Histopathological and immunohistochemical study of the protective effect of triptorelin on the neurocytes of the hippocampus and the cerebral cortex of male albino rats after short-term exposure to cyclophosphamide

AbstractChemotherapy treats many types of cancer effectively but it often causes side effects. Chemotherapy works on active cells, such as cancer cells, and some healthy cells. Side effects happen when chemotherapy damages these healthy cells. Today, many more drugs are available to treat side effects than in the past. Triptorelin (Decapeptyl) is a gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist that is reported to have many therapeutic effects besides being an anti-cancer agent. In the current study, intraperitoneal cyclophosphamide (65mg/kg/day) was administered for 4 weeks to induce marked dystrophic changes in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus of male albino rats. After 4 weeks, we observed significant degeneration of neurocytes with dystrophic changes. Subcutaneous triptorelin (0.05mg/kg/day) for 4 weeks significantly improved histological signs of degeneration and apoptosis. Anti-Bcl2 staining of sections of the cerebral cortex and hippocampus showed that the apoptotic index was increased. This finding was confirmed by the anti-p53 staining, which showed a significant decrease in the apoptotic index. Ultimately, such improvements were accompanied by significant restoration of normal brain histology, as revealed by hematoxylin and eosin. In conclusion, triptorelin can reverse the apoptotic changes induced by cyclophosphamide therapy, which is more marked in the hippocampus than cerebral cortex

Sero-prevalence and risk factors associated with toxoplasma gondii infection among pregnant women in Alexandria, Egypt

Background: Toxoplasma gondii infection during pregnancy can result in fetal death, neonatal death or various congenital defects. This study aimed to estimate the seroprevalence of toxoplasma gondii infection using two different diagnostic tests, Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) versus Immunochromatographic assay (ICA) and to study the potential risk factors for acquiring infection in pregnant women attending antenatal care clinics in Alexandria, Egypt.Methods: A cross sectional study, conducted between May 2015 and June 2016. The study was done in antenatal care centers of most districts of Alexandria Governorate, Egypt. 382 pregnant women, of a gestational age between 8-40 weeks were included in the study and were given pretested structured questionnaire to assess risk factors, which included: demographic, socio-economic data, kitchen hygiene and behavioral variables. Blood samples were taken and sera were divided into two parts; the first part was examined for anti-T.gondii IgG and IgM antibodies using rapid diagnostic test RDT kit, the other part tested by ELISA.Results: The overall seroprevalence of T.gondii infection was (11.3%) detected by RDT, significantly increased to (57.9%) by ELISA test (X2= 5.3; p=0.001). RDT had the sensitivity of (15.8%), the specificity of (95%), PPV of (81.4%), NPV of (45.1%), with overall diagnostic efficiency of (49.2%). The association between T.gondii infection and the age of the pregnant women was found to be statistically significant (OR=2.84, 95%CI=1.251-6.455).Conclusions: The present study has documented a bad diagnostic performance of RDT in detection T.gondii in serum samples of infected pregnant women as compared to ELISA technique. Age is the only risk factor to be associated statistically with toxoplasma gondii infection

Transition to complete synchronization in phase coupled oscillators with nearest neighbours coupling

We investigate synchronization in a Kuramoto-like model with nearest neighbour coupling. Upon analyzing the behaviour of individual oscillators at the onset of complete synchronization, we show that the time interval between bursts in the time dependence of the frequencies of the oscillators exhibits universal scaling and blows up at the critical coupling strength. We also bring out a key mechanism that leads to phase locking. Finally, we deduce forms for the phases and frequencies at the onset of complete synchronization.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, to appear in CHAO

Ellipticity Statistics of Ultra Wideband MIMO Channels for Body Centric Wireless Communication

In this paper, ellipticity statistics of 2 × 2 ultra wideband multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) channel for body-centric wireless communication is evaluated by quantifying four different on body links namely; waist-back, waist-chest, waist-ankle and waist-wrist. Results show that at lower values of signal to noise (SNR), spatial multiplexing dependent capacity degrades as the eigen value dispersion decreases (i.e., lower ellipticity statistic), whereas it increases at higher values of SNR

