THE POSSIBLE CARDIOPROTECTIVE EFFECTS OF DIFFERENT FRACTIONS OF ARTICHOKE EXTRACTS AGAINST 5-FU INDUCED CARDIOTOXICITY IN ALBINO RATS

Objective: The present study aimed to evaluate the cardioprotective effects of ethyl acetate and methanolartichoke extracts(Cynara scolymus L.) against 5-Flurouracil (5-FU) induced cardiotoxicity in rats.Methods: Thirty-six albino rats were divided randomly and equallyin to six groups (each group with 6 rats): I, negative control, received (2 ml/kg/d)of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) orally for 30 successive d; II, positive control, received (2 ml/kg/d) of (DMSO) orally for 30 successive d, and subsequently administered a single dose of 5-FU (150 mg/kg) by intraperitoneal injection on 27thd in assossiation with DSMO; III and V, received (200 mg/kg/d) of oral methanol and ethyl acetate artichoke extracts respectivelyfor 30 successive d; V and VI, received(200 mg/kg/d) of oral methanol and ethyl acetate artichoke extracts respectively for 30 successive d,with a subsequently received single dose of 5-FU (150 mg/kg) by intraperitoneal injection on 27th d of the experiment.Results: Prophylactic treatment of ethyl acetate and methanol artichoke extracts significantly attenuates the increased level of serum cardiac troponin T (CTn-T) and tumor necrosis factor-a(TNF-a)caused by 5-FU-induced cardiotoxicity in experimental albino rats while it increases the serum level of total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC).Conclusion: Results of the present study suggest that methanol and ethyl acetate artichoke extracts may be an effective modulator in mitigating 5-FU induced cardiotoxicity.Â

Synthesis and characterization of some biological active transition metal complexes of Schiff base derived from cefixime with mixed ligand 8-hydroxy quinoline

The aim of the work is synthesis and characterization of bidentate ligand [dipotassium sodium7-((E)-2-(2-((Z)-1-carboxylatoethylideneamino)thiazol-4-yl)-2 (carboxylatemethoxyimino) acet amido)-8-oxo-3-vinyl-5- thia-1-azabicyclo[4.2.0] oct-2- ene-2- carboxylate] [Nak2L], from the reaction of cefixime with sodium pyruvet to produce the ligand [Nak2L], the reaction was carried out in methanol as a solvent under reflux. The prepared ligand [Nak2L] which was characterized by FT-IR, UV-Vis spectroscopy, 1H, 13C-NMR spectra, Mass spectra, (C.H.N) and melting point. The mixed ligand complexes were prepared from ligand [Nak2L] was used as a primary ligand while 8-hydroxy quinoline [Q] was used as a secondary ligand with metal ion M(?).Where M(?) = (Mn ,Co ,Ni ,Cu ,Zn and Cd) at reflux ,using methanol as a solvent, KOH as a base. Complexes of the composition [(M)2(Q)2(KL)(H2O)4] with (2:2:1) molar ratio were prepared. All the complexes were characterized by spectroscopic methods (FT-IR, UV-Vis spectroscopy) along with elemental analysis (A.A), chloride content and melting point measurements were carried out, together with conductivity and magnetic susceptibility. These measurements showed octahedral geometry around (Mn??, Co??, Ni??, Cu??, Zn?? and Cd??) ions. The biological activity of the ligands [NaK2L], [Q] and complexes [(M)2(Q)2(KL)(H2O)4] were studied by using inhibition method

Synthesis, Characterization and Study of Antibacterial Activity of a New Schiff Base Ligand and Its Complexes with Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), Cd(II) and Hg(II) Metal Ions

Some coordination complexes of Co(??), Ni(??), Cu(??), Cd(??) and Hg(??) are reacted in ethanol with Schiff base ligand derived from of 2,4,6- trihydroxybenzophenone and 3-aminophenol using microwave irradiation and then reacted with metal salts in ethanol as a solvent in 1:2 ratio (metal: ligand). The ligand [H4L] is characterized by FTIR, UV-Vis, C.H.N, 1H-NMR,13C-NMR, and mass spectra. The metal complexes are characterized by atomic absorption, infrared spectra, electronic spectra, molar conductance, (C.H.N for Ni(??) complex) and magnetic moment measurements. These measurements indicate that the ligand coordinates with metal (??) ion in a tridentate manner through the nitrogen and oxygen atoms of the ligand, octahedral structures are suggested for these complexes. Antibacterial activity of the ligand [H4L] and its complexes are studied against (gram positive) and (gram negative) bacteria [Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus]. The proposed structure of the complexes using the program, Chem office (2006) and the general formula has been given for the prepared ligand complexes K2[M(H2L)2]

