The potent effect of silymarin combination with Praziquantel or mirazid for Schistosoma mansoni treatment in infected male swiss albino mice.

This work was carried out to investigate the effect of silymarin combination in the therapeutic plane of schistosomiasis with praziquantel or mirazid to enhance the liver and reduce fibrosis. Mice were divided into 2 main groups, the 1st uninfected group served as control and the 2nd group infected subcutaneously with 60 cercaria of S. mansoni per each. The infected group was subdivided into 5 subgroups, the 1st kept untreated, the 2nd and 3rd treated at the 7th week of infection with (600 mg/kg) of PZQ orally for 3 consecutive days, while the 3rd treated also orally with (150 mg/kg) of silymarin daily for 11 weeks. The 4th and 5th groups treated orally at the 7th week of infection with 600 mg/kg of MZ for 3 consecutive days, while the 5th group treated orally also with 150 mg/kg of silymarin daily for 11weeks. IgG determination showed high level in the untreated infected group. Furthermore, the infected groups treated with PZQ and PZQ with silymarin displayed the lower levels than treated with MZ. Additionally, the untreated infected group showed severe pathological changes as hyaline degeneration, inflammation, presence of worm burdens in dilated portal veins, granulomas as well as depositions of collagenous and reticular fibers indicated intense fibrosis. Treatment with PZQ alone resulted in reduction of pathological signs and decreasing of granulomas. Combination with silymarin to PZQ therapy revealed more improvement for liver besides to lowering of granulomas areas and volumes and decreasing of fibrosis. Whereas, treatment with MZ was less effective than PZQ to reduce granulomas areas, volumes and fibrosis. Although, combination of silymarin to MZ treatment resulted in more curative signs and reduction of granulomas areas, volumes and fibrosis. Furthermore, the present study concluded that PZQ still the more effective drug of schistosomiasis treatment than MZ. The silymarin is very useful in schistosomiasis treatment when combined with PZQ or MZ due to its anti-fibrotic effect.

Behavioural performance improvement in visuomotor learning correlates with functional and microstructural brain changes.

A better understanding of practice-induced functional and structural changes in our brains can help us design more effective learning environments that provide better outcomes. Although there is growing evidence from human neuroimaging that experience-dependent brain plasticity is expressed in measurable brain changes that are correlated with behavioural performance, the relationship between behavioural performance and structural or functional brain changes, and particularly the time course of these changes, is not well characterised. To understand the link between neuroplastic changes and behavioural performance, 15 healthy participants in this study followed a systematic eye movement training programme for 30 min daily at home, 5 days a week and for 6 consecutive weeks. Behavioural performance statistics and eye tracking data were captured throughout the training period to evaluate learning outcomes. Imaging data (DTI and fMRI) were collected at baseline, after two and six weeks of continuous training, and four weeks after training ended. Participants showed significant improvements in behavioural performance (faster task completion time, lower fixation number and fixation duration). Spatially overlapping reductions in microstructural diffusivity measures (MD, AD and RD) and functional activation increases (BOLD signal) were observed in two main areas: extrastriate visual cortex (V3d) and the frontal part of the cerebellum/Fastigial Oculomotor Region (FOR), which are both involved in visual processing. An increase of functional activity was also recorded in the right frontal eye field. Behavioural, structural and functional changes were correlated. Microstructural change is a better predictor for long-term behavioural change than functional activation is, whereas the latter is superior in predicting instantaneous performance. Structural and functional measures at week 2 of the training programme also predict performance at week 6 and 10, which suggests that imaging data at an early stage of training may be useful in optimising practice environments or rehabilitative training programmes.

The potent effect of silymarin combination with Praziquantel or mirazid for Schistosoma mansoni treatment in infected male swiss albino mice

@#This work was carried out to investigate the effect of silymarin combination in the therapeutic plane of schistosomiasis with praziquantel or mirazid to enhance the liver and reduce fibrosis. Mice were divided into 2 main groups, the 1st uninfected group served as control and the 2nd group infected subcutaneously with 60 cercaria of S. mansoni per each. The infected group was subdivided into 5 subgroups, the 1st kept untreated, the 2nd and 3rd treated at the 7th week of infection with (600 mg/kg) of PZQ orally for 3 consecutive days, while the 3rd treated also orally with (150 mg/kg) of silymarin daily for 11 weeks. The 4th and 5th groups treated orally at the 7th week of infection with 600 mg/kg of MZ for 3 consecutive days, while the 5th group treated orally also with 150 mg/kg of silymarin daily for 11weeks. IgG determination showed high level in the untreated infected group. Furthermore, the infected groups treated with PZQ and PZQ with silymarin displayed the lower levels than treated with MZ. Additionally, the untreated infected group showed severe pathological changes as hyaline degeneration, inflammation, presence of worm burdens in dilated portal veins, granulomas as well as depositions of collagenous and reticular fibers indicated intense fibrosis. Treatment with PZQ alone resulted in reduction of pathological signs and decreasing of granulomas. Combination with silymarin to PZQ therapy revealed more improvement for liver besides to lowering of granulomas areas and volumes and decreasing of fibrosis. Whereas, treatment with MZ was less effective than PZQ to reduce granulomas areas, volumes and fibrosis. Although, combination of silymarin to MZ treatment resulted in more curative signs and reduction of granulomas areas, volumes and fibrosis. Furthermore, the present study concluded that PZQ still the more effective drug of schistosomiasis treatment than MZ. The silymarin is very useful in schistosomiasis treatment when combined with PZQ or MZ due to its anti-fibrotic effect.

Rediscovery of Acanthobrama hadiyahensis (Cyprinidae) in Saudi Arabia.

This study documents the rediscovery of Acanthobrama hadiyahensis in Saudi Arabia and the first report since it was described in 1983. One female and one juvenile were collected from Qusaiba'a Dam, in the Al-Thamad area of Khaybar City. Threats facing this species are the same as those facing all other freshwater fishes in Arabia, mainly habitat loss and damming.

Go east: phylogeographies of Mauremys caspica and M. rivulata- discordance of morphology, mitochondrial and nuclear genomic markers and rare hybridization.

In recent years many cases of hybridization and introgression became known for chelonians, requiring a better understanding of their speciation mechanisms. Phylogeographic investigations offer basic data for this challenge. We use the sister species Mauremys caspica and M. rivulata, the most abundant terrapins in the Near and Middle East and South-east Europe, as model. Their phylogeographies provide evidence that speciation of chelonians fits the allopatric speciation model, with both species being in the parapatric phase of speciation, and that intrinsic isolation mechanisms are developed during speciation. Hybridization between M. caspica and M. rivulata is very rare, suggesting that the increasing numbers of hybrids in other species are caused by human impact on environment (breakdown of ecological isolation). Genetic differentiation within M. caspica and M. rivulata resembles the paradigm of southern genetic richness and northern purity of European biota. However, in west Asia this pattern is likely to reflect dispersal and vicariance events older than the Holocene. For M. caspica three distinct Pleistocene refuges are postulated (Central Anatolia, south coast of Caspian Sea, Gulf of Persia). Morphologically defined subspecies within M. caspica are not supported by genetic data. This is one of the few studies available about the phylogeography of west and central Asian species.