Serum salusin-α and salusin-ß levels in patients with psoriatic arthritis.

Introduction: Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by skin lesions and joint involvement. Salusin-α and salusin-ß are two new bioactive molecules. It is reported that salusins may have role in regulation of the immune system and inflammation. The aim of our study was to evaluate the serum salusin-α and salusin-ß levels in PsA patients and to establish the possible relationship with the disease features. Material and methods: Our study included 40 PsA patients who fulfilled the CASPAR criteria and 40 healthy volunteers. Demographic, clinical, laboratory and radiological data and disease activity indices (PASI, BASDAI, BASFI, HAQ) were recorded in all patients. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method was used to measure serum salusin-α and salusin-ß levels. Results: The demographic data were as follows: 13 patients (32.5%) were males and 27 (67.5%) were female, mean age was 48.5 years and mean disease duration was 2.4 years. Patients' history was taken and clinical assessment was performed; 20 (50%) patients had a family history, 18 (45%) patients were smoker, 19 (47.5%) patients had HLA-B27 positivity, 33 (82.5%) had sacroiliitis, 36 (90%) had enthesitis, 23 (57.5%) had distal interphalangeal (DIP) joint and nail involvement, 26 (65%) had wrist involvement, and 11 (27.5%) had ankle involvement. Laboratory data of the patients were recorded; 20 (50%) patients had elevated CRP level and 25 (62.5%) patients had an elevated ESR level. The study results showed that PsA patients had an elevated serum salusin-α level when compared with the control group (p = 0.004). The association between serum salusin-α level and ankle arthritis was found (p = 0.04). Serum levels of salusin-ß were similar in PsA patients and controls both (p = 0.285). Conclusions: We found elevated serum salusin-α in PsA patients while the serum salusin-ß levels were normal. Salusin-α may have a possible role in disease pathogenesis and it may be use as a reliable biomarker in PsA patients. Multicenter prospective studies are needed in this regard.

Delayed-Release Phosphatidylcholine Is Effective for Treatment of Ulcerative Colitis: A Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Phosphatidylcholine (PC) is intrinsically missing in intestinal mucus of patients with ulcerative colitis. Topical supplementation with delayed intestinal release PC formulations is assumed to compensate this lack. Three monocenter randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with a 30% PC-containing lecithin were successful, whereas 1 trial with >94% PC-containing lecithin failed. OBJECTIVES: Evaluation of 30% PC-containing lecithin provided in a delayed intestinal release formulation for treatment efficacy of ulcerative colitis was evaluated by meta-analysis of 3 RCTs. METHODS: Meta-analysis of 3 studies was performed using RevMan 5.3 software. Odds ratio (OR) and 95% Cl were calculated for remission, clinical and endoscopic improvement, histology, and life quality. p values <0.05 were accepted as significant. RESULTS: The meta-analysis of 3 RTCs with 160 included patients with ulcerative colitis verified that PC improved the rate of remission (OR = 9.68), as well as clinical (OR = 30.58) and endoscopic outcomes (OR = 36.73). Within the available patient population, also histology and quality of life became better. All effects were significant over placebo. Achieved remission was maintained in a higher percentage of patients under intestinal-release PC formulation than placebo. The profile of adverse events was identical to the placebo population. CONCLUSIONS: A 30% PC-containing lecithin in delayed intestinal release formulation improves clinical and endoscopic outcomes, histologic activity, and quality of life in patients with ulcerative colitis. For the patients, lack of adverse events is an important consideration.

The effects of walnut supplementation on hippocampal NMDA receptor subunits NR2A and NR2B of rats.

OBJECTIVES: Walnuts contain numerous selected dietary factors that have an impact on brain functions, especially learning and memory formation in the hippocampus. Hippocampal N-methyl d-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) are involved in the formation of cognitive functions. In this study, we aimed to investigate the molecular effects of walnut supplementation on the hippocampal expressions of NMDARs involved in cognitive functions and lipid peroxidation levels in rats. METHODS: The male Sprague-Dawley rats (6 months old, n = 24) were fed with a walnut-supplemented diet (6% walnut diet, n = 12) and a control diet (rat food, n = 12) as ad libitum for 8 weeks. At the end of this period, NMDAR subunits NR2A and NR2B in the hippocampi were assayed by western blotting. Lipid peroxidation levels were measured using the thiobarbituric acid. RESULTS: The expression of NR2A and NR2B was elevated in the walnut-supplemented rats compared with the control group (P < 0.05). In addition, the levels of lipid peroxidation in the walnut-supplemented group were significantly decreased compared with the control group. DISCUSSION: We suggested that walnut supplementation may have protective effects against the decline of cognitive functions by regulating NMDAR and lipid peroxidation levels in the hippocampus. The study provides evidence that selected dietary factors (polyunsaturated fatty acids, melatonin, vitamin E, and flavonoids) within walnut may help to trigger hippocampal neuronal signal transduction for the formation of learning and memory.

