Does the preoperative fasting period affect the liver in a distant organ model of renal ischaemia reperfusion?

OBJECTIVES: To experimentally evaluate the effects of preoperative fasting duration on distant organ liver in renal ischaemia-reperfusion (IR) injury. METHODS: This is an experimental study. In the study, 3 groups were formed. In Group A, abdominal laparotomy was carried out after 12 hours of preoperative fasting without any IR damage. In Group B, IR injury was carried out after 12 hours of preoperative fasting, and abdominal laparotomy was carried out, in Group C after 2 hours of fasting after IR injury. Apoptosis, congestion, balloon degeneration, nuclear pleomorphism, and leukocyte infiltration were examined histopathologically and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin (IL) -1 beta, IL-6, and IL-10 were evaluated biochemically. RESULTS: A statistically significant difference was determined between the groups in respect of postoperative IL-10 levels (p=0.020) with significantly lower levels determined in Group C than in Groups A and B (p=0.021). Similar rates of mild nuclear polymorphism were seen with no statistically significant difference determined between the groups (p>0.167). A statistically significant difference was determined between the groups in respect of the congestion scores (p<0.001), with a lower score in Group C than in Groups A and B, where the scores were similar (p<0.001, p=0.017). CONCLUSION: With this result, it would be correct to say that the short preoperative fasting period has protective effects on the liver tissue.

Melatonin effective to reduce the microscopic symptoms of polycystic ovary syndrome-related infertility: An experimental study.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is an endocrine disorder seen in women of reproductive age and has been gradually increasing over the years. The mechanism of the syndrome has still not been clearly understood. In this study, the possible effects of exogenously administrated melatonin on melatonin (MT1) receptor, Growth Differentiation Factor-9 (GDF9), and Bone Morphogenetic Protein-15 (BMP15) in experimental PCOS were investigated. Thirty-two 6-8-week-old Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups (n = 8 in each) as Sham control (Group 1), Melatonin (Group 2), PCOS (Group 3), and PCOS + Melatonin (Group 4) groups. At the end of the 21st day, the experiment was terminated, the ovary tissues were taken, and Hematoxylin-Eosin staining, MT1, GDF9, BMP15 immunohistochemical labeling, western blot, and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) analyses were performed. Serum Luteinizing Hormone (LH)/Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) levels and colpo-cytological examinations were also carried out. The results revealed that melatonin administration increased the expression levels of the MT1 receptor, GDF9, and BMP15 in PCOS at protein and mRNA levels. It was determined that melatonin administration reduced the microscopic symptoms of PCOS. Melatonin was found to be effective via the MT1 receptor in the pathogenesis of PCOS, and it suppressed the transport pathways of GDF9 to granulosa cells in antral follicles.

Indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase-related anti-inflammatory effects of 3-aminobenzamide and infliximab in experimental colitis

SUMMARY OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the presence of indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase and bacterial translocation after the administration of 3-aminobenzamide and infliximab in the TNBS model of rat colitis. METHODS: The study group was divided into five categories as follows: group 1: (control), group 2: colitis+saline, group 3: colitis+3-aminobenzamide, group 4: colitis+infliximab, and group 5: colitis+3-aminobenzamide+infliximab. Intestinal mesenteric cultures were incubated on specific agar media plates under aerobic and anaerobic conditions, bacterial translocation was evaluated and assessed as colony-forming units per gram of tissue. Colonic tissue samples were evaluated by Western blotting method to detect the presence of indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase. RESULTS: The results obtained were as follows: group 1: normal gut flora; group 2: eight of nine samples had bacterial translocation, of which six of them had positive indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase protein; group 3: five of nine samples had bacterial translocation, of which seven of them had positive indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase; group 4: three of nine samples had bacterial translocation, of which seven of them had positive indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase; and group 5: only one sample had exact indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase protein. CONCLUSION: Altered expression of indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase results in a lower bacterial translocation via infliximab compared with 3-aminobenzamide treatment. Combined treatments emphasized different approaches for the new molecules related to indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase.

Usefullnes of atherogenic indices and Ca-LDL level to predict subclinical atherosclerosis in patients with psoriatic arthritis?

