The objectives of the present study were to determine the effects of six different antibiotics in controlling the growth of semen contaminating bacteria and if these antibiotics have any adverse effect on Awassi ram spermatozoa. Semen samples from six mature Awassi rams were used in this study. A total number of 120 ejaculates were collected from the rams using an artificial vagina once a week....

The present study is concerned with the improvement of Bacillus licheniformis strain GCB30 for alpha amylase production in 250 ml Erlenmeyer flasks. Chemical mutation using ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS 50-300 μ/ml) was undertaken for 10-60 min. Twenty eight isolates were selected on the basis of clear zones of starch hydrolysis. Only one isolate designated as B. licheniformis EMS-200 gave 102.78...

We describe a new simple, selective and sensitive micromethod based on HPLC and fluorescence detection to measure debrisoquine (D) and 4-hydroxydebrisoquine (4-OHD) in urine for the investigation of xenobiotic metabolism by debrisoquine hydroxylase (CYP2D6). Four hundred microl of urine was required for the analysis of D and 4-OHD. Peaks were eluted at 8.3 min (4-OHD), 14.0 min (D) and 16.6 min...

BACKGROUND Particulate matter (PM), which has adverse effects on citizen health, is a major air pollutant in Beijing city. PM2.5 is an indicator of PM in urban areas and can cause serious damage to human health. Many epidemiological studies have shown that nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) is involved in PM2.5-induced cell injury, but the exact mechanisms are not well understood. METHODS The cyt...

The optimization of biomaterials’ biodegradation rate similar to tissue regeneration, is one of the main goals of tissue engineering. However, the necessity to assess their possible toxicity is always considered. The aim of this study was cytotoxicity and genotoxicity evaluation of fluorapatite/bioactive glass (FA/BG) nanocomposite foams with two various weight ratios to determine the optimal c...

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BACKGROUND The authors evaluated the efficacy of adding fentanyl to epidural bupivacaine in infants up to 6 months of age after a thoracotomy in a prospective, randomized, double-blind study. The primary outcome was the total amount of rescue doses of intravenous nalbuphine in the first 24 h after surgery. Secondary outcomes included (1) time to first rescue dose of nalbuphine, (2) pain scores,...

Cytokines have been implicated in the pathogenesis of a number of brain diseases in which neurological dysfunction has been attributed to a change in amino acid neurotransmitter metabolism. In the present in vitro study, we investigated the effects ofcytokines on astrocyte glutamine synthetase (GS) activity and subsequently on N-methyl-D-asparate (NMDA) receptor-mediated neurotoxicity. Proinfla...

Background and Aims Thoracic paravertebral block (TPB) is one of the effective methods for management of post-operative pain in thoracic surgeries. The aim of the study was to evaluate effectiveness of addition of dexmedetomidine to paravertebral block with bupivacaine in improving the postoperative pain relief and pulmonary functions in patients undergoing thoracic surgeries. Methods A prosp...

OBJECTIVES This study aimed to investigate the clinical correlation between angiographic coronary atherosclerosis and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide along with other known correlated factors. METHODS In total, 153 patients with a diagnostic hypothesis of stable angina, unstable angina or acute myocardial infarction were classified as group A (patients with angiographically normal c...