Analysis of chromatin integrity and DNA damage of buffalo spermatozoa

This study was conducted to determine chromatin integrity and DNA damage by DNA electrophoresis and comet assays of buffalo fresh and frozen semen. Semen samples were collected from four buffalo bulls and evaluated after freezing for semen motility, viability, sperm abnormalities, chromatin integrity and DNA damage. A significant variation was found in semen parameters after thawing. Highly significant differences [P<0.001] in chromatin integrity were observed between fresh and frozen semen. For the fresh semen, there was no significant difference between the bulls for chromatin integrity; however, a significant variation [P<0.05] was detected in their frozen semen. No DNA fragmentation was observed by agarose gel electrophoresis. The percentage of sperm with damaged DNA detected by comet assay differed significantly between fresh and frozen semen. A significant negative correlation was recorded between motility and DNA damage [r=-0.68, P<0.05]. Sperm abnormalities and DNA fragmentation were significantly positively correlated [r=0.59, P<0.05]. In conclusion, DNA damage evaluation can provide reassurance about genomic normalcy and guide the development of improved methods of selecting spermatozoa with intact DNA to be used in artificial insemination

Plasma nitric oxide level in myocardial disorders with left ventricular diastolic dysfunction

Nitric oxide is a free radical that is elevated in the plasma of patients with heart failure due to contractile dysfunction. This study examine the relation between plasma NO level and Left Ventricular [LV] diastolic function and its aetiology in heart failure patients in the pediatric age group. We performed echocardiographic Doppler studies in 47 patients [mean age of 6.16 +/- 2.8 years, 31 males and 16 females] with congestive heart failure. Left ventricular diastolic dysfunction was classified as either a restrictive [RFP] or non restrictive filling pattern [non-RFP]. Same day venous total nitrite and nitrate levels were measured by colourimetric assay. Plasma NOx level was significantly higher in the studied patients than the control group [141 +/- 54 and 43 +/- 4 micromol/L, respectively, p<0.001]. ROC curve found that the cut off point for plasma NOx level was 60 micromol/L to differentiate between normal children and patients with heart failure. Patients with RFP showed insignificantly higher levels of plasma NOx than the non-RFP patients. Only in muscular dystrophy patients, there were negative correlation between plasma NOx level and LV ejection fraction [r = -0.61, p = 0.06] and LV fractional shortening [r = -0.64, p = 0.04]. On correlating the plasma NOx levels to the severity of heart failure by multiple linear regression analysis, the pulmonary artery systolic pressure was the only variable independently associated with an elevated plasma NOx level [p = 0.05]. Plasma NOx level is elevated in patients with isolated diastolic heart failure. In addition, in patients with LV systolic failure, the severity of LV diastolic dysfunction determines the amount of NO production

Prognostic significance of some tumor markers in head and neck carcinomas

Carcinoembryonic antigen [CEA], ferritin, tissue polypeptide antigen [TPA] and alkaline phosphatase [ALP] isoenzymes were evaluated in 41 patients with head and neck cancer before and [2-6] months after receiving treatment. The study included as well 13 apparently healthy age matched individuals as control group. Statistically significant elevation was found for CEA, ferritin, TPA and ALP in the patients before treatment compared to the control [P = 0.001, 0.0001, 0.04, 0.001 respectively], another statistically significant elevation was found for all the studied markers in patients before treatment compared to their levels after treatment [P < 0.001 for CEA, ferritin, TPA and ALP and 0.001 for PALP]. Ferritin was the only marker that showed statistically significant elevation in grade III compared to grade I and II [p - 0.001]. A significant elevation could be detected in the level of TPA and PALP in patients with positive regional L.N mecastasis compared with those without regional L.N metastasis [P = 0.03 and 0.04 respectively]. A statistically significant positive correlation was detected between ferritin level and tumor grade [r = 0.5, P 4 X 001]. Also a statistically significant negative correlations were found between TPA and regional L.N metastasis [r = -0.3, P = 0.04] and between ALP and CEA mean values in treated patients [r = -0.4, p = 0.009] Evaluation of tumor markers, separately revealed that CEA and then ferritin showed higher sensitivity [97.6 percent and 94.6 percent respectively], followed by ALP and TPA [75.6 percent and 5 8.3 percent respectively]. The specificity of CEA was higher than the other studied markers [100 percent]. As regards double combination, it was found that [CEA and ferritin] combination showed the highest sensitivity and specificity followed by [CEA and ALP] and [ferritin and ALP] [sensitivity, [either abnormal] 89 percent, 90 percent and 81 percent for the three previous combination respectively, [both abnormal] 46 percent, 23 percent, and 32 percent respectively] [specificity, "either abnormal" and "both abnormal was 100 percent and 92 percent for [CEA and Ferritin] and [CEA and ALP] respectively, and 100 percent and 85 percent for [ferritin and ALP]. All the triple combinations showed much lower sensitivity and specificity. Sixty one of untreated patients gave PALP bands. After treatment a reduction in PALP percentage was seen in 82 percent of patients. This reduction in PALP activity correlated to tumor stage, being one of the prognostic factors. A strategy requiring 2 or more markers to be abnormal while having both sensitivity and specificity high in monitoring head and neck cancer patients or detecting recurrence could be attained by trying more tumor markers to make firm conclusion

