Translation and psychometric evaluation of the Turkish version of the pharmacy students' perceptions of preparedness to provide pharmaceutical care scale.

The aim of the study is to conduct the psychometric evaluation of the Turkish version of the Pharmacy Students' Perceptions of Preparedness to Provide Pharmaceutical Care (PREP) scale. The present study was conducted at three faculties of pharmacy among fifth-year students during a three-month period in 2015. After the translation process, the Turkish version was developed. Psychometric evaluation consisted of the calculation of inter-rater and test-retest reliability and factor analysis. The mean age of 184 students (71.2% of female) was 23.74±1.07. The mean score of the Pharmacy Students' PREP scale was 4.54±1.00 and the Cronbach's alpha was 0.971. Inter-rater and test-retest reliability and factor analysis were also in concordance with the literature. In the present study, the Turkish version of Pharmacy Students' Perceptions of Preparedness to Provide Pharmaceutical Care Scale has been determined to be a reliable and validated tool to assess students' perceptions of preparedness to provide pharmaceutical care.

In vitro effects of nitric oxide donors on apoptosis and oxidative/nitrative protein modifications in ADP-activated platelets.

Nitric oxide (NO) is an important physiological signaling molecule. However, when produced in excessive amounts, NO can also have toxic effects. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of exogenous- and endogenous-derived NO on oxidative modifications of proteins and apoptosis in activated platelets. Washed platelets were incubated with L-arginine or nitroso-glutathione (GSNO) in the presence of adenosine diphosphate (ADP). After incubation, caspase-3 activity, phosphatidylserine (PS) externalization and the potential of mitochondrial membrane as markers of apoptosis were measured. In addition, the alterations in protein carbonylation (PCO) and nitrotyrosine (NT) formation as markers of protein oxidation were examined. Platelet activation with ADP (20 µM) significantly increased PCO and NT levels and apoptotic events. After incubation with L-arginine, platelet NO production increased significantly. This L-arginine-induced increase caused decreases in formerly increased PCO and NT levels associated with ADP-induced platelet activation. Stimulation of NO production with L-arginine protected platelets from apoptosis. GSNO caused an increase in protein NT levels. Despite this change, GSNO was effective in inhibition of P-selectin expression, platelet aggregation, protein carbonylation and apoptosis. The results suggest that L-arginine and GSNO-mediated NO leads to the inhibition of key apoptotic processes including caspase-3 activation, PS exposure and low mitochondrial membrane potential in washed platelets. The inhibitory effect of platelet clearance of L-arginine and GSNO may be a novel useful therapeutic property in clinical application.

Influence of platelet γ-glutamyltransferase on oxidative stress and apoptosis in the presence of holo-transferrin.

Several studies have documented that formation of oxidant mediators may induce apoptosis in nucleated and anucleated cells by modulating intracellular signalling pathways. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) play a very important role in the platelet function. γ-Glutamyltransferase (GGT), a novel source of cellular production of oxidants in the presence of iron and reduced glutathione (GSH), is also found on platelets. The role of platelet-bound GGT in platelet apoptosis and oxidative stress is unknown. The aim of our study was to determine the effects of platelet GGT activity on oxidative stress and apoptotic events in vitro via determination of lipid peroxidation (LPO), protein oxidation, GSH, catalase, caspase-3 activation and phosphatidylserine (PS) exposure in the presence of holo-transferrin (Tf). Stimulation of platelet GGT activity with GSH and glycylglycine (GlyGly) increased caspase-3 activation and PS exposure. A significant increase in lipid and protein oxidation and decrease in GSH and catalase levels was also observed in platelets with stimulation of GGT activity in the presence of Tf. Inhibition of GGT activity effectively reduced all the markers. These results suggest that generation of ROS by the GGT/GSH/Tf system can modify the platelets' redox environment and induce apoptosis in in vitro conditions.

Effect of topical insulin on cutaneous wound healing in rats with or without acute diabetes.

BACKGROUND: Diabetes is a condition known even in its early stages to impair the normal course of wound healing, thus leading to chronic wounds. The role of insulin in the regulation of energy metabolism, protein synthesis, cell differentiation and growth suggests that this hormone could also play an essential role in regulation of wound healing. AIM: To determine the effects of topical insulin administration on wound healing in rats with or without acute diabetes. METHODS: This study was conducted using four groups of male Sprague-Dawley rats: (i) nondiabetic rats receiving topical insulin (n = 7), (ii) nondiabetic rats receiving topical sterile water (n = 7), (iii) diabetic rats receiving topical insulin (n = 7) and (iv) diabetic rats receiving topical sterile water (n = 7). Wound healing was assessed by wound contraction rate, complete epithelialization time and histological results. RESULTS: Topical insulin enhanced wound healing by shortening the time needed for complete epithelialization in both the nondiabetic and acute diabetic groups. The histological observations supported the planimetric results in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed that topical insulin application to cutaneous wounds accelerates wound healing in rats with or without acute diabetes.

The effect of exercise on urinary gamma-glutamyl transferase and protein levels of volleyball players.

AIM: Postexercise proteinuria and increased urinary gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) levels can be indicative of exercise-induced renal damage. In the literature, there exists numerous studies on exercise-induced proteinuria; but studies investigating the effects of exercise on urinary GGT levels are quite few. We aimed to evaluate the effects of exercise on renal function, expressed through the exercise-induced differences in urinary GGT, creatinine and protein levels. METHODS: The study was performed on 12 female and 12 male volleyball players of the same sports club. Urine samples collected before and 1 h after the exercise were analyzed for urinary GGT, creatinine and protein amounts. RESULTS: No statistically significant difference was observed between pre- and postexercise urinary GGT levels (U/L and U/g creatinine) of female and male volleyball players (P>0.05). A significant exercise-induced increase in urinary protein excretion was observed for the male players, while a significant exercise-induced increase in urinary creatinine excretion was observed for the female players (P<0.05). When urinary GGT levels (U/L) were compared separately for setters and spikers, it was observed that female players had no significant difference, while male spikers had a statistically significant exercise-induced increase in the urinary GGT levels (U/L) (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that the insignificance of the exercise-induced increases in the urinary parameters could be due to the relatively short-course of the exercise and the timing of postexercise urine collection. A comprehensive study performed on more subjects could yield results that are more significant.