Effects of maternal thiamine deficiency on the lipid composition of rat whole brain, gray matter and white matter.

Studies were made of the effects of maternal thiamine deficiency on rat whole brain, gray matter and white matter lipids. Mothers were fed a high protein diet (controls) or thiamine deficient high protein diet (thiamine deficient, TD) from 14th day of gestation through lactation. An additional group (pair fed control, PFC) was pair fed with the thiamine deficient group. The TD pups started showing symptoms of abnormalities in posture, arched back and hind limb paralysis from 16th day of lactation. Significant deficits were found in body weight and brain weight of TD and PFC pups. But the deficits seem to be more in the former group. Significant deficits were observed with regard to the concentration of lipids such as galactolipids, phospholipids and plasmalogens in the whole brain of TD and PFC pups at 21 days of age. Additional deficits were also found in the concentration of cholesterol in PFC pups. Gray matter lipids from TD pups seem to be completely spared. However, deficits were found in galactolipid and ganglioside concentrations in PFC pups. The deficits found in the concentration of different lipids in white matter are similar to those observed in whole brain. These results suggest that the effects of thiamine deficiency may be partly due to resultant growth retardation and partly due to the deficiency of thiamine per se.

Lipid composition of gray and white matter in developing rat brain.

The lipid composition of gray and white matter was studied in the developing rat brain. For this purpose, gray and white matter were separated from the brains of rats from different age groups and were used for the estimation of moisture and lipids. The moisture content of both gray and white matter decreased with age, but the decrease was more significant in the latter. The concentration of different lipids in gray matter reached adult values at 4 weeks of age, whereas the lipids in white matter showed a slower increase even after this period. Similarly, the content of gray matter reached adult values much earlier (by 3 weeks) than white matter, which continued to increase throughout the period of study. Myelin represented 40% of the dry weight of whitematter. The non-myelin portion of white matter had a different lipid composition than gray matter, white matter, or myelin.

Effects of pre- and postweaning undernutrition on polyphosphoinositide pools in rat kidney.

The effects of undernutrition on polyphosphoinositide levels in rat kidneys removed and frozen immediately after animal death or 10 min later were determined. Weanling (21-day-old) rats of dams fed a 5 or 22% protein diet and litters fed either normal or protein-deficient diets for an additional six wk were used. Nutritional deprivation lowered phosphatidylinositol-4-phosphate (PtdIns4P) preferentially (35-40%) but preserved phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate (PtdIns4,5P2) at weaning. This effect was not completely reversed in animals nutritionally rehabilitated after weaning. Postweaning protein deficiency did not reduce the levels of these lipids. Postmortem loss was the same for all five groups, minimal for PtdIns4P and about one-third for PtdIns4,5P2.

Short course chemotherapy for tuberculous lymphadenitis in children.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy of a short course chemotherapy regimen for treating tuberculosis of the lymph nodes in children. DESIGN: Open, collaborative, outpatient clinical trial. SETTING: Outpatient department of the Tuberculosis Research Centre, paediatric surgery departments of the Institute of Child Health and Hospital for Children and the Government Stanley Hospital, Madras, South India. PATIENTS: Children aged 1-12 years with extensive, multiple site, superficial tuberculous lymphadenitis confirmed by biopsy (histopathology or culture). INTERVENTIONS: Patients were treated with a fully supervised intermittent chemotherapy regimen consisting of streptomycin, rifampicin, isoniazid, and pyrazinamide three times a week for two months followed by streptomycin and isoniazid twice a week for four months on an outpatient basis. Surgery was limited to biopsy of nodes for diagnosis and assessment. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Response to chemotherapy was assessed by regression of lymph nodes and healing of sinuses and abscesses during treatment and follow up. Compliance with treatment and frequency of adverse reactions were also estimated. RESULTS: 197 Patients were admitted to the study and 168 into the analysis. The regimen was well tolerated and compliance was good with 101 (60%) patients receiving the prescribed chemotherapy within 15 days of the stipulated period of six months. Those whose chemotherapy extended beyond that period received the same total number of doses. Clinical response was favourable in most patients at the end of treatment. Sinuses and abscesses healed rapidly. Residual lymphadenopathy (exceeding 10 mm diameter) was present in 50 (30%) patients at the end of treatment; these nodes were biopsied. Fresh nodes, increase in size of nodes, and sinuses and abscesses occurred both during treatment and follow up. After 36 months of follow up after treatment only 5 (3%) patients required retreatment for tuberculosis. CONCLUSION: Tuberculous lymphadenitis in children can be successfully treated with a short course chemotherapy regimen of six months.

Lipid composition of brain regions during chronic maternal alcohol treatment and withdrawal in the rat.