Assessment of intestinal mucosal damage as a cause of malabsorption in repeated experimental giardiasis

Histopathological and histochemical studies were carried out on the sections of small intestine of mice experimentally infected with Giardia lamblia to study the changes in the mucous membrane after repeated, treated and untreated infections and their role as a cause of malabsorption. There were definite histophathological changes and enzymatic changes in the form of decrease the activity of succinic dehydrogenase and alkaline phosphatase and increase the activity of acid phosphatase. These changes remained until the end of the experiment inspite of clearance of giardiasis. The study have a great effect on the secretory and absorptive function of the small intestine. They confirmed the role of repeated Giardia lamblia infections as a cause of malabsorption in some cases which may be present without an obvious cause

Histopathological and immunohistochemical studies of skeletal muscle in mice experimentally infected with schistosoma mansoni

Histopathological, histochemical and immunohistochemical studies were carried out on the skeletal muscles of mice experimentally infected with Schistosoma mansoni throughout 20 weeks post infection. Histopathological changes were detected from the 13th week post- infection in spite of absence of Schistosoma mansoni eggs. There were definite enzymatic changes dehydrogenase, non-specific esterase and acid and alkaline phosphatases. These changes started from the 14th week post-infection. S. mansoni immune complex deposits were detected in the muscles from the 9th week post infection. Positive correlation was found between the degree of immune complex deposition and histopathological and histochemical changes. The study confirmed the role of immune complex in the pathogenesis of skeletal muscle lesion in Schistosoma mansoni infection [schistosomal myopathy]

study of the effect of fentanyl on haemodynamic status in experimentally preconditioned myocardium of anaesthetized cats

This work is an experimental trial to study the effect of fentanyl on the preconditioned myocardium when exposed to ischemia. Experiments were carried out on 18 cats in vivo. The cases were classified equally into: Group I [preconditioned group] subjected to two 5-minute occlusions [with 20 minutes apart] of LAD followed by prolonged occlusion for 25 minutes [occlusion [3]]. Group II subjected to IV fentanyl in a dose of 150 mug/kg followed by 100 mug/kg/hour. In group III, while fentanyl was given as in group II, cats were subjected to preconditioning and ischemia as in group I. Arterial blood pressure, heart rate and ST segment changes were recorded in each group. The results showed that during occlusion [3], the heart rate dropped by 32% in group III vs 23.6% in group I. The mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure showed no significant change between the two groups. The ST segment elevation decreased from 1.7 +/- 0.35 in group I to 0.1 +/- 0.08 mv in group III. So, fentanyl seemed to have a protective effect on the ischemic myocardium that is reflected in stabilization of the hemodynamic status of the anesthetized cats

Relation between vulva color and reproductive performance in rabbit does using AI technique

In this study, a total number of 307 female New Zeal and white rabbits were used to study the relationship between the color of the vulva and the reproductive performance. By the use of A. I. technique, the conception rate [CR], pregnancy duration [PD] and litter size [LS] were recorded. Four groups were classified according to the vulva color as congested red, pink, purple and pale. Highly significant variations were recorded between the four groups in all parameters studied. The highest CR, shortest PD and largest LS were recorded for the congested red vulva group. The pale vulva group failed to conceive

experimental study on the possible muscle relaxant action of verapamil and its interaction with other non-depolarizer muscle relaxants

In this work the neuromuscular blocking activity of verapamil was tested. In vivo studies done on gastrocnemius sciatic nerve preparation of chloralozed anesthetized cats showed dose-related muscle relaxant effect of verapamil which was reversed by neostigmine. It was found also to potentiate the effect of nondepolarizing muscle relaxant drugs [pancuronium and vecuronium] and this effect was not reversed by neostigmine or CaCl2. In vitro studies done on isolated frog's rectus abdominus supported the in vivo studies where verapamil showed a dose-dependent significant reduction of acetylcholine- potassium chloride and aminophylline-induced contraction. This relaxant effect of verapamil was antagonized by neostigmine. In addition, verapamil also potentiated the muscle relaxant effect of DTC on isolated frog's rectus abdominus. Therefore, this potentiating effect of verapamil on the non-depolarizing muscle relaxants which was not reversed by neostigmine or calcium chloride should be put into consideration during anesthetizing patients pretreated with verapamil. However, human studies are also needed