The effect of progesterone supplementation in women with threatened miscarriage on fetal fraction in non-invasive prenatal testing: A matched case-control study.

AIM: To evaluate the effect of progesterone use on fetal fraction (FF) in non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) due to the threat of first trimester miscarriage. METHODS: This case control study included the pregnant who were referred to our clinic for non-invasive prenatal testing. The patients were categorized into three groups: Pregnant women with vaginal bleeding and using progesterone, pregnant women with vaginal bleeding and not using progesterone, and pregnant women without bleeding. The groups were formed by matching gestational week. Women with multiple pregnancy, BMI (body mass index) ≥25, abnormal fetal karyotype, and chronic disease were excluded from the study. Maternal characteristics, FF of the NIPT were recruited from the computer based medical records. RESULTS: A total of 10,275 NIPT tests were performed during the study period. 3% of the patients (n = 308) were found at risk of miscarriage. 100 patients with a vaginal bleeding and 50 control patients were matched. The median value of the fetal fraction ratio was found to be 6.55 in pregnant women without vaginal bleeding, 7.05 in pregnant women who had vaginal bleeding and using progesterone, and 7.3 in pregnant women who had vaginal bleeding and did not use progesterone. Although the fetal fraction ratio was found to be higher in pregnant women with vaginal bleeding and lower in progesterone users, this situation could not reach the level of statistical significance (p = 0.351). CONCLUSIONS: The fetal fraction rate in maternal blood is not affected in pregnant women who use progesterone due to vaginal bleeding in early gestational weeks.

Protective Effect of Adenosine Triphosphate against 5-Fluorouracil-Induced Oxidative Ovarian Damage in vivo.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of our study was to analyze the effect of ATP on possible ovarian damage of 5-FU in rats. METHODS: The animals were divided to three groups; healthy group (HG), 5-FU alone group (FUG) and ATP+5-FU administered group (AFU). The ATP 4 mg/kg was injected intraperitoneally (IP) into the AFU group. The same volume of saline (0.9% NaCl) as the solvent was administered intraperitoneally to the HG and FUG groups. One hour after administering ATP and solvent, 5-FU 100 mg/kg was injected intraperitoneally to the animals in the AFU and FUG groups. ATP was administered to the animals once a day for 10 days. On the 1st, 3rd and 5th days of 5-FU, one dose (total of 3 doses) was administered. On day 10, the animals were euthanasia with high-dose anaesthesia and ovarian tissues were removed. The removed ovaries were analyzed biochemically andhistopathological. RESULT: ATP significantly suppressed both the increase in MDA and IL-6 levels, and the decrease in tGSH, SOD and CAT levels. Treatment with ATP significantly suppressed the severe vacuolization and primordial follicle degeneration induced by 5-FU in our study. CONCLUSION: ATP was possible to be useful for the treatment of 5-FU-induced ovarian damage.

Effect of thiamine pyrophosphate on cyclophosphamide-induced oxidative ovarian damage and reproductive dysfunction in female rats.

BACKGROUND: Cyclophosphamide is a drug used in various types of cancer. It can cause oxidative and inflammatory ovarian damage and infertility. Thiamine pyrophosphate (TPP) to be investigated for its effect on cyclophosphamide-induced ovarian damage and reproductive dysfunction in the present study is the active metabolite of thiamine. It has been shown that TPP protects organs and tissues from oxidative stress and proinflammatory cytokine damage. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effect of TPP against the ovarian damage and reproductive dysfunction caused by cyclophosphamide in rats. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Albino Wistar type female rats were divided into healthy control (HG), cyclophosphamide (CYC) and TPP + cyclophosphamide (TPPC) groups (for each group, n = 12). Thiamine pyrophosphate at a dose of 25 mg/kg was injected intraperitoneally (ip.) in the TPPC group, and 0.9% NaCI solution was injected ip. in the CYC and HG groups. One hour after the injection, 75 mg/kg of cyclophosphamide was administered ip. in the TPPC and CYC groups. This procedure was repeated once a day for 30 days. At the end of this period, 6 rats from each group were euthanized with a high dose of anesthetic (50 mg/kg of sodium thiopental). Biochemical and histopathological examinations were performed on the extracted ovarian tissue. The remaining animals were kept in the laboratory with mature male rats for 2 months for reproduction. RESULTS: Thiamine pyrophosphate significantly decreased the cyclophosphamide-induced increase in the levels of the oxidant parameter malondialdehyde (MDA), proinflammatory nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), and interleukin 1 beta (IL-1ß). In addition, TPP decreased the severe histopathological damage associated with cyclophosphamide in the ovarian tissue and prevented infertility. CONCLUSIONS: Our experimental results have suggested that TPP could be beneficial in the treatment of cyclophosphamide-induced ovarian injury and infertility.

