Anti-diarrheal activity of methanolic extract of Tephrosia purpurea.

BACKGROUND: The metabolic syndrome (MS) is a combination of metabolic abnormalities that lead to an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases. Due to its rising incidence and demanding life-long use of multiple drugs, there is a growing interest in testing and developing new allopathic, complementary and alternative therapies for controlling or curing disorders of MS. The discovery of new therapeutic modalities requires animal models of disease and currently available models have limitations. Developing an appropriate animal model for MS to achieve various therapeutic targets remains a challenge and this study aims to develop a rat model which closely depicts MS in humans. METHODOLOGY: Rat model of MS was developed by replacing 60% of diet with fructose. Four groups of Sprague-Dawley rats were either given whole wheat or refined flour with and without fructose for 8 weeks. Data were analyzed on SPSS and Graphpad Prism using ANOVA with Tukey\u27s and Bonferonni tests for multiple group comparison. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered significant for differences between groups. RESULTS: Replacing whole wheat with refined wheat flour in rat chow in 60% fructose-fed Sprague-Dawley rats resulted in hypertension (p 0.01), hyper-insulinemia (p \u3c 0.001), hyperglycemia (p 0.03) and a reduction in HDL levels (p 0.002) at 4 weeks while hyper-triglyceridemia (p 0.001) with endothelial dysfunction was observed at 8 weeks. CONCLUSION: It is concluded that the refined wheat flour with 60% fructose in diet hastens the development of metabolic syndrome in 4 weeks and replacing whole wheat flour with refined flour in diet induces a more effective abnormality including a low HDL. Further studies may be directed to assess the associated pathological changes, which can be used to study the effect of different therapeutic modalities on an animal model of MS with low HD

Estimation of LH, FSH, Prolactin, Ferritin and Vitamin B12 of Hypothyroid Women in Kirkuk City/Iraq

Thyroid diseases are among the commonest endocrine disorders. It effects growth, embryonic development, reproduction, tissue differentiation, maturation and  metabolism, this research aimed  to study gonadal dysfunction in hypothyroid womens, included serum levels of  FSH, LH, prolactin, Ferritin and Vitamin B12 with thyroid hormones,   blood sample was collected from women age ranged between (15-49) years 65 of them had hypothyroidisim and they were under hormonal treatment, while 10 of the samples were healthy control, The results Showed a significant difference in Serum levels of T3, T4, TSH, LH, FSH and Prolactin, while there was a significant decrease in Vitamin B12 Levels (P ≤ 0.027) in hypothyroid patients under hormonal treatment compared to control group, we concluded that  circulation thyroid hormone showed a significant effect of serum levels of LH, FSH, Prolactin and Vitamin B12,While no effects shows on serum ferritin

Mathematical Model for Unsteady Remediation of River Pollution by Aeration

The governing coupled pair of nonlinear unsteady-state equations describing the concentration of the pollutant P(x,t) and the dissolved oxygen concentration X(x,t) in a river are solved numerically in one dimension x. The initial values of both P(x,t) and X(x,t) are assumed to be decreasing exponential functions in x. The results are presented and discussed graphically. We have proved mathematically the fact that the high concentration of pollutant can be reduced by releasing adequate discharges from barrage in a river. The different effects of parameters controlling the flow on both P(x,t) and X(x,t) are studied along the river at different time t

Mathematical Model for Unsteady Remediation of River Pollution by Aeration

The governing coupled pair of nonlinear unsteady-state equations describing the concentration of the pollutant P(x,t) and the dissolved oxygen concentration X(x,t) in a river are solved numerically in one dimension x. The initial values of both P(x,t) and X(x,t) are assumed to be decreasing exponential functions in x. The results are presented and discussed graphically. We have proved mathematically the fact that the high concentration of pollutant can be reduced by releasing adequate discharges from barrage in a river. The different effects of parameters controlling the flow on both P(x,t) and X(x,t) are studied along the river at different time t

Synthesis and Characterization of New Metal Complexes of α-Aminonitriles Derived from P- Toluidine and Aromatic Aldehydes

New metal complexes of some transition metal ions Co(II), Cu(II) , Cd(II) and Zn(II) were prepared by their reaction with previously prepared ligands HLI= (P-methyl anilino) phenyl acetonitrile and HLII = (P-methyl anilino) –P– chloro phenyl acetonitrile . The two ligands were prepared by Strecker’s procedure which includ the reaction of p- toluidine with benzaldehyde and P- chlorobenzaldehyde respectively. Structures were proposed depending on atomic absorption , i.r. and u.v.visible spectra in addition to magnetic susceptibility and electrical conductivity measurements

Salidroside as a Novel Protective Agent to Improve Red Blood Cell Cryopreservation.

