Evaluation of serum oxidant/antioxidant balance in patients with acute stroke.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the alterations in the oxidant-antioxidant balance in patients with acute ischaemic stroke, and to locate any correlation between oxidant/antioxidant parameters and the National Institute of Health Stroke Scale. METHODS: The case-control study was conducted at the Neurology Department of Dicle University Medical Faculty, Diyarbakir, Turkey, from June 2010 to June 2011. Blood samples were obtained from 53 patients with ischaemic stroke and 40 healthy controls without any history of ischaemic stroke or systemic disease. Venous blood was obtained within 24 hour after stroke onset. Serum malondialdehyde, total anti-oxidant capacity, paraoxanase and superoxide dismutase were measured. SPSS 11.5 used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: There was no difference between the cases and the controls regarding age [64.5 +/- 15.8 and 66.3 +/- 13.9 respectively], gender [27 (51%) / 26 (49%), and 19 (48%) / 21 (52%) respectively], obesity [15(28.3%) and 13(37.5%), respectively], and hypertension [30 (56.6%) and 23 (57.5%), respectively]. The cases had higher concentrations of malondialdehyde (147.3 +/- 59.3 vs. 112.4 +/- 28.5 nmol/gr protein, p < 0.001), and superoxide dismutase (4.40 +/- 0.79 vs. 3.35 +/- 0.51, p < 0.001) compared to the controls. However, the cases had lower concentrations of paraoxanase (23.2 +/- 23.7 vs 64.7 +/- 52.6, p < 0.001), total anti-oxidant capacity (0.77 +/- 0.38 vs. 0.95 +/- 0.30, p < 0.015), and nitric oxide (10.8 +/- 7.1 vs. 17.5 +/- 2.4 micromol/gr protein, p < 0.001), compared to the controls. In the stroke group, a significant negative correlation was found between the National Institute of Health Stroke Scale and total anti-oxidant capacity activity (p < 0.021, r = -0.32). CONCLUSION: The results support the hypothesis that sufficient anti-oxidant capacity has a beneficial effect on the clinical severity of acute ischaemic stroke.

Association of Polymorphisms within the Serotonin Receptor Genes 5-HTR1A, 5-HTR1B, 5-HTR2A and 5-HTR2C and Migraine Susceptibility in a Turkish Population

OBJECTIVE: Migraine, a highly prevelant headache disorder, is regarded as a polygenic multifactorial disease. Serotonin (5-HT) and their respective receptors have been implicated in the patogenesis. METHODS: We investigated the 5-HT1A, 5-HT1B, 5-HT2A, and 5-HT2C receptor gene polymorphisms and their association with migraine in Turkish patients. The rs6295, rs1300060, rs1228814, rs6311, rs6313, rs6314, rs6318, rs3813929 (−759C/T) and rs518147 polymorphisms were analyzed in 135 patients with migraine and 139 healthy subjects, using a BioMark 96.96 dynamic array system. RESULTS: We found no difference in the frequency of the analyzed eight out of nine polymorpisms between migraine and control groups. However, a significant association was found between the rs3813929 polymorphism in the promoter region of 5-HTR2C gene and migraine. Also, the allele of rs3813929 was more common in the migraine group. CONCLUSION: This result suggests that the 5-HTR2C rs3813929 polymorphism can be a genetic risk factor for migraine in a Turkish population.