The effect of adenosine triphosphate on bevacizumab-induced ovarian damage and reproductive dysfunction in rats.

We investigated the effect of ATP's protection against possible bevacizumab-induced ovarian damage and reproductive dysfunction in female albino Wistar rats. A total of 42 rats, 36 females, and 6 males were used in the experiment. Normal saline (0.9% NaCl) was injected as a solvent to the Bevacizumab (BVZ; n = 12) and Control (n = 6) groups. 25 mg/kg ATP was injected intraperitoneally (i.p.) to the ATP + bevacizumab (ABZ; n = 12) group. One hour after ATP and solvent administration, 10 mg/kg bevacizumab was i.p. injected to the ABZ and BVZ groups. Bevacizumab was administered once a day every two weeks; ATP was administered one a day for 30 days. At the end of this period, six rats from each group were sacrificed with high dose of anesthesia (thiopental sodium 50 mg/kg) and biochemical and histopathological examinations were performed in ovarian tissues. Mature male rats were kept in the laboratory for two months to breed the remaining female animals. The values showed that the oxidant parameters increased in the ovarian tissue of the BVZ group compared to the healthy controls and the ABZ group, while antioxidant parameters decreased. The number of breeding animals was significantly decreased in the BVZ group compared to the Control and the ABZ groups. This result suggests that ATP may be effective in preventing oxidative damage to the ovaries and infertility induced by bevacizumab.

Prevalence and predictors of the usage of complementary alternative medicine among infertile patients.

PURPOSE: The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the prevalence, characteristics and the most frequently used complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) methods among infertile couples. A secondary aim was to assess predictors and patients' attitude to disclose the usage of CAM. METHODS: This study was designed as a cross-sectional survey and conducted on patients admitted to infertility clinics of two hospitals. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of CAM among 324 infertile participants (162 couples) was 25.6 % (n = 83). 48 % of the infertile couples had experience with at least one type of CAM method and the most commonly used CAM was herbal products (84 %). The frequency of CAM tended to be higher among females compared to males (33 % versus 17 %, respectively; p = 0.02). Patients who failed to conceive with previous medical therapies were more inclined to use CAM (p = 0.01). After logistic regression analyses, only gender and previous unsuccessful ART treatment were found to be associated independently with CAM use. CONCLUSION: CAM use is common among infertile population. CAM users were more likely to be women at any age who had failed to achieve a pregnancy with previous artificial reproductive treatment(s), mainly used herbal products and mostly reluctant to report the use of CAM.

LC-MS/MS profiles and interrelationships between the enzyme inhibition activity, total phenolic content and antioxidant potential of Micromeria nervosa extracts.

