Effects of the ATP-dependent K (+)-channel effectors pinacidil and glibenclamide on liver tissue in an experimental model of epilepsy: A histopathological study

Aim: It is known that most of the antiepileptic drugs have negative effects on the liver. Pinacidil is a nonselective opener of KATP channels, including the plasma membrane and mitochondria.  Glibenclamide is an ATP -dependent K channel blocker ensuring the intake of calcium. Our aim in this experimental study was to examine the effects of pinacidil and glibenclamide on the liver tissue of rats with focal epilepsy. Method: Sixty male Sprague Dawley rats (2-4 months old, 200-250 gr) were used in the study. The rats were divided into 4 groups, 15 in each group. The groups were divided into control group, penicillin group, penicillin + pinacidil group and penicillin + glibenclamide group. The craniums of the rats in the control group were opened and normal saline was given; Penicillin (2 µl 500 IU) was intracortically administered to other groups and an experimental epilepsy model was created. At the end of the study, liver tissue of rats was taken and evaluated in terms of vacuolar degeneration, lymphocyte infiltration, vascular congestion, sinusoidal dilatation, necrosis, and Kupffer cell proliferation, radial alignment of hepatic cords, central vein and portal vein dilatation in hepatocytes. Results: Venous congestion, cytoplasmic vacuolization, Kupffer cell proliferation, portal vein dilatation and necrosis were distinct in the group to which pinacidil was administered, and distortion was present in the radial sequence (p<0.001).  In addition, inflammation, venous congestion and hepatocyte necrosis were found to be lower in the glibenclamide given group compared to the control group (p<0.001). Conclusion: It can be suggested that pinacidil treatment caused negative results in liver histopathological parameters, whereas glibenclamide was more protective by reducing inflammation, venous congestion and hepatocyte necrosis

Antioxidant effect of Abelmoschus Esculentus against acetaminophen-induced nephrotoxicity: an experimental study

Acetaminophen(APAP) intoxication is an important cause of nephrotoxicity and hepatotoxicity. N-acetylcysteine(NAC) is used in the treatment, but it has some serious side effects. Abelmoschus esculentus(AE) has various benefits as well as antioxidant effects. This study aims to investigate the effect of AE in APAP-induced acute nephrotoxicity. Forty male Wistar rats were divided into five equal groups: Control, AE, APAP, APAP+AE, and APAP+AE+NAC. Significant changes were observed in serum levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), Neutrophil Gelatinase-Associated Lipocalin(NGAL) and Kidney Injury Molecule-1(KIM-1) after induction with APAP. NGAL and KIM-1 in the AE group remained low compared to those receiving APAP (p=0.022 and p0.001, respectively). When the APAP group was compared with the AE and AE+NAC groups, it was found that even the administration of AE alone significantly decreased NGAL and KIM-1(p=0.036 vs.p=0.029 and p0.001 vs. p0.001, respectively), these results were attributed to the effects of AE on reducing MDA and increasing SOD. Histopathological studies also confirmed these results. These results demonstrated that AE had protective and therapeutic effects on APAP-induced nephrotoxicity. This benefit of AE is due to its antioxidant effect. In addition, AE may also increase the regenerative capacity of the kidney, which APAP reduces

Accuracy of Herdsmen Reporting versus Serologic Testing for Estimating Foot-and-Mouth Disease Prevalence

Herdsman-reported disease prevalence is widely used in veterinary epidemiologic studies, especially for diseases with visible external lesions; however, the accuracy of such reports is rarely validated. Thus, we used latent class analysis in a Bayesian framework to compare sensitivity and specificity of herdsman reporting with virus neutralization testing and use of 3 nonstructural protein ELISAs for estimates of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) prevalence on the Adamawa plateau of Cameroon in 2000. Herdsman-reported estimates in this FMD-endemic area were comparable to those obtained from serologic testing. To harness to this cost-effective resource of monitoring emerging infectious diseases, we suggest that estimates of the sensitivity and specificity of herdsmen reporting should be done in parallel with serologic surveys of other animal diseases.Fil: Morgan, Kenton L.. University of Liverpool; Reino UnidoFil: Handel, Ian G.. University of Edinburgh; Reino UnidoFil: Tanya, Vincent N.. Institute of Agricultural Research for Development; Camerún. Ministry of Scientific Research and Innovation; CamerúnFil: Hamman, Saidou M.. Institute of Agricultural Research for Development; CamerúnFil: Nfon, Charles. Institute of Agricultural Research for Development; CamerúnFil: Bergmann, Ingrid Evelyn. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Ciencias y Tecnología "Dr. Cesar Milstein"; Argentina. Pan American Foot and Mouth Disease Center; BrasilFil: Malirat, Viviana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Ciencias y Tecnología "Dr. Cesar Milstein"; Argentina. Pan American Foot and Mouth Disease Center; BrasilFil: Sorensen, Karl J.. Danish Veterinary Institute for Virus Research; DinamarcaFil: Bronsvoort, Barend M de C,. University of Edinburgh; Reino Unid

Changes of HCO3-/Cl- exchanger activity during meiotic maturation in Balb/c strain mouse oocytes and zygotes

