Myostatin as a Marker for Doxorubicin Induced Cardiac Damage.

PURPOSE: Doxorubicin (DXR) is an effective chemotherapeutic agent but causes severe cardiac failure over known doses. Thus, early detection and prevention of cardiac damage is important. Various markers have been tested for early detection of cardiac damage. Myostatin is a protein produced in skeletal muscle cells inhibits muscle differentiation and growth during myogenesis. METHODS: We evaluated the role of myostatin as a marker for showing DXR induced cardiac damage and compared with well known cardiac markers like NT-proBNP, hs-TnT and CK in a rat model of chronic DXR cardiotoxicity. RESULTS: Myostatin, NT-proBNP, and hs-TnT but not CK rose significantly during DXR treatment. CONCLUSION: Myostatin can be used as an early marker of DXR induced cardiotoxicity.

Effects of Hyperbaric Oxygen and Preconditioning on Wound Healing in Colonic Anastomoses.

AIM: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) and HBO preconditioning (pre-HBO) on experimental wound healing and tensile strength in the colonic anastomosis of rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 21 Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into three random groups of equal numbers: sham operation, pre-HBO, and HBO. Sham group was given standard left colon resection and end-to-end anastomosis; pre-HBO group received HBO as one dose + colonic resection + anastomosis; HBO group was given colonic resection + anastomosis + HBO. HBO was administrated at 24-hr intervals and relaparatomy was performed on the fifth day. Malondialdehyde (MDA), myeloperoxidase (MPO), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), interleukin (IL)-10, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and hydroxy (OH)-proline levels and anastomotic burst pressure were evaluated. RESULTS: Burst pressure and OH-proline levels markedly increased in the HBO group compared with the sham and pre-HBO groups. When compared with the sham group, MDA and MPO levels were significantly decreased in the HBO and pre-HBO groups. In contrast to these findings, SOD and GSH-Px levels were increased in the HBO group as compared with the sham and pre-HBO groups. TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-10 values were detected at low levels in the HBO group as compared with other groups. CONCLUSIONS: HBO administration accelerated wound healing and strengthened the anastomotic tissue. In the light of these results, the HBO administration has beneficial effects and contributed to wound healing in colonic anastomosis. But, as expected, pre-HBO did not alter the results significantly.

Plasma total homocysteine concentrations in a Turkish population sample.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study is to determine the reference of plasma total homocysteine levels from a Turkish population and to investigate the relationship of plasma total homocysteine levels with sex and age groups. DESIGN AND METHODS: Plasma total homocysteine levels were measured in 2257 Turkish individuals (1381 men and 876 women) aged 1-90 years. Plasma total homocysteine concentrations were determined using high performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detector. RESULTS: The mean plasma total homocysteine level was significantly higher in men (mean, 10.6 micromol/L) than in women (mean, 8.7 micromol/L), P < 0.001. The mean plasma total homocysteine levels for the 1-10, 11-20, 21-30, and 31-40, 41-50, 51-60, and 61-70, 71-80, 81-90 age groups, were 6.5, 9.6, 10.1, and 10.4, 10.5, 10.9, and 11.3, 12.7, 14.6 miromol/L in men and 7.1, 7.6, 7.5, and 7.8, 8.7, 9.4, and 10.3, 11.2, 13.3 micromol/L in women, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: These data indicate the significance of sex- and age-associated differences of plasma total homocysteine levels in Turkish subjects. Plasma total homocysteine levels were increasing with age and men were found to have higher levels than women, as is found in other populations.

Could rice be used as an anticaking agent in table salt?

The aim of the study was to examine whether powdered rice could be used as an anticaking agent in table salt. Salts free from anticaking food additives were selected and powdered rice was added at different concentrations (0%, 1%, 2%, 5%, 10% and 20%). The samples were placed away from direct light and airflow, and left exposed in the laboratory at room temperature and below 30% humidity. The weight of the samples was measured using an electronic laboratory balance and recorded daily for 4 days. At the end of the experiment, all the samples were dried at 105 °C in order to determine exact dryness. All the salt samples containing powdered rice lost weight (0.56±0.08%), while the other salt samples free of powdered rice gained weight (10.31±0.63%) (P<0.001). A statistically significant difference was found between the first two (1% and 2%) and last three concentrations (5%, 10% and 20%) (P<0.001). Adding powdered rice to salt as an anticaking agent during salt manufacturing at a concentration of 1% could take the place of other anticaking food additives used in table salt production.

Establishing the use of melatonin as an adjuvant therapeutic against paraquat-induced lung toxicity in rats.

