Biomedicine International Journals
Volume:3 Issue: 1, 2012

Despite sustained efforts throughout the last century to develop antimicrobial agents, most infectious diseases are still difficult to tackle. From the pharmaceutical point of view, the problem can arise from complications related to the transport of antimicrobial agents through biological barriers as well as from their low activity inside host cells. To overcome these shortcomings, nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems with enhanced physicochemical properties such as small particle size and concomitantly increased surface to volume ratio, and capable of targeting through functionalizable surfaces, have been successfully used to enhance the efficiency and performance of antimicrobial drugs. Among various nanoparticle-based drug delivery strategies, biodegradable polymeric nanoparticles have gained increasing attention owing to their biocompatibility and minimal toxicity. The aim of this review is to focus on the current state of polymeric nanoparticle development for antimicrobial drug delivery, with emphasis on the most widely-used polymers in this area: poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) and poly(lactic acid) (PLA).

In an attempt to demonstrate the paraneuronal nature of the human placenta, an immunohistochemical study was conducted. Paraffin sections of human placenta consistently reacted with a rabbit antibody to neurotensin, positive staining being restricted to the cytotrophoblast cells. Although the placenta is not an innervated organ it contains a neurohormone of the hypothalamic-hypophyseal region. On this basis, it is suggested that the cytotrophoblast is akin to a paraneuron and may exhibit similar genetic programming capabilities to the neural crest cells that are destined to form the neural tissue of the embryo.

The laryngeal mask airway (LMA) was introduced into anesthetic practice for use on normal adult and pediatric patients, and it has proven to be of benefit in many difficult airway scenarios. However, different insertion methods have been recommended. The LMA can be inserted by the standard or rotational method with a semi-inflated cuff. The aim of this study was to compare the complications and ease of insertion of these two methods. After approval by the local ethics committee and written parental consent, one hundred ninety-six ASA (American Society of Anesthesiology) class 1 or 2 children aged below 11 years, electively scheduled for minor surgeries (inguinal hernia repair, etc.), were enrolled in this study. All subjects received premedication with midazolam (0.03 mg/kg/IV) and fentanyl (1?g/kg/IV) approximately 10 min before induction of anesthesia. Induction was performed with lidocaine (1 mg/kg/IV) and propofol (3 mg/kg/IV). The appropriate size of LMA for each patient was inserted. Patients were randomized into two equal groups for standard or rotational insertion of the LMA. The success rate of insertion at the first attempt, and complications after LMA insertion (cough, swallowing, laryngospasm and extremity movement) were recorded. Blood pressure and heart rate were recorded before and just after LMA insertion. Demographic data were similar between the two groups. During LMA insertion one patient had extremity movement and two had coughs in the standard group. There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups regarding ease of LMA insertion (P > 0.05). It seems that the success rate and the complication rate of LMA insertion are similar in standard and rotational insertion techniques.

Comprehensive clinical management of tuberculosis (TB)/human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) patients is a challenge in endemic areas. Clinical, hematological and immunological parameters are important for better patient management and further understanding of TB/HIV interactions. We characterized symptoms of TB, and hematological, immunological, HIV RNA load (VL), and interferon-gamma (IFN-g) responses to Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb)-specific antigens (ESAT-6/CFP-10), in five clinical groups before and after TB treatment (TT). Adults of both sexes (n= 224) included 132 TB cases [HIV-TB+=80; HIV+TB+=52], 67 latent TB infected (LTBI) [HIV-TST+=43; HIV+TST+=24], and 25 controls (HIV-TST-). Cough and weight loss were the common symptoms in HIV-TB+. There was a >70% overlap of cough with CD4+

Anomalous ossification of the intracranial dural partitions is uncommon and when present, usually restricted to the falx cerebri. We report a patient with Chiari II malformation who was found to have ossification of the tentorium cerebelli. Ossification of the tentorium is common in some animals but extremely rare in humans. We believe that this is the first report of such a finding in a patient with Chiari II malformation. The literature germane to tentorial ossification is reviewed.