The Short-Term Effect of Eugenol on the Prevention of Experimentally Induced Myringosclerosis in a Rat Model

Objective:The aim of our study was to assess the possible short-term effects of topical and oral eugenol on the suppression of experimentally developed myringosclerosis (MS).Methods:Four groups of seven male Wistar albino rats were used in the study. The tympanic membranes (TMs) of all subjects were myringotomized, and group 1 was given no treatment (as control group), group 2 received saline, group 3 had received topical eugenol and group 4 received oral eugenol.Results:In macroscopic evaluation the control and saline groups showed much more MS compared to the topical and oral eugenol groups which had statistically significantly less changes (p<0.05). Fibrosis and inflammation regarding the lamina propria (LP) of the eardrums of the topical and oral eugenol groups were significantly less than those of the control and saline groups (p<0.001). In microscopic evaluation, TMs were found to be thicker in the control and saline groups (p<0.001).Conclusion:Our study showed that the application of topical and oral forms of eugenol reduced fibrosis and prevented the advancement of MS in the LP of the TMs in the short-term. More studies with different extracts are needed to investigate the efficacy of phytotherapeutic agents for preventing MS development following myringotomy

Pre service science teachers knowledge attitudes and ethical approaches regarding biotechnology

Biotