Effects of corn processing index and forage source on performance, blood parameters, and ruminal fermentation of dairy calves.

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of corn processing index (CPI)-particularly at 70% and 85%-in starter feed in combination with the provision of forage, either alfalfa hay (AH) or wheat straw (WS), on feed intake, growth performance, rumen pH, and blood metabolites of dairy calves. Forty-eight male Holstein calves (43.0 ± 1.5 kg body weight) were randomly assigned (n = 12 calves per treatment) to one of four dietary treatments: (1) a textured starter diet containing 70% CPI and AH (70CPIAH), (2) a textured starter feed containing 70% CPI combined with WS (70CPIWS), (3) a textured starter feed containing 85% CPI and AH (85CPIAH), (4) a textured starter feed containing 85% CPI combined with WS (85CPIWS). Intake of starter feed (TMR) and milk was individually monitored and recorded daily, while body weight was measured weekly. On days 30 and 65, blood samples were collected from all calves 3 h after morning feeding. No interaction was detected between the CPI of starter feed diets and forage provision for starter intake, dry matter intake (DMI), metabolizable energy intake (MEI), feed efficiency (FE), average daily gain (ADG), and body weight (BW). The preweaning and overall DMI, preweaning, postweaning and overall FE and ADG, preweaning and overall starter intake, preweaning and overall ME intake, and postweaning and overall BW were greater for calves fed 85CPI than those fed 70CPI starter diets. Postweaning and overall ADG and postweaning FE were greater in calves fed WS than those fed AH. Body length and hip width were greater for calves offered 85CPI than in fed 70CPI. Wheat straw supplementation increased rumen pH at day 65 in calves fed 70CPI, but not in those fed 85CPI. No interaction was found between the CPI in the starter feed diet and the forage source for starter intake and DMI, MEI, FE, and BW. The results showed that including corn with 85% processing index in dairy calf starters improved their growth performance.

Salvage intratympanic steroid therapy for sudden sensorineural hearing loss: our real-life experience in 32 patients.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the role of salvage intratympanic steroid injections in patients presenting with idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss following a poor response to initial oral steroid treatment. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of patient records over the course of four years was conducted, and pure tone thresholds were reviewed before treatment, after oral steroid therapy and six weeks after intratympanic steroid injection therapy. RESULTS: After oral steroid therapy alone, there was a mean average threshold change of 6.2 dB HL (range, -13.8-33.8 dB). This change was statistically significant for severely affected patients (those with an average presenting threshold of over 71 dB). The mean average threshold improvement following intratympanic steroid injection therapy was 2.9 dB (range, -22.5-61.3 dB); this was not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Some patients experienced moderate improvement following intratympanic steroid injection therapy; however, no specific subgroup was identified to benefit more from intratympanic steroid injection therapy.

Prognosticating patients with necrotising otitis externa based on response to treatment.

INTRODUCTION: Necrotising otitis externa (NOE) is a severe infection of the temporal bone. The traditional severity based staging system does not fully prognosticate all patients with NOE. We hypothesise that a patient response staging system would more accurately capture the disease process and guide prognosis. METHODS: We carried out a retrospective notes review of patients diagnosed with NOE from January 2017 to December 2018 in a regional tertiary referral centre. Patient outcomes from our proposed patient response staging system were compared to a modified previously published severity based Gleeson staging system with patients requiring prolonged treatment classified as having a poor outcome. RESULTS: A total of 34 patients were treated for NOE. The majority were male (n=24) and had diabetes (n=25). Patients with the most severe Gleeson staging did not have the worst outcome. Daily delay in resolution of otorrhoea was associated with an increased need for more than six weeks of treatment. Rapid responders are patients who had resolution of otalgia, otorrhoea and C-reactive protein normalisation within 14 days, and all were cured following standard 6 weeks of treatment. CONCLUSIONS: The Gleeson staging system was valuable in assessing the extent of disease and all early Gleeson staged patients had good outcomes. However, patients with higher severity staging on the Gleeson system did not necessarily require prolonged treatment. There is a role for a joint approach in staging patients based on both modified Gleeson and treatment response, which would subsequently guide prognosis, duration of treatment and early diagnosis of potential fungal NOE.

Abiraterone and D4, 3-keto Abiraterone binding to CYP17A1, a structural comparison study by molecular dynamic simulation.

