Clinical, pathological, biochemical and immunological effects of nigella sativa L-seed oil the treatment of atrophic rhinitis

This study was carried out on thirty-two patients with atrophic rhinitis. Ten apparently healthy subjects were included as controls and matched for age and sex with the study patients. The patients were given Nigella capsule tds for three months duration. Histopathologic assessment was done from a biopsy taken from the anterior end of the inferior turbinate or its site if it was absent before and after therapy for all patients. Both the nonspecific immune activity factors [acute phase reactants; alpha 1-acid glycoprotein [orosomucoid] and alpha 1- antitrypsin [A1 AT]] and the specific immune activity parameters [immunoglobulins-G, M, A as a function of beta- lymphocytes and adenosine deaminase enzyme activity [ADA]as a function of T- lymphocytes] were determined in serum of all patients and controls and ADA in the nasal tissue of all patients. It was concluded that the observed higher values of the levels of both nonspecific and specific immune activity parameters in the patients in response to the treatment with Nigella sativa L-seed oil could be attributed to its beneficial therapeutic effect via the activation of the immune system towards the infectious agents and promotion of the defence mechanism to protect the tissue against further damage by environmental pollutants and invading organisms

Oxidant stress in children with iron deficiency anemia

The susceptibility to oxidant stress was evaluated in forty-one children with iron deficiency anemia [IDA] as well as ten healthy children as a control group. The levels of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances [TBARS] as a measure of lipid peroxides, the antioxidant enzymes catalase and glutathione peroxidase [GPX] in red blood cells [RBCs] and superoxide dismutase [SOD] in both RBCs and plasma together with the non-enzymatic antioxidants glutathione in both RBCs and plasma, vitamin C and beta-carotene in plasma were measured in all patients and controls. The study revealed significant decrease in the levels of catalase [7.6 +/- 2.3], GPX [14.4 +/- 2.0], glutathione in both RBCs and plasma [435.4 +/- 56.5, 368.8 +/- 123.7], vitamin C [0.24 +/- 0.15] and beta-carotene [78.1 +/- 25.2] in children with IDA compared with the healthy control group [11.34 +/- 3.0, 19.9 +/- 2.7, 636.4 +/- 54.3, 640 +/- 94.9, 1.4 +/- 0.3, 118.5 +/- 22.9, respectively]. Consistent with the reduced levels of enzymatic and non- enzymatic antioxidants is the significant increased levels of the lipid peroxidation marker [TBARS]in both plasma and RBCs in children with IDA compared with the control group. The study revealed increased vulnerability to oxidant stress in children with IDA

Sex hormone profile in male diabetics, its relationship with sexual dysfunction

To investigate endocrinological changes associated with diabetes mellitus, serum total and free testosterone [T], estradiol [E [2]], lutenizing hormone [LH], follicle stimulating hormone [FSH] and prolactin [Prl] were determined in 39 male diabetic subjects [7 with type I and 32 with type II diabetes]. In addition to 14 healthy males of comparable age. Serum total and free T were significantly reduced but serum E [2], LH and Prl were significantly increased while FSH exhibited non-significant increase in diabetic subjects compared with healthy males. Neither did the type of diabetes nor its duration affect the hormonal levels. Similarly, no significant differences could be observed in the hormonal profiles between complicated and non-complicated diabetics. However, serum total and free T were significantly decreased in impotent compared to non-impotent diabetics. Serum total T levels exhibited a significant inverse correlation with blood glucose levels, but were not correlated with the age of the patients or with the duration of disease. The results of the present work demonstrated the presence of changes in sex hormone levels in male diabetics that could contribute to sexual dysfunction. Hyperglycaemia seems to be one of the causative factors for such changes and the use. of oral antidiabetic agents may be an added factor

Influence of gentamicin on the ATPase, electrolytes lipid peroxides and histology of rat renal cortical tissues

Calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium dependent ATPases and their corresponding cations together with the lipid peroxides and proteins were determined in renal cortical homogenate of five groups of adult male albino rats [6 animals each] from which one group was used as control and the other 4 groups were treated with a low dose of gentamicin [10 mg/-kg/D] for up to 21 days. The activity levels of the Na[+], K[+] ATPases were significantly inhibited after 15 days of treatment compared to the control whereas Mg[2]+, Ca[2]+ ATPases activity showed nonsignificant change from the control values. Both sodium and calcium cations concentrations significantly increased after 15 days in contrast to potassium and magnesium cations levels which showed a significant decrease after 15 days of treatment compared to the control values. In addition, rat renal cortical homogenates showed a significant increase in lipid peroxide levels throughout the first 15 days of gentamicin treatment. These findings were associated with histological and histochemical changes. It can be concluded that biochemical changes in renal tissue reflect the possible cellular damage. However, these changes were reversed and levels were returned to normal after 21 days of gentatmicin treatment. Therefore gentamicin should be used very cautiously using the lowest possible therapeutic dose and if it is necessary to use it, its nephrotoxic effect should be monitored in aged or critically-ill patients to detect the early laboratory and functional changes

Biochemical indices in synovial fluid as diagnostic tools in arthritis

Since analysis of synovial fluid, have a prime importance in the evaluation of inflammatory joint, samples of synovial fluid were obtained from the knee joints of patients with rheumatoid arthritis [13] and osteoarthritis [10]. Sera were obtained from patients and normal controls [15]. The concentrations of glucose, total protein [TP] and total sialic acid [TSA] and activity levels of lactate dehydrogenase [LDH], adenosine deaminase [ADA] and acid phosphatase [ACP] were determined in both the serum and synovial fluid. Serum TSA, LDH, ADA and ACP levels were significantly higher in rheumatoid arthritis than the normal controls [P < 0.05, P < 0.05, P < 0.05 and P < 0.001 respectively], whereas in osteoarthritis, only the mean sera LDH and ACP activities were significantly higher [P < 0.05 and P < 0.01 respectively]. There were no significant differences in serum glucose and TP levels. The synovial fluid TSA levels as well as ADAand ACP activities were significantly higher in rheumatoid arthritis group as compared to osteoarthritic group [P < 0.05, P < 0.01 and P < 0.05 respectively]. The synovial fluid glucose, TP levels and LDH activity did not significantly differ although the TP and LDH tend to have higher levels in rheumatoid arthritis. In addition, total and differential leucocytic count were performed. There was a significantly higher total leucocyte count [P< 0.01] and polymorphnuclear leucocyte percentage [P < 0.001] and a significantly lower lymphocyte percentage [P < 0.05] in the synovial fluid of the rheumatoid arthritis in comparison to osteoarthrilis. Positive significant correlations were found between synovial fluid LDH and TP and LDH and ACP and between serum TP and TSA in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Analysis of synovial fluid especially total and differential leucocytic count, TSA, ADA and ACP activities are important in differential diagnosis of the two types of arthritis, distinguishing between inflammatory and non-inflammatory disorders

Thyroid hormones and lipid propofol in nephrotic children before and after steroid therapy

Thyroid hormones and serum lipids, Apolipoproteins and kidney function tests were determined in 20 children with lipoid nephritis in comparison to 10 healthy controls of matchable age. Children were studied during an active phase of the disease and in a remission phase following prednisolone therapy for 2-4 weeks. Before therapy cases showed significantly lower levels of Tetraiodo-Thyronine [T4] and insignificantly lower level of triiodothyronine [T3] than controls, after therapy these levels raised. The post treatment level of T4 was significantly higher than its pretherapy level and the post treatment level of T3 was significantly higher than that of controls. Thyrotropin [TSH] was insignificantly higher in cases before treatment than in controls and decreased significantly after treatment to become insignificantly lower than controls. Before treatment cases showed significantly higher levels of cholesterol, low density lipoprotein [LDL-C] and insignificantly higher apolipo protein -B [apo-B] than controls. After treatment cholesterol level was significantly lower than pretreatment level and became significantly higher compared to controls, LDL-C showed no significant change after treatment and remain significantly higher compared to controls, apo-B showed insignificantly change after treatment. Before therapy the levels of high density lipoprotein [HDL-C] and apo-A were insignificantly lower than these of controls. After therapy HDL-C rised significantly than the pretreatment level and became significantly higher than that of controls. Apo-A significantly rised than pretreatment levels and remained different from that of controls. In the cases the levels of serum albumin before treatment was significantly lower than controls, it rised significantly after treatment to be similar to that of controls