Study Question: Does the chemokine/chemokine receptor axis, involved in immune cell trafficking, contribute to the pathology of testicular inflammation and how does activin A modulate this network?
Summary Answer: Testicular chemokines and their receptors (especially those essential for trafficking of monocytes) are elevated in orchitis, and activin A modulates the expression of the chemokine/chemokine receptor network to promote monocyte/macrophage and T cell infiltration into the testes, causing extensive tissue damage.
What Is Known Already: The levels of CC motif chemokine receptor (CCR)2 and its ligand CC motif chemokine ligand (CCL)2 are increased in experimental autoimmune orchitis (EAO) compared with healthy testes, and mice deficient in CCR2 are protected from EAO-induced tissue damage. Activin A induces CCR2 expression in macrophages, promoting their migration.
Middle East Afr J Ophthalmol
January 2024
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of keratoconus (KC) and keratoconus suspect (KCS) among patients seeking refractive surgery in Syria.
Methods: This is a retrospective multicenter screening study. The study was conducted in Damascus University, Tishreen University, and Tartous Specialist Eye Center (a private center).
Experimental autoimmune-orchitis (EAO), a rodent model of chronic testicular inflammation and fibrosis, replicates pathogenic changes seen in some cases of human spermatogenic disturbances. During EAO, increased levels of pro-inflammatory and pro-fibrotic mediators such as TNF, CCL2, and activin A are accompanied by infiltration of leukocytes into the testicular parenchyma. Activin A levels correlate with EAO severity, while elevated CCL2 acting through its receptor CCR2 mediates leukocyte trafficking and recruits macrophages.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe aim of this study is to acquire a deeper understanding of the response mechanism that is associated with the formation of CdS thin films. We presented an effective and new hybrid sensitisation technique, which involved the 1-step linker between the related chemical bath deposition (CBD) process and the traditional doping method during CBD for synthesising high-quality, CdS thin films. The mechanism for the combined synthesis of the films is also describes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn this study, we aimed to increase the knowledge regarding the response mechanisms which were associated with the formation of CdS thin films. CdS thin film remains the most appealing alternative for many researchers, as it has been a capable buffer material for effect in film based polycrystalline solar cells (CdTe, CIGSe, CZTS). The Linker Assisted and Chemical Bath Deposition (LA-CBD) technique, which combines the Linker Assisted (LA) technique and the chemical bath deposition (CBD) method for forming high quality CdS thin film, was presented as an efficient and novel hybrid sensitization technique.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Endocrinol (Lausanne)
May 2022
Infection and inflammation are relevant entities of male reproductive disorders that can lead to sub-/infertility. Associated damage of the testis of affected men and in rodent models include leukocytic infiltration, edema formation, fibrosis, germ cell loss and reduced androgen levels. Negative effects on spermatogenesis are thought to be elicited by oxidative stress sustained mostly by increased levels of ROS and pro-inflammatory cytokines.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are a significant health burden with an ever-increasing prevalence. They remain the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The use of medicinal herbs continues to be an alternative treatment approach for several diseases including CVDs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDue to its health benefits, resveratrol (RE) is one of the most researched natural polyphenols. Resveratrol's health benefits were first highlighted in the early 1990s in the French paradox study, which opened extensive research activity into this compound. Ever since, several pharmacological activities including antioxidant, anti-aging, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancerous, anti-diabetic, cardioprotective, and neuroprotective properties, were attributed to RE.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTraumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the most frequent causes of brain damage. Cognitive deficits have been reported in the literature after mild-to-severe TBI affecting memory, language, executive functions, attention, and information processing speed. In this chapter, we describe a method to characterize cognitive impairment in rats following TBI of various intensities.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMethamphetamine (METH) is among the most widely used illegal forms of amphetamine. Whether it is injected, snorted, or smoked, METH is a highly addictive substance that affects both peripheral and central nervous system actions. METH use ranges from episodes of binge to chronic use.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Although the development of antibiotic and antioxidant manufacturing, the problem of bacterial resistance and food and/or cosmetics oxidation still needs more efforts to design new derivatives which can help to minimize these troubles. Benzimidazo[1,2-c]quinazolines are nitrogen-rich heterocyclic compounds that possess many pharmaceutical properties such as antimicrobial, anticonvulsant, immunoenhancer, and anticancer.
Results: A comparative study between two methods, (microwave-assisted and conventional heating approaches), was performed to synthesise a new quinazoline derivative from 2-(2-aminophenyl)-1H-benzimidazole and octanal to produce 6-heptyl-5,6-dihydrobenzo[4,5]imidazo[1,2-c]quinazoline (OCT).
Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) being an incapacitating disease requires early effective intervention. Considering Methotrexate (MTX)- the first line of treatment for RA- intoxicates the liver; therefore, alternative therapies with similar efficacy yet lower cytotoxicity are desired. Indole-3-Carbinol (I3C) which is found in cruciferous vegetables was examined for its possible therapeutic potentials in comparison with MTX by investigating its anti-inflammatory, anti-arthritic, anti-oxidant, and hepatoprotective potentials in adjuvant-induced arthritis (AIA) rat model.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a painful chronic autoimmune disease affecting the joints. Its first-line therapy, Methotrexate (MTX), although effective in ameliorating the progress of the disease, induces hepatotoxicity over long-term usage. Thus, seeking natural compounds with fewer side effects could be an alternative therapeutic approach.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAntiinflamm Antiallergy Agents Med Chem
November 2013
Retrospectively, we have measured the antioxidant activity and a variety of antioxidant compounds under versatile extraction conditions of sweet cherry (Prunus avium) extracts. Further in this study, in order to understand the biochemical constituents and antioxidant activities of a variety of extracts of black sour cherries (P. cerasus), a related species, antioxidant compounds, including L-ascorbic acid (vitamin C), phenols, flavonoids, and anthocyanins, and the total antioxidant activity were simultaneously measured under varying extraction conditions (mild heating and brief microwave exposure) for: i) whole juice extracts (WJE), ii) methanol-extracted juice (MEJ), iii) ddH2O-extracted pomace (dPOM), and iv) methanol-extracted pomace (mPOM).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAntiinflamm Antiallergy Agents Med Chem
November 2013
Previously, we have meticulously examined the efficacy of the measurable antimicrobial activity of sweet cherry (Prunus avium) extracts on a wide spectrum of gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, in addition to the fungus, Candida albicans, a priori. In order to further understand the biochemical constituents and antioxidant activities of a variety of extracts of sweet cherries, antioxidant compounds of immunological significance, including L-ascorbic acid (vitamin C), phenols, flavonoids, and anthocyanins, and the total antioxidant (free radical scavenging) activity were simultaneously measured under varying and versatile extraction conditions (mild heating [5, 10 and 20 min.], and brief microwave exposure [1, 2 and 5 min.
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