The importance of computer-aided drug design and development is clear nowadays. These approaches smooth the way of designing some efficient candidates based on drugs in use. At this place, we studied the mechanism of D4-abiraterone (D4A), the active metabolite of Abiraterone (Abi), binding to CYP17A1 compared with Abi. The molecular dynamics simulation results reveal that the metabolite, which lacks the key 3ß-OH group, has a varied H-bond forming pattern. The critical H-bond between 3ß-OH of Abi with Asn_202 turns to 3 Keto-O of D4A with Arg_239 in the substrate-binding site. This interaction causes a remarkable distance of 0.63 nm between D4A nitrogen and Fe in heme, which reduces its 17,20 lyase selectivity. The D4A keto moiety presents an immense number of H-bond with surrounding solvent molecules compared with the Abi hydroxyl group. As a result, D4A develops a weaker H-bond network with the enzyme. Otherwise, the heterocyclic nature of inhibitors helps for noticeable van der Waals interaction formation with CYP17A1. However, Abi stabilized position in the binding site helps more van der Waals interactions deposition than D4A. These results convinced the importance of the conserved H-bond for acquiring the proper position by the substrate or inhibitor in the binding site.

Atorvastatin enhances apoptotic effects of tamoxifen on melanoma cancer cells.

AIM: Tamoxifen engages mitochondrial estrogen receptor beta as an antagonist, increases mitochondrial cytotoxicity and induces tumor cell death. Tamoxifen also engages plasma membrane estrogen receptor alpha as an agonist, while it is suggested that in some users its activation is put into action by mechanism of resistance to tamoxifen. Apoptotic inducers have been shown to promote tamoxifen-induced cell death, which might be of great importance in overcoming tamoxifen resistance. Considering the pleiotropic effects of statins, in the present study, we investigated the effects of atorvastatin on tamoxifen-induced intrinsic apoptotic pathway activity in melanoma cells. METHODS: Melanoma B16F10 cells were treated for 24 and 48 h with various concentrations of tamoxifen, atorvastatin and combination of tamoxifen + atorvastatin. Cells with no treatment were considered a control group, and the study was then followed by quantitative RT- PCR assay. Bax and cytochrome c gene expressions were calculated by ΔΔct method. RESULTS: Co-treatment of atorvastatin + tamoxifen could strongly enhance the expression of pro/apoptotic factors of Bax and cytochrome c in melanoma cells compared to the tamoxifen and atorvastatin groups. CONCLUSION: In general, we conclude that the atorvastatin-induced increase in Bax and cytochrome c gene expression might be a permissive response to tamoxifen-induced cell death (Fig. 2, Ref. 37).

The association between low birth weight and mothers diseases in Iran: A case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Neonates are too vulnerable that low birth weight (LBW) and preterm birth can easily threaten their lives. Demographic, social and environmental factors as well as health care are contributing factors for LBW. The study was conducted in 10 provinces of Iran to investigate the association between LBW and mother's diseases. METHODS: A case-control study was conducted in 10 provinces of Iran on 2580 mothers (712 cases and 1868 controls) referred to public health care centers. We used a questionnaire to collect data. For univariate analysis we used chi-square test and for multivariable analysis we used logistic regression model. RESULTS: LBW was significantly associated with living in rural area (OR = 1.4 CI: 1.14-1.71), having body mass index (BMI)<18 (OR = 1.48 CI: 1.14-1.92), being a housewife (OR = 1.65 CI: 1.07-2.53), having high blood pressure (OR = 1.91 CI: 1.26-2.88), and having pregnancy without testing for diabetes (OR = 1.91 CI: 1.44-2.54). Minor thalassemia, hypothyroidism, oral health care and headache were not significant predictors for LBW. CONCLUSION: In this study, we observed that place of residence, BMI before pregnancy, mother's occupation and gestational diabetes were significant predictors of LBW. It is necessary to improve women's awareness about prenatal health care before pregnancy to avoid LBW.

Polymyxins interaction to the human serum albumin: A thermodynamic and computational study.

