Effect of Piracetam and Iron Treatment on Heart Rate Variability in Patients With Breath-Holding Spell.

BACKGROUND: Breath-holding spells are a benign condition primarily seen in 3% to 5% of healthy children aged between six months and five years. Although no specific treatment is recommended due to its benign nature, iron and piracetam are used in severe or recurrent cases. We planned to compare the heart rate variability (HRV) before and after treatment with 24-hour Holter monitoring in patients receiving iron and piracetam treatment and investigate the treatment's effectiveness. METHODS: Twenty-five patients who applied to the outpatient clinic between 2013 and 2015 due to breath-holding spells were included in the study. The patients who received piracetam and iron therapy and underwent 24-hour rhythm Holter monitoring were evaluated retrospectively. RESULTS: Fourteen (56%) of these patients were evaluated as having cyanotic-type and 11 (44%) patients were assessed as having pale-type breath-holding spells. A significant difference was found only between hourly peak heart rate and total power in the group receiving iron treatment. Significant differences were also found among the minimum heart rate, mean heart rate, the standard deviation of RR intervals, the mean square root of the sum of the squares of their difference between adjacent RR intervals, spectpow, and low frequency before and after the treatment in the patients who started piracetam treatment (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our study is critical as it is the first to investigate the effects of treatment options on various HRV in patients with breath-holding spells. There were statistically significant changes in HRV parameters in patients receiving piracetam, and the number of attacks decreased significantly. Piracetam treatment contributes positively to the breath-holding spell with regard to efficacy and HRV, therefore it can be used to treat breath-holding spells.

Ameliorative effects of thymoquinone on the caspase 3, kidney function and oxidative stress tartrazine-induced nephrotoxicity.

First in the literature this study aimed to investigate the effects of Tartrazine, a common industrial food dye, on kidney and whether Thymoquinone has a protective effect in tartrazine-induced nephrotoxicity. The study conducted on the rats bred at Inönü University Experimental Animals Production and Research Center. Wistar albino rats were randomly divided into 4 groups, where each group included 8 rats: control, Tartrazine, Thymoquinone, and Tartrazine + Thymoquinone groups. The experiments continued for 3 weeks and then, kidney tissues and blood samples were collected from the rats under anesthesia. Malondialdehyde (MDA), super oxidized dismutase (SOD), total oxidant status (TOS), increase in Oxidative stress index (OSI), glutathione (GSH), Glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), catalase (CAT), Total antioxidant status (TAS) levels decreased in the kidney tissues collected from the tartrazine group. Serum Bun and Creatinine levels increased in the tartrazine group. Tartrazine administration damaged and degenerated the glomeruli and cortical distal tubes in the histopathology of kidney tissues, also different degrees of inflammatory cell infiltration were observed in the renal cortex and medulla. Thymoquinone and tartrazine administration improved both biochemical and histopathological parameters. Tartrazine administration induced nephrotoxicity. This could be observed with the increase in oxidant capacity and the deterioration of kidney functions. Thymoquinone was observed to demonstrate strong antioxidant properties. Thymoquinone could be used primarily as a protective agent against Tartrazine-induced toxicity.

Estimation of Obesity Levels through the Proposed Predictive Approach Based on Physical Activity and Nutritional Habits.

Obesity is the excessive accumulation of adipose tissue in the body that leads to health risks. The study aimed to classify obesity levels using a tree-based machine-learning approach considering physical activity and nutritional habits. Methods: The current study employed an observational design, collecting data from a public dataset via a web-based survey to assess eating habits and physical activity levels. The data included gender, age, height, weight, family history of being overweight, dietary patterns, physical activity frequency, and more. Data preprocessing involved addressing class imbalance using Synthetic Minority Over-sampling TEchnique-Nominal Continuous (SMOTE-NC) and feature selection using Recursive Feature Elimination (RFE). Three classification algorithms (logistic regression (LR), random forest (RF), and Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost)) were used for obesity level prediction, and Bayesian optimization was employed for hyperparameter tuning. The performance of different models was evaluated using metrics such as accuracy, recall, precision, F1-score, area under the curve (AUC), and precision-recall curve. The LR model showed the best performance across most metrics, followed by RF and XGBoost. Feature selection improved the performance of LR and RF models, while XGBoost's performance was mixed. The study contributes to the understanding of obesity classification using machine-learning techniques based on physical activity and nutritional habits. The LR model demonstrated the most robust performance, and feature selection was shown to enhance model efficiency. The findings underscore the importance of considering both physical activity and nutritional habits in addressing the obesity epidemic.