Increased circulating interleukin-23 level in patients with sarcoidosis.

BACKGROUND: Sarcoidosis is a Th1-mediated chronic inflammatory disease characterized by non-caseating granulomas. Its pathogenesis is not yet clear, but the possible role of various proinflammatory cytokines is being discussed. AIM: This study aims to determine serum cytokine (IL-6, IL-12, IL-17, and IL-23) levels in patients with sarcoidosis, and to determine a possible correlation with clinical and laboratory findings of the disease. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Forty-four biopsy-proven sarcoidosis patients followed up at a single centre and 41 healthy volunteers were included in the study. Demographic, clinical, laboratory, and radiological data of all patients were recorded. Serum samples from the patients and the control group were taken and IL-6, IL-12, IL-17, IL-23 were measured by ELISA method. RESULTS: Of the 44 sarcoidosis patients, 13(29.5%) were male and 31(70.5%) were female. Average patient age was 47.4 years, mean disease duration was 3.2 years. Twenty-one (47.7%) patients had erythema nodosum, three (6.8%) had uveitis, 40(90.9%) had arthralgia, 23(52.3%) had ankle arthritis, 15(34.1%) had enthesitis. Laboratory evaluation showed increased serum ACE levels in 24(54.5%) patients, increased serum calcium levels in 11 (25%) patients, increased serum D3 levels in 5(11.4%) patients, increased ESR and CRP levels in 22(50%) and 23(52.3%) patients, respectively. Compared with the control group higher serum IL-23 levels were found in the patients with sarcoidosis (p=.01). Serum IL-23 was associated with ankle arthritis (p=.02). Serum IL-6, IL-12, and IL-17 levels were similar in the sarcoidosis patients and the control group (p=.128, p=.212, p=.521 respectively). CONCLUSION: In our study, we found increased serum IL-23 in patients with sarcoidosis, while serum IL-6, IL-12, and IL-17 were detected as normal. Although our results are somewhat contradictory to other studies in the literature, the question should still be whether sarcoidosis is a Th1/Th17 disease. Multicentre studies are needed in this regard.

Effects of chronic scopolamine administration on spatial working memory and hippocampal receptors related to learning.

Scopolamine has been used in neuropsychopharmacology as a standard drug that leads to symptoms mimicking cognitive deficits seen during the aging process in healthy humans and animals. Scopolamine is known to be a nonselective muscarinic receptor blocker, but its chronic effect on the expression of certain hippocampal receptors is not clear. The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of chronic scopolamine administration on hippocampal receptor expression and spatial working memory in two different learning tasks, the water maze and the eight-arm radial maze. Male rats (8-12 months) were trained in both tasks. Subsequently, different groups received physiological saline or 0.1, 0.8, or 2 mg/kg scopolamine hydrobromide, respectively, for 15 days. After drug administration, the rats were retested for both tasks, and hippocampal expressions of NR2A, NR2B, nAChRα7, and mAChRM1 receptors were assessed by western blotting analysis. In both tasks, the spatial working memory was decreased dose dependently in all groups compared with the control group. In terms of receptor expressions, 0.8 and 2 mg/kg scopolamine administration significantly decreased NR2A protein expression, which corroborates suggestions of an interaction between cholinergic and glutamatergic receptors in the hippocampus.

Brain stroke classification and segmentation using encoder-decoder based deep convolutional neural networks.

