Rat Model Investigation on the Role of Biomarkers in Hepatic Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury.

OBJECTIVES: Liver function is affected by ischemiareperfusion. Ischemia-reperfusion injury to the liver often follows hepatobiliary surgery. Here, we investigated biomarkers of liver ischemia-reperfusion injury using an animal model. MATERIALS AND METHODS: For this study, 24 male Sprague Dawley rats (146-188 g) were divided into 4 groups: group A was the control group, group B was the partial hepatic ischemia-reperfusion group, group C was the total hepatic ischemia-reperfusion group, and group D was the intermittent total hepatic ischemiareperfusion group. Laboratory liver function levels were measured before ischemia, after ischemia, and after reperfusion. We used liver and renal biopsies for histopathological examination at the end of the study. RESULTS: After clamping and reperfusion, alanine aminotransferase and cystatin C levels in groups B, C, and D were significantly higher than levels in group A. In group B, after clamping, neutrophil gelatinaseassociated lipocalin levels were higher than in groups A and D, with significantly higher level than in group D after reperfusion. Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin levels decreased significantly in groups B, C, and D after reperfusion. There was significantly greater hepatic damage in groups B, C, and D compared with group A but no significant differences in renal injury scores among the groups. There was a significant positive correlation between hepatic damage and renal injury. With regard to histopathological examination versus laboratory results, a statistically significant positive correlation was shown between grade of hepatic damage and serum alanine aminotransferase and cystatin C levels. Similarly, there was a positive correlation between renal damage score and alanine aminotransferase level. CONCLUSIONS: In our animal model, alanine amino - transferase and cystatin C levels tended to increase with ischemia-reperfusion injury levels but neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin decreased during reperfusion. In liver ischemia, we suggest that neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin may be an important biomarker for distinguishing the reperfusion phase.

The Effect of Sterilization Methods of Endoscopic Instruments on the Body: A Study on Rat Model.

PURPOSE: Laparoscopy is widely used in many surgical areas for diagnosis and treatment. The need for sterilization of reusable instruments is an important issue. Ensuring patient safety, preventing infection, and protecting the functionality of the instruments are the most important points to be considered. We aimed to investigate two sterilization methods and their effects generated by their distribution into intra-abdominal tissues during insufflation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 21 rats were used in the study. The Control Group (Group 1) received anesthesia for 1 hour; Group 2 (Glutaraldehyde (GA)-Pneumoperitoneum Group) received anesthesia for 1 hour; Group 3 (Ethylene Oxide (EO)-Pneumoperitoneum Group) received anesthesia for 1 hour. After 24 hours, the animals were sacrificed, and the kidneys and omentum of the animals were analyzed in a histopathological manner. Blood samples were analyzed at preoperative 24th hour and at postoperative 24th hour. RESULTS: There was a statistically significant difference in omentum, endothelium, and glomerular scores between the groups (p < 0.001 for all groups). Endothelial and glomerular scores were different at a statistically significant level in the EO and GA groups compared to the Control Group. The total score was higher at a statistically significant level in the EO and GA groups compared to the Control Group (p < 0.001 for both groups). CONCLUSION: It was determined in our study that sterilization methods such as EO and GA cause damage in intra-abdominal tissues. In the light of these results, we consider that the most ideal laparoscopic surgery set is the single-use laparoscopy set. However, this does not seem possible especially in developing countries in practice.

The assessment of the relationship between variations in the apelin gene and coronary artery disease in Turkish population.

OBJECTIVE: Apelin is a novel endogenous peptide with inotropic and vasodilatory properties and is the ligand for the angiotensin receptor-like 1 (APJ) receptor. The aim of the study was to investigate the association of 2 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the apelin gene with susceptibility to coronary artery disease (CAD) in the Turkish population. METHODS: The present observational case-control study consisted of 244 subjects (134 angiographically proven CAD patients and 110 healthy controls) aged 30-65 years. The association of 2 SNPs (rs3115758 and rs3115759) in the apelin gene and CAD risk was investigated. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to analyze the 2 SNPs in both the CAD and the healthy subjects. Allele and genotype frequencies between patients and control groups were compared using the Chi-square (χ2) test. The relationships of the 2 polymorphisms with the presence of CAD were determined with multiple binary logistic regression analysis after adjustment for CAD risk factors. RESULTS: TT and AA risk genotypes of the rs3115758 and rs3115759 variants in the apelin gene were found to be significantly related with the risk of CAD with the same power (OR: 6.36, 95% CI: 1.41-28.6) (p=0.007). After adjustments for traditional CAD risk factors, the homozygous TT genotype for rs3115758 and AA genotype for rs3115759 increased the CAD risk, both with an OR of 5.91. CONCLUSION: Genetic variants in the apelin gene are significantly associated with the risk of CAD in the Turkish population.