Aqueous Extract of Nigella sativa Seeds Suppresses Testicular Steroidogenesis in Mice Leydig Cells in vitro.

10ABSTRACT 11Nigella sativa (black seed) is an important medicinal herb with folkloric use in wide range of diseases. It is 12well studied for its biological activities. However, there is limited information regarding its effect on the 13male reproductive system. This study describes the effect of the aqueous extract of N. sativa (NSE) on 14 testicular steroidogenesis from mice Leydig cells in vitro. Mice testicular cells were incubated in a media 15 containing either no treatment or NSE or LH alone or combination of LH and NSE. Incubations were 16 carried out for three hours in a shaking water bath at 34°C. Testosterone was measured by 17 radioimmunoassay. At all doses, NSE significantly (p \u3c 0.05) inhibited both basal and LH-stimulated in 18 vitro testosterone secretion. At a dose of l000 μg, NSE inhibited 52% of basal testosterone and 97% of 19 LH-stimulated testosterone, compared to control (0.32 ± 0.008 ng/ml) and LH alone (0.33 ± 0.01 ng/ml) 20 respectively. Thus, it is concluded that that both the basal and the LH-stimulated secretion of testosterone 21 from Leydig cells are suppressed significantly in the presence of different doses of NSE in vitro. However, 22 further studies are needed to explore the effect of chronic treatment with NSE in male and its potential to 23 be used as a contraceptive in male

Enhancing Content Knowledge of In-service Science Teachers through Model and Modeling

The guiding question for this paper is; how does model and modelling enable student-teachers to develop a conceptual understanding of the cell as a structural and functional unit of living things? A teaching unit 'The Cell' was designed in view that models are a major teaching and learning tool for developing scientific thinking, whereas modelling means a process of forming representation. The teaching and learning strategies reported here encapsulated four modelling phases. Firstly, student-teachers modelled historical development of cell through a time line and role play and discussed the evolutionary and tentative nature of science. Secondly, the candy factory analogy provided a reference point to relate functional similarities between the units of a factory and cell organelles. Thirdly, students-teachers developed a 2D model to express their interpretation of the mental model. Fourthly, they critiqued their 2D model to develop a 3D model. Overall, a progression of conceptual understanding with distinct phases of enacting, building and rebuilding helped student teacher to conceptualize the structure and function of cell. Pre-post tests results show marked improvement in student-teachers' content knowledge on various aspects of structure and function of cell. Furthermore, teachers appreciated the effectiveness of the modelling process in enhancing their content knowledge and helping them develop understanding of the nature of model and modelling. Teachers also acknowledged the model as an effective teaching tool, which they could use in their classroom

Effect of chronic treatment with a cyclooxygenase inhibitor on reproductive parameters in male rat

BACKGROUND: Indomethacin is a member of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) commonly used for treatment of gout, arthritis, and other inflammatory conditions. It has been shown to inhibit ovarian prostaglandins synthesis in mammals, birds, fish and reptiles. However, the effects of its chronic administration on male reproductive functions remain largely unknown. Using rat as a model, we studied the effect of chronic treatment with indomethacin on the male reproductive system. METHODS: Testosterone was measured in the serum, testicular tissue, and testicular interstitial fluid by radioimmunoassay. Moreover, we also studied the direct effect of indomethacin in vitro on luteinizing hormone stimulated testosterone secretion from the Leydig cells isolated from various treatment groups. RESULTS: Indomethacin treatment for 50 days caused a significant but reversible decrease in prostate weight, epididymal sperm reserves and sperm motility score compared with control rats (p \u3c 0.05). In vitro stimulation of Leydig cells isolated from treated rat\u27s testes with luteinizing hormone (250 microIU) produced significantly reduced testosterone compared with cells from control groups (p \u3c 0.05). Furthermore, stimulatory effect of luteinizing hormone on the control Leydig cells was significantly reduced when these cells were challenged with luteinizing hormone in the presence of indomethacin, (p \u3c 0.05). Testosterone concentration in the testicular tissue and testicular interstitial fluid reduced after indomethacin treatment (p \u3c 0.05). CONCLUSION: Due to its significant inhibition of key reproductive hormones, indomethacin effectively inhibits reproductive functions if used on a long-term basis. In his study, we have identified potential risks in the long-term use ofcyclooxygenase inhibitors

Natural Convection Flow of a Two-Phase Dusty Non-Newtonian Fluid Along a Vertical Surface

The aim of this paper is to present a boundary-layer analysis of two-phase dusty non-Newtonian fluid flow along a vertical surface by using a modified power-law viscosity model. This investigation particularly reports the flow behavior of spherical particles suspended in the non-Newtonian fluid. The governing equations are transformed into nonconserved form and then solved straightforwardly by implicit finite difference method. The numerical results of rate of heat transfer, rate of shear stress, velocity and temperature profiles and streamlines and isotherms are presented for wide range of Prandtl number, i.e, (0:7 ≤ Pr ≤ 1000:0), with the representative values of the power-law index n. A good agreement is found between the present and the previous results when compared with some special cases. The key observation from the present study is that the power-law fluids with (n > 1) are more likely to promote the rate of heat transfer near the leading edge

