Protective effect of distillated Nerium oleander on heart of type 2 diabetic rats.

OBJECTIVES: The current study aims to investigate the possible role of NO distillate either for therapeutic or for protective potential in diabetic cardiomyopathy. BACKGROUND: Protective and restorative effects of distillated Nerium oleander (NO) on the diabetes-induced electrophysiological and structural alterations were investigated. METHODS: Type 2 diabetes was induced by combination of single dose streptozotocin injection and high fat diet for four weeks. Experimental groups were designed as follows: control, diabetic, restorative-NO treated diabetic and protective-NO treated diabetic. Intracellular action potentials (AP) and contractile activities were measured form left ventricular papillary muscle strips as well as histopathological examination of heart tissue and biochemical examinations of serum were performed. RESULTS: Type 2 diabetes induced AP prolongation was prevented with both ways of NO treatments. Moreover, treatments produced nearly complete restorations of diabetes-induced depressed amplitude and altered kinetics of contractile activities. In parallel to electrophysiological parameters, both histopathological and biochemical results indicates the NO induced beneficial effects on the diabetes related alterations. CONCLUSION: Distillated Nerium oleander (NO) can be a highly potential therapeutic or preventive agent on the diabetes induced excitation-contraction coupling alterations (Tab. 3, Fig. 3, Ref. 23).

Multi-organ injuries caused by lipopolysaccharide-induced periodontal inflammation in rats: role of melatonin.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Periodontitis, a chronic inflammatory disease caused by oral bacterial infection, is considered to be a risk factor for systemic diseases including diabetes mellitus, bacterial pneumonia, hyperlipidemia and atherosclerosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of melatonin against periodontal inflammation-induced multiple organ injury in rats. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Eighteen female Wistar albino rats were randomly divided into three groups of six rats each: control; lipopolysaccharide (LPS); and LPS + melatonin. During the experimental period (10 d) all rats in the LPS and LPS + melatonin groups were given 10 µL of LPS (from a 10 mg/mL standard solution of LPS dissolved in saline) on days 1, 3 and 5. The rats in the LPS + melatonin group were given 50 mg/kg of melatonin, daily for 10 d, starting on day 1 after the administration of LPS. All rats were killed at the end of the experimental period. Liver, kidney and lung tissues were removed for investigation by light microscopy. RESULTS: The levels of serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT) and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) were significantly increased in the LPS group compared with the LPS + melatonin group (p < 0.05). There was no significant change in the serum creatinine levels in the groups. However, the changes in serum AST, ALT and BUN levels in the experimental groups did not correlate with changes in histological data. Both LPS and LPS + melatonin groups displayed structural features similar to those of the control group. CONCLUSION: The results revealed that increased serum AST, ALT and BUN levels following periodontitis are ameliorated with melatonin treatment.

Effects of montelukast and zileuton on testicular torsion/detorsion injury in rats.

The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the effects of 5-lipoxygenase enzyme (5-LO) inhibitor zileuton and cysteinyl leukotriene receptor (CysLT1R) antagonist montelukast in testicular torsion/detorsion (T/D) injury model in rats. Rats were anaesthetised with 75 mg kg(-1) ketamine hydrochloride and 8 mg kg(-1) xylazine intraperitoneal before the operation. Torsion was created by rotating the right testis 720° clockwise and maintained by fixing the testis. The rats were treated with CysLT1R antagonist montelukast (10 mg kg(-1); i.p.), 5-LO inhibitor zileuton (3 mg kg(-1); i.p.), and vehicle, at 30 min prior detorsion. After 1 h of torsion, the testis was counter-rotated to the natural position and replaced into the scrotum. Malondialdehyde (MDA) level was measured in testicular tissue after 3 h of reperfusion. Histological examination was performed after 24 h of reperfusion. T/D caused a significant increase in MDA level and histopathological injury in testes. Montelukast and zileuton treatments prevented the T/D-induced augmentation in MDA levels. Only zileuton treatment significantly reduced the T/D-induced histopathological injury. In this study, we demonstrated for the first time that zileuton had protective effects on testicular T/D injury. We have also found that zileuton is more effective than montelukast on histopathological injury.

Effects of melatonin on testis histology, oxidative stress and spermatogenesis after experimental testis ischemia-reperfusion in rats.

