Hexadecyl-phosphorylcholine ointment for treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis: an animal trial.

A placebo-controlled trial compared 6% hexadecyl-phosphorylcholine (HePC) and 12% benzethonium chloride ointment with placebo ointment for treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis. Cutaneous lesions were experimentally induced by inoculation with leishmania promastigotes in 60 golden hamsters. Forty (40) animals were treated with drug and 20 with placebo ointment applied twice daily for 15 days. After treatment, all lesions were significantly reduced in size in the treatment group compared with the placebo ointment. No parasites were detected in smears from 35/40 of the drug-treated lesions and no relapses occurred over 120 days of observation.

Serodiagnosis of Asian leishmaniasis with a recombinant antigen from the repetitive domain of a Leishmania kinesin.

rK39 is a recombinant product of the 39 amino acid repeats found in a kinesin-like gene of visceral Leishmania spp. This and other antigens were compared for immunodiagnostic potential by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with sera from confirmed cases of Asian cutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis. In preliminary trials, rK39 proved superior to 2 purified Leishmania antigens, a cytosolic protein (p36) and a membrane protein (gp63), for immunodiagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis. Of the 53 visceral cases from China and Pakistan assayed, 52 were seropositive (98%) at a 10(-1) dilution with 36 ng of rK39. End point titrations of 27 highly positive samples yielded anti-rK39 antibody titres ranging from c. 10(-3) to beyond 10(-4). Antigen titrations with one positive serum further revealed that rK39 was 25-fold more sensitive than Leishmania whole cell soluble lysates. 31 cutaneous leishmaniasis cases from Turkey assayed for anti-rK39 antibody gave reactions ranging from negative or marginally positive to positive. In Brazil, all cutaneous and mucocutaneous leishmaniasis cases gave negative results in this assay.

Altered fatty acid, cholesterol and Na+/K+ ATPase activity in erythrocyte membrane of rheumatoid arthritis patients.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease whose cause remains obscure. Blood from 15 RA patients and controls was taken and their ghosts separated. The ghosts were analysed for cholesterol content, Na+/K+ ATPase activity and eicosapentaenoic acid. The cholesterol content in the ghosts of RA patients was significantly lower as compared with the set of controls. There was a major difference in the activity of Na+/K+ ATPase between the two groups with RA patients showing significantly elevated activity. The ghosts of the RA patients exhibited major abnormality in the polyunsaturated fatty acids of phospholipids with the level of eicosapentaenoic acid (omega-3, 20:5) being significantly reduced.

Chemiluminescent assays for choline and phospholipase-D using a flow injection system.

A flow injection chemiluminescent method is described for the determination of choline. The method is based on the production of hydrogen peroxide from choline using on-line covalently bound immobilized choline oxidase column. The product is mixed downstream and detected via the cobalt catalyzed chemiluminescent oxidation of luminol. The detection limit is 1 x 10(-7) mol/L, with rsd 1.8 to 2.8% in the range 2-10 x 10(-5) mol/L. The sample throughput is 30 per hour. The method was applied to the determination of choline produced off-line from phosphatidylcholine using phospholipase-D isolated from cabbage.

Flow-injection chemiluminescent determination of glycerol-3-phosphate and glycerophosphorylcholine using immobilized enzymes.

Flow injection procedures with immobilized enzyme mini-columns are described for the determination of glycerol-3-phosphate, and glycerophosphorylcholine with chemiluminescent detection. The hydrogen peroxide produced on-line is coupled with a luminol (5-amino-2,3,-dihydro-1,4-phthalazinedione) peroxidation chemiluminescent system. The detection limits for glycerol-3-phosphate and glycerophosphorylcholine are 5 x 10(-7) M and 1 x 10(-6) M respectively with r.s.d. < 2%. The sample throughput is 40/h. The immobilized enzyme columns did not show any deterioration in activity after usage for 3 months.

Determination of sulphite using an immobilized enzyme with flow injection chemiluminescence detection.

A flow injection method is reported for the determination of sulphite-based on chemiluminescent detection. Hydrogen peroxide is produced from sulphite using on-line covalently bound immobilized sulphite oxidase packed in a mini-column, which was mixed downstream and detected via cobalt(II)-catalysed chemiluminescent oxidation of luminol. The limit of detection (2 x standard deviation of the blank) was 1 x 10(-3) mmol/L with sample throughput 60 h(-1). The calibration data was linear over the range of 0.2-1.0 mmol/L with relative standard deviation (n = 4) in the range 0.9-2.0%.

Hexadecyl- phosphorylcholine ointment for treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis: an animal trial

A placebo- controlled trial compared 6% hexadecyl- phosphorylcholine [HePC] and 12% benzethonium chloride ointment with placebo ointment for treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis. Cutaneous lesions were experimentally induced by inoculation with leishmania promastigotes in 60 golden hamsters. Forty [40] animals were treated with drug and 20 with placebo ointment applied twice daily for 15 days. After treatment, all lesions were significantly reduced in size in the treatment group compared with the placebo ointment. No parasites were detected in smears from 35/ 40 of the drug- treated lesions and no relapses occurred over 120 days of observation