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Biomedical subjects

S Subramanian

Publications and source records attributed to S Subramanian.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Bancroftian filariasis in Pondicherry, south India--epidemiological impact of recovery of the vector population.

An Integrated Vector Management (IVM) strategy was implemented from 1981 to 1985 in one part of Pondicherry, South India, for the control of the bancroftian filariasis vector Culex quinquefasciatus (the IVM area). The rest of the town (the comparison area) received the conventional larvicidal input. After 1985 both the areas were managed conventionally. The switch to conventional strategy resulted in an increase of vector density in both areas. The microfilaraemia prevalence in humans showed a general decline (P less than 0.05) from 1986 to 1989 only in the IVM area whereas its intensity did not change significantly in either area. While the age-specific rate of gain of infection was generally unchanged in the IVM area, an increase in all age classes was observed after 1985 in the comparison area, where the Annual Transmission Index was high during the previous years. In both areas the rate of loss of infection increased during 1986-9 compared to 1981-6. The results suggest that 3 years is too short a period to relate the changes in entomological parameters to those in the microfilaraemia status of the population.

Adolescent

Percutaneous bone-marrow grafting of osteotomies and bony defects in rabbits.

The effects of percutaneous bone-marrow grafting done on the fifth day after osteotomies and induced defects of the shaft of the radius were studied in 41 adult rabbits. At 2 and 3 weeks, the callus volume was larger in the grafted radii than in the controls. Serial radiographs and gross and histologic findings confirmed that percutaneous bone-marrow grafting improved healing of osteotomies and defects at 4 weeks.

Animals

Studies on variations of glycoproteins and lysosomal hydrolases in human uterine cervical carcinoma.

Variations of glycoprotein components such as hexose, hexosamine, and sialic acid and lysosomal glycosidases such as beta-D-glucosidase, beta-D-galactosidase, and N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase were studied in the tumor tissue from various stages of cervical carcinoma of the uterus. Carbohydrate components of glycoprotein were found to be markedly reduced, and the reduction was very much significant in hexosamine and sialic acid in the advanced stages. Lysosomal glycosidases exhibited a significant increase, and among them N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase exhibited a prominent increase, in the advanced stages of cervical carcinoma of the uterus.

Carbohydrates

Optimization of a rapid nonisotopic DNA probe assay for Plasmodium falciparum in the Gambia.

An enzyme-linked synthetic DNA probe which hybridizes to repetitive DNA of Plasmodium falciparum was used in conjunction with a microtiter-based lysis and filtration blood processing procedure. An assay protocol was developed that is more sensitive and robust than previous protocols, which use stored blood and phenol extraction. In comparison with thick smear examination, 33% positive, 60% negative, and 7% conflicting scores were recorded from 390 analyzed clinical samples, and the sensitivity threshold was about 30 parasites per mm3 of blood.

Animals

Biochemical studies on the antidiarrhoeal effects of Cauvery-100, an ayurvedic formulation, in rats.

Diarrhoea is a common gastrointestinal disorder which is a state of fluid and ion loss from the gut. Cauvery-100, an Ayurvedic formulation has been used in this study for the treatment of diarrhoea. Diarrhoea was induced in experimental rats by oral administration of castor oil. The increased gastrointestinal motility in diarrhoea was brought back to near normal levels on the treatment of Cauvery-100. The activities of the enzymes alkaline phosphatase, total ATPase and Na+,K(+)-ATPase were decreased in the diarrhoeal group and was brought back to near normal levels in the treated group. The serum levels of sodium and potassium were decreased in the diarrhoeal group and brought back to normal levels in the treated group. Prior treatment of the drug Cauvery-100 did not induce diarrhoea on administration of castor oil, suggesting the protective influence of the drug on the gastrointestinal tract.

Adenosine Triphosphatases

Fluorescein diacetate and ethidium bromide staining to determine the viability of Mycobacterium smegmatis and Escherichia coli.

The ability of the fluorescein diacetate and ethidium bromide fluorescent staining method to assess the percentage of viable bacterial cells in suspension was compared with the plate counting method. Mycobacterium smegmatis and Escherichia coli bacterial cell suspensions were incubated at 60 degrees C. At different time intervals samples were taken and the percentage of viable cells in each sample was assessed by the fluorescent staining method and compared with the plate counting method. The fluorescent staining method showed a positive correlation with the plate counting method. However, the viable counts by the plate counting method were lower than the staining method when incubated at 60 degrees C, indicating a lag period in the decay of enzymes after bacterial death. Hence, the fluorescent staining technique can be used to assess the trend of bacterial death rather than to assess to exact number of viable bacilli.

Colony Count, Microbial

In vivo absorption of 14C-glucose and 14C-glycine by the rat intestine during ochratoxin A toxicosis.

Ochratoxin A was administered orally at a dose level of 6 mg/kg/day for eight weeks to rats. Studies on the intestinal cellular macromolecules, activities of membrane bound enzymes and in vivo absorption of 14C-glucose and 14C-glycine exhibited significant alterations. The observed reduction in the absorption of these nutrients during ochratoxin A toxicosis is corroborated by the changes observed in the levels of cellular macromolecules and the activity of membrane bound enzymes which are involved in the transport system.

Adenosine Triphosphatases

Living conditions and occurrence of malaria in a rural community.