BACKGROUND: Testicular torsion due to oxidative stress results in infertility and testicular damage which can be preventable an important health problem worldwide. AIM: The purpose of the present study was to investigate the changes of malondialdehyde (MDA), total antioxidant status (TAS), total oxidant status (TOS) levels; histopathological alterations; morphology, concentration and motilities of the sperm in post ischemic reperfused (I/R) testis tissue. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty adult male Wistar rats were carried out and were randomized to five groups; (1) Control group, (2) Ipsilateral left testis ischemia, (3) Melatonin plus ipsilateral left testis ischemia, (4) Contralateral right testis ischemia, 5. Melatonin plus contralateral right testis ischemia. After 1 h ischemia and 24 h perfusion; MDA, TAS and TOS levels were measured, histopathological alterations were determined using by Johnsen's score (JS) and sperm morphology, concentration, motility were examined. RESULTS: MDA, TAS and TOS levels of the testis tissue did not change in all groups (p > 0.05 for all). JS was decreased in I/R group and melatonin treatment reversed histopathological changes and increased JS both in ipsilateral and contralateral testis. Abnormal sperm rate significantly increased in I/R group and melatonin administration changed abnormal sperm rate to normal. CONCLUSIONS: As a result, the present study demonstrated that testicular damage occurs following I/R without an increase of MDA, TAS and TOS levels. Our results also suggested that melatonin is a potent antioxidant agent in preventing testicular I/R injury, as shown by increased JS and changed abnormal sperm rate.

The role of Staphylococcal enterotoxin in atopic keratoconjunctivitis and corneal ulceration.

BACKGROUND: Patients with atopic eczema frequently experience colonization with Staphylococcus aureus that is directly correlated with the eczema severity. We hypothesized that S. aureus-secreted enterotoxins (SE) are involved in the pathophysiology of atopic keratoconjunctivitis (AKC). METHODS: A total of 45 subjects (18 with AKC, nine vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC), eight seasonal allergic conjunctivitis (SAC), and ten healthy volunteers) were enrolled. Slit lamp examinations, including fluorescein staining, were performed. Scraped samples were collected from the upper tarsal conjunctiva, lower conjunctival sacs, and the skin around the eyelid margins. Superantigen (SAg) genes were detected using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). RESULTS: Among 45 cases, S. aureus was detected significantly more in AKC patients than VKC patients (P = 0.026), SAC patients (P = 0.0003), and healthy volunteers (P = 0.0001). SAg genes were detected in 11 patients. SEB (2/11), SEG (8/11), and SEI (8/11) were detected, but no other SE. There was a significant difference in SE detection between AKC and SAC patients (P = 0.03). In severe types of ocular allergic disease such as AKC and VKC (N = 27), SE was detected in six of ten patients with corneal ulcers and two of 17 patients without corneal ulcers. SE was detected in significantly more patients with corneal ulcers (P = 0.025). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with AKC, S. aureus and SE were detected more frequently compared with other patients and healthy volunteers, especially in association with corneal ulceration suggesting a role of SE. So far, it is unknown whether SE leads to tissue damage of the cornea by initiating an immune response or has direct toxic effects.

Primary epithelioid trophoblastic tumor with a synchronous breast carcinoma detected only with FDG-PET/CT Scan.

Epithelioid trophoblastic tumor is a recently described, rare and distinctive type of gestational trophoblastic tumor. We report the case of a 31-year old patient who had a full-term pregnancy 18 months before presentation. She had a right axillary lymph node metastasis and was referred for FDG-PET/CT scan for evaluation of distant metastasis and to detect primary malignancy. The axillary lymph node biopsy revealed metastatic breast carcinoma. FDG-PET/CT revealed increased uptake of right axillary lymph node, soft tissue density lesion with a diameter of 24 mm on left cervical region with increased FDG uptake, increased uptake on cervical region and left inguinal lymph node with increased uptake. Pelvic MRI imaging and ultrasonography were negative for malignancy in cervical region. Biopsy of the lesion was consistent with epithelioid trophoblastic tumor in cervical region. Gestational trophoblastic tumor was not suspected because she had no signs such as abnormal vaginal bleeding. FDG-PET/CT demonstrated the primary lesion in cervical region. We report a rare case of primary epithelioid trophoblastic tumor detected only with FDG-PET/CT scan which synchronized with breast carcinoma.

Treatment of congenital ichthyosis with acitretin: a case report.