Effect of Melatonin on Increasing the Effectiveness of Liver Preservation Solution.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Various tissue preservation solutions are used during the removal of the organ and during transplantation to protect the normal histological and biochemical characteristics of tissue while performing a successful liver transplant. In our study, it was aimed to investigate the effects of intraperitoneal melatonin administration on liver preservation damage before transplantation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In our study, the histological and biochemical characteristics of University of Wisconsin+melatonin group rats treated with melatonin 45 minutes before hepatectomy were compared between serum physiologic group and University of Wisconsin group. RESULTS: When hematoxylin and eosin staining was evaluated in terms of hydropic degeneration, sinusoidal dilatation, and hepatocyte necrosis, there was no statistically significant difference. Caspase 3 immunohistochemical staining showed a significant increase in Caspase 3 immunoreactivity positivity at the 12th-hour University of Wisconsin group compared to University of Wisconsin+melatonin group. As a result of biochemical analysis, the malondialdehyde and total oxidant status levels in the University of Wisconsin+melatonin group decreased significantly compared to the University of Wisconsin group. When the reduced glutathione activity and total antioxidant capacity level were compared, a significant increase was observed in the University of Wisconsin+melatonin group compared to the University of Wisconsin group at the 12th hour. It was also found that aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, and alkaline phosphatase levels decreased significantly in the University of Wisconsin+melatonin 12th-hour group compared to the University of Wisconsin 12th hour and control group. CONCLUSION: When the findings were evaluated, intraperitoneal administration of melatonin, a cytoprotective antioxidant, was found to play an effective role in preserving immunohistochemical and biochemical properties of liver tissue integrity and hepatocytes in University of Wisconsin solution.

Modeling Based on Ensemble Learning Methods for Detection of Diagnostic Biomarkers from LncRNA Data in Rats Treated with Cis-Platinum-Induced Hepatotoxicity.

BACKGROUND: The first aim of this study is to perform bioinformatic analysis of lncRNAs obtained from liver tissue samples from rats treated with cisplatin hepatotoxicity and without pathology. Another aim is to identify possible biomarkers for the diagnosis/early diagnosis of hepatotoxicity by modeling the data obtained from bioinformatics analysis with ensemble learning methods. METHODS: In the study, 20 female Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into a control group and a hepatotoxicity group. Liver samples were taken from rats, and transcriptomic and histopathological analyses were performed. The dataset achieved from the transcriptomic analysis was modeled with ensemble learning methods (stacking, bagging, and boosting). Modeling results were evaluated with accuracy (Acc), balanced accuracy (B-Acc), sensitivity (Se), specificity (Sp), positive predictive value (Ppv), negative predictive value (Npv), and F1 score performance metrics. As a result of the modeling, lncRNAs that could be biomarkers were evaluated with variable importance values. RESULTS: According to histopathological and immunohistochemical analyses, a significant increase was observed in the sinusoidal dilatation and Hsp60 immunoreactivity values in the hepatotoxicity group compared to the control group (p < 0.0001). According to the results of the bioinformatics analysis, 589 lncRNAs showed different expressions in the groups. The stacking model had the best classification performance among the applied ensemble learning models. The Acc, B-Acc, Se, Sp, Ppv, Npv, and F1-score values obtained from this model were 90%, 90%, 80%, 100%, 100%, 83.3%, and 88.9%, respectively. lncRNAs with id rna-XR_005492522.1, rna-XR_005492536.1, and rna-XR_005505831.1 with the highest three values according to the variable importance obtained as a result of stacking modeling can be used as predictive biomarker candidates for hepatotoxicity. CONCLUSIONS: Among the ensemble algorithms, the stacking technique yielded higher performance results as compared to the bagging and boosting methods on the transcriptomic data. More comprehensive studies can support the possible biomarkers determined due to the research and the decisive results for the diagnosis of drug-induced hepatotoxicity.

Histopathological and ultra-structural investigation of the damaging effects of hypoinsulinemia, hyper glycaemia and oxidative stress caused by parenteral nutrition combined with fasting on the small intestine of rabbits.

