The effect of Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus containing dressing on superficial incisional surgical site infections experimentally induced by Klebsiella pneumoniae in mice.

Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus is a bacterial agent that stands out for its ability to act as a predator against gram-negative bacteria and has found application against antibiotic-resistant pathogens. The aim of this study is to determine the efficacy of Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus against antibiotic-resistant pathogens, particularly those causing infections in surgical incision sites. A total of 6 experimental groups were created in mice, and surgical area infections were initiated with Klebsiella pneumoniae in incision sites. The effects of antibiotics and Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus alone or in combination were compared to the control group. In the Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus treatment group, edema and redness were observed in all mice at 24th hours, in 20% of mice at 48th hours, and in none at the 72 nd h. A significant difference was observed in the Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus treatment groups in reducing Klebsiella pneumoniae burden in the incision area compared to antibiotics alone or Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus + antibiotics, (p < 0.001). Likewise, cytokine level determinations indicated that B. bacteriovorus applications generated a therapeutic response without inducing an inflammatory response.

Thymoquinone improves testicular damage and sperm quality in experimentally varicocele-induced adolescent rats.

The aim of this study was to investigate the protective and therapeutic effects of thymoquinone against the negative effects of varicocele on testicular tissue and sperm morphology. Five groups were formed by random selection from a total of 40 adult male Wistar rats (n = 8). Thymoquinone (5 mg/kg/day) was administered intraperitoneally to the varicocele-dimethyl sulfoxide-olive oil-thymoquinone (VT) group and the sham-thymoquinone group. At the end of the 60th day, all groups were anaesthetised and the left testis was removed from the body quickly. One half of the testis tissue, which was divided into two, was separated for biochemical and Western blot analysis, while the other half were fixed in Bouin's fixative. As a result of biochemical, molecular and histopathological analyses, a statistically significant increase was found in the varicocele group testicular tissues in the malondialdehyde level, apoptotic index, Bax expression, cytochrome c expression and Bax/Bcl-2 ratio compared with the sham group. In addition, histopathological changes characterised by partial or complete degeneration of the germinal epithelium were observed in the seminiferous tubules in the same group. Total oxidant status level and sperm count with abnormal morphology increased in varicocele group, whereas total antioxidant status level decreased. In the VT group, all of the biochemical, molecular and histopathological changes detected in the varicocele group were statistically significantly reduced. When the findings obtained in this study are evaluated, it can be said that thymoquinone has the potential to be used as a preventive and therapeutic pharmacological agent in the medical treatment of varicocele. Although the exact mechanism of action of thymoquinone has not been fully elucidated, the findings obtained in this study support the view that thymoquinone showed a cytoprotective effect by reducing apoptosis, oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation.

Encephalitozoon intestinalis Infection Impacts the Expression of Apoptosis-Related Genes in U937 Macrophage Cells.

PURPOSE: Encephalitozoon intestinalis affects many physiological processes of host cells to survive, proliferate, and spread to different regions within the body. In this study, the effects of the parasite on host cell apoptosis and proliferation were investigated. METHODS: To determine the impact of the parasite on the host cell apoptosis, changes in the expression profile of genes were investigated with the qPCR array using the Human Apoptosis Panel in infected and non-infected macrophage cells. Also, the rate of apoptosis in the cells was determined by Giemsa staining method. Cell proliferation was determined by measuring the DNA concentration in infected and non-infected cells. RESULTS: The thirty-six of apoptosis-related genes were down-regulated, while 20 of apoptosis-related genes were up-regulated in infected cells compared to uninfected cells. However, there were no significant changes detected in 32 analyzed genes between infected and control groups. E. intestinalis was determined to decrease cell proliferation in U937 macrophage cells. Unexpectedly, Giemsa staining showed an increase in the rate of apoptosis in infected cells. CONCLUSION: Regulated genes after infection are involved in many different biological pathways and various components of the cell. This suggests that the parasite uses highly sophisticated ways to maintain the viability of the cell.

The Effect of Boron on Some Biochemical Parameters in Experimental Diabetic Rats.

In this study, we evaluated the effect of boron (B) as boric acid (BA) on body weight (b.w.); blood glucose; plasma insulin; lipase and paraoxonase (PON1) activities; and serum triglyceride, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, lipid peroxidation (MDA), and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced experimental diabetes in rats. Sixty Wistar albino rats (200-250 g) were divided into six groups of ten. The groups received the following treatment: group 1, control group; group 2, 50 mg/kg (b.w.) i.p. STZ-induced diabetes; group 3, 5 mg/kg (b.w.) B; group 4, 10 mg/kg (b.w.) B; group 5, diabetes + 5 mg/kg (b.w.) B; and group 6, diabetes + 10 mg/kg (b.w.) B. The experiment lasted 4 weeks. Increased serum MDA levels with diabetes were significantly reduced and although it is not statistically significant, serum TAC levels approached to values of control group; also, insignificant increases were observed in HDL cholesterol levels in experimental diabetic rats with treatment 5 and 10 mg/kg B. Furthermore, body weight, plasma insulin, and lipase activities increased insignificantly, blood glucose and serum LDL cholesterol decreased significantly, and total cholesterol levels decreased insignificantly in the diabetes + 10 mg/kg B group. There was no difference between the groups in terms of plasma PON1 activities and serum triglyceride levels. In conclusion, B may have beneficial effects on some biochemical parameters changes in experimental diabetes, and in order to determine the full effect of this element on the metabolism, further studies are required which use various dosages and compounds of B.