To investigate the effects of Potentilla fulgens as a prophylactic agent on tibial defects in the rat. Twenty-eight male Wistar albino rats weighing 200-215 g each were divided into 3 experimental groups. The tibial bone defect group served as the control group. The experimental groups were Potentilla fulgens with tibial defect (14 days) and Potentilla fulgens with tibial defect (28 days). Extract of Potentilla fulgens was mixed with water (400 mg/kg/day) and given to groups 14 and 28 as drinking water. The histopathological and immunohistochemical characteristics of each tibial bone cavity within each group were observed. The trabecular new bone formation was evaluated by expression rate of osteonectin and osteopontin. In the Potentilla fulgens + tibial defect group (14 days), trabecular bone had started combining extensive new bone formation, osteocyte cells were evident, and lamellar bone was formed. Osteoblasts showed a positive reaction with osteonectin. Osteopontin expression was positively observed between fibrous structures and in the osteoblast and osteocyte cells. This can be considered indicative of new bone formation. In the Potentilla fulgens + tibial defect group (28 days), an increase in expansion in trabecular bone and myeloid tissue was observed. Osteoblastic activity and osteocyte cells began to be observed in new bone fragments. In our study we show that Potentilla fulgens extract provided a protective effect on new bone formation and aided in the development of osteocytes and secretion of matrix in osteoblasts. Additionally, we show the inductive effect of the extract on new bone formation. In particular, the expression of osteopontin and osteonectin was also supported with the Western blot technique on the development of osteoblasts and osteocytes, showing a similar trend with our results.

Prostate cancer is a disease of disrupted cell genomes. Quantification of DNA from cytology preparations can yield prognostic information about tissue biological behaviors; however, this process is very labor-intensive to perform. Quantitative digital pathology can measure the structural chromatin changes associated with neoplasia and can enable prognostic and predictive assays based on imaging of sectioned prostate tissue. To design an automated system to recognize and localize cell nuclei in images of stained sectioned tissue (first step in enabling quantitative digital pathology). Images of Feulgen-thionin-stained prostate cancer tissue microarray constructed from the surgical specimens of 33 prostate cancer patients were acquired for this study. We implemented a new image segmentation technique to overcome tissue complexity, cell clusters, background noise, image and tissue inhomogeneities, and other imaging issues that introduce uncertainties into the segmentation method and developed a fully automated system to localized prostate cell nuclei. We applied our algorithm on our dataset and obtained a 96.6% true-positive rate and a 12% false-positive rate. In this paper we present a new method to automatically localize thionin-stained prostate cancer cells, enabling the extraction of various nuclear and cell sociology features with high precision.

To investigate the reaction of versican and heparin-binding EGF-like growth factor (HB-EGF) molecule concentrations to acute radiation exposure in normal bladder and rectal tissue samples in order to gain more insight into the effects of cancer radiotherapy. Four groups with 6 male adult Swiss Albino mice per group were investigated. The mice bladder and rectum tissue samples were subjected to a 10-Gy single-dose radiation exposure in the pelvic region with a Co-60 teletherapy device and investigated 1, 2, and 7 days after radiation exposure, with 1 reference group which was not exposed to radiation. In the immunohistochemical examination of the tissue samples with anti-versican and anti-HB-EGF primary antibodies was observed a statistically significant increase 7 days after radiation exposure. The observed increase of versican and HB-EGF concentrations in the normal tissue matrix after radiation exposure may play a role in the side effects of radiotherapy.

To investigate Wnt11 and BCL2A1 immunohistochemical expression in complete moles and normal villi. The expression of Wnt11 and BCL2A1 in 84 complete moles and 30 normal first-trimester villi were detected by Envision immunohistochemistry. Quantitative evaluation according to color deconvolution and immunoreactive score was performed. Data was analyzed using Kruskal-Wallis test, Pearson test, and ROC curve. Of 84 complete moles, 14 developed to post-molar gestational trophoblastic neoplasia, and the others regressed spontaneously. Both proteins showed cytoplasmic pattern, whereas the DAB wt% of BCL2A1 and Wnt11 expression was highest in moles that developed to GTN, gradually reduced in spontaneously regressed moles and normal villi (all p < 0.01). We considered a 23.17% cutoff valuefor Wnt11 DAB wt% and 16.31% for BCL2A1 DAB wt% to assess molar progression to GTN. There was positive correlation between expressions of the 2 proteins (r = 0.403). Our findings demonstrated immunohistochemical expression of Wnt11 and BCL2A1 in complete moles and normal villi. Both proteins may be included as part of an immunohistochemical panel to identify postmolar outcome when other trophoblastic markers yield ambiguous results.

To investigate the potential beneficial effects of low-intensity exercise on histopathological changes of sciatic nerves in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. The rats were allotted randomly into 3 experimental groups: A (control), B (diabetic untreated), and C (diabetic treated with low-intensity exercise); each group contained 8 animals. Groups B and C received STZ. Diabetes was induced in 2 groups by a single intraperitoneal injection of STZ (40 mg/kg, freshly dissolved in 0.1 M citrate buffer, pH 4.2). Two days after STZ treatment, diabetes in 2 experimental groups was confirmed by measuring blood glucose levels. Rats with blood glucose levels ≥ 250 mg/dL were considered to be diabetic. Animals in the exercise group were made to run the treadmill once a day for 4 consecutive weeks. Exercise started 3 days prior to STZ administration. The treatment of low-intensity exercise caused a sharp decrease in the elevated serum glucose and an increase in the lowered serum insulin concentrations in STZ-induced diabetic rats. STZ induced a significant decrease in the area of insulin-immunoreactive β cells. Low-intensity exercise treatment resulted in increased area of insulin-immunoreactive β cells signficantly. Myelin breakdown decreased significantly after treatment with low intensity exercise. The ultrastructural features of degenerated axons also showed remarkable improvement. We believe that further preclinical research into low-intensity exercise may indicate its usefulness as a potential treatment for peripheral neuropathy in STZ-induced diabetic rats.

To determine the effect of zoledronic acid on graft materials in bone calvarial defects. Eighty adult (12 weeks) Sprague-Dawley male rats weighing from 300-350 g were divided into groups: calvarial defect, calvarial defect + synthetic graft, and calvarial defect + xenograft. All groups received zoledronate intravenously for a week after surgery and were sacrificed at either 6 or 12 weeks after their operation. The rat calvariae were fixed in 10% neutral buffered formalin before decalcification in 10% ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid for 20 days. Calvarial bone samples were then dehydrated and processed for embedding in paraffin wax. Sections 5 μm thick were stained with hematoxylin and eosin and examined by light microscopy. The effects of zoledronic acid, a third-generation nitrogen-containing bisphosphonate, on different graft materials in rats with critical-size calvarial defects were analyzed and compared. Significantly less graft resorption was identified in zoledronic acid-treated rats that had received a xenograft than in either the untreated rats or those with a synthetic graft. In the xenograft group primary ossification was visible at week 12, and the graft had entered the bone to a greater extent than in the other experimental groups or in the control group. Osseous structures were also observed more clearly in this group than in the others. Zoledronic acid histopathologic bone graft stimulates bone formation. Zoledronic acid may be considered among the therapeutic methods available to improve the bone formation process in calvarial bone formation.