Glycerol and trehalose have been widely examined as protective agents in the cryopreservation of red blood cells (RBCs). However, the effectiveness of these reagents alone on cell viability is moderate. Here, the addition of salidroside attenuated oxidative damage of sheep RBCs prior to and post cryostorage. The supplementation of salidroside to the cryopreservation media containing 10% glycerol improved RBC survival by approximately 61.1±4.8% vs 37.9±4.6%. A smaller effect was seen in RBCs cryopreserved in 300 mM trehalose where the addition of salidroside improved survival by 7.6±0.3%. Furthermore, the addition of salidroside to cold storage solution demonstrated a significant reduction of haemolysis after 4 days for RBCs loaded with either glycerol or trehalose, compared to cells incubated without salidroside. RBCs survival was 2-fold greater following freezing in trehalose, compared with glycerol. After 10 days, salidroside enabled a lower haemolysis of 16.7±1.3% compared to 29.0±8.4% for cells incubated without salidroside. However, salidroside had no effect on RBCs which had been frozen in glycerol as the resulting haemolysis rate by day 10 was approximately 60%. Salidroside increased glutathione reductase activity and decreased lactate dehydrogenase activity. Furthermore, it led to reduced carbonylation of proteins in both glycerol and trehalose loaded cells. Finally, no effect on lipid peroxidation was found in the glycerol loaded RBCs although this was reduced in RBCs loaded with trehalose and salidroside. The present findings confirm the potential use of salidroside as a novel protective agent in cryopreservation and refrigerated storage of sheep RBCs.King AbdulAziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), NASAThis is the final version of the article. It first appeared from the Public Library of Science via https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.016274

The analgesic effect of different antidepressants combined with aspirin on thermally induced pain in Albino mice

Background:Combination analgesics provide more effective pain relief for a broader spectrum of pain. This research examines the possible potentiation of the analgesic effect of different classes of antidepressants when combined with aspirin in thermal model of pain using Albino mice.Methods:Different groups of six animals each were injected intraperitoneally by different doses of aspirin (50, 100, or 200 mg/kg), imipramine (2.5, 7.5, 15 or 30 mg/kg), fluoxetine (1.25, 2.5, 5 or 7.5 mg/kg), mirtazapine (1.25, 2.5, or 5 mg/kg) and a combination of a fixed dose of aspirin (100 mg/kg) with the different doses of the three antidepressants. One hour later the analgesic effect of these treatments were evaluated against thermally induced pain. All data were subjected to statistical analysis using unpaired Student's t-test.Results:Aspirin had no analgesic effect in thermally induced pain. The three selected antidepressants produced dose dependent analgesia. The addition of a fixed dose of aspirin to imipramine significantly increased the reaction time (RT) of the lowest dose (by 23%) and the highest dose (by 20%). The addition of the fixed dose of aspirin to fluoxetine significantly increased RT by 13% of the dose 2.5 mg/Kg. Finally, the addition of the fixed dose of aspirin significantly potentiated the antinociceptive effect of the different doses of mirtazapine (RT was increased by 24, 54 and 38% respectively).Conclusion:Combination of aspirin with an antidepressant might produce better analgesia, increasing the efficacy of pain management and reduces side effects by using smaller doses of each drug

Effect of Sperm Separation Methods on Morphology and Functions of Frozen Buffalo Spermatozoa

