Effects of high doses of dexamethasone on hemodynamic and immunohistochemical characteristics of acute paraquat intoxication in rat kidneys

Paraquat (1,1’-dimethyl-4,4’-bipyridinium) (PQ), is a nonselective contact herbicide that is highly toxic to humans. The kidney is affected during PQ intoxication. Dexamethasone (Dexa) has anti-inflammatory effects and is used to treat cases of PQ poisoning. We investigated in rat kidney hemodynamic effects and immunohistochemical characteristics of Dexa treatment in acute PQ poisoning. Adult male rats were divided into four groups: 1, untreated control; 2, treated with 100 mg/kg Dexa; 3, treated with 25 mg/kg PQ; 4, treated with PQ + Dexa. Mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate (HR) were recorded during the experimental period (2 h). Tissues were removed after 2 h and immunohistochemistry was performed after 24 h. Paraffin sections of kidney were prepared and anti-cyclo-oxygenase-1 (COX-1), anti-cyclo-oxygenase-2 (COX-2), anti-angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE), anti-aquaporin-1 (AQU-1), anti-vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM) primary antibodies were used for immunohistochemical examination. Immunoreactivities were scored as: (1) minimal, (2) weak, (3) mild, (4) moderate, (5) strong and (6) very strong. MAP and HR were measured at 10 min, 20 min, 1 h and 2 h. MAP at 10 and 20 min and 1 h was increased in the Dexa group. HR also was increased in all groups compared to controls at 2 h. Compared to groups 2 and 4, MAP values decreased significantly in group 3 at 1 h. The intensity of all of immunoreactivities was decreased in group 2. In group 3, immunoreactivities of COX-1, COX-2 and ACE were decreased compared to the control and the other groups, whereas AQU-1 and VCAM immunoreactivities were the same as the control group. ACE and VCAM immunoreactivities were decreased in group 4 compared to the control group, while COX-1, COX-2 and AQU-1 immunoreactivities were close to those of the control group. Dexa appears to be useful for treating PQ intoxication.     

Analysis of thermoluminescence characteristics of a lithium disilicate glass ceramic using a nonlinear autoregressive with exogenous input model

Dental ceramics because of their translucency exemplify the most biologically realistic restorative materials for aesthetic rehabilitation and can be used to estimate dose accumulated as a result of a nuclear accident or attack. In this study, lithium disilicate ceramic obtained from Vivadent Ivoclar, Turkey was studied for its thermoluminescence (TL) properties. The lithium disilicate glass ceramic was irradiated with a ⁹⁰Sr–⁹⁰Y β‐source from 10 Gy to 6.9 kGy and the results read on a Harshaw 3500 reader. The TL peak of lithium disilicate ceramic showed sublinearity in the range 12 Gy to 6 kGy. The area under the TL glow curve increased by about 25% by the end of 10th measurement cycle. Fading values were also considered after irradiation. Lithium disilicate ceramic samples underwent 37% fading after 1 h and 59% fading after 1 week. In addition to the experimental study, a software‐based simulation study was also undertaken using a MATLAB system identification tool. Experimental studies are generally time consuming and some materials used for experiments are very expensive. In this study, experimental, and simulation results were compared and produced almost the same outcome with a similarity of more than 98%.     

Effect of Cytokinins on In Vitro Propagation of Ajuga xylorrhiza Kit Tan (Critically Endangered), Endemic to Turkey

In Vitro Cellular & Developmental Biology - Plant - Ajuga xylorrhiza Kit Tan is a rare endemic perennial species growing in the stony habitats in Southeastern Anatolia region, Turkey. An...     

Multi-scale finite element modelling at the posterior lumbar vertebra: analysis of pedicle stresses due to pars fracture

Multi-scale finite element (FE) model is a cost-effective way to analyse stress response of micro-level structures to the changes in loading at macro-level. This study deals with the development of a multi-scale model of a human vertebra and stress changes in the pedicle at high resolution after a gross fracture at the posterior neural arch. Spondylolysis (pars fracture) is a painful condition occurring in the vertebral neural arch and common especially among the athletic young population. The fracture of the pars significantly alters load distribution and load transfer characteristics at the neural arch. Structural changes in the posterior vertebra due to the new loading patterns can trigger secondary complications. Clinical reports have shown the association of pedicle hypertrophy or pedicle fracture with unilateral pars fractures. However, the biomechanical consequences of pars fracture and its effect on the pedicle have never been studied in detail. Therefore, we prepared a multi-scale model of posterior vertebra with continuum laminar complex model combined with micro-FE model of a pedicle section. The results showed that stress at the contralateral pars and pedicle increased after unilateral pars fracture simulation. High-stress regions were found around the outer boundaries of the pedicle. This model and information are helpful in understanding the stress changes in the pedicle and can be used for adaptive remodelling studies.     

