Brainstem micro-abscesses caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei in a 10-month-old infant: a case report

Melioidosis is an uncommon tropical infectious disease caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei. Neurological complications of melioidosis are extremely uncommon in infants. A 10-month-old girl is described who presented with disseminated melioidosis with subcutaneous nodules, arthritis, hepatomegaly and a lung cavity, and developed a left medial rectus palsy. Cranial MRI demonstrated mid-brain, pontine and basal ganglia micro-abscesses. Therapy with meropenem and cotrimoxazole led to resolution of the medial nerve palsy. At 5-month follow-up, the child had no residual neurological deficits.

EMM types of Streptococcus pyogenes in Chennai

The M protein of group A Streptococcus (GAS) is the major virulence factor and is coded by the emm gene. The current serologic M typing methods are now being replaced by alternate means of M type deduction such as emm gene sequencing. This is the first report of emm types of GAS which are prevalent in south India. We found no marked preponderance of any single emm sequence among our clinical isolates with 11 emm sequences being present in 34 isolates.

Studies on the euglycemic and hypolipidemic potentials of the novel indole analogue of thiazolidinedione, DRF 2189

Euglycemic and hypolipidemic activities of a novel indole analogue of thiazolidinedione, DRF 2189 (CAS 172647-53-9), have been evaluated in different animal models. Compared to troglitazone (CAS 97322-87-7), DRF 2189 exhibited interesting plasma glucose and triglyceride lowering activity in genetically diabetic and obese db/db mice. It also produced a significant reduction in plasma glucose, triglyceride, total cholesterol levels and improvement in oral glucose tolerance in another genetic mouse model, the ob/ob mice. In high-fat diet fed Sprague-Dawley rats, DRF 2189 treatment showed improvement in plasma lipid parameters. Like other thiazolidinediones, this compound also possesses peroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma (PPAR gamma) transactivation potential. In anaesthetized rat experiment, DRF 2189 produced a transient fall in blood pressure without any change in the ECG pattern. It showed non-specific smooth muscle relaxant activity against acetylcholine, histamine and potassium chloride induced contractions in isolated guinea pig ileum. A twenty-eight-day toxicity study in Wistar rats did not show any signs of treatment related adverse effects. The overall antidiabetic and hypolipidemic activities of DRF 2189 are comparable with rosiglitazone (CAS 155141-29-0) and superior to troglitazone. In conclusion, results from these preclinical studies indicate that DRF 2189, a novel thiazolidinedione, has a marked potential for the management of type-2 diabetes.

Structural characterization of the goat uterine estrogen receptor activation factor using an endogenous calcium activated neutral protease

An expedient method for the purification of a calcium activated neutral protease (CANP) of the goat uterus has been designed. This enzyme, purified to homogeneity, has been used as a tool in the structural characterization of the estrogen receptor activation factor II (E-RAF II) that dimerizes with an alternative form of estrogen receptor (ER), the non-activated estrogen receptor (naER). The enzyme cleaves the E-RAF into two fragments, alpha and beta, of molecular mass 32 and 30 kDa, respectively. The beta retains the DNA binding activity, as well as the capacity to dimerize with the naER. On the other hand, the cholesterol binding activity and the ATPase function are shared by both alpha and beta fragments. The E-RAF domain that binds to the nuclear periphery appears to be localized on the beta fragment. The beta fragment, however, is incapable of entering the nucleus on its own.

Dual hormonal involvement in the regulation of rat uterine collagenase activity

Hormonal control of rat uterine collagenase activities which use collagen types I, III, and V as the substrates has been studied. The collagenases are shown to be regulated in general by estradiol as well as by progesterone. However, the enzyme activity that uses type III collagen as the substrate appears to have a preferential response to progesterone over estradiol.