Mobility and Sporting Activity After Renal Trauma:A Survey Regarding Best Clinical Practice During the Recovery Stage

Objective: To evaluate strategies that are followed after pediatric renal trauma during the recovery stage, with an emphasis on mobility and involvement in subsequent sporting activities. Renal trauma is the most common urogenital trauma in children. The American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) scale is most commonly used to stratify the severity of injury. There is no consensus in the existing literature with respect to the recovery stage following renal trauma. Methods: A survey was constructed by the European Association of Urology (EAU) – Young Academic Urologists (YAU) Pediatric Urology Working Group and then made digitally available on SurveyMonkey. The survey consists of 15 questions exploring relevant factors and timing to start again with mobility and activity. Results: In total 153 people responded, of whom 107 completed the entire survey. The presence of pain and severity of trauma were acknowledged as most important factors to commence mobilization, whereas presence of hematuria was identified as an additional factor for sporting activity. Regardless of severity of trauma a minimum of 90% of respondents recommend return to noncontact sports within 12 weeks. For contact sports, a minimum of 33% of respondents advised &gt;12 weeks minimum before starting again. A small number of respondents would never allow sporting activities again. Conclusion: The time to allow sporting activity shows high variation among the respondents, some even restricting sporting activities completely. This survey highlights the need for a standardized protocol based on multicenter follow-up data.</p

Nutrient uptake and yield of wheat varieties as influenced by foliar potassium under drought condition

Water stress experienced by a wheat crop during growth is recognized to have accumulative effect stated as a decline in total biomass over well water potential. The yield and nutrient uptake performance of two wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) varieties (Pirsabak-2013 and Atta Habib) to foliar feeding of 2% potassium (K) at three various growth phases (Zadoks GS-22, Zadoks GS-60 and Zadoks GS-73) was explored under water restricted environment in a wire house trial at the Agriculture Research Station, Harichand, Charsadda. The target was to find out the preeminent K application stage for enhancement in the drought tolerance potential. Drought stress was generated by suppression of irrigation at the three growth phases and then K was sprayed with the carboxymethyl cellulose as a sticking agent, however Tween-20 was used as a surfactant for foliar spray. Data about several agronomic characters (plant height, spike length, number of spikelets per spike, number of grains per spike, 1000- grain weight and grain yield per plant) of crop were documented via standard techniques. Moreover, at maturity, aboveground nitrogen, phosphorus, K, sodium and calcium uptakes by the crop were determined. The results point out that drought stress at all three acute growth phases unfavorably affected plant height, spike length, number of spikelets per spike, number of grains per spike, 1000-grain weight, grain yield and nutrient uptake of the wheat plant. The exogenous K application under drought stress at all three acute growth phases boosted tolerance of wheat by decreasing noxious nutrient’s uptake and augmenting the yield and yield characters. In this concerns, both varieties exposed undeviating behavior. Extreme enhancement in all the documented yield parameters and nutrients uptake was attained when K was practiced at grain filling stage of both varieties

A novel a-L-Arabinofuranosidase of Family 43 Glycoside Hydrolase (Ct43Araf ) from Clostridium thermocellum

Articles in International JournalsThe study describes a comparative analysis of biochemical, structural and functional properties of two recombinant derivatives from Clostridium thermocellum ATCC 27405 belonging to family 43 glycoside hydrolase. The family 43 glycoside hydrolase encoding a-L-arabinofuranosidase (Ct43Araf) displayed an N-terminal catalytic module CtGH43 (903 bp) followed by two carbohydrate binding modules CtCBM6A (405 bp) and CtCBM6B (402 bp) towards the C-terminal. Ct43Araf and its truncated derivative CtGH43 were cloned in pET-vectors, expressed in Escherichia coli and functionally characterized. The recombinant proteins displayed molecular sizes of 63 kDa (Ct43Araf) and 34 kDa (CtGH43) on SDS-PAGE analysis. Ct43Araf and CtGH43 showed optimal enzyme activities at pH 5.7 and 5.4 and the optimal temperature for both was 50uC. Ct43Araf and CtGH43 showed maximum activity with rye arabinoxylan 4.7 Umg21 and 5.0 Umg21, respectively, which increased by more than 2-fold in presence of Ca2+ and Mg2+ salts. This indicated that the presence of CBMs (CtCBM6A and CtCBM6B) did not have any effect on the enzyme activity. The thin layer chromatography and high pressure anion exchange chromatography analysis of Ct43Araf hydrolysed arabinoxylans (rye and wheat) and oat spelt xylan confirmed the release of L-arabinose. This is the first report of a-L-arabinofuranosidase from C. thermocellum having the capacity to degrade both pnitrophenol- a-L-arabinofuranoside and p-nitrophenol-a-L-arabinopyranoside. The protein melting curves of Ct43Araf and CtGH43 demonstrated that CtGH43 and CBMs melt independently. The presence of Ca2+ ions imparted thermal stability to both the enzymes. The circular dichroism analysis of CtGH43 showed 48% b-sheets, 49% random coils but only 3% a-helices

