Alleviation of lead poisoning in the brain with aqueous leaf extract of the Thunbergia laurifolia (Linn.).

We used seven groups of 8-week-old male ICR mice, with 6 mice in each group, to test if aqueous leaf extract of the Thai medicinal plant Thunbergia laurifolia Linn. (TL) protects against lead poisoning. We found that co-treatment with aqueous TL leaf extract did not affect levels of lead in blood and brain of mice given lead in drinking water at 1 g/L for 8 weeks.

Factors affecting recovery of Strongyloides stercoralis larvae: an approach to a newly modified formalin-ether concentration technique for diagnosis of strongyloidiasis.

To improve the diagnosis efficiency of human strongyloidiasis by using formalin-ether concentration technique (FECT), the effects of various factors on the recovery rates of Strongyloides stercoralis larvae were comparatively evaluated. Fresh stool and a short time exposure of larvae to formalin yielded significantly higher numbers of larvae than preserved stool and 10-min exposure. Likewise, straining through wire mesh yielded a significantly higher number of larvae recovered than straining through gauze did.

Effect of lower extremity exercise on muscle strength and physical capacity in COPD patients.

Objective: Investigate the effect of lower extremity exercise on maximum lower extremity muscle strength and physical capacity in COPD patients.

Material And Method: Twenty moderate to very severe COPD patients were allocated into trained and control groups. The trained group received eight weeks of lower extremity functional exercise including forward step up, lateral step up, heel raise, and lunge at home.

Tumor necrosis factor alpha-mediated nitric oxide production enhances manganese superoxide dismutase nitration and mitochondrial dysfunction in primary neurons: an insight into the role of glial cells.

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), a ubiquitous pro-inflammatory cytokine, is an important mediator in the immune-neuroendocrine system that affects the CNS. The present study demonstrates that treatment with TNF-alpha activates microglia to increase TNF-alpha production in primary cultures of glial cells isolated from wild-type (WT) mice and mice deficient in the inducible form of nitric oxide synthase (iNOSKO). However, mitochondrial dysfunction in WT neurons occurs at lower concentrations of TNF-alpha when neurons are directly treated with TNF-alpha or co-cultured with TNF-alpha-treated microglia than iNOSKO neurons similarly treated.

Construction of plasmid vector for expression of bacteriocin N15-encoding gene and effect of engineered bacteria on Enterococcus faecalis.

A 6.09-kb plasmids vector pOri253 was constructed from the plasmid pIL253 (5.2 kb) and a 0.