Study of the efficacy of Korean Red Ginseng in the treatment of erectile dysfunction

Aim: To examine the treatment efficacy of Korean Red Ginseng (KRG) in impotent men with erectile dysfunction (ED). Methods: A total of 60 patients presenting mild or mild to moderate ED were enrolled in a double-blind, placebo-controlled study in which the efficacies of KRG and a placebo were compared. the patients received either 1 000 mg (3 times daily) of KRG or a placebo. Results: the five-item version of the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5) score after the treatment was significantly higher in the KRG group compared with that before the treatment (from 16.4 +/- 2.9 to 21.0 +/- 6.3, P 0.05). in the KRG group, 20 patients (66.6%), reported improved erection, significant in the global efficacy question (P 0.05). Conclusion: Our data show that KRG can be an effective alternative to the invasive approaches for treating male ED.Univ São Paulo, Div Urol Clin, Sector Sexual Med, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Discipline Urol, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Discipline Urol, São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc

Immunomodulatory effects of recombinant BCG expressing pertussis toxin on TNF-alpha and IL-10 in a bladder cancer model

Background: Since successful treatment of superficial bladder cancer with BCG requires proper induction of Th1 immunity, we have developed a rBCG-S1PT strain that induced a stronger cellular immune response than BCG. This preclinical study was designed to compare the modulatory effects of BCG and rBCG-S1PT on bladder TNF-alpha and IL-10 expression and to evaluate antitumour activity. Methods: For Experiment I, the MB49 bladder cancer cell line was used in C57BL/6 mice. Chemical cauterization of the bladder was performed to promote intravesical tumor implantation. Mice were treated by intravesical instillation with BCG, rBCG-S1PT or PBS once a week for four weeks. After 35 days the bladders were removed and weighed. TNF-<alpha and IL-10 cytokine responses were measured by qPCR. Experiment II was performed in the same manner as Experiment I, except the animals were not challenged with MB49 tumor cells. Results: rBCG-S1PT immunotherapy resulted in bladder weight reduction, compared to the BCG and control group. There were increases in TNF-alpha in the BCG-treated group, as well as increases in TNF-alpha and IL-10 mRNA in the rBCG-S1PT group. Conclusion: These data indicate a significant reduction of bladder tumor volume for the rBCG group, compared to the BCG and PBS groups. This suggests that rBCG could be a useful substitute for wild-type BCG and that the potential modulation between TNF-alpha and IL-10 cytokine productions may have therapeutic value

Dopamine up-regulates Th17 phenotype from individuals with generalized anxiety disorder

AbstractOur objective was to evaluate the effect of stress-related dose of dopamine (DA) on the in vitro proliferation and cytokine production in polyclonally-activated T cells from healthy individuals or individuals with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Our results demonstrated that cell cultures from GAD group proliferated less following T cell activation, as compared with control group. The addition of DA reduced the proliferative response in cell cultures from healthy but not from GAD individuals. The cytokine profile in GAD individuals revealed Th1 and Th2 deficiencies associated with a dominant Th17 phenotype, which was enhanced by DA. A similar DA-induced immunomodulation was also observed in PPD-activated cell cultures from GAD individuals. Unlike the control, DA-enhanced Th17 cytokine production in GAD individuals was not affected by glucocorticoid. In conclusion, our results show that the T cell functional dysregulation in GAD individuals is significantly amplified by DA. These immune abnormalities can have impact in increasing the susceptibility of individuals with anxiety disorders to infectious diseases and inflammatory/autoimmune disorders

Redescription and geographical distribution of the endangered fish ossubtus xinguense Jégu 1992 (Characiformes, Serrasalmidae) with comments on conservation of the rheophilic fauna of the Xingu River

The monotypic species Ossubtus xinguense was originally described based on scarce material putatively divided into juveniles and adults. Ossubtus xinguense has a restricted distribution and was previously known only from a few rapids downstream of the city of Altamira, in the Volta Grande stretch of the Middle Xingu River. Until recently, the species was rare in museums because its habitat (large rapids) is difficult to sample. Large-scale collecting efforts targeting rapids throughout the Xingu River basin have yielded an abundance of new material. Based on an analysis of the type series and freshly preserved specimens, we redescribe O. xinguense and provide detailed osteological descriptions along with comments about its relationships within Serrasalmidae. Furthermore, we expand the geographical distribution of the species and discuss its conservation status. © 2016 Andrade et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited

Prolonged maternal separation induces undernutrition and systemic inflammation with disrupted hippocampal development in mice

Objective: Prolonged maternal separation (PMS) in the first 2 wk of life has been associated with poor growth with lasting effects in brain structure and function. This study aimed to investigate whether PMS-induced undernutrition could cause systemic inflammation and changes in nutrition-related hormonal levels, affecting hippocampal structure and neurotransmission in C57BL/6J suckling mice. Methods: This study assessed mouse growth parameters coupled with insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) serum levels. In addition, leptin, adiponectin, and corticosterone serum levels were measured following PMS. Hippocampal stereology and the amino acid levels were also assessed. Furthermore, we measured myelin basic protein and synapthophysin (SYN) expression in the overall brain tissue and hippocampal SYN immunolabeling. For behavioral tests, we analyzed the ontogeny of selected neonatal reflexes. PMS was induced by separating half the pups in each litter from their lactating dams for defined periods each day (4 h on day 1, 8 h on day 2, and 12 h thereafter). A total of 67 suckling pups were used in this study. Results: PMS induced significant slowdown in weight gain and growth impairment. Significant reductions in serum leptin and IGF-1 levels were found following PMS. Total CA3 area and volume were reduced, specifically affecting the pyramidal layer in PMS mice. CA1 pyramidal layer area was also reduced. Overall hippocampal SYN immunolabeling was lower, especially in CA3 field and dentate gyrus. Furthermore, PMS reduced hippocampal aspartate, glutamate, and gammaaminobutyric acid levels, as compared with unseparated controls. Conclusion: These findings suggest that PMS causes significant growth deficits and alterations in hippocampal morphology and neurotransmission.This work was supported in part by National Institutes of Health (NIH) research grant 5R01HD053131, funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, and Brazilian grants from CNPq and CAPES (Grant # RO1 HD053131). The authors would like to thank Dr. Patricia Foley for veterinarian technical support and Dr. Jose Paulo Andrade for the excellent comments and suggestions to improve this manuscript. N.S. contributed with the stereological studies. I.L.F. and R.B.O. contributed with the behavioral studies. I.L.F., R.B.O., and R.L.G. contributed with the study design, study analysis, and manuscript preparation. G.A.M. and P.B.F. contributed with neurochemical brain analyses. J.I.A.L. and G.M.A. contributed with hormonal and CRP serum analyses. D.G.C., K.M.C., and R.S.R. contributed with animal experimentation and data collection