Breast epithelial cell proliferation is markedly increased with short-term high levels of endogenous estrogen secondary to controlled ovarian hyperstimulation

Oocyte donors have high serum estradiol (E2) levels similar to the serum levels seen in the first trimester of pregnancy. We report in this article our studies comparing cell proliferation, Ki67 (MIB1), and estrogen and progesterone receptor levels (ERα, PRA, and PRB) in the breast terminal duct lobular units of oocyte donors, women in early pregnancy, and in normally cycling women. Breast tissue and blood samples were obtained from 10 oocyte donors, and 30 pregnant women at 5–18 weeks of gestation. Breast tissue samples were also obtained from 26 normally cycling women. In the oocyte donors: peak E2 (mean ~15,300 pmol/l) was reached on the day before oocyte (and tissue) donation; peak progesterone (P4; mean 36.3 nmol/l) was reached on the day of donation; Ki67 was positively associated with level of E2, and the mean Ki67 was 7.0% significantly greater than the mean 1.8% of cycling women. In the pregnant women: mean E2 rose from ~2,000 pmol/l at 5 weeks of gestation to ~27,000 pmol/l at 18 weeks; mean P4 did not change from ~40 nmol/l until around gestational week 11 when it increased to ~80 nmol/l; mean Ki67 was 15.4% and did not vary with gestational age or E2. Oocyte donors have greatly increased levels of E2 and of breast-cell proliferation, both comparable in the majority of donors to the levels seen in the first trimester of pregnancy. Whether their short durations of greatly increased E2 levels are associated with any long-term beneficial effects on the breast, as occurring in rodent models, is not known

Altered maternal profiles in corticotropin-releasing factor receptor 1 deficient mice

BACKGROUND: During lactation, the CNS is less responsive to the anxiogenic neuropeptide, corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF). Further, central injections of CRF inhibit maternal aggression and some maternal behaviors, suggesting decreased CRF neurotransmission during lactation supports maternal behaviors. In this study, we examined the maternal profile of mice missing the CRF receptor 1 (CRFR1). Offspring of knockout (CRFR1-/-) mice were heterozygote to offset possible deleterious effects of low maternal glucocorticoids on pup survival and all mice contained a mixed 50:50 inbred/outbred background to improve overall maternal profiles and fecundity. RESULTS: Relative to littermate wild-type (WT) controls, CRFR1-/- mice exhibited significant deficits in total time nursing, including high arched-back, on each test day. Consistent with decreased nursing, pups of CRFR1-deficient dams weighed significantly less than WT offspring. Licking and grooming of pups was significantly higher in WT mice on postpartum Day 2 and when both test days were averaged, but not on Day 3. Time off nest was higher for CRFR1-/- mice on Day 2, but not on Day 3 or when test days were averaged. Licking and grooming of pups did not differ on Day 2 when this measure was examined as a proportion of time on nest. CRFR1-/- mice showed significantly higher nest building on Day 3 and when tests were averaged. Mean pup number was almost identical between groups and no pup mortality occurred. Maternal aggression was consistently lower in CRFR1-/- mice and in some measures these differences approached, but did not reach significance. Because of high variance, general aggression results are viewed as preliminary. In terms of sites of attacks on intruders, CRFR1-/- mice exhibited significantly fewer attacks to the belly of the intruder on Day 5 and when tests were averaged. Performance on the elevated plus maze was similar between genotypes. Egr-1 expression differences in medial preoptic nucleus and c-Fos expression differences in bed nucleus of stria terminalis between genotype suggest possible sites where loss of gene alters behavioral output. CONCLUSION: Taken together, the results suggest that the presence of an intact CRFR1 receptor supports some aspects of nurturing behavior