Antioxidant properties of date seeds extract (Phoenix dactylifera L.) in alloxan induced damage in rats.

The study was conducted to examine the antioxidant activity and evaluate the protective effects of the date seeds powder kentichi against alloxan-induced damage in the liver, kidney, and pancreas in diabetic's rats. Group 1: control group, that did not receive any treatment, Group 2: alloxan was injected intraperitoneally (120 mg/kg body weight) for two days (Diab), Group 3: treated only by date seeds powder added in the diet (300 g/kg) for 6 weeks (DSPK), Group 4: alloxan-diabetic rats treated with date seeds powder (300 g/kg) (DSPK + Diab). Estimations of biochemical parameters in blood were determined. TBARS, SOD, CAT, and GPx activities were determined. A histopathological study was done by immersing pieces of both organs in a fixative solution followed by paraffin hematoxylin-eosin staining. In addition, the antioxidant activities of DSPK were evaluated by DPPH radical scavenging activity, reducing power, and ABTS free radical scavenging. The results revealed that date seeds significantly decreased serum levels of glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, urea, creatinine, T-protein, ALP, D-bili and T-bili levels. In addition, superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activities that had been reduced in liver, kidney, and pancreas of the treated group were restored by DSPK treatments and, therefore, the lipid peroxidation level was reduced in the liver, kidney and pancreas tissue compared to the control group. Additionally, the histological structure in these organs was restored after treatment with date seeds powder.

Potential Antiproliferative Activity and Evaluation of Essential Oil Composition of the Aerial Parts of Tamarix aphylla (L.) H.Karst.: A Wild Grown Medicinal Plant in Jordan.

Essential (volatile) oil from aerial parts of Tamarix aphylla (L.) H.Karst. (Tamaricaceae) grown wild in Jordan was hydrodistilled by Clevenger apparatus and analyzed by means of GC and GC-MS techniques. In vitro screening of potential cytotoxicity of the aqueous (AE) and ethanol (EE) extracts was also evaluated against human breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7), colorectal adenocarcinoma (Caco-2), and pancreatic carcinoma (Panc-1) cancer cell lines as well as normal human fibroblasts. GC-MS analysis of T. aphylla EO revealed its richness in nonterpenoid nonaromatic hydrocarbons (52.39%), with predominance of 6,10,14-trimethyl-2-pentadecanone as the principal component. Biologically, the plant extracts exhibited cytotoxicity effects in dose-dependent manner against most of the tested cell lines, but potent effects were only predicted against MCF-7 cells with IC50 values of 2.17 ± 0.10 and 26.65 ± 3.09 µg/mL for T. aphylla AE and EE, respectively. T. aphylla AE demonstrated a comparable cytotoxic effect with that offered by the control drug cisplatin (IC50 value of 1.17 ± 0.13 µg/mL), even with higher safety profile against normal fibroblast cells (IC50 values of T. aphylla AE versus cisplatin: 79.99 ± 4.90 versus 9.08 ± 0.29 µg/mL). T. aphylla extracts could be a valuable source for cytotoxic agents with high safety and selective cytotoxicity profiles. Unfortunately, no antiproliferative potential against Caco-2 or Panc-1 cancer cell lines was detected at a concentration less than 30 µg/mL.

Surgically induced astigmatism after photorefractive keratectomy and laser in situ keratomileusis. Summit PRK-LASIK Study Group.

PURPOSE: To compare the axis and magnitude of surgically induced astigmatism in photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) and laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK). SETTING: Multicenter clinical trial. METHODS: In this prospective randomized trial, 220 eyes of 220 patients entered the study cohort: 105 randomized to PRK and 115 to LASIK. All patients received a single-pass, multizone excimer laser ablation as part of a PRK or LASIK procedure. Attempted corrections ranged from -6.00 to -15.00 diopters (D). The LASIK procedures were performed with nasal hinges. Absolute changes in astigmatism and axis and magnitude of surgically induced astigmatism were analyzed. Patients were followed for up to 6 month. RESULTS: In the PRK group, the mean change in absolute astigmatism was +0.14, +0.16 and +0.32 D at 1, 3, and 6 months, respectively; in the LASIK group, the mean change was -0.15, -0.08, and -0.03 D, respectively. At all time points, a greater proportion of PRK than LASIK eyes had an increase in absolute magnitude of astigmatism. In the PRK group, the axis of vectoral-induced astigmatism was significantly different from random at 3 and 6 months (P = .01, P < .001), respectively) with a tendency for induced with-the-rule shifts postoperatively. In the LASIK group, the axis of vectoral-induced astigmatism was significantly different from random at only 1 month (P = .04), and there was no preponderant direction of axis shift. Despite these findings, other analyses showed no statistically significant between-group differences in vectoral axis or magnitude of surgically induced astigmatism. CONCLUSIONS: Induced astigmatism was generally less and more random in axis in LASIK than in PRK; a general trend for induced with-the-rule astigmatism in PRK was not seen in LASIK. Hypothetically, the lamellar corneal flap in LASIK may counteract the tendency toward steepening at 90 degrees seen in PRK by retracting toward the hinge, by masking underlying induced astigmatism in the ablation zone, or by its mitigating influence on postoperative corneal healing.