High doses of Uvaria chamae root extract impair sperm motility and viability

Uvaria chamae is a tropical medicinal plant with documented antimicrobial and antimalarial activities. Agents with these activities are known to impair fertility. This study investigated the antifertility effects of ethanolic extract of U. chamae on male albino Wistar rats. Two different oral doses; 56.6 mg/kg body weight and 113.2 mg/kg body weight of the extracts were administered to low dose and high dose group, respectively. A third group served as control and received 2 mL of distilled water. There were five animals in each group. Administration lasted six weeks after which animals were sacrificed and samples collected. Results showed that sperm count, sperm morphology and semen pH were not affected (P>0.05) by the extract. Sperm motility (55.65 %) and viability (64.38 %) were however decreased (P<0.05) by high doses of the extract. Histopathology of testicular tissues also showed no difference across the groups. U. chamae thus impair fertility in vivo especially at high doses

Department of Physiology Progress report, 10 Jul. - 9 Oct. 1969

Development of ultrasonic implantable cardiac micromete

The Pavlov Department of Physiology: A Scientific History

Se sigue la aventura científica del Departamento de Fisiología Ivan Pavlov desde los trabajos pioneros de Pavlov y sus discípulos sobre la “salivación psíquica” hasta los tiempos de la Estación Biológica de Koltushi. Se describe el desarrollo del Departamento tras la muerte de Pavlov y se comentan las líneas de investigación de los actuales laboratorios (Neurobiología de las Funciones Integradoras del Cerebro, Psicofisiología de las Emociones y Corrección Neurodinámica de la Patología Psiconeurológica).The scientific adventure of the Ivan Pavlov Department of Physiology is traced from Pavlov’s and his students pioneer work on “psychic salivation” to the times of the Biological Station at Koltushi. The development of the Department after Pavlov’s death is described and the research trends of the three present laboratories (Neurobiology of Integrative Brain Functions, Psychophysiology of Emotions, and Neurodynamic Correction of Psycho Neurological Pathology) are discussed

ホネ テンイ モデル マウス オ モチイタ ホネ テンイ ツウ ノ ハッショウ キジョ ト ホウシャセン チリョウ ノ コウカ

悪性骨腫瘍あるいはがんの骨転移の患者の多くが重篤な痛みに苦しんでいる.X線照射は,これらの疼痛を和らげるためにしばしば用いられている.腫瘍による骨性痛の発症機序は多様であり,その一部は神経障害性疼痛の要因によると考えられる.神経障害性疼痛の発症機序の一つとして,脊髄後角表層ニューロンの細胞膜内外のクロライド濃度勾配の障害がある.今回の研究では,腫瘍による骨性痛の発症にクロライド濃度勾配の障害が関与しているかを検討した.実験には,NCTC2472がん細胞をC3H/HeNマウスの大腿骨に接種する骨転移モデルマウスを用いた.また,20グレイのX線照射による除痛効果についても検討した.腫瘍による骨性痛は,KCC2の発現減少,Iba1およびGFAPの発現増加を伴っていた.これらの事は,クロライド電流の逆転電位の脱分極側へのシフトを示唆する.大腿骨局部へのX線照射後4日目には,腫瘍による骨性痛の緩和が見られ,KCC2,Iba1およびGFAPの発現レベルが正常値へ戻った.クロライドの恒常性障害が,脊髄後角における興奮性シナプス伝達の脱抑制を起こし腫瘍による骨性痛を惹起する.また,X線照射による除痛の一部はクロライドの恒常性の正常化によると推測される.Many patients with bone cancer experience severe bone pain. Radiation is one of the most commonly used treatments to relieve this pain. Bone cancer pain is thought to occur through multiple mechanisms including a neuropathic component. One of possible mechanisms for neuropathic pain is disturbance of the transmembrane chloride gradient of spinal superficial dorsal horn(SDH)neurons. In the present study, we investigated whether this hypothesis is valid in bone cancer pain. Experiments were performed in a bone cancer pain model, where NCTC 2472 cancer cells were inoculated into the femur of C3H/HeN mice. We analyzed allodynia induced by bone cancer and pain relief following a single fraction of 20-Gy radiation. Bone cancer pain was associated with a depolarizing shift of the reversal potential of GABAA receptor-mediated currents in the SDH. These changes were accompanied with the downregulation of the potassium chloride cotransporter KCC2 and the up-regulation of microglia marker Iba1 and Glial Gibrillary Acidic Protein(GFAP). Focal irradiation of the affected femur attenuated bone pain as early as 4 days after irradiation. Along with pain relief, the GABAA reversal potential and the expression levels of KCC2, Ib1a, and GFAP were restored near to their control levels. The present findings suggest that disturbance of chloride homeostasis, which leads to dis-inhibition of excitatory synaptic transmission in the SDH, may explain bone cancer pain, and that rapid pain relief achieved by local irradiation may be attributed to a restoration of disturbed chloride homeostasis and synaptic inhibition in the SDH

Interview with the Coordinator Prof. Giuseppe Di Giovanni, University of Malta, Department of Physiology and Biochemistry

Interview with the Coordinator of the Malta Neuroscience Network Programme, Prof. Giuseppe Di Giovanni regarding the Malta Neuroscience Net- work. "With the creation of the Malta Neuroscience Network, we will be keeping up with the most important developments with regard to brain research world- wide: multi-disciplinary collaboration. Understanding the way the brain works, and above all brain diseases is extremely complicated, and requires the involvement of researchers coming from a number of diff erent scientifi c disciplines and clinical areas collaborating in new ways."peer-reviewe

Oxygen Consumption of Adrenalectomized and Renal Damaged Frogs

Author Institution: Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus 1

Factors Influencing Electrical Properties of Whole Small Animal Bodies

Author Institution: Division of Biophysics, Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus 1