Morpho-functional response of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) to a homeopathic complex.

BACKGROUND: This study evaluated the performance, prevalence of ectoparasites and morpho-functional response of the liver and the branchiae of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) raised on fish meal with added of the homeopathic complex Homeopatila 100(®) at different concentrations. METHODS: Post-reversed juvenile Nile tilapia (O. niloticus) of the GIFT (Genetic Improvement of Farmed Tilapia) strain were used in this study. The performance, ectoparasite prevalence and parasite load in the branchiae and skin as well as the liver and branchial histology. Fish were randomly assigned to receive one of four treatments: control, 20 mL hydroalcoholic solution (alcohol 30° GL); 20 mL Homeopatila 100(®) per kg of meal; 40 mL Homeopatila 100(®) per kg of meal; or 60 mL of Homeopatila 100(®) per kg of meal, compared to control with out the addition of the complex. There were four replications per treatment type (16 experimental units total) at a density of 40 fish per m(3) over a period of 57 days. The Kruskal-Wallis H test (p < 0.05) was employed to analyse the physical and chemical parameters of water as well as for parasite prevalence; whereas analysis of variance was used for liver performance. If the values were significant (p < 0.05), they were compared by Tukey's test. Multiple comparisons of averages were performed using Student's t test (p < 0.05). RESULTS: There were no significant between the physical and chemical parameters of the water between the different groups at the end of the experiment. Significant differences (p < 0.05) in the mixed parasite conditions were found within the different Homeopatila 100(®) treatments. The hepatosomatic ratio of fish treated with Homeopatila 100(®) was significantly lower than that of fish from the control group. The best results in the liver and branchiae occurred in fish receiving Homeopatila 100(®) at 40 mL/kg in terms of the number of hepatocytes/mm(2), the intercellular glycogenic behaviour, the rates of histological changes (hyperplasia, lamella fusion and telangiectasia) and the percentage of neutral and acidic mucin-producing cells. CONCLUSION: The addition of Homeopatila 100(®) at a concentration 40 mL per kg/meal to the diet of juvenile Nile tilapias resulted in improved hepatocytes and intracellular glycogen levels as well as the lowest mean rate of branchial histological changes with an increase in acidic mucin-producing cells compared to neutral mucin-producing cells, compared to control.

Antimalarial potential of Nosode 30 and 200 against Plasmodium berghei infection in BALB/c mice.

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: Homeopathy is considered as an emerging area of alternative medicine which could be established for the global health care. One of the greatest objections to this science lies in its inability to explain the mechanism of action of the micro doses based on scientific experiments and proofs. The present study has been undertaken to screen in vivo antimalarial activity of Malaria Co Nosode 30 and Nosode 200 against Plasmodium berghei infection in BALB/c mice. METHODS: Peter's 4-day test was used to evaluate the in vivo schizontocidal effect of Nosode 30 and Nosode 200. One month follow-up study was done to calculate the mean survival time of mice in each group. Biochemical analysis was carried out to assess the liver and kidney function tests using diagnostic kits. RESULTS: Nosode 30 and 200 exhibited 87.02 and 37.97% chemosuppression on Day 7 and mean survival time (MST) of 18.5 ± 2.16 and 16.5 ± 1.37 days respectively, which were extremely statistically significant when compared to MST of infected control (8.55 ± 0.83 days). The safety of Nosode 30 was also confirmed by the comparable levels of ALP, SGOT, SGPT activities, concentration of bilirubin, urea and creatinine to CQ treated group. CONCLUSION: Nosode 30 possesses considerable in vivo antiplasmodial activity against P. berghei infection as compared to Nosode 200 as evident from the chemosuppression obtained using Peter's 4-day test. Further, studies on the drug can be carried out to establish its antimalarial potential in monotherapy or in combination with other homeopathic drug formulations.

Aminopyrine breath test in alcoholic liver disease and in patients on enzyme-inducing drugs.

