Bacteriocins, are large and functionally d iverse family o f antimicrobials found in all major lineages of bacteria. Recent studies reveal that these proteinaceous toxins play a significant role in mediating competitive dynamics between bacterial strains and closely related species. The capability of bacteria to effectively outcompete undesired species is often due to, or enhanced by, the produ...

Although the use of oral contraceptives is associated with an increased risk of venous thromboembolic disease, the risk of myocardial infarction (MI) is unclear. A new, third-generation contraceptive agent, drospirenone-ethinyl estradiol, which contains less estrogen and a new progestogen, drospirenone, in a different combination, has been considered more reliable in terms of risk of MI. Howeve...

The male contraceptive agent gossypol was found to induce a dose related increase of DNA strand breaks in human fibroblasts in vitro at concentrations of 5 to 40 micrograms/ml. The effect was reduced in the presence of 2% fetal calf serum. A weak but reproducible increase in the SCE frequency was found in human lymphocytes treated for 1 hour in serum-free medium with 0.04 to 4 micrograms/ml of ...

a total number of 124 women of childbearing age attending a family planning clinic in teheran were investigated for the effects of contraceptive steroids and the intra-terine device on their hemoglobin concentration, packed cell volume, serum iron and serum tibc. a total of 42 women were used as control group of 42 women who were fitted with an intra-uterine device, 17 were studied for changes ...

Prior to 1938 no form of oral hormonal contraception was possible as none of the then availablehormones were active when given orally. The era of oral contraception commenced withthe reports of Pincus et al (3). The contraceptive pills used today contain a synthetic oestrogenand a synthetic progestational agent. Oestrone and oestradiol were available prior to 1938as esters but these were active...

inspite of considerable development in contraceptive technology, search for female antifertility agent in plants continues to be a potential area of investigation. the ethanol extract of crotalaria juncea seeds which showed promising antiovulatory activity in female albino rats was examined for the isolation of its active fractions. two fractions were obtained using thin layer chromatography (t...

based on epidemiologic data, women who take oral contraceptives seem to have an increased risk of developing thromboembollic disease. the thrombotic effects of oral contraceptive (oc) are probably mediated, at least partly through their effects on the coagulation system. plasma levels of several clotting factors have been shown to be elevated in oc users, and this increase is graduated accordin...

It is important to identify effective contraceptive drugs that cause minimal disruption to physiological processes. Phosphodiesterase 3 (PDE3) inhibitors suppress meiosis in oocytes by decreasing the level of cAMP and blocking the extrusion of the first polar body. In this study, we tested the PDE3 inhibitor, cilostazol, as a potential contraceptive agent. The effects of cilostazol treatment in...