The lipid composition of whole brain, cerebrum, cerebellum and brain stem was studied in rat pups exposed to alcohol during prenatal and postnatal period and subsequent withdrawal or continuation during postweaning period. The concentrations of cholesterol and galactolipids were increased in the whole brain and brain regions of the pups exposed to alcohol. Even after 6 weeks of withdrawal from alcohol during postweaning period, the lipid levels were significantly higher compared to the controls. These observations suggest possible alterations in the functions of CNS related to membrane integrity.

Pulmonary disease due to atypical mycobacteria: a retrospective study from South India.

Of 4,943 patients admitted to various chemotherapy studies over the past two decades at the Tuberculosis Research Centre, Madras, India, 21 were found to be repeatedly excreting mycobacteria other than Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The chest radiographic appearance of these patients was similar to that of those patients with tuberculosis. Thirteen patients yielded repeat isolates identified as photochromogens, especially those patients who had not previously had tuberculosis. Cultures from the remaining patients were positive for nonchromogens. Occupational exposure to dust was common. Follow-up studies indicated radiographic improvement in nine patients and a bacteriologic normal status in eleven. Ten patients had died. Results of antituberculosis drug regimens were variable, but response was considered unsatisfactory in nearly 50% of the patients.

Effects of neonatal undernutrition and subsequent nutritional rehabilitation or administration of thyroxine and hydrocortisone on the inositol phosphatase activities in rat intestine.

Undernutrition during the suckling period imposed by maternal protein deficiency during lactation resulted in elevated inositol triphosphatase activity (units per gram of wet tissue) in the ileum and lower phytase activity in the duodenum and jejunum. Activities of inositol triphosphatase in the duodenum and jejunum and phytase in ileum were unaffected. Postweaning nutritional rehabilitation resulted in elevated specific activities of both enzymes in all segments; however, activities of whole segments were similar to the corresponding control values. Elevation of inositol triphosphatase (ileum) and decline of phytase (duodenum and jejunum) activities due to undernutrition were reversed by the administration of hydrocortisone or thyroxine during undernutrition. These results suggest that maturation of activities of inositol triphosphatase in ileum (by hydrocortisone) and phytase in all segments (by both hydrocortisone and thyroxine) is under hormonal regulation, and the effects of neonatal undernutrition may be partly due to hormonal imbalances.

Inositol phosphatase in developing rat duodenum, jejunum and ileum.

Inositol phosphatase and phytase activities in different segments of the rat small intestine were measured during postnatal development. In the duodenum and jejunum, inositol phosphatase activity (units/g tissue) was low during the suckling period and increased at weaning, reaching a peak of activity at 4 weeks of age. In the ileum, peak activity was observed during the suckling period with a sharp decline at weaning. Phytase activity was very low during the suckling period in all segments, and increased to exhibit a peak at 4 weeks of age in the duodenum, and to a lesser extent in the jejunum (low activity was maintained in the ileum). The content of inositol phosphatase activity in the duodenum increased rapidly during the suckling period to reach its maximum at 4 weeks of age. This suggests a relationship to cell proliferation rate in the small intestinal mucosa.

Studies on inositolphosphatase in rat small intestine.

The possibility that inositolphosphatase differs from other intestinal phosphatases was tested by comparing several enzymatic characteristics of phosphatase activities of rat intestinal homogenate acting on various specific substrates. Optimum pH and temperature, Km, Vmax, heat stability, inhibition and metal ion requirement studies suggest that inositolphosphatase differs from phytase and p-nitrophenylphosphatase. Furthermore, we found that inositolphosphatase activity was about 2 times higher in duodenum and jejunum than ileum. It sedimented (90-100%) with a high-speed particulate fraction of mucosal homogenate; 42% of the activity was separated with the brush border membrane isolated from mucosal homogenate. Partial separation by gel filtration on Sephadex G200 and chromatography on phenyl Sepharose CL 4B provided additional evidence to suggest that inositolphosphatase and phytase are different enzymes.

Effect of thiamine deficiency and undernutrition on the lipid composition of rat spinal cord at 21 days of age.

Maternal thiamine deficiency and undernutrition are found to cause significant deficits in body and spinal cord weights of the offspring at 21 days of age. The concentration of different lipids is found to be decreased significantly in both experimental groups as compared to normal controls. However, these deficits do not seem to differ between the undernourished and the thiamine-deficient groups. The results suggest a general effect of growth retardation rather than thiamine deficiency per se on the lipid composition of spinal cord.

Effect of undernutrition on the chemical composition and the activity of alkaline phosphatase in soluble and particulate fractions of the newborn rat calvarium and femur. I: Effect of gestational undernutrition in the rat.

We studied the effect of maternal protein deficiency on the development of the rat calvarium and femur. The results show that maternal protein deficiency during gestation leads to fetal growth retardation, and that the calvarium is more affected than the femur. A significant decrease in the activity of alkaline phosphatase was found in the soluble fraction in both the calvarium and the femur. However, this was not true in the case of the particulate fraction in which a significantly increased activity was found. This increase was not associated, however, with a concomitant increase in calcium and phosphorus (per 100 g fresh bone).