Polymyxin B and E (colistin), are a group of cationic charged cyclic antibiotic lipopeptides that are frequently used in the clinics to treat infections caused by the multidrug-resistant gram-negative bacteria. Since the interactions with the blood plasma drug-transport proteins may play a critical role in determining their pharmacological and pharmacokinetic profiles, we studied the binding properties of polymyxins to the human serum albumin (HSA) under simulated physiological conditions by the combination of biophysical approaches, such as isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC), fluorescence anisotropy, circular dichroism (CD) buttressed by computational studies. The HSA binding to the polymyxins was relatively strong (Ka ≈ 1.0 × 107 M-1). Molecular docking indicated that polymyxins bind to the cleft of HSA between domains I and III via the electrostatic interactions. This evidence was further confirmed by the entropy-driven interaction for the polymyxins bound HSA. Far UV-CD experiments showed that the secondary structure of HSA doesn't alter and its stable structure is preserved. Collectively, these investigations revealed that the polymyxins bind preferentially to the partially unfolded intermediate forms of the protein structure; however, HSA molecule does not undergo any significant conformational changes upon binding. This is promising as it may limit the unfavorable side effects of the medicine. On the whole, the results provide quantitative and qualitative insight of the binding interaction between HSA and polymyxins, which is important in understanding their effect as therapeutic agents.

Influence of morphine on TLR4/ NF-kB signaling pathway of MCF-7 cells.

Morphine affects the risk of metastasis in cancer. The TLR4 gene promotes migration in adenocarcinoma cells. We investigated the effect of morphine on TLR4, MyD88 and NF-κ B-expression and migration. Migration of estrogen receptor-positive MCF7 breast cancer cells was studied after 24 and 48 hours incubation with morphine, with boyden chamber method. Morphine effect on TLR4, MyD88 and NF-κB mRNA expression was determined by quantitative Real-Time polymerase chain reaction. Migration was reduced at the doses of 0.5 and 5 µM (p < 0.05). However, TLR4, MyD88 and NF-κBmRNA expression was decreased at the doses of 0.5, 5 and 500 µM. Morphine at the dose of 50 µM increased the expression of mentioned genes. MCF-7 cell line after 48 hours incubation with the dose of 0.5 µM morphine decreased the migration and at the dose of 0.5 µM down-regulated the mRNA expression of TLR4, MyD88 and NF-κB, however, the higher doses increased the expression of TLR4, MyD88 and NF-κB. Morphine affects TLR4expression in breast cancer cell, which depends on time and concentration (Tab. 1, Fig. 5, Ref. 24).

Photocatalytic activity of BiFeO3/ZnFe2O4 nanocomposites under visible light irradiation.

Herein, BiFeO3/ZnFe2O4 nanocomposites were synthesized via a glyoxylate precursor method using a two-pot approach. Phase evolution is investigated by X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy, which confirm that no impurity phases are formed between BiFeO3 and ZnFe2O4 following calcination at 600 °C. The specific surface area characterized by N2 adsorption-desorption isotherms decreases from 30.56 to 13.13 m2 g-1 with the addition of zinc ferrite. In contrast, the magnetization increases from 0.28 to 1.8 emu g-1 with an increase in the amount of ZnFe2O4. The composites show strong absorption in the visible region with the optical band gap calculated from the Tauc's plot in the range from 2.17 to 2.22 eV, as measured by diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. Furthermore, the maximum efficiency for the photodegradation of methylene blue under visible light is displayed by the composite containing 25 wt% ZnFe2O4 due to the synergic effect between BiFeO3 and ZnFe2O4, as confirmed by photoluminescence spectroscopy.

Contribution of dietary amino acids composition to incidence of cardiovascular outcomes: A prospective population-based study.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Considering the limited data on the cardiovascular effects of dietary amino acid intakes, we assessed possible association of dietary amino acids with the risk of cardiovascular (CVD) events in a prospective population-based study. METHODS: Participants without CVD (n = 2369) were recruited from the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study and were followed for a mean of 6.7 years. Dietary protein and amino acid intakes were assessed at baseline (2006-2008); demographic, lifestyle and biochemical variables were evaluated at baseline and follow-up examination (2012-2014). Multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression models, adjusted for potential confounders, were used to estimate risk of CVD across tertiles of dietary amino acids. RESULTS: Mean total protein intake was 76.9 ± 27.5 g/d, and dietary protein had no significant association with the risk of CVD (HR = 1.23, 95% CI = 0.65-2.31, and HR = 0.52, 95% CI = 0.19-1.41, in the second and third tertiles, respectively). After adjustment of potential confounders, the amino acid pattern with higher load of glycine, cysteine, arginine and tryptophan, was negatively associated with CVD (HR = 0.28, 95% CI = 0.09-0.88, P for trend = 0.08). Higher intake of sulfur-containing amino acids (cysteine and methionine), and potentially cardioprotective amino acids (arginine, cysteine, glutamic acid, glycine, histidine, leucine and tyrosine) corresponded to 73% (HR = 0.27, 95% CI = 0.09-0.86) and 74% (HR = 0.26, 95% CI = 0.09-0.78) decreased risk of CVD events. Higher intake of glutamic acid and proline (% of dietary total protein) increased the risk of CVD (HR = 1.30, 95% CI = 1.03-1.64, and HR = 1.33, 95% CI = 1.10-1.60, respectively). CONCLUSION: These novel data provide evidence to suggest that amino acid composition of diet may modify the risk of CVD events.

