Effects of artichoke extract supplementation on gonads of cadmium-treated rats

The present study was designed to determine whether artichoke (Cynara scolymus) exerts a protective effect on gonads of cadmium-treated rats and if there is a relationship between artichoke supplementation and nitric oxide (NO) formation in cells. Forty Wistar albino male rats, weighing an average of 90 g each, were equally divided into four groups receiving 1 mg/100 g cadmium chloride by injection (group 1), the same dose CdCl2 plus 3 mg/100 g artichoke extract (group 2), the same dose of artichoke extract (group 3), and male controls (group 4). Four additional groups, labeled 5-8, consisted of identically treated and control female rats. After 4 weeks of treatment, the animals were killed and their gonads were removed for histological examination. As expected, the seminiferous tubules and Leydig cells were damaged by cadmium. Ovarian tissue was not damaged to the same extent as testicular cells. Artichoke extract exerted a clear protective effect against Cd-induced testicular damage and lowered NO production to the same level of that in the control groups

Presence of the zoonotic Borrelia burgdorferi sl. and Rickettsia spp. in the ticks from wild tortoises and hedgehogs

Objective: Rickettsiosis and borreliosis are two important tick-borne diseases. The presence of causative agents of these diseases was investigated in ticks collected from wild tortoises and hedgehogs in Thrace region of Turkey. Method: A total of 438 ticks of all life stages were screened for Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. and Rickettsia spp., by employing nested PCR. Results: Of 28 pools of tortoise ticks, eigth pools gave positive results for only Rickettsia spp., while two pools for both Rickettsia spp. and B. burgodferi s.l. No pathogen was detected in four pools of hedgehog ticks, but one pool including I. ricinus nymphs was positive for Rickettsia spp. Conclusion: The study revealed once again that tortoises and hedgehogs should be taken into account in terms of zoonotic diseases