Modulation of cigarette smoke extract-induced human bronchial epithelial damage by eucalyptol and curcumin.

Smoking is one of the most important leading death cause worldwide. From a toxicological perspective, cigarette smoke serves hazards especially for the human being exposed to passive smoke. Over the last decades, the effects of natural compounds on smoking-mediated respiratory diseases such as COPD, asthma, and lung cancer have been under investigation, as well as the mechanistic aspects of disease progression. In the present study, the protective mechanism of eucalyptol (EUC), curcumin (CUR), and their combination on BEAS-2B cells were investigated in vitro to understand their impact on cell death, oxidative cell injury, and inflammatory response induced by 3R4F reference cigarette extract (CSE). According to the present findings, EUC, CUR, and their combination improved cell viability, attenuated CSE-induced apoptosis, and LC3B expression. Further, CSE-induced oxidative damage and inflammatory response in human bronchial epithelial cells were remarkably reduced by the combination treatment through modification of enzymatic antioxidant activity, GSH, MDA, and intracellular ROS levels as well as nitrite and IL-6 levels. In addition, nuclear translocation of Nrf2, a regulatory protein involved in the indirect antioxidant response, was remarkably up-regulated with the combination pre-treatment. In conclusion, EUC and CUR in combination might be a potential therapeutic against smoking-induced lung diseases through antioxidant and inflammatory pathways and results represent valuable background for future in vivo pulmonary toxicity studies.

The effect of foot reflexology on procedural pain before heel lancing in neonates.

OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to investigate the effect of foot reflexology on alleviating term neonates' invasive pain caused by heel lance. METHODS: In this quasi-experimental study, 60 healthy neonates were recruited and divided into a reflexology group (n=30) and a control (n=30) group. The study design was quasi-experimental since the randomisation method was not used in the assignment of newborns to the groups. While the reflexology group received foot reflexology for an average of 20min before heel lance, the control group received no intervention. The elicited data were analysed using descriptive statistics and independent t-test. RESULTS: The reflexology and the control groups were similar in terms of age, gestational week, Apgar score, weight, height, and sex (P>0.05). The Neonatal infant pain scale (NIPS) scores of the newborns in the reflexology group after the heel lance procedure were found to be significantly lower than those in the control group (P<0.05). It was also found that reflexology had a significant effect on the neonates' heart rate before heel lance (P<0.05) and a borderline effect during heel lance. Moreover, it was observed that the application of foot reflexology shortened the experimental-group neonates' crying periods after the procedural pain (P<0.05). However, reflexology had no statistically significant effect on the duration of heel lance in both groups (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: The application of foot reflexology before invasive procedures, such as heel lance in newborns, is an effective non-pharmacological method for reducing invasive pain. Thus, reflexology could be used to reduce neonates' pain and soothe them during painful procedures such as heel lance.

Investigation of the effects of propofol and vitamin C administration on erythrocyte deformability in rats with streptozotocin-induced diabetes mellitis.

PURPOSE: In the current study we aim to investigate the effects of vitamin C and profol on red blood cell deformability in diabetic rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty- eight Wistar Albino rats were included in the study after streptozocin (60 mg/kg) treatment for 4 weeks of observation for diabetes presence. Twenty-eight rats were allocated to 4 groups. In group DP (n = 7) 150 mg.kg-1 of propofol was injected intraperitoneally. In group DP-vit C (n = 7) rats 100 mg/kg of vitamin C (Ascorbic acid, Redoxon® 1000 mg/5 mL - Roche) were applied one hour before administrating 150 mg.kg-1 of propofol, while rats in control group (n = 7), and diabetic control group (n = 7) received intraperitoneally physiological saline. Deformability measurements were achieved by using erythrocyte suspensions with hematocrit level of 5 % in PBS buffer. RESULTS: Erythrocyte deformability was significantly higher in diabetic control group than in control and vitamin C plus propofol groups (p = 0.00, p = 0.025, respectively). Erythrocyte deformability indexes were found similar in control group and vitamin C plus propofol group (p = 0.949). Relative resistance was increased in diabetic rat model. CONCLUSIONS: Erythrocyte deformability was damaged in rats with diabetes. This injury might lead to further problems in microcirculation. Application of propofol did not alter red cell deformability in diabetic rats. Vitamin C supplementation seems to reverse those negative effects and variations in erythrocyte deformability (Fig. 2, Ref. 57).

Antioxidant defense systems in newborns undergoing phototherapy.

This paper was designed to investigate whether phototherapy is an oxidative stress in newborn infants undergoing phototherapy. A day-light continuous phototherapy was given to jaundiced 20 term and 16 preterm newborns for 72 hours. We measured serum vitamin E and the activities of red blood cell anti-oxidation enzymes (superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase) before and after 72 h of phototherapy. Serum vitamin E levels were not different before and after 72 h of phototherapy in both preterm and term infants. In several studies, antioxidant enzyme activities have been shown to increase in response to oxidative stresses. In this study, however, the antioxidant enzyme activities in the hemolysate were similar before and at the end of the phototherapy in both preterm and full term. In conclusion, the results of our in vivo study do not confirm the thesis that phototherapy is an oxidative stress in newborn infants. Therefore, phototherapy would preferably seem to be safe and efficient method of treatment for all neonates presenting with hyperbilirubinemia.