The objective of this study was to quantify the phenolic compounds and to evaluate and compare the biological activities of the ethyl acetate (EtOAc), methanolic (MeOH) and aqueous extracts from the Micromeria nervosa aerial parts, based on their antioxidant activity and enzymatic inhibition. Total phenolic and flavonoid contents were calculated and individual compo3unds were detected using LC-ESI-MS/MS. The antioxidant activity was determined using six different assays while enzymatic activity was determined by α-amylase and tyrosinase enzyme inhibition. The main phenolic constituents detected in the extracts were rosmarinic acid. In the antioxidant assays the aqueous extract was shown to be more efficient than the others. The EtOAc and MeOH extracts presented higher inhibitory activity with respect to α-amylase and tyrosinase. Regardless of the solvent, the results suggest M. nervosa aerial extracts present a biological potential due to their antioxidant activity and enzymatic inhibition.

Thymoquinone could be protective against valproic acid-induced testicular toxicity by antioxidant and anti-inflammatory mechanisms.

Although valproic acid (VPA) is a low-cost and effective drug, it is known to cause organ toxicity via oxidative stress and related process. In present study, we aimed to evaluate the possible protective effects of thymoquinone (TMQ) on VPA-induced testicular toxicity. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into three as control, VPA (500 mg kg-1  day-1 ) for 14 days and VPA plus TMQ (50 mg kg-1  day-1 for 14 days) with seven rats in. Spermatic and interstitial degenerations induced by VPA were ameliorated with TMQ. In VPA group, increased TOS and OSI levels, and decreased TAS level were seen. TMQ reversed these oxidative stress parameters significantly. In Western analysis, VPA was found to increase the expressions of phospho-nuclear factor kappa beta (p-Nf-kB) and Caspase-3. These expressions were decreased by TMQ significantly. Intense immunostaining for p-Nf-kB, Caspase-3 and NADPH oxidase 2 induced by VPA were transformed to moderate immunostaining by TMQ. VPA-induced inflammation and apoptosis that were developed mainly by p-Nf-kB pathway were attenuated by TMQ. TMQ can be a candidate supportive treatment for patients who need long-term and high-dose VPA therapy. TMQ inhibits the Nf-kB activation, and in addition to antioxidant property, it shows anti-inflammatory feature on VPA-induced testicular toxicity.

Enzyme and Biological Activities of the Water Extracts from the Plants Aesculus hippocastanum, Olea europaea and Hypericum perforatum That Are Used as Folk Remedies in Turkey.

Phenolic compounds are secondary metabolites that are found ubiquitously in plants, fruits, and vegetables. Many studies have shown that regular consumption of these compounds could have a positive effect on our health. The aim of this study was to compare the phytochemical contents of the water extracts from three different plants used as folk remedies in Turkey: Aesculus hippocastanum, Olea europaea, and Hypericum perforatum. A liquid chromatography-electrospray tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS) analysis was performed to explore the phenolic profiles. The biological activities of these extracts were also evaluated in terms of their antioxidant activities (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl DPPH, 2,2'-azino-bis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid ABTS, Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power Assay FRAP, cupric ion reducing antioxidant capacity CUPRAC, ß-carotene, phosphomolybdenum, and metal chelating) and enzyme inhibitory properties (against acetylcholinesterase, butyrylcholinesterase, and tyrosinase). The aqueous extract of H. perforatum showed the highest levels of total phenolic, flavonoid, and saponin contents. Protocatechuic acid, vanillic acid, verbascoside, hesperidin, hyperoside, apigenin 7-hexosides, and quercetin were the most common compounds found in this species. The results confirm that A. hippocastanum, O. europaea, and H. perforatum represent a potential source of natural-derived molecules with positive properties that could be used as valid starting point for new food supplements, and drugs in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and food industries.

Morphometry of the anterior third ventricle region as a guide for the subfrontal (translaminaterminalis) approach.

The anterior third ventricle region acquires clinical significance in benign and malignant tumors and cyst formations, of which craniopharyngiomas and gliomas are the most common. The subfrontal approach is one of the most preferred approaches for removing these tumors. In this study, the microsurgical anatomy of 81 Turkish, adult cadaveric hemispheres was examined to provide morphometric data of the region. These measurements from the anterior third ventricle region serve as a guide for neurosurgeons during surgical approach for removing anterior third ventricle tumors.