The protective effects of date seeds, in either conventional or nanoformulation, against bisphenol A-induced testicular toxicity: involvement of testicular expression of CYP11A1, Nrf-2 and Bax/Bcl-2 ratio.

Background: Bisphenol A (BPA), an endocrine-disrupting chemical (EDC), is ubiquitous in our environment and poses a significant threat to male fertility. Date seeds (DSs) are used in folk medicine due to their antioxidant activity. Aim: The purpose of this study was to assess the beneficial effects of DSs, whether in powder or nanoparticle form, against BPA-induced testicular oxidative challenges and apoptosis, aided by inspection of specific genes linked to fertility, oxidative stress and intrinsic mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis. Methods: Thirty-five adult male albino rats were equally divided into 5 groups including control, BPA, BPA + date seeds powder "DSP", BPA + date seed nanoparticle 1/10 (DSNP 1/10) and BPA + DSNP 1/20 groups. Results: TEM showed that the ball-mill method was effective to form DSNP with an average size of 20 nm. BPA significantly impaired sperm motility, morphology, viability and concentration. It also reduced serum testosterone levels and evoked marked oxidative stress in the testes. Additionally, serum levels of triiodothyronine and thyroxine were extremely reduced. Moreover, testicular mRNA relative expression levels of CYP11A1 and Nrf-2 were markedly downregulated. Testicular apoptosis was also promoted whereas Bax/Bcl-2 ratio was profoundly elevated. Histological pictures of the testes, epididymis, seminal vesicles and prostate confirmed the unfavorable effects of BPA. Surprisingly, we first demonstrated that DSs, specifically the nanoparticle form, strongly alleviated all of BPA's negative effects, with DSNP 1/20 achieving the best results. Conclusion: Therefore, DSNP in both doses could be regarded as an ideal candidate for abating the male reproductive challenges caused by BPA.

Effects of dietary boron supplementation on the testicular function and thyroid activity in male goats: Involvement of CYP17A1 gene.

The physiological effects of dietary boron (B) supplementation for farm animals specifically goat on male fertility are still scarce and need deep investigation. Thus, the current study was designed to investigate how adding B to the diet of male goats affected their testicular and thyroid activity. For that purpose, twelve male goats were divided randomly into two groups (six animals each); control group that was fed the basal diet and B group that was fed the basal diet containing 70 mg B/kg diet for 6 months. Serum samples were collected at different intervals, while testicular biopsies were obtained at the end of the experiment. The results showed that 6 months of dietary B supplementation resulted in a significant increment in serum B concentration. The results of repeated measure analysis showed that there were significant GROUP and TIME × GROUP interactions effects on blood testosterone levels (F = 119.408, p = .000 and F = 6.794, p = .013, respectively), demonstrating that compared with control, B supplementation caused a significant rise in serum testosterone levels over time. However, the mean animal body weights and the serum levels of triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4) were kept comparable with the control ones at the different time points. The most striking finding is that B supplementation increased significantly the mRNA expression of the CYP17A1 which is essential for steroidogenesis (p < .001). In addition, a histological examination of testicular tissue corroborated our findings and demonstrated that B supplementation had a positive effect. As a result, B might be considered an excellent food supplement that could be safely added to the male goats' diet at the current dose to improve their reproductive capacity.

Developmental Programming: Physiological Impacts of Prenatal Melatonin Administration on Reproductive Capacity and Serum Triiodothyronine of Adult Female Offspring Rat Born to Moms Exposed to Bisphenol A During Pregnancy.

Gestational bisphenol A (BPA) exposure induced multiple programmed diseases in the adult offsprings. Thus, this study targeted exploring the physiological impacts of melatonin (MEL) as a reprogramming strategy against in utero BPA exposure on reproductive capacity of adult F1 female rat offspring. Forty adult pregnant albino female rats were divided equally into 5 groups (n = 8): group I (control), group II (low-dose BPA; 25 µg BPA/kg B.w.t.), group III (low-dose BPA + 10 mg MEL/kg B.w.t.), group IV (high-dose BPA; 250 µg/kg B.w.t.), and group V (high-dose BPA + MEL). Treatments were given daily by subcutaneous (s/c) injection from the fourth day of pregnancy until full term. After delivery, female offspring were selected, and on postnatal day 60, adult offspring were examined for estrus regularity and then were sacrificed at estrus to collect blood and tissue samples. Findings clarified that in utero BPA exposure (both doses) increased significantly (P < 0.05) the ovarian weights and the serum levels of estrogen but decreased that of triiodothyronine (T3) compared to control groups. Significant increasing of serum malondialdehyde (MDA) and decreasing of total antioxidant capacity (TAC) were also detected. Both doses of BPA disturbed remarkably the estrus cycles and caused marked aberrations in ovarian and uterine tissues. Interestingly, prenatal MEL co-treatment with BPA mitigated significantly all of these degenerative changes. Thus, this study first demonstrated that prenatal MEL therapy could be used as a potent reprogramming intervention against BPA-induced reproductive disorders in the adult F1 female rat offspring.

