Therapie mit Ketoconazol bei Chorioretinopathia Centralis Serosa : eine Pilotstudie

Ketoconazole in the treatment of Central Serous Chorioretinopathy : A pilot studyPurpose: The aim of this study is to evaluate a possible effect of systemic Ketoconazole on visual acuity (VA) and retinal thickness in patients with acute central serous chorioretinopathy (CSCR). Materials and Methods: 15 consecutive patients were treated with Ketoconazole 200 mg/d over a period of 4 weeks, while the other 15 patients served as control group. Baseline examination and review after 4 weeks included VA testing and measurement of neuroretinal or pigment epithelial detachment by optical coherence tomography (OCT). Fluorescein angiography was performed to verify the diagnosis. Results: At baseline, mean VA in Snellen units was 0.6±0.2 (Log MAR 0.2±0.7) in the treatment group and 0.7±0.3 (Log MAR 0.2±0.5) in the control group. On OCT, mean neuroretinal or pigment epithelial detachment measured 288±163 µm in the Ketoconazole group and 225±51 µm in the control group, respectively. Four weeks later, mean VA improved in both groups. On OCT, neuroretinal or pigment epithelial detachment decreased also in the treatment group and the control group. The differences were statistically not significant. Conclusion: While a pharmacological decrease in endogenous cortisol synthesis appears to be a rational approach in the treatment of CSCR, systemic Ketoconazole at 200mg/d was not associated with a significantly better outcome in this preliminary study

Protective effect of carvacrol on ketamine induced testicular damage in mouse model of schizophrenia

Introduction: Ketamine is applied to induce symptoms of schizophrenia in animal models. Besides the nervous system, ketamine also affects male lower genitourinary tracts. The present study evaluated the effects of carvacrol on antioxidant enzymes and examined the histopathologic changes in the testes of ketamine induced schizophrenic mice.Methods: A total of 48 male mice were treated with 25 mg/kg ketamine or saline for a period of 14 days. Between the 8th and 14th days, the animals received carvacrol (25 and 50 mg/kg) or saline. At the end of the experiment, blood samples were taken to measure luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and testosterone; the testes were also collected for biochemical and histopathological evaluations. Results: The results indicated that induction of schizophrenia by ketamine led to an oxidative stress by increasing malondialdehyde (MDA) level (P < 0.05). Treatment with 50 mg/kg carvacrol resulted in significant decrease in oxidative injury by decreasing MDA level and increasing antioxidant enzymes (P < 0.05). Testosterone, FSH and LH levels showed no significant difference between treatment groups and control groups except for testosterone which increased in mice treated with 50 mg/kg carvacrol (P < 0.05). Administration of carvacrol reduced the deleterious histopathologic changes caused by ketamine.Conclusion: The present study showed that ketamine causes oxidative stress and damage in testicular tissues and co-administration with carvacrol prevents the harmful effects of ketamine

Characterization of Asphaltenes Structure: Asphaltene Chemical Structural Changes Due to Carbon Dioxide Injection

Asphaltenes precipitation during carbon dioxide injection to enhance recovery has been considered as one of the major challenges in the tertiary production phase. How CO2 would change the asphaltenes structure is still unknown. The present study investigates the effects of CO2 on the isolated asphaltenes utilizing various analytical techniques. Chemical structure of precipitated asphaltenes in the presence and absence of CO2 were characterized and compared. These results were coupled with the results of the stability assessment to determine the effects of structural alteration on asphaltenes stability in the oil matrix. Four different crude oils were used to implement this experiment. In the first step, asphaltenes were precipitated by n-heptane. The asphaltenes were then dissolved in toluene and CO2 was injected (at 870 psi) to these solutions and they were mixed at 752°F. This process was repeated for three days, and one week to identify the effect of time on the possible reaction between CO2 and asphaltenes at elevated temperature and pressure. Next, CO2 was injected into the crude oils to determine whether it would react with other components of the oils other than asphaltenes. The same procedures were repeated with nitrogen as controlling experiments. For characterization, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR spectroscopy) was conducted to specify the functional groups and their changes due to the addition of CO2. Finally, stability alteration of precipitated asphaltenes after reaction with CO2 was evaluated by UV-Vis spectroscopy. FTIR results analyses demonstrated that in one tested sample the peak related to the amide functional group is created after injecting CO2. This peak was intensified by increasing the reaction time. To characterize the origin and mechanism of amide formation, 1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane (DABCO) was added to this asphaltenes sample during reaction with CO2. Neither escalation of carbonyl group nor generation of aldehyde functional group was detected in the presence of DABCO. Such an observation proves that the amide group was formed by the reaction of amine in the asphaltenes and CO2. The stability of this sample in model oil was decreased after reaction with CO2. On the contrary, the FTIR spectrums of the other three samples were not altered after reaction with CO2. Interestingly, one of these three asphaltenes samples became unstable in the model oil after reaction with CO2. This study shows that the asphaltenes instability in the presence of CO2 could be a consequence of either chemical structural alteration of asphaltenes or change of the oil matrix solubility. Hence a comprehensive characterization of an oil sample is essential before designing any CO2 injection treatment. Accordingly, these results can be utilized to select more efficient inhibitors and stabilizers to prevent asphaltenes precipitation