Abstract Background: To investigate the link between carbamylated low-density lipoprotein (ca-LDL), atherogenic index of plasma (AIP), atherogenic coefficient (AC), Castelli's risk indices I and II (CRI I and II) and subclinic atherosclerosis in psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Methods: Thirty-ninepatients and 19 age, sex, body mass index matched healthy controls were included. Insulin resistance (IR) was assessed with homeostasis of model assessment-IR (HOMA-IR). Carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) was measured at both common carotid arteries and mean CIMT was calculated. Results: The mean age was 49.50 ± 11.86 years and 64.1% were females in PsA group. In the PsA group, CIMT and HOMA-IR were significantly higher (p = 0.003, p = 0.043, respectively). AIP, AC, TG/HDL, CRI-1, CRI-2 and ca- LDL levels were similar between groups. In PsA group, CIMT was positively correlated with HOMA-IR, TG/HDL and AIP. Although ca-LDL was positively correlated with serum amyloid A (r = 0.744, p <0.001), no correlation was detected between ca-LDL and CIMT (r =0.215, p = 0.195). PsA patients with IR tended to have higher ca-LDL levels than patients without IR, but this difference lacked statistical significance (33.65 ± 26.94, 28.63 ± 28.06, respectively, p = 0.237). Conclusions: A significant increase in CIMT was seen in PsA patients without clinically evident cardiovascular disease or any traditional atherosclerosis risk factors. CIMT was correlated with HOMA-IR, TG/HDL and AIP.

The Effect of Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C) on Transepithelial Corneal Cross-Linking in Rabbits.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effects of ascorbic acid (vitamin C), the main antioxidant agent in the cornea on transepithelial corneal cross-linking (CXL) where the main mechanism is oxidation. METHODS: Twenty eyes of 20 rabbits were divided into 3 groups: Group 1 (7 eyes) had transepithelial corneal CXL after being fed with normal diet; Group 2 (7 eyes) had corneal CXL after once-daily subcutaneous injections of 200 mg of ascorbic acid in addition to normal diet; and the control group (6 eyes) was fed with normal diet but did not have corneal CXL performed. Ascorbic acid levels were measured in aqueous humor and plasma, and biomechanical measurements were applied to the cornea. RESULTS: There was a significant difference in ascorbic acid levels of plasma (P = 0.008) and aqueous humor (P = 0.006) between group 1 and 2. The Young's modulus values of group 1 and 2 were similar (P = 0.741) and were significantly higher than the control group (P = 0.02 and P = 0.01). The increase rate in Young's modulus values was 37.3% in group 1 and 43.9% in group 2 compared to control group. The ultimate strain values in group 1 and 2 were similar (P = 0.632) and were significantly higher than control group (P = 0.04, P = 0.03). The ultimate stress values in group 1 and 2 were similar (P = 0.836) and were significantly lower than control group (P = 0.001, P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Systemic vitamin C does not appear to decrease effectiveness of transepithelial corneal CXL. Therefore, there is no reason to stop or reduce vitamin C supplementation before corneal CXL therapy.

The Effects of Different Anaesthetic Techniques on Surgical Stress Response During Inguinal Hernia Operations.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to compare the effects of 3 different kinds of anaesthesia on stress response induced by surgery. METHODS: Sixty patients aged between 25-70 American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) I-II group to undergo inguinal herniography were included in this study. Patients were randomly divided into 3 groups of 20. Group 1 received general anaesthesia with sevoflurane/air/remifentanil, patients in Group 2 received total intravenous anaesthesia (TIVA) with propofol/air/remifentanil and Group 3 received spinal anaesthesia induced by hyperbaric bupivacaine, adjoined by remifentanil sedation. Mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate and SpO2 values were recorded preoperatively, intraoperatively and postoperatively at certain periods. Cortisol, leptin and glucose levels were preoperatively detected. Intervals were as; 15 minutes prior to the induction of anaesthesia, at intraoperative first hour and at the postoperative third and twenty-forth hours. RESULTS: MAP and heart rate values were similar in the inhalational anaesthesia and TIVA groups but relatively higher in the spinal anaesthesia group. Blood glucose levels were elevated, insulin levels were decreased in all groups, at the intraoperative first hour. Biphasic variation in blood leptin levels was observed in all groups, as the levels were lower than the preoperative control values at the intraoperative first and postoperative third hours and significantly higher at the postoperative twenty-forth hour. There was a significant decrease in cortisol level percentage change in the TIVA group at the intraoperative 1st hour, increasing in the other groups. CONCLUSION: We concluded that TIVA supresses the stress response induced by surgery better by lowering cortisol levels, leading to a lower increase in blood glucose levels and a lower decrease in blood insulin levels when compared to others. Furthermore, leptin levels were increased at the postoperative twenty-forth hour. The lower increase at the postoperative twenty-forth hour in the TIVA group can be correlated with the anaesthetic agent.

