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Biomedical subjects

Y N Singh

Publications and source records attributed to Y N Singh.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1994

Clinical effects of buspirone on intractable self-injury in adults with mental retardation.

OBJECTIVE: The efficacy of buspirone in controlling self-injurious behavior was examined in five individuals with mental retardation. Buspirone was used alone in two individuals and as an adjunct to thioridazine in the other three. METHOD: Standard behavioral observation methods were used to collect data on the number of self-injurious responses of the individuals during baseline and several doses of buspirone in an open trial. RESULTS: When compared with baseline levels, all five individuals showed some response to buspirone, with reductions in self-injury ranging from 13% to 72%, depending on the dose. The most effective dose of buspirone was 30 mg/day for three individuals and 52.5 mg/day for the other two. These individuals were maintained for 6 to 33 weeks on their most effective dose. Coexistent symptoms of anxiety did not predict a favorable response to buspirone therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Buspirone showed a mixed but generally favorable response in controlling intractable self-injury in this and four previous studies reporting similar cases. However, the drug should not be endorsed as a proved treatment for self-injury until similar results have been obtained from well-controlled studies of its efficacy.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) in northern India.

Fourteen patients with common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) were studied. The common clinical manifestations were recurrent sore throat, sinusitis, respiratory infections, diarrhea, and malnutrition. All had low IgG, with normal cell-mediated immunity. Treatment with immunoglobulin and/or plasma was effective in most of them. There were no severe adverse events with the therapy.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Methotrexate in psoriatic arthritis.

Thirty three patients with psoriatic arthritis were treated with starting dose of 7.5 mg of methotrexate orally, every week for a period of 6 months to 7 years (mean 2.2 years) along with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents. The dose of methotrexate during the course of therapy ranged 5 to 15 mg/week (mean 7.8 mg). There was complete to partial remission in arthritis and psoriatic skin lesions in 94% (31) patients. No response was noticed in 2 patients. Regular monitoring of haematological, renal and liver function tests was done. No significant side effects of the drug, requiring discontinuation of the therapy, were seen during the treatment. Methotrexate can be used early in the course of psoriatic arthritis with good results.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1992

Survival in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus in India.

Survival in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in developed countries has improved considerably over the last 2 decades. In India, however, survival in patients with SLE reported 5 years ago from this tertiary referral centre was very poor. The present study was conducted to examine trends, if any, towards improvement in the survival of patients with SLE attending the same centre during the period 1981-1990. No statistically significant change in survival was noted. It appears that improvement in the survival of SLE patients would require an overall improvement in the standard of medical care in India.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

HLA-DR4-DQw8, but not DR4-DQw7 haplotypes occur in Indian patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

The distribution of HLA class II antigens in the Asian Indian patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) was studied in the present investigation. The results demonstrated that DR4 was significantly increased in both northern (chi 2 = 36.9, P less than 0.00001) as well as southern Indian (chi 2 = 17.3, P less than 0.0001) patients. HLA haplotype analysis revealed the presence of B17-DR4 among southern Indians. Amongst northern Indians, four DR4 haplotypes occurred significantly: A1,B17,DR4; A19,B7, DR4; A30,B13,DR4; and A33,B44,DR4. An analysis of TA10 and DQ'Wa' specificities revealed that all the DR4-DQw3 positive northern Indian RA patients were DQw8 as compared to its frequency of 33.3% in controls. A positive association observed between DR4-DQw7 and RA in some western Caucasian populations was not present in this series. A group of three DR4 positive RA patients were found to be DQw3 negative and DQ'Wa' or DQw4 positive. These results indicated that susceptibility to RA may be controlled by genes in the DR locus independent of any DQ associations.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Kava: an overview.

Since the first significant contact with Europeans in the 18th century, the Oceanic plant, Piper methysticum Forst. (Piperaceae) and the beverage prepared from it, both of which are called kava, have become familiar to much of the outside world through both the written and visual media. The ceremonial preparation and consumption of the beverage are probably its most conspicuous and spectacular features. Kava continues to occupy a central place in everyday life in the islands concerned, although its role has been somewhat diminished by time and outside influences. Despite the large body of literature on kava--about 800 entries are listed in a recent bibliography by Singh (1986)--there has been no comprehensive review on the subject. Earlier contributions by Keller and Klohs (1963) and Shulgin (1973) were selective in treatment and dealt primarily with chemical and pharmacological aspects. The monograph by Steinmetz (1960) remains a standard reference but understandably some of the information in it has become dated. The attention of the reader is also drawn to two excellent additions to the recent kava literature, by Lebot and Cabalion (1988) and Brunton (1989), which are, although somewhat restricted in focus, are very significant contributions to the subject. The present review paper provides an updated and a multidisciplinary overview of the subject. It was prepared on the basis of the author's personal experience--he is a native of Fiji and lived in that country for about 30 years--as well as the relevant literature listed in the Singh (1986) bibliography and some more recent publications.

Ethnology↗
PubMed1992

Idiopathic inflammatory myopathy: clinicopathological observations in the Indian population.