The 14C-aminopyrine breath test was used to measure liver function in 14 normal subjects, 16 patients with alcoholic cirrhosis, 14 alcoholics without cirrhosis, and 29 patients taking a variety of drugs. The normal value for the breath test was 8.6 +/- 1.5%, whereas it was significantly lower (5.1 +/- 3.8%) in patients with alcoholic cirrhosis. Higher than normal values were found in some alcoholic patients without cirrhosis and in patients receiving enzyme-inducing drugs, such as phenobarbitone. There was a significant correlation between serum gamma-glutamyltransferase and breath test in these groups. Some patients with alcoholic cirrhosis may also be capable of enzyme induction.

Hepatitis C in methadone maintenance patients: prevalence and public policy implications.

OBJECTIVE: This study measured the extent and examined implications of hepatitis C (HCV) infection in a methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) population. METHOD: Four hundred and sixty patients were tested for HCV-Ab, hepatic enzymes and bilirubin, HCV-RNA, and hepatitis B antibody. RESULTS: Overall, 87% of this population had evidence of HCV-Ab. Among drug injectors (IDU), 96% were HCV-Ab positive. Among a subset of Laotian opium-smoking patients prevalence was only 11%. Sixty-two percent of patients with HCV-Ab had detectable HCV-RNA. Only 41% had elevated hepatic enzymes, and 5% had elevated bilirubin levels. All age groups were equally infected. Systemic problems in screening and treating HCV in drug users were identified. CONCLUSION: HCV infection poses significant long-term health risks for this population. Harm reduction interventions aimed at reducing transmission of HCV and other needle-related infectious disease deserves more consideration.

Clinical course of concomitant Hbv and Hcv infection in renal allograft recipients.

We evaluated the impact of concomitant infection with Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and Hepatitis C virus (HCV) on the clinical course after renal transplantation (Tx). In 335 patients (pts) transplanted between 1991 and 1993 we found 30 (9%) recipients who were positive for Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) (ELISA, Organon) and anti-HCV antibodies (immunoblot assay Lia Tek) preTx. Chronic liver disease (CLD) (two-fold or greater increase in serum ALT and AST levels for at least six months) developed in 40.7% coinfected pts as compared to 24.4% and 25.7% pts infected only with HCV or HBV, respectively. Maintenance immunosuppression consisted of P + Aza + CsA, mean follow-up time was 28 +/- 15 months. The mean time of the onset of CLD was 3.0 months (range: 1-18 months) after Tx. Percutaneous liver biopsy performed in 5 CLD pts revealed chronic active hepatitis (CAH) in 4 and chronic persistent hepatitis (CPH) in 1 pt. Four pts who had CAH and were positive for HCV RNA (RT PCR) in serum and for HBcAg in liver tissue, received interferon-alpha therapy for 6 months. Clinical improvement of liver function was observed in all of them, but none cleared HBsAg or HCV RNA. One pt lost his graft due to acute rejection. Concomitant infection with HBV and HCV is associated with the high risk of development of CLD early after Tx. We recommend that pretransplant evaluation of both anti-HCV and HBsAg positive pts should include liver biopsy to exclude potential recipients with CAH.

Effect of etonogestrel implant on serum lipids, liver function tests and hemoglobin levels.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to assess the possible effects of etonogestrel implant (Implanon, Organon, Oss, The Netherlands) on total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and Hb levels in a sample of Turkish population. STUDY DESIGN: Healthy women of childbearing potential who had applied to our Family Planning Clinic for a contraceptive method and had chosen to have an Implanon insertion after thorough counseling about all family planning methods and screening for eligibility for Implanon use were enrolled in the study. Serum concentrations of TC, TG, HDL-C, LDL-C, AST, ALT and Hb levels were tested before and at 3 and 6 months after insertion. Baseline mean parameters were compared with mean parameters at 3 and 6 months for statistical significance using paired-samples t test. RESULTS: Eighty-two women eligible for the study were included. Mean age of the patients was 27.5+/-4.8 years. When compared to the baseline values, there was a statistically significant decrease in the TC (p<.001), HDL-C (p<.001) and TG (p=.006) at the end of the third month, while there was a significant increase in Hb values (p=.01). The decrease in TC (p=.001) and HDL-C (p<.001) and increase in Hb value (p=.03) persisted by the end of sixth month while the decrease in TG was transient. A statistically significant increase in mean ALT level was observed at 6 months (p=.03). CONCLUSION: The effect of Implanon on liver functions and lipid metabolism does not lead to unhealthy alterations. Increase in Hb can be attributed to the high frequency of amenorrhea in patients.

