Maternal diabetes is considered one of the most common causes of defective growth of the fetus. Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) help prevent alloxan-induced type 1 diabetes mellitus (type 1 DM). It was found that arachidonic acid (AA) is the most successful PUFA in preventing rats from developing type 1 diabetes brought on by alloxan. The aim of this work is to investigate the effects of maternal diabetes on the prenatal development of rat vertebral columns and the probable protecting role of arachidonic acid. Randomly selected pregnant rats were divided into four groups: control, alloxan-induced diabetes group (150 mg/kg), alloxan + arachidonic acid group (55μg/kg, followed by alloxan injection), and arachidonic acid group (arachidonic acid only). The female pregnant rats were sacrificed at the gestational days 15, 17 and 19. The fetuses were collected and subjected to morphometric analysis. The lumbar vertebrae and the sacrum were removed and managed for light and electron microscopic examination. In the alloxan-induced diabetic group, the offspring exhibited a significant drop in all body measurements. Histologic examination of lumbar and sacral vertebrae in the offspring of the alloxan-induced diabetic group showed delayed chondrification and ossification. Electron microscopic examination of reserve cell of the alloxan-induced diabetic group of the 19-day-old albino rat fetus shows shrinkage of the cell with irregular outline and cytoplasmic vacuolations. In the alloxan + arachidonic acid group, the morphometric measurements of the offspring and the histological picture of their lumbar and sacral vertebrae were more or less similar to the control group.

Keywords:
Diabetes, Vertebral Column, Arachidonic Acid.

Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is a worldwide food flavour enhancer commonly used by the food industry. This feed additive may cause male infertility. Nigella sativa seeds (NSS) is a widely used in herbal medicine as it has many biological benefits and could provide a solution. This work was designed to investigate the histological effects of NSS on rats ingesting MSG. To achieve this aim, adult male albino rats (2- 3 months old) were randomly and equally assigned into three experimental groups. For a period of 21 days, control group received no treatment, MSG group received MSG as 30 g/kg feed, and MSG + NSS group received MSG as 30 g/kg feed and NSS as 30 g/kg feed. Seminal vesicle histopathology in MSG group showed mild seminal vesiculitis with degeneration of smooth muscle fibers in tunica muscularis. In addition, there was an increase in the amount of connective tissue and apoptotic cells count. Periodic Acid Schiff stain indicated irregular and interrupted epithelial basement membranes. Glutathione reductase (GR), superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2), and caspase-3 immuno-expressions increased in MSG group. It was found that there was an increase in the number of apoptotic cells, intraepithelial lymphocytes and dendritic cells in MSG group. However, treatment with NSS ameliorated these disturbances. NSS mitigated MSG-induced seminal vesicle damage by its histoprotective, cytoprotective and anti-apoptotic activities.

KEYWORDS
Monosodium glutamate, Nigella sativa seeds, Seminal vesicle, Apoptotic cells, Seminal vesiculitis, Dendritic cells, Lymphocytes.

Background

Despite the growing interest in dexmedetomidine as an adjunct to truncal blocks, little is known about the systemic absorption of dexmedetomidine after these blocks and its role in analgesia and in hemodynamics.

Objective

We investigated the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of dexmedetomidine as an adjunct to transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block in patients undergoing lower abdominal cancer surgery.

Methods

Twenty-four adult patients were randomized to receive a bilateral single-injection TAP block before surgery with 20 mL of bupivacaine 0.5% (TAP group, n = 12) or combined with 1 µg/kg dexmedetomidine (TAP-DEX group, n = 12) and diluted with saline to a volume of 40 mL (20 mL on each side). Plasma concentrations of dexmedetomidine and its pharmacokinetics were investigated using non-compartmental methods, postoperative analgesia, hemodynamics, and adverse