Direct shoot organogenesis of Digitalis trojana Ivan., an endemic medicinal herb of Turkey

An efficient protocol for in vitro propagation of Digitalis trojana Ivan. was developed via adventitious shoot regeneration. Leaf explants were cultured on MS which were supplemented with different concentrations of NAA (0.1, 0.5, 1.0 mg/ml) and BAP (0.1, 0.5, 1.0, 3.0, 5.0 mg/ml) for shoot formation. Adventitious shoots were formed on leaf explants within three weeks in culture. The best shoot proliferation was observed among explants cultured on MS medium with 0.1 mg/ml NAA + 3.0 mg/ml BAP. Regenerated shoots were multiplicated by subculture. Then they were cultured on MS with 0.1% (w/v) activated charcoal for root formation. All of the in vitro regenerated plantlets were successfully acclimatized ex vitro and then grown healthy

Evaluation of lower urinary tract dysfunction in Turkish primary schoolchildren: an epidemiological study.

OBJECTIVE: The aim was to determine the prevalence of voiding dysfunction and its related risk factors in Turkish schoolchildren. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A randomly selected, cross-sectional study was conducted using a self-administered and previously validated questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of two parts. The first part included personal demographic and familial information, and the second part included the Dysfunctional Voiding and Incontinence Scoring System (DVISS). The questionnaires were given to 4668 children between 6 and 15 years of age, which were completed by the parents and children together. The children with a score of ≥9 were accepted as having lower urinary tract dysfunction (LUTD). RESULTS: The data were collected from 4016 children (the response rate was 86.0%), including 48.6% boys and 51.4% girls. The mean age was 10.5±2.2 years. The overall frequency of LUTD was 9.3%. While the 6-year-old children had the highest frequency (23.1%) of LUTD, this rate was 7.9% at the age of 10, and the children aged 14 years had the lowest frequency (4.9%), (p<0.001). Lower urinary tract symptoms were significantly more common in girls (7.6%) than in boys (3.2%) only for the older age group (between 12 and 15 years of age). Compared with normal children, those with LUTD (with a score of ≥9) had the following risk factors: less educated parents, a parent that had lower urinary tract symptoms when he or she was a child, more persons per room (≥2 persons), more siblings (≥4 siblings) at home, past medical history of urinary tract infections, and squatting position (in girls). CONCLUSIONS: Lower urinary tract problems are one of the most important and ongoing health problems in childhood. Determining the prevalence of lower urinary tract problems in children and their related risk factors is the first step to managing and reducing the number of children suffering from voiding problems

Assessment of the genetic stability of indirect shoot organogenesis-derived plantlets of digitalis trojana ivanina by flow cytometry and cytological analyses

In this study, flow cytometry and cytological analysis was used to evaluate the genetic stability of Digitalis trojana Ivanina plants regenerated via indirect shoot organogenesis. For in vitro propagation, leaf explants were excised from seedlings grown in sterile conditions and cultured MS medium supplemented with 3.0 mg/L BA + 0.1 mg/L NAA. Shoots and calli were subcultured for a period of 2 weeks for shoot multiplication. For rooting, shoots were separated individually and transferred to MS medium containing 0.1% activated charcoal. Genetic stability of the regenerated plants was assessed by flow cytometry and cytological analyses. Flow cytometric analysis revealed that regenerated plantlets has as 2.80±0.03 pg nuclear DNA (2C) and seed-derived plants has on average 2.80±0.1 pg/2C. Cytological analysis showed that regenerated plantlets have the same number of chromosome with seed-derived plantlets of D. trojana (2n=56). Our results have showed that the plantlets propagated in MS medium with 3 mg/L BA + 0.1 mg/L NAA did not differ genetically from donor plants. Therefore, this system can be effective and suitable for clonal propagation of D. trojana. Our results also confirmed that flow cytometry is fast, easy, accurate and relatively cheap method to determine ploidy of in vitro propagated D. trojana plantlets. © 2017 Namik Kemal University - Agricultural Faculty. All Rights Reserved

Evaluation of genotoxicity and cytotoxicity of dodine (1-dodecylguanidium acetate) by Allium test

