The impact of using different doses of progesterone on memory performance.

OBJECTIVE: Progesterone is a sex hormone and its receptors are expressed throughout the hippocampus. This study was aimed at evaluating the effects of different doses of progesterone on memory. METHODS: Male rats were arbitrarily assigned to nine groups, namely Group I: control, Group II: control-cannula, Group III received 0.5 µl of saline by cannula, Groups IV , V, VI, VII and VIII received progesterone in doses of 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, and 3 µg/ 0.5 µl by cannula, respectively. Group IX received 0.5 µl almond oil by cannula. Memory performance was tested in form of passive avoidance task. RESULTS: Our results indicated that progesterone at doses of 1.5 and 2 µg (p < 0.05) significantly increased the memory performance while at a dose of 3 µg (p < 0.05), it significantly decreased memory as compared to the control group. CONCLUSION: The current study revealed that the influence of progesterone on memory is related to its dose (Fig. 1, Ref. 25).

Rare Case of Giant Pulmonary Hydatid Cyst in a Female Patient Living in Taiz Governorate.

Pulmonary hydatid cyst is a common disorder in many areas of the world. In Yemen, echinococcosis is an endemic disease, however, hydatid disease of the lung is uncommon and usually caused by Echinococcus granulosus. We present a case of a 23-year old female who complained of shortness of breath, dry cough and left-sided dull aching pain for the past few weeks. Chest X-ray revealed a large, well-demarcated mass involving the left mid and lower lung zones with mediastinal shift to the right. Computed tomographic scan revealed a giant, low attenuation fluid density mass with enhancing wall. The diagnosis of giant hydatid cyst was confirmed by surgery and histopathological examination. Pulmonary hydatid cyst can assume a very large size without causing any symptoms and can be discovered incidentally while performing chest X-ray for another reason.