Ameliorative action of farnesol on cyclophosphamide induced toxicity in mice

Introduction: Cyclophosphamide is an alkylating agent with antineoplastic and immunosuppressive effects. Acrolein, one of its metabolites, is responsible for different toxic side effects such as oxidative stress, and cell death. The present study aimed to evaluate protective effects of farnesol, a natural terpenoid with antioxidant effects, on cyclophosphamide induced side effects. Methods: For this purpose, mice received 200 mg/kg of cyclophosphamide plus 5 or 10 mg/kg of farnesol as pretreatment for 7 days. At the end of the study, samples from blood and different organs were collected. Histopathological and biochemical analyses including malondialdehyde (MDA), catalase (CAT) and glutathione (GSH) content as well as alanine transaminase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were done to determine the toxic effects of cyclophosphamide and probable protective effect of farnesol. Results: Application of farnesol as a pretreatment could reduce tissue damages induced by cyclophosphamide particularly in testis, liver and spleen. The kidney did not show any relapse in tissue damages induced by cyclophosphamide. The testis demonstrated the most improvement by administration of farnesol, and the anti-oxidant enzymes increased in testicular tissues. Conclusion: This study indicated the protective effect of farnesol against oxidative stress induced by cyclophosphamide in the tissues, especially at the dose of 10 mg/kg on the testicular tissue. Hence, it might be beneficial in patients who are using cyclophosphamide

Effect of the Fractional CO2 Laser on the Quality of Life, General Health, and Genitourinary Symptoms in Postmenopausal Women With Vaginal Atrophy: A Prospective Cohort

Introduction: After menopause women experience vaginal atrophy related to hormonal changes and estrogen deficiency. The purpose of this paper was to evaluate the effect of the fractional CO2 laser on the quality of life, vaginal atrophy symptoms, and urine incontinency in menopause women.Methods: This prospective study was conducted among 140 women from 2017 to 2018 in Yas hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences. They encountered the fractional microablative CO2 laser system three times at four-week intervals. The short form of the Health Questionnaire (SF-12) and the Female Sexual Functional Index (FSFI) questionnaire were utilized to assess the participants’ quality of life. Also, the standard measuring tools including the vaginal health index (VHI) and International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire (ICIQ) Form were used to evaluate the vaginal atrophy symptoms.Results: The quality of life improved significantly in somatic, social function, and mental health. In the sexual context, arousal and satisfaction status improved significantly. Also, the frequency of urinary incontinence, enuresis, urgency, and the leak improved significantly (P &lt; 0.05). Among the scale variables for urinary function, it was seen that the urgency impact had no improvement. All vaginal indices improved (P &lt; 0.05).Conclusion: The fractional CO2 laser can be effective in treating vaginal atrophy and urinary symptoms. Besides, it improved the quality of life and the sexual function o

Izražajnost kalretinina kao biomarkera rizika za metastatski karcinom mliječne žlijezde u pasa