Expression of obestatin and ghrelin in papillary thyroid carcinoma

Ghrelin and obestatin are two peptide hormones with opposing roles in the control of appetite: orexigenic and anorexigenic, respectively. Loss of appetite is a common, serious complication of many forms of malignancy. The goals of this study were to investigate: (i) whether there are differences in ghrelin and obestatin peptide expression in thyroid tissues from a series of papillary carcinoma cases and normal controls, and (ii) whether there are correlations between tissue ghrelin and obestatin levels in series of papillary carcinoma cases and normal controls. Immunohistochemical analysis showed that in sections of benign human thyroid tissue, anti-ghrelin antibody reacted with intense staining in colloid-filled follicles. In benign thyroid tissues, colloids displayed plentiful dispersion in comparison with papillary microcarcinomas, whereas colloids in malignant thyroid tissues were uncommon. We found markedly lower tissue ghrelin levels in thyroid tissue of patients with papillary carcinomas, compared with normal thyroid tissues (P = 0.001). Immunohistochemical analysis also showed that obestatin in papillary carcinoma stained positively to various degrees. Obestatin tissue levels in papillary carcinomas tended to be slightly higher than those in normal thyroid tissue, but this was not statistically significant (P = 0.29). We also report that thyroid tissue of patients with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis produced ghrelin and obestatin at similar levels as in normal thyroid tissue, even though colloid in Hashimoto’s disease is scarce. We conclude that depressed expression of ghrelin, but not obestatin, is specific to papillary carcinoma, and this difference might constitute a diagnostic tool to differentiate papillary carcinoma from normal thyroid tissue. We currently do not know how these peptides are regulated and what factors are involved in papillary carcinoma, which inhibit the expression of ghrelin but not obestatin. This issue warrants further studies.     

The clonogenic potential of hematopoietic stem cells and mesenchymal stromal cells in various hematologic diseases: a pilot study

Background aimsMesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) are the most popular cells used in regenerative medicine and biotechnology. The clonogenic potential of these cells is defined by colony-forming unit-fibroblasts (CFU-F). It is well known that there is an interaction between hematopoietic cells and stromal cells in disease formation pathogenesis. Therefore we hypothesized that there should be a quantitative and qualitative relationship between MSC colonies (CFU-F) and hematopoietic stem cell colonies (colony-forming unit-granulocyte-macrophages; CFU-GM) among patients with and without hematologic diseases.MethodsForty-two patients were included in this study. Patients were divided into three groups: group A, patients with hematologic malignancies (n = 20); group B, patients with bone marrow (BM) failure (n = 11); group C, patients without hematologic diseases (n = 11). BM aspirates were plated in different densities for CFU-F culture. The plating density was the same for CFU-GM culture.ResultsCFU-GM colonies grew in 90% of group A cells and all of group B and C cells (P = 0.0001). CFU-F colonies became visible on the ninth day of plating in group A and on the eight day in groups B and C. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups for the duration of CFU-F colony formation (P = 0.12). There were differences in the morphology of the colonies among the groups.ConclusionsThis is the first study that has compared the clonogenic potential of stromal cells and hematopoietic stem cells in the same subjects with and without hematologic diseases. No correlation was shown between the clonogenic potential of stromal cells and hematopoietic cells.     

Production of mannose-containing oligosaccharides by glucansucrase E81 and determination of their functional characteristics

Abstract

Oligosaccharides are one of the functional ingredients to be used in food technology. In this study, by using an active glucansucrase GTFA-ΔN E81 in the acceptor reaction of mannose, mannose-containing oligosaccharides were produced and their functionality was tested. The formation of the oligosaccharides were visualised by TLC analysis and mannose-containing oligosaccharides up to DP 7 were determined by LC-MS analysis. The presence of the (1,6)Glc and (1,3)Glc units within the oligosaccharides were determined by NMR analysis. The in vitro immune-modulatory functions of the mannose-containing oligosaccharides were determined but no induction in IL-4, IL-10, IL-12 and TNF-α cytokine levels were detected. Importantly this oligosaccharide mixture showed prebiotic effect by triggering the growth of tested probiotics and not affecting the growth of pathogen strains. Our findings reveals the potential of the role of glucansucrases for the production of functional oligosaccharides.     

Determination of serum methylarginine levels by tandem mass spectrometric method in patients with ankylosing spondylitis

Amino Acids - Our aim in this study was to measure serum levels of methylarginines and related metabolites in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS), moreover, to investigate the relationship...