PubMedID: 18719320Intracellular pH-regulatory mechanisms are acquired by growing mouse oocytes with meiotic competence, and these mechanisms become fully active when the oocytes develop to the germinal vesicle (GV) stage as shown in CF1 and Balb/c strains mice. On the other hand, there is some evidence showing that intracellular pH-regulatory mechanisms are inhibited at the stages of Metaphase I (MI) and II (MII) oocytes in the CF1 strain mouse and hamster. Since it has been shown that the intracellular pH regulatory mechanism can be functionally different among mouse strains (e.g., CF1, Balb/c), the aim of this study was to investigate the activity of HCO3-/Cl- exchanger (anion exchanger, AE), which protects cells against alkalosis during the meiotic maturation process, in the GV oocyte up to the pronuclear (PN) zygote derived from the Balb/c strain mouse. Intracellular pH (pHi) was recorded using a microspectrofluorometric technique during meiotic maturation stages. KSOM-based solutions were used as culture and recording solutions. AE activity was determined using a Cl- removal assay and was reported as the change in pHi per minute. AE activity was high in GV stage oocytes but was significantly inhibited at the MI and MII stages. AE activity was higher in the PN zygote stage. This activity was significantly inhibited in all oocyte and zygote stages by 4,4'-Diisocyanatostilbene-2,2'- disulfonic acid disodium salt. After alkalosis induction, the pHi of MI and MII stage oocytes did not completely recover; however, almost complete recovery occurred in the GV stage oocytes and PN zygotes. These results suggest that AE is inhibited during the meiotic maturation process in the Balb/c strain mouse

Contribution of Na+, HCO3-/Cl- exchanger activity on recovery from induced-acidosis in oocyte, zygote and embryo of Balb/c strain mouse.

40th Annual Meeting of the Society-for-the-Study-of-Reproduction -- JUL 21-25, 2007 -- San Antonio, TXWOS: 000248002500130…Soc Study Repro

An Unusual Complication of Endobronchial Ultrasound-Guided Transbronchial Needle Aspiration (EBUS-TBNA): the Needle Breakage

Endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) is now becoming a widely accepted procedure to investigate the mediastinum for the staging of non-small-cell lung cancer and diagnosing mediastinal lesions. During the intervention, some minor or major complications may occasionally occur. The present case report describes the first reported case of needle breakage during EBUS-TBNA

Changes in the activity of defense mechanisms against induced acidosis during meiotic maturation in mouse oocytes

PubMedID: 21220154Previous work has indicated that although activity of the HCO3-/Cl- exchanger (AE), which regulates intracellular alkalosis, is high in the germinal vesicle (GV) stage, the oocyte is inhibited as it progresses through meiotic maturation. In this study, we aimed to investigate the defense mechanisms against acidosis during the meiotic maturation stages. Intracellular pH (pHi) was recorded using a microspectrofluorometric technique, and Na+/H+ (NHE) and Na+-dependent HCO3-/Cl- exchanger (NDCBE) activity were determined by measuring the recovery rate from induced acidosis. Additionally, SLC9A1 (for NHE) and SLC4A8 (for NDCBE) gene transcription levels were determined by real-time PCR. The recovery rate of first meiotic prophase (GV) oocytes was high, but it decreased during the meiotic metaphase II (MII) stage in HCO3--free medium; it became high again at the pronuclear zygote (PN) stage. Recovery rate was significantly inhibited by 5-(N-ethyl-N-isopropyl) amiloride and cariporide or in the absence of extracellular Na+, implicating NHE, specifically NHE1 activity. Moreover, the level of SLC9A1 transcription correlated with the observed changes in NHE activity. The changes in NHE activity during meiotic maturation displayed a similar pattern to that of AE. The recovery rate from acidosis was significantly higher in MII stage oocytes and PN zygotes in HCO3--containing medium; however, the increase was significantly inhibited in Na+-free medium or 4,4'-diisocyanatostilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid. Furthermore, changes in the transcription of SLC4A8 during meiotic maturation were concordant with the level of exchanger activity. These results indicate that NDCBE activity is present in mouse oocytes and zygotes, and that this activity exhibits a different pattern than that of AE and NHE during meiotic maturation. © 2011 Elsevier Inc.Biotechnology Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences SBAG-3154We gratefully acknowledge our helpful discussions with Dr. Jay M. Baltz. We thank Dr. Jürgen Pünter (Sanofi Aventis, Frankfurt) for the kind gift of cariporide, and Senay Dagilgan for technical assistance. This study was supported by TUBITAK ( SBAG-3154 ) and performed in the Medical Sciences Research and Application Center of Cukurova University, Adana, Turkey

Knowledge and experience regarding perioperative anaphylaxis among anesthesiologists in Istanbul

Anesthesiologists are among the physicians with the highest probability of encountering cases with anaphylaxis. Therefore, they should be familiar with recent developments in anaphylaxis diagnosis and treatment. This study assessed the personal experiences and knowledge of the current diagnostic criteria and management of anaphylaxis among anesthesiologists. Anesthesiologists working in Istanbul were randomly selected and requested to complete a 16-item questionnaire related to their experiences with perioperative anaphylaxis and knowledge about current anaphylaxis guidelines. The study group consisted of 203 physicians; 10.8% of them reported having experienced any case with perioperative anaphylaxis during their own practice. The leading responsible agents were penicillins and other antibiotics (36.3%), followed by neuromuscular blocking agents (32%). Most of the physicians reported hypotension as the most important sign of anaphylaxis under general anesthesia and preferred epinephrine as the first-line medication during anaphylaxis. Antibiotics and neuromuscular blocking agents were the most common causative agents identified in the cases of perioperative anaphylaxis experienced by our study group. Like other health care providers, anesthesiologists should be aware of recent advances in anaphylaxis diagnosis and treatment