Role of Mas receptor antagonist (A779) in renal hemodynamics in condition of blocked angiotensin II receptors in rats

The vasodilatory effect of angiotensin 1–7 (Ang 1-7) is exerted in the vascular bed via Mas receptor (MasR) gender dependently. However, the crosstalk between MasR and angiotensin II (Ang II) types 1 and 2 receptors (AT1R and AT2R) may change some actions of Ang 1-7 in renal circulation. In this study by blocking AT1R and AT2R, the role of MasR in kidney hemodynamics was described. In anaesthetized male and female Wistar rats, the effects of saline as vehicle and MasR blockade (A779) were tested on mean arterial pressure (MAP), renal perfusion pressure (RPP), renal blood flow (RBF), and renal vascular resistance (RVR) when both AT1R and AT2R were blocked by losartan and PD123319, respectively. In male rats, when AT1R and AT2R were blocked, there was a tendency for the increase in RBF/wet kidney tissue weight (RBF/KW) to be elevated by A779 as compared with the vehicle (P=0.08), and this was not the case in female rats. The impact of MasR on renal hemodynamics appears not to be sexual dimorphism either when Ang II receptors were blocked. It seems that co-blockade of all AT1R, AT2R, and MasR may alter RBF/ KW in male more than in female rats. These findings support a crosstalk between MasR and Ang II receptors in renal circulation

Morphometric study on Sepia pharaonis in the Persian Gulf and Oman Sea

The pharaoh cuttlefish (Sepia pharaonis) is the most aboundant species in the Persian Gulf and Oman Sea. The stock patterns of this species were studied concerning biological and morphological aspects. In addition to measuring the biological patterns, 20 quantitative factors were measured. The results of LSD test showed that tentacle organ is indicative factor which shows significant difference between male and female specimen of Bushehr and Balouchestan regions. Regarding to length and weight frequencies data the results indicated that males are always bigger than females and also, the cuttlefishes of the Gulf of Oman are bigger than Persian Gulf samples. The results of cluster analysis for both sexes showed that the cuttlefishes of both studied region belong to separate stocks. Taking into consideration the findings of present study including: (1) difference in spawning season, (2) results of dendrograms, (3) observed significant differences in one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) for morphometric measurements, (4) differences in body length and weight, (5) as well as ecological variations of the Persian Gulf and "the pharaoh cuttlefishes of Bushehr and Oman Sea, have indicated that Balouchestan belong to two separate stocks

An assessment of haematological and serum biochemical indices in Salmo trutta caspius

Haematological and biochemical serum analyses were carried out in 131 fish specimens in three age and size groups including smolt, juvenile and breeder. Of these groups, smolt fish were 40 specimens in the average total length range 195.45±12.426mm and had an average weight of 84±15.5g, juvenile fish were 25 individuals and their average total length and weight were 267±20.877mm and 217.20±22.013g, respectively. The 41 breeder fish had an average total length of 578.24±68.487mm and an average weight of 1994.2±775.379g. Another 25 breeder fish were also sampled in the spawning season for blood biochemical analyses had an average total length range of 617±59.9mm and weighed on average 2227.5±647.5g each. Red blood cell counts were 866600 per mm super(3) and 1259400 per mm ^(3) in smolt and breeder fish respectively. The average hematocrit was 48.39% in smolt and 44.29% in breeder fish. The average hemoglobin was 8.85g/dl in smolt and 10.91g/dl in breeder fish. White blood cell count was 8781.58 per mm ^(3) in smolt and 5217.65 per mm ^(3) in breeder fish. Other measurements were as follows: Lymphocyte 90.57% in smolt and 73.22% in breeders, Neutrophil 5.12% in smolt and 16.92% in breeders, Monocyte 1.27% in smolt and 4.24% in breeders, and clotting time was 282.34 seconds in smolt and 291.47 seconds in breeder fish. We also measured MCV, MCH and MCHC in smolt and breeder fish along with biochemical parameters. The glucose level was 2.97mmol/1 in juvenile and 1.99mmol/1 in breeder fish. The cholesterol level was 4.26mmol/l in juvenile and 7.06mmol/1 in breeders. The triglyceride amount was 2.35mmol/l in juvenile and 2.47mmol/l in breeder specimens and the calcium level was 2.44 in juvenile and 2.61 mmol/1 in breeder fish

Sexual reproduction cycle of the sea cucumber (Stichopus hermanni) in the coral reefs of Kish Island of Iran

Sea cucumber is commercially important in the world. Reproductive biology of Stichopus hermanni in the coral reefs of the Kish Island was investigated using 252 specimens. Morphology of the gonad of the sea cucumber species of the Kish Island was found to be similar to other species. We showed that the gonad color is an unreliable character for sex determination except in maturity stage. We reported the gametogenesis sequence of events and found a sex ratio of 1:1 for the species. The sequence begins late in winter and continues until summer. The active stage of gametogenesis coincides with increasing photoperiod and temperature. Very little spawning activity out of season was noticeable and the maximum spawning was seen in summer. Average body length at first maturity was found to be 310 mm and the diameter of mature oocytes was 200 um. Oocytes moved upward at a rate of 20-30mm per minute that confirms divers' reports of the abundance of developing S. hermanni embryos near the water surface

Determination of the spawning time and changes in the reproduction cycle of ribbon fish, Trichiurus lepturus, according to the hepatosomatic index and gonadosomatic index