Accurate diagnosis of brain stroke, classification and segmentation of the stroke are extremely important for physicians to focus on specific points of the brain and apply the right treatment to patients. Encoder-decoder deep learning-based methods have been effectively integrated into many artificial intelligence applications. On the other hand, such networks have many disadvantages due to sampling methods, learning methodologies, and efficient operations. In this study, U-Net, one of the encoder-decoder deep learning-based convolutional neural networks (CNNs), has been developed and proposed for the classification and segmentation of brain stroke. A convolutional deep network architecture is proposed with an optimized dimensional U-Net (D-UNet) by blocking and adaptively sequencing the convolution layers and then optimizing the number of activation functions and hyperparameters. The proposed method examines the computed tomography (CT) images from the dataset used to determine whether there is a brain stroke. It can determine if a stroke is caused by ischemia or hemorrhage once it has occurred. Additionally, the proposed method can precisely reveal the region overlaid by the radiologist and segment the existing stroke. The proposed method is compared with other existing CNN-type architectures by performing various experiments on the same real dataset via Python scripts. The results show that the proposed model performs well, with accuracy rates for stroke classification of 98.9% and ischemia and hemorrhage classification of 98.5%, respectively. Moreover, the segmentation of brain strokes using the proposed model yielded an intersection over union (IoU) rate of 95.2%.

[Efficacy of enteric lecithin (phosphatidylcholine) in the treatment of ulcerative colitis: a meta-analysis]. / Wirksamkeit von darmlöslichem Lecithin (Phosphatidylcholin) zur Behandlung der Colitis ulcerosa : Eine Metaanalyse.

BACKGROUND: Phosphatidylcholine is an essential component of the intestinal mucus and serves as a protective shield against the ingress of bacteria from the stool. In the intestinal mucus of patients with ulcerative colitis, phosphatidylcholine is reduced by 70%, which makes the intestine susceptible to bacterial inflammation. Local application by administering enteric phosphatidylcholine could compensate for this deficiency. METHOD: A summary analysis of three clinical studies published until now with 160 included patients with ulcerative colitis was performed. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The meta-analysis showed that lecithin enriched with phosphatidylcholine and microencapsulated with Eudragit S-100 significantly improved the remission rate as well as the clinical and endoscopic picture. There was also an improvement in histology and quality of life. All parameters were significantly superior to placebo. The remission achieved was maintained significantly longer with enteric lecithin than with placebo. The side effect profile was identical to the placebo group, which is particularly important for the patients. In complementary medicine, phosphatidylcholine can be seen as protection for the intestines.

Topiramate modulates hippocampus NMDA receptors via brain Ca(2+) homeostasis in pentylentetrazol-induced epilepsy of rats.

BACKGROUND: Increase in neuronal Ca(2+), activation of hippocampus N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) and defects in enzymes such as brain cortex microsomal membrane Ca(2+)-ATPase (MMCA) are thought to play a role in epilepsy. Topiramate (TOP) is a novel drug with broad antiepileptic effect, and its effect on brain cortex MMCA is not known. We investigated effects of TOP on pentylentetrazol (PTZ)-induced MMCA activity and NMDAR subunits in rat brain. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-two rats were randomly divided into four equal groups. The first group and second groups were used for the control and PTZ groups, respectively. 50 and 100 mg TOP were administered to rats constituting the third (TOP50) and fourth (TOP100) groups for 7 days, respectively. At the end of 7 days, all groups except the first received a single dose PTZ. Brain and hippocampus samples were taken at 3 hrs after PTZ administration. RESULTS: The microsomal MMCA activity was lower in the PTZ group than in control although the MMCA activities were higher in the treatment group than in PTZ group. Brain cortex total calcium levels, the hippocampus NMDAR 2A and 2B subunit concentrations were higher in the PTZ group than in control although their concentrations were decreased by TOP50 and TOP100 administration. Total brain cortex calcium and hippocampus NMDAR 2A and 2B subunit concentrations were higher in TOP100 group than in TOP50 group. CONCLUSION: The two doses of TOP modulated MMCA activity, total brain cortex calcium and hippocampus NMDAR 2A and 2B subunit concentrations in the epileptic rats.

Calorie restriction modulates hippocampal NMDA receptors in diet-induced obese rats.