Primary health care in the Eastern Mediterranean Region: from Alma-Ata to Doha

The celebration in Doha of the 30th anniversary of the Alma-Ata Declaration at the International Conference on Primary Health Care renewed the commitment of the Eastern Mediterranean Region to primary health care as the tool for better health. The principles agreed at Alma-Ata in 1978 apply as much now as they did before. The event provided an opportunity for the Eastern Mediterranean countries to define future directions to steer the health systems to integrate primary health carg and harness the intersectoral approach

Radiological study of exposure levels in El Maghara underground coal mine.

Coal is largely composed of organic matter, but it is the inorganic matter in coal minerals and trace elements that have been cited as possible causes of health, environmental and technological problems associated with the use of coal. Some trace elements in coal are naturally radioactive. These radioactive elements include uranium (U), thorium (Th) and their numerous decay products, including radium (Ra) and radon (Rn). Although these elements are less chemically toxic than other coal constituents, such as arsenic, selenium or mercury, questions have been raised concerning the possible risk from radiation. In order to accurately address these questions and to predict the mobility of radioactive elements during the coal fuel cycle, it is important to determine the specific activity, distribution and form of radioactive elements in coal. The assessment of the radiation exposure from coal burning is critically dependent on the specific activity of radioactive elements in coal and in the fly ash that remains after combustion. The El-Maghara coal mine is the only producing coal mine in Egypt. It is located in the middle of the Sinai desert about 250 km north-east of Cairo, where a coal-fired power plant is intended to be built. In this study, a pre-operational radiological baseline of the site and the occupational radiation exposures due to radon progeny in the mine were determined. The specific activities of 226Ra, 232Th and 40K in soil and coal dust samples collected along the main gallery ranges were found to be 6-22.9, 9.6-47.3 and 77-489 Bq kg-1, respectively. Soil samples collected around the mine showed concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th and 40K in the ranges 2.7-20.2, 3.2-12.6 and 14.6-201 Bq kg-1, respectively. All of the mean values of radon progeny were lower than the action levels for working places recommended in the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) 65.

Uranium bioassay and radioactive dust measurements at some uranium processing sites in Egypt--health effects.

The safety of radiation workers in the uranium mining industry requires close and continuous monitoring of their working conditions. In this study, external radiation surveillance, radioactive dust monitoring and the bioassay of uranium were carried out in some processing sites. As dust represents one of the most important sources of radiation exposure in mills and mines, dust monitoring and bioassays were performed for a sample of workers on the production lines. The concentration of uranium in air ranged from 22.6 x 10(-7) to 11.1 x 10(-5) Bq cm-3, and the exposure levels ranged from 1 to 80 microSv h-1. Laser fluorimetric determination of uranium in urine samples showed concentrations in the range 8.4-29.2 micrograms L-1. Renal function parameters, such as serum creatinine and urea, and hematological parameters were determined in an attempt to correlate them with radiation exposure and the health status of the workers. Urine specimens collected from workers at the ore crushing and separation site showed elevated concentrations of uranium (up to 29.2 micrograms L-1) and a strong correlation between these concentrations and the registered serum creatinine. The mean uranium excretion in the investigated group was more than 20 times the occupational exposure decision level for urine uranium of 0.8 microgram L-1.

Depleted uranium: an overview of its properties and health effects.

There has been much debate about the use of depleted uranium in the Gulf War and its health effects on United States and European war veterans. However, studies on the impact of this radioactive substance on the residents of the surrounding Gulf region are far from adequate. Depleted uranium introduces large quantities of radioactive material that is hazardous to biological organisms, continues to decay for millennia and is able to travel tens of kilometres in air. If depleted uranium were used in the Gulf War, its impact on the health of people in the area would have been considerable. This review of depleted uranium--its origin, properties, uses and effects on the human environment and health--aims to trigger further research on this subject.

Depleted uranium: an overview of its properties and health effects

There has been much debate about the use of depleted uranium in the Gulf War and its health effects on United States and European war veterans. However, studies on the impact of this radioactive substance on the residents of the surrounding Gulf region are far from adequate. Depleted uranium introduces large quantities of radioactive material that is hazardous to biological organisms, continues to decay for millennia and is able to travel tens of kilometres in air. If depleted uranium were used in the Gulf War, its impact on the health of people in the area would have been considerable. This review of depleted uranium-its origin, properties, uses and effects on the human environment and health-aims to trigger further research on this subject

Characteristics of NORM in the oil industry from eastern and western deserts of Egypt.

Naturally occurring radionuclides (NORs) from the 232Th- and 238U-series, which are omnipresent in the earth's crust, can be concentrated by technical activities, particularly those involving natural resources. Although, a great deal of work has been done in the field of radiation protection and remedial action on uranium and other mines, recent concern has been devoted to the hazard arising from naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) in oil and gas facilities. NORM wastes associated with oil and gas operations from scale deposits, separated sludge and water at different oil fields in the eastern and western deserts were investigated. Concentrations of the uranium, thorium, and potassium (40K) series have been determined from high-resolution gamma-ray spectrometry. Total uranium content of samples was determined using laser fluorimetry. The levels of radioactivity were mainly due to enhanced levels of dissolved radium ions. Only minute quantities of uranium and thorium were present. The disequilibrium factor for 238U/226Ra has been determined.