BACKGROUND An imbalance between reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation in sperm and antioxidant capacity of seminal plasma has been linked to male infertility. The antioxidant power of biological fluids can be evaluated either by measurement of individual antioxidants or total antioxidant capacity (TAC). The aim of this study was to assess whether TAS Randox can also be used for seminal plasm...

The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy and the possible mechanism of action of a recently synthesized drug, TAS-301 [3-bis(4-methoxyphenyl)methylene-2-indolinone], on stenosis after balloon overstretch injury of porcine arteries. We measured the diameter of vessels by angiography and conducted histological analysis. The oral administration of TAS-301 kept dilated the angiograph...

A lot of studies showed the role of oxidative stress in more than 100 diseases, many neurodegenerative diseases and also in ischemic stroke. Objective: to assess the variation of oxidative stress in the acute phase of ischemic stroke and to find if there is any correlation with the clinical status or with any other biochemical parameter. Methods: We prospectively studied markers of oxidative st...

Toxin-antitoxin systems (TAs) are ubiquitous among bacteria and play a crucial role in the dissemination and evolution of antibiotic resistance, such as maintaining multi-resistant plasmids and inducing persistence formation. Generally, activities of the toxins are neutralised by their conjugate antitoxins. In contrast, antitoxins are more liable to degrade under specific conditions such as str...

INTRODUCTION Oxidative stress is now recognized as being the cause and the consequence of cardiovascular diseases. OBJECTIVE The role that oxidative stress parameters and inflammatory markers may play in diabetes and related cardiovascular disease (CVD) among Tunisian coronary diabetic patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS We measured the erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase (GPX), the superoxide di...

Ionizing radiation in differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) patients treated with radioiodine (131-I) produces reactive oxygen species (ROS), which could induce oxidative stress with disturbance of redox balance. The aim of this study was to evaluate oxidative stress in DTC patients treated with 3.7 or 5.5 GBq of 131-I using values for serum malondialdehyde (MDA, a marker of oxidative stress), ur...

PURPOSE The efficacy of targeted agents (TAs) in the treatment of elderly patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains controversial. We aimed to assess the efficacy of TAs in the treatment of advanced NSCLC in this setting. MATERIALS AND METHODS Relevant trials were identified by searching electronic databases and conference meetings. Prospective randomized controlled tr...

Thymidine kinase-1 (TK-1) and thymidylate synthase (TS) are key enzymes for salvage and de novo pyrimidine synthesis, respectively. Numerous studies have suggested that increased TS levels are associated closely with resistance to fluoropyrimidine-based chemotherapy. TAS-102 is a novel drug containing trifluorothymidine, which is phosphorylated by TK-1 to its active monophosphated form, that in...

INTRODUCTION This study aimed to establish the association between alexithymia and various factors, mainly somatization, and to determine the predictors of alexithymia in depressed patients. METHODS A total of 90 patients with major depressive disorder who met The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) diagnostic criteria were administered the Toronto Al...