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: Parenteral nutrition (PN) is a life-saving practice when the use of the gastrointestinal tract is not appropriate. Despite its great benefits, however, PN may cause several complications. In this study, we conducted histopathological and ultra-structural examinations of the effect of PN combined with starvation on the small intestines of rabbits. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Rabbits were divided into four groups. A fasting + PN group was left completely unfed and received all its daily required energy by PN through an intravenous central catheter. An oral feeding + PN group received half the necessary daily calories by oral feeding and the other half through PN. A semi-starvation group received only half the necessary daily calories by oral feeding and no PN. The fourth group, serving as a control, was supplied with its entire daily energy requirements through oral feeding. After 10 days, the rabbits were euthanized. Blood and small intestine tissue samples were collected from all groups. Blood samples were biochemically analysed, and tissue samples were examined by light and transmission electron microscopy. RESULTS: The fasting + PN group exhibited lower insulin levels, higher glucose levels, and increased systemic oxidative stress than the other groups. Ultra-structural and histopathological examinations revealed a significant increase in apoptotic activity in this group's small intestines and a significant decrease in villus length and crypt depth. Severe damage to the intracellular organelles and nuclei of enterocytes was also observed. CONCLUSION: PN combined with starvation appears to cause apoptosis in the small intestine due to oxidative stress and hyperglycaemia with hypoinsulinemia, with destructive effects on small intestine tissue. Adding enteral nutrition to PN may reduce these destructive effects.

Oral colonization of Acinetobacter baumannii in intensive care units: Risk factors, incidence, molecular epidemiology, association with the occur of pneumonia and sepsis, and infection control measures.

Objectives: Oral colonization of Acinetobacter baumannii can lead to infections such as pneumonia and sepsis. We aimed to evaluate oral colonization of hospitalized patients in ICUs and to examine risk factors for oral colonization, molecular epidemiology, and incidence of pneumonia and sepsis. Materials and Methods: The study began in February 2021. Oral cultures were taken. The microorganisms were identified by a Maldi-tof MS mass spectrometry device. Colistin resistance genes were investigated by polymerase chain reaction. Clonal relationships were determined by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. Results: A. baumannii was found in 21 of 96 patients' oral cultures. Pneumonia and sepsis due to A. baumannii were detected in 14 and 5 patients, respectively. The mean growth time of A. baumannii from oral cultures was 11.8 days, and the meantime for the occurrence of pneumonia after oral growth was 5.2 days. We determined a plasmid mediated mcr-2 colistin resistance gene in a colistin susceptible A. baumannii strain. It is the first report of the plasmid mediated mcr-2 colistin resistance gene in our country. In total, fourteen different A. baumannii genotypes were determined in PFGE. It was determined that the effects of antibiotic use, oral motor dysfunction, mechanical ventilation, intubation, orogastric tube use, and total parenteral nutrition intake on oral colonization were statistically significant. Conclusion: Oral colonization of A. baumannii is a significant concern in ICUs. We believe that it is important to take oral cultures and follow the risk factors and take infection control measures to prevent oral colonization of resistant isolates in ICUs.

The Effect of Pre-transplant Lipid Profile on Post-transplant Hepatocellular Carcinoma Recurrence: Retrospective Single-Center Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Plasma lipids have been shown to relate to tumor biology. We aimed to analyze the effect of pre-transplant plasma lipid profiles on post-transplant tumor recurrence in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and to identify any possible relationship between the pre-transplant lipid profile with maximum tumor diameter, number of tumor nodules, tumor differentiation, portal vein invasion, or serum biomarker levels. METHODS: Patients with hepatocellular carcinoma who underwent liver transplants between 2006 and 2021 had data collected pro- spectively and were analyzed retrospectively. Patients who did not have lipid profile data before transplant and whose post-transplant follow-up period was <90 days were excluded. Patients who had pre-transplant plasma lipid data and whose post-transplant follow-up period was >90 days were included in this study (n = 254). RESULTS: Lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels were found to be significantly associated with post-Tx recurrence (38 vs 29.5, P < .001) and were also significantly associated with macroscopic portal vein thrombosis (39 vs 30.4, P < .021). There was no significant association between plasma lipids and tumor differentiation. Higher high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels were significantly asso- ciated with good overall and disease-free survivals (P = .024 and P = .001). CONCLUSION: Pre-transplant low plasma high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels were significantly associated with portal vein throm- bosis and poor post-transplant overall and disease-free survivals.

