Gestational Exposure to Synthetic Steroid Hormones Impaired Sperm Quantity and Quality in Wistar Rats.

This study was designed to investigate the effect of prenatal exposure to synthetic sex steroid on sperm quantity and quality, relative testicular and epididymal weights, and reproductive hormones level in adult Wistar rats. Forty male Wistar rats were divided into two groups: a test group ( = 20) that included mature rats that were born to dams exposed to gestational treatment with hydroxyprogesterone and a control group ( = 20) that included mature rats born to untreated dams. Compared to the control group, the test group showed a significant reduction in the sperm count, viability and motility, relative testicular and epididymal weights together with increased abnormal spermatozoa ( < 0.

Parents' Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices on Antibiotic Use by Children.

Background And Objective: Deficient knowledge on antibiotics causes misuse. This study aimed to investigate parents' knowledge, attitudes and practices on antibiotic use by children in various cities of Saudi Arabia.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out using a previously validated questionnaire.

Relaxant effect of ghrelin on guinea pig isolated tracheal smooth muscle: role of epithelial NO and PGE.

This study aimed at investigating the potential ghrelin relaxing effect on guinea pig isolated tracheal smooth muscle (TSM). Using an in vitro experimental approach, the physiological role of the airway epithelium on smooth muscle relaxation has been investigated by analyzing the dose-response curves for carbachol- or histamine-induced contractions on epithelium intact versus denuded tracheal tissue. The relaxant effect of ghrelin (5-200 μmol/L) then investigated on carbachol-contracted, non-sensitized, and ovalbumin (OVA)-sensitized guinea pig TSM with an intact or denuded epithelium.

Epidemiology of group A rotavirus infection after the introduction of monovalent vaccine in the National Immunization Program of Saudi Arabia.

This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of group A rotavirus (RVA) gastroenteritis and the distribution of the RVA genotypes as well as to determine a possible change in the age of occurrence of the RVA infection in the first 2 years after Rotarix® vaccine introduction in Saudi Arabia. This descriptive study included 850 hospitalized children <5 years of age with acute gastroenteritis (AG) between October 2013 and September 2015. Overall, 78 (9.