Serum SCUBE-1 levels in patients with diabetic retinopathy.

PURPOSE: Signal peptide-CUB-Epidermal growth factor-like domain-containing protein 1 (SCUBE-1) is a protein expressed on the cell surface of endothelial cells and platelets. We aimed to determine the alterations in SCUBE-1 levels in patients at different stages of diabetic retinopathy (DR). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Participants were grouped into 4 regarding the presence and stage of diabetic retinopathy as follows: control group (n 32), patients without DR (n 39), patients with background DR (n 42) and patients with proliferative DR (n 55). Age, gender, duration of diabetes, fasting blood glucose levels, serum hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), SCUBE-1 and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels of the patients were recorded. Central macular thickness and central macular volume were recorded and compared between groups. RESULTS: Totally 136 patients with diabetes mellitus and 32 control cases were included in the study. There is a significant increase in SCUBE-1 and MDA levels with an advance in DR. In correlation analysis, there was only a significant correlation present between serum SCUBE-1 and MDA levels (p 0.001) but not with other parameters. CONCLUSION: For the first time in literature, we determined a significant increase in SCUBE-1 levels in patients with DR. Moreover, with an advance in DR, SCUBE-1 levels were also increasing.

The effects of lycopene on alloxan induced diabetic optic neuropathy.

AIM: To determine the effects of lycopene treatment in prevention of diabetes associated inflammatory response and oxidative stress in an experimental model. With this aim we investigated the levels of oxidative stress markers including Malondialdehyde (MDA), and total oxidative status (TOS)together with inflammatory markers including nuclear factor- kappa B (NFKB) and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) and antioxidants including total glutathione (TGSH), total oxidative status (TOS) and total anti-oxidative status (TAS) levels on eye tissue. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Totally 18 albino Wistar male rats (250-280 grams) assigned into three groups, with six rats in each group as follows: healthy group (HG), control group (CG), and lycopene group (LG). The diabetes was induced with alloxan administration in rats of CG and LG. Lycopene (4 mg/kg) was administered to the rats in LG once a day for 3 months. At the end of this period, the animals were sacrificed and their eyes were enucleated for histopathological evaluations. From the tissues, MDA, GSH, TOS, TAS, TNF-α and NF-κB levels were analyzed. RESULTS: MDA, TOS, OSI, NFKB and TNF-α levels were significantly higher, while TGSH and TAS levels were significantly lower in CG compared with HG (p < 0.001). On the other hand in LG; MDA, TOS, OSI, NFKB and TNF-α levels were significantly lower, while TGSH and TAS levels were significantly higher compared with CG (p < 0.001). Regarding histopathological findings, although there was severe damage on optic nerve of rats in CG; there was only a slight damage in lycopene administered group. CONCLUSION: For the first time in literature we determined that, lycopene was significantly effective in prevention of augmented inflammation and oxidative stress on eye tissue associated with diabetes, as well as the tissue damage on optic nerve. However, studies investigating the long-term clinical effects of lycopene on diabetic individuals are warranted.

A comparison of the effects of perindopril arginine and amlodipine on choroidal thickness in patients with primary hypertension

Background/aim: This study aimed to investigate the effects of two different medical treatment options on choroidal thickness (CT) in patients with primary hypertension. Materials and methods: Forty newly diagnosed primary hypertension patients and 21 healthy volunteers were included. The patients were randomly divided into two subgroups. Group I started on perindopril arginine and Group II started on amlodipine. Submacular CT using optical coherence tomography (OCT) was measured before treatment and at the third and sixth months after treatment. Results: Initial mean arterial pressure (MAP) values in Groups I and II and the control group were 113.4, 109.8, and 89.4 mmHg, respectively, and mean CT values were 257.9, 286.5, and 300.9 µm. Mean MAP values in Groups I and II and the control group at the sixth month after treatment were 99.7, 99.6, and 90.2 mmHg, respectively, and mean CT values were 293.1, 286, and 297.4 µm. Analysis of the changes occurring during the study revealed significant variation in MAP in Groups I and II, and in CT in Group I only. Conclusion: A gradual increase in CT developed with perindopril arginine therapy in patients with primary hypertension, while no significant change occurred in CT in the amlodipine group.