Protective effects of leptin on ischemia/reperfusion injury in rat bladder

The aim of the study was to evaluate protective effects of exogenous leptin on ischemia/reperfusion (I/R)-induced injuries to the urinary bladder tissue and to investigate the effect on tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) levels and apoptotic cells during I/R injury. Bladder I/R injury was induced by abdominal aorta occlusion by ischemia for 45 min, followed by 60 min of reperfusion in rats. The rats were divided into three groups: control (n = 8 + 8), I/R (n = 8 + 8) and I/R+leptin group (n = 8 + 8). The rats in the I/R+leptin group were treated intraperitoneally with leptin (10 microg/kg) 60 min prior to ischemia induction. At the end of the reperfusion period, urinary bladders of the first eight rats from each group were removed for TUNEL staining processing while the others were removed for biochemical analyses for MDA and TNF-alpha levels. In the I/R group, the ratios of TUNEL-positive nuclei were higher than the control and the I/R+leptin groups. The MDA and TNF-alpha levels of the bladder tissue in the I/R group were higher than the control and leptin-treated groups. TUNEL-staining and biochemical studies revealed that leptin has a protective effect on urinary bladder I/R injury.     

Evaluation of Some Phenological and Biochemical Characteristics of Selected New Late Flowering Dried Apricot Cultivars

In this study, promising candidates of six apricot genotypes were compared with our local and major cultivar (Hac?halilo?lu) based on their phenological, pomological, and biochemical characteristics. Fruit weight, stone weight, flesh firmness, flesh fruit/stone ratio, TSS (Total soluble solids), glucose, fructose, sucrose, total phenols, total antioxidant activity (FRAP and ABTS assays) and bud break, first bloom, full bloom, and harvesting date of apricot cultivar candidates were compared with cultivar Hac?halilo?lu ‘HH.’ According to the obtained results, the higher content of total phenolic compounds and total antioxidant activity was determined in the N95 genotype (96.87 µmol TE/g) fruit, whereas the ‘HH’ cultivar was characterized by the lower value (94.6 µmol TE/g) especially determined by FRAP method. Individual sugars and the soluble solids content of fruit differed between selected genotypes and ‘HH’ cultivar. Glucose, fructose, and sucrose contents were higher in all selected genotypes than in Hac?halilo?lu cultivar.     

Effects of oral zinc and magnesium supplementation on serum thyroid hormone and lipid levels in experimentally induced diabetic rats

This study was designed to investigate the effects of oral zinc and magnesium supplementation on serum thyroid hormone and lipid levels in alloxan-induced diabetic rats. Thirty-two albino male rats, weighing 234±34 g, were divided into four experimental groups (control, diabetic, diabetic+zinc supplemented and diabetic+ magnesium supplemented). The experiment lasted for 60 d. The first 45 d of the experiment was the supplementation and last 15 d was the supplementation and diabetes-inducing period. Diabetic+zinc-supplemented and diabetic+magnesium-supplemented groups were given orally (by adding in their drinking water) 227 mg/L of zinc and 100 mg/kg body weight (bw) of magnesium, respectively throughout the experiment. Control and diabetic groups served as controls and did not receive zinc or magnesium supplementation. Diabetic, diabetic+zinc-supplemented, and diabetic+magnesium-supplemented groups were given a daily injection (ip) of 100 mg/kg bw of alloxan for 15 d starting on d 46 of the experiment. The control group was only injected with the same volume of isotonic NaCl as the diabetic group received. At the end of the of the experiment, rats in all four groups were fasted for 12 h and blood samples were taken from the heart under ether anesthesia for the determination of thyroid hormone, glucose, total cholesterol, and triglyceride concentrations. It was found that serum glucose, total cholesterol, and triglyceride concentrations were higher and serum T3 and T4 concentrations were lower in diabetic rats than those in the control group. Zinc supplementation did not change any parameter in diabetic rats. However, magnesium supplementation decreased the elevated total cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations of the diabetic rats to the control level. It was concluded that oral magnesium supplementation might decrease the diabetes-induced disturbances of lipid metabolism.     

Antioxidant effects of melatonin and coenzyme Q10 on oxidative damage caused by single-dose ochratoxin A in rat kidney

In the study, the effects of relatively high single-dose of Ochratoxin A (OTA) and the antioxidant effects of Melatonin (Mel) and Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) on OTA-induced oxidative damages in rats were investigated. A total of 28 male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into four groups of 7 rats each: Control, OTA, Mel+OTA and CoQ10+OTA groups. Malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in the plasma and glutathione (GSH) levels in whole blood were measured; kidneys (for histological inspection and for apoptosis detection by TUNEL method) and bone marrow samples (for chromosome aberration and mitotic index) were taken. The rats in the OTA group showed limited degeneration of tubular cells. In some tubules karyomegaly, desquamated cells and vacuolization were observed by light microscopy. Mel and CoQ10 treatment significantly reduced the severity of the lesions. MDA levels of the OTA group were significantly higher than the control, OTA+Mel and OTA+CoQ10 groups, while GSH levels were significantly lower than the control, OTA+Mel and OTA+CoQ10 groups. Higher incidences of apoptotic bodies were observed in the kidneys of the OTA group although OTA administration did not significantly change the incidence of apoptotic bodies when compared to the control and antioxidant administrated groups. Although the percentage of the mitotic index was lowest in the OTA group, no statistical difference was found among the groups. Additionally, OTA had no numerical and structural significant effects on chromosomes. It was observed that single-dose OTA administration caused oxidative damages in rat kidney and Mel or CoQ10 treatment appeared to ameliorate the OTA-induced tissue injuries.     

Cheese whey treatment performance of an aerobic jet loop membrane bioreactor

The raw chess whey (CW) treatment capacity of a jet loop membrane bioreactor (JLMBR) was evaluated. Raw CW was first characterized for carbonaceous, nitrogenous and phosphorus compounds. The total COD range of the raw CW was between 73 and 86 kg m⁻³ and 82% of the total COD was found to be soluble. The JLMBR system, of 32 l capacity was operated continuously for 3 months with a sludge age of 1.1–2.8 days and COD loads of 3.5–33.5 kg-COD m⁻³ per day. A treatment efficiency of 97% was obtained for 1.6 days of sludge age and COD loads of 22.2 kg-COD m⁻³ per day. The sludge flocks observed in the system were highly motile, dispersed and had poor settling properties. The membrane filtration characteristics of this sludge were investigated and increasing MLSS concentration decreased membrane flux values.     

Nickel Exposure and its Effects

The aim of the study was to determine the nickel concentrations of soil and plant specimens taken from a rural area exposed to cement factory emissions and also to determine the blood concentrations and sensitivity conditions observed in humans residing in this rural area. The study was carried out in Çukurhisar, a town in Eski?ehir-Turkey, between May 2000 and March 2001. Beside the 108 soil (36 for control) and plant specimens, which were taken from 8 directions from the cement factory, blood samples of the individuals residing in this area were taken from 258 subjects (258 for control) following a physical examination, and patch tests were also applied. The nickel concentrations of the soil and plant specimens taken from different places in different directions of the factory were higher than in the control areas. The physical examination of subjects did not reveal results different from those of the control group except for the diagnosis of contact dermatitis. The analyses of venous blood samples showed that nickel concentrations were found to be within the reference values given for both groups, but higher in the subjects (p<0.001). According to the results of patch tests, sensitivity to nickel was found to be more frequent for the subject group than the control group (p<0.05). According to these results, clinical tools revealed no toxic effects for the subjects, except contact dermatitis. However, sensitivity to patch tests showed that this subject group has been affected compared to the control group and that this effect increased with age.