Protective effects of Melissa officinalis (Lemon Balm) on sperm parameters and spermatogenesis quality in rats exposed to lead

Background: Some medicinal plants with their antioxidant properties have protective effects on sperm parameters and neutralize the harmful effects of lead exposure. Objectives: The present study aimed to determine the effects of Melissa on sperm parameters and spermatogenesis quality in adult rats exposed to lead. Methods: This animal experimental study was conducted on 45 male Wistar rats weighing 180 ± 20 g, which were allocated randomly into five groups (n=9): distilled water gavages (control) (0.5 ml); intraperitoneal distilled water (i.p. control) (0.5 ml); Melissa (100 mg/kg/bw); lead acetate (10 mg/kg/bw); and lead acetate (10 mg/kg/bw) plus Melissa (100 mg/kg/bw). After a 30-day treatment, the animals were sacrificed. Sperm parameters (count, motility, morphology, and chromatins assay) and weighing of the epididymis and testis were performed. Results: The results showed that in the lead acetate plus Melissa group, epididymis weight (0.37gr vs. 0.32gr), testis weight (1.40 vs. 1.28g), sperm motility (4.44% vs. 33.2 %(and viable sperm (90 vs. 50) were higher than the lead group. However, testicular weight, normal morphology, and DNA percentage showed insignificant differences among the study groups (P > 0.05). Conclusions: The results of the present study indicate the protective effects of Melissa officinalis on some sperm parameters and spermatogenesis quality in rats exposed to lead

The Impact of Programs of Trade and Investment and Risk Reduction by the Government on Rural Income in Kermanshah Province

Government programs and policies can different impact in rural income. The main goal of this work is the study and analyses programs of trade and investment and risk reduction by the government on rural income in Kermanshah province. At the end of those comparisons w

Effects of Pomegranate (Punica Granatum L.) Seed and Peel Methanolic Extracts on Oxidative Stress and Lipid Profile Changes Induced by Methotrexate in Rats

Purpose: Methotrexate (MTX) is prescribed in many diseases and can result in oxidative stress (OS) followed by injuries in some tissues. Antioxidants administration are effective in reducing OS. Pomegranate exhibits high anti-oxidant capacities. This study investigated whether pomegranate seed and peel methanolic extracts (PSE and PPE) could protect against MTX-induced OS and lipid profile changes in rats. Methods: Forty-eight rats were randomly divided into 6 groups: control group (normal salin), PSE group (500 mg/kg, orally), PPE group (500 mg/kg, orally), MTX group (10 mg/kg, IM), MTX and PSE group, and MTX and PPE group. Blood samples were taken for analysis in the end of the procedure. Results: The findings showed a significant reduction in Glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and Superoxide dismutase (SOD), and an enhancement in malondialdehyde (MDA) values after MTX treatment (p < 0.05). SOD and GPx levels reached the levels of the control group in MTX+SPE and MTX+PPE groups. No significant differences were observed in catalase (CAT) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) levels between groups. The results showed a significant decrease in total cholesterol (TC), low density lipoprotein (LDL), and high density lipoprotein (HDL) in the MTX treated group (p < 0.01). The values of TC, HDL, and LDL became elevated to the normal control levels in the MTX+PSE and MTX+PPE treated groups. Conclusion: The results showed the OS induced by MTX and the protective effects of PSE and PPE against MTX-induced serum oxidative stress and lipid profile changes in rats

Why Iranian married women use withdrawal instead of oral contraceptives? A qualitative study from Iran

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Withdrawal as a method of birth control is still used in Iran. The aim of this study was to explore married women's perspectives and attitudes on withdrawal use instead of oral contraceptive (OC) in Tehran, Iran.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This was a qualitative study. Participants were 50 married women, not currently pregnant, not desiring pregnancy and who had been using withdrawal for contraception. Face-to face interviews were conducted to collect data. Content analysis was performed to analyze the data.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Four major themes were extracted from the interviews: advantages, disadvantages, barriers for OC use, and husband-related factors. Advantages of withdrawal use were identified as: easy to use, convenient, ease of access, natural. Even those participants who had experienced unwanted pregnancy while using withdrawal, relied on withdrawal as their contraceptive method. Disadvantages of OC included concerns about side effects. Barriers related to use of OC included the need for medical advice, vaginal examination and daily use. Husband-related factors included: the husband wanted to be the primary decision maker on the number of children and that he preferred withdrawal.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Health providers should address misunderstandings that exist about OC and highlight the non-contraceptive health benefits of OC to balance the information provided for women. We suggest that not only women but also their spouses be advised in family planning programs.</p

Exogenous coenzyme Q10 modulates MMP-2 activity in MCF-7 cell line as a breast cancer cellular model

