recombinant bacteria were exposed to increasing concentrations of paraquat and subsequently assayed for superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity. The highest expression was induced by 20 microM paraquat, and approached 50% of total soluble protein.

Bacterial Proteins↗

Association of Melkersson-Rosenthal syndrome with rosacea.

A rare case of Melkersson-Rosenthal syndrome with all the cardinal signs of the triad, including facial swelling, facial nerve palsy and glossitis, is described. The additional feature of this case was an association with rosacea.

Adult↗

Modified Thiersch grafting in stable vitiligo.

Medical management of vitiligo usually gives complete repigmentation in up to 60 to 90% of cases (4, 7). Modified Thiersh grafting, in which psoralen without UVA or solar radiation was used successfully, is described.

Adolescent↗

The toxicity of high-dose superoxide dismutase suggests that superoxide can both initiate and terminate lipid peroxidation in the reperfused heart.

Recently, we described an anomalous bell-shaped dose-response curve for the protection of the reoxygenated isolated myocardium by superoxide dismutase (SOD). SOD is dramatically protective up to a point (5 micrograms/ml in the perfusate) beyond which it loses its ability to protect and, at very high doses (50 micrograms/ml), exacerbates the injury. We proposed that O2-. may serve as both initiator and terminator of lipid peroxidation, such that over scavenging the radical may increase net lipid peroxidation via increased chain length. We examined the ability of U74389F, a lipid peroxidation inhibitor, to ameliorate the toxicity of high-dose SOD in the isolated perfused rabbit heart preparation. The results show a significant improvement in the percent recovery of developed tension of hearts treated with U74389F and overdosed with MnSOD, as well as a decrease in thiobarbituric acid reactive substances.

Animals↗

Focal gaps in the basement membrane of involved and uninvolved skin of vitiligo: are they normal?

It has been suggested that, in vitiligo, the structural abnormalities may not be restricted to melanocytes alone, but also to keratinocytes of involved and uninvolved skin. Focal gaps in the vitiligo epidermal basement membrane have been furthermore interpreted as evidence of extramelanocyte alterations. To understand the occurrence of the gaps we undertook a study to establish which cells are related to them. Immunofluorescence and immunoperoxidase techniques were used to visualize, in involved, uninvolved, and control skin, the basement membrane, melanocytes, and Merkel cells. Double staining was performed with fluorescein-coupled anti-collagen IV antibodies and rhodamin-coupled antibodies against Nicein (GB3), a hemidesmosome component. Propidium iodide staining was used to detect infiltrating lymphocytes. The basement membrane structure was always found to be intact and unaltered. Absence of staining in areas of uninvolved skin was related to the presence of Merkel cells, melanocytes, and infiltrating lymphocytes. Gaps in the epidermal basement membrane are thus due to lack of staining caused by the presence of immigrant cells.

Adolescent↗

Probable mechanisms of loss of Merkel cells in completely depigmented skin of stable vitiligo.

Vitiligo is frequently associated with segmental involvement. It spares paralyzed limbs in transverse myelitis. There is spontaneous repigmentation of vitiligo lesional skin (VL) in diabetic neuropathy. Increased neuropeptide in VL and adjacent normal skin of vitiligo (ANS) along with thickened nerve fibers showing ultrastructural abnormalities all indicate a neural pathogenesis (1). Loss of Merkel cells has been observed in early vitiligo lesional skin (2). Recently, catecholamines have been found to play a major role in initiating the cascade of events leading to loss of melanocytes (1, 3, 4). To investigate the presence of Merkel cells in the completely depigmented skin of stable vitiligo (SV), a study was undertaken using TROMA 1, a monoclonal antibody specific for adult Merkel cells. No TROMA 1-positive cells were observed in SV, whereas normal numbers of these cells were seen in ANS. This new finding further supports the hypothesis of neural involvement in vitiligo.

Adolescent↗