In this study, we evaluated the genotoxic and cytotoxic effects of dodine, a fungicide extensively used to control scab on apples, pears and pecans, brown rot on peaches and several foliar diseases of cherries, strawberries, peaches and black walnuts. For this purpose the Allium cepa test was carried out exposing roots to dodine for 24,48 and 72 h at the concentrations of EC50/2, EC50 and 2×EC50. The mitotic index was calculated as the number of dividing cells per number of 3000-4000 observed cells and the mitotic aberrations also were scored at each concentration. The results showed that dodine induced significant increases of mitotic aberrations such as C-mitosis, polar shifting, laggard chromosome and chromosome fragments. In addition, mitotic index decreased significantly with increasing of concentration and the exposure time as compared to their controls. Hence dodine should be used under control in agricultural fields due to its possible toxic effects. © by PSP

Calcinosis cutis in a newborn with transient pseudohypoparathyroidism

Pseudohypoparathyroidism (PHP) is a heterogenous group of disorders characterized by hypocalcemia with hyperphosphatemia, increased serum concentration of parathyroid hormone (PTH), and insensitivity to the biological activity of PTH. Calcinosis cutis, the cutaneous deposition of calcium salts in the dermis, is a rare clinical symptom in infancy. The deposition of calcium in the skin may be classified as dystrophic, metastatic, idiopathic, and iatrogenic. Although a few infants with PHP and calcinosis cutis have been reported, to the authors' knowledge, the combination of neonatal transient PHP and calcinosis cutis associated with calcium treatment has not been previously reported. The authors report a newborn boy with transient PHP presenting with early hypocalcemia, hyperphosphatemia, increased PTH levels, and calcinosis cutis after intravenous treatment of calcium gluconate. © 2011 Dr. K C Chaudhuri Foundation

Enzymatic debridement of deep partial thickness burn wounds with collagenase in children [Çocuklarda derin kismi kalinliktaki yanik yarasinin kollajenaz ile enzimatik debridmani]

Thirty-nine pediatric burn patients treated by enzymatic debridement with Collagenase Clostridiopeptidase A (CCA), were compared to 27 patients whose burn wounds were excised surgically. In all patients, burn wounds were initially assessed as deep partial-thickness during admission. Total removal of eschar was achieved in 25 of 39 (64%) patients by CCA only (Group D). In 14 patients (36%), therapy with CCA was ceased because of the development of burn wound infection or a manifest need for grafting of the wound, therefore, these patients underwent tangential wound excision (Group DS). The records of 27 patients, treated by early tangential excision, having similar burn wounds by extent and depth with Group D and DS were used as controls (Group S). There was no significant difference between the time to achieve a clean wound bed in Group D, DS, and S (mean 7.4, 7.1, and 6.9 days respectively, p>0.05). In Group D, none of the patients required blood transfusion, except one. Patients in Group DS were found to have fewer excisions (mean 1.14) when compared to those in Group S (mean 1.55, p<0.05). The shortest hospital stay was found in Group D (12.2 days, p<0.01). In conclusion, the use of CCA, provided a short hospital stay, reduced the overall need for surgery and blood transfusions, in patients with deep dermal burns. Thus, CCA should be considered as an initial treatment of choice for the removal of eschar in children, having a burn wound without infection, and assessed as deep partial-thickness, at admission

A case of congenital chylothorax treated with octreotide

Congenital chylothorax, an abnormal accumulation of chylous fluid in the pleural space, is a common cause of pleural effusion in the neonatal period. The traditional management of chylothorax is conservative. Conservative therapy includes chest drainage, cessation of breast feeding, and using of medium chain triglycerides or total parenteral nutrition. Recently, octreotide, a long-acting somatostatin analog reduced lymphatic fluid production, has been used as a new treatment strategy in the therapy of chylothorax. In a full term newborn with right pleural effusion diagnosed by prenatal ultrasound, congenital chylothorax is confirmed after birth. This patient was initially treated with chest tube insertion. Afterward a mediumchain- triglyceride-enriched formula was initiated. Subcutaneous octreotide was administered to the patient because of non-responded to conservative therapy. The chylothorax resolved promptly with no observed side effects. Octreotide appears to have a good safety drug in newborn infants and remains a promising alternative therapy to surgery for intractable cases with chylothoraces. © The Journal of Current Pediatrics, published by Galenos Publishing