Malignant breast tumors are the most common tumors in humans and are associated with a poor prognosis. An accurate animal model of human mammary gland tumorigenesis is needed to test novel diagnosis and treatment strategies. Dogs represent a promising model since they develop such tumors spontaneously. In the present study, three immunomarkers, including calretinin, c-Kit (CD117) and placental alkaline phosphatase (Plap), were used and compared with each other, in relation to estrogen and progesterone receptors and HER2 (triple markers), with the intention of malignancy grading. Enhanced expression of calretinin and placental alkaline phosphatase, without immunoreaction to c-Kit in neoplastic cells, is related to high-grade malignancy. Out of 50 tumors, 31 were metastasized, 29 of which (93.5%) were moderately to strongly calretinin positive (P<0.05). However, the results for c-Kit - and Plap+ in metastatic tumors were not reproducible. It may be concluded that calretinin could be introduced as a determinant biomarker in the diagnosis of breast cancer metastasis.Maligni tumori dojke najčešći su tumori u ljudi i povezani su s lošom prognozom. Da bi se testirali novi dijagnostički postupci i terapijske procedure u ljudi, potreban je prikladan životinjski model tumorogeneze mliječne žlijezde. Psi su potencijalno dobar model zbog spontanog razvoja ovakvih tumora. U ovom su istraživanju, s ciljem stupnjevanja malignosti, međusobno uspoređena tri imunomarkera, kalretinin, c-Kit (CD117) i placentalna alkalna fosfataza (Plap), a zatim su isti uspoređeni i s estrogenskim, progesteronskim te HER2 (trostrukim) markerima. Povećanje izražajnosti kalretinina i placentalne alkalne fosfataze, bez imunoreakcije na c-Kit u neoplastičnim stanicama povezano je s visokim stupnjem malignosti. Od 50 tumora, 31 je metastazirao, od kojih je 29 (93,5 %) bilo umjereno do izrazito pozitivno na kalretinin (P < 0,05). Doduše, rezultati za c-Ki ti Plap+ nisu bili ponovljivi. Zaključujemo da bi kalretinin mogao poslužiti kao biomarker u dijagnostici metatstatskog raka dojke

Genetic parameters estimation of growth in Salmo trutta caspius as a function of body weight and length

There is no available adequate information on the biology and genetics of the Caspian salmon (salmo truta Caspiu) living in the Caspian Sea with other species such as common carp families, sturgeons and etc., therefore we are interested in knowing whether selection for rapid growth rate in salmo trutta Caspius will potentially lead to correlated genetic response in body weight and length. The potential for correlated responses was evaluated by the heritability estimation, estimating heritabilities of body weight and length. The genetic parameter estimations were obtained for different stages of growth from 5400 fish consisting 27 unrelated families that reached maturity at 36 months of age. The parent which used to produce separate family groups had been caught from the Caspian Sea and spawned during the autumn season. The estimated heritability of body weight and length was 0.42±0.13 and 0.49±0.01, respectively based on differential and selection response between parent pairs and their offsprings. Several factors may have affected the creation of this high level of estimation, dominant effect, inherited from different breeders to offspring

Predictive factors of short-term survival from acute myocardial infarction in early and late patients in Isfahan and Najafabad, Iran

Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the primary cause of mortality in the world and Iran. The aim of this study was to determine the prognostic factors of short-term survival from acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in early and late patients in the Najafabad and Isfahan County, Iran. Methods: This hospital-based cohort study was conducted using the hospital registry of 1999-2009 in Iran. All patients (n = 14426) with an AMI referred to hospitals of Isfahan and Najafabad were investigated. To determine prognostic factors of short-term (28-days) survival in early and late patients, unadjusted and adjusted hazard ratio (HR) was calculated using univariate and multivariate Cox regression. Results: The short-term (28-day) survival rate of early and late patients was 96.6 and 89.4 (P < 0.001), respectively. In 80.0 of early and 79.3 of late patients, mortality occurred during the first 7 days of disease occurrence. HR of death was higher in women in the two groups; it was 1.97 in early patients was confidence interval (CI) 95%: 1.32-2.92 and 1.35 in late patients (CI 95%: 1.19-1.53) compared to men. HR of death had a rising trend with the increasing of age in the two groups. Conclusion: Short-term survival rate was higher in early patients than in late patients. In addition, case fatality rate (CFR) of AMI in women was higher than in men. In both groups, sex, age, an atomic location of myocardial infarction based on the International Classification of Disease, Revision 10 (ICD10), cardiac enzymes, and clinical symptoms were significant predictors of survival in early and late patients following AMI. © 2016, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences(IUMS). All rights reserved