Calorie restriction (CR) has attracted increased interest since CR enhances lifespan and alters age-related decline in hippocampal-dependent cognitive functions. Obesity is associated with poor neurocognitive outcome including impaired hippocampal synaptic plasticity and cognitive abilities such as learning and memory. N-Methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) are linked to hippocampal-dependent learning and memory, which may be stabilized by CR. In the present study, we aimed to establish the effects of CR on NMDARs in CA1 region of hippocampus in obese and non-obese rats. In addition, malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were determined as a marker for lipid peroxidation (LPO) in hippocampus. Four groups were constituted as control group (C, n = 9), obese group (OB, n = 10), obese calorie-restricted group (OCR, n = 9), and non-obese calorie-restricted group (NCR, n = 10). OCR and NCR were fed with a 60% CR diet for 10 weeks. After 10 weeks of CR, the MDA levels significantly decreased in the calorie-restricted groups. Obesity caused significant decreases in NR2A and NR2B subunit expressions in the hippocampus. The hippocampal NR2A and NR2B levels significantly increased in the OCR group compared with the OB group (P < 0.05). In contrast, the hippocampal NR2A and NR2B levels significantly decreased in the NCR group compared with the C group (P < 0.05). Oxidative stress can be prevented by CR, and these data may provide a molecular and cellular mechanism by which CR may regulate NMDAR-mediated response against obesity-induced changes in the hippocampus.

The potential pathophysiological role of altered lipid metabolism and electronegative low-density lipoprotein (LDL) in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and cardiovascular diseases.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is an umbrella term for a range of conditions caused by a build-up of fat in the liver. It is usually seen in people who are overweight or obese. Increasingly common around the world, this disease is the most common chronic liver disease in the United States, affecting about a quarter of the population. Recently, the designation of NAFLD as 'metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease' (MAFLD) has been a subject of current debate. In this context, 'insulin resistance' is the underlying common and basic pathophysiological mechanism of metabolic dysfunction due to its association with obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), metabolic syndrome, dyslipidemia and NAFLD. All these pathological conditions are among the metabolic risk factors for cardiovascular diseases, too. Also, due to the bidirectional causality between NAFLD and cardiovascular diseases, a liver-heart axis is suggested. Therefore, various factors such as insulin resistance as well as systemic inflammation, cytokines, oxidative stress, adipokines, hepatokines, genes and intestinal microbiota have been identified as possible pathogenic factors that play a role in the explanation of the complex NAFLD and cardiovascular risk relationship. Recent data and cumulative evidence show that electronegative low-density lipoprotein [LDL (-)/L5] cholesterol is a promising biomarker for complex organ interactions and diseases associated with liver-heart axis. In this mini review, we focus not only on recent data on NAFLD mechanisms, but also on the potential of the lipid mediator LDL (-)/L5 as a diagnostic and therapeutic target for liver-heart line diseases.

Serum galectin-3 and TGF-beta levels in patients with sarcoidosis.

INTRODUCTION: Sarcoidosis is a chronic granulomatous disease that develops with non-caseified granuloma formation. Galectin-3 is a multifunctional protein operating in biological processes such as fibrosis, angiogenesis, and immune activation. PURPOSE: This study evaluates the levels of serum galectin-3 and TGF-beta in sarcoidosis patients to determine a possible correlation with clinical findings. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Forty-four biopsy-proven sarcoidosis patients followed in a single centre and 41 age and sex-matched healthy volunteers were included in the study. The levels of serum galectin-3 and TGF-beta were evaluated by ELISA method. RESULTS: Among the 44 sarcoidosis patients, 13(29.5%) were male and 31(70.5%) were female. The average patient age was 47.4 and the average disease duration was 3.2 years. The level of serum galectin-3 was found to be the same as in the control group and had no significance statistically (p=.977). No correlation was determined between the level of serum galectin-3 and clinical and laboratory findings of sarcoidosis (p>.05). The level of serum TGF-beta was found to be higher in the sarcoidosis patients when compared to that of the control group (p=.005). While a correlation was found between serum TGF-beta and enthesitis, sacroiliitis, and arthralgia (p=.006, p=.034, p=.02), no correlation was determined on the other clinical and laboratory findings (p>.05). CONCLUSION: While the level of serum galectin-3 was determined to be normal in sarcoidosis patients, a high level of serum TGF-beta was found. These findings show that TGF-beta may play an important role in sarcoidosis pathogenesis and the formation of granuloma.

