178 research outputs found
Immobilization of catalase via adsorption into natural and modified active carbon obtained from walnut in various methods
In the present work, the immobilization of catalase into natural active carbon and active carbon modified by hydrochloric acid was carried out. In the experimental section, the effects of pH, ionic strength andreaction temperature were chosen as parameters, with experiments performed in batch system. For the optimization of immobilization procedure, values of kinetic parameters were evaluated. It was observedthat storage and operational stabilities of the enzyme increased with immobilization. The results obtained from experiments showed that active carbon is a valuable support for the adsorption of enzymes
Effect of clitoral massage on levels of estradiol, testosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate and pregnancy rate in cows
This study was conducted to investigate the effect of clitoral massage on levels of estradiol (E2), testosterone (T), dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEA-S) and pregnancy rate in cows. For this purpose, 38 Holstein cows ranging from 3-6 years old were used. The cows were divided into two groups, as control (n=19) and application (n=19). The degree of intensity of oestrus expression was scored on a scale of 0 to 5 by considering knowledge of anamnesis, findings of rectal palpation and inspection as a criteria. All animals of both groups were artificially inseminated by recto-vaginal method with frozen-thawed bull semen. Clitoral massage was applied to the cows in the application group for 15-30 sec. after artificial insemination. Blood samples were then taken from jugular vein and centrifuged at 5000 rpm for 5 m., and serum samples were stored deep-frozen at -20 oC. Levels of E2, T and DHEA-S were determined by RIA method. All animals were examined by rectal palpation of the uterus for pregnancy on day 75 after insemination. Clitoral massage application had no significant effect on the levels of E2, T, DHEA-S and pregnancy rate in cows. There was a significant difference (P<0.05) in the degree of the intensity of oestrus between control and application groups. A significant negative correlation (P<0.01, r = -0.93) was found between levels of E2 and T
Effect of exogenous GnRH at the time of artificial insemination on reproductive performance of awassi ewes synchronized with progestagen-PMSG-PGF2α combination
This study was carried out to investigate the efficacy of PGF2a
for oestrus synchronization (ES) in Awassi ewes to which were
administered the progestagen–PMSG combination, and to
evaluate the effect of the exogenous GnRH administration
immediately after the artificial insemination (AI) on their
pregnancy rate and lambing performance during the breeding
season. The ewes (n ¼ 33) were treated with an intravaginal
sponge impregnated with 30 mg fluorogestane acetate for
12 days and were injected with 500 IU PMSG at the time of
removal of the sponge. The ewes were then divided into three
equal groups of 11 ewes each. One millilitre of physiological
saline (0.9% NaCl; placebo) was administered to each ewe in
Group 1 at the time of second AI. Approximately 4 lg GnRH
(busereline) was injected to each ewe in Group 2 immediately
after second AI. A total of 150 lg PGF2a (cloprostenole) was
injected at the time of sponge removal on day 12 and 4 lg
GnRH immediately after the second AI was also treated to
each ewe in Group 3. Intracervical AI with diluted fresh semen
was performed twice at 12 and 24 h following the onset of
oestrus. The injection-oestrus onset and injection-oestrus-end
interval in Group 3 was significantly (p < 0.001) shorter than
both Groups 1 and 2. Although the pregnancy rates of Groups
2 and 3 (81.8%; 9/11) were numerically higher than of Group 1
(63.6%; 7/11), the difference among the groups was statistically
insignificant. The multiple birth rate of Group 3 was
found higher than Groups 1 and 2. However, the number of
single lambs of Group 1 was also higher than Groups 2 and 3
(p < 0.05). Despite the litter sizes of Groups 2 (1.27; 14/11)
and 3 (1.55; 17/11) being numerically higher than Group 1
(0.73; 8/11), the differences among all the groups were
statistically insignificant. In conclusion, the administration of
PGF2a at the time of removal of the sponge shortens the
injection oestrus-onset and oestrus-end interval in Awassi ewes
treated with progestagen–PMSG. Additionally, exogenous
GnRH treatment immediately after the AI increases the
multiple birth rate of Awassi ewes synchronized with progestagen–
PMSG–PGF2a combination
Protective effects of nanostructures of hydrated C60 fullerene on reproductive function in streptozotocin-diabetic male rats
Diabetes mellitus is a well-recognized cause of male sexual dysfunction and impairments of male fertility.
Streptozotocin (STZ) is used for medical treatment of neoplastic islet -cells of pancreas and producing of
animal model of diabetes mellitus type 1 that is characterized by suppression of reproductive activity due
to the hyperglycaemia-induced oxidative stress and histopathological alterations in testes. Seeking for
the agents that could alleviate diabetes-induced damage to reproductive system is yet the important area
of inquiry. The present study was designed to evaluate whether hydrated C60 fullerene (C60HyFn), which
is known to be powerful bioantioxidant, eliminate testicular dysfunction induced by STZ-diabetes in rats.
