Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a cancer treatment modality based on the administration of a photosensitizer (PS), which accumulates preferentially in tumor cells. Subsequent irradiation of the neoplastic area triggers a cascade of photochemical reactions that leads to the formation of highly reactive oxygen species responsible for cell inactivation. Photodynamic treatments in vitro are performed...

BACKGROUND Volatile anesthetics attenuate apoptosis. The underlying mechanisms remain undefined. The authors tested whether isoflurane reduces apoptosis in cardiomyocytes subjected to oxidative or inflammatory stress by enhancing Akt and B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2). METHODS Adult and neonatal rat ventricular myocytes and atrial HL-1 myocytes were exposed to hypoxia, hydrogen peroxide, or neutro...

Sperm chromatin integrity is vital for successful pregnancy and transmission of genetic material to the offspring. We evaluated chromatin integrity in sperm from 60 infertile men and 7 fertile donors comparing the sperm chromatin structure assay (SCSA), TdT-mediated-dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL), the sperm chromatin dispersion (SCD) test, and acridine orange staining technique (AOT). The TUNEL...

BACKGROUND DNA breaks detected largely by terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate in situ nick end-labeling (TUNEL) are observed in the hearts of patients with diseases such as dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). STUDY OBJECTIVES To determine the prognostic value of TUNEL assays in cases of DCM. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS DCM patients were selected from amon...

Objective: Rosa beggeriana Schrenk has been consumed in Iranian traditional medicine. In contrary to its close species (e.g. R. canina), there is no data on its medicinal properties. Therefore, we explored possible cytotoxic effects of R. beggeriana against two cancer cell lines. Materials and Methods: The cytotoxic and anti-pro...

Background: It is showed that methamphetamine has harmful effects on male reproductive system. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of methamphetamine administration on testis weight, sperm count, sperm morphology, and chromatin status as well as sperm apoptotis followed by the cytochemical tests in a mouse model. Materials and Methods: Twenty four NMRI male mice were divided in...

Epidermolysis bullosa simplex with migratory circinate erythema (EBS-MCE) is a rare EBS subtype characterised by migratory blistering lesions that resolve with brownish pigmentation. It is caused by a recurrent readthrough mutation, c.1649delG, in the tail of keratin 5. Here, we report a child with EBS-MCE and investigated the immunologic mechanisms underlying the migratory lesions in this pati...

Although several reports on male infertility suggest a relationship between chromosome 9 polymorphisms and infertility, the effects on the phenotype have not been extensively reported. In this study, an infertile patient was found to carry a 9qh+++ chromosome. The flow cytometric TUNEL assay and SCD test have been applied to characterize sperm DNA integrity. In order to assess its meiotic behav...

Caffeine is one of the most widely consumed neuroactive drugs, coming mostly from everyday beverages such as coffee and tea. To investigate whether caffeine induces apoptosis in the central nervous system, 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5- diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, 4,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) staining, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT)-mediated dUTP nick end lab...