Background: Sildenafil, a selective phosphodiesterase -5 (PDE-5) inhibitor increases cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) and amplifies many biological actions of nitric oxide (NO) which is an important mediator of gastric mucosal defense ; was evaluated in this study using different doses for its cytoprotective effect on gastric mucosal damage induced by indomethacin . We also evaluated the effect of this drug on NO production, Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) synthesis, Myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity, and Interlukin-4 (IL-4) expression.
Methods: The study was performed between April and July 2008 in the Department of Pharmacology / College of Medicine /Baghdad University .It was conducted on 80 adult male albino rats, divided into 8 groups, the first served as a control received the vehicle, the second received indomethacin orally of 60mg/kg .The third and fourth groups were pretreated 30 minutes prior indomethacin with oral sildenafil 10 and 20mg/kg respectively. The other groups were pretreated 30 minutes prior to sildenafil (10and20mg/kg) with intraperitoneal NG-L-Arginine Methyl Ester (L-NAME) 20mg/kg with or without L-Arginine. The rats were then sacrificed after 4 hours and their stomachs were isolated and submitted to macroscopical assessment and for the measurement of the gastric PGE2, MPO, and IL-4.
Results: Sildenafil (10 and 20 mg/kg) pretreatment resulted in a significant (p<0.01) decrease in the gastric damage score. The MPO activity was significantly (p<0.01) decreased, while the level of IL-4 was significantly (p<0.01) increased. On the other hand PGE2 level was not changed. L-NAME given 30 min before 10 and 20 mg/kg sildenafil, significantly (p<0.01) abolished the protective effects of sildenafil and also reversed the effects of sildenafil on MPO activity and IL-4 levels. On the other hand addition of L-Arginine resulted in the restoration of the protective effects of sildenafil which was also reflected on the gastric damage score, MPO activity and IL-4 levels.
Conclusions: The results demonstrate that the injurious effect of indomethacin can be reduced or ameliorated by sildenafil pretreatment, and that the protective effect of sildenafil against
indomethacin was through an NO dependent pathway.
Aim: This study aimed to compare different types of ligation methods to obtain maximum tooth movement with the least undesirable rotation. Methods: Titanium brackets bonded to acrylic canine teeth were ligated to straight stainless steel (SS) archwires using four ligation methods (figure-O and figure-8 elastics, SS ligatures, and Leone Slide ligatures). The teeth with the ligatures in place were stored in a water bath at 37ºC for 1 day, 1 week, 2, 4 or 6 weeks before testing. The teeth were retracted through softened wax along the archwire and the amount of tooth movement and degree of rotation were measured. Results: Slide ligatures showed the highest distance of tooth movement and degree of canine rotation followed by figure-O elastics
... Show MoreBackground:
Chemical spray pyrolysis technique was used at substrate temperature 250 ˚C with annealing temperature at 400 ˚C (for 1hour) to deposition tungsten oxide thin film with different doping concentration of Au nanoparticle (0, 10, 20, 30 and 40)% wt. on glass substrate with thickness about 100 nm. The structural, optical properties were investigated. The X-ray diffraction shows that the films at substrate temperature (250 ˚C) was amorphous while at annealing temperature have a polycrystalline structure with the preferred orientation of (200), all the samples have a hexagonal structure for WO3 and Au gold nanoparticles have a cubic structure. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to characterize the morphology of the films. The optical pr
... Show MoreBackground: This in vitro study compares a self-etch primer (SEP) to an etch-and-rinse (EaR) for bonding sapphire brackets by evaluation of the enamel etch-pattern, shear bond strength, amount of remnant adhesive and enamel surface damage following thermal and fatigue cyclic loading. Material and Methods: Ceramic (sapphire) brackets were bonded to 80 extracted human premolars using two enamel etching protocols: conventional EaR using 37% phosphoric acid (PA) gel (control), and a SEP (Transbond Plus). Each group was subdivided into two subgroups (n=20 teeth) according to the time of bracket debonding: after 24 h water storage or following 5000 thermo-cycles plus 5000 cycles fatigue loading, to determine the shear bond strength (SBS), adhesiv
... Show MoreAbstract
The aim of the current research is to identify the effect of the effective reading strategy on the achievement of second-middle students in biology, as well as the imaginative thinking skills of students. The researcher adopted the experimental design with partial control to achieve the goal of the research. The current research community identified the second-middle students in the government schools of the Baghdad Education Directorate / Rusafa I for the academic year (2021-2022 AD). The Safina Intermediate School for Girls was chosen to be the research sample in the form of intentionally, two classes were randomly selected from a total of four classes, one of them is experimental and the other is con
... Show MoreBackground: The isthmus is a difficult area in the root canal complex to manage. The research aimed to evaluate the efficiency of three different obturation techniques (lateral condensation, EandQ (thermoplasticized gutta percha system) and Soft Core (thermoplasticized core carrier gutta percha system)) to obturate the isthmus area of roots prepared by two different instrumentation techniques (rotary ProTaper universal and ProTaper Next systems). Material and method: Sixty freshly extracted teeth were randomly divided into two main groups (A and B) of 30 teeth each. Group A was prepared by rotary ProTaper Universal whereas group B was prepared by ProTaper Next system. Each main group was then randomly subdivided into three subgroups of 10 t
... Show MoreBackground: Wound healing, as a normal biological process in the human body, is achieved through four precisely and highly programmed phases: hemostasis, inflammation, proliferation, and remodeling. Growth factors released in the traumatized area promote cell migration into the wound area (chemotaxis), stimulate the growth of epithelial cells and fibroblasts (mitogenesis), initiate the formulation of new blood vessels (angiogenesis), and stimulate matrix formation and remodeling of the affected region. One of factors that effects on wound healing is a sex hormones and one of these hormones is an estrogen hormone. A wide range of cutaneous cell types (eg, fibroblast, endothelial, epithelial, and inflammatory) expressed estrogen receptors, in
... Show MoreHemorrhagic insult is a major source of morbidity and mortality in both adults and newborn babies in the developed countries. The mechanisms underlying the non-traumatic rupture of cerebral vessels are not fully clear, but there is strong evidence that stress, which is associated with an increase in arterial blood pressure, plays a crucial role in the development of acute intracranial hemorrhage (ICH), and alterations in cerebral blood flow (CBF) may contribute to the pathogenesis of ICH. The problem is that there are no effective diagnostic methods that allow for a prognosis of risk to be made for the development of ICH. Therefore, quantitative assessment of CBF may significantly advance the underst
Back ground: In the present study Pinealoctomy
was used to study the sympathetic innervations of
the pineal gland by the superior cervical ganglion
(SCG) of the albino rat.
Objective: Following Pinealoctomy, it is
expected to observe the Chromatolysis reaction in
some neurons of the SCG if they were to innervate
the pineal gland (i.e. retrograde Chromatolysis
changes).
Methods: Fifty albino rats were used in this study,
Pinealoctomy was done, then after a different time
interval ganglionectomy was done, in order to
study the Chromatolysis in their cell body.
Result: The present study has demonstrated that
the most obvious Chromatolysis reaction in the
neurons which innervate the pineal gland a