Wistar strain male albino rats were divided into four groups of six animals each: (1) control group, (2)
C60HyFn-treated nondiabetic group, (3) STZ-diabetic group and (4) C60HyFn-treated diabetic group. Once
hyperglycaemia was induced by STZ, rats in the second and fourth groups were treated with C60HyFn (in
the form of drinking water) at the dose of 4 g/kg daily for 5 weeks. In diabetic rats, relative weights of
right cauda epididymis, seminal vesicles, prostate, sperm motility and epididymal sperm concentration
were significantly less than those of control group, but which were restored in the fourth group treated
with C60HyFn (p < 0.001). In hematoxylin and eosin staining, marked histopathological changes including
degeneration, desquamation, disorganisation and reduction in germinal cells, interstitial oedema and
congestion were evident in the testis of diabetic rats, but C60HyFn treatment resulted in recovery of
histopathological changes and an increase in Johnsen’s testicular score significantly (p < 0.001). C60HyFn
treatment restores the increased apoptosis induced by STZ-diabetes. In diabetic rats, levels of serum
testosterone, testicular reduced glutathione (GSH) and alpha-tocopherol were significantly reduced and
testicular lipid peroxidation level was increased (p < 0.001). Nevertheless, treatment of diabetic rats with
C60HyFn resulted in significant corrective effects on these parameters towards the control levels. C60HyFn,
applied alone, did not exert any toxic effects in testicular tissues. Furthermore, C60HyFn treatment in
diabetic and nondiabetic rats resulted in considerable elevations of some important polyunsaturated
fatty acids. In conclusion, we have presented for the first time substantial evidence that administration
of C60HyFn significantly reduces diabetes-induced oxidative stress and associated complications such as
testicular dysfunction and spermatogenic disruptio
Bilkent university at TRECVID 2006
We describe our third participation, that includes one high-level feature extraction run, and two manual and one interactive search runs, to the TRECVID video retrieval evaluation. All of these runs have used a system trained on the common development collection. Only visual and textual information were used where visual information consisted of color, texture and edge-based low-level features and textual information consisted of the speech transcript provided in the collection
Assessment of imidacloprid toxicity on reproductive organ system of adult male rats
In the current study it was aimed to investigate the toxicity of low doses of imidacloprid (IMI) on the reproductive organ systems
of adult male rats. The treatment groups received 0.5 (IMI-0.5), 2 (IMI-2) or 8 mg IMI/kg body weight by oral gavage (IMI-8) for
three months. The deterioration in sperm motility in IMI-8 group and epidydimal sperm concentration in IMI-2 and IMI-8 groups
and abnormality in sperm morphology in IMI-8 were significant. The levels of testosterone (T) and GSH decreased significantly
in group IMI-8 compared to the control group. Upon treatment with IMI, apoptotic index increased significantly only in germ
cells of the seminiferous tubules of IMI-8 group when compared to control. Fragmentation was striking in the seminal DNA from
the IMI-8 group, but it was much less obvious in the IMI-2 one. IMI exposure resulted in elevation of all fatty acids analyzed,
but the increases were significant only in stearic, oleic, linoleic and arachidonic acids. The ratios of 20:4/20:3 and 20:4/18:2 were
decreased and 16:1n-9/16:0 ratio was increased. In conclusion, the present animal experiments revealed that the treatment with IMI
at NOAEL dose-levels caused deterioration in sperm parameters, decreased T level, increased apoptosis of germ cells, seminal DNA
fragmentation, the depletion of antioxidants and change in disturbance of fatty acid composition. All these changes indicate the
suppression of testicular function
Seasonal Patterns of Body Temperature Daily Rhythms in Group-Living Cape Ground Squirrels Xerus inauris
Organisms respond to cyclical environmental conditions by entraining their endogenous biological rhythms. Such physiological responses are expected to be substantial for species inhabiting arid environments which incur large variations in daily and seasonal ambient temperature (Ta). We measured core body temperature (Tb) daily rhythms of Cape ground squirrels Xerus inauris inhabiting an area of Kalahari grassland for six months from the Austral winter through to the summer. Squirrels inhabited two different areas: an exposed flood plain and a nearby wooded, shady area, and occurred in different social group sizes, defined by the number of individuals that shared a sleeping burrow. Of a suite of environmental variables measured, maximal daily Ta provided the greatest explanatory power for mean Tb whereas sunrise had greatest power for Tb acrophase. There were significant changes in mean Tb and Tb acrophase over time with mean Tb increasing and Tb acrophase becoming earlier as the season progressed. Squirrels also emerged from their burrows earlier and returned to them later over the measurement period. Greater increases in Tb, sometimes in excess of 5°C, were noted during the first hour post emergence, after which Tb remained relatively constant. This is consistent with observations that squirrels entered their burrows during the day to ‘offload’ heat. In addition, greater Tb amplitude values were noted in individuals inhabiting the flood plain compared with the woodland suggesting that squirrels dealt with increased environmental variability by attempting to reduce their Ta-Tb gradient. Finally, there were significant effects of age and group size on Tb with a lower and less variable Tb in younger individuals and those from larger group sizes. These data indicate that Cape ground squirrels have a labile Tb which is sensitive to a number of abiotic and biotic factors and which enables them to be active in a harsh and variable environment
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