Ds+→ϕρ+D_s^+ \to \phi \rho^+ Decay

Motivated by the experimental measurement of the decay rate, $\Gamma$, and the longitudinal polarization, $P_L$, in the Cabibbo favored decay $D_s^+\to \phi {\rho}^{+}$, we have studied theoretical prediction within the context of factorization approximation invoking several form factors models. We were able to obtain agreement with experiment for both $\Gamma$ and $P_L$ by using experimentally measured values of the form factors $A_1^{D_s\phi}(0)$, $A_2^{D_s\phi}(0)$ and $V^{D_s\phi}(0)$ in the semi-leptonic decay $D_s^+\to \phi l^{+}\nu_{l}$. We have also included in our calculation the effect of the final state interaction ($fsi$) by working with the partial waves amplitudes $S$, $P$ and $D$. Numerical calculation shows that the decay amplitude is dominated by $S$ wave, and that the polarization is sensitive to the interference between $S$ and $D$ waves. The range of the phase difference $\delta_{SD} = \delta_S - \delta_D$ accommodated by experimental error in $P_L$ is large.Comment: 7 pages, LaTe

PHYTOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS, ASSESSMENT OF ANTIPROLIFERATIVE AND FREE RADICAL SCAVENGING ACTIVITY OF MORUS ALBA AND MORUS RUBRA FRUITS

Objective: Mulberry is a nontoxic commonly eaten plant, belongs to the Morus and used in folk medicine in the remedy of dysentery, antiphlogistic, diuretic, expectorant, and antidiabetic. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the antiproliferative and radical scavenging activity of the total alcoholic and successive fractions thereof of Morus alba and Morus rubra fruits. In addition, the chemical composition of the bioactive fractions of each species was investigated.Methods: The antiproliferative potential of 8 extracts on 4 human cancer cell lines, hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2), Caucasian breast adenocarcinoma (MCF7), prostate (PC3), and colon carcinoma (HCT116) in addition to one normal cell line namely human normal immortalized skin fibroblast cells (BJ1) were carried out. Cell viability was determined using MTT assay. The potency was compared with the reference drug doxorubicin. These extracts were also assayed for 1,1-diphenyl-2-hydrazyl free radical scavenging activities. After saponification of the n-hexane fraction, unsaponifiable matter and fatty acid methyl esters were analyzed by gas liquid chromatography (GLC). The chemical composition of the bioactive fractions was investigated using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis.Results: All the extracts showed significant free radical scavenging activity dose-dependently. The n-hexane and dichloromethane (DCM) fractions of M. rubra exhibited potent cytotoxic activity on almost cancer cell lines. In the same pattern, ethyl acetate (EtOAc) of M. rubra has moderate cytotoxic activity against all cell lines except HepG2. DCM fraction of M. alba possessed both radical scavenging and high potential antiproliferated activities against HCT116 and MCF7 with inhibitory concentration of 43.9 and 32.3 μg/ml, respectively, while it showed no cytotoxic effect on BJ1. GLC analysis showed the major hydrocarbons in M. alba and M. rubra were heptacosane and docosane, respectively. Sterols were similar in both species but with different ratios and cholesterol was the major one. Palmitic and margaric were the major saturated fatty acid while arachidonic was the major unsaturated fatty acid in both species. GC/MS analysis showed the main compound in DCM fraction of each Morus species was palmitic acid. Furthermore, 1,11-bis-(methoxycarbonyl-ethenyl)-10,2-dihydroxy-cycloeicosane and linolelaidic acid, methyl ester were the main compounds in the EtOAc fraction of each Morus species. Whereas, the main compounds in alcoholic extract of M. alba and M. rubra were methyl-14-methyl-pentadecanoate and 1,2-O-isopropylyidene-4-nonene-1,2,3-triol, respectively.Conclusions: The results observed remarkable biological activity of the successive fractions of M. rubra more than those of M. alba and confirmed its importance as a natural bioactive source. Morus species are good candidates to be promising as possible sources for future antitumor and antioxidants in food and pharmaceutical formulations. The strong activity partly explains the potential effects of Morus species for the treatment of cancer and degenerative diseases caused by free radicals