Expression of vascular endothelial growth factor and transforming growth factor alpha in rat testis during chronic renal failure

Introduction. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is known to influence testis function. Transforming growth factor alpha (TGF-α) is expressed in the postnatal testis, and has been demonstrated to stimulate testis development. Systemic diseases such as chronic renal failure (CRF) interfere with hypothalamic-pituitary-go­nadal axis, which may cause defective steroidogenesis and gonadal functions. The aim of this study was to inve­stigate the expression and localization of VEGF and TGF-α in testicular tissues of experimental CRF model. Material and methods. Experimental CRF was induced in rats by the resection of more than 85% of renal mass. The expression of VEGF and TGF-α in testicular tissues were assessed by immunohistochemistry on paraffin sections of control, CRF-nondialysed and CRF-dialysed rats. Results. The microscopic evaluation of the testicular structure showed that CRF did not affect testicular histology. Immunohistochemical evaluation showed that VEGF was expressed in the cytoplasm of primary and secondary spermatocyte series as well as the early spermatids. Staining intensity was lower in sperma­tocytes going through the first meiotic division. TGF-α was expressed in the nuclei of spermatogonia and primary spermatocytes with stronger staining intensity in spermatogonia. The intensity of VEGF staining was similar in control and experimental animals, however, TGF-α expression was lower in the CRF group.Conclusions. The continuous expression of VEGF in spermatocytes and spermatids suggests that the applied model of CRF does not directly disrupt morphology of seminiferous epithelium, thus also spermiogenesis. However, difference between control rats and CRF group in TGF-α immunopositivity, which was localised in spermatogonial mitosis step, may suggest the interference of CRF with early stages of spermatogenesis.

The effects of docosahexaenoic acid on glial derived neurotrophic factor and neurturin in bilateral rat model of Parkinson's disease.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder marked by cell death in the Substantia nigra (SN). Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is the major polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) in the phospholipid fraction of the brain and is required for normal cellular function. Glial cell line derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) and neurturin (NTN) are very potent trophic factors for PD. The aim of the study was to evaluate the neuroprotective effects of GDNF and NTN by investigating their immunostaining levels after administration of DHA in a model of PD. For this reason we hypothesized that DHA administration of PD might alter GDNF, NTN expression in SN. MPTP neurotoxin that induces dopaminergic neurodegeneration was used to create the experimental Parkinsonism model. Rats were divided into; control, DHA-treated (DHA), MPTP-induced (MPTP), MPTP-induced+DHA-treated (MPTP+DHA) groups. Dopaminergic neuron numbers were clearly decreased in MPTP, but showed an increase in MPTP+DHA group. As a result of this, DHA administration protected dopaminergic neurons as shown by tyrosine hydroxylase immunohistochemistry. In the MPTP+DHA group, GDNF, NTN immunoreactions in dopaminergic neurons were higher than that of the MPTP group. In conclusion, the characterization of GDNF and NTN will certainly help elucidate the mechanism of DHA action, and lead to better strategies for the use of DHA to treat neurodegenerative diseases

Military tuberculosis and tuberculous meningitis occuring following cuboidal osteomyelitis due to tuberculosis: Case report

Tüberküloz (tbc) dünyada en yaygın infeksiyonlardan biridir. Akciğer dışı organ ve doku tüberkülozlarına ekstrapulmoner tbc adı verilir. Ekstrapulmoner tutulum tüm tbc olgularının yaklaşık % 20'sinde görülmektedir. Bu yazıda, küboid kemikteki tüberküloza sekonder olarak tbc meninjit ve miliyer tbc gelişen 25 yaşında bir erkek olgu sunulmuştur. Literatürde tüberküloza bağlı meninjit.ve kraniyal kemik osteomyeliti birlikteliği bildirilmiştir, ancak ekstrakraniyal kemik ostemyeliti ve tbc meninjit ile miliyer tbc birlikteliğine rastlanmamıştır. Bu olgu; aynı anda tüberküloza bağlı birden çok organ tutulumu görülmesi nedeniyle yayınlanmaya değer bulunmuştur.Tuberculosis is one of the most common infectious diseases in the world. Tuberculosis that involves organs and tissues other than lungs is named as extrapulmoner tuberculosis. Extrapulmonary involvement is seen in about 20% of all tuberculosis cases. In this report, a 25-year-old male with miliary tbc and tbc meningitis occuring following cuboidal osteomyelitis due to tuberculosis is presented. In the literature some cases are presented with tbc meningitis and cranial osteomyelitis that occur together, but there has been no case with concurrent extracranial tbc osteomyelitis and tbc meningitis. This case is presented because of tuberculous multiorgan involvement

Analysis of the involvement of the thyroid gland using computed tomography in patients with suspected SARS-CoV-2 infection: A retrospective study

OBJECTIVE: SARS-CoV-2 primarily infects the respiratory tract and leads to severe pneumonia by binding to the ACE-2 receptor. The virus can also interact with ACE-2 receptors expressed in other tissues as in thyroid. This study predicted the complications involving the thyroid in patients with suspected SA RS-CoV-2. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with suspected SARS-CoV-2 infection between March 11, 2020-May 31, 2020 were retrospectively evaluated. Sixty-nine patients who were radiologically diagnosed as COVID-19 according to thoracic CT and had previously performed thoracic CT before November 2019 were included in the study according to the exclusion and inclusion criteria. Age and gender-matched controls (No. 69) were selected with normal thoracic CT whose PCR tests were also negative. Thyroid densities of participants were calculated and compared from the previous and current thoracic CTs. Results were also compared with the control group. RESULTS: Participants were composed of 69 patients (39 male, mean age 64.35 years). Thyroid densities were significantly decreased from 89HU to 76HU for whole gland, from 88HU to 76HU for right lobes and from 87.5HU to 75.5HU for left lobes at current thoracic CTs performed during COVID-19 (p<0.001, p<0.001, p<0.001 respectively). The decrease in densities of the whole thyroid gland. both left and right lobes. was correlated with mortality (p<0.001). The changes in thyroid densities were not correlated with age nor gender. The decreases in HU values of thyroid densities for whole gland, left and right lobes, were correlated with mortality (p<0.001, p<0.001. and p<0.001 respectively). CONCLUSIONS: COVID-19 is a multi-systemic disease that threatens vital organs, including the thyroid. Future studies are needed to investigate the association between SARS-CoV-2 and other complications

An Electrophysiological Study of Peripheral Polyneuropathy in Brucellosis

Background: Brucellosis is an anthropozoonotic disease with heterogeneous clinical presentations. This study aims to investigate the peripheral nervous system (PNS) involvement in brucellosis