The present study attempts to investigate the pathological basis of the two clinically different forms of idiopathic inflammatory myopathy (IIM) namely, polymyositis (PM) and dermatomyositis (DM). Clinicopathological analysis of 73 cases showed that muscle fibre necrosis and regeneration were more frequent in PM than in DM, the latter being significantly so (P < 0.05). On the other hand, vasculitis was more associated with DM while perifascicular atrophy of the muscle fibres was confined to it. Vasculitis was present in eight cases. Its incidence in patients with myositis with systemic connective tissue disease (4/9) was significantly more than in other PM and DM patients (P < 0.01). An equally significant higher frequency of perimysial inflammatory infiltrate was also seen in the former as compared to the latter. Interestingly, idiopathic DM affected men as often as women and juvenile IIM affected boys more frequently than girls. A female predilection was noted in the remaining groups of IIM. These observations indicate that there may be some basic immunopathogenetic differences between polymyositis and dermatomyositis as well as between idiopathic PM/DM and that associated with systemic connective tissue diseases. Though the number of patients studied is small, the absence of female predilection in idiopathic DM and juvenile IIM may be peculiar to the IIM in the tropics.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Adult-onset Still's disease in India.

Adult onset Still's disease was provisionally diagnosed in 31 patients from northern India over a period of five years, in 27 of whom the diagnosis was subsequently felt to have been confirmed. This report describes the clinical characteristics of these patients along with the different therapeutic measures used and their response. Adult onset Still's disease should be considered in the differential diagnosis of 'pyrexia of unknown origin'.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Pulmonary function and immunologic abnormalities in miliary tuberculosis.

In a group of 33 patients with miliary tuberculosis (MTB), pulmonary function testing and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) were each performed in 31. The arterial blood gas analysis was done in 13 patients. Mild restrictive ventilatory defect, hypoxemia, and hypocapnia were observed. BAL revealed lymphocytic alveolitis. The lymphocyte subsets were measured in the BAL fluid and peripheral blood in 10 patients. The helper lymphocytes were decreased in the peripheral blood and increased in the BAL fluid. The immunoglobulins (IgG, IgA, and IgM) were significantly increased in the peripheral blood and BAL fluid in 18 patients. Serum complement (C3) (n = 23) and BAL fluid fibronectin (n = 22) were also significantly increased. Lymphocytic alveolitis and the raised levels of IgG and IgA in the peripheral blood and BAL fluid persisted at the end of 9 months of standard chemotherapy for tuberculosis. Long-term studies with larger numbers of patients are required to monitor the course of alveolitis in MTB. An addition of corticosteroids to the antituberculosis drug regimen may be considered in the treatment of these patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Dapsone in cutaneous lesions of SLE: an open study.

This short report describes a possible beneficial effect of dapsone in the treatment of chronic unresponsive muco-cutaneous lesions of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) without any serious side effects.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Wegener's granulomatosis in northern India.

Till recently, Wegener's granulomatosis (WG) was considered a rare disease in India. Over the last 5 years we studied 13 proven cases of WG. This paper describes the details of the disease as seen in these patients, and response to corticosteroid and cyclophosphamide therapy, and compares these observations with a Western and an Indian study.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Intermittent intravenous pulse cyclophosphamide treatment in systemic lupus erythematosus.

To determine the efficacy and safety of intermittent intravenous pulse cyclophosphamide in patients of severe systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), 50 patients having severe/refractory lupus nephritis, vasculitis or neuropsychiatric manifestations were treated with 3 weekly pulses of cyclophosphamide for 6 such pulses. This treatment was found to be associated with significant and sustained improvement during a 2 yr follow up with respect to the mean renal activity score, individual renal parameters (proteinuria, erythrocyturia, and serum creatinine levels), focal neurological manifestations, vasculitic lesions, antinuclear antibody titers, complement component C3, anti-dsDNA antibodies levels and ESR. There was a sustained decrease in the overall mean disease activity score, and the mean daily dose of prednisolone (pretreatment 32.62 mg daily to 3.75 mg daily after 24 months). There was a significant decline in the percentage and absolute B cell count after 7, 14 and 21 days of this treatment. Effect on other lymphocyte subsets (CD3+, CD4+ and CD8+) was not marked. Pulse cyclophosphamide could therefore be an effective and less toxic form of treatment in patients with SLE having severe lupus nephritis, focal neurological lesions or vasculitis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Hereditary angioedema in a family.

Hereditary angioedema is an uncommon clinical condition. Life-long episodic brawny and non-itchy swelling of the extremities, face and trunk, with episodic abdominal pain and familial occurrence are the typical features. Oedema causing obstruction of airways may lead to suffocation and even death. The diagnosis can be confirmed by finding low levels of C1 esterase inhibitor, C4 and C2. Therapy with synthetic androgenic agents can ameliorate the condition to a large extent.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Transduction of the modulatory effect of catecholamines at the mammalian motor neuron terminal.

MEPP frequency (f) was measured in mouse phrenic nerve hemidiaphragm preparations during exposure to adrenoceptor agonist and antagonist drugs. Epinephrine, norepinephrine (NE), and phenylephrine caused a concentration-dependent increase in frequency that was blocked by prazosin but not by yohimbine or nadolol. Isoproterenol had no effect on MEPP(f). The response to NE was not affected by prior incubation of the tissues with pertussis toxin. The response was, however, reduced or abolished by prior exposure to drugs, the actions of which include protein kinase inhibition, and also to a calmodulin inhibitory concentration of W-7. H-7, an inhibitor of protein kinase C and of cyclic nucleotide-dependent kinases, was ineffective. The response to NE was enhanced by 10 mM Li+. The data indicate the existence of a presynaptic alpha 1-adrenoceptor in the motor neuron terminal and suggest that modulation of transmitter release might be mediated by inositol triphosphate liberation, Ca2+ release into the cytosol and activation of a calmodulin-dependent system.

1-(5-Isoquinolinesulfonyl)-2-Methylpiperazine↗