Chronic effect of gabapentin on liver function in adult male rats

Gabapentin (GPN) is a new antiepileptic agent currently in used as add-on therapy in adult patients suffering from partial seizures. The extent of liver damage at different dosage and long term treatment with GPN is not yet clear. Therefore this study was undertaken to find out the possibility of liver damage by this drug. Adult male (Wistar) rats of 180-220 g were administered intraperitoneally with GPN (20 or 100 mg/kg) for 45 days. After the experimental period, the liver function tests were carried out in control and experimental groups. The activity of liver enzymes, with 20 mg/kg of GPN were not significantly different from the control group but, the serum levels of aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, lactate dehydrogenase, direct bilirubin and total bilirubin were enhanced significantly with 100 mg/kg of GPN. Total protein and albumin decreased in this group as compared with control animals. The histopathology of the liver parenchymal cells also showed minute foci of necrosis in a few rats treated with high dose of GPN, whereas, at therapeutic dose the histopathology and biochemical indices showed almost normal values. At therapeutic dose GPN is a safer drug with regards to liver function and hepatocellular damage as compared with other antiepileptic drugs.

Post operative voiding efficacy after anterior colporrhaphy

The aim of this study was to determine the most effective and suitable time to remove the urinary catheter (Foley) after anterior and posterior colporrhaphy surgery. Patients who experience anterior Colporrhaphy operation for genuine stress incontinency or pelvic organ prolapsed will have post operative voiding dysfunction. These patients need postoperative drainage. One of the methods preferred for this purpose is to apply Foley Catheter, but there is no particular regimen available for the exact time of catheter removal in these patients. We have tried to find out the best time to remove Foley catheter after which the repeated Foley catheter is not required or minimized. One hundred and eighty nine patients who have been undergone Colporrhaphy have been selected randomly and divided into three groups' as 1, 2 and 4 days of catheter removal. The number of patients in each group was 62, 63 and 64 respectively. In all three groups, before removing urinary catheter, it was clamped every 4 hrs, for 3 times. After removing of Foley, the patients were guided for urination; the voiding and residual volume was measured. In the patients with an increase of residual volume, the repeated Foley requirement was increased. However, 5.6 % of the patients with residual volume of < or = 33 percent and 23.9% of the patients with residual volume between 33 to 68 percent, and finally 64.8% of the patients with residual volume of > or = 68% had repeated Foley insertion. When considering the number of days, 85, 65 and 35.7 percent of the patients needed repeated Foley after 1, 2, and 4 days of catheter removal respectively. Interestingly, in the third group (4 days of the catheter removal) with residual volume of < or = 33% the repeated Foley requirement was nil, with no increase risk of urinary infection. We suggest that the best time to remove the urinary Foley catheter after anterior and posterior Colporrhaphy is the day four.

Bcl-2 associated athanogene-1 overexpression in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma

BACKGROUND

Apoptosis and cell cycle regulation play an important role in pathogenesis and tumor progression in patients with Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL). Bcl-2 associated athanogene-1 (BAG-1) is an antiapoptotic protein as well as a regulator of cell growth. There is no conclusive evidence about BAG-1 protein expression in this disease.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the expression level of BAG-1 protein in DLBCL.

METHODS

Thirty patients diagnosed from 1997-2004, as having DLBCL, were selected. Also 30 normal lymph nodes were included as normal counterparts in this study. BAG-1 expression was determined by immunohistochemical staining in both DLBCL and normal lymph node samples.

RESULTS

Of the 30 DLBCLs examined, 100% were positive for nuclear and 83% were positive for cytoplasmic BAG-1 staining. Of the 30 normal lymph nodes investigated, 20% were positive for nuclear and 0% were positive for cytoplasmic BAG-1 staining. Nuclear staining in DLBCL samples was significantly higher than those of normal lymph nodes (100% versus 20%, p <0.001). Besides, cytoplasmic staining in DLBCL samples was significantly higher than those of normal lymph nodes (83% versus 0%, p <0.001). There was no association between BAG-1 staining and patients' overall survival.

CONCLUSION

Our data indicated that BAG-1 protein was deregulated in this disease similar to some other malignancies such as breast and colon cancer. Overexpression of BAG-1 in DLBCL suggests that this protein probably plays an important role in the pathogenesis of DLBCL. Besides, higher nuclear BAG-1 staining might be correlated with poor prognosis.