Effects of lipopolysaccharide-induced septic shock on rat isolated kidney, possible role of nitric oxide and protein kinase C pathways

Objective(s): Pathophysiology of sepsis-associated renal failure (one of the most common cause of death in intensive care units) had not been fully determined. The effect of nitric oxide and protein kinase C (PKC) pathways in isolated kidney of Lipopolysaccharide-treated (LPS) rats were investigated in this study. Materials and Methods: Vascular responsiveness to phenylephrine and acetylcholine in the presence and absence of a potent PKC inhibitor (chelerythrine) and nonspecific NO inhibitor (L-NAME) as well as responses to acetylcholine and sodium nitroprusside (SNP) were examined.Results: LPS (10 mg/kg, IP) treatment resulted in a lower systemic pressure and reduction of responses to vasoconstrictor and vasodilator agents (PConclusion: Present study highlighted that five hours of intraperitoneal endotoxin injection is adequate to reduce renal basal perfusion pressure. These results also suggest that PKC inhibition may have a beneficial role in vascular hyporesponsiveness induced by LPS. Although our study partly elaborated on the effects of LPS on isolated renal vascular responses to vasoactive agents, further studies are required to explain how LPS exerts its renal vascular effects

The preventive effects of natural adjuvants, G2 and G2F on tracheal responsiveness and serum IL-4 and IFN-? (th1/th2 balance) in sensitized guinea pigs

OBJECTIVE: The effects of natural adjuvants on lung inflammation and tracheal responsiveness were examined in sensitized guinea pigs. METHODS: The responses of guinea pig tracheal chains and the serum levels of interleukin-4 and interferon-gamma were examined in control pigs and three other groups of guinea pigs: the sensitized group and two other sensitized groups treated with either adjuvant G2 or adjuvant G2F (n = 7 for each group). Sensitization of the animals was achieved by injection and inhalation of ovalbumin. RESULTS: The results showed that sensitized animals had increased tracheal responsiveness and increased serum levels of interleukin-4 and interferon-gamma compared to controls (

Effect of different loads of exercise and <em>Nigella sativa</em> L. seed extract on serologic and hematologic parameters in rat

21-29There are many recommendations for prophylactic usage of Nigella sativa L. for healing fatigue and body strengthening. However, a scientific and standard method for diagnosis and management of overtraining in athletes has not been introduced. Here, we studied the effect of different loads of exercise and N. sativa treatment on serologic and hematologic parameters in rat was examined. Male Wistar rats were divided into control sedentary (C), moderate trained (MT), overtrained (OT), control sedentary + N. sativa (NC), moderate trained + N. sativa (NM) and overtrained + N. sativa (NO) treatment. Animals’ performances were evaluated before and during the study. Immediately, 24 h and two weeks after the last bout of exercise serum concentration of corticosterone and lactate as well as total and differential WBC, RBC, Hb, Hct, corpuscular indices and platelets were also measured. Increasing training load caused a significant performance decline in OT and OR groups (P P . Compared to control group, serum corticosterone and lactate concentrations were significantly increased after moderate exercise and overtraining (P P P 0.001), lymphocytes (P P N. sativa treatment caused a significant decrease in lactate concentration in overtraining (P P N. sativa administration improved corticosterone elevation and metabolic state

Possible mechanism(s) of the relaxant effect of asafoetida (Ferula assa-foetida) oleo-gum-resin extract on guinea-pig tracheal smooth muscle

Objective: Asafoetida (Ferula assa-foetida) is known as a valuable remedy for whooping cough, pneumonia, bronchitis in children and asthma treatment in folk medicine. In the present study the relaxant effects of the asafoetida on tracheal smooth muscle of guinea pigs and its probable mechanism(s) were examined. Materials and Methods: The relaxant effects of three cumulative concentrations of the aqueous extract (2, 5 and 10 mg/ml), theophylline (0.25, 0.5 and 0.75 mM) and saline were examined on non-incubated tracheal smooth muscle of guinea pig precontracted by 10 µM methacholine (group 1); preincubated tissues by propranolol and chlorpheniramine, contracted by methacholine (group 2) and preincubated tissues by propranolol, contracted by methacholine (group 3), (n=6 for each group). Results: All concentrations of theophylline in group 1 and all concentrations of the extract in the other three groups showed significant relaxant effects compared to that of saline (

The Extract of Crocus sativus and Its Constituent Safranal, Affect Serum Levels of Endothelin and Total Protein in Sensitized Guinea Pigs

