Silibinin and ellagic acid increase the expression of insulin receptor substrate 1 protein in ultraviolet irradiated rat skin.

Daily exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light induces inflammation and tumorigenesis in the skin. Silibinin and ellagic acid are natural products that exhibit anti-inflammatory and anti-tumorigenic properties. Insulin receptor substrate protein 1 (IRS1) is important for skin homeostasis and physiology, but its activity following UV radiation remains unclear. We investigated the effects of ellagic acid and silibinin on IRS1 expression in ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB) irradiated rat skin. Forty-two female Wistar rats were divided randomly into six groups of seven animals. The dorsal skin of rats was exposed to UVA + UVB, then treated with ellagic acid and silibinin by gavage. IRS1 expression in skin tissues was determined by western blot analysis. IRS1 expression increased significantly following treatment with ellagic acid and silibinin in UVA + UVB irradiated skin compared to the UVA + UVB only group. After UVA + UVB treatment, ellagic acid effected greater induction of IRS1 expression than silibinin. Our findings suggest that the photoprotective roles of ellagic acid and silibinin may be due to induction of IRS1 expression in UVA + UVB treated rat skin.

Is GDF5 gene promoter polymorphism +104T/C associated with osteoarthritis in the Eastern of Turkey population?

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis. Genetic factors have been shown to play important roles in the etiology of OA. The gene growth differentiation factor 5 (GDF5) has been implicated in skeletal development and joint morphogenesis in human and mice. A functional single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) +104T/C in the 5'-UTR of GDF5 (rs143383) was reported to be associated with osteoarthritis susceptibility in Han Chinese and Japanese populations. Our objective was to assess whether this SNP was also associated with OA in the Eastern Turkey population.A total of 172 cases including 95 patients with idiopathic OA and 77 control cases were recruited into the study. DNA samples were extracted from peripheral blood lymphocytes of all cases by using salting out method. The +104T/C polymorphism was genotyped by PCR-RFLP method. In terms of genotype comparison there wasn't any correlation between patient and control groups. Frequency of C allele was found to be higher in-patient group than control group and statistical analysis showed a poor correlation in allele frequencies of the +104T/C SNP of GDF5 gene between cases and controls (p<0.05). Significant correlation between GDF5 and OA has been reported in Asian population, especially T alleles were found in higher frequencies and related to OA.  Our study did not confirm this association and also in term of T allele. Interestingly, we found higher frequency of C allele in patient group than control group and our results are compatible with the study carried out in Greek population.

The use of complementary and alternative medicine among dermatology outpatients in Eastern Turkey.

INTRODUCTION: Over the past decade, complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has become increasingly popular around the world. OBJECTIVES: In this study, we aim to investigate how frequently CAM is used and the types of CAM methods used for dermatological disease in Eastern Turkey. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We recruited 1610 patients from our clinic for this study. The sociodemographic features and the CAM methods were investigated with a survey. RESULTS: The most common dermatological disorders included contact dermatitis (21.4%), acne vulgaris (17.5%), fungal infections (10.9%), eczema (6.3%), and warts (5.7%). The ratio of patients using at least one CAM method was 43.7% and that of those using two or more CAM methods was 20.8%. The most commonly used CAM methods were those using henna, cologne, moisturizing cream, prayer, and herbal therapy. Some patients were found to use some interesting and unusual CAM methods, such as putting out a cigarette over the skin on the back for anthrax, applying raw meat for furuncle, using fuel oil and nitric acid for contact dermatitis. CONCLUSIONS: CAM methods are commonly used in our population. CAM methods often cause adverse reactions that may alter diagnostic skin findings and interfere with the efficacy of other medical therapies. Therefore, physicians should ask their patients about the use of CAM methods while collecting patient history. Physicians have a critical role in preventing improper use of CAM. In addition, further investigations into the efficacy, benefits, and risks of CAM methods should be carried out for better insight into those CAM methods.

Nine case series with phototoxic dermatitis related to Chenopodium album.

