Effect of hydroalcoholic extract of caraway on thyroid gland structure and hormones in female rat

Caraway is one of the medicinal plants used for digestion problems, however, it has been reported that the long term use of this plant in large doses might cause hyperthyroidism symptoms such as leanness, hair loss, severe sweating and tremulousness. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of hydroalcoholic extract of caraway on the level of thyroid hormones and morphologic changes of thyroid gland in rats. For this purpose, 60 rats were divided into 5 experimental and control groups. Experimental groups were orally given 100, 400, 800 and 1600 mg/kg of extract for 45 days by gavage. The same volume of saline was given to the control group. Blood samples were taken before and after the experiments for the measurement of hormones. The rats were dissected under deep anesthesia and their thyroid glands were removed, processed and stained with H and E. Results show that T[3] and T[4] were increased and TSH was decreased significantly at high doses compared to those in the control group, but no change was observed in the structure of the gland and the size of follicles. It seems that caraway can temporally increase thyroid hormones and cause hyperthyroidism, but further studies are required to clarify the issue

Reduced bioavailability of oral metronidazole in postoperative ileus

Metronidazole has been reported to reduce postoperative anaerobic infections following surgical procedures. Because of high cost and poor availability of intravenous metronidazole compared with that of oral preparation, we decided to measure the serum level of metronidazole after oral administration in patients during postoperative ileus, and to evaluate the substitution of intravenous metronidazole for the oral product. The present study comprised 45 adult patients undergoing major abdominal surgery via long laparatomy incision from Aug to Nov 2003. [500 mg of Metronidazole was administered as a single dose orally to each patient twice, one in ileus condition and the other in nonileus condition. Blood sampling was done 1 hour after each episode of the drug administration]. A significant reduction [P<0.001] was found between the mean serum metronidazole concentration [2.90 +/- 2.29 SD g/ml] during postoperative ileus, and that of controls [11.07 +/- 6.72 SD g/ml]. In majority of patients [62.5%], the serum level of metronidazole in ileus did not reach its minimum inhibitory concentration [3 micro g/ml] for the most clinically important anaerobic bacteria. Postoperative ileus significantly affected the oral absorption of metronidazole. As a result, if we want to control an active anaerobic infection with a prompt antibiotic therapy, it seems that initiating of the therapeutic regimen with oral Metronidazole postoperatively is not justified

[Estimation of glomerular volume in rats with glycerol-induced acute renal failure]

The use of stereological methods in evaluation of volume changes in vital organs such as kidney is very important. In this study, the volume of glomeruli in glycerol-induced acute renal failure in rats was determined. 48 Sprague-Dawley male rats were divided into 2 groups [1control, 1experiment]. Experimental group was injected 10ml/kg of 50% glycerol intramuscularly, while the same volume of saline was injected in the control group. After 48h, animals were dissected under deep anesthesia, and right kidneys were fixed by vascular perfusion. Microscopic slides were stained with H-E. Glomerular volumes were calculated using projecting microscope, point counting and cavalieri principal. The results indicated that renal failure induced-glycerol didn't affect the glomerular volume. It seems that estimation of glomerular volume can not be a useful variable in identification of acute renal failure induced glycerol, but further investigations are needed to clarify the issue

Plasma concentrations of oral metronidazole in the early post-laparotomy periods

The bioavailability of metronidazole after oral ingestion, in ordinary conditions, is quite similar to intravenous administration of the drug. However, the degree of its absorption is not known in the early periods after laparotomy. To determine plasma levels of metronidazole in pediatric patients following elective abdominal surgery. The study group was comprised of 25 pediatric patients with mean age of 8.25 years. They took 10 mg/kg metronidazole [ingested or taken via nasogastric tube] a few hours after operation, followed by every eight hours for a total of three successive doses. We obtained blood samples 1-2 hours after each drug intake. The mean +/- SD of plasma drug concentrations after the first, second and third doses were 1.43 +/- 0.81, 6.26 +/- 3.86 and 10.21 +/- 4.28 micro g/ml, respectively, showing a significant rise after each dose [p<0.001]. The majority of patients [84%] obtained a level equal to, or above the minimal bactericidal concentration [MBC] after the third dose. Ninety-two and 96% of patients achieved the plasma minimal inhibitory concentration or higher following the second and third doses, respectively, as compared to 4% after the first dose [p<0.00001]. Absorption of oral metronidazole after elective laparotomy is disturbed only temporarily, as in the majority of patients the drug attains an acceptable level before the second post-operative day. Therefore, parenteral metronidazole therapy, if necessary, is recommended only during the first 24 hours, and it may be replaced by oral preparation afterward