Kinetics study of invertase covalently linked to a new functional nanogel.

Nanogels are promising materials as supports for enzyme immobilization. A new hydrogel comprising of methacrylic acid (MAAc) and N-vinyl pyrrolidone (N-VP) and ethyleneglycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) was synthesized and converted to nanogel by an emulsification method. Nanogel was further functionalized by Curtius azide reaction for use as support for the covalent immobilization of invertase (Saccharomyces cerevisiae). As-prepared or invertase-immobilized nanogel was characterized by FTIR, XRD, TEM and nitrogen analysis. The characterization of both free and the immobilized-invertase were performed using a spectrophotometric method at 540 nm. The values of V(max), maximum reaction rate, (0.123 unit/mg), k(m), Michaelis constant (7.429 mol/L) and E(a), energy of activation (3.511 kj/mol) for the immobilized-invertase are comparable with those of the free invertase at optimum conditions (time 70 min, pH 6.0 and temperature 45°C). The covalent immobilization enhanced the pH and thermal stability of invertase. The immobilized biocatalyst was efficiently reused up to eight cycles.

Management of trichotillomania.

Hallopeau, a French dermatologist, coined the term trichotillomania (TM) to describe alopecia (baldness) caused by self-traction of the hair, but the term now encompasses the entire syndrome of pathological hair-pulling. It is a disorder of impulse control. The authors present three (adult and child) cases of TM managed successfully using a combination of pharmacotherapy and a package of behaviour therapy. Some psychopathological aspects of the disorder are also discussed.

Psychological disturbances in Indian children with atopic eczema.

Although the link between atopic dermatitis (AD) and emotional disturbance is well known, there have been only a few studies assessing the extent of these disturbances in affected children and the problems experienced by their parents. Furthermore, these studies are mostly from western countries, where atopic dermatitis is seen in a more severe form than in India. The purpose of this study was to determine whether there is an excess of psychological disorders in Indian children with AD as compared to healthy controls and whether their mothers showed higher levels of emotional or mental distress than a comparison group. Twenty-two children, aged 3-9 years, with atopic dermatitis, twenty age and sex matched controls, and their mothers were selected for the study. The personalities of the mothers were assessed from a standard and valid questionnaire, the Hindi adaptation of Personality Trait Inventory, which explored nine areas of the maternal personality and mental distress as well as negative traits of some of these. The two groups were compared using the Chi-square test. To assess the psychopathology of the children, the mothers were made to answer parts of a valid, well-developed questionnaire, the Childhood Psychopathology Measurement Schedule, which enabled the assessment of the following factors: low intelligence with behaviour disorders, conduct disorders, anxiety, and depression. The means of each factor in both the groups were compared using the Students' t-test. Out of all the maternal personality traits, an increased number of mothers of affected children, 13 (59%) were found to be submissive as compared to the mothers of the controls i.e. 2 (10%), which was statistically significant (p<0.01). The children with AD had a higher frequency of low intelligence with behaviour disorders (5.9+/-2.9) as compared to controls and also of conduct disorders (2.1+/-1.4), which were both statistically significant (p<0.01). The results of this pilot study, although small in number, suggest that increased psychological disorders are observed in Indian children with AD as compared to controls, despite the fact that the disease is of a milder variety in this country as compared to its western counterparts. More mothers of children with AD were submissive, which could contribute to the psychological disorders and maintenance of eczema in the children. We suggest that children with AD may benefit if such psychological dimensions are considered as a part of their treatment.

Aripiprazole induced severe parkinsonian symptoms - a case report.

Among the next generation of antipsychotics, aripiprazole is the molecule, which has been defined to have a special mode of action, which is the stabilization of the dopamine system. Different studies have found the incidence of extrapyramidal symptoms (EPS) with this antipsychotic to be very much insignificant. Studies done so far have reported the incidence of extrapyramidal side effects to be equal to that caused by placebo: here is a case report of a 19 years old female patient suffering from schizophrenic illness, who developed severe EPS in the form of marked rigidity, tremors, drooling of saliva, masked face, significant hypokinesia and difficulty in maintaining straight posture after receiving 20 mg of aripiprazole per day. This led to severe disturbance in her routine functioning and the EPS disappeared within a week after stopping the medicine and administration of anticholinergic drug.

Decentralisation of Mental Health Services under DMHP.

The Bellary model of district mental health programme(DMHP) has been adopted by the government of India under the national mental health programme with the primary aim of making mental health care accessible to all by setting up psychiatric services in peripheral areas, training primary health care personnel and involving the community in promotion of mental health care. The DMHP was set up in Chandigarh in a 50 bedded Civil Hospital in a suburb of Chandigarh.This study aims to present the sociodemographic and clinical data of all cases seen in the first six months and discusses the need of decentralisation of mental health services. A total of 527 patients were seen in the first six months. 52% of the males presented with substance use disorders while a majority of the females (40%) presented with mood disorders. In patients with illness of duration more than one year, upto 51.9% had no past psychiatric treatment and 27.6% were on irregular treatment. Reasons for this are discussed. In conclusion, it was seen that decentralisation was a felt need of the community and required not only in rural but urban areas as well.