Oxidants and antioxidants levels in patients with rhinoscleroma

Antioxidant enzymes work together in human blood cells against toxic reactive oxygen species. Recently, oxidative stress has been linked to the pathogenesis of several chronic inflammatory disorders of the respiratory tract. However, little is known about the connection between oxidative products and antioxidant enzymes in rhinoscleroma. Therefore, this study was designed to investigate and to determine the level of lipid peroxidation, nitric oxide and antioxidant enzyme activities in blood of patients suffering from rhinoscleroma. The study was carried out on 33 patients and 15 normal healthy controls. Venous blood samples were taken from all subjects. The specific activity levels of malondialdehyde [MDA] and nitric oxide [NO] as oxidant enzymes, superoxide dismutase [SOD], and catalase [CAT] as antioxidant enzymes were estimated in all blood samples. Levels of MDA, and NO were significantly higher [P <0.001], whereas levels of SOD, and CAT showed no significant change [P >0.05] in rhinoscleroma patients when compared with control group. These results provide some evidences for potential role of oxidative products as contributing factors in patients with rhinoscleroma, and estimation of antioxidant enzymes in blood may, therefore, help to orientate rhinoscleroma therapy

effect of garlic on protein content in brown adipose tissue and catecholamine secretion in albino rats

The effect of garlic supplementation on triglyceride metabolism was investigated by measurements of the degree of thermogenesis in interscapular brown adipose tissue [IBAT] and catecholamine secretion in rats fed two types of dietary fat. Rats were given isoenergetic high fat diets containing either high fat without cholesterol or high fat with cholesterol content with or without garlic powder supplementation [8g/kg of diet]. After 4 weeks feeding, body weight, plasma triglyceride level and the weight of perirenal adipose tissue and epidiymal fat pad were significantly lower in rats fed diets supplemented with garlic powder than in those fed diets withut garfic powder. The content of protein in IBAT and plasma catecholamine concentration were significantly greater in rats fed a high fat diet [with cholesterol] supplemented with garlic powder than in those fed the same diet without garlic. Other than adrenaline secretion, differences due to garlic were also significant in rats fed high fat diet without cholesterol. These results suggest that in rats, garlic powder enhance thermogenesis by increasing protein content in IBAT and catecholamine secretion

Comparative study of rocuronium and vecuronium on the neuromuscular activity in experimental animals

Rocuronium is one of the newest non depolarizing neuromuscular blocking drugs. In this study, the effects of rocuronium and vecuronium as neuromuscular blocking agents on isolated rat phrenic nerve diaphragm and intact gastrocnemius sciatic nerve preparation in the cat were compared. The effect of gradually increasing doses of rocuronium [3-48 mu g /ml] and vecuronium [0.58 mu g/ ml] on the amplitude of contraction of isolated muscle in response to indirect electrical stimulation was recorded. Also, the effect of rocuronium [0.06-0.12 mg / Kg] and vecuronium [0.01-0.02 mg / kg] on the electrically induced gastrocnemius sciatic nerve was studied. Both drugs produced significant dose dependent reductions in the amplitude of rat phrenic nerve diaphragmatic contractions, but the effect of vecuronium was more than rocuronium. On cats gastrocnemius sciatic nerve preparations, the pattern of neuromuscular blockade [magnitude on set to maximum blockade and duration of block] of both drugs was also dose dependent. The results of this study demonstrated that rocuronium had significantly shorter time of onset, less potent with shorter duration of motor block than vecuronium