A case of COVID-19 with papulovesicular rash that progressed to retiform purpura, accompanied by cherry angiomas.

CONTEXT: Various skin manifestations have been reported in coronavirus disease. It may be difficult to determine the etiology of these lesions in view of the increased frequency of handwashing during the pandemic, along with occurrences of irritant contact dermatitis and allergic contact dermatitis due to disinfectant use; usage of herbal medicine and supplements to strengthen the immune system; and urticarial or maculopapular drug eruptions due to COVID-19 treatment. The variety of associated skin manifestations seen with COVID-19 makes it challenging to identify virus-specific skin manifestations. Petechiae, purpura, acrocyanosis and necrotic and non-necrotic purpura, which can be considered as manifestations of vascular involvement on the skin, have been reported. CASE REPORT: Here, we report a case of eruptive cherry angiomas, which was thought to have developed due to COVID-19, with a papulovesicular rash on distal extremities that progressed over time to reticular purpura. CONCLUSION: The case presented had a papulovesicular rash at the onset, which evolved to retiform purpura, and eruptive cherry angiomas were observed. It should be kept in mind that dermatological signs may vary in patients with COVID-19.

Serum Galectin-3 and TGF-Beta Levels in Patients With Sarcoidosis.

INTRODUCTION: Sarcoidosis is a chronic granulomatous disease that develops with non-caseified granuloma formation. Galectin-3 is a multifunctional protein operating in biological processes such as fibrosis, angiogenesis, and immune activation. PURPOSE: This study evaluates the levels of serum galectin-3 and TGF-beta in sarcoidosis patients to determine a possible correlation with clinical findings. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Forty-four biopsy-proven sarcoidosis patients followed in a single centre and 41 age and sex-matched healthy volunteers were included in the study. The levels of serum galectin-3 and TGF-beta were evaluated by ELISA method. RESULTS: Among the 44 sarcoidosis patients, 13(29.5%) were male and 31(70.5%) were female. The average patient age was 47.4 and the average disease duration was 3.2 years. The level of serum galectin-3 was found to be the same as in the control group and had no significance statistically (p=.977). No correlation was determined between the level of serum galectin-3 and clinical and laboratory findings of sarcoidosis (p>.05). The level of serum TGF-beta was found to be higher in the sarcoidosis patients when compared to that of the control group (p=.005). While a correlation was found between serum TGF-beta and enthesitis, sacroiliitis, and arthralgia (p=.006, p=.034, p=.02), no correlation was determined on the other clinical and laboratory findings (p>.05). CONCLUSION: While the level of serum galectin-3 was determined to be normal in sarcoidosis patients, a high level of serum TGF-beta was found. These findings show that TGF-beta may play an important role in sarcoidosis pathogenesis and the formation of granuloma.

Serum adipokine levels in patients with sarcoidosis.

BACKGROUND: Sarcoidosis is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by non-caseating granuloma which etiology is unknown yet. Adipokines are different proteins synthesized by adipose tissue that have an influence on angiogenesis, hemostasis, lipid metabolism, and immune system regulation. Adipokines may play a role in the pathogenesis of sarcoidosis. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the serum adipokine levels in patients with sarcoidosis and to determine a possible correlation with clinical and laboratory signs of disease. METHODS: Forty-four biopsy-proven sarcoidosis patients followed at a single center and age- and sex-matched 41 healthy volunteers were included in the study. Demographic, clinical, laboratory, and radiological data were recorded and body mass index (BMI) was calculated in all patients. Routine laboratory tests (blood glucose, liver, and kidney function test) were measured. Serum adiponectin and leptin levels were measured by ELISA method. RESULTS: Among 44sarcoidosis patients, 13 (29.5%) were male and 31 (70.5%) were female. Twenty-one (47.7%) patients had erythema nodosum, three (6.8%) had uveitis, 40 (90.9%) had arthralgia, 32 (72.7%) had arthritis, 15 (34.1%) had enthesitis. Laboratory evaluation showed increased serum ACE level in 24 (54.5%) patients, increased serum calcium level in 11 (25%) patients, increased serum D3 level in 5 (11.4%) patients, and increased ESR and CRP levels in 22 (50%) and 23 (52.3%) patients, respectively. Compared with the control group, serum adiponectin levels were significantly higher in patients with sarcoidosis(p = 0.007). Serum adiponectin level was associated with arthralgia and ankle joint swelling (p = 0.007, p = 0.006 respectively). Serum leptin levels were similar in sarcoidosis patients and controls (p = 0.327). There was no relationship between serum leptin level and disease features (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In this study, high serum adiponectin level was detected in patients with sarcoidosis while serum leptin level was similar in the sarcoidosis and control group. Adiponectin, an anti-inflammatory protein, may play a role in the pathogenesis of sarcoidosis. Studies are needed to shed light on this topic.Key Points• Sarcoidosis is a chronic granulomatous disease characterized by granuloma formation• High serum adiponectin level was found in sarcoidosis patients• Serum adiponectin level was associated with some clinical features such as arthralgia and arthritis• High adiponectin levels in sarcoidosis patients may mitigate the inflammatory response, resulting in a mild form of the disease and/or spontaneous remission.

