Increased lymphocyte deoxyribonucleic acid damage in patients with cardiac syndrome X

OBJECTIVES: To investigate whether there is lymphocyte deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) damage in patients with cardiac syndrome X (CSX), and its relation with total antioxidant status (TAS), inflammation and ischemia. METHODS: Twenty-three patients with CSX, 21 patients with non-CSX (NCSX) and 20 healthy volunteers were included in the study. Lymphocyte DNA damage (Arbitrary Unit) was assessed by alkaline single cell electrophoresis (comet) assay in peripheral lymphocyte, and plasma levels of TAS (mmol Trolox equiv./l) were determined using a novel automated measurement method. High sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and other biochemical parameters were measured from all subjects. Treadmill exercise test and coronary angiography were performed to CSX and NCSX groups. RESULTS: Lymphocyte DNA damage was increased in patients with CSX compared with NCSX and control group (p<0.001, for both). Also, TAS was decreased, and hsCRP was increased in CSX compared with NCSX and control group (p<0.001, for all). Lymphocyte DNA damage was correlated with magnitude of ST depression (p=0.034), hsCRP (p=0.001), TAS (p<0.001) and presence of diabetes (p=0.022) in bivariate analysis. In multiple linear regression analysis, lymphocyte DNA damage was correlated with only TAS (beta=-0.413, p=0.017) and hsCRP (beta=0.414, p=0.006). CONCLUSION: Lymphocyte DNA damage was increased in patients with CSX. The increase in lymphocyte DNA damage may be related with increased oxidative stress and inflammation in patients with CSX.     

Complex coacervation of silk fibroin and hyaluronic acid

This study aimed to investigate the pH-induced complexation of silk fibroin (SF) and hyaluronic acid (HA). SF-HA complex coacervation was investigated by monitoring turbidity of the SF-HA system under slow acidification. Gravimetric analysis was performed to determine the yield of complex coacervation and viscosity of the system was measured to study the formation of the complexes at different pH values. The influences of total biopolymer concentration and biopolymer weight ratio on complex coacervation were examined during the analyses. Formation of the complexes was evidenced by the minimum viscosity and the maximum turbidity observed in the system. SF-HA complexes were formed within the pH-window of 2.5-3.5 regardless of the total biopolymer concentration or biopolymer ratio. Complex coacervation of SF-HA showed a reversible behavior and coacervation could be handled even in excess amounts of the biopolymers, which pointed out a non-stoichiometric complexation.     

Venlafaxine Modulates Depression-Induced Oxidative Stress in Brain and Medulla of Rat

Venlafaxine is an approved antidepressant that is an inhibitor of both serotonin and norepinephrine transporters. Medical treatment with oral venlafaxine can be beneficial to depression due to reducing free radical production in the brain and medulla of depression- induced rats because oxidative stress may a play role in some depression. We investigated the effect of venlafaxine administration and experimental depression on lipid peroxidation and antioxidant levels in cortex brain, medulla and erythrocytes of rats. Thirty male wistar rats were used and were randomly divided into three groups. Venlafaxine (20 mg/kg) was orally supplemented to depression-induced rats constituting the first group for four week. Second group was depression-induced group although third group was used as control. Depressions in the first and second groups were induced on day zero of the study by chronic mild stress. Brain, medulla and erythrocytes samples were taken from all animals on day 28. Depression resulted in significant decrease in the glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity and vitamin C concentrations of cortex brain, glutathione (GSH) value of medulla although their levels were increased by venlafaxine administration to the animals of depression group. The lipid peroxidation levels in the three tissues and nitric oxide value in cortex brain elevated although their levels were decreased by venlafaxine administration. There were no significant changes in cortex brain vitamin A, erythrocytes vitamin C, GSH-Px and GSH, medulla vitamin A, GSH and GSH-Px values. In conclusion, cortex brain within the three tissues was most affected by oxidative stress although there was the beneficial effect of venlafaxine in the brain of depression-induced rats on investigated antioxidant defenses in the rat model. The treatment of depression by venlafaxine may also play a role in preventing oxidative stress. Abstract of the paper was submitted in 1st Ion Channels and Oxidative Stress Congress, 14–16 September 2006, Isparta, Turkey.     

Screening of antibacterial activities of twenty-one oxygenated monoterpenes

Plant essential oils are widely used as fragrances and flavours in the cosmetic, perfume, drug and food industries. Oxygenated monoterpenes are widespread components of the essential oils, usually occurring in high amount. In this paper, the antibacterial activities of twenty-one oxygenated monoterpenes (borneol, borneol acetate, camphor, carvone, 1,8-cineole, citronellal, beta-citronellol, dihydrocarvone, fenchol, fenchone, geraniol acetate, isomenthol, limonene oxide, linalool, linalool acetate, nerol, nerol acetate, terpinen-4-ol, alpha-terpineol, menthol and menthone) and penicillin (standard antibiotic) were determined using a disc diffusion method (in vitro) against 63 bacterial strains, belonging to 37 different genera and 54 species (plant, food and clinic origins). The results showed that the oxygenated monoterpenes exhibited a variable degree of antibacterial activities. These compounds also inhibited the growth of bacterial strains by producing a weak zone of inhibition from 7 to 11 mm in diameter, depending on the susceptibility of the tested bacteria. Among the tested compounds, nerol, linalool alpha-terpineol, fenchol and terpinen-4-ol showed antibacterial activity at a broad spectrum. However, their antibacterial activities were lower than those of penicillin. In contrast to these compounds, camphor and 1,8-cineole exhibited no inhibition effects on the growth of all tested bacteria.     