The ribbon fishes, belonging to the family Trichiuridae, are one of the most important protein resources in the Indian Ocean. A considerable density of the dominant species of this family, Trichiurus lepturus has been observed in the Oman Sea. During the conducted cruises in the northern part of the Oman Sea, gonadosomatic index (GSI) and hepatosomatic index (HSI) were estimated according to the size of the female groups of Trichiurus lepturus. GSI increases significantly from September to next April (P <0.05). polymodal egg size frequency revealed prolong spawning time by the females. The HSI fluctuations are good indications for this type of reproductive behavior

Study on some hematological factors of Salmo trutta caspius

Regarding to measure some hematological factors of Caspian Salmon (Salmo Trutta caspius), 55 immature and 21 mature individuals were studied. The main results were: Immature Mature - Hemoglobin value (gr/dl) 7.20 9.87 - Hematocrit 34.1 39.2 - Mean No. of red blood cells (per mm3) 934300 1306200 - Mean No. of white blood (per mm3) 8380 6219 - Mean No. of platelets (per mm3) 21180 13159 As the results showed the number of white blood cells and platelets in immature individuals were more than mature specimen. The obtained results of blood indices were as follow: Immature Mature - Mean MCV (FL) 385.4 302.9 - Mean MCH (Pg) 82.0 75.5 - Mean MCHC (%) 21.6 25.6 - Lymphocyte (%) 96.1 69.9 - Neutrophil (%) 3.4 29.4 - Monocyte (%) 0.52 1.14 Notice: Eosinophil and basophil cells weren't observed

Discrepancy of target sites between clinician and cytopathological reports in head neck fine needle aspiration: Did I miss the target or did the clinician mistake the organ site?

The diagnostic accuracy of fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) of head and neck lesions is relatively high, but cytologic interpretation might be confusing if the sample is lacking typical cytologic features according to labeled site by physician. These errors may have an impact on pathology search engines, healthcare costs or even adverse outcomes. The cytology archive database of multiple institutions in southern Iran and Australia covering the period 2001–2011, were searched using keywords: salivary gland, head, neck, FNAC, and cytology. All the extracted reports were reviewed. The reports which showed discordance between the clinician’s impression of the organ involved and subsequent fine needle biopsy request, and the eventual cytological diagnosis were selected. The cytological diagnosis was confirmed by histology or cell block, with assistance from imaging, clinical outcome, physical examination, molecular studies, or microbiological culture. The total number of 10,200 head and neck superficial FNAC were included in the study, from which 48 cases showed discordance between the clinicians request and the actual site of pathology. Apart from the histopathology, the imaging, clinical history, physical examination, immunohistochemical study, microbiologic culture and molecular testing helped to finalize the target organ of pathology in 23, 6, 7, 8, 2, and 1 cases respectively. The commonest discrepancies were for FNAC of “salivary gland” [total: 20 with actual final pathology in: bone (7), soft tissue (5), lymph node (3), odontogenic (3) and skin (2)], “lymph node” [total: 12 with final pathology in: soft tissue (3), skin (3), bone (1) and brain (1)], “soft tissue” [total: 11 with final pathology in: bone (5), skin (2), salivary gland (1), and ocular region (1)] and “skin” [total: 5 with final pathology in: lymph node (2), bone (1), soft tissue (1) and salivary gland (1)]. The primary physician requesting FNAC of head and neck lesions are incorrect in their clinical impression of the actual site in nearly 0.5 percent of cases, due to the overlapping clinical and imaging findings or possibly due to inadequate history taking or physical examination

Sex hormones changes in the reproductive cycle of female Trichiurus lepturus

Ribbon fish, family Trichiuridae, is one the most important protein resources of the Indian Ocean. The considerable density of these aquatic animals, especially the dominant species Trichiurus lepturus, has drawn many researchers' attention to its biological characteristics and its reproductive characteristics in particular. The sampling was carried out in the Oman Sea from March 95 to November 96 (n=778). Studies on Estradiol - 17 - β, Progesterone and Cortisol hormones in female Trichiurus lepturus indicated that the production of these hormones increases considerably from maturity stage II. The serum levels of Estradiol - 17 - β hormone peaked during September, October and November and it remained high in the other months (1500 pg/ml). High levels of Progesterone occurred from December to March (during the spawning season). The changes in the Cortisol levels from August to December and again from February to March (0.5 - 3.5 mic/100 ml) were significant. The Estradiol - 17 - β fluctuation was observed simultaneously with the vitellogenesis process and absorption of Vitelline by the oocytes during their maturation. The changes in the oocytes membrane as well as the perforated channels impact on serum levels of Estradiol - 17 - β and Cortisol hormones have been discussed in this paper. The relative high levels of Estradiol - 17 - β during the whole year is probably related to the long spawning season of this species during autumn, winter and spring

Bloom of phytoplankton in Anzali Lagoon and identification of poisonous algae

During the period of 1979-1980 in Abkenar and Hendkhaleh in Anzali lagoon, 67 I genus of phytoplanktons belong to 5 phylum were identified. The results showed that there is two peaks of phytoplankton blooms during a year (summer and, autumn) in which Cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) were the most abundant groups. 5 species of them were identified in which one species was recognized toxic. This toxicity was confirmed through bioassay studies on mouse. Also, This toxin was hepatotoxin belongs to microcystins. Microcystins are cyclic peptides and contain seven aminoacids