Effects of topically applied contractubex® on epidural fibrosis and axonal regeneration in injured rat sciatic nerve

AIM: To investigate the effects of Contractubex (R) (Cx) on peripheral nerve regeneration and scar formation. MATERIAL and METHODS: A surgical procedure involving sciatic nerve incision in 24 adult male Sprague-Dawley rats followed by epineural suturing was performed. In weeks 4 and 12 following surgery, macroscopic, histological, functional, and electromyographic examinations of the sciatic nerve were conducted. RESULTS: No significant difference was found between the Cx group and the control group in terms of sciatic function index (SFI) and distal latency results at week 4 (p>0.05). However, significant improvements in the Cx group were observed in SFI amplitudes and nerve action potentials at week 12 (p<0.001 and p<0.001, respectively). Significant improvements were found in the amplitudes of nerve action potentials in the treatment group after weeks 4 and 12 (p<0.05 and p<0.001, respectively). Macroscopically and histopathologically, epidural fibrosis decreased (p<0.05 and p<0.001, respectively). For both measurement times, the treatment group had significantly higher numbers of axons (week 4, p<0.05; week 12, p<0.001), and the treatment group had better results regarding its axon area (weeks 4 and 12, p<0.001) and myelin thickness (weeks 4 and 12, p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Cx, which is applied topically in peripheral nerve injury, affects axonal regeneration and axonal maturation positively and reduces the functional loss

Effects of in ovo injected bisphenol A on the testis of one day old chickens

Bisphenol-A (BPA), an environmental estrogen, has adverse effects on the male reproductive tract in mammals and birds. In ovo administration of BPA at high doses have been reported to cause the left gonad to form an ovotestis in fowl and quail. However, there are no studies on morphometric effects of in ovo administration of BPA on testis. Therefore, the aim of present study was to investigate the morphometric effects of in ovo administration of low and high doses of BPA on hatched testis. For comparative purposes, well characterized synthetic estrogen diethylstilbestrol (DES) was also examined. Chicken eggs were treated (injection volume 100 mu l/egg) on day 4 of incubation before the gonads start to differentiate. Doses were 67 (low BPA group) and 134 (high BPA group) mu g BPA/g egg, and 0.02 (low DES group) and 0.2 (high DES group) mu g DES/g egg. Sertoli cell and germ cell numbers were determined by stereological methods. Our results indicated that low doses of BPA had no negative effects, on the contrary it was at least increased germ cells proliferation in avian similar to mammals counterpart. However, as doses were titrated upwards, negative effects emerged on seminiferous tubules of testis