Antimicrobial activity of extracts of the lichen Parmelia sulcata and its salazinic acid constituent

The antimicrobial activity of the acetone, chloroform, diethyl ether, methanol, and petroleum ether extracts of the lichen Parmelia sulcata and its salazinic acid constituent have been screened against twenty eight food-borne bacteria and fungi. All of the extracts with the exception of the petroleum ether extract showed antimicrobial activity against Aeromonas hydrophila, Bacillus cereus, Bacillus subtilis, Listeria monocytogenes, Proteus vulgaris, Yersinia enterocolitica, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus faecalis, Candida albicans, Candida glabrata, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus fumigatus, and Penicillium notatum. Salazinic acid did not show antimicrobial activity against L. monocytogenes, P. vulgaris, Y. enterocolitica, and S. faecalis but showed activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Salmonella typhimurium as well. The MIC values of the extracts and the acid for the bacteria and fungi have also been determined.     

Purification of fucoxanthin from the diatom Amphora capitellata by preparative chromatography after its enhanced productivity via oxidative stress

Journal of Applied Phycology - Microalgae with high growth rates represent a potential source of carotenoids including fucoxanthin. For commercial fucoxanthin production, choosing the cultivation...     

Suppressive Role of Boron on Adipogenic Differentiation and Fat Deposition in Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells

Biological Trace Element Research - Over the past years, adipose tissue has become an invaluable source of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) due to development of improved isolation methodologies. In a...     

Black Yeast Diversity on Creosoted Railway Sleepers Changes with Ambient Climatic Conditions

The environmental isolation of opportunistic pathogenic black yeasts, which are responsible for a wide spectrum of human infections, is essential to understanding the ecology of clinical fungi. Extreme outdoor environments polluted with aromatic hydrocarbons support the growth of black yeasts in unlikely places, such as railway sleepers. However, there are limited data concerning the diversity of these fungi growing on polluted railway sleepers. In this investigation, we examined 845 railway sleeper samples, obtained from 11 Turkish cities representing altitudes from 25 to 1,893 m, and inoculated the samples onto mycological media for the isolation of black yeasts. Ninety-four samples (11.1 %) yielded positive results for black yeast, with creosoted oak sleepers having a significantly higher number of isolates than concrete sleepers (p?rDNA) internal transcribed spacer region revealed the highest prevalence of Exophiala phaeomuriformis, followed by Exophiala dermatitidis, Exophiala heteromorpha, Exophiala xenobiotica, and Exophiala crusticola. This study revealed that railway sleepers harboring black yeasts were predominantly (>75 %) populated with thermophilic species. We observed that altitude might have a significant effect on species diversity. Briefly, E. phaeomuriformis exhibited growth over a wide altitude range, from 30 to 1,893 m. In contrast, E. dermatitidis had a remarkable aversion to low altitudes and exhibited maximum growth at 1,285 m. In conclusion, we speculate that one can predict what species will be found on railway sleepers and their probability and that species diversity primarily depends on sleeper type and altitude height. We believe that this study can contribute new insights into the ecology of black yeasts on railway sleepers and the railway factors that influence their diversity.     

Investigation of the association between ATP2B4 and ATP5B genes with colorectal cancer

Colorectal cancer (CRC) develops as a multi-step process which results from gradual accumulation of mutations in proto-oncogenes, tumor suppressor, and DNA repair genes. Mortality rate of CRC is very high. Therefore, development of alternative diagnostic methods which can be used in the early diagnosis is crucial. ATP2B4 gene encodes one of the four isoforms of p-type ATPase PMCA enzyme and bears critical importance in maintaining the balance of intracellular calcium homeostasis by providing the export of calcium ions out of the cell. ATP5B encodes a subunit of the mitochondrial ATP synthase which is an f-type ATPase. In this study, the relationship between ATP2B4 and ATP5B genes and CRC regarding gene expression was investigated. Study groups were constructed from a number of 50 patients (25 males, 25 females) with the mean age of 55.68 ± 9.4 and the gene expression levels in the healthy and cancerous tissues of the patients were compared by using semi-quantitative PCR and Real-Time PCR methods. As a result, in patients with rectum tumors, there was a significant relationship between ATP2B4 gene expression and the tumor location and in patients younger than 45 years, ATP5B gene expressions were detected significantly higher in tumor tissues by using RT-PCR. However, no significant relationship was detected in terms of expression differences of ATP2B4 and ATP5B genes between cancerous and healthy tissues of the CRC patients. ATP2B4 and ATP5B genes might have indirect associations in CRC pathogenesis and the investigation of their interactions with DNA repair and other related genes may help in understanding of CRC formation.