Atomic-level structural and chemical analysis of Cr-doped Bi2Se3 thin films.

We present a study of the structure and chemical composition of the Cr-doped 3D topological insulator Bi2Se3. Single-crystalline thin films were grown by molecular beam epitaxy on Al2O3 (0001), and their structural and chemical properties determined on an atomic level by aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy and electron energy loss spectroscopy. A regular quintuple layer stacking of the Bi2Se3 film is found, with the exception of the first several atomic layers in the initial growth. The spectroscopy data gives direct evidence that Cr is preferentially substituting for Bi in the Bi2Se3 host. We also show that Cr has a tendency to segregate at internal grain boundaries of the Bi2Se3 film.

Clinical Features and Treatment Outcomes of Primary Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura in Hospitalized Children Under 2-Years Old.

BACKGROUND: Immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) is the most prevalent cause of thrombocytopenia in children. Despite the importance of ITP in children under 2-years old, only a few publications are available in the literature.ITP usually presents itself as isolated thrombocytopenia and mucocutaneous bleeding. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was conducted on 187 under 2-year-old children diagnosed with ITP and treated at Dr. Sheikh Hospital from 2004 to 2011.In this retrospective study, clinical symptoms, laboratory findings, history of viral infections, vaccination history, and treatment efficacy in children under 2-years old with ITP were investigated.Patients were followed for one year after being discharged from the hospital. RESULTS: The risk of the disease developing into chronic form was higher in older children (0.001). ITP in children under 3-months old was significantly associated with vaccination (p=0.007). There was no significant differences between male and female patients in regards to newly diagnosed ITP, persistent, and chronic disease status (p = 0.21). No significant difference in bleeding symptoms was observed between patients under 3-months old and 3 to 24-months old (p=0.18). CONCLUSION: Infantile ITP respond favorably to treatment. The risk of the disease developing into chronic form is higher in 3-to-24-month-old children compared to under-three-month olds.

Losartan sensitizes selectively prostate cancer cell to ionizing radiation.

Losartan is an angiotensin II receptor (AT-II-R) blocker that is widely used by human for blood pressure regulation. Also, it has antitumor property. In this study, we investigated the radiosensitizing effect of losartan on cellular toxicity induced by ionizing radiation on prostate cancer and non-malignant fibroblast cells. Human prostate cancer (DU-145) and human non-malignant fibroblast cells (HFFF2) were treated with losartan at different concentrations (0.5, 1, 10, 50 and 100 µM) and then these cells were exposed to ionizing radiation. The cell proliferation was determined using MTT assay. Our results showed that losartan exhibited antitumor effect on prostate cancer cells; it was reduced cell survival to 66% at concentration 1 µM. Losartan showed an additive killing effect in combination with ionizing radiation on prostate cancer cell. The cell proliferation was reduced to 54% in the prostate cancer cells treated with losartan at concentration 1 µM in combination with ionizing radiation. Losartan did not exhibit any toxicity on HFFF2 cell. This result shows a promising effect of losartan on enhancement of therapeutic effect of ionizing radiation in patients during therapy.

Nitric Oxide Overproduction Reduces Insulin Secretion from Isolated Islets in Fetal Hypothyroid Rats.