This work was planned to compare three methods for selection of active buffalo spermatozoa, examine the effects of these separation methods on morphology, viability and functions of spermatozoa used for IVF purposes. Ten frozen straws per trial (10 times) were pooled and divided into 4 aliquots:  A) First aliquot was considered as control without any separation method. B) Second aliquot was subjected to sperm selection by density gradient method (percoll:PureSperm) using 40-80% double density gradient. C) The third aliquot was subjected to swim-up in sp-TALP. D) The fourth aliquot was subjected to washing by centrifugation with sp-TALP. The percentage of motility increased for Percoll, swim up and washing than control (86.0, 73.0, and 66.5 vs. 56.5) respectively. Sperm abnormalities % was significantly decreased after Percoll, swim up and sperm wash separation methods. Spermatozoa obtained by Swim up and Percoll had the highest percentage of intact membrane. Different spermatozoa separation methods significantly increased the lytic activity of the recovered spermatozoa. Live spermatozoa percentage with reacted acrosome significantly increased after both swim up separation and washing. The percentage of dead spermatozoa with reacted acrosome significantly decreased after percoll separation but it did not change when the swim up method was used. Finally it is concluded that, density gradient centrifugation using PureSperm® could be considered as the method of choice for selection of frozen thawed buffalo spermatozoa and presumably with a high potential fertilizing ability. density gradient centrifugation using PureSperm® could be considered as the method of choice for selection of frozen thawed buffalo spermatozoa

Incidence of Human Scabies in Duhok Province, Kurdistan Region/ Iraq

This study was conducted in Duhok city to evaluate the incidence of scabies among outpatients from both sexes and different ages from one year to over 60 years visited the dermatology clinic in Azadi Teaching Hospital from September 2012 to April 2013. Other factors like residency, educational levels, number of family members, source of contact and clinical manifestations were also studied. Scabies was diagnosed in 522 (5.5%) out of 9450. Higher rates (20.11% and 20.5%) of scabies were observed among age groups 1-10 and 11-20 years, respectively, then the rate decreased with the increase in the age. Female patients had higher frequency than males (53.06% and 46.94%, respectively). Moreover, the highest rate (60.53%) was found among illiterates patients and decreased with the increase in the level of education. The urban and rural residents showed high prevalence rates (37.16 and 34.86%) as compared to suburban (27.98%). About half of the cases occurred from household contact (50.98%) and 34.67% acquired from outside homes, 13.78% from unknown sources and only 0.57% from contact with prisoners. The clinical findings, 91.57% of the patients suffered from itching that turned to secondary bacterial infection, the disease was generalized in 53.06%, localized in 29.12% of the cases affecting hands, fingers and legs, and in 17.82% of the cases affected their abdomen, back and under arms. According to disease duration 31.42% of the patients seek medical attention during the first week of having the symptoms, 24.90 % during the second week, 17.63% during the fourth week and 26.05 % delayed medical consultation for more than a month. Regarding living conditions, 21.83% of the patients lived in a house with less than five persons and high standard of living, while 78.17% of the patients lived in a very crowded house with 6 to 18 persons

Extranodal Natural Killer/T-cell Lymphoma in a Child with a Prior History of Nasal Trauma: a Case Report

Introduction: Facial lesions usually have a benign self-limited prognosis, but in rare cases they have a poor outcome. Extranodal natural killer/T-cell lymphoma (ENK/TCL) is a rare aggressive lesion presenting with a midline facial lesion that can easily be misdiagnosed. Diagnosis is often difficult and requires a thorough clinical examination and the use of immunohistochemistry for analysis of biopsies. Such malignancies affecting the head and neck area provide an interesting but difficult diagnosis. The purpose of this article is to report a severe case of ENK/TCL-nasal type in a boy with a previous history of nasal trauma. Case presentation: An 11-year-old boy was referred to the maxillofacial unit of Sulaimany Teaching Hospital, Iraq, with midline facial destruction. The patient stated that about 6 months prior he had fallen down and suffered nasal trauma; 3 months after the trauma, an asymptomatic ulcer appeared and gradually increased in size. Two biopsies were performed with no conclusive results. In the third biopsy, histology showed atypical lymphoid tissue surrounded by intense necrosis. The diagnosis was confirmed by immunohistochemistry. The treatment of choice was chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy. The patient had a satisfactory response but 2 months later during chemotherapy the patient unfortunately died from a pulmonary embolism. Conclusion: Suspicious midline ulcerative lesions in the head and neck region must have ENK/TCL considered in the differential diagnosis and repeated biopsies may be necessary to confirm the diagnosis