Extra genital lichen sclerosus et atrophicus with cutaneous distribution and morphology simulating lichen planus.

Lichen sclerosus et atrophicus (LSA) also known as Csillag's disease, characterized by small, porcelain white, sclerotic areas occur at any site on the skin including mucosa. There is strong association of autoimmune disorders with LSA. Lichen planus (LP) is an inflammatory, papulosquamous disorder characterized by erythematous to violaceous, flat topped, polygonal, pruritic papules distributed mainly on flexural aspects like wrist, around ankles, lumbar region, trunk and neck and also involves mucous membranes, hair, and nail. LP and LSA share similar clinical and pathological features. There have been a few reported cases in the literature of the coexistence of LP and LSA. We reported a case of 39-years-old female having LSA with cutaneous distribution and morphologically simulating LP.

Supportive care for patients with gastrointestinal cancer.

BACKGROUND: Supportive care has traditionally been given to optimise the comfort of patients and their ability to function, as well as to minimise the side-effects of anti-cancer treatments. The scope of modern comprehensive supportive care however is broadening and covers not only specific palliative treatment but non-tumour specific treatment such as social, psychological and spiritual support. In oncology, best supportive care (BSC) has been used as a comparator arm of randomised controlled trials in chemotherapy. However the BSC arm is usually not well defined and its evaluation is therefore difficult because of the heterogeneity of the definitions. A systematic review was undertaken of the evidence from all RCTs of gastrointestinal cancers (includes gastrointestinal/gastric, colorectal/colon cancer but excludes pancreatic cancer trials) which include a BSC/SC arm. OBJECTIVES: 1. To examine the effectiveness/outcomes of best supportive care interventions versus cancer therapies for gastrointestinal cancer trials;2. To determine whether trials containing best supportive care include a definition of this. SEARCH STRATEGY: Electronic databases, grey literature sources, citation searching and reference checking, handsearches of journals and discussion with experts were used to identify potentially eligible trials from both published and unpublished sources. SELECTION CRITERIA: RCTs comparing BSC/SC versus anticancer therapies in patients with gastrointestinal cancers. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Four RCTs were found and reviewed. Because of the heterogeneity of studies, a meta-analysis was not attempted. Data was extracted from the included papers and the quality of each included study was assessed using the Jadad 1996 and Rinck 1997 methods of assessing the quality of RCTs. MAIN RESULTS: Data from four trials (483 patients) were included. Due to the heterogeneity of studies (in terms of populations studied, the interventions used, the variety of outcomes and assessments used) it was not possible to make direct comparisons between the studies. The primary outcome in all four trials was survival, in spite of patients with advanced/metastatic gastrointestinal cancer having a poor prognosis, and the interventions being primarily palliative. REVIEWERS' CONCLUSIONS: Overall the results show that for most of the trials included in this review, certain forms of chemotherapy plus supportive care improve both survival and quality of life in patients with gastrointestinal cancer (gastric and colorectal cancers) compared to receiving supportive care alone. Trials involving BSC/SC in patients with advanced gastrointestinal cancer require careful evaluation. Oncologists and researchers alike should strive for improvements in trial design and reporting. Future trials should focus on clearer definitions of supportive care. The EORTC definition of supportive care can be used as a guide. BSC/SC trials should use standardised validated outcome measures for symptom control, quality of life, toxicity and other useful palliative measures.

Purification and properties of a carboxymethylcellulase from phytopathogenic fungus Macrophomina phaseolina.

From the culture filtrate of Macrophomina phaseolina, two forms of carboxymethylcellulase were separated by ion-exchange chromatography and designated as CMCase-I and CMCase-II. CMCase-I was purified following a four-step procedure involving gel filtration on Sephadex G-75, Con-A Sepharose 4B affinity chromatography, fast protein liquid chromatography on mono Q anion-exchanger and on Superose 12 gel filtration. The final preparation was homogeneous by SDS-PAGE, isoelectric focussing in thin layers of polyacrylamide gels and immunoelectrophoresis. The enzyme showed optimum activity at pH 5.5 and 65 degrees C, was stable to heating at 65 degrees C for 10 min, and retained 31% of original activity after heating at 80 degrees C for 10 min. The molecular weight of the enzyme was 3.5 x 10(4) Da. A Km of 0.25 mg/ml was determined using carboxymethyl-cellulose as the substrate.

Epicardial adipose tissue thickness in young Indian overweight and obese individuals.

Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) has been found to be an important reliable marker for future coronary events. Deposition of the EAT in young individuals is not well known. We studied EAT in 25 young overweight or obese individuals. In spite of the high visceral fat and total body fat, EAT thickness was not found to be high in the participants of our study.

Histopathology of Mycotoxicosis produced in Swiss albino mice by metabolites of some fungal isolates.

Of 199 fungal cultures isolated from some of the common cereals collected from different parts of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, 70 produced toxic metabolites. Of the 70 fungi isolated, 59 produced toxins which caused visible lesions in livers, kidneys, and spleens but did not cause mortality. Toxicity, graded in terms of the mortality rate and the extent of lesions in livers, kidneys, and spleens, was found to be highest in various species of Aspergillus (40%), followed by Chaetomium spp. (31%).