Ameliorative effects of crocin on the inflammation and oxidative stress-induced kidney damages by experimental periodontitis in rat.

OBJECTIVES: The present study aimed to investigate the effects of periodontitis on kidneys and the protective role of crocin in periodontitis-induced kidney damage. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ethics committee approval was obtained and 30 Wistar rats were randomly divided into 3 groups of 10 rats: Control (C), Periodontitis (P), and Periodontitis + Crocin (P + Cr). After the treatments, rat kidney tissues were incised under anesthesia and blood samples were collected. Biochemical and histopathological analyses were conducted on the samples. RESULTS: Malondialdehyde (MDA), total oxidant status (TOS), and oxidative stress index (OSI) increased in P group rat kidney tissues; urea, creatinine, Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and interleukin 1ß (IL-1ß) levels increased in the serum; glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and total antioxidant status (TAS) levels were reduced in rat kidney tissues, and renal histopathology deteriorated. In the P + Cr group, we observed improvements in biochemical and histopathological parameters when compared with the P group. CONCLUSION: Periodontitis (P) led to deterioration in oxidative stress parameters and histopathology by increasing the oxidants in kidney tissue. P also led to inflammation in the blood of the rats. Periodontitis + Crocin (P + Cr) administration alleviated the effects of P due to powerful antioxidant anti-inflammatory properties. Cr could be employed as a protective agent in P-induced inflammation and oxidative damage.

Protective effects of crocin on acrylamide-induced testis damage.

Exposure to acrylamide (Ac) through food is almost inevitable and this kind of toxicity may cause lifelong harm. In present study, we researched effects of Crocin (Cr) on testis histopathology in Ac-induced testis of rats. Adult male rats were grouped as: group 1, 1 ml saline only; group 2, 50 mg/kg Cr only; group 3, 25 mg/kg Ac only and group 4, 25 mg/kg Ac + 50 mg/kg Cr. All administrations were given as 1 ml/day by gavage for 21 days. It was found that Ac adversely influenced the levels of FSH, testosterone and LH in the blood serum; malondialdehyde (MDA), total antioxidant status (TOS), oxidative stress index (OSI)/ glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), total antioxidant status (TAS) oxidant/antioxidant parameters in testis tissue (p < .01) and the histopathological parameters like Johnson's score, seminiferous tubule diameter, seminiferous epithelial height and H-score for caspase-3 immunoreactivity. In contrary, Cr treatment resulted in increase in testosterone, follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizan hormone (LH) levels and SOD, CAT, GSH, TAS levels (p < .01) and improved all the histopathological changes. In conclusion, Cr has a promising protective potential against Ac-caused toxic damages in testicular tissue.

Impaction of the polylactic membrane or hydrofiber with silver dressings on the interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-α, transforming growth factor-b3 levels in the blood and tissues of pediatric patients with burns.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to evaluate the effects of two different burn dressings, hydrofiber with a silver (HFAg) and polylactic membrane (PLM), on altering the levels of important biomarkers Interleukin-6 (IL-6), Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), Transforming growth factor-ß3 (TGF-ß3) in blood and burnt tissue in children with second-degree burns. METHODS: Children between the ages of one to 16 years, with 25-50% second-degree partial-thickness burns of the total body surface area were included in this study. Patients in the PLM group were dressed with PLM in a typical way according to the manual. The HFAg group was dressed with HFAg and a sterile cover. During and at the end of the 21-day treatment, blood and skin tissue samples were taken from the two burn and control groups. IL-6, TNF-α, and TGF-ß ß3 levels were evaluated in blood and tissue samples from all groups, and the results were analyzed statistically. RESULTS: In the PLM group, IL-6 and TNF-α levels decreased early days in both serum and tissue samples to reach normal ranges compared with the HFAg group. In the PLM group, TGF-ß3 levels were elevated than in other groups for two weeks. CONCLUSION: In this study, we found that PLM controls inflammation earlier in both systemic and burn tissue. We also found that PLM increased the level of TGF-ß3, which may be associated with the prevention of the development of hypertrophic scar in the burn wound, in the blood and burn tissue during this study.

