Correlation between immune responses and oocyst production in chickens monospecifically infected with Eimeria maxima

One-day-old chicks (Cobb 500) were purchased from a commercial hatchery and raised on non-medicated diet in wire cages in coccidia-free conditions. The chickens were infected with a single dose (1 x 10(4)) of sporulated oocysts of E. maxima by direct injection into the crop at 5 weeks of age. Antibody capture immunoassay (ELISA) and lymphocyte proliferation assay were used for assessment of antibody and cellular responses, respectively. The results showed that both antibody and lymphocyte responses increased during the experiment and reached their highest level at 2 weeks post-inoculation, when they began to decline. A significant negative correlation between lymphocyte proliferation and oocyst output was observed. This study demonstrates that the whole-blood lymphocyte assay is a useful, relatively simple, sensitive and reliable technique for quantitative assessment of circulating T-cell responses. Assessment of lymphocyte proliferation and antibody responses may have applications in monitoring flock status in outbreaks of avian coccidiosis and evaluation of the efficacy of vaccination programmes in poultry.     

Assessment of nuclear DNA integrity of epididymal spermatozoa following experimental chronic spinal cord injury in the rat

Infertility is considered as one of the major problems associated with spinal cord injury (SCI). However, the exact underlying mechanism is still unknown. Therefore, the main objective of this experimental study was to evaluate the effect of chronic SCI on sperm parameters as well as chromatin integrity and DNA of spermatozoa aspirated from cauda epididymis of rats. Forty-five adult Wistar rats were divided into three groups - SCI, sham, and control. Following laminectomy, SCI was induced onto exposed dura matter (T10). The sham group underwent laminectomy of T10 only, while the control rats were not exposed to any type of injury or medication. The cauda epididymal sperms were aspirated after 8 weeks for analysis of sperm parameters and sperm chromatin integrity with aniline blue (AB), chromomycin A3 (CMA3), sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS), and acridine orange (AO) tests. The sperm progressive motility and normal morphology of SCI rats were significantly changed when compared with other groups (p < 0.05). In addition, AB as well as CMA3 tests were insignificantly increased in the SCI group when compared with the sham and control groups. However, SDS and AO tests were significantly changed in SCI samples when compared with the sham and control groups (p < 0.001). The results showed that chronic SCI in rat disturbs sperm parameters as well as nuclear maturity and DNA integrity of sperms. Therefore, sperm chromatin structure is compromised in SCI animals as revealed by chromatin structural probes. These alterations may reduce the fertility potential of the male gamete following SCI.     

Synthesis and cytotoxic properties of novel (E)-3-benzylidene-7-methoxychroman-4-one derivatives

Background and the purpose of the study

There has been increscent interest in the field of cancer chemotherapy by discovery and development of novel agents with high efficacy, low toxicity, and minimum side effects. In order to find new anticancer agents, we replaced the pyrazolone part of well-known cytotoxic agent SJ-172550 with 7-methoxychroman-4-one. Thus, a novel series of 3-benzylidene-4-chromanones were synthesized and tested in vitro against human cancer cell lines.

Methods

The title compounds were prepared by condensation of 7-methoxychroman-4-one with suitable aldehydes in appropriate alcohol in the presence of gaseous HCl. The antiproliferative activity of target compounds were evaluated against MDA-MB-231 (breast cancer), KB (nasopharyngeal epidermoid carcinoma) and SK-N-MC (human neuroblastoma) cell lines using MTT assay.

Results

Although the direct analog of SJ-172550 (compound 5d) did not show any cytotoxic activity against tested cell lines, but 2-(2-chloro-6-methoxyphenoxy)acetic acid methyl ester analog 5c showed some activity against MDA-MB-231 and SK-N-MC cells. Further modification of compound 5c resulted in the 3-chloro-4,5-dimethoxybenzylidene derivative 5b which demonstrated better cytotoxic profile against all tested cell lines (IC₅₀ values = 7.56–25.04 μg/ml).

Conclusion

The results demonstrated that the cytotoxic activity of compound 5b against MDA-MB-231 and SK-N-MC cells is more than etoposide. Therefore, compound 5b prototype could be considered as novel cytotoxic agent for further developing new anticancer chemotherapeutics.     

Diagnostic histological features of metastatic lymph nodes in adenosquamous carcinoma

Laryngeal adenosquamous carcinoma (ASC) is a rare malignancy, and the problems in true diagnosis of this entity are well known. In this paper, we describe a case of ASC and discuss its distinct histopathology in metastatic lymph nodes. A heavy smoker man presented with a progressive neck mass. Based on incisional biopsy, diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) was made and total laryngectomy with bilateral radical neck dissection was performed. Sections of primary tumor showed a well-differentiated SCC. However, lymph node metastases had a distinct feature of glandular structures. Further investigation with Mayer's mucicarmine stain confirmed the presence of rare scattered glands in primary tumor and the final diagnosis was changed to ASC. Adenosquamous carcinoma is a distinct entity and must be distinguished from the common SCC of larynx. As a result, when a lesion with diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma shows evidence of glandular differentiation in a subsequent biopsy or in nodal metastases, more investigation is necessary. Moreover, the glandular structures in primary tumor, as in this case, may be rare and inconspicuous. Therefore, we suggest the precise evaluation of metastatic lymph nodes for any laryngeal tumor with diagnosis of SCC. This helps to make appropriate therapeutic decisions with respect to the aggressive behavior of ASC and its high propensity for lymph node metastasis.