Althesin and pancuronium in chronic liver disease.

In 32 patients with chronic liver disease, undergoing major abdominal surgery, anaesthesia was induced with either Althesin (alphaxalone and alphadolone acetate) or thiopentone, and maintained with nitrous oxide, oxygen and increments of either pethidine or fentanyl. The patients were ventilated artificially to maintain PaCO, values in the normal range. Pancuronium bromide was used as the muscle relaxant. Liver function tests at 24 hr and 5 day after surgery showed only minor changes compared with findings before operation. There was no significant difference between the Althesin and thiopentone groups. In two patients with severe obstructive jaundice there was difficulty in reversing the effects of pancuronium, but "pancuronium resistance" was observed in all patients. It is concluded that the anaesthetic sequence described, with either Althesin or thiopentone induction, is satisfactory with respect to changes in liver function in patients with chronic liver disease undergoing major surgery.

The use of different doses of vecuronium in patients with liver dysfunction.

The clinical neuromuscular effects of two doses of vecuronium (0.15 mg kg-1 and 0.2 mg kg-1) were investigated in 20 healthy patients and 20 patients with cirrhosis, and compared with previous work in which vecuronium 0.1 mg kg-1 was given under identical conditions of anaesthesia and monitoring. Ten healthy patients received vecuronium 0.15 mg kg-1 and 10 received 0.2 mg kg-1. Similarly, 10 patients with cirrhosis received vecuronium 0.15 mg kg-1 and 10 received 0.2 mg kg-1. Vecuronium 0.1 mg kg-1 has previously been shown to have a somewhat shorter duration of action in cirrhotic as opposed to healthy patients. In this study, vecuronium 0.15 mg kg-1 was found to have a similar duration of action in both groups, and vecuronium 0.2 mg kg-1 had a significantly longer action in the cirrhotic group. It is suggested that vecuronium should be used with caution in patients with hepatic dysfunction and that, in such patients, monitoring of neuromuscular function is desirable.

Use of atracurium and vecuronium in patients with oesophageal varices.

The effects of atracurium (initial dose 0.5 mg kg-1; incremental doses 0.2 mg kg-1) and vecuronium (initial dose 0.1 mg kg-1; incremental doses 0.04 mg kg-1) are described in patients with portal hypertension and some degree of liver dysfunction, and the findings compared with those from normal patients. With these doses there was no evidence of gross resistance to the two neuromuscular blockers in the patients with liver problems, although the duration of action of the initial dose was somewhat shorter, and the same may have been true of incremental doses. The method of elimination would suggest that atracurium may be the better drug in patients with severe liver dysfunction, but the use of small doses of vecuronium is not contraindicated in this type of patient.

[Comparative analysis of the effects of alcoholism and opium addiction on liver function]. / Porivnial'nyi analiz vplyvu alkohol'noï ta opiinoï intoksykatsiï na funktsional'nyi stan pechinky.

Groups of patients suffering alcoholism and narcomania were examined for the effect of intoxication on the blood serum enzymes of mainly liver origin: alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), as well as on thymol test. It has been shown that in patients with the first stage of alcoholism one could observe only functional disturbances in the liver: the increase of ADH activity which evidences for the induction of its synthesis. In patients with the first stage of opium narcomania one can record total hyperenzymenia, decrease of de-Rimis coefficient at the expense of more considerable increase of ALT activity than that of AST, as well as the sharp increase of thymol test--these are the signs of destructive and metabolic disturbances in the liver. In patients with the second stage of alcoholism one can observe the decrease of ALDH activity under the increase of ADH, AST, ALT activity and high thymol test-these are the signs of toxical hepatitis. Destructive and metabolic changes increase in the liver in the patients with the second stage of narcomania.