background and objective: cardiovascular disorders continue to constitute major causes of morbidity and mortality in diabetic patients. in this study, the effect of chronic administration of tribulus terrestris (tt) feeding was studied on aortic reactivity of streptozotocin (stz)-diabetic rats and some underlying mechanisms were investigated.    materials and methods: male diabetic rats receive...

A survey of the genus Sorolopha Lower, 1901 in the northern part of Vietnam revealed the presence of 10 species, including S. cucphuongensis Bae & Le, sp. nov. Most of the species previously were reported by various authors, but S. rubescens Diakonoff, 1973 and S. cyclotoma Lower, 1901 are newly recorded for the country. All species are diagnosed, and figures of the adults and genitalia are pro...

1. The effects of the anecic earthworm Lumbricus terrestris L. on plant seedling recruitment and spatial aggregation were investigated in a microcosm glasshouse experiment by varying plant seed size (small and large); functional groups (grasses, legumes, herbs); plant species diversity (1, 3, 6); and plant functional group diversity (1, 3). 2. Generally, earthworms buried seeds quickly irrespec...

The ecological impacts of alien species invasion are a major threat to global biodiversity. The increasing number of invasion events by alien species and the high cost and difficulty of eradicating invasive species once established require the development of new methods and tools for predicting the most susceptible areas to invasion. Invasive pollinators pose serious threats to biodiversity and...

The aim of this study is to assess the reliability of different artificial neural networks as tools for identifying taxonomic or ecotypic subdivisions in European water voles (genus Arvicola). Self-organizing maps show that taxa at subspecies or species level are organized along morphological gradients correlated with ecotypes (from extreme forms of fossorial Arvicola terrestris to strictly aqu...

BACKGROUND Opioids can exert adverse effects on the body. Morphine, an opioid drug, reduces hormone levels and fertility, and causes sexual activity disorders. Tribulus terrestris (TT) is a traditional herbal medicine used to enhance sexual activities. This study investigates the possible role of TT on sex hormones and gonadotropins with the intent to show its usefulness in treating fertility d...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Although urban gardens provide opportunities for pollinators in an otherwise inhospitable environment, most garden plants are not native to the recipient biogeographical region and their value to local pollinators is disputed. This study tested the hypothesis that bumblebees foraging in English urban gardens preferentially visited sympatric Palaearctic-range plants over spec...