A Prospective Study on Dissociative Experiences, Suicidal Ideation, and Predicting Factors During the Isolation Period of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present study was to investigate suicidal ideation and dissociative experiences and to predict demographic and clinical risk factors during isolation periods in patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplant. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Our study included 61 consecutive stem cell recipients (29 autologous, 32 allogeneic). Patients were evaluated with the Suicidal Ideation Scale, Dissociative Experiences Scale, Hamilton Depression Scale, Hamilton Anxiety Scale, and State Trait Anxiety Inventory. RESULTS: The transplant procedure did not influence the Dissociative Experiences or Suicidal Ideation Scales (P > .05). However, patients had higher anxiety and depression levels at time of discharge (P < .001). Suicidal ideation scores were correlated with higher Hamilton Depression Scale, State Trait Anxiety Inventory, and Dissociative Experiences Scale scores on admission (P < .05), with the latter 2 scores also higher at the time of discharge in patients who received radiotherapy prior to transplant (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: Suicidal ideation and dissociative experiences, which may emerge because of complex and traumatic processes, should be considered by clinicians. Social and psychological support should be provided for patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplant.

Infection risk after paediatric liver transplantation.

Infections after liver transplantation (LT), despite prophylactic therapy, are still important causes of morbidity and mortality in children. Although underlying disease and immunosuppression along with the complexity of LT procedure are the major predispositions to infections, there still might be under recognised factors predisposing infections in paediatric LT. In this study, we retrospectively analysed the risk factors of bacterial, viral, and fungal infections after LT in a series of 167 children (median =5 yr.). Of all children, 112 (67%) experienced infections: 93 (55.7%) bacterial, 56 (33.5%) viral and 15 (9%) fungal. Multilogistic regression analysis showed that the need of immunosuppressive switch increased total, bacterial, and viral infection risk 5.3, 2.5, and 2.5 times, respectively, (p=0.001, p=0.021, and p=0,019, respectively). Re-LT increased bacterial infection risk 4.2 times (p=0.040). Viral infection risk was 10 times higher in children who had more than two re-laparotomies (p=0,002). Children who had post-LT, cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection had 5.6 times increased risk for fungal infection (p=0.035). In conclusion, infection is still an important morbidity in paediatric LT and is in close relationship with other morbidities such as surgical complications. CMV infection, itself, is an independent risk factor for fungal infection.

Protective effects of melatonin and vitamin E in acetamiprid-induced nephrotoxicity.

Investigation of probable toxic effects of acetamiprid (ACMP) on kidney and comparative analysis of the probable protective effects of vitamin E and melatonin were conducted in the present study. The ethics committee approval was obtained from Inonu University Medical Faculty Ethics Committee. Fifty Balb-c mice were randomly assigned to control, corn oil, ethyl alcohol, ACMP, ACMP + melatonin, ACMP + vitamin E, and ACMP + melatonin + vitamin E groups. At the end of the experiments, rat kidney tissues were incised under anesthesia. Blood samples and kidney tissues were examined. After 21 days of ACMP administration, it was observed that malondialdehyde (MDA), total oxidant status (TOS), BUN, creatinine, IL-6, IL-1ß, and TNF-α levels, histopathological damage, and Caspase-3 immunoreactivity scores increased, and glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and total antioxidant status (TAS) levels decreased, and histopathological damages were observed. Melatonin and vitamin E administration led to improvements in oxidative stress parameters, renal functions, inflammatory markers, and histopathological findings. ACMP administration led to nephrotoxicity in rat kidney tissues. Although melatonin and vitamin E administrations were effective on ACMP nephrotoxicity separately, co-administration of both was quite effective. Concomitant use of melatonin and vitamin E could be effective on prevention of toxicity.

Whole exome sequencing analysis for mutations in isolated type III biliary atresia patients.

AIM OF THE STUDY: Biliary atresia is an idiopathic, destructive disease that affects both extrahepatic and intrahepatic bile ducts with severe inflammation and manifests as progressive jaundice within the first few months of life. In this study, we aimed to investigate the significance of genetic mutations in the onset of biliary atresia disease. MATERIAL AND METHODS: With the approval of the ethics committee and parental consent, blood was taken from patients to obtain their DNA, and the study commenced. In this prospective study, we examined the DNA of 10 patients with no disease other than biliary atresia, and an exome sequence analysis was performed with the new-generation DNA sequencing method. The genetic structure of biliary atresia disease was examined by statistical analysis of the mutations, which were determined according to the reference DNA sequencing. RESULTS: In the exome sequence analysis, the number of mutations detected among the patients changed significantly; the lowest number was 12,591, and the maximum was 19,863. By examining these mutations, we identified the mutated genes that were common to all patients. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, the highest mutation rates were detected in the PRIM2 and MAP2K3 genes. These genes have not previously been associated with biliary atresia.