The authors assessed the clinical efficacy, tolerability and safety of acitretin in a patient with ichthyosis. A newborn infant with ichthyosis who presented at birth with collodion baby appearance, was treated with acitretin. A moderate response to acitretin therapy (1 mg/kg/day) administered for 6 months was observed, with improvement in cutaneous lesions. Clinical improvement was achieved shortly after treatment. The treatment resulted in a satisfactory improvement in the skin condition of the case. The tolerance to the drug was good. Side effects were not observed. The oral acitretin treatment is efficient in severe congenital ichthyosis.

Protective effects of chronic melatonin treatment against renal ischemia/reperfusion injury in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

AIMS: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of chronic administration of melatonin on renal ischemia/reperfusion (IR) injury in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. METHODOLOGY: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into six groups: control (C), diabetes mellitus (DM), control+IR (C+IR), DM+IR, Melatonin+IR (Mel+IR), DM+Mel+IR. Diabetic and non-diabetic rats were given melatonin 4 mg/kg/day, i.p., for 15 days. The left renal artery and vein of rats were occluded for 30 min at the 18th day, followed by 24 h of reperfusion. RESULTS: In comparison with control group, the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), protein carbonyl (PC) and and nitric oxide (NO) were determined to be higher in the renal homogenates of DM, DM+IR and C+IR groups. MDA and NO levels were found to be similar in the DM+melatonin+IR and control groups. The most significant histological damage was found in the DM+IR group and this damage was significantly reduced by melatonin. CONCLUSION: Chronic melatonin treatment reduces renal injury by reducing lipid oxidation and NO production in STZ-induced diabetic rats exposed to IR.

X-ray absorption beamline at the Mitsubishi compact storage ring.

Beamline #5 (BL#5) at the Mitsubishi compact storage ring (MELCO-SR) is a beamline designed to perform X-ray absorption experiments in the 1-5 keV energy range. MELCO-SR is a racetrack-type storage ring with compact superconducting magnets, which is operated at 600 MeV, mainly for X-ray lithography experiments. As the ring is set in a shield wall of 2 m thickness, a point just outside the shield wall of BL#5 is located at 6.8 m from the source point. A small toroidal mirror, located inside the shield wall at 3.4 m from the source, focuses the beam vertically and horizontally onto the 7.3 m point. This simple optical configuration allows us to bring the source point outside of the shield wall, and to collect about 10 mrad horizontally and maintain small footprints on the monochromator crystal. A new 'Cowan type' monochromator, located at 7.4 m from the source and selected for simplicity of design and for stability, will provide a bright high-resolution and stable X-ray beam for use in the X-ray spectroscopy of electronic materials in MELCO.

The fate of intraperitoneally retained gallstones with different morphologic and microbiologic characteristics: an experimental study.

Management of intraperitoneally retained gallstones after laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) is controversial, as their natural course is not known. This study was undertaken to assess the probable effects of stone morphology and clinically obvious infection on the outcome of retained gallstones in a mouse model. Forty albino mice were divided into four groups. Group I served as the control group (simple laparotomy, n = 10). Groups II, III, and IV (n = 10 in each group) were study groups. "Intact-sterile-cholesterol" (group II), "crushed-sterile-cholesterol" (group III), and "intact" (n = 5) [group IVa] and "crushed" (n = 5) [group IVb] "infected-cholesterol" gallstones aseptically retrieved from three different human patients were implanted to the peritoneal cavity of the animals. Group IV animals were implanted with stones retrieved from an acutely inflamed gallbladder with proven infection. Animals were sacrificed 6 and 12 weeks after the operations. Cultures and tissue samples were obtained. No animal was lost, no microscopic or macroscopic abnormality was observed in groups I and II, and cultures remained negative. In group III, adhesions surrounding the fragmented stones were evident at the 12th week, and no mortality was encountered. The histopathology revealed a fibroblastic reaction, and cultures remained negative in group III. In group IV, three animals from group IVb and one animal from group IVa died because of intra-abdominal sepsis before their sacrifice. All remaining mice showed severe adhesions with localized abscesses at the 12th week. In conclusion, intraperitoneally retained cholesterol gallstones remain inert and do not cause serious peritoneal reaction unless they are crushed into fragments or are from an acutely inflamed gallbladder. It is for this group of patients that laparotomy for total stone clearance is probably not justifiable. Better stone retrieval techniques or even laparotomy may be worthwhile considering in patients with crushed and particularly infected retained stones.

