Do Atmospheric Changes and the Synodic Lunar Cycle Affect the Development of Spontaneous Pneumothorax?

BACKGROUND: Pneumothorax is defined as air in pleural space. The etiology of spontaneous pneumothorax (SP) is still under investigation and, despite many studies, remains uncertain. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of the lunar cycle and daily weather changes on SP development. METHODS: The data of patients admitted to our clinic with SP were analysed retrospectively. The daily atmospheric pressure, relative ratio of humidity and temperature in degrees Celsius of each day were obtained. The mean values for each day, from the first to the 29th day, of the synodic lunar cycle (SLC) were calculated for the five-year study period. The attacks were allocated to the appropriate day of an ideal 29-day SLC, irrespective of the calendar date. RESULTS: A total of 131 patients who were admitted to our hospital with SP (130 males and 1 female with an average age of 32.4±12.2) were included in this study. The number of patients with SP showed a statistically significant correlation with mean atmospheric pressure (p=0.005), relative humidity (p=0.007) and outdoor temperature (p=0.02) but not with the SLC. CONCLUSIONS: SP is significantly influenced by weather-related factors. Changes in atmospheric pressure, humidity and outdoor temperature had obvious effects on the development of SP. However, the SLC had no effect on SP.

Neuroprotection by alpha-lipoic acid in streptozotocin-induced diabetes.

Glial cells provide structural and metabolic support for neurons, and these cells become reactive to any insult to the central nervous system. The streptozotocin (STZ) rat model was used to study glial reactivity and the prevention of gliosis by alpha-lipoic acid (alpha-LA) administration. The expression of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), S100B protein, and neuron specific enolase (NSE) was determined as well as lipid peroxidation (LPO) and glutathione (GSH) levels in some brain tissues. Western blot analyses showed GFAP, S100B, and NSE levels significantly increased under STZ-induced diabetes in brain, and LPO level increased as well. Administration of alpha-LA reduced the expression both of glial and neuronal markers. In addition, alpha-LA significantly prevented the increase in LPO levels found in diabetic rats. GSH levels were increased by the administration of alpha-LA. This study suggests that alpha-LA prevents neural injury by inhibiting oxidative stress and suppressing reactive gliosis.