Chenopodium album L. ssp. album is a common plant species worldwide, especially in humid areas. Sun exposure after oral intake of the plant can lead to sunburn-like rashes owing to its furocoumarin content. In this article, we reported nine patients who developed dermatitis with edema, erythema and necrosis on the face and dorsum of the hands. Each was exposed to sunlight after eating selemez (the vernacular name of C. album L. ssp. album). The plant samples analyzed by an expert botanist were described as C. album L. ssp. album belonging to Chenopodiacea family.

Oxidative status and its relation with insulin resistance in young non-obese women with polycystic ovary syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Oxidative stress may play a role in the pathophysiology of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Insulin resistance (IR) also can be found in young non-obese women with PCOS. Hyperglycemia may increase reactive oxygen species production and decrease antioxidant levels. AIM: To investigate oxidative status and its relation with IR in young non-obese patients with PCOS. MATERIAL/SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Thirty-one patients with hyperinsulinemic (no.=13) and normoinsulinemic (no.=18) PCOS and 29 healthy controls were included in this study. Serum levels of glucose, insulin, gonadotropins, total testosterone, DHEAS, SHBG, 2-h plasma glucose on oral glucose tolerance test, malondialdehyde (MDA), protein carbonyl (PC), reduced glutathione (GSH), ß carotene, vitamin A, C, E and the enzyme activities of catalase and glutathione S-transferase (GST), IR [by homeostasis model assessment (HOMA)-IR], and ß cell function [by HOMA-B] were assessed. RESULTS: Serum glucose, insulin, total testosterone, DHEAS, HOMA-IR levels, and LH/FSH ratios were higher in young non-obese women with PCOS. Serum MDA and PC levels were also higher but GSH, vitamin C and E levels, and GST enzyme activity were lower in these women than in healthy controls, independently of the status of IR (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Oxidative stress characterized by increased oxidants and decreased antioxidant levels which are independent of IR may be involved in the pathogenesis of PCOS in young non-obese women.

Increased oxidative stress in patients with familial Mediterranean fever during attack period.

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to investigate the status of oxidant and antioxidants during attack period (AP) and attack free periods (AFP) in Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) patients. METHODS: Measured the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), protein carbonyl (PC), glutathione (GSH) and antioxidant vitamins (A,C and E) as well as the activities of catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) in serum and whole blood of FMF patients in FMF-AP and FMF-AFP. RESULTS: Levels of MDA and PC were found significantly higher (p <0.05) both in serum and whole blood of FMF-AP group compared with other groups. The CAT and GSH-Px activities in FMF-AP group were found markedly lower (p <0.05) comparing to HC group. However, there were no statistically significant differences between the groups in terms of antioxidant vitamin levels. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrated increased oxidative stress in patients with FMF during AP. Investigations are needed to establish the effect of antioxidant supplementation on FMF attack frequency and severity. We also suggest that these increased MDA and PC levels and decreased antioxidants may be used as supportive markers to differentiate AP from AFP. These conclusions need to be validated in further multicenter studies with high number of FMF patients.

Mucocutaneous disorders in children with down syndrome: case-controlled study.

OBJECTIVE: Down's syndrome is the most frequent chromosomal anomaly that can affect a multiple organ systems, including skin. In this study, we compared the frequency of mucocutaneous disorders in children with Down's syndrome with normal children. METHODS: We recruited fifty children with Down's syndrome and 50 healthy children as a control in our study. Mucocutaneous abnormalities were examined in both groups. FUNDINGS: Of 50 patients, 22 were girls and 28 were boys. The skin findings such as xerosis and Mongolian spots were the most frequently seen in the patients with Down's syndrome. Seborrheic dermatitis, cheilitis and fissured tongue were seen frequently, as well. The rare findings were plantar hyperkeratosis, alopecia areata, geographic tongue, café-au-lait macula, livedo reticularis, cutaneous infections, pityriasis capitis simplex, cutis marmorata, neurotic excoriation, trichotillomania, keratosis pilaris and diaper dermatitis. No mucocutaneous finding was seen in 16 patients. The prevalence of the skin disorders including Mongolian spot, seborrheic dermatitis, cheilitis, fissured tongue was significantly higher in patients with Down syndrome than normal individuals (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Therefore, large-scaled epidemiological studies covering the entire population are needed. We believe that these studies could provide better understanding the dermatological diseases in children with Down's syndrome that would help to practitioners to treat these problems.