Advantages of early intervention with arterial embolization for intra-abdominal solid organ injuries in children.

PURPOSE: Active bleeding due to abdominal trauma is an important cause of mortality in childhood. The aim of this study is to demonstrate the advantages of early percutaneous transcatheter arterial embolization (PTAE) procedures in children with intra-abdominal hemorrhage due to blunt trauma. METHODS: Children with blunt abdominal trauma were retrospectively included. Two groups were identified for inclusion: patients with early embolization (EE group, n=10) and patients with late embolization (LE group, n=11). Both groups were investigated retrospectively and statistically analyzed with regard to lengths of stay in the intensive care unit and in the hospital, first enteral feeding after trauma, blood transfusion requirements, and cost. RESULTS: The duration of stay in the intensive care unit was greater in the LE group than in the EE group (4 days vs. 2 days, respectively). The duration of hospital stay was greater in the LE group than in the EE group (14 days vs. 6 days, respectively). Blood transfusion requirements (15 cc/kg of RBC packs) were greater in the LE group than in the EE group (3 vs. 1, respectively). The total hospital cost was higher in the LE group than in the EE group (4502 USD vs. 1371.5 USD, respectively). The time before starting enteral feeding after first admission was higher in the LE group than in the EE group (4 days vs. 1 day, respectively). CONCLUSION: Early embolization with PTAE results in shorter intensive care and hospitalization stays, earlier enteral feeding, and lower hospital costs for pediatric patients with intra-abdominal hemorrhage due to blunt trauma.

The effects of acrylamide and Vitamin E administration during pregnancy on adult rats testis.

Thirty rats, with confirmed pregnancies by vaginal smear, were divided into five groups, each including six rats, as the Control, Corn Oil, Vitamin E, Acrylamide, Vitamin E + Acrylamide groups. The births were monitored on the 21st day to select the male rats, and the selected male rats were decapitated at the end of the 8th week. Oxidant-antioxidant parameters, serum hormone levels and histopathological examinations were performed on testis tissues of the rats. It was found that acrylamide (AA) negatively affected the serum hormone levels (Total Testosterone, Progesterone, FSH, LH, Estradiol), oxidant-antioxidant parameters in the tissues (MDA, GSH, NO, SOD, CAT, TAS, TOS) (p < 0.05) and the histological findings (the Johnson's score, seminiferous tubule diameter, histopathological images), and Vitamin E administration resulted with an increase in the total testosterone, progesterone, FSH, LH, GSH, TAS, NO, SOD, CAT levels (p < 0.05) and an improvement in histopathological findings. Currently, it is almost inevitable to be exposed to food-induced AA toxicity and such toxicity is likely to cause lifelong damage. It was concluded that Vitamin E was able to present a protective effect in the testis tissue against AA toxicity; however, further studies are necessary.

The Effects of Different Burn Dressings on Length of Telomere and Expression of Telomerase in Children With Thermal Burns.

BACKGROUND: Burns are a common traumatic injury triggered by local tissue damage and a systemic response. In this study, we evaluated the effects of different burn dressings on telomere kinetics in children with thermal burn injury. METHODS: Sixty children with thermal burn were included in this prospective study. The burn area of the patients included 20 to 50% total body surface area. Three different dressings (hydrofiber with silver [HFAg], poylactic membrane [PLM], and silver sulfadiazine [SSD]) and control groups were created. Telomere length in nucleated blood cells and telomerase expression in the skin tissue were evaluated in control and burn groups. RESULTS: In the whole burn groups, telomere length in blood cells increased. The length of telomeres increased the most in the SSD group. The PLM group is the treatment that increases the number of squamous cell counts in the basal layer and telomerase expression in the skin. In HFAg and SSD groups, the expression of telomerase in the skin is decreased. In the HFAg group, the basal layer in the skin was also reduced in squamous cells. CONCLUSION: In all burn groups, the telomere length of nucleated cells in the blood was higher than in the control group. SSD dressing along with autografting is the treatment method that maximizes telomere length in blood cells. The PLM has the most increased telomerase expression in the skin of burned patients. The PLM application increases the number of cells on both burned and normal skin.