It is well known that the intake of paraquat (PQ) causes severe tissue injury leading to numerous fatalities. Considering that the main target for PQ toxicity is the lung and involves the production of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, transcription factors and inflammatory cytokines, it may be hypothesized that the combination of a potent antiinflammatory and antioxidant agent may counteract more of PQ's effects than an antiinflammatory agent alone. For this purpose, combination of dexamethasone (Dex) and melatonin (Mel) was compared with Dex alone. A total of 40 male Wistar albino rats were divided into four groups as control, PQ, Dex only, and Dex plus Mel. The animals were given intraperitoneally a toxic dose of 19 mg/kg PQ dissolved in 1 ml saline. Control animals were injected with the same amount of saline only. A dose of 1 mg/kg Dex was administered 2 hrs after PQ administration. In the combination treatment group, 20 mg/kg Mel was given with Dex. All drugs were given every 12 hrs for a total of six doses. Five animals in PQ group and three animals in Dex only group died by the end of the study. No deaths occurred in the Dex+Mel group. Dex exerted improvements in several oxidative and antioxidative parameters. However, combination treatment provided beneficial effects against PQ toxicity far greater than Dex alone. This difference was also apparent when tissues were histologically compared. In conclusion, Mel exhibited strong additive beneficial effects with Dex and can be considered as a safe treatment modality against PQ toxicity.

Turkish military personnel's expectations for health care services provided to them.

OBJECTIVE: The goal was to determine the expectations of patients using the health care services provided in the health care institutions of Turkish Armed Forces (TAF). METHODS: This study was performed between August 2002 and March 2003, with an open-ended question placed on the World Wide Web site of TAF Health Command. The framework was an intranet, which is a special Internet structure across the TAF institutions. Eight hundred four TAF personnel answered by typing their own words in response to the open-ended question. RESULTS: In the data obtained from this study, the participants' expectations focused more on the behaviors they encountered during utilization of the services, the health care personnel-patient relationship, and the services provided by the personnel, rather than the technical options and opportunities presented by the hospitals. CONCLUSIONS: In addition to the efforts and financial resources dedicated to improving the medical technology used in the health care institutions, providing information to the health care personnel about ethically appropriate behavior and patient-health care professional communication and designing new regulations concerning these issues should contribute greatly to the satisfaction of the people receiving health care services and their relatives.

Reproductive health education of conscripts in Turkish Armed Forces: first evaluation of training courses.

BACKGROUND: In the frame of the Reproductive Health Program of Turkish Armed Forces, conscripts have been given 1-day participatory, interactive courses by the field military medical trainers in all military garrisons. METHODS: Pre- and posttest knowledge levels of soldiers were tested by 25 true-false questions. Demographic characteristics and test scores were routinely transferred from the training rooms to the reproductive health database by authorized field trainers using the network of the army. Two hundred forty-eight thousand seven hundred ninety-six soldiers with perfect entrance of data have been selected for descriptive analyses. RESULTS: Of all the soldiers, 39.2% were born in 1984. Primary school graduates have constituted the largest group with 34.4%. Only 7.4% of the soldiers were married. The mean precourse score was 65.7% +/- 15.4%, while the postcourse score was 83.5 +/- 12.73% (SD) (p < 0.001). Those who used to live in the east region of Turkey have obtained significantly lower scores on both pre- and posttests in comparison to scores of those who used to live in other regions (p < 0.001). Groups based on five educational levels have obtained significantly different scores, ascending gradually from uneducated to the higher educational level (p < 0.001). The ratio of increase in knowledge was highest in the groups with the lowest educational level and unmarried (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Training courses seem to succeed in increasing the knowledge of conscripts, particularly of those with a low socioeconomic and cultural status. However, it requires time to determine whether this increase in knowledge level with promote behavioral change positively and will improve young males' own and their partners' reproductive health status.

Training enlisted men on sexually transmitted diseases and preparation of a training model.

Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are serious public health concerns in many countries. One of the main strategies in prevention of STDs is training people who are at high risk for STDs. We aimed to train enlisted men in the Turkish Armed Forces while they served their compulsory military service because every healthy Turkish man has to complete this service and they are at high risk for STDs, as well. This study contains two main parts: trainer training and training of enlisted men. The target groups are health noncommissioned officer school students for the trainer training and enlisted men serving in a military medical academy for STD training. For both groups, we prepared and applied different training programs considering each group's knowledge needs on the topic. To describe knowledge needs, we administered a pretest on both groups. First, we trained candidate trainers, then they trained the enlisted men. We evaluated both programs comparing pre- and posttest results. In both programs, mean test scores of the groups increased significantly. Success levels of the groups also increased significantly after using a cutoff point for test scores. With respect to relative effectiveness, attributed effectiveness, and effectiveness ration, the trainers training program was more effective than the other. As a result, our approach to training enlisted men as young adults is effective. We should evaluate the limitations of the study and consider our experiences to make the program more effective.