Acute effect of different doses of caffeinated chewing gum on exercise performance in caffeine-habituated male soccer players.

The ergogenic benefits of caffeine have been well established, but there is scarce research on its chewing gum form. The present research aimed to examine the effects of different doses (100 and 200 mg) of caffeinated chewing gum on muscle strength, vertical jump performance, and ball-kicking speed in trained male soccer players. In a double-blind, randomized counterbalanced, and crossover research design, 14 male soccer players (age = 22 ± 2 y; body mass = 74.2 ± 7.1 kg; height = 180.0 ± 6.8 cm; habitual caffeine intake = 358.9 ± 292.4 mg/day) participated in three experimental trials. In each trial, participants performed isometric handgrip strength, quadriceps and hamstring strength, ball-kicking speed, and 15 s countermovement jump test 10 min after chewing 100 mg (LCAF) or 200 mg (MCAF) of caffeinated gum or placebo (PLA). MCAF improved quadriceps strength (53.77 ± 5.77 kg) compared to LCAF (49.62 ± 8.81 kg, p = 0.048) and PLA (49.20 ± 7.20 kg, p = 0.032). However, neither LCAF nor MCAF had a significant effect on the isometric handgrip and hamstring strength, ball-kicking speed, and 15 s countermovement jump test (all p > 0.05). These findings support chewing gum as an alternative mode of caffeine administration which can be used as a nutritional ergogenic aid for trained soccer players, at least for quadriceps strength.

The therapeutic effects of coenzyme Q10 on surgically induced endometriosis in Sprague Dawley rats.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of coenzyme Q10 in the treatment of endometriosis rat models. Twenty seven Sprague Dawley rats were divided into four groups; Control Group (n = 7; Endometriosis group), Reference Group (n = 6; Endometriosis + Buserelin acetate, 20 mg/kg), CoQ10 Group-I (n = 7; Endometriosis + CoQ10, 50 mg/kg) and CoQ10 Group-II (n = 7; Endometriosis + CoQ10, 100 mg/kg). At the end of the experiment, all the rats were sacrificed, and the volume and histoarchitecture of endometrial implants were evaluated. The mast cells were determined by Toluidine blue and collagen fiber density was analysed by Masson's Trichrome staining. Tumour necrosis factor and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels were analysed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in peritoneal fluid and VEGF and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) were evaluated by immunohistochemistry. Terminal deoxynucleotidil transferase-mediated dUTP Nick end labelling (TUNEL) was also used for the detection of apoptotic cells. The CoQ10 treatment significantly decreased the volume of endometriotic implants, VEGF, and MMP-9 immunoreactivity and increased TUNEL-positive cells. The findings of the study suggest that CoQ10 can be used in endometriosis treatment by suppressing the endometriotic implants.IMPACT STATEMENTWhat is already known on this subject? Endometriosis is a gynaecological disorder and previous studies have shown that different treatments with antioxidants cause significant regression in the endometriotic implants.What the results of this study add? In this study, CoQ10 reduced intra-abdominal adhesion scores and volume of the endometriotic implants. In addition, CoQ10 treatment affected mast cell, TNF-α, VEGF, and MMP-9.What of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? CoQ10 treatments may be possible to apply, it can contribute to science in terms of a new therapeutic treatment for endometriosis. Further studies are required to evaluate the Coenzyme Q10's effects on pain and subfertility in endometriosis.

The impact of using culture media containing granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor on live birth rates in patients with a history of embryonic developmental arrest in previous in vitro fertilization cycles

Objective: To investigate the effect of using culture media containing granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) on embryological data and reproductive outcomes in patients with early embryonic developmental arrest. Material and Methods: Retrospective case-control study. A total of 39 patients, whose embryos were incubated with culture media containing GM-CSF due to embryonic developmental arrest in two previous in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles in-between January 2016 and November 2017 at Hacettepe University IVF Center, were enrolled. Control group was generated among patients with first IVF attempts due to tubal factor in the same time period. All embryos in the control group were incubated with single step culture medium (without GM-CSF). For the control group selection, matching was done 1:2 ratio considering female age, body mass index, number of M-II oocyte retrieved, and number of embryo transferred (n=80). Results: Demographic features and embryological data were comparable between two groups. Number of fertilized oocytes (2-pronuclear) was 3.7±2.0 in GM-CSF group and 3.9±2.5 in the control (p=0.576). Overall, number of embryos transferred (1.3±0.5 vs 1.3±0.5, respectively) and blastocyst transfer rate (67.6% vs 59.2%, respectively; p=0.401) were similar. For the reproductive outcomes, implantation rate (32.3% vs 33.1%, respectively; p=0.937), clinical pregnancy rate (33.3% vs 32.5%, respectively; p=0.770), and live birth rate (25.2% vs 26.2%, respectively; p=0.943) were similar. Conclusion: Using GM-CSF-containing culture media in patients with two previous failed IVF attempts due to embryonic developmental arrest might rectify embryological data and reproductive outcomes. To make solid conclusion further randomized controlled trials are warranted.

