Mercury (Hg) is a potent toxin that biomagnifies in aquatic food webs. Large fish generally have higher Hg concentrations than small fish of the same species. However, models predict that fish that grow large faster should have lower Hg concentrations than small, slow-growing fish due to somatic growth dilution (SGD). We examined the relationship between Hg concentrations and growth rate in fis...

PURPOSE In neocortical epilepsies not satisfactorily responsive to systemic antiepileptic drug therapy, local application of antiepileptic agents onto the epileptic focus may enhance treatment efficacy and tolerability. We describe the effects of focally applied valproate (VPA) in a newly emerging rat model of neocortical epilepsy induced by tetanus toxin (TeT) plus cobalt chloride (CoCl₂). M...

BACKGROUND: Clostridium septicum has played a significant role as a causative agent of many acute fetal diseases in man and animals. Alpha- toxin is the main factor in the pathogenesis of C. septicum with hemolytic, necrotic and lethal activities. OBJECTIVES: The study was designed to evaluate alpha-toxin purification and antibody production rate against a local strain of C. septicum NH2 which ...

association of cluster headache and secondary blepharospasm bagheri a, md*; mohammadi m, md; khosravi fard k, md; harooni g, md ophthalmic research center, shahid beheshti university of medical sciences, tehran, iran * corresponding author: [email protected] purpose: to report a case of cluster headache associated with secondary blepharospasm and its management. case report: a 37-year-old ...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The root extract of the African Uzara plant is used in traditional medicine as anti-diarrheal drug. It is known to act via inhibition of intestinal motility, but malabsorptive or antisecretory mechanisms are unknown yet. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH HT-29/B6 cells and human colonic biopsies were studied in Ussing experiments in vitro. Uzara was tested on basal as well as on fo...

Virulent C. difficile toxins TcdA and TcdB invade host intestinal epithelia by endocytosis and use the acidic environment of intracellular vesicles for further processing and activation. We investigated the role of ClC-5, a chloride/proton exchanger expressed in the endosomes of gastrointestinal epithelial cells, in the activation and processing of C. difficile toxins. Enhanced intoxication by ...

introduction: widespread medical usage of botulinum toxins has increased the need for the precise analysis of its biological activity. the aim of this study was production and crystallization of the botulinum type a toxins. methods: in this study, clostridium botulinum was grown and inoculated into the tripticase soya broth culture media, under anaerobic condition and toxin production was monit...

The aim of the present study was to investigate long term effects of motor denervation by botulinum toxin complex type A (BoNT/A) from Clostridium Botulinum, on the afferent fibers originating from the gastrocnemius muscle of rats. Animals were divided in 2 experimental groups: 1) untreated animals acting as control and 2) treated animals in which the toxin was injected in the left muscle, the ...

BACKGROUND Reduced osmolarity oral rehydration solution (ORS) improved small bowel absorption of fluid and electrolytes in segmental perfusion in experimental animals; this was borne out in clinical practice. Adding amylase-resistant starch (RS) to ORS is expected to increase colonic fluid absorption. This study used combined small and large bowel perfusion to evaluate combinations of reduced o...

Rabbits weighing approximately two kilograms were used as the experimental animals. They were maintained on a fasting regime, which began 24 hours before the injection of the toxin and continued thereafter. Water was always present in the cages. Three groups were studied. The first group of 5 animals served as fasting controls. Each of the second group (6 animals) received intravenously 3 minim...