Why are cardiovascular diseases more common among patients with severe mental illness? The potential involvement of electronegative low-density lipoprotein (LDL) L5.

Despite tremendous efforts of experimental and clinical studies and knowledge, the pathophysiology of severe mental illness (SMI), including bipolar disorder (BD), unipolar depression (mood disorders, MD), and schizophrenia (SCZ), remains poorly understood. Besides their chronic course and high prevalence in society, mental and somatic comorbidities are really serious problems; patients with these disorders have increased risk of cardiovascular (CV) diseases (CVD) including coronary artery diseases (CAD, i.e. myocardial infarction and angina), stroke, sudden cardiac death, hypertension, cardiomyopathy, arrhythmia, and thromboembolic disease. Although it is determined that triglycerides, cholesterol, glucose, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels are increased in MD and SCZ, the underlying reason remains unknown. Considering this, we propose that electronegative LDL (L5) is probably the main crucial element to understanding CVD induced by SMI and to discovering novel remedial approaches for these diseases. When it is hypothesized that L5 is greatly presupposed in CV system abnormalities, it follows that the anti-L5 therapies and even antioxidant treatment options may open new therapeutic opportunities to prevent CVD diseases secondary to SMI. In this review article, we tried to bring a very original subject to the attention of readers who are interested in lipoprotein metabolism in terms of experimental, clinical, and cell culture studies that corroborate the involvement of L5 in physiopathology of CVD secondary to SMI and also the new therapeutic approaches for these disorders.

Erdosteine modulates radiocontrast-induced hepatotoxicity in rat.

It has been suggested that reactive oxygen species (ROS) plays an important role in radio contrast media (RCM)-induced ischemia reperfusion tissue injury although antioxidants may have protective effects on the injury. We investigated the effects of erdosteine as an antioxidant agent on RCM-induced liver toxicity in rats by evaluation of lipid peroxidation (as TBARS), catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), reduced glutathione (GSH) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) values and histological evaluation. Twenty-one rats were equally divided into three groups as follows: control, RCM, and RCM plus erdosteine. RCM was intraperitoneally administered for 1 day. Erdosteine was administered orally for 2 days after RCM administration. Liver samples were taken from the rats and they homogenized in a motor-driven tissue homogenizer. TBARS levels were significantly (p < 0.005) higher in RCM group than in control although SOD activities significantly (p < 0.05) decreased in RCM group. TBARS levels were lower in RCM plus erdosteine group than in control although SOD activity and GSH level increased (p < 0.05) in liver as compared to RCM alone. Erdosteine showed also histopathological protection (p < 0.0001) against RCM induced hepatotoxicity. GSH-Px and CAT activities were not statistically changed by the erdosteine. According to our results, it can be concluded that radiocontrast media can induce oxidative stress in liver as suggested by previous studies. Erdosteine seems to be protective agent on the radiocontrast media-induced liver toxicity by inhibiting the production of ROS via the enzymatic antioxidant system.