To investigate the possible protective effects of Vitamin E (Vit E) on oxidative stress and jejunal damage in the rat intestinal mucosa after methotrexate (MTX)-induced enterotoxicity. Rats were divided into 3 groups: control, MTX, and MTX+ Vit E; each group contained 8 animals. The control group was given physiological serum in addition to sunflower oil for 3 days. The second group was given sunflower oil with intragastric tube daily, followed by MTX injection (20 mg/kg intraperitoneally). To the third group, starting 3 days before injection, Vit E was given dissolved in sunflower oil (600 mg/kg orally) in addition to MTX injection. Four days after MTX injection the anesthetized rats were sacrificed, and the tissue samples obtained from their jejunums were investigated for histological and biochemical analysis. Vit E treatment significantly decreased the elevated tissue malondialdehyde levels and increased the reduced glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase activities in comparison to the MTX-treated group. MTX treatment caused severe histopathological injury including mucosal erosions, inflammatory cell infiltration, necrosis, hemorrhage, and villous congestion. Vit E treatment significantly attenuated the severity of intestinal injury caused by MTX via inhibiting induced nitric oxide synthase levels and NF-κB p65 activation. Because of its reconstructing and antioxidant effects, Vit E pretreatment may have protective effects in the intestinal tissue of MTX-treated rats.

To investigate the distribution and developmental changes of Neuropeptide-Y (NPY) and its Y1 receptor (NPYY1)-like immunoreactivity cells in the duck thymus using immunohistochemistry associated with morphological analysis. Studies were carried out on Tianfu ducks on days 14, 18, 22, and 26 of embryogenesis (E14, E18, E22, and E26) as well as at 0 (neonatal stage), 1, 3, 5, 8, 11, 14, 17, 20, 26, 29, and 32 weeks of postnatal development (P0, P1, P3, P5, P8, P11, P14, P17, P20, P26, P29, and P32). NPY-like immunoreactivity (NPY-ir) was detected mainly in the epithelial reticular cells and vascular smooth muscles, slightly in the lymphocytes from E26 onwards. On E26, NPY-ir was restricted to the epithelial reticular cells of diffuse forms of Hassall's corpuscle (DHC). The integral optical density (IOD) values of NPY-ir cells in the cortex and medulla did not significantly change from P0 to P17, but then dramatically rose from P20 to P32. NPYY1-like immunoreactivity (NPYY1-ir) was observed mainly in the lymphocytes, slightly in the epithelial reticular cells of DHC and the vascular smooth muscles from E18 onwards. The IOD values of NPYY1-ir cells significantly increased from E18 to E22, then kept unchanged until P0, greatly increased on P3, and then remained stable until P17 but dramatically increased from P20 to P32. These results suggest that the possible interaction between NPY and NPYY1 may take place within the duck thymus chiefly during postembryonic development, which might be of great importance for the function of thymocytes, as well as duck thymus involution.

To determine the role of cyclooxygenase (COX) expression in the urothelium of the urinary bladder during radiation injury caused by pelvic radiotherapy for cancer therapy. Twenty-four male Swiss Albino mice were separated into 4 groups. The first group was the control group (Group 1) and the second, third, and fourth groups were euthanized after 24 hours (Group 2), 48 hours (Group 3), and 7 days (Group 4), respectively. A single-fractioned 10 Gy of ionizing radiation was applied to all mice's pelvic zone with Co-60. Bladders were removed completely from the pelvic region. Histochemical analysis using hematoxylin and eosin and immunohistochemical analysis using anti-COX-1 and COX-2 antibodies were performed on tissue samples. The immunoreactivities of the urinary bladder were quantified using H-score measurement, and statistical comparison was performed. In the immunohistochemical examination the COX-1 immunoreactivities were found to be higher in the urothelium of the bladder in the radiation exposed groups than in the normal control group (group 1) (p < 0.005). Additionally, high immunoreactivity of COX-2 molecule was established in groups 2, 3, and 4 of radiation groups as compared to group 1 (p < 0.005) in examination of the urothelium. COX-1 and COX-2 immunoreactivities in the submucosa were detected higher in group 4 than in the other groups (p < 0.005). COX-1 and COX-2 expressions in the urothelium and subepithelium of the urinary bladder were investigated in mice during the acute radiation response. The expression of COX-1 and COX-2 in the urothelium seems to prevent bladder damage from radiation, supplying differentiation and restoration of the urothelium.