ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Estrogens has traditionally been known as the female hormone, but this idea has been challenged in early 1990’s and an essential physiological role for estrogen in male fertility was identified. Phytoestrogens are naturally occurring non-steroidal plant chemicals that can act like the female hormone estrogen. The herbs ( anise alfalfa and vervain ) chosen in this study contain phytoestrogens. OBJECTIVE: Previous studies demonstrated controversy of the effects of phytoestrogens on the rat testes .Hence, the present investigation was undertaken to investigate the influence of typical dose of herbs containing phytoestrogen on the rat testis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-four apparently normal mature male rats were divided into four groups of 6 animals each. The first "control" group received only 4ml of distilled water as a placebo. The second group received 40mg/kg of anise seed; the third group received 53.3 mg/kg of dried herb of vervain and the fourth group received 400 mg /kg of alfalfa seeds. All experimental groups received the doses through orogastric tube daily for fourteen days. Testicular histology was evaluated by light and enzyme histochemistry. Plasma FSH and testosterone concentrations were taken to support our results. RESULTS: Histological examination of anise, alfalfa and vervain – treated groups showed an increase in the height of germinal epithelia. There was marked lipoprotein lipase activity in the whole of the interstitial tissue which is more in amount in experimental groups than that in control group. Acid phosphatase granules were infiltered the seminiferous epithelia mildly in control group , moderately in anise and vervain groups and markedly in alfalfa group. The number of interstitial cells showing marked acid phosphatase activity was higher in all experimental groups than that in control group. Alkaline phosphatase exhibited intense activity in the boundary tissue of the seminiferous tubules in testes of control and experimental groups but it appeared thicker in the latter. CONCLUSION: The low dose and short duration of treatment used in our study made these phytoestrogen – containing herbs to have a stimulatory effect on leydig cell steroidogenesis. This study also demonstrated that aniseed being the most potent of the three herbs followed by alfalfa in stimulating testosterone synthesis. This is possibly attributed to the coumarin constituent of aniseed and alfalfa. KEY WORDS: phytoestrogen-containing herbs, testis, acid phosphatase, alkaline phosphatase, lipoprotein lipase
Background: Pain due to muscular cramp during hemodialysis is one of the most common problems experienced by patient undergoing hemodialysis, and is associated with poor outcomes of patients. The main aim of this study was to comparing the effects of lavender oil and olive oil massage on Pain due to muscular cramp during hemodialysis.
Methods: In this random clinical trial, 60 hemodialysis patients were enrolled randomly and allocated to two groups with 30 members in Lordegan and Brojen hospitals, Shahrekord, Iran. The intervention included flora massage on the lower leg muscles so that the first group received olive oil massage (10 drops) and the second group received lavender oil massage (10 dr
... Show MoreThis work investigates the structural, optical, and surface properties of ZnO thin films prepared by sol-gel method. The effect on waveguide sensor was examined at different irradiation durations of alpha particles. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements revealed that the crystalline phase of ZnO thin films does not change after irradiation and showed a hexagonal structure of wurtzite type with an orientation toward (002). Moreover, ZnO thin films absorbance was increased with increasing irradiation time, whereas the transmittance was decreased. Additionally, increasing the irradiation time of alpha particles caused an increase in the extinction coefficient and the imaginary part, while the optical energy gap of the ZnO samples w
... Show MoreThe study is done in the period between (February 20 and October 20) by using ten adult quail Coturnix coturnix (Linnaeus, 1758). The sections are preparing by paraffin method then stain in Harris haematoxylin-eosin. The histological aspects of spinal cord in quail (Coturnix coturnix) the white matter is in the outer part, while the gray matter is arranged in from of X represents its internal part, the dorsal region is called the dorsal horns while the ventral region is called the ventral horns and the central canal cavity, the spinal cord areas appeared as follows: The medial column, column of von Lenhossek, lateral column, dorsal magnocellular column and marginal paragriseal, columns are also called Hoffmann’s nuclei.
This research was conducted to study the histological structure of the eye in the tree frog (Hyla arborea savignyi) and showed that it is composed of the eyeball and the lens and optic nerve. Appeared eyeball is surrounded by three Tunica from the inside to the outside are Tunica Interna, Tunica vasculosa, Tunica fibrosa. The tunica interna consists of the retina that consists of 10 layers are from outer to inner pigment epithelial layer, rods and cones layer, external limiting membrane, outer nuclear layer, outer plexiform layer, inner nuclear layer, inner plexiform layer , ganglion cells layer , nerve fibers layer, internal limiting membrane .The vascular tunic or Uvea consists of the choroid, ciliary body , and iris . The fibrous coat co
... Show MoreIn this work, the ligand was obtained from the reaction of diazonium salt of naphthyl amine with 1-amino-2-naphtol-4-sulfonic acid. The bidentate ligand type (NO) donar atoms was reacted with 1,10-phenanthroline and matel salt in a 1:1:1 mole ratio to give the complexes, using NaOH as a base. Physical-chemical teqnichas were used to characteriz the prepared compounds FT-IR,U.V-Vis, fluorescence and 1HNMR spectroscopy, atomic absorption , chloride content along with conductivity and melting point measurements .Finally, thermal analysis was used to confirm the presence of coordination H2O molecule in the complexes structure. According to memtioned characterization methods, the general formula proposed for CoII ZnII, CdII and Hg
... Show MoreIn recent decades, drug modification is no longer unusual in the pharmaceutical world as living things are evolving in response to environmental changes. A non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) such as aspirin is a common over-the-counter drug that can be purchased without medical prescription. Aspirin can inhibit the synthesis of prostaglandin by blocking the cyclooxygenase (COX) which contributes to its properties such as anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, antiplatelet and etc. It is also being considered as a chemopreventive agent due to its antithrombotic actions through the COX’s inhibition. However, the prolonged use of aspirin can cause heartburn, ulceration, and gastro-toxicity in children and adults. This review article hi
... Show MoreMany people take protein supplements in an effort to gain muscle. However, there is some controversy as to whether this is really effective. There is evidence suggesting that consuming high level s of protein may in fact have negative side effects for health. The current study included 29 young Iraqi building muscles in two different groups (taken and not protein supplements) (age range=17-31 years), the cases were selected from family, friends, college students, and Gyms), from November 2014 to March 2015. A careful history was obtained from each volunteer including age, duration of sports, type of supplements, and family history of diseases. Some biochemical parameters like (glucose, urea, uric acid, creatinine, bilirubin, serum protei
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