Korean red ginseng (KRG) may be a beneficial adjuvant along with ciprofloxacin to ameliorate devastating effects of epididymo-orchitis (EO) on male fertility. This study intends to assay the effects of KRG and ciprofloxacin on sperm quality and spermatogenic cells apoptosis in EO rats. We divided 54 adult rats into nine groups (n = 6 rats per group): control (CO), sham-operated (SH), EO (E); ciprofloxacin (C), EO-ciprofloxacin (EC), KRG (G), EO-KRG (EG), ciprofloxacin-KRG (CG) and EO-ciprofloxacin-KRG (ECG). We administered ciprofloxacin and KRG 48 hr after the Escherichia coli (E. coli) injection for 10 days. Bilateral orchiectomy was performed after one sperm cycle (14 days) following the last treatment with ciprofloxacin and KRG. Total and progressive motility of E, C and EC groups decreased. However, motility is improved in CG and ECG in comparison with these groups. The E group induced negative changes in the architecture of testes tissue and dramatic increase in apoptosis indices. Interestingly, co-administration of ciprofloxacin and KRG has dramatically improved Miller's and Johnsen's scores and decreased the apoptosis indices of animals in the ECG group. Combined treatment of ciprofloxacin and KRG may improve the quality of spermatozoa and attenuated apoptosis indices in the ECG group.
Background: The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of brewer's yeast on plasma glucose and lipid profiles in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D). Methods: The present semi-experimental study was performed on 55 T2D patients with hypercholesterolemia. All patients received 12 tablets of 300 mg yeast per day for 8 weeks. Each tablet contained 1.2 lg chromium. Fasting plasma glucose, total cholesterol, high-density lipoproteincholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), and triglyceride levels were measured at baseline and then again at Weeks 4 and 8. Results: Although there was a tendency for plasma glucose levels to decrease at Week 4, the difference failed to reach statistical significance (P = 0.065). However, after 8 weeks, the decrease in plasma glucose was significant (P = 0.043). Again, although there was a tendency for decreased plasma cholesterol at Week 8 compared with baseline, the difference failed to reach statistical significance (215 ± 29 vs 226 ± 37 mg ⁄ dL, respectively; P = 0.056). Brewer's yeast significantly decreased plasma triglyceride and LDL-C levels at Weeks 4 and 8. In contrast, plasma HDL-C levels were significantly increased at both 4 and 8 weeks compared with baseline (41.3 ± 8.8 and 43.3 ± 7.5 vs 36 ± 5 mg ⁄ dL, respectively; P < 0.01 and P < 0.01, respectively). Conclusion: In conclusion, the consumption of brewer's yeast over a period of 8 weeks may improve cardiometabolic risk factors in T2D patients. However, these findings need to be confirmed in a large double-blind clinical trial.
Feature outcome of hippocampus and extra-hippocampal cortices was evaluated in melatonin treated lithium-pilocarpine epileptic rats during early and chronic phases of temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). After status epilepticus (SE) induction, 5 and 20 mg/kg melatonin were administered for 14 days or 60 days. All animals were killed 60 days post SE induction and the histological features of the rosrto-caudal axis of the dorsal hippocampus, piriform and entorhinal cortices were evaluated utilizing Nissl, Timm, and synapsin I immunoflorescent staining. Melatonin (20 mg/kg) effect on CA1 and CA3 neurons showed a region-specific pattern along the rostro-caudal axis of the dorsal hippocampus. The number of counted granular cells by melatonin (20 mg/kg) treatment increased along the rostro-caudal axis of the dorsal hippocampus in comparison to the untreated epileptic group. The density of Timm granules in the inner molecular layer of the dentate gyrus decreased significantly in all melatonin treated groups in comparison to the untreated epileptic animals. The increased density of synapsin I immunoreactivity in the outer molecular layer of the dentate gyrus of untreated epileptic rats showed a profound decrease following melatonin treatment. There was no neuronal protection in the piriform and entorhinal cortices whatever the melatonin treatment. Long-term melatonin administration as a co-adjuvant probably could reduce the post-lesion histological consequences of TLE in a region-specific pattern along the rostro-caudal axis of the dorsal hippocampus.
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