Fertilization is the culminating event in sexual reproduction and requires the recognition and fusion of the haploid sperm and egg to form a new diploid organism. Specificity in these recognition events is one reason why sperm and eggs from different species are not normally compatible. One notable exception is the unusual ability of zona-free eggs from the Syrian golden hamster (Mesocricetus a...

The aim of our study was to investigate the changes that occur in functional responses of the golden hamster mesenteric arterial bed after: 1) 8 wk of hibernation and 2) 2 hr after arousal from hibernation. Age-matched and cold-exposed hamsters were used as controls. At 8 wk after hibernation there was an increase in sensitivity of vasoconstrictor responses to sympathetic nerve stimulation but ...

Daidzin is a potent, selective, and reversible inhibitor of human mitochondrial aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) that suppresses free-choice ethanol intake by Syrian golden hamsters. Other ALDH inhibitors, such as disulfiram (Antabuse) and calcium citrate carbimide (Temposil), have also been shown to suppress ethanol intake of laboratory animals and are thought to act by inhibiting the metabolism ...

Traditionally, hamsters are experimentally inoculated in the snout or the footpad. However in these sites an ulcer not always occurs, measurement of lesion size is a hard procedure and animals show difficulty to eat, breathe and move because of the lesion. In order to optimize the hamster model for cutaneous leishmaniasis, young adult male and female golden hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) were ...

BACKGROUND Oral mucositis (OM) is a common inflammatory complication among cancerous patients as an adverse effect of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects and identify the appropriate route of administration of extract of Zizyphus jujuba in 5-flurouracile induced OM induction in golden hamster. MATERIAL AND METHODS In a prospective randomized double...

Background Establishment of sand flies laboratory colonies is essential to understand various biological aspects of Phlebotominae sand flies. The aims of the current study were to establish the colony of Phlebotomus sergenti Parrot (1917), the main vector of anthroponotic cutaneous leishmaniasis in old world, and to study biological parameters of this species. Methods The sand flies were rear...

Metazoans are largely made of repeated parts, and metazoan evolution is marked by changes in the number of these parts, called meristic evolution. Understanding the mechanisms associated with meristic changes is thus a critical issue to evolutionary developmental biology. Palatal rugae are sensory ridges regularly arranged on the hard palate of mammals. They develop sequentially following mesio...

Dopamine significantly decreased melatonin levels in Golden hamster retinas excised at noon and incubated under light. The effect of dopamine was reversed by spiperone and clozapine (selective antagonists for D(2) and for D(4)/D(2) dopaminergic receptors, respectively) but not by SCH 23390 (a selective D(1) dopamine receptor antagonist). Both clozapine and spiperone per se significantly increas...

OBJECTIVE To observe the effect of Erigeron breviscapus (Vant) Hand Mazz (HEr) in impeding oral leukoplakia carcinogenesis, and to seek effective Chinese herb medicine that can impede precarcinoma of oral mucosas. METHODS 132 golden hamsters were randomly divided into model group (60 animals), HEr group (60 animals), and control group 12 animals. Salley's leukoplakia carcinogenesis model of g...