Dear Colleagues
I am happy to place the April, 2006 issue before you which contains 6 articles out of which one is from overseas.
The anticancer drug 5-fluoruracil (5-FU) could contribute to the development or exacerbation of depression in cancer patients. Melatonin if administered together with 5-FU, could counter this depression by significantly increasing brain serotonin and dopamine levels. The findings of the study by Daya et al. in rats show that melatonin was found to increase the levels of 5-HT and DA. When administered with 5-FU they observed that 5-HT and DA levels were increased to levels greater than controls.
The pineal hormone melatonin has been suggested to produce its CNS depressant effects by interacting with the benzodiazepine receptors. Joshi et al have evaluated the role of melatonin in the induction and expression of benzodiazepine tolerance by assessing the withdrawal induced hyper-locomotor activity and anxiety in mice. Their findings suggest a protective effect of melatonin in the management of diazepam withdrawal reactions.
Attempts are being made to find out the role of biochemical markers in patients with acute ischaemic stroke in monitoring of disease. In the study by Kashyap et al. high expression of S-100 ββ protein and neuron specific enolase was observed in 24–48 hours sample which returned to normal with treatment. Further studies are required to assess the role of these marker proteins in the serum for the diagnosis and prognosis of acute ischaemic stroke.
Curcumim and Carvedilol have been suggested to have a neuroprotective role in various neurodegenerative disorders. Kumar et al have reported that pretreatment with these compounds significantly attenuated 3-nitro-propionic acid induced oxidative stress and cognitive impairment and also restored succinate dehydrogenase activity in the brains of rats.
Giant cell arteritis is a disease almost exclusively confined to the elderly population. Roy et al have reviewed the recent advances in diagnosis and management of this uncommon condition which can lead to blindness if not treated with corticosteroids in time.
Reversible dementias account for 20% of all dementias and normal pressure hydrocephalus is responsible for 0.4% of treatable dementias. Shukla et al report one such case who responded dramatically with shunt surgery. They have also reviewed the various modalities for its diagnosis.