Karyotype differentiation of four Cestrum species (Solanaceae) revealed by fluorescent chromosome banding and FISH

The karyotypes of four South American species of Cestrum (C. capsulare,C. corymbosum,C. laevigatum and C. megalophylum) were studied using conventional staining, C-CMA/DAPI chromosome banding and FISH with 45S and 5S rDNA probes. The karyotypes showed a chromosome number of 2n = 2x = 16, with metacentric chromosomes, except for the eighth submeta- to acrocentric pair. Several types of heterochromatin were detected, which varied in size, number, distribution and base composition. The C-CMA+ bands and 45S rDNA were located predominantly in terminal regions. The C-CMA + /DAPI + bands appeared in interstitial and terminal regions, and the C-DAPI + bands were found in all chromosome regions. The 5S rDNA sites were observed on the long arm of pair 8 in all species except C. capsulare, where they were found in the paracentromeric region of the long arm of pair 4. The differences in band patterns among the species studied here, along with data from other nine species reported in the literature, suggest that the bands are dispersed in an equilocal and non-equilocal manner and that structural rearrangements can be responsible for internal karyotype diversification. However, it is important to point out that the structural changes involving repetitive segments did not culminate in substantial changes in the general karyotype structure concerning chromosome size and morphology

Phytosociological survey on native pasture of Paspalum notatum

Todos os textos, informa??es e resultados apresentados s?o de inteira responsabilidade dos autores.Coordenador/Orientador do Projeto: M?rcia Vit?ria Santos.Parte da inicia??o cientifica do primeiro autor, financiado pelo Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cient?fico e Tecnol?gico (CNPq), Funda??o de Amparo ? Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG) e Coordena??o de Aperfei?oamento de Pessoal de N?vel Superior (CAPES).Objetivou-se com esse trabalho, realizar o levantamento fitossociol?gico em pastagem nativa de Paspalum notatum no munic?pio de Couto de Magalh?es de Minas-MG. O levantamento fitossociol?gico foi realizado em pastagem nativa de Paspalum notatum no munic?pio de Couto de Magalh?es de Minas MG. Para a identifica??o das plantas daninhas foi utilizado o m?todo do quadrado invent?rio, lan?ando ao acaso na ?rea 40 vezes um quadro de um metro de lado, totalizando uma ?rea amostral de 40m2. Avaliou-se a frequ?ncia (Fre), densidade (Den) e abund?ncia (Abu) das esp?cies encontradas na pastagem. Foram identificadas esp?cies distribu?das em seis fam?lias, destacando-se a fam?lia das Poaceae com cinco esp?cies. As esp?cies que apresentaram maior frequ?ncia (Fre) foram Sidastrum micranthum (malva-preta), Rhynchelystrum repens (capim-favorito) e Crotalaria incana (xique-xique), respectivamente. As esp?cies Eupatorium maximilianii (mata-pasto), Paspalum notatum (grama batatais) e Brachiaria decumbens (braquiarinha), apresentaram os maiores valores de densidade (Den), respectivamente. Paspalum notatum (grama batatais), Eupatorium maximilianii (mata-pasto) e Brachiaria decumbens (braquiarinha) foram ?s esp?cies que apresentaram maior abund?ncia (Abu). A pastagem de Paspalum notatum encontra-se infestada com esp?cies daninhas necessitando controle e corre??o do manejo do pasto para maior desempenho animal.The aim of this study was to do the phytosociological evaluation on a native pasture of Paspalum notatum in Couto de Magalh?es de Minas-MG. The phytosociological evaluation was made on native pasture of Paspalum notatum in Couto de Magalh?es de Minas-MG. To identification of the weed, the method used was the square inventory, hurled randomly in the area 40 times a square of one meter of side, totaling 40m2 of sample area. It was evaluate the frequency (Fre), density (Den), and abundancy (Abu) of the species found in the area. It was identified species of six families, standing out the family of the Poaceae including five species. The species that presented more frequency (Fre) were Sidastrum micranthum (dainty sandmallow), Rhynchelystrum repens (natal grass), and Crotalaria incana (woolly rattlepod), respectively. The species Eupatorium maximilianii ("mata-pasto"), Paspalum notatum (pensacola), and Brachiaria decumbens (signal grass), presented the higher values of density (Den), respectively. Paspalum notatum (pensacola), Eupatorium maximilianii ("mata-pasto"), and Brachiaria decumbens (signal grass), were the species that presented higher abundancy (Abu). The pasture of Paspalum notatum has found infested by weed, requiring control and correction of the management of the area to increase the animal performance