Anethole reduces oxidative stress and improves in vitro survival and activation of primordial follicles.

Primordial follicles, the main source of oocytes in the ovary, are essential for the maintenance of fertility throughout the reproductive lifespan. To the best of our knowledge, there are no reports describing the effect of anethole on this important ovarian follicle population. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of different anethole concentrations on the in vitro culture of caprine preantral follicles enclosed in ovarian tissue. Randomized ovarian fragments were fixed immediately (non-cultured treatment) or distributed into five treatments: α-MEM+ (cultured control), α-MEM+ supplemented with ascorbic acid at 50 µg/mL (AA), and anethole at 30 (AN30), 300 (AN300), or 2000 µg/mL (AN2000), for 1 or 7 days. After 7 days of culture, a significantly higher percentage of morphologically normal follicles was observed when anethole at 2000 µg/mL was used. For both culture times, a greater percentage of growing follicles was observed with the AN30 treatment compared to AA and AN2000 treatments. Anethole at 30 and 2000 µg/mL concentrations at days 1 and 7 of culture resulted in significantly larger follicular diameter than in the cultured control treatment. Anethole at 30 µg/mL concentration at day 7 showed significantly greater oocyte diameter than the other treatments, except when compared to the AN2000 treatment. At day 7 of culture, levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) were significantly lower in the AN30 treatment than the other treatments. In conclusion, supplementation of culture medium with anethole improves survival and early follicle development at different concentrations in the caprine species.

Anethole reduces oxidative stress and improves in vitro survival and activation of primordial follicles

Primordial follicles, the main source of oocytes in the ovary, are essential for the maintenance of fertility throughout the reproductive lifespan. To the best of our knowledge, there are no reports describing the effect of anethole on this important ovarian follicle population. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of different anethole concentrations on the in vitro culture of caprine preantral follicles enclosed in ovarian tissue. Randomized ovarian fragments were fixed immediately (non-cultured treatment) or distributed into five treatments: α-MEM+ (cultured control), α-MEM+ supplemented with ascorbic acid at 50 μg/mL (AA), and anethole at 30 (AN30), 300 (AN300), or 2000 µg/mL (AN2000), for 1 or 7 days. After 7 days of culture, a significantly higher percentage of morphologically normal follicles was observed when anethole at 2000 μg/mL was used. For both culture times, a greater percentage of growing follicles was observed with the AN30 treatment compared to AA and AN2000 treatments. Anethole at 30 and 2000 µg/mL concentrations at days 1 and 7 of culture resulted in significantly larger follicular diameter than in the cultured control treatment. Anethole at 30 µg/mL concentration at day 7 showed significantly greater oocyte diameter than the other treatments, except when compared to the AN2000 treatment. At day 7 of culture, levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) were significantly lower in the AN30 treatment than the other treatments. In conclusion, supplementation of culture medium with anethole improves survival and early follicle development at different concentrations in the caprine species.

Estudio comparativo entre la ecografía y la neuroestimulación en el aprendizaje del bloqueo ciático poplíteo posterior / No disponible

Introducción: La anestesia regional guiada mediante ecografía es un campo en rápido crecimiento y su docencia está siendo objeto de estudio. Este trabajo compara la realización del bloqueociático-poplíteo posterior mediante ecografía (ECO) o neuroestimulación (NE) por médicos especialistas en formación. Material y método: Se realizó un estudio prospectivo aleatorizado, con los pacientes distribuidos en dos grupos: el grupo ECO mediante técnica guiada con ecografía; el grupo NE empleó referencias de anatomía de superficie más neuroestimulación, considerando válida una respuesta muscular entre 0.2-0.5 mA. Las variables registradas fueron: tiempo de ejecución, número de intentos, número de punciones vasculares y de parestesias, así como éxito del bloqueo. Las técnicas fueron realizadas por un único especialista en formación, sin experiencia previa en anestesia regional ni ecografía, bajo la supervisión de un anestesiólogo experto. Resultados: Se obtuvieron 19 casos (ECO: 10; NE: 9). El grupo ECO requirió menos tiempo que el NE (108,5-338,6 sg, IC95%; p < 0,005) y menor número de intentos, 1,6 ± 0,7 para ECO, frente 9,5 ± 3,8 para NE (media ± ds; p < 0,05), obteniendo éxito en primera punción en un 80% para ECO frente a al11,1% para NE (p < 0,05). El grupo ECO asoció una menor incidencia de punciones vasculares y de parestesias. La tasa de éxito de la técnica fue del 100% en el grupo ECO, frente al 67,7% en NE. Conclusiones: Estos resultados sugieren que el empleo de ecografía en el aprendizaje del bloqueo poplíteo posterior por especialistas en formación, pudiera facilitar la ejecución de la técnica, asociar menor morbilidad y proporcionar mayor éxito del bloqueo nervioso periférico (AU)