Objective(s): The effect of the extract of Crocus sativus and its constituent, safranal on inflammatory markers in sensitized guinea pigs was examined.   Materials and Methods: Ovalbumin (OA) sensitized guinea pigs were given drinking water alone (group S), or drinking water containing three concentrations of safranal, three concentrations of extract and one concentration of dexamethasone, (n=6, for all groups) and serum levels of endotheline-1 (ET-1) and total protein (TP) were assessed. Results: Serum levels of ET-1 and TP in group S were significantly higher than control group (P Conclusion: A preventive effect of the extract of C. sativus and its constituent safranal on serum inflammatory markers in sensitized guinea pigs was shown

Effect of COVID‐19 on healthcare workers' morbidity and mortality compared to the general population in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer‐Ahmad Province, Iran

Abstract During the Covid‐19 pandemic, the adverse effects of recent coronaviruses on healthcare professionals cannot be ignored. This study compared the admission rates due to Covid‐19 and characteristics of hospitalized healthcare workers with the general population of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer‐Ahmad (K.B) province. 18546 hospitalized patients infected with Covid‐19 in hospitals in four cities of K.B province were enrolled in this study; of them, 236 (1.27%) patients were healthcare workers. Demographic and clinical data of hospitalized cases due to Covid‐19 infection were collected from August 2020 to September 2021. The underlying diseases were also considered in this study. According to our findings, 55.5% of the hospitalized healthcare workers were male, and 44.5% were female; their mean age was 41.41 years. However, in the general population, hospitalization rates were higher for women than for men (51.2% and 48.8%, respectively). Although the SARS‐CoV‐2 infectivity rate was higher in healthcare workers compared to the general population (68.6% vs. 56.1%), the mortality rate was significantly lower in them (1.7% vs. 3.8%). Fever, cough, Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome, headache, and myalgia were the most prevalent symptoms in both groups. Among the cases examined in this study, inpatient ones aged 30–40 years and the general population aged over 60 seemed to be more likely to be hospitalized for Covid‐19. The hospitalization rate of healthcare workers during the pandemic follows the same pattern as the general population, but since the start of vaccination, this rate has decreased among healthcare workers compared to the general population of KB province

A qualitative and quantitative comparison of Crocus sativus and Nigella sativa immunomodulatory effects

The present article reviews and compares the immunomodulatory activities of Crocus sativus (C. sativus) and Nigella sativa (N. sativa) and their main bioactive compounds. Immunomodulatory effects of these plants, especially with respect to Th1 and Th2 cytokines, are discussed based on relevant articles, books, and conference papers published in English until the end of April 2020, that were retrieved from Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus and Google Scholar databases. C. sativus and its constituents increase immunoglobulin (Ig-)G, interleukin 2 (IL)-2, interferon gamma (IFN-γ), and IFN-γ/IL-4 ratio, but decreased IgM, IL-10 and IL-4 secretion. N. sativa extract and thymoquinone reduce the levels of IL-2, -4, -10, and -12, while enhance IFN-γ and serum IgG1 and 2a.The reviewed articles indicate that C. sativus and N. sativa and their constituents could be potentially considered promising treatments for disorders associated with immune-dysregulation such as asthma and cancer

Gastrointestinal effects of Nigella sativa and its main constituent, thymoquinone: a review

Gastrointestinal (GI) diseases affect a large number of people all over the world. Uncontrolled acid secretion and occurrence of gastric ulcers are common disorders of GI tract which pose serious problems to human health. Many synthetic drugs have been used to treat GI disorders but a definite cure has not been discovered so far and the available medications cause several side effects. Nigella sativa (N. sativa) (Ranunculacea) has several therapeutic effects which are attributed to its constituents like nigellicine, nigellidine, thymoquinone, dithymoquinone, thymol and carvacrol. Several beneficial pharmacological properties of this plant such as anti-oxidant, anti-bacterial, anti-histaminic, anti-hypertensive, hypoglycemic, anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer and immunomodulatory effects were reported and different therapeutic properties such as reliving bronchial asthma, jaundice, hydrophobia, paralysis, conjunctivitis, piles, skin diseases, anorexia, headache, dysentery, infections, obesity, back pain, hypertension and gastrointestinal problems, have been described for the seeds of N. sativa and its oil. The present review provides a detailed summery of scientific researches regarding gastrointestinal effect of N. sativa and its main constituent, thymoquinone