Hydrolysis of wheat bran, rice bran and jute powder by immobilized enzymes from Macrophomina phaseolina.

The stability of cellulolytic and hemicellulolytic enzymes from Macrophomina phaseolina improved on immobilization and was 1.5 to 2-fold more active against pre-treated wheat bran, rice bran or jute powder. The hydrolysis efficiency of the catalyst increased with a decrease in its particle size. About 80% (w/v) of the sugar obtained from wheat bran was assimilated by Saccharomyces sp., whereas the corresponding values for rice bran and jute powder were about 70 and 50% (w/v), respectively.

Toxicity studies of metabolites of some fungal isolates in albino mice.

Crude metabolites of 21 of 60 fungal cultures isolated from some of the common cereals collected from different parts of India were found to be toxic. Of these toxin-producing fungi, 79% caused hepatic pathology of varying severity in mice. Serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase values and blood urea nitrogen were found to be high in such experimental animals.

A double-blind, randomised, controlled Phase II trial of Heliox28 gas mixture in lung cancer patients with dyspnoea on exertion.

Helium has a low density and the potential of reducing the work of breathing and improving alveolar ventilation when replacing nitrogen in air. A Phase II, double-blind, randomised, prospective, controlled trial was undertaken to assess whether Heliox28 (72% He/28% O(2)) compared with oxygen-enriched air (72% N(2)/28% O(2)) or medical air (78.9% N(2)/21.1% O(2)) could reduce dyspnoea and improve the exercise capability of patients with primary lung cancer and dyspnoea on exertion (Borg >3). A total of 12 patients (seven male, five female patients, age 53-78) breathed the test gases in randomised order via a facemask and inspiratory demand valve at rest and while performing 6-min walk tests. Pulse oximetry (SaO(2)) was recorded continuously. Respiratory rate and dyspnoea ratings (Borg and VAS) were taken before and immediately post-walk. Breathing Heliox28 at rest significantly increased SaO(2) compared to oxygen-enriched air (96+/-2 cf. 94+/-2, P<0.01). When compared to medical air, breathing Heliox28 but not oxygen-enriched air gave a significant improvement in the exercise capability (P<0.0001), SaO(2) (P<0.05) and dyspnoea scores (VAS, P<0.05) of lung cancer patients.

Biotransformation of 3-methoxy-8,14-seco-1,3,5(10),9(11) estratetraen-14,17-dione (secodione) to its 17beta-hydroxy derivative (secol) using immobilized yeast cells (Pichia farinosa Y-118).

The yeast cells of Pichia farinosa Y-118 were immobilized in polyacrylamide gel and used for 17 beta-oxidoreduction of secondione to secol. The loss of hydroxysteroid oxidoreductase activity of cells was found to be insignificant during immobilization. The preparation exhibited greater temperature stability as compared to free cells. The ratio of reaction volume to the volume of immobilized biocatalyst in the range 1.4-1.9 was found to be satisfactory for the reaction conditions studied. This ratio played a significant role in the stability of the catalyst particle, since beyond a critical value the disintegration of gel granules was rapid resulting in sharp decline of activity. The immobilized cell preparation could be used 50 times over a period of 100 days without loss of activity. However, the activity declined in further reuses, leaving the preparation 50 and 35% active after its 60th and 70th uses, respectively.

Growth inhibition of enteric bacteria by Vibrio cholerae in nutrient media containing lactate, acetate, or citrate.

In cross-streak tests on nutrient agar containing lactate, acetate, or citrate, the growth of certain enteric bacteria was inhibited by themselves or by Vibrio cholerae, or by both. This mimicked the activity of bacteriocins, but the phenomenon was attributable to the accumulation of carbonate and increased alkalinity of the media.

Piperidinium 3-[(4-hydroxy-5-dimethyl-2-oxo-2H-chromen-3-yl)-phenylmethyl]-5,7-dimethyl-2-oxo-2H-chromen-4-olate.

In the title salt, C5H12N+*C29H23O6-, both benzopyran systems are planar. Intermolecular N--H...O hydrogen bonds and a short O--H...O intramolecular hydrogen bond are observed in the structure.

Studies on immobilized fungal spores for microbial transformation of steroids: 11 alpha-Hydroxylation of progesterone with immobilized spores of Aspergillus ochraceus G8 on polyacrylamide gel and other matrices.

Hydroxylation in the 11 alpha-position in the progesterone molecule employing immobilized spores of Aspergillus ochraceus strain No. G8 (CDRI catalogue No.) was achieved. For immobilization the activity of the spores was evaluated on a variety of matrices such as alginate beads, epoxy resin beads, polyacrylamide gel, and collagen. Spores entrapped in polyacrylamide gel were found to be the most active. Studies of various parameters, e.g. monomer content, cell loading capacity, optimum pH, temperature, and substrate concentration, were carried out on polyacrylamide gel. In polyacrylamide, the entrapped spores normal decay pattern, as indicated by loss of activity, was observed after four uses. At the end of 15 cycles, the residual activity was found to be 18% of the original. It was possible to regenerate the activity by incubating the preparation in a nutrient medium. The regenerated spores showed increasing rate of loss of activity upon recycling.