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

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

Fertilidade de fêmeas Nelore após inseminação artificial em tempo fixo conforme a contagem de folículos antrais

O objetivo deste trabalho foi determinar o efeito do número de folículos antrais sobre as taxas de concepção de fêmeas Nelore, em programa de inseminação artificial em tempo fixo (IATF). Para isso, 481 fêmeas foram submetidas a um protocolo de IATF e avaliadas quanto à contagem de folículos antrais (CFA) e ao diagnóstico de gestação. Os animais foram agrupados nas categorias de CFA baixa (53). Não houve diferença entre as taxas de concepção obtidas nas categorias de CFA em IATF com uso de gonadotrofina coriônica