Results of a prospective study of the association between environmental factors and malaria occurrence among 1461 individuals in an Indian rural community are reported. A multiplicative model was fitted by relating malaria positivity with different environmental risk factors as categorical variables. The risk of acquiring malaria infections varied significantly within a village stratified by proximity of breeding sources to human dwellings (chi 2 = 19.87, df = 5, p = 0.0000) and different types of houses (chi 2 = 11.32, df = 2, p = 0.0035). People residing in thatched houses with [Relative Risk (RR) = 6.72] and without false ceiling (RR = 11.27) are exposed to greater risk of contracting malaria infections when compared to tiled houses (RR = 1.00). However, malaria infection was not significantly associated with proximity of cattlesheds to human dwellings (chi 2 = 1.54, df = 2, p = 0.46). A significantly high risk was observed in zones where the cattle to man ratio was very low and vice versa (chi 2 = 15.32, df = 6, p = 0.018). These data suggest and corroborate with earlier studies that transmission is a local problem and it varies within a village according to the microepidemiological factors.

Adult

Symptomatic diagnosis of Plasmodium falciparum malaria in field conditions.

This paper examines the relationship between clinical manifestations and parasitaemia in relation to malaria endemicity. Discriminant analysis, showed that fever alone can detect 74.4% of the parasite positive cases and the inclusion of other symptoms like headache, vomiting, nausea, bodyache and diarrhoea marginally increases the efficiency of discrimination (i.e., from 74.4% to 74.7%). It was observed that the association of symptoms with parasitaemia varies with the degree of malaria endemicity. The percentage of correct classification of parasite carriers varied from 45.7% in the immune population to 80.6% in the non-immune population. A significant difference was observed in the density grades between symptom positive and symptom negative cases. Slide examination in hyperendemic area does not give any advantage over the clinical examination and the data obtained from the slides collected during fever surveys tend to overestimate the malaria incidence in hyperendemic area.

Animals

Cardiac mesothelioma.

A patient with mesothelioma arising from the pericardium is being reported. The patient presented as a case of fever of unknown origin.

Adult

Toxic effect of morphine and the antagonistic role of naloxone on isolated rat hepatocytes.

Isolated rat hepatocytes when incubated with various concentrations of morphine exhibited a marked decrease in the level of glutathione and resulted in cell death. The formation of electrophilic intermediates make the cell more susceptible to peroxidative attack, which is reflected by the increase in thiobarbituric acid reactant material as well as lipid fluorescence. Pretreatment of cells with naloxone blocked the morphine induced damage and itself has no cytotoxic effects on the cells.

Animals

Rhinosporidiosis in man: case reports.

Three cases of rhinosporidiosis with complications, hitherto not reported, are presented. Frog-faced deformity and seizures were observed in one case, excessive bleeding, loss of olfactory sensation and septal perforation were noticed in the second case, while the third one exhibited a disseminated type of the disease. Clinical findings of these cases are discussed.

Adult

Automated anesthesia surgery medical record system.

Manual recording of physiological data in patients receiving anesthesia or intensive care infrequently meets medical requirements or legal documentation standards. Automated recording allows the generation of reliable data that can be integrated into the patient's medical record. Such a system is beginning to function at University Hospital at Stony Brook, New York. Bedside medical devices (pulse oximeters, non-invasive blood pressure monitors, capnographs, infusion pumps and physiological monitors) from 18 operating rooms and 16 beds in the Anesthesia Intensive Care Unit are connected to a baseband Ethernet system. Data from the above devices are stored in a MicroVAX computer system. Data compression and interpretation, computation of derived values, statistical analysis of data from two related parameters are done by the bedside graphical microcomputer workstation. The MicroVAX computer and the workstation are also connected to the Ethernet system. The overall architecture of the automatic record system conforms to emerging standards for information exchange between bedside monitors and computer systems. Health care recipients and providers are likely to reap the benefits.

Anesthesia

Kinetics of peripheral blood leucocyte counts in patients following thermal injuries.

Total and differential white cell counts (WCC) were done in 50 patients with burns involving 10% to 40% of the total body surface area (TBSA) and in 32 age and sex matched controls. Polymorphonuclear cell counts were low from 1st to 30th post burn (PB) days, lymphocyte counts were normal throughout the PB period whereas eosinophil counts were high from 1st to 60th PB days. Total leucocyte counts were significantly lower than controls from 8th to 60th PB days.

Burns

A mathematical analysis of various factors involved in transmission of bancroftian filariasis in Pondicherry.

The variation of clumping factor in microfilaraemia among different age groups was observed in Pondicherry for 1981 and 1986. The clumping factor was minimum in the age group 0-5 yr and it was maximum in 16-20 yr group in 1981 and 21-25 yr in 1986. The variation in clumping factor resembled the changes in microfilaria (mf) rate. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that the multiple correlation between mf rate and the other parameters i.e., median microfilarial density (MFD50), clumping factor in human population, and, infection rate and infectivity rate in vector population was highly significant. The relationship between filariometric indices in human host and vector population may provide the basis on which a mathematical model on transmission of filariasis could be developed.

Adolescent

Estimation of fecundic life span of Wuchereria bancrofti from longitudinal study of human infection in an endemic area of Pondicherry (south India).

The fecundic life span of adult female W. bancrofti was estimated by longitudinal study of microfilaraemia in a cohort of population (7,525) in Pondicherry. The estimation was based on a deterministic model, using the rate of loss in infection. The life span of the parasite was 10.2 yr without chemotherapy, while it was reduced to 5.3 yr following diethyl-carbamazine therapy. The analysis of mean microfilarial counts in microfilaraemic persons without chemotherapy indicates that the rate of production of microfilaria by the adult female is stable at least for a period of five years.

Adolescent