Anesthesia for cesarean delivery in the term pregnant following acute onset severe intracranial superior sagittal sinus thrombosis.

Intracranial venous thrombosis is rarely seen prior to delivery. We present our anesthetic management of a term parturient with an acute onset severe superior sagittal sinus thrombosis urgently referred to us. General anesthesia was performed in order to avoid potential increased risk of morbidity after spinal anesthesia in this particular parturient.

Very rapid quantification of malondialdehyde (MDA) in rat brain exposed to lead, aluminium and phenolic antioxidants by high-performance liquid chromatography-fluorescence detection.

Toxic metals (lead, aluminium) are widely found in our environment. Humans are exposed to these metals from numerous sources, including contaminated air, water, soil and food. The current study was performed to assess the potential of tannic acid and curcumin against aluminum (Al)- and lead (Pb)-induced developmental neurotoxicity in Wistar rats. Malondialdehyde (MDA) is considered a presumptive biomarker for lipid peroxidation in living organisms. A simple, very fast and reliable high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method has been developed and validated for the analysis of MDA in rat brain tissues. After rat brain was homogenized, MDA was reacted with thiobarbituric acid (TBA) to form MDA-(TBA)2, a red-colored adduct with maximum absorbance at 532 nm. HPLC separation of adduct in rat brain was performed two columns: new generation Phenomenex Gemini C18 column and Hypersil ODS C18. A HPLC mobile phase consisted of 40:60 (vol/vol) methanol-KH2PO4 was found to be the most suitable composition for this separation. Under the chromatographic conditions described, the MDA-TBA adduct had a retention time of approximately 1.4 min, good separation and sensitivity. The detection limit (0.036 nmol/ml) is low, precision is good and the analysis time is very short (1.495 min). The response is linear in the concentration range of 2.5-20.0 nmol/ml (correlation coefficient r=0.99970). Treatment with tannic acid and curcumin reduced the accumulation of the Al and Pb in rat's brain. It may conclude that tannic acid and curcumin as a chelating agent were more effective to reduce LPO levels in Al treatments group than Pb groups.

Biochemical effects of chlorpyrifos and deltamethrin on altered antioxidative defense mechanisms and lipid peroxidation in rat liver.

Pesticides such as organophosphorus and organochlorine compounds commonly used in agriculture for achieving better quality products are toxic substances and lead to generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) which have harmful effects on human health. While pyrethroid pesticides are used in preference to organophosphates and organochlorines due to their high effectiveness, low toxicity to non-target organisms and easy biodegradability, they may also produce oxidative stress. Thus, we investigated the effects of chlorpyrifos (CP, an organophosphate) and deltamethrin (DM, a pyrethroid pesticide) treatments at low and high doses on lipid peroxidation (LPO) and antioxidant enzyme activities such as SOD, GSH-Px and CAT in rat liver following 16 weeks exposure. Antioxidative defence mechanisms and lipid peroxidation in rat liver tissues display different responses depending on different pesticide treatments and doses. Biochemical analysis showed that administrations of the chlorpyrifos and deltamethrin cause liver damage. In the present study, we observed that lipid peroxidation levels are higher at high doses than at low doses, but DM caused more pronounced increase than CP. Experimentally, we have also observed that oxidant-antioxidant balance is more affected by deltamethrin treatment than by chlorpyrifos.

The evaluation of altered antioxidative defense mechanism and acetylcholinesterase activity in rat brain exposed to chlorpyrifos, deltamethrin, and their combination.

ABSTRACT The present investigation was undertaken to examine the effects of chlorpyrifos (CP, an organophosphate) and deltamethrin (DM, a pyrethroid pesticide) treatments at low and high doses and their combination on lipid peroxidation and antioxidant enzyme activities such as SOD, GSH-Px, and CAT and also AChE activity in rat brain following 16 weeks of exposure. Antioxidative defense mechanisms and lipid peroxidation in rat brain tissues display different responses depending on different pesticide treatments and doses. Biochemical analysis showed that administration of chlorpyrifos and deltamethrin causes brain damage via production of MDA and inhibition of AChE. In the present study, we observed that LPO levels are higher at low doses than at high doses, but DM is more pronounced than CP in this increase. Observations show that SOD increases with the dose, CAT decreases at the higher dose, and GSH-Px again increases with the dose in both pesticide treatments, but especially in DM. Experimentally, oxidative-antioxidative balance is more affected by deltamethrin treatment than that of chlorpyrifos. The effects of combination of DM and CP on LPO may be due to functional, dispositional, or chemical antagonism, while the effect of the combination on CAT activity may be synergistic.

Human embryonic stem cell culture: current limitations and novel strategies.

Embryonic stem cells (ESC) are multipotent cells isolated from blastocyst-stage preimplantation embryos. Since their first culture in 1998, human ESC have revolutionized reproductive and regenerative medicine by allowing the establishment of detailed molecular and therapeutic models for certain metabolic pathways and life-threatening disorders. They also offer significant contributions to genetics and pharmacology in designing and analysing disease models that can be closer to in vivo than any other procedures available. However, the procedures by which they are obtained and manipulated also create intense ethical and social debates worldwide. This article discusses the current limitations and recent advances in isolation, culture and differentiation of human ESC from the laboratory perspective.