Prospective evaluation of free radicals and antioxidant activity following 6-month risedronate treatment in patients with postmenopausal osteoporosis.

In addition to the well-described implications of estrogen deficiency in postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMO), free radicals are also effective on bone metabolism. The antioxidant vitamins C and E play an important role in the production of collagen, mesenchymal cell differentiation into osteoblasts, and bone mineralization. Therefore, the incidence of osteoporosis and the risk of fractures were decreased with vitamin C and E. It was proposed that free oxygen radicals are responsible for biological aging, atherosclerosis, carcinogenesis, and osteoclastic activity via their negative effects on the cell and DNA. In this study, we aimed to investigate and compare the levels of free radicals and serum antioxidant activity in patients with PMO and healthy subjects before and after six-month treatment with risedronate, which is an inhibitor of bone resorption. Twenty-three postmenopausal patients aged between 52-83 (mean [± standard deviation] 67.6 ± 8.17) with T scores below -2.5 in femur neck or L1-L4, and 23 postmenopausal healthy subjects were enrolled into the study. Patients who had received any medications within the last 6 months that could alter bone metabolism were excluded. Serum malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) levels were analyzed in both groups. The patients with PMO were commenced on 5 mg of risedronate, 1,200 mg of calcium, and 800 IU of vitamin D daily. The patients were reevaluated at the end of the sixth month. MDA and SOD levels were similar in patients with PMO when compared to the healthy group before the treatment, while the GPx levels were lower in patients with PMO (P = 0.014). GPx (P = 0.028) and MDA (P = 0.04) levels were increased in patients with PMO after the treatment. In contrast, SOD levels were decreased when compared to the initial levels (P = 0.006). There may be an insufficiency in different steps of the enzymatic antioxidant systems in patients with PMO without treatment. We observed an increment in lipid peroxidation levels and GPx levels with risedronate. We think that the decrement in SOD levels may be related with the utilized antioxidants due to the increased free radicals and the compensatory increment in the other steps of the antioxidant system.

Oxidative stress and antioxidant activity in orbital fibroadipose tissue in Graves' ophthalmopathy.

PURPOSE: To investigate the oxidative stress and antioxidant activity in the orbit in Graves' ophthalmopathy (GO). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Orbital fibroadipose tissue samples were obtained from 13 cases during orbital fat decompression surgery. All cases demonstrated features of moderate or severe GO according to the European Group on Graves' Orbitopathy classification. The disease activity was evaluated with the Clinical Activity Score, and the clinical features of GO were evaluated with the Ophthalmopathy Index. Orbital fibroadipose tissue samples of 8 patients without any thyroid or autoimmune disease were studied as controls. In the tissue samples, lipid hydroperoxide level was examined to determine the level of oxidative stress; glutathione level to determine antioxidant level; superoxide dismutase, glutathione reductase, and glutathione peroxidase activities to determine antioxidant activity. RESULTS: Lipid hydroperoxide level and all three antioxidant enzyme activities were found to be significantly elevated, while glutathione level significantly diminished in tissue samples from GO cases compared to controls (p < 0.05). Glutathione levels in tissue samples of GO cases showed negative correlation with Ophthalmopathy Index (r = -0.59, p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The antioxidant activity in the orbit is enhanced in GO. However, the oxidative stress appears to be severe enough to deplete the tissue antioxidants and leads to oxidative tissue damage. This study may support the possible value of antioxidant treatment in GO.