Investigation of the possible protective role of gallic acid on paraoxanase and arylesterase activities in livers of rats with acute alcohol intoxication

Gallic acid, a polyphenyl class natural product from gallnut and green tea, is known to be antioxidant, anti‐inflammatory and radical scavenger. In this study, we aimed to investigate the possible protective effects of gallic acid on paraoxonase and arylesterase activities in liver exposed to acute alcohol intoxication. Paraoxonase and arylesterase activities in liver tissue and serum aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase and lactate dehydrogenase levels were measured. Histological investigations were also made. In our study, we observed a significant increase of serum alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase and lactate dehydrogenase activities, which are indicators of liver damage after acute ethanol consumption. Gallic acid therapy has significantly reduced the increase in these biomarkers, indicating a possible hepatoprotective effect of gallic acid. Ethanol consumption caused a significant decrease in liver paraoxonase activity (P < 0.001). Gallic acid treatment partly restored this decreased paraoxonase activity, which resulted from ethanol administration. A gallic acid dose of 100 mg/kg was observed as highest restoring effect for paraoxonase activity (P < 0.05). The activity of arylesterase was decreased in the ethanol group as compared with the control group, but this was not significant. However, 50 mg/kg of gallic acid treatment restored the loss of this activity due to ethanol exposure (P < 0.001). We observed that gallic acid ameliorates the liver damage caused by excessive alcohol consumption in a dose‐dependent way. Our results in this study showed that gallic acid might have a protective effect against alcoholic liver disease. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A design-oriented STEM activity for students’ using and improving their engineering skills: the balance model with 3D printer

Abstract

This study involves the development and implementation of a STEM activity containing 3?D printer technology, which is commonly used in STEM education. Out of school STEM courses were organized with seven middle school students studying in the 7th grade and the activities in the course were carried out with a 3D printer. One of the activities in the course is the Balance model. The study reveals the skills students used in the Balance Model activity, which is a 3D STEM activity. The students’ engineering skills were effective through the STEM activity, and they actively used skills such as planning, designing, explaining the design process, creating a realistic product, and testing and evaluating product performance. In addition, it was concluded that the students use their academic and technical skills effectively. The study presents in detail the preparation and implementation process of this activity, which we think may help educators uncover and improve students’ engineering skills.     

Genetic diversity of Crocus antalyensis B. Mathew (Iridaceae) and a new subspecies from southern Anatolia

Crocus antalyensis B. Mathew is a bulbous plant endemic to Turkey. It is morphologically variable within the western part of Anatolia. Amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) marker system was used to detect genetic variation among the Crocus taxa. Twenty-two primer combinations were used to screen for polymorphism among the samples. Genetic variation ranged from 0.44 to 0.69. We demonstrated the efficiency of the AFLP marker system for discriminating between individual C. antalyensis specimens. A high level of genetic variation was present among C. antalyensis specimens collected from different locations in Turkey. We also observed that C. antalyensis subspp. are genetically distinct from their relative Crocus flavus Haw. subsp. dissectus Baytop & B. Mathew. A new subspecies of C. antalyensis B. Mathew from southern Turkey is described. It is characterized by striped outer perianth segments, waist-shaped flowers, and glabrous throat of the perianth. A composite image of the new subspecies is presented.     

Theoretical modeling and experimental studies on N-n-Decyl-2-oxo-5-nitro-1-benzylidene-methylamine

The Schiff base compound, N-n-Decyl-2-oxo-5-nitro-1-benzylidene-methylamine, has been -synthesized and characterized by IR, electronic spectroscopy, and X-ray single-crystal determination. Molecular geometry from X-ray experiment of the title compound in the ground state have been compared using the Hartree-Fock (HF) and density functional method (B3LYP) with 6-31G(d) basis set. Calculated results show that density functional theory (DFT) at B3LYP/6-31G(d) level can well reproduce the structure of the title compound. To investigate the solvent effect for the atomic charge distributions of the title compound, self-consistent reaction field theory with Onsager reaction field model was used. In addition, DFT calculations of the title compound, molecular electrostatic potential and thermodynamic properties were performed at B3LYP/6-31G(d) level of theory.     

Histopathology Characteristics of two Different Benign Tumours in Capoeta capoeta

The aim of the present study was to determine the morphologic and histopathologic characteristics of tumors observed in samples from moribund Capoeta capoeta. For this purpose, ten fish, captured from the Fırat River located in southeastern Anatolia of Turkey, were examined for gross malformations and histopathological morphology. Externally, two different morphological types of tumours were detected in the anus region and on the ventral part of the operculum of one of the examined fish. In this study, tumours in a moribund fish were identified as benign because they were well differentiated, non-infiltrative and non-metastatic. In the histological examination, the external growth located in the ventral region of the operculum was characteristic of a papilloma showing exophytic inverted development. This is our first report on both melanomacrophage and green fibrils in the papilloma. The other observed pathological growth, covered with hemorrhagic skin and located near the anus, was characteristic of a benign tumour (subcutaneous lipoma) which constituted typical adipocytes. Thus, our study detected two different types of benign tumours in Capoeta capoeta, and it is the first time being reported in a cyprinid species     

Morphological and ultrastructural characterization of sea urchin immune cells

The free circulating coelomocytes in the coelomic cavity of echinoderms are considered to be immune effectors by phagocytosis, encapsulation, cytotoxicity, and by the production of antimicrobial agents. Although echinoderms (especially sea urchin embryo) have been used as a model organisms in biology, no uniform criteria exist for classification of coelomocytes in echinoderms, and few studies have reported about the biological functions of their coelomocytes. Hence, we study the coelomocytes in the echinoid sea urchin, Paracentrotus lividus, and describe their morphological and ultrastructural features using light and transmission electron microscopes. We classify the coelomocytes of P. lividus into red spherule and colorless spherule cells, small cells, vibratile cells, and phagocytic cells; petaloid and filopodial cells. To our knowledge, this is the first report describing ultrastructural details of the coelomocytes of P. lividus. J. Morphol. 276:583–588, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Dynamic thiol/disulphide homeostasis as indicator of oxidative stress in automotive workers

Abstract

Purpose: To examine thiol-disulphide homeostasis auto painters.

Materials and methods: A total of 115 male workers, including 60 auto painters workers and 55 reference group, of the painting and assembly line units respectively, were included in the study. Thiol-disulphide parameters and ischaemia-modified albumin (IMA) of groups were determined. Urinary hippuric acid, (HA) phenol, hexanedione, trichloroacetic acid, arsenic and blood lead and manganese were analysed.

Results: The median urinary HA level was significantly higher in auto painters when compared to the reference group [(2461 (1212) vs. 520 (513) µgr/L), (p?<?0.001)] . The mean disulphide level [19.7 (4.3) vs 0.15.1(4.1) μmol/L, (p?<?0.001)], the disulphide/native thiol ratio [4.72 (1.47) vs. 3.13 (1.21, (p?<?0.001)] and the disulphide/total thiol ratio [4.31 (1.23) vs. 2.94 (1.06), (p?<?0.001)] were higher in auto painters when compared to the reference group. There was a statistically significant positive correlation between urinary HA and disulphide concentrations (r?=?0.536 and p?<?0.001), disulphide/native thiol ratio (r?=?0.564 and p?<?0.001) and the disulphide/total thiol ratio (r?=?0.564 and p?<?0.001) and IMA (r?=?0.396 and p?<?0.001).

Conclusion: The results presented in this study showed that oxidative stress can be associated with occupational exposure to toluene denoted by alteration of thiol disulphide homeostasis and ischaemia-modified albumin levels.