Objective: Previous studies reported that asafetida from Ferula assa-foetida Linn. species and its essential oil (AEO) have antioxidant effects. In the present study, the effect of AEO was evaluated on ischemic-reperfusion injury in isolated rat hearts. Materials and Methods: Forty-eight male Wistar rats were divided into 6 groups: 1) control group, 2) vehicle group, 3-5) AEO groups and, 6) car...

OBJECTIVE Lower limb perfusion following arterial occlusion depends on the recruitment of collateral vessels. Blood flow through these collateral vessels may be jeopardized by hypersensitivity to vasoconstriction by serotonin (5-HT), as has been reported during hyperlipidemia and diabetes. Therefore the aim of this study was to determine the benefits of chronic treatment with SL65.0472, a mixed...

Insulin has been shown to increase sympathetic nerve activity. Because evidence shows that insulin acts within the central nervous system, we hypothesized that lesions of the anteroventral third ventricle region, an area rich in insulin receptors, would abolish sympathetic responses to hyperinsulinemia. We measured mean arterial pressure and lumbar sympathetic nerve activity in fasted, anesthet...

BACKGROUND AND AIM The aim of the study was to evaluate vitamin E effect upon oxidative stress associated with toluene -2, 4-diisocyanate (TDI)-induced asthma in rats. METHODS The five study groups were: control, vehicle, TDI, vehicle+E, TDI+E. TDI animals were sensitized by nasal administration of TDI 10% (5μl/nostril) between days 1-7 and 15-21. Between days 22-28 groups TDI+E and vehicle+E...

Inadequate penetration of antiviral agents through the stratum corneum of the skin may be one of the limiting factors in the topical therapy of recurrent cutaneous herpes simplex virus infections in humans. In vitro studies of the penetration of the nucleoside analog acyclovir (ACV) through guinea pig skin demonstrated a marked increase in drug flux when ACV was formulated in dimethyl sulfoxide...

We examined the contribution of the renal nerves to mean arterial pressure (MAP) during 5-week chronic infusion of angiotensin II (Ang II; 50 ng/kg per minute SC) in conscious rabbits. Basal MAP was 68+/-1 mm Hg, and the maximum depressor response to ganglion blockade was -20+/-2 mm Hg. MAP increased by 25+/-2 mm Hg after 1 week and remained stable over the next 4 weeks. Depressor responses to ...

BACKGROUND Experimental evidence to disprove the belief that emergency contraception with levonorgestrel (LNG) prevents pregnancy by interfering with post-fertilization events is lacking. Here we determined the effect of post-coital and pre-ovulatory administration of LNG on fertility and ovulation, respectively, in the Cebus monkey. METHODS To determine the effect on fertility, LNG 0.75 mg o...

We recently reported that prenatal rat exposure to di(n-butyl) phthalate (DBP) induced Leydig cell (LC) hyperplasia after nine weeks (wks) of age, yet the number of LCs was similar to that of the vehicle group until seven weeks. Nuclear pleomorphism of hyperplastic LCs is common and is considered to be continuous progressive degeneration. Thus, computer-assisted image cell nuclear analysis of L...

Exposure of female mice to androgens within 5 days of birth impairs fertility. Such treatment in rats results in a post-pubertal acyclic state of persistent vaginal cornification and in an inability, when ovariectomized, to show normal positive feedback on luteinizing hormone (LH) release in response to steroid challenge. In the present study, we explored whether neonatally androgenized mice de...

Post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN) is a common and often intractable neuropathic pain syndrome predominantly affecting the elderly. Topical local anesthetics have shown promise in both uncontrolled and controlled studies. Thirty-five subjects with established PHN affecting the torso or extremities completed a four-session, random order, double-blind, vehicle-controlled study of the analgesic effects...