Central nervous system cytotoxicity is linked to neurodegenerative disorders. The objective of the study was to investigate whether monosodium glutamate (MSG) neurotoxicity can be reversed by natural products, such as ginger or propolis, in male rats. Four different groups of Wistar rats were utilized in the study. Group A served as a normal control, whereas group B was orally administered with MSG (100 mg/kg body weight, via oral gavage). Two additional groups, C and D, were given MSG as group B along with oral dose (500 mg/kg body weight) of either ginger or propolis (600 mg/kg body weight) once a day for two months. At the end, the rats were sacrificed, and the brain tissue was excised and levels of neurotransmitters, ß-amyloid, and DNA oxidative marker 8-OHdG were estimated in the brain homogenates. Further, formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded brain sections were used for histopathological evaluation. The results showed that MSG increased lipid peroxidation, nitric oxide, neurotransmitters, and 8-OHdG as well as registered an accumulation of ß-amyloid peptides compared to normal control rats. Moreover, significant depletions of glutathione, superoxide dismutase, and catalase as well as histopathological alterations in the brain tissue of MSG-treated rats were noticed in comparison with the normal control. In contrast, treatment with ginger greatly attenuated the neurotoxic effects of MSG through suppression of 8-OHdG and β-amyloid accumulation as well as alteration of neurotransmitter levels. Further improvements were also noticed based on histological alterations and reduction of neurodegeneration in the brain tissue. A modest inhibition of the neurodegenerative markers was observed by propolis. The study clearly indicates a neuroprotective effect of ginger and propolis against MSG-induced neurodegenerative disorders and these beneficial effects could be attributed to the polyphenolic compounds present in these natural products.

Accurate estimation of postmortem interval (PMI) is one of the most important and difficult issues in forensic medicine. After death, the tissues undergo autolysis and biomacromolecules degrade. The relationship of extent of DNA damage and certain components of the oxidant/antioxidant balance in brain and femoral muscle tissues of rats killed by cervical dislocation or drowning, with the post-mortem intervals was investigated and examined by making a relation with the histopathological finding in brain tissue. The results showed that the oxidant/antioxidant balance in brain and femoral muscle tissue was shift insignificant favour of the oxidants at 24 hrs postmortem and lasted tell 96 hours post-mortem toward the oxidant. The percentage of DNA fragmentation was detected increased parallel to significant increase of oxidant level from zero to 96 hrs post-mortem. The histopathological alterations in brain and muscle tissues of drowned or cervical dislocation were found to be in full accordance with biochemical finding and DNA fragmentation. Our results suggest that biochemical analysis, DNA fragmentation as well as histopathological examination of brain and muscle tissues provide an accurate estimation of post-mortem intervals.

Background: Road traffic accidents has been resulting of multiply interacting factor. Road traffic accidents constitute the substantial cause of disability and mortality. They are major causes of injury and death due to the growing number of vehicles, lifestyle changes, and risk behaviors in the general population. Aim of work: The aim of the study was to analyze road traffic accidents, determine different types of injuries, the prognosis and outcome of the injured cases presented to Egyptian Forensic Authority, Ministry of justice, during 2010–2014. Methods: The required information and data of accidents were collected, respectively, from Egyptian Forensic Authority, Ministry of justice. 1976 cases of road traffic accidents during period 2010–2014 were studied. Results: 1976 people were injured in RTAs during 2010–2014. The highest accidental number of cases exposed to [RTAs] that presented to Egyptian Forensic Authority [2010 -2014] was in 2014. The most common age group involved was in 21–30 yrs. Males accounted for 85.1% of injured persons. Most frequent victims of road traffic accidents were pedestrians [56.1%] followed by passengers [31.4%]. More than half of RTAs occurred inside cities [62.3%]. The study showed that the cases exposed to [RTAs] had a permanent medical impairment [PMI] were [91.8%] and the cases had complete recovery [CR] were [8.1%]. Conclusion: The findings of the current study will be beneficial in providing an up-to-date study of the patterns of injuries caused by RTAs and some of the health consequences.

Aluminium (Al) is an environmental xenobiotic that induces disruption in pituitary-thyroid function. Zinc is essential for many biochemical processes and for cell proliferation. The aim of this study was to analyze the thyroid toxicity induced by Al in rats and to evaluate the possible ameliorative effect of zinc. The study was conducted on forty male albino rats randomly divided into 4 groups: control group, zinc group treated with zinc sulphate (2 mg/kg), Al group treated with AlCl3 (20 mg/kg), and AlCl3 (20 mg/kg) + Zn (2 mg/kg) group. Rats were treated orally once daily for 30 consecutive days. At the end of the experiment, rats given aluminium alone had significantly higher MDA (malondialdehyde), superoxide dismutase in thyroid tissue and lower serum T3, T4 and TSH levels than the control group. Co-treatment of zinc with aluminium had an ameliorative effect on the previous parameters. Light and electronic microscopic investigations revealed that aluminium caused marked degenerative changes in the thyroid of rats. Restoration of the normal architecture of thyroid tissues were observed in rats received aluminium + zinc combination. Thus, aluminium can induce oxidative damage in rat thyroid and zinc has an ameliorative effect against this damage.