Intravenous infusion of either camboginol or morelloflavone from Garcinia dulcis (GD) exerted diuretic, hypotensive, and vasorelaxant effects in either normotensive or hypertensive rats. This study aims to investigate the effects of GD flower extract on arterial blood pressure (ABP) and renal excretory functions. Male Wistar rats (8-weekold) were divided into 4 groups (group I-IV, n = 6 each) in both acute and sub-chronic protocols. The GD extract was orally administrated to group II-IV at the dose of 50, 100, or 200 mg/kg, respectively, while group I served as vehicle control. The oral administration was performed before the experiment in acute protocol and daily for 2 weeks in the sub-chronic protocol. The ABP and renal excretory functions were measured in the anesthetized rats. The levels of fasting blood glucose (FBG), plasma lipid profiles, and liver enzymes were evaluated in the sub-chronic experiment along with liver histology. The results showed that acute administration of GD extract significantly decreased ABP but increased renal blood flow, glomerular filtration rate, urine flow rate, osmolar clearance, and negative free water clearance when compared with the control. In the sub-chronic protocol, the GD extract significantly decreased ABP but did not alter the renal excretory functions. The plasma levels of FBG, lipid profiles, liver enzymes, and the histology of liver were not changed. It is concluded that acute oral administration of GD extract possessed hypotensive and diuretic effects whereas the sub-chronic treatment of GD showed hypotensive effect and no alterations in liver function, FBG, and plasma lipid profiles.

The hexane insoluble fraction of the Garcinia dulcis (GD) flower extract comprises mainly camboginol and morelloflavone which possess potent in vivo and in vitro antioxidant properties. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of 4-week oral administration of GD flower extract on the arterial blood pressure (ABP) and the excretory function of the kidney in the 2-kidneys-1-clip (2K1C) renovascular hypertensive rats (total=12) compared to sham operated (SO) normotensive Wistar rats (total=12). Four weeks after hypertensive-induced surgery, either 50 mg/kg BW GD flower extract or vehicle was orally administered to the 2K1C or SO groups (n=6/group) daily for four weeks. ABP and the renal excretory function were studied in anesthetized rats, and expression of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) mRNA in the isolated thoracic aorta were measured. In the 2K1C rats, GD flower extract significantly decreased ABP while increased significantly eNOS mRNA levels. GD flower extract did not exert a diuretic effect in either SO and 2K1C rats since there was no change in observed urine excretion, but it did tend to attenuated the renal tubular damage caused by renovascular hypertension. GD flower extract was anti-hypertensive in this model of renovascular hypertension and problably acts via the endothelial nitric oxide signaling pathway.

ObjectiveTo study the possibility of using superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) as combined preoperative biomarkers for endometriosis.Participants and methodsFemale patients aged between 18 and 45 years old who came to the Gynecology outpatient clinic, Thammasat University Hospital, during September 2013–2016 with the complaint of gynecologic symptoms suspected of endometriosis, and who were positively diagnosed with endometriosis, were included in this study. All patients underwent conservative laparoscopic ovarian cystectomy with histopathological report. The control group consisted of healthy females of reproductive age who came to the outpatient clinic. The plasma SOD and GPx were measured from blood samples with commercial kits. A receiver operating characteristic curve was generated for plasma activity of SOD, GPx, and combined tests. The cutoff values were selected at the most appropriate sensitivity and specificity.ResultAll 36 cases were included in this study. Mean ages of patients in the patient and control groups were 33.1 and 28.6 years old, respectively. SOD and GPx activities of disease and control group were 6.15 and 8.11, 463.9 and 472.34 nmole/min/mL unit, respectively. The sensitivity and 1–specificity of the combined test were calculated at 0.78, with sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value being 68.75, 80.77, 76.50, 69.23, and 80.33, respectively.ConclusionA combination testing of SOD and GPx can possibly be used as preoperative biomarker for endometriosis.

Laparoscopic ovarian cystectomy is recommended for surgical procedure of endometrioma. The negative impact on ovarian reserve following removal had been documented. Little evidence had been reported for nonovarian originated effects. Objective. To evaluate the impact of laparoscopic ovarian cystectomy for endometrioma on ovarian reserve, measured by serum antimullerian hormone (AMH), compared to nonovarian pelvic surgery. Materials and Methods. A prospective study was conducted. Women who underwent laparoscopic ovarian cystectomy (LOC) and laparoscopic nonovarian pelvic surgery (NOS) were recruited and followed up through 6 months. Clinical baseline data and AMH were evaluated. Results. 39 and 38 participants were enrolled in LOC and NOS groups, respectively. Baseline characteristics (age, weight, BMI, and height) and preoperative AMH level between 2 groups were not statistically different. After surgery, AMH of both groups decreased since the first week, at 1 month and at 3 months. However, as compared to the LOC group at 6 months after operation, the mean AMH of the NOS group had regained its value with a highly significant difference. Conclusion. This study demonstrated the negative impact of nonovarian or indirect effects of laparoscopic surgery to ovarian reserve. The possible mechanisms are necessary for more investigations.

Objective This study proposes Facebook usage as a motivational vehicle for studying block subjects in Problem-Based Learning Curriculum. Facebook page engagement should allow self-motivated medical students the opportunity to review subject materials. Frequent use and practice resulted in better National Licensing Examination step 1 (NLE1) scores amongst frequent users of posted material. Methods The scenarios and exercises were posted on a Facebook page every 2 months after completion of the relevant block. Participants were classified into four groups by frequency of Facebook page usage. Participants completed exit surveys after the NLE1 results were posted. The mean opinion scores of each group were compared using one-way ANOVA. The correlation coefficient of the percentage of the NLE1 success and frequency of page participation was calculated. Result Most students spent excess of 3 months preparing for the NLE1. The most popular study aid was the MCQ bank. Frequent Facebook page users often preferred self-study and group work compared to Bnever^users (p < 0.05). Strong positive correlation (r = 0.956) was shown between the frequency of Facebook page usage and the success rate of the NLE1. Conclusion Facebook study cases allowed self-motivated medical students to periodically review subject materials. Frequent users' regular practice resulted in better passing rates of the NLE1 exam.