BASIL (Ocimum sanctum L.) aromatic medicinal plant: a review

Ocimum sanctum (Basil; Tulssi) is important traditional herb and used for therapeutic purposeall over the world. It has been used in traditional medicine from 3000 years, because of itsmiraculous healing properties. In India it is consider as the holiest herb. It is considered asassign of goddness in Hinduism. Each part of this plant is worshipped in India. It is used innumerous ailments such as insomnia, malaria, skin and digestive disorders, diarrhoea and alsoused in cough, cold and flu. Studies revealed its antifungal, antiviral, analgesic,bronchodilators, anti-asthmatic and anti-oxidant activites. Volatile oil, eugenol, urosolic acid,linalool, carvacrol, limatrol, sesquiterpene, methyl eugenol, estragole and caryophyllene arephytoconstituents present in Ocimum sanctum

Efficacy of Phytochemicals of Cassia Angustifolia in Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia – An In-silico Analysis

Objective: To discover the compounds of Cassia having activity against the BCR-ABL fusion protein involved in the pathogenesis of CML and to compare it with previously developed inhibitor, nilotinib using in-silico molecular docking. Methodology: The 3D structure of Human BCR-ABL fusion protein was obtained from PDB (RSCB). The SMILES and Chemical Structures of the ligands were obtained from PubChem. They were prepared in Mol SDF format by the Chem Bio Draw and then converted to PDBQT format using PyRx tool for generating the atomic coordinates for molecular docking.  Molecular docking of Nilotinib, Quercimeritin, and Scutellarein with Human ABL Kinase was performed using Autodock4. The ADMET properties were described using Swiss ADME, a web-based tool. Results: All the three compounds under study bind and make stable complexes with wild-type BCR ABL with the global energies of -12.46, -16.17kCal/mol and -15.41kCal/mol for Nilotinib Scutellarein and Quercimeritin respectively which means that these compounds can act as selective inhibitors of BCR-ABL fusion protein. Quercimeritin, also form Hydrogen bonds with GLU 286 and Asp 381, Conclusion: The binding energies of the phytochemicals of Cassia are higher in comparison with Nilotinib which has a binding energy of -12.46kCal/mol which suggests a better inhibitory potential of these compounds. Quercimeritin also forms Hydrogen bonds with Glutamine 286 and Aspartate 381, hence its potential to be a potent inhibitor of the BCR- ABL fusion protein is more promising Nilotinib. Further in vitro and in vivo studies are suggested to elaborate the anti-neoplastic potential of Quercimeritin in CML

A Comparative Study of Periodontal Disease Index (PDI) Scores in Type-2 Diabetics and Non-Diabetics

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to compare the Type 2 diabetes mellitus patients and Non-Diabetics in terms of Periodontal Disease Index (PDI). METHODOLOGY: This comparative cross-sectional study recruited 105 subjects, 56 participants of Type 2 diabetes mellitus with periodontal disease and 49 non-diabetics (comparison group) having periodontal disease. Non-probability purposive sampling method was used for selecting the participants. This study was conducted at Peshawar Dental hospital, Prime Teaching hospital, and Sardar Begum Dental hospital. Determination of   HbA1c to diagnose diabetes and periodontal examination was conducted for both the groups to compare Type 2 diabetics and non-diabetics in terms of Periodontal Disease Index (PDI) score that is one of the clinical parameters of periodontal disease. Data analysis was performed by using SPSS version 23. RESULTS: Out of 105 total participants, 33 (31.4 %) were males and 72 (68.6%) were females. The mean age of subjects was 51.48±7.92. The mean PDI scores of the two groups were compared. Mean Periodontal Disease Index (PDI) was recorded, score was 2.58 (±0.67) in diabetics and 1.11 (±0.41) in non-diabetic (comparison group). P-value was measured by Chi-square test and was found to be significant. CONCLUSION: We concluded that significant difference exists between the mean PDI scores of Type 2 diabetics and non-diabetics

Numerical Solutions for Gyrotactic Bioconvection of Dusty Nanofluid along a Vertical Isothermal Surface

The aim of present paper is to establish the detailed numerical results for bioconvection boundary-layer flow of two-phase dusty nanofluid. The dusty fluid contains gyrotactic microorganisms along an isothermally heated vertical wall. The physical mechanisms responsible for the slip velocity between the dusty fluid and nanoparticles, such as thermophoresis and Brownian motion, are included in this study. The influence of the dusty nanofluid on heat transfer and flow characteristics are investigated in this paper. The governing equations for two-phase model are non-dimensionalized and then solved numerically via twopoint finite difference method together with the tri-diagonal solver. Results are presented graphically for wall skin friction coefficient, rate of heat transfer, velocity and temperature profiles and streamlines and isotherms. To ensure the accuracy, the computational results are compared with available data and are found in good agreement. The key observation from present analysis is that the mass concentration parameter, D_ρ, extensively promotes the rate of heat transfer, Q_w, whereas, the wall skin friction coefficient, τ_w, is reduced by loading the dust parameters in water based dusty nanofluid

Comparative Economic Benefits of Different Oat Varities in Rainfed Areas of Pothwar, Pakistan

Abstract Th