Calcification of soft tissues occur, secondary to trauma sustained in the course of neonatal intensive care. They can present with swelling and inflammatory signs, which mimic serious infections of bone, joints and soft tissues. The etiology of the presenting inflammatory response is often unknown and the clinical picture is variable. Hence babies get subjected to more invasive procedures and medications. Recognition is by awareness and radiography the key to diagnosis. Masterly inactivity and vigilance during followup is suggested.
Burkholderia cepacia complex (BCC) is a significant opportunistic pathogen in hospitalized and immunocompromised patients, particularly in cystic fibrosis. It is widely distributed in natural habitats such as soil and water and frequently encountered in nosocomial outbreaks due to contaminated disinfectants and medical devices. However reports on outbreaks due to this organism are lacking from the Indian subcontinent. We report here a sporadic outbreak due to BCC which occurred in the pediatric Intensive Care Unit of our institute, the probable source being contaminated distilled water. The isolate from three babies and environmental sources including distilled water were identical and confirmed as BCC. Strict infection control measures were instituted to prevent the spread of infection. This report highlights the potential role of B.cepacia in causing sporadic outbreaks especially in ICUs, associated with water.
Endogenous damage to mitochondrial DNA by free radicals is believed to be a major contributory factor to aging. The current study examined the effects of the extracts of two important anti-fatigue and rejuvenating medicinal herbs Ganoderma lucidum and Trichopus zeylanicus for their free-radical scavenging property and for their effects on liver mitochondrial antioxidant activity in aged mice. Both extracts were administrated orally to aged BALB/c mice at doses of 50 and 250 mg/kg body weight for 15 days. Super oxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activity and levels of reduced glutathione (GSH) and lipid peroxidation as equivalents of malondialdehyde (MDA) formed were determined. Groups of young mice and aged mice (more than 15 months old) were taken as controls. Both G. lucidum and T. zeylanicus extracts increased antioxidant status in liver mitochondria of aged mice compared with the aged control. Higher levels of GSH, increased activity of SOD and CAT, and decreased level of MDA in both treated groups compared with the controls were evident. Both extracts possessed significant 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazil (DPPH), 2, 2'-azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazolin-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS) radical scavenging activities and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP). The DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP activities were higher in G. lucidum extract than in T. zeylanicus. G. lucidum extract also showed superoxide and hydroxyl radical scavenging activities. T. zeylanicus had significantly higher lipid peroxidation inhibiting activity than G. lucidum. Thus, we conclude that the antioxidative effect of the G. lucidum extract was higher than that of T. zeylanicus. Our findings suggest a potential therapeutic efficacy of G. lucidum extract to protect against aging and to a certain extent against age-related degenerative diseases.
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