Background: The ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia is a rapidly growing field and its teaching is being studied. This paper compares the performance of the posterior popliteal sciatic blockadeby ultrasound (ECO) with that of neurostimulation (NS) carried out by specialist doctors in training. Material and method: A prospective randomized trial was conducted with patients divided into two groups: group ECO treated with ultrasound-guided technique, and group NE in which surface anatomy and neurostimulation references were used, considering valid a muscle response between 0.2 and 0.5 mA. The variables recorded were run time, number of attempts, number of vascular punctures and paresthesias, and success of the blockade. The techniques were performed by a single training specialist without prior experience in regional anesthesia and ultrasound, under the supervision of an expert anaesthesiologist. Results: 19 cases were obteined (ECO: 10, NE 9), the ECO required less time than NE (108,5-338,6 sg, 95%, p < 0.005)and fewer attempts, 1.6 ± 0.7 for ECO, versus 9.5 ± 3.8 for NE(mean ± sd, p < 0.05), and success was achieved on first puncture on 80% of attempts in ECO group, versus 11.1% in NE group (p< 0.05). The ECO group associated a lower incidence of vascular puncture and paresthesia. The success rate of the technique was 100% in the ECO group, versus 67,7% in NE group. Conclusions: These results suggest that the use of ultrasound in the posterior popliteal block learning by training specialists could facilitate the implementation of the technique, and provideless morbidity associated with more successful peripheral nerveblock (AU)

Nitric oxide in the hypothalamus-pituitary axis mediates increases in brain glucose retention induced by carotid chemoreceptor stimulation with cyanide in rats.

Neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS), which catalyzes the generation of nitric oxide (NO), is expressed by neuron subpopulations in the CNS. Nitric oxide is involved in neurotransmission and central glucose homeostasis. Our prior studies have shown that carotid body receptors participate in brain glucose regulation in vivo, and suggest the presence of a NO tonic mechanism in the solitary tract nucleus (STn). However, the role of NO within STn in glucose control remains unknown. In this study, we explored the potential regulatory role of NO on brain glucose retention induced by carotid body chemoreceptor anoxic stimulation with sodium cyanide (NaCN) which inhibits oxidative metabolism. Intracisternal infusions of nitroxidergic drugs before carotid chemoreceptor stimulation in anesthetized rats, elicited changes in nitrite concentration in plasma and hypothalamus-pituitary (H-P) tissue, as well as in gene expression of neuronal and inducible isoforms (nNOS and iNOS) in H-P tissue. The changes observed in above variables modified brain glucose retention in an opposite direction. When the NO donor, sodium nitroprusside (SNP), was given before carotid stimulation, nitrite concentration in plasma and H-P tissue, and gene expression of nNOS and iNOS in H-P tissue increased, whereas brain glucose retention decreased. In contrast, when the NOS inhibitor, Nomega-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) was infused immediately before carotid chemoreceptor stimulation, nitrite levels and nNOS expression decreased in plasma and H-P tissue, whereas brain glucose retention increased. Anoxic stimulation by itself induced an increase in the expression of both genes studied. All these results indicate that de novo expression of the nNOS gene in H-P tissue may be critically involved in central glucose changes observed after anoxic carotid chemoreceptor stimulation in conjunction with NO.