Primary postpartum hemorrhage and associated factors among delivering women in Gedeo Zone, Southern Ethiopia.

Introduction: Primary postpartum hemorrhage is still the main cause of maternal death worldwide, especially in low-resource nations like Ethiopia where there are insufficient healthcare facilities and a shortage of skilled medical personnel. Data on the prevalence of primary postpartum hemorrhage in the study population are scarce or non-existent.

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of primary postpartum hemorrhage and its associated factors among delivering women in Gedeo Zone, Southern Ethiopia, in 2021.

Determinants of HIV infection among children born from mothers on prevention of mother to child transmission programme of HIV in southern Ethiopia: a case-control study.

Objective: This study was aimed to identify determinants of HIV infection among children born from mothers on the prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT) programme in Southern Ethiopia. It was designed to explore the main contributors to the considerable transmission rate of HIV from mother to child.

Setting And Design: A multicentre facility-based unmatched case-control study was conducted using 27 health facilities providing PMTCT service in Southern Ethiopia.

Anemia And Associated Factors Among Adult People Living With HIV/AIDS Receiving Anti-Retroviral Therapy At Gedeo Zone, SNNPR, Ethiopia, 2018.

Background: Anemia is one of the most common blood abnormalities in people with HIV. The incidence of anemia ranges from 10% in people who have no HIV symptoms to 92% among individuals who have advanced AIDS. Anemia which is also one of the major challenges among HIV patients can lead to impaired physical functioning, psychological distress, poor quality of life, accelerated disease progression, and shorter life expectancy.

Anti-inflammatory effect of caffeine is associated with improved lung function after lipopolysaccharide-induced amnionitis.

Background: Although caffeine enhances respiratory control and decreases the need for mechanical ventilation and resultant bronchopulmonary dysplasia, it may also have anti-inflammatory properties in protecting lung function.

Objective: We hypothesized that caffeine improves respiratory function via an anti-inflammatory effect in lungs of a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced pro-inflammatory amnionitis rat pup model.

Methods: Caffeine was given orally (10 mg/kg/day) from postnatal day (p)1 to p14 to pups exposed to intra-amniotic LPS or normal saline.

Statins lower calcium-induced oxidative stress in isolated mitochondria.

Statins are widely used cholesterol-lowering agents that exert cholesterol-independent effects including antioxidative. The present study delineates the effects of statins, atorvastatin, and simvastatin on oxidative stress and functions of mitochondria that are the primary cellular sources of oxidative stress. In isolated rat liver mitochondria, both the statins prevented calcium-induced cytochrome c release, lipid peroxidation, and opening of the mitochondrial membrane permeability transition (MPT).

Detection assays for determination of mitochondrial nitric oxide synthase activity; advantages and limitations.

Nitric oxide (NO) is a reactive radical synthesized by members of the NO synthase (NOS) family, including mitochondrial-specific NOS (mtNOS). Some of the assays used for the determination of cytoplasmic NOS activity have been utilized to detect mtNOS activity. However, it seems that many of those assays need to be adjusted and optimized to detect NO in the unique environment of mitochondria.

Mitochondria in multiple sclerosis.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neurological disorder of the central nervous system characterized by demyelination and neurodegeneration. Although the pathogenesis of MS is not completely understood, various studies suggest that immune-mediated loss of myelin and mitochondrial dysfunction are associated with the disease. Mitochondria are one of the main cellular sources of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) and play a pivotal role in many neuro-pathological conditions.

12(S)-hydroperoxyeicosatetraenoic acid (12-HETE) increases mitochondrial nitric oxide by increasing intramitochondrial calcium.

12(S)-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (12-HETE) is one of the metabolites of arachidonic acid involved in pathological conditions associated with mitochondria and oxidative stress. The present study tested effects of 12-HETE on mitochondrial functions. In isolated rat heart mitochondria, 12-HETE increases intramitochondrial ionized calcium concentration that stimulates mitochondrial nitric oxide (NO) synthase (mtNOS) activity.

