OBJECTIVETo study the effects of diallyl sulfide (DAS), an organosulfur compound present in garlic (Allium sativum), on the life span of ehrlich ascites (EA) tumor bearing Swiss albino mice, cytotoxicity and angiogenesis.

METHODSEA tumor cells were maintained by serial transplantation in peritoneal cavity of male Swiss albino mice. EA tumor cells were inoculated at concentrations of 1 x 10(6) EA cells, 2.5 x 10(6) EA cells and 5 x 10(6) EA cells. DAS was given in 0.2 ml normal saline i.p., daily for seven days followed one hour later by inoculation with EA cells in respective groups.

RESULTSThe results revealed that administration of DAS increased the life span of EA tumor bearing animals by more than 25 percent. A significant dose dependant cytotoxic response of DAS was also observed on EA tumor cells. DAS was also found to inhibit the angiogenesis in EA tumor bearing mice in a dose dependent manner.

CONCLUSIONIt is suggested that DAS may exert its anticarcinogenic effects by more than one mechanism and is a useful chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic agent.

Allyl Compounds ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; Animals ; Antineoplastic Agents ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; Carcinoma, Ehrlich Tumor ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Cell Death ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Injections, Intraperitoneal ; Male ; Mice ; Neovascularization, Pathologic ; Sulfides ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; Survival Analysis

OBJECTIVES: Aedes mosquitoes are responsible for transmitting the dengue virus. The mosquito lifecycle is known to be influenced by temperature, rainfall, and relative humidity. This retrospective study was planned to investigate whether climatic factors could be used to predict the occurrence of dengue in East Delhi. METHODS: The number of monthly dengue cases reported over 19 years was obtained from the laboratory records of our institution. Monthly data of rainfall, temperature, and humidity collected from a local weather station were correlated with the number of monthly reported dengue cases. One-way analysis of variance was used to analyse whether the climatic parameters differed significantly among seasons. Four models were developed using negative binomial generalized linear model analysis. Monthly rainfall, temperature, humidity, were used as independent variables, and the number of dengue cases reported monthly was used as the dependent variable. The first model considered data from the same month, while the other three models involved incorporating data with a lag phase of 1, 2, and 3 months, respectively. RESULTS: The greatest number of cases was reported during the post-monsoon period each year. Temperature, rainfall, and humidity varied significantly across the pre-monsoon, monsoon, and post-monsoon periods. The best correlation between these three climatic factors and dengue occurrence was at a time lag of 2 months. CONCLUSIONS: This study found that temperature, rainfall, and relative humidity significantly affected dengue occurrence in East Delhi. This weather-based dengue empirical model can forecast potential outbreaks 2-month in advance, providing an early warning system for intensifying dengue control measures.
Aedes ; Culicidae ; Dengue Virus ; Dengue* ; Disease Outbreaks ; Humidity* ; Incidence* ; Linear Models ; Retrospective Studies* ; Seasons ; Weather

Cerebral Palsy is a common and devastating neurological disorder, with no medical treatment apart from physiotherapy regimes to alleviate the functional disability. Regenerative medicine using stem cells has gained momentum in recent years as a possible strategy to repair the injured brain. Present study was undertaken in a open label series to evaluate the safety, feasibility and observe for any benefi cial effects of intra-arterial infusion of autologous bone marrow derived mononuclear cells in patients with cerebral palsy with moderate disability. Functional improvement was assessed using the motor power and spasticity scales, dystonia and abnormal movements scale and the activities of daily living scales by modifi ed Barthel Index and modifi ed Rankin Scores. Serial structural imaging with MRI and functional imaging with FDG-PET scans were done. Of the 30 patients injected with an average of 10-30 million cells into each carotid artery, improvements were observed in all clinical scales, and predominantly in the disability scores. No adverse events were noted on a 12 months follow up.