ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Epidural fibrosis is a major contributing factor to the onset of failed back syndrome. Many studies have attempted to prevent this physiological response. Interestingly, N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC) has been effective in some cases in the treatment of pulmonary fibrosis. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to determine whether local NAC is an effective way to prevent epidural fibrosis after laminectomy in rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty Wistar rats were used in this study. Animals were divided into two groups: NAC group and a control group. We performed two-level laminectomy (L4-L5) in these rats. Rats in the control group just had laminectomy, and in the other group, L4 and L5 laminectomy followed by local treatment with NAC. Four weeks later, the rats were killed, and the laminectomy level was subjected to histopathological examination to evaluate epidural fibrosis and fibroblast density. RESULTS: Histopathological examination showed that after 4 weeks of surgery the NAC group had significantly less epidural fibrosis and fibroblasts compared with control group. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that NAC decreased spinal epidural fibrosis after laminectomy in rats.
ABSTRACT
Smoking is known as a major cause of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and hence immediate and effective interventions are required for its elimination. This study aimed to collect valid data with regard to cigarette smoking in adult population of north of Iran for policy making by a meta-analysis of the documents of national non-communicable disease risk factors surveillance system. We investigated relevant evidences by searching in published and non-electronic databases. Data were extracted based on variables such as year of the study, sex, age group and prevalence of smoking habit. Based on results of heterogeneity, we applied fixed or random effects model to estimate the overall prevalence of cigarette smoking. All analyses were performed using STATA 11 software. A total of 20747 subjects (10381 males and 10366 females) in five age groups 15-24, 25-34, 35-44, 45-54 and 55-64 years were interviewed. Meta-analysis in men and women showed prevalence of 19.2% (15.8-22.6%) and 0.3% (0.2-0.5%) respectively. Results of the present meta-analysis showed as much as one fifth of male population of north of Iran are smoker. Subgroup analysis also revealed that the rate of smoking was higher among the middle-aged men.
Subject(s)
Smoking/epidemiology , Adolescent , Adult , Female , Health Surveys , Humans , Iran/epidemiology , Male , Middle Aged , Prevalence , Risk Factors , Smoking/adverse effectsABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Spermatic cord torsion is a true urological emergency. Significant subfertility exists in patients following unilateral testicular torsion. Several studies have tested several agents such as vasodilators and antioxidants to inhibit or temper testicular damage. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into five groups; in group 1 (control) no operation or drug injection was done. In groups 2-5 the left testis was subjected to 270 torsions. Two hours after induced torsion, drugs were injected intraperitoneally. Rats in group 2 received no drug, whereas those in groups 3, 4 and 5 were administered a single dose of papaverine (35 mg/kg), lidocaine (4 mg/kg) and verapamil (0.1 mg/kg), respectively. Thirty minutes after drug injection (2.5 h after torsion), testis detorsion was performed in all groups. The drug injections continued for 1 week. After 20 days, bilateral orchiectomy was carried out and semen from both testes was evaluated. RESULTS: In animals treated with verapamil, left testis sperm count and the percentage of motile sperm were increased significantly in comparison with the sham-operated animals. Sperm morphology in all groups was in the normal range. Mean sperm count and motility in the right testes were not significantly different in different groups. CONCLUSIONS: Verapamil can induce beneficial effects on semen analysis parameters after testicular torsion in rats.
