Lycopene is superior to moringa in improving fertility markers in diet-induced obesity male rats

Obesity is a condition of chronic tissue inflammation and oxidative stress that poses as a risk factor for male infertility. Moringa oleifera oil extract is known to have cholesterol-lowering properties and a potential to treat obesity, while lycopene is a potent antioxidant. We hypothesize that Moringa or lycopene may improve male fertility markers in an animal model of diet-induced obesity. Male Albino rats (n = 60) were randomized to receive regular chow (RC) or high-fat diet (HFD) for 12 weeks (n = 30 each). Animals in each arm were further randomized to receive gavage treatment with corn oil (vehicle), lycopene (10 mg/kg), or Moringa (400 mg/kg) for four weeks starting on week 9 (n = 10 each). Animals were sacrificed at 12 weeks, and blood was collected to assess lipid profile, serum testosterone, and gonadotropin levels. The testes and epididymides were removed for sperm analysis, oxidative stress and inflammatory markers, and histopathological assessment. In comparison to their RC littermates, animals on HFD showed an increase in body weights, serum lipids, testosterone and gonadotrophin levels, testicular oxidative stress and inflammatory markers, as well as sperm abnormalities and disrupted testicular histology. Moringa or lycopene reduced body weight, improved oxidative stress, and male fertility markers in HFD-fed animals with lycopene exhibiting better anti-antioxidant and anti-lipidemic effects. Lycopene is superior to Moringa in improving male fertility parameters, possibly by attenuating oxidative stress.     

Protective Effects of Quercetin and Melatonin on Indomethacin Induced Gastric Ulcers in Rats

Background: Medications to prevent the development of NSAID-induced gastric ulcers have a large range of unpleasant side effects. Recent efforts have been focused on determining safer alternative nontoxic and natural forms of anti-ulcer treatments. Methods:Twenty-four male rats were divided into 4 groups: 1: control group that received no treatment; 2: the ndomethacin-treated group that received 20 mg/kg of indomethacin for 2 days to induce the development of gastric ulcers; 3: quercetin-treated group that in addition to the indomethacin treatment, received 50 mg/kg of quercetin 6 hours after and then daily for 14 days and; 4: the melatonin-treated group which received 20 mg/kg of melatonin 6 hours after each indomethacin treatment and then daily for 14 days. All drugs were administered orally. The following parameters were assessed in each group: mean ulcer index of gastric tissue, gastric acid volume and pH, oxidative stress markers: malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH), inflammatory markers: PGE-2, TNF-α, and IL-10, nitric oxide (NO) levels and the relative gene expression of BAX, BCL-2 and COX-2 by real time PCR.Results:Our findings revealed that the indomethacin-treated group had a significantly increased (p< 0.05) ulcer index, gastric acid volume, and elevated levels of stress, inflammatory, and apoptotic markers compared to controls. In the groups that received quercetin or melatonin, these factors were all significantly decreased (p< 0.05). Between quercetin and melatonin, there was no significant difference in their gastroprotective effect. Conclusion:Both quercetin and melatonin had protective antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antiapoptotic activity against indomethacin-induced gastric ulcers.Key Words: Gastric ulcer, Indomethacin, Melatonin, Quercetin     

The incidence of skin manifestations by dermatophytes in patients with psoriasis

Thirty-four psoriatic patients (23 males, 11 females) were found to have skin manifestations of dermatophyte infection. Tinea pedis was observed in 20 cases, tinea cruris in 6 and tinea mannum in 2. T. rubrum was the causative agent in all of these with the exception of 2 cases caused by E. floccosum. Lesions of tinea corporis were found intermingled with psoriatic plaques in various areas of the body skin in 6 patients (4 males, 2 females); T. rubrum was isolated from 5 of these and M. canis from one. Twenty-one of these psoriatic patients also had lesions caused by C. albicans in the toe-webs and interdigital aspects of the fingers, the latter being associated with paronychia in 9 cases. These findings indicate that we should remain aware of the possibility of fungus manifestations in patients with psoriasis, which would not appear to be an exceptional occurrence.     

Unusual aspects of granulomatous dermatophytosis

Described are three male patients showing bizarre manifestations of granulomatous dermatophytosis, all in the hand region. One had a small infiltrated nodular lesion near the thumb which was mistaken for a common insect bite. The second had a violaceous-yellowish plaque, also on the thumb, composed of 2–3 small subcutaneous nodules. The third case had five reddish intracutaneous nodules on the dorsum of the hand. Puncture of these nodules revealed the presence of fungal elements and culture yielded T. rubrum in all cases. Each patient was also found to have a fingernail affected by the same agent. Histologic sections in each case showed granulation tissue in the dermis and hypodermis, mainly in the vicinity of hair fragments with spores. These lesions appeared to be variants of Majocchi's granuloma trichophyticum.     

Tinea capitis due to Microsporum canis in infants

Three cases of scalp involvement by M. canis in infants are briefly reported. The first was a 2-month-old female with a few erythematous spots on the scalp, the second an 8-month-old male with lesions resembling seborrhoeic dermatitis and the third an 11-month-old male having areas of folliculitis of a kerion type. The father of the second case was found to have a tinea barbae infection due to the same fungus. Stray kittens were the most probable source of infection in all these cases.     

Functional Interactions of Fibronectin and TNFα: A Paradigm of Physiological Linkage Between Cytokines and Extracellular Matrix Moieties

The ECM is composed of various cell-adhesive glycoproteins, such as, fibronectin (FN), laminin (LN), and different types of glycosaminoglycans and proteoglycans. These building blocks of the ECM are linked together to form a dense and complex tissue that fills the interstitial spaces and comprises the boundaries between cells and tissues. The ECM is the major milieu in which immune cells function during inflammatory processes (Shimizu and Shaw, 1991; Yamada, 1991). Recognition of ECM-glycoproteins by immune cells is mediated by very late activation (VLA) receptors, also referred to as integrins of the β₁-subfamily (Hynes, 1992). A prerequisite of lymphocyte-ECM interactions is activation of the cells by mitogens, or via their CD3-T cell receptor complex, either of these types of activation modulates the affinity of otherwise inactive β₁-integrins (Shimizu, et al., 1990).     

500-MHz1H NMR studies of insulin: Complete assignment of histidine resonances

The two histidines of the insulin monomer play a vital role in the organization of insulin into insulin hexamers. The B10 histidines bind to zinc to form two-zinc insulin hexamer, and both the B5 and B10 histidines are implicated in the formation of four-zinc insulin hexamer. These two histidines are both accessible to solvent in the dimeric form of insulin, the predominant species present at pH 2–3. In the present work we report the first 500-MHz¹H NMR studies of insulin. At this frequency all four proton resonances from the two histidines of each equivalent monomer are resolved. The resonances are assigned to the C(2)- and C(4)-imidazole protons of B5 His and B10 His employing Carr-Purcell pulse sequences to detect singlets and to observe approximateT ₂ relaxation times. Zinc-free bovine insulin at pH 2.9 was examined at temperatures up to 60°C in acetate buffer and in urea of varying concentrations. The environments of B5 His in molecule I and molecule II of the dimer must be the same, with the same being true for B10 His, since a total of only four sharp resonances are seen. Our assignments for the two C(2) protons are consistent with those determined from recent studies of human (B5 Ala) insulin.