ABSTRACT
The occurrence of severe lead (Pb) poisoning has risen in certain countries. There is increasing evidence that chronic lead exposure disturbs the prooxidant: antioxidant balance in the brain tissue and alters brain histology. The present study observed the antioxidant effect of tocotrienol-rich fraction (TRF) on brain tissues of the experimental rats following lead poisoning. Eighteen (n=18) male Sprague-Dawley rats, 6-weeks old, were randomly divided into control (CTRL) group and experimental groups; fed with 0.2% w/v lead acetate, as PB2 group; and fed with 0.2% w/v lead acetate and daily TRF supplementation (200 mg/kg body weight) as PB2T group. The experiment was conducted for 30 days. At the end of the study, the brain tissues were harvested and histopathological changes of the hippocampal region were observed. Biochemical findings such as brain lead, TRF and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, and erythrocyte superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity were determined. It was observed that atypical apoptotic-like and disorganized neurons were present in the hippocampal region of the untreated PB2 group compared to PB2T group. Biochemical parameters showed a significant decrease (p 0.05) was obtained for MDA level, there was a significant increase (p < 0.05) in the erythrocyte SOD activity in PB2T compared to PB2 and CTRL. Supplementation with TRF improved histopathological changes in the brain tissues caused by lead exposure in drinking water by reducing lead accumulation in the brain of experimental rats.
Subject(s)
Lead PoisoningABSTRACT
It has been a regular practice to repeatedly heat the cooking oil and consume it without knowing the harmful effects of such. The procedure to use repeatedly heated cooking oil is aimed to curb the cost of expenses. Heating results is the formation of free reactive oxygen species (ROS) which is responsible for the oxidative stress and damage to various organs in the body. The present review article discusses the harmful events occurring due to consumption of repeated heating of edible oil. A strong message is aimed to generate public awareness of the deleterious effects of consumption of heated edible oil which may help in curbing hypertension and atherosclerosis.
Subject(s)
Atherosclerosis , Cooking/methods , Hypertension , Oils/toxicity , Animals , Atherosclerosis/etiology , Atherosclerosis/prevention & control , Brain/drug effects , Humans , Hypertension/etiology , Hypertension/prevention & control , Liver/drug effects , Osteoporosis/etiology , Osteoporosis/prevention & control , Oxidative Stress/drug effectsABSTRACT
The right and left lobes of the thyroid gland are connected by an isthmus. The isthmus lies at the level of the second and third tracheal rings. Occasionaly, the isthmus may be absent. We hereby, report the absence of isthmus in a 52-year-old male cadaver of unknown origin. Both the right and left lobes were normal but they were separated. Both the right and left lobes of the thyroid gland measured 4.3 cm vertically. The separation distance between right and left glands was noted at the upper, middle and lower parts. The upper end of medial border of both lobes were separated by a distance of 1 cm while the separation distance was 0.7 cm and 1.5 cm at the middle and lower parts, respectively. The anatomical and clinical significance of absence of isthmus is important for medical personnel and the surgeons operating on the thyroid gland. The present case report is a an attempt to highlight such.
Subject(s)
Thyroid Gland/abnormalities , Cadaver , Humans , Male , Middle AgedABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: Curcuma longa (CL) or turmeric is an Ayurvedic herb that has been traditionally used to treat inflammatory conditions like rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) is a well established experimental auto-immune mediated polyarthritis in susceptible strains of rodents. The main aim of the study was to observe the inflammatory, macroscopic and radiological changes in the arthritic ankle joints of experimentally collagen-induced arthritis animals treated with or without CL extract. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty six male Sprague-Dawley (6-8 weeks-old, 150 ± 50) rats were equally divided into six groups. The first group served as a control while the rest five groups were immunized subdermally with 150 µg collagen type-II on day-0. All rats with established CIA with arthritis score (AS) exceeding 1 were treated orally with betamethasone (0.5 mg/ml/kg body weight) and varying doses of CL extract (30, 60 and 110 mg/ml/kg body weight) using olive oil as vehicle, daily for four weeks. Arthritic scoring (AS) of the paws, measurement of erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and paw thickness and radiological scoring were performed. RESULTS: Treatment with 110 mg/ml/kg CL showed significant mean difference in the ESR (p<0.01), AS (p<0.05) and radiological scores (p<0.01) on day-28 compared to the vehicle treated group. The mean difference for the ESR, AS and radiological scores of this highest CL dose group were found to be insignificant compared to the betamethasone treated group. CONCLUSION: The administration of CL extract arrested the degenerative changes in the bone and joints of collagen-induced arthritic rats.