Thyroid hormones have developmental effects during fetal life. Fetal hypothyroidism leads to glucose intolerance and reduced insulin secretion capacity. Activity of nitric oxide synthases follows a heterogeneous pattern in hypothyroidism. Overactivity of constitutive nitric oxide synthase (NOS), inhibits glucose-stimulated insulin release. The aim of this study was to examine if reduction in insulin secretion in fetal hypothyroidism is due to overproduction of nitric oxide. Pregnant Wistar rats were divided into 2 groups; the experimental group consumed water containing 0.02% of 6-propyl-2-thiouracil till delivery, while the control group consumed tap water. After delivery serum thyroid hormones were measured. Intravenous glucose tolerance test was performed in 6-month old offspring (n=8). After 3 weeks recovery, pancreatic islets were isolated and insulin secretion, inducible and constitutive nitric oxide synthase activity were measured (n=4). Compared to controls, during intravenous glucose tolerance test, fetal hypothyroid rats had high plasma glucose concentration (p=0.003) and low plasma insulin levels (p=0.012) at 5-20 min and their insulin secretion from isolated islets at basal glucose concentration and in the presence of l-arginine was lower. The nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, NG-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester significantly improved insulin secretion in fetal hypothyroid rats at basal glucose concentration and in the presence of l-arginine. The results showed higher NOS activities in fetal hypothyroid rats (constitutive 17.60±1.09 vs. 47.34±4.44 and inducible 4.09±0.96 vs. 19.97±1.14 pmol/min/mg proteins, p=0.002). In conclusion, NO overproduction through NOS participates in decreased insulin secretion in fetal hypothyroid rats.

Hydrogeochemical investigations and groundwater quality assessment of Torbat-Zaveh plain, Khorasan Razavi, Iran.

Hydrogeochemical investigations of groundwater in Torbat-Zaveh plain have been carried out to assess the water quality for drinking and irrigation purposes. In this study, 190 groundwater samples were collected and analyzed for physicochemical parameters and major ion concentrations. The abundance of major cations and anions was in the following order: Na(+) > Mg(2+) > Ca(2+) > K(+), and Cl(-) > [Formula: see text] > [Formula: see text] > [Formula: see text]. As a result, alkaline element (Na(+)) exceeds alkaline earth elements (Mg(2+) and Ca(2+)), and strong acids (Cl(-) and [Formula: see text]) dominate weak acids ([Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]) in majority of the groundwater samples. Statistical analyses including Spearman correlation coefficients and factor analysis display good correlation between physicochemical parameters (EC, TDS and TH) and Na(+), Mg(2+), Ca(2+), Cl(-) and [Formula: see text]. The results display that rock-weathering interactions and ion-exchange processes play important role in controlling groundwater chemistry. Saturation index values also indicate that water chemistry is significantly affected by carbonate minerals such as calcite, aragonite and dolomite. US Salinity Laboratory(USSL) and Wilcox diagrams together with permeability index values reveal that most of the groundwater samples are suitable for irrigation purpose. However, in some regions, the water samples do not indicate required irrigational quality.

Molecular structure, spectroscopic assignments and other quantum chemical calculations of anticancer drugs - A review.

In many texts, both theoretical and experimental studies on molecular structure and spectroscopic assignments of anticancer medicines have been reported. Molecular geometry parameters have been experimentally obtained by x-ray structure determination method and optimized using computational chemistry method like density functional theory. In this review, we consider calculations based on density function theory at B3LYP/6-31G (d,p) and B3LYP/6-311++G (d,p) levels of theory. Based on optimized geometric parameters of the molecules, molecular structures (length of bonds, bond angles and torsion angles) and vibrational assignments have been obtained. Molecular stability and bond strength have been investigated by applying natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis. Other molecular properties such as mulliken population analysis, thermodynamic properties and polarizabitities of these drugs have been reported. Calculated energies of HOMO and LUMO show that charge transfer occurs in the molecular. Information about the size, shape, charge density distribution and site of molecular chemical reactivity has been obtained by mapping electron density isosurface of electrostatic and compared with experiment data.

Radioprotective effect of chicory seeds against genotoxicity induced by ionizing radiation in human normal lymphocytes.

The search for less-toxic radioprotective agents has led to a growing trend towards natural products. Protective effect of the methanolic extract of chicory seeds (MCS) was investigated against genotoxicity induced by ionizing radiation in human lymphocytes. Human peripheral blood samples were collected and incubated with MCS at different concentrations (10, 50, 100, and 200 µg/mL) for two hours. The whole blood samples were exposed in vitro to X-ray at dose 2.5 Gy. Then, the lymphocytes were cultured with mitogenic stimulation to determine the micronucleus in cytokinesis blocked binucleated cell. The methanolic extract at all doses significantly reduced the frequency of micronuclei in binucleated lymphocytes, as compared with similarly irradiated lymphocytes without any extract treatment. The maximum protection was observed at 200 µg/mL of MCS, it completely protected genotoxicity induced by ionizing radiation in human lymphocytes. The extract exhibited a concentration-dependent radical scavenging activity on 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl free radicals. HPLC analysis of MCS showed this extract is containing chlorogenic acid as a phenolic compound. These data suggest that the radioprotective effect of methanolic extract of chicory seeds can be attributed to the presence of phenolic compounds such as chlorogenic acid which act as antioxidant agents.