Endogenous endophthalmitis due to Fusarium: case report and review.

Endogenous fungal endophthalmitis is being increasingly recognized in susceptible individuals. We report a case of endogenous endophthalmitis due to Fusarium solani that occurred as the sole clinical manifestation of fungal disease in an immunocompromised host. Four previously reported cases of endogenous fusarial endophthalmitis are also reviewed. Two of these patients had no underlying disease and presented with isolated endophthalmitis, while two other patients had acute leukemia and presented with multiple organ involvement due to Fusarium. All three patients with leukemia, including our patient, were severely neutropenic at the time of diagnosis. Two of these three patients had fungemia. MICs of amphotericin B for fungal isolates ranged from 0.14 to 10 micrograms/mL. Despite abatement of the endophthalmitis after antifungal therapy and vitrectomy, the prognosis for immunocompromised patients remains guarded because of underlying disease.

Intravitreal penetration of oral ciprofloxacin in humans.

Nineteen patients about to undergo elective vitreous surgery received 1 oral dose of 750 mg of ciprofloxacin before surgery. Specimens of serum and vitreous were collected 90 minutes to 18 hours after drug administration and were assayed for antibiotic content with a microbiologic disk agar technique. From 4 hours and 50 minutes to 16 hours and 50 minutes after a single oral dose, ciprofloxacin reached intravitreal levels above its minimal inhibitory concentration for 90% of Staphylococcus epidermidis, Bacillus species, and Enterobacteriaceae. However, intravitreal levels never exceeded the MIC90 for Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas.

Childhood immunization in the State of Qatar: Implications for improving coverage.

In Qatar, there is evidence of underuse of the immunization services despite easy access to health care. We therefore undertook a prospective study to determine the vaccination status and, more importantly, the reasons for inadequate immunization of a group of 255 preschool children attending the outpatient care facilities in Doha. A questionnaire was used to obtain relevant information, including parent's educational background. Sixty-six percent of the children were fully immunized for their age group, 12% were partially immunized, and 12% were not immunized. Eighty-eight percent had received their first dose of DPT/OPV, but only 57% had received their first booster by 18 months of age; 76% had received three doses of DPT/OPV. The main reasons for nonimmunized status were misinformation and lack of awareness in parents about vaccination. Parental oversight, misinformation, and medical deferral were the main reasons for partial immunization. Parents of unimmunized children were often illiterate. In Qatar, establishment of an aggressive ongoing public education campaign, as well as strict implementation of the World Health Organization's Expanded Programme on Immunization's policy of screenign all children at every health care contact for the need for vaccination, should substantially increase immunization coverage. Implementation of a recall system for defaulters should also lead to improved immunization rates.

Choroidal melanoma with pigment dispersion in vitreous and melanomalytic glaucoma.

A 39-year-old black man underwent enucleation of the left eye because of poor vision, ocular pain, and intractable glaucoma secondary to a choroidal tumor. Two diagnostic vitrectomies, performed 11 and 7 months before enucleation, had failed to disclose the proper diagnosis. Histologic diagnosis was necrotic malignant melanoma of the choroid with melanocytoma cells, extensive pigment dispersion throughout the eye, and melanomalytic glaucoma. Possible mechanisms of tumor necrosis are reviewed.

Macular degeneration in angioid streaks.

This study examines different clinical parameters and the occurrence of macular degeneration in a series of 110 patients with angioid streaks of the fundus. Among the parameters considered were: age of the patient at the time of ocular diagnosis, associated systemic disease, optic nerve drusen, peau d'orange appearance in the fundus, number of radiating angioid streaks as well as their length, width, and distance from the fovea. Statistically significant correlations were found between the occurrence of macular degeneration (of the exudative hemorrhagic type) and the following: angioid streak length, distance from the fovea, and the diffuse type or 'cracked egg-shell' fundus appearance.

Abnormal ocular head postures: Part IV.

All patients exhibiting the various types of abnormal head postures of ocular origin that were seen during the last two years are presented in order to determine the relative frequency of the different causes of these postures, and the purposes they serve. The treatment modality and results are also discussed. This manuscript is divided into four parts: Parts I, II, and III concern head postures in incomitant strabismus. In Part IV, head postures in Ciancia's syndrome, restrictions, and refractive errors are described.