This study was undertaken to investigate the nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activity in the striatum following 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) induced neurodegeneration in rats. Constitutive NOS (cNOS) activity remained unaltered at 3, 7 and 14 days after lesion, while a 43% and 45% decrease was observed at 30 and 50 days, respectively. Inducible NOS (iNOS) activity was detected only on the 3rd day after lesion and not in subsequent days or the control striatum. N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) pretreatment blocked the amphetamine-induced rotations and inhibited the iNOS activity at the 3rd day after the 6-OHDA injection. L-NAME pretreatment also significantly restored the striatal dopamine (DA), dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) and homovanillic acid (HVA) levels in 6-OHDA treated rats. Thus a possible role of nitric oxide in 6-OHDA induced neurodegeneration is suggested.

No abstract

Results obtained indicate that the platelet aggregation response and the blood nitrite levels were not altered significantly after an attack in the patients with migraine.

The present study was undertaken to elucidate the role of circulating neutrophils if any in oxidative stress in migraine by evaluating free radical generation and activities of enzymatic antioxidants in the blood in 55 patients with migraine and 60 healthy controls. Free radical generation was assessed by flow cytometry, while activity of catalase, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) was estimated in blood polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) by standard procedures. Platelet SOD was also measured. No significant change was found in free radical generation and in the activity of catalase, SOD and GPx in migraine patients. Univariate analysis of PMN catalase level revealed that migraineurs with a positive family history had significantly lower catalase activity compared with those with a negative family history. No correlation was found in the activity of antioxidant enzymes with age, duration of disease, time since last attack and headache index. The platelet SOD also did not show any significant change in patients of migraine without aura. Platelet aggregation in the presence or absence of PMNs was also not altered significantly. Thus the findings of the present study suggest that neutrophils are not the cause of oxidative stress observed in migraine patients.

A comparative study was performed to evaluate the effects of antifibrinolytic agents; epsilon-aminocaproic acid (EACA) and tranexamic acid (AMCA); anti-inflammatory drugs (indomethacin, ibuprofen, naproxen); and plant extract (root extract of Boerhaavia diffusa) on the endometrial histology of IUD-fitted menstruating monkeys. A high degree of stromal edema, heavy infiltration of inflammatory cells, long, tortuous endometrial glands, and thin-walled empty blood vessels were observed in IUD endometrium. B. diffusa was found most effective in reducing stromal edema, inflammation, and tortuosity of glands, and in increasing the degree of deposition of fibrin and platelets in the vessel lumen. Antifibrinolytic agents caused partial to complete occlusion of the vessel lumen and anti-inflammatory drugs thickened the vessel wall. Indomethacin reduced inflammation effectively. Conclusively, B. diffusa appears to be a potent antifibrinolytic and anti-inflammatory agent and is, thus, recommended for the treatment of IUD menorrhagia.