Photo neutron dose equivalent rate in 15 MV X-ray beam from a Siemens Primus Linac.

Fast and thermal neutron fluence rates from a 15 MV X-ray beams of a Siemens Primus Linac were measured using bare and moderated BF3 proportional counter inside the treatment room at different locations. Fluence rate values were converted to dose equivalent rate (DER) utilizing conversion factors of American Association of Physicist in Medicine's (AAPM) report number 19. For thermal neutrons, maximum and minimum DERs were 3.46 × 10(-6) (3 m from isocenter in +Y direction, 0 × 0 field size) and 8.36 × 10(-8) Sv/min (in maze, 40 × 40 field size), respectively. For fast neutrons, maximum DERs using 9" and 3" moderators were 1.6 × 10(-5) and 1.74 × 10(-5) Sv/min (2 m from isocenter in +Y direction, 0 × 0 field size), respectively. By changing the field size, the variation in thermal neutron DER was more than the fast neutron DER and the changes in fast neutron DER were not significant in the bunker except inside the radiation field. This study showed that at all points and distances, by decreasing field size of the beam, thermal and fast neutron DER increases and the number of thermal neutrons is more than fast neutrons.

The effect of maternal hypothyroidism on cardiac function and tolerance to ischemia-reperfusion injury in offspring male and female rats.

PURPOSE: Accumulating evidence indicates that intrauterine evolution disturbance can contribute to myocardial ischemia reperfusion (IR) injury; in addition, thyroid hormones (THs) have a crucial role in the development of different systems during fetal life. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of TH deficiency during fetal life on tolerance of isolated heart to ischemia during adulthood in both genders. METHODS: Hypothyroidism was induced in pregnant Wistar rats by administrating 0.025 % 6-propyl-2-thiouracil in drinking water throughout pregnancy. Offspring of rats with maternal hypothyroidism (MH) and control groups were tested in adulthood. Isolated hearts were perfused with Langendorff setup and exposed to 30 min of ischemia, followed by 45 min of reperfusion. Baseline values of the left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP), left ventricular developed pressure (LVDP), heart rate (HR), and peak rates of positive and negative changes in left ventricular pressure (±dp/dt) were recorded. RESULTS: In the MH groups the baseline levels of LVDP (male: 23 %, female: 33 %), HR (male: 31 %, female: 26 %), and ±dp/dt were significantly (p < 0.01) lower, compared to controls. After ischemia, hearts from male rats with MH had less tolerance to IR injury as assessed in terms of reductions in recovery of hemodynamic parameters compared to controls, while in female rats there were no significant differences between MH and controls. CONCLUSIONS: MH decreases hemodynamic parameters in the heart of both male and female offspring in adulthood; in addition, hearts of male rats with MH show less tolerance to ischemia, compared to those of females.

In vitro protective effect of atorvastatin against ionizing radiation induced genotoxicity in human lymphocytes.

Atorvastatin (AT) is widely used as a medication for treatment of hypercholesterolemia. Recent studies showed that AT enhanced cell toxicity induced by ionizing radiation in cancerous cells. In this study, the radioprotective effect of AT was investigated against genotoxicity induced by ionizing radiation in human blood lymphocytes. Peripheral blood samples were collected from human volunteers and incubated with AT at different concentrations (0.05, 0.1, 1, or 10 µM) for two hours. The whole blood was exposed to X-ray at dose 1.5 Gy. Lymphocytes were cultured with mitogenic stimulation to determine the micronuclei in cytokinesis blocked binucleated lymphocyte. AT exhibited a significant decreasing in the frequency of micronuclei in human lymphocytes exposed to ionizing radiation, as compared to with similarly irradiated lymphocytes without AT treatment. The maximum protection and higher decreasing in frequency of micronuclei was observed at 10 µM of AT (68% decrease), providing maximal protection against ionizing radiation. This data is promising for protection human normal cells from the genetic damage induced by ionizing irradiation.