The effects of melatonin on possible damage that will occur on adipocytokines and liver tissue by coadministration of fructose and bisphenol a (BPA).

BPA, one of the environmental endocrine disruptors, and fructose, reason of liver steatosis which is frequently encountered in the daily diet, contribute to the formation of metabolic syndrome (MetS). This study examines the possible effects of concurrent fructose and BPA administration on MetS and determines the effects of melatonin on this process. In the seven identified groups, a total of forty-two adult male Sprague Dawley rats were treated by following fructose, BPA, and melatonin amounts, separately and together: group 1 (control), group 2 (10% aqueous fructose), group 3 (25 mg/kg BPA), group 4 (10% fructose + 25 mg/kg BPA), group 5 (10% fructose + 20 mg/kg melatonin), group 6 (25 mg/kg BPA + 20 mg/kg melatonin), and group 7 (10% fructose + 25 mg/kg BPA + 20 mg/kg melatonin). At the end of 60 days, histochemical, immunohistochemical, and biochemical procedures were performed on liver tissue. As a result, it was seen that BPA and fructose + BPA induced morphological alteration and inflammation and increased intracellular lipid quantity and amount of collagen and reticular fibers. The percentage of apoptotic liver cells stained by annexin V-FITC/PI was lower in group 7 compared to the group 4 (p < 0,001) and also in group 6 compared to the group 3 (p = 0.014). Both BPA and fructose application caused an increase in lipid peroxidation level due to the increase of oxidative stress. Application of melatonin induced antioxidant enzyme activity and reduced lipid peroxidation level. Our results indicate that fructose and BPA administration triggered the formation of MetS, whereas melatonin healed these variations, although not entirely.

Combining platelet rich fibrin with different bone graft materials: An experimental study on the histopathological and immunohistochemical aspects of bone healing.

AIM: The current study was based on the hypothesis that the use of PRF with bone graft materials might increase bone regeneration and focus on the histopathological and immunohistochemical aspects following application of PRF with autogenous graft, xenograft and B-TCP in a rabbit model. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This study was performed on the twenty-eight male New Zealand divided into four group. Two defects with a diameter 10 mm were opened in calvarium. After PRF preparation, right defects were evaluated as empty defect or graft group, and left defects were evaluated as PRF test group. All animals were sacrificed at the end of 8 weeks and specimens were examined histopathologically and immunohistochemically. RESULTS: The most superior histopathological results were obtained in the autograft group. The combination of ß-TCP-PRF could not provide superiority over the ß-TCP group. The immunohistochemical results showed that, in the PRF/BTCP group, the expression of osteopontin and osteonectin was relatively higher compared to the only-BTCP group. CONCLUSION: In terms of new bone formation, autograft combined with PRF yielded superior results but the combination of ß-TCP-PRF had no effect compared to the only-BTCP group. However, further experimental and clinical studies might be beneficial to clarify the exact mechanism and results of combining PRF with bone grafts on bone healing process.

Possible effects of melatonin against rat uterus exposure to bisphenol A during neonatal period.

The aim of this study was to investigate the possible effects of melatonin on rat uterine tissue against exposure with bisphenol A (BPA) in the neonatal period. Twenty-four female rats were divided into four groups, (n=6) per group. Group I was used as a control (sesame oil + ethanol), group II was injected daily with (100 mg/kg) BPA by subcutaneously (sc) daily postnatal days (PND 0-10), group III was injected daily with (10 mg/kg) melatonin by sc for 10 days (PND 20-30), and group IV was injected daily with (100 mg/kg) BPA (PND 0-10) and (10 mg/kg) melatonin (PND 20-30). All rats were sacrificed in the same day of metestrus cycle, approximately PND 70. Histological analyses, immunostaining of B cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2), and cytochrome c and TUNEL assays were performed. According to our results, neonatal exposure to BPA accelerates onset of puberty, causes degenerative and morphometric changes on rat uterus, and increases apoptotic reaction rates. The immunoreactivity of Bcl-2 was decreased after BPA administration. In addition, immunoreactivity of Bcl-2 showed an increase after melatonin treatment. However, cytochrome c immunoreactivity was decreased after melatonin administration. Our results suggest that melatonin may have positive effects against BPA-induced degenerative changes on rat uterus.