Hypoxia/reoxygenation of isolated rat heart mitochondria causes cytochrome c release and oxidative stress; evidence for involvement of mitochondrial nitric oxide synthase.

The objective of the present study was to delineate the molecular mechanisms for mitochondrial contribution to oxidative stress induced by hypoxia and reoxygenation in the heart. The present study introduces a novel model allowing real-time study of mitochondria under hypoxia and reoxygenation, and describes the significance of intramitochondrial calcium homeostasis and mitochondrial nitric oxide synthase (mtNOS) for oxidative stress. The present study shows that incubating isolated rat heart mitochondria under hypoxia followed by reoxygenation, but not hypoxia per se, causes cytochrome c release from the mitochondria, oxidative modification of mitochondrial lipids and proteins, and inactivation of mitochondrial enzymes susceptible to inactivation by peroxynitrite.

The effect of N-acetylcysteine and melatonin in adult spontaneously hypertensive rats with established hypertension.

The attenuated nitric oxide (NO) formation and/or elevated production of reactive oxygen species are often found in experimental and human hypertension. We aimed to determine possible effects of N-acetylcysteine (1.5 g/kg/day) and N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine (melatonin, 10 mg/kg/day) in adult spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) with established hypertension.

Tamoxifen induces oxidative stress and mitochondrial apoptosis via stimulating mitochondrial nitric oxide synthase.

Tamoxifen is an anticancer drug that induces oxidative stress and apoptosis via mitochondria-dependent and nitric oxide (NO)-dependent pathways. The present report shows that tamoxifen increases intramitochondrial ionized Ca(2+) concentration and stimulates mitochondrial NO synthase (mtNOS) activity in the mitochondria from rat liver and human breast cancer MCF-7 cells. By stimulating mtNOS, tamoxifen hampers mitochondrial respiration, releases cytochrome c, elevates mitochondrial lipid peroxidation, increases protein tyrosine nitration of certain mitochondrial proteins, decreases the catalytic activity of succinyl-CoA:3-oxoacid CoA-transferase, and induces aggregation of mitochondria.

Cardiovascular function in a rat model of diet-induced obesity.

The obesity-prone/obesity-resistant rat model has been used to study mechanisms responsible for obesity-related abnormalities in renal function and blood pressure, but whether this model exhibits cardiac dysfunction has not been determined. We tested the hypothesis that obesity-prone rats would display cardiovascular abnormalities seen in other diet-induced obese models (ie, hypertension, tachycardia, left ventricular hypertrophy, increased collagen deposition, reduced cardiac contractility, and increased end diastolic pressure). Male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed a control diet or a moderate fat diet containing 32% kcal as fat while hemodynamics were continuously monitored using telemetry.

Red wine polyphenols induce vasorelaxation by increased nitric oxide bioactivity.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the mechanism of vasorelaxant responses induced by red wine polyphenolic compounds (Provinol). Rings of rat femoral artery with or without functional endothelium were set up in a myograph for isometric recording and precontracted with phenylephrine (10(-5) M). Provinol in cumulative doses (10(-9) to 10(-3) mg/ml) elicited endothelium- and dose-dependent relaxation of the artery with maximal relaxation of 56 per cent at the concentration of 10(-5) mg/ml.

Effects of red wine polyphenolic compounds on the cardiovascular system.

Phenolic phytochemicals are widely distributed in the plant kingdom. Regarding the protective effects on organisms, the polyphenol group is the most important. In different experiments, it has been shown that selected polyphenols, mainly flavonoids, possess protective effects on the cardiovascular system, as well as anticancer, antiviral and antiallergic properties.

Protective effects of red wine polyphenolic compounds on the cardiovascular system.

Phenolic phytochemicals are widely distributed in the plant kingdom. In terms of protective effects on organisms, the group of polyphenols is the most important. In various experiments, it has been shown that selected polyphenols, mainly flavonoids, confer protective effects on the cardiovascular system and have anti-cancer, antiviral and antiallergic properties.