Neopterin Levels and Indoleamine 2,3-Dioxygenase Activity as Biomarkers of Immune System Activation and Childhood Allergic Diseases.

BACKGROUND: Although Th2 immune activation is predominant in allergic diseases, neopterinlevels and indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO)-1 activity (kynurenine:tryptophan ratio), which reflect Th1 immune activity, increase with interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) stimulation. We investigated neopterin, tryptophan, and kynurenine levels as biomarkersof the Th1 immune system activation and changes in IDO-1 activityin children with asthma, allergic rhinitis, and atopic dermatitis, as well as the relationship between these biomarkers and the total IgE level, age, and disease severity. METHODS: We divided 205 children (80 girls and 125 boys, four months to 17 years old) into four groups: controls, patients with asthma, patients with allergic rhinitis, and patients with atopic dermatitis. Peripheral venous blood samples were collected. Neopterin levels were determined by an enzyme immunoassay. Tryptophan and kynurenine levels were analyzed using HPLC. IDO-1 enzyme activity was calculated using tryptophan and kynurenine levels. IgE levels were measured. The Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis test, and Conover post-hoc method were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: Neopterin, tryptophan, and kynurenine levels were higher and IgE levels and IDO-1 enzyme activity were lower in patients with asthma and allergic rhinitis than in controls (P<0.05). Patients with atopic dermatitis showed higher neopterin, tryptophan, and kynurenine levels, higher IDO-1 activity, and lower IgE levels thancontrols (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The Th1/Th2 balance is disrupted in children with allergic diseases, concomitant with increased Th1-mediated immune response activation and reduced IgEproduction, which is promoted by Th2-type cytokines.

[Performance of MALDI-TOF MS for the identification of gram-negative bacteria grown on eosin methylene blue (EMB) agar: A simple method for improving the effectiveness of identification]. / MALDI-TOF MS'nin EMB agarda üreyen gram-negatif bakterileri tanimlama performansi: Tani etkinligini arttiran basit bir yöntem.

Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization-Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) is a new method that is increasingly used in microbiology laboratories due to its ability of reliable and rapid identification (ID) of bacteria and fungi. However, some problems emerge in the routine clinical diagnosis since only one gram-negative selective medium has been suggested up to date. Though EMB agar is one of the traditional gram-negative selective media, there is no data in the scientific literature, about the ID performance of MALDI TOF MS with the gram-negative bacteria grown on this medium. In this study, we tested the ID performance of MALDI-TOF MS for gram-negative isolates on EMB agar and aimed to develop a rapid and easy sample preparation method for improving this performance. A total of 468 clinical isolates of gram-negative bacteria, consisting of 37 different species from 20 genera, were included in this study. The isolates were identified using the Vitek MS MALDI-TOF MS (Bio Mérieux, France) both directly from EMB agar, and also through a two-step colony washing (once with physiologic saline, and three times with 70% ethanol) method. The performances of these two IDs were compared. In the direct reading from EMB medium, 382 (81.6%) of 468 studied isolates were correctly identified at species level; no ID was detected for 80 (17%) isolates, and 6 (1.2%) isolates (four at the genus level) were misidentified Performance of MALDI-TOF MS directly from EMB agar was excellent (100%) for 14 species including Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, Klebsiella oxytoca, Salmonella spp., and Proteus mirabilis; and lowest for Providencia spp. (62.5%), Escherichia coli (70.5%) and Acinetobacter spp. (70.7%). Following the washing procedure which was performed about 20 min with simple laboratory equipment, 434 (92.7%) isolates were correctly identified at species level; 30 (6.4%) strains could not be identified, and four (0.85%) isolates (two at the genus level) were misidentified. Statistical analyses indicated that the washing procedure defined here significantly increased the overall ID performance of MALDI-TOF MS with EMB agar (p= 0.001), particularly with improving the IDs of those markedly dye-absorbing genera, such as E.coli and A.baumannii. In this study, EMB agar which has no data until today on its suitability for mass spectrometric identification has been shown to be useful for bacterial identification with MALDI-TOF MS. In addition, the unidentified gram-negative bacteria in the direct reading from the EMB medium have been shown to be identified after the colony washing method as described here. Determination of the different medium alternatives will contribute to effective usage of MALDI-TOF MS in microbiology laboratories.