Iranian Journal of Basic Medical Sciences
Year:2001 | Volume:4 | Issue:2 (10)|Papers Count:8

The effect of L-NAME, a nitric oxide inhibitor and indomethacin, a non selective cyclooxyganes inhibitor on painful stimuli were investigated in mice employing tail flick latency measurement and hot plate technique. Mice were injected with different doses of L-NAME (0.2, 0.5 and 0.8 mg/100g). The tail flick latency and response time to the hot plate chamber were significantly increased in L-NAME (0.5 mg/100g) -treated mice. However, the effects of L-NAME were reversed by the administration of L-arginine (5 mg/100g). Indomethacin injection caused a non-significant increase in tolerance to painful stimuli. These results may suggest that attenuation of pain in mice is partly through the activation of L-arginine nitric oxide pathway.

Background: Differentiation between prostatic carcinoma and hyperplasia may not be difficult in most cases, but sometime it is a problem even for expert pathologists. The method of AgNOR staining was applied for evaluating the usefulness of it in distinguishing between benign and malignant lesions. Methods: 50 cases of prostatic carcinoma and 50 cases of nodular prostatic hyperplasia were selected and stained by the AgNOR (argirophilic nucleolar organizer region) method. These included prostatectomy (open/T.U.R.) or needle biopsy specimens of the prostate. Prostatic cancers were classified and graded according to Gleason's Histologic Grading System. Results: In prostatic hyperplasia the mean number of AgNOR count was 1.35 per cell and in prostatic carcinoma it was 3.77. Prostatic hyperpla,sia showed one or two well defined NORs, but in prostatic carcinoma there were many large irregular NORS. In prostatic hyperplasia the average percentage of cells exhibited three or more interphase AgNORs, which were 7.46% and in the prostatic carcinoma 72.28%. Conclusions: AgNOR stair is useful for differentiation between prostatic carcinoma and hyperplasia, but this stain may not be used as a reliable index for grading of prostatic adenocarcinoma, because overlapping was seen in some cases.

In this study, the hypoglycemic activity of the leaves extract of salvia leriifolia was studied in an open and crossover trial. Sixty patients with the non insulin dependent diabetes mellitus, between 25 and 60 years old were chosen. The fasting blood sugar (FBS) was between 150 to 250 mg/dl. Microbial tests were done for the extracts. Three groups of patients (10 people in each group) were taken decoction extracts (5, 10 and 20 percent) and one group were taken infusion extracts (10 percent) once a day. The treatment was lasted for one week. Before and after treatment the following parameters were determined: FBS, blood pressure and weight. At each visit (before and after treatment) a questionnaire about side effects and associated symptoms was completed. FBS was not reduced significantly after 7 days. In other two groups of NIDDM patients (10 people in each group) decoction extract was administrated with 1/2 and 1 glibenclamide tablet, once a day for one week. The FBS was not reduced significantly in these groups. The positive control of these studies was 1/2 glibenclamide tablet that was administrated for one week. In 53% of patients reduction in weight was between 500 g to 2.5 kg. Neuropathy and polyphagia got better during of using the extracts. It is possible these extracts act like biguanides in reduction diabetic symptoms. Other mechanisms for the extracts are possible.

To assess the relationship between the spoilage of cadavers of Anatomy departments to microbial contamination, and to confirm the resistance of bacteria and fungi to antimicrobial effects of fixators, A study was undertaken from Oct 1999 to March 2000. Fixators, the materials used for fixation of the cadavers, as they contain ethanol and formalin. Protect the cadavers tissues from microbial contamination. But sometimes because of low efficiency of fixators on the new mutants of bacteria, cadavers will spoil. Two cadavers belonging to the Anatomy Department of Urmia Faculty of Medicine school were selected to assess the fixators effects. Samples were from rib, chest skin, extermitis muscle tissue, blood of jugular vein and stool of sigmoid. From each tissue one gram as a sample, was taken and mixed with sterile saline and grained in a sterile mortar prepare a homogenic suspension, From each suspension 1 ml was cultivated in bacteriological and mycological media and incubated at temperatures 37°C and 25°C respectively. To culture anaerobic microorgamisms, 1 ml of suspensions was transferred to thioglycolate medium. Cultures were allowed to incubate. For 24 to 48 hours for bacteria and 7 to 10 days for fungi. The isolated strains were stainee and undergone some biochemical tests e.g. nitrate reaction, motility, catalase, gelatin hydrolase, ureas and fermentation of succharose, maltose, manitol, arabinose and growth in 5°C. Results show the microbial contamination of the tissues except the blood. The isolated Strains, from the two cadavers were B. circulans, B. maccerans, B. alvei, C. hofmani, C. xerosis, C. ulcems.

Surfactants are widely used as detergents, emulsifiers, solubilizers, anti-infective and in recent years as absorption enhancers as well. One of the limiting factors in using these agents is their effect on the integrity of biological membranes. In the present study, the membrane disruptive effects of four ionic surfactants, two anionics including sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) and dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate (DSS), and two cationics including cetrimide (CET) and benzalkonium chloride (BNZ) were investigated using human red blood cells as a model of biological membrane. It was found that the hemolysis induced by SLS was more pronounced than that of DSS, thus SLS is considered too toxic and may cause permanent damage to the membrane. Also the hemolytic effect of CET was shown to be more than that of BNZ. Thus, BNZ is preferred as a preservative in eye drops. The effect of temperature on the hemolysis caused by the four surfactants was also examined and it was found that increasing the temperature from 25°C to 37° C resulted in a significant increase in the hemolytic effects of all surfactants tested. The results were analysed statistically by T-student test with P<0.05.

In this study different formulations including 2% minoxidil and 0.01% ethinyl estradiol in a mixed solvents [ethanol, propylen glycol (pG) and water, with the ratio of 50: 20: 30] were prepared, and their stabilities were studied via accelerated tests. In this assessment some factors such as: presence or absence of light, effect of antioxidant agent and vehicle were considered. The degradation of two active ingredients was first-order reaction. By using antioxidant agents and amber glass as suitable containers, the length of their shelf-life was increased. In order to protect quick and high degradation rate of the ethynil estradiol and its concentration fluctuation, PG was omitted from the solvent system. In percutaneous absorption, kinetic of minoxidil was zero-order reaction while the ethynil estradiol obeyed Higuchi's modle. Perhaps the high absorption rate of ethynil estradiol was duo to its low polarity.

A cross sectional study of refractive errors from a clinical sample of 2410 patients (4820 eyes) from the Optometry Department, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences was performed ranging from 1 to 97 years of age by using the SPSS software computer. The purpose of this research was to investigate the prevalence of types and amounts of refractive errors in different ages in steps of 5 years. The results of this investigation showed that prevalence and amount of myopia increase with increasing of age until 20 years and vice versa, hyperopia decreases. These changes are not significant until 40 years, and then by beginning of presbyopia, the prevalence and amount of myopia decrease and vice versa, hyperopia increases. It is interesting to note that the prevalence of with-the-rule astigmatism was more than the prevalence of against-the-rule one after presbyopia. Significant changes were found in the amount of astigmatism with advancing years.