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background/Aims</p> <p>Matrix Metalloproteinases 2 is a key molecule in cellular invasion and metastasis. Mitochondrial ROS has been established as a mediator of MMP activity. Coenzyme Q₁₀contributes to intracellular ROS regulation. Coenzyme Q₁₀beneficial effects on cancer are still in controversy but there are indications of Coenzyme Q₁₀complementing effect on tamoxifen receiving breast cancer patients.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In this study we aimed to investigate the correlation of the effects of co-incubation of coenzyme Q10 and N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) on intracellular H2O2 content and Matrix Metalloproteinase 2 (MMP-2) activity in MCF-7 cell line.</p> <p>Results and Discussion</p> <p>Our experiment was designed to assess the effect in a time and dose related manner. Gelatin zymography and Flowcytometric measurement of H2O2 by 2'7',-dichlorofluorescin-diacetate probe were employed. The results showed that both coenzyme Q10 and N-acetyl-L-cysteine reduce MMP-2 activity along with the pro-oxidant capacity of the MCF-7 cell in a dose proportionate manner.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Collectively, the present study highlights the significance of Coenzyme Q₁₀effect on the cell invasion/metastasis effecter molecules.</p

The Interaction of Noise Pollution and Blood Pressure in a Textile Factory in Ilam, Iran

The aim of the present study was to assess the industrial noise pollution and its effects on the blood pressure of workers during activities in textile factory in Ilam,which is situated in west of Iran. A cross-sectional study was performed on a group included 81 workers and 30 people as sample and control group, respectively. A questionnaire was filled out and then the other measurements including the total sound pressure level, weight, height, pulse, blood pressure and all the rest of medical examinations have been respectively done. The average sound pressure level measured for sample and control group was respectively (94.86 ±6.63) and (61.93 ± 4.56) dBA. The result also showed that by taking mean values for each quantitative variable, statistically only the age has significant difference between opposing groups. Sound frequency analysis in A and C networks over a frequency range between 125 to 16000 Hz revealed a significant differences in such away that sound pressure level for the sample group was higher than the limited threshold (85 dBA).  Moreover, the results from the survey of the total sound pressure level in A –and C – weighted according to blood pressure status, BMI and age indicate a significant statistical correlation between the mentioned variables. A highly significant correlation was found by    test between the level of sound pressure, blood pressure status, BMI and the age group in different octave band center frequencies. It is concluded that planning for working hours of workers to decrease the noise exposure and employment of young workers with appropriate BMI may reduce the adverse effects of noise

A Comparative Study OF Elementary School Teachers Competency in Relation to Sex and Age in India and Iran

The present study investigated elementary school teachers' competency in relation to their sex and age in India and Iran. 484 teachers were selected through Simple Random Sampling from elementary schools of Mysore city (India) and Arak city (Iran). Subjects consisted of 187 men and 297 women. The tool of study was 'Teachers Competency Scale' developed by investigators. Results revealed that female teachers are more competent in some dimensions of competency. Also, it was found that age has no influence on teachers' competency

Postmodernism and Language in Sam Shepard's True West and Tooth of Crime

Sam Shepard has gained a reputation as one of America's foremost living playwrights. In over forty plays, Shepard has broken down traditional notions of dramaturgy in combining both modernist notions of the absurd and familiar icons from the American cultural landscape with an energy tinged by anarchy and violence. Moreover, Shepard has been considered by many critics as a postmodern dramatist. Hassan (1987) piles up a lengthy list of artists from various disciplines whose names epitomize postmodernism for him. The playwrights are: Samuel Beckett, Eugene Ionesco, Harold Pinter and only Sam Shepard and August Wilson from America. One characteristic of postmodern literature in general, is a focus on the instability of meaning and the inadequacy of language to completely and accurately represent truth, along with an irony and playfulness in the treatment of linguistic constructs. In other words, there is a questioning of language as a medium of perception and communication. Language can name the pain but it can’t be the pain; language cannot reach the actual individual feeling. Language is not strong enough to convey the intense emotion.  In postmodern poetics, there is a paradigmatic shift from the idea that language is transparent to the disclosure of its physicality, its intimacy, its obdurate persistence, and its paradoxical fragility. Thus, language is an insufficient means for transforming the ideas that exist in one's mind. The aim of the present article would be to present the ways in which the dramatic language of Sam Shepard, as a postmodern drama, demonstrates inadequacy of language in communication. In order to reach this goal, however, a number of his early dramas will be brought under scrutiny with regard to their language and style from the postmodern point of view.

Lacanian Dream and Desire in A Streetcar Named Desire

The decentralization process from Copernicus to Freud proved that no human knowledge could be relied on with definite certainty. The modern world is the world of facts, not truths. Literature is one fact among the many and it could have, in turn, many facts in itself. Besides, literature, and especially dramatic production are supposedly the mirror of real life. The distance we have with this life, to use a Brechtian notion, helps us get a gestalt view of it. Adler (1990) and Thomieres (2012) have worked on the structural aspects of Tennessee Williams's A Streetcar Named Desire to reach at a psychological understanding of the relations in the play. More specific psychoanalytic analysis of the work has been conducted by Timpane (1995), Silvio (2002) and Lidya (2011). This research aims at shedding light on the multiple layers of the play using the Lacanian psychoanalytic concepts of Dream and Desire. The research gives us a new interpretation and understanding of life, people, and society based on the structure and content of A Streetcar Named Desire. Among all the researches that have been conducted on the works of Williams so far, not much has been done on this aspect