The effect of ferulic acid on experimental traumatic brain damage in rats.

AIM: Traumatic brain injury is an important social health problem due to the fact that young adults are more likely to be affected, and advanced functional limitations are observed in survivors. In this study, we aimed to investigate the protective effect of ferulic acid in an experimental trauma model. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This study was performed in March 2016 at Dokuz Eylül University Experimental Animal Laboratory. Subjects were randomly divided into 4 groups Control, Ethyl Alcohol, Trauma, Trauma/Ferulic Acid groups. For histological findings, Cresyl violet; for immunohistochemical analysis, TUNEL and Active Caspase-3 staining were used. For biochemical analysis, Superoxide dismutase, Malondialdehyde, and Glutathione values ​​were examined. RESULTS: The application of ferulic acid has been shown to primarily reduce neuronal apoptosis, the levels of free radicals, and to effect oxidant/antioxidant balance positively by increasing the levels of antioxidants, such as Superoxide dismutase and Glutathione that are developed due to brain damage. Our study group has shown that ferulic acid decreased nerve tissue pathologies after generated brain trauma compared to injury groups. CONCLUSION: Addition of ferulic acid to the traditional head trauma treatment has the strength, and ability to increase the rate, and percentage of healing (Tab. 2, Fig. 4, Ref. 28).

Carnosine attenuates oxidative stress and apoptosis in transient cerebral ischemia in rats.

Cerebral ischemia leads to cognitive decline and neuronal damage in the hippocampus. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) play an important role in the neuronal loss after cerebral ischemia and reperfusion injury. Carnosine has both antioxidant and neuroprotective effects against ROS. In the present study, the effects of carnosine on oxidative stress, apoptotic neuronal cell death and spatial memory following transient cerebral ischemia in rats were investigated. Transient ischemia was induced by occlusion of right common carotid artery of rats for 30 min and reperfusion for 24 h or 1 week. Rats received intraperitoneal injection of 250 mg/kg carnosine or saline 30 min prior to experiment. Determination of antioxidant enzyme activities was performed spectrophotometrically. To detect apoptotic cells, TUNEL staining was performed using an In Situ Cell Death Detection Kit. Carnosine treatment elicited a significant decrease in lipid peroxidation and increase in antioxidant enzyme activities in ischemic rat brains. The number of TUNEL-positive cells was decreased significantly in carnosine-treated group when compared with the ischemia-induction group. Carnosine treatment did not provide significant protection from ischemia induced deficits in spatial learning. The results show that carnosine is effective as a prophylactic treatment for brain tissue when it is administered before ischemia without affecting spatial memory.

Histopathologic changes in two mouse models of asthma.

BACKGROUND: No studies to date have compared mouse models of asthma by evaluating airway histopathology. OBJECTIVE: To compare 2 such models by studying chronic histopathologic changes of the airways using light and electron microscopy. METHODS: Twenty-one male BALB/c mice were divided into 3 groups: a nebulization group sensitized via an intraperitoneal injection of 10 microg ovalbumin on days 0 and 14 and exposed to 2.5% aerosolized ovalbumin 3 days a week over the subsequent 8 weeks; an intranasal group sensitized via 2 intraperitoneal injections of 100 microg ovalbumin on days 0 and 14 and administered an intranasal dose of 500 microg ovalbumin on days 14, 27, 28, 29, 47, 61, 73, 74, and 75; and a control group that received nothing. Airway histopathologies were evaluated. RESULTS: Basement membrane, epithelium, and subepithelial smooth muscle layer thicknesses and mast and goblet cell numbers were significantly higher in the nebulization group than in the control group. With the exception of mast cell numbers, these parameters were also significantly higher in the intranasal group than in the control group. On comparing the intranasal and the nebulization group, goblet cell numbers were significantly higher in the former and mast cells in the latter. CONCLUSION: Both models replicated all the structural parameters of asthma except for mast cell numbers in the intranasal group (no significant difference with respect to the control group). Our findings do not provide sufficient evidence that one protocol is superior to the other. Larger studies are needed to compare different asthma protocols.

A new method for detecting pedicular wall perforation during pedicle screw insertion.

STUDY DESIGN: Sensitivity, specificity, and predictive value analyses of a method that can be used to detect pedicular wall perforation during pedicle screw insertion were assessed. OBJECTIVE: To determine the accuracy of observing the fatty material expelled during pedicle screw insertion for detecting pedicular wall perforations. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Although many methods for safe and accurate insertion of a pedicle screw are described, the rates of misplacement still are high, and complications may occur from improper placement of pedicle screws. Computer-assisted insertion techniques are reported to be very accurate, but these techniques are not yet commonly available. METHODS: In this study, 74 pedicle screw insertions were observed for the material expelled after drilling for the pedicle screw. The outflows of blood and fatty particles were recorded separately. The position of the pedicle screws after surgery was verified by computed tomography. The specificity, sensitivity, positive and negative predictive values, and kappa statistics were assessed. RESULTS: Visible fatty particles were observed during 51 pedicle screw insertions. The histologic analysis showed that the fatty particles were coming from the bone marrow of the corpus. For the observation of fatty particles in detecting perforations along the pedicle screw pathway, the specificity was 98%, the sensitivity 73%, the positive predictive value 84%, the negative predictive value 95%, and the kappa statistic 0.74. CONCLUSIONS: The observation of fatty particles in the blood that comes out after drilling for the pedicle screw may indicate that there is no perforation along the pedicle screw pathway. The observation is easy to perform and does not require any special instruments. Therefore, it can be used alone or in combination with other methods to improve the accuracy of pedicle screw insertion.