ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Estrogens has traditionally been known as the female hormone, but this idea has been challenged in early 1990’s and an essential physiological role for estrogen in male fertility was identified. Phytoestrogens are naturally occurring non-steroidal plant chemicals that can act like the female hormone estrogen. The herbs ( anise alfalfa and vervain ) chosen in this study contain phytoestrogens. OBJECTIVE: Previous studies demonstrated controversy of the effects of phytoestrogens on the rat testes .Hence, the present investigation was undertaken to investigate the influence of typical dose of herbs containing phytoestrogen on the rat testis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-four apparently normal mature male rats were divided into four groups of 6 animals each. The first "control" group received only 4ml of distilled water as a placebo. The second group received 40mg/kg of anise seed; the third group received 53.3 mg/kg of dried herb of vervain and the fourth group received 400 mg /kg of alfalfa seeds. All experimental groups received the doses through orogastric tube daily for fourteen days. Testicular histology was evaluated by light and enzyme histochemistry. Plasma FSH and testosterone concentrations were taken to support our results. RESULTS: Histological examination of anise, alfalfa and vervain – treated groups showed an increase in the height of germinal epithelia. There was marked lipoprotein lipase activity in the whole of the interstitial tissue which is more in amount in experimental groups than that in control group. Acid phosphatase granules were infiltered the seminiferous epithelia mildly in control group , moderately in anise and vervain groups and markedly in alfalfa group. The number of interstitial cells showing marked acid phosphatase activity was higher in all experimental groups than that in control group. Alkaline phosphatase exhibited intense activity in the boundary tissue of the seminiferous tubules in testes of control and experimental groups but it appeared thicker in the latter. CONCLUSION: The low dose and short duration of treatment used in our study made these phytoestrogen – containing herbs to have a stimulatory effect on leydig cell steroidogenesis. This study also demonstrated that aniseed being the most potent of the three herbs followed by alfalfa in stimulating testosterone synthesis. This is possibly attributed to the coumarin constituent of aniseed and alfalfa. KEY WORDS: phytoestrogen-containing herbs, testis, acid phosphatase, alkaline phosphatase, lipoprotein lipase
Objective: The aim of this study is to determine the factors affecting birth space interval in a sample of women.
Methodology: A cross-sectional study conducted in primary health centers in Al-Tahade and Al- Shak Omar in
Baghdad city. Data were collected by direct interview using questionnaire especially prepared for the study.
Sample size was (415) women in age group (20-40) years who were chosen randomly.
Results: Analysis of data shows highest rate of women (31.8%) had a birth space interval of (8-12) months
followed by (26.7%) had a birth space interval of (19-24) months, (20.2%) had a birth space interval of (>24)
months and (16.1%) had a birth space interval of (13-18) months respectively, while lower rate of w
The cinematic story depends on many construction techniques that together constitute the story features technically and the secondary events are considered one of these basic techniques that are directly affected by the employment mechanisms inside the cinematic achievement. This subject initiated the two researchers to decide the title of the research: (Mechanisms of Employing Secondary Event in Cinematographic Discourse). The research is divided into an introduction that included the problem details, the aim and defining the terms used. The first section was the act and the event in the cinematic story, which addressed the relation between the act and the event and the nature of the simulation that tries to ascend the human act
... Show MoreUndoped and Iodine (I)–doped chrome oxide (Cr2O3)thin films have been prepared by chemical spray pyrolysis technique at substrate temperatures(773K) on glass substrate. Absorbance and transmittance spectra have been recorded as a function of wavelength in the range (340-800 nm) in order to study the optical properties such as reflectance, Energy gap of allowed direct transition, extinction coefficient refractive index, and dielectric constant in real and imagery parts all as a function of wavelength. It was found that all the investigated parameters affect by the doping ratios.
Background: Determination of local bone mineral density (BMD) immediately after implant insertion play an important role in implant success rate, may offer comprehensive description of the bone, and give enough information to the surgeon prior to implant insertion and at follow up status. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the changes of local bone density in the dental implant recipient sites by using computerized tomography. Material and method: The sample consisted of (20) dental implants recipient sites, bone density assessment was done twice, immediately after implants insertion and after six months. Results: The mean HU of the bone around the implant insertion site, immediately after implant placement was 552.28 HU, and inc
... Show MoreThis article reveals the first record of the parasitoid wasp, Monodontomerus obscurus Westwood (Hymenoptera, Torymidae) from Iraq. A total of 27 specimens were emerged from mud nests of sphecoid wasp of Sceliphron sp. (Hymenoptera, Sphecidae), that collected from a wall at a residential garden in Dohuk province. A short morphological description is presented.
This study was designed to investigate the effect of the Clenbuterol drug in some physiological parameters of Liver, Kidney function and lipidprofie concentration. Fourty adult male rabbits were used in this study. The animals were randomly divided into four groups,the first group was given distilled water (control) ,while the other third groups were given (2,4,6 µg/kg) of Clenbuterol drug for 30 days. Blood samples were collected after 14 and 30 days of the treatment for biochemical study. Drug caused non significant increase(P<0.05)in the AST and ALT enzymeactivity in second and third groups during treatment period ,while we note a significant increase(P<0.05) in both AST,ALT enzyme level in fourth group compared with control group , as
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