Lesions In Reproductive Organs Research Articles

Emergency contraception using progestin drugs in domestic cats

Today, in conditions of strict quarantine, when it is not always possible to carry out surgery in cats, some methods of emergency drug contraception can be used. Over the years, many contraceptive medications have been developed for companion animals, but many secondary adverse effects have limited their use. However, in all species, the secondary adverse effects of progesterone-type drugs limit their use and vary depending on when treatment is given in relationship to the stage of the estrous cycle. An ideal non-surgical sterilant would be safe, effective, permanent, administered as a single injection and capable of being manufactured inexpensively. Contraceptives are used for cats, as a method of renewable fertility over time for breeding animals, as a method of suppressing sexual function for animals at risk for surgery, and to prevent over populations in stray cats. The use of non-surgical, safe and effective methods of suppression of sexual function in cats eliminates traumatization, anesthesia and complicated postoperative period in animals, which in some cases are impossible in the state of health, etc. The most common and affordable method of medical contraception is progestins, such as megestrol acetate, medroxyprogesterone acetate, proligestone (used orally or as a depot injection). These drugs are effective in inhibiting sexual function. Contraceptives for felids are available as implants, depot injections, and pills or liquid for oral administration, powder for mixing with food, or as vaccines. Regimens may differ according to the timing of first treatment, whether coinciding with the active reproductive period, preceding this period, or during anestrus. Ideally, the treatment regimen is initiated during anestrus to minimize the dose needed for reproductive suppression and to avert exposure to endogenous steroids that can cause lesions in reproductive organs.

Sarcocornia perennis pectic polysaccharides orally administered to mice: Holistic histological evaluation of xenobiotic protection

Sarcocornia perennis subsp. perennis is an edible halophyte with reported potential health benefits. To disclose the potential contribution of its polysaccharides to health benefits, in this work, hot water extracts were prepared and a holistic approach was performed, relating the simultaneous effects on different organs and molecular components administered orally, using the extract and the purified polysaccharides. The material rich in polysaccharides extracted with hot water was separated into two fractions by dialysis, allowing to obtain the pectic polysaccharides and the low molecular weight compounds. Oral administration of the extract and its fractions (120 mg/kg/day, 30 days) in mice was evaluated by histopathological analysis of liver, lymphoid (thymus and spleen) and reproductive organs (testis and epididymis). Extract and purified polysaccharides promoted a megakaryocytes increase in spleen, while low molecular weight compounds affected the reproductive organs (vacuolation and germ cells release in lumen), causing hydropic change in liver and degeneration of seminiferous tubules.This is the first study on polysaccharides from Sarcocornia. These pectic polysaccharides were shown to protect the immune and reproductive systems against toxic chemicals inducers of oxidation reactions. Their purification is a fundamental step, since the low molecular weight compounds of the edible parts may contribute to lesions in reproductive organs.

Histopathological lesions in reproductive organs, distal spinal cord and peripheral nerves of horses naturally infected with Trypanosoma equiperdum

BackgroundDourine, a venereal transmitted trypanosomosis caused by Trypanosoma equiperdum, has different clinical signs related to the reproductive and nervous system. Pathologic tissue changes associated with the disease are poorly described. The present study describes the histopathological lesions in naturally T. equiperdum-infected horses in the chronical stage of dourine.ResultsFour chronically dourine diseased horses underwent a post-mortem examination. They were Woo test negative, but CATT/T. evansi positive, had a low packed cell volume (PCV) and exhibited obvious clinical signs of dourine. Post-mortem examination did not reveal gross lesions in the organs assumed to be responsible for the symptomatology. On histopathology, genital organs were affected, with mononuclear cell infiltration and erosions and degeneration of seminiferous tubules and perivascular lymphoplasmacytic cuffing in the uterus. In the nervous system, mononuclear cell infiltration was located in peripheral nerves, ganglia and in the spinal cord, leading to axonal degeneration. Real-time PCR using ITS primer revealed the presence of trypanosomes in these organs and conventional PCRs using maxicircle and RoTat1.2 primers further confirmed the involvement of T. equiperdum since the DNAs from the vagina, testicle, distal spinal cord, sciatic and obturator nerves found to be positive for maxicircle and negative for RoTat 1.2.ConclusionsThe histopathological lesions in the spinal cord and peripheral nerves explain the incoordination of the hind legs in T. equiperdum-infected horses, whilst its presence in the genital tract exemplifies the venereal transmission.

Re-evaluation of oxidised soya bean oil interacted with mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids (E479b) as a food additive.

The EFSA Panel on Food Additives and Flavourings (FAF) provides a scientific opinion re‐evaluating the safety of thermally oxidised soya bean oil interacted with mono‐ and diglycerides of fatty acids (TOSOM) (E 479b) when used as a food additive. The Scientific Committee on Food (SCF) and the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) derived an acceptable daily intake (ADI) of 25 and 30 mg/kg body weight (bw) per day, respectively. There was no reliable information regarding the absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion (ADME) for TOSOM. No adverse effects have been detected in a limited subchronic toxicity study in pigs. The Panel identified a no observed adverse effect level (NOAEL) of 5,400, the highest dose tested, from a chronic and carcinogenicity study in rats. No genotoxicity data were available. No reliable studies for reproductive or developmental toxicity were available. From the chronic and carcinogenicity study, no lesions in reproductive organs were described and the lack of carcinogenic effect alleviated the concern for genotoxicity at the first site of contact. The Panel concluded that the available toxicological data were insufficient to support the current ADI, in particular, due to the lack of ADME data and absence of developmental toxicity studies TOSOM (E 479b) is only authorised in one food category and only one reported use level that equals the maximum permitted level was submitted. The estimated high (P95) exposure reached an upper value of 10.1 mg/kg bw per day for toddlers. When comparing the highest estimated exposure of 10 mg/kg bw per day in toddlers with the NOAEL of 5,400 mg/kg bw per day (the highest dose tested), the margin of safety (MoS) would be 540. Therefore, the Panel considered the use of TOSOM (E 479b) to be of no safety concern, in particular when considering the limited current use of this food additive. The Panel also recommended some modifications of the EU specifications for E 479b.

An improved system for the evaluation of antiviral compounds against herpes simplex virus type 2

Infection with herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) can result in lesions in reproductive organs, along with long-term latency. In this work, a non-lethal strain of HSV-2 which was isolated clinically was used to infect female mice intravaginally. Body weight, vulval lesions, histological examination of vaginal tissue, and viral load were monitored and used as indices for evaluating antiviral drugs against HSV-2 infection. The results indicated that mice infected with HSV-2 exhibited significant reduction in body weight, serious vulval lesions, massive lymphocyte invasion of vaginal tissue, and approximately 104 copies/μl of HSV-2 were found in vaginal and uterine tissues. Aciclovir (ACV) treatment inhibited loss in body weight, genital pathology and virus replication (reduced to 100.3 copies/μl) effectively. The study provides a simple, reproducible and feasible animal model for anti-HSV-2 drugs evaluation and HSV-2 vaccine research.