Oxidant and antioxidant activities of different anesthetic techniques. Propofol versus desflurane.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the correlation between propofol and desflurane in terms of lipid peroxidation and antioxidant activity and to search the possible antioxidant anesthesia technique. METHODS: The study was performed in the Department of Anesthesia and Reanimation, Medical Faculty, Suleyman Demirel University, Isparta, Turkey, between January 2006 and July 2006. Thirty, ASA I-II patients, with an age range of 19-55 years, undergoing elective surgery under general anesthesia were randomized to receive either propofol infusion (Group P) or desflurane inhalation (Group D) following standard induction. Malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione peroxidase (GSH), super oxide dismutase (SOD) and alpha-tocopherol (Vitamin E) were measured preoperatively, at peroperatively first hour and postoperatively 12-hour. RESULTS: Malondialdehyde was found lower peroperatively in Group P compared to Group D (p<0.05). In Group D, Vitamin E levels were decreased significantly peroperatively compared to preoperative period (p=0.001). CONCLUSION: We observed a systemic oxidative stress increment with desflurane by terms of MDA; a lipid peroxidation product and endogenous antioxidant activity suppression by terms of Vitamin E at only peroperative period. This study may be defined to support the fact that free oxygen radicals were released more by desflurane than propofol.

Serum Annexin V and Anti-Annexin V levels and their relationship with metabolic parameters in patients with type 2 diabetes.

BACKGROUND: We investigated the serum annexin V and anti-annexin V levels and their relationship with metabolic parameters in patients recently diagnosed type 2 diabetic. METHODS: A total of 143 patients recently diagnosed type 2 diabetes and 133 control subjects were included in the study. Body mass index (BMI), hs-CRP, HOMA-IR, carotid intima-media thickness, and serum levels of annexin V and anti-annexin V were investigated. RESULTS: HOMA-IR, serum hs-CRP, and carotid intima-media thickness were found to be statistically significant. The Pearson correlation analysis revealed a statistically significant positive relationship between the carotid intima-media thickness and the annexin V level (r=0.29, p=0.006*). A statistically significant positive relationship was also detected between the Annexin V level and level of serum hs-CRP (r=0.29 p=0.006*). CONCLUSION: A positive relationship was observed between the carotid intima-media thickness and annexin V at the end of our investigation. In this regard, we also believe that serum levels of annexin V may be increased for cardiovascular protection in the elevation of carotid intima-media thickness.

Two-photon interference in the telecom C-band after frequency conversion of photons from remote quantum emitters.

Efficient fibre-based long-distance quantum communication via quantum repeaters relies on deterministic single-photon sources at telecom wavelengths, potentially exploiting the existing world-wide infrastructures. For upscaling the experimental complexity in quantum networking, two-photon interference (TPI) of remote non-classical emitters in the low-loss telecom bands is of utmost importance. Several experiments have been conducted regarding TPI of distinct emitters, for example, using trapped atoms1, ions2, nitrogen vacancy centres3,4, silicon vacancy centres5, organic molecules6 and semiconductor quantum dots7,8. However, the spectral range was far from the highly desirable telecom C-band. Here, we exploit quantum frequency conversion to realize TPI at 1,550 nm with single photons stemming from two remote quantum dots. We thereby prove quantum frequency conversion9-11 as a bridging technology and a precise and stable mechanism to erase the frequency difference between independent emitters. On resonance, a TPI visibility of 29 ± 3% has been observed, limited only by the spectral diffusion processes of the individual quantum dots12,13. The local fibre network used covers several rooms between two floors of the building. Even the addition of up to 2 km of fibre channel shows no influence on the TPI visibility, proving the photon wavepacket distortion to be negligible. Our studies pave the way to establish long-distance entanglement distribution between remote solid-state emitters including interfaces with various quantum hybrid systems14-16.

Ceruloplasmin, copper, selenium, iron, zinc, and manganese levels in normal and sulfite oxidase deficient rat plasma: effects of sulfite exposure.

A noticeable effect of sulfite treatment was observed on the plasma ceruloplasmin ferroxidase activity of rats with normal sulfite oxidase activity when compared to normal controls. The plasma levels of selenium, iron, and zinc were unaffected by sulfite in normal and sulfite oxidase (SOX)-deficient rats. While plasma level of Mn was decreasing, plasma Cu level increased in SOX-deficient rats. Treating SOX-deficient groups with sulfite did not alter plasma level of Mn but made plasma level of Cu back to its normal level. This is the first evidence that Cu and Mn status were affected in experimental sulfite oxidase deficiency induced by low molybdenum diet with tungsten addition deserving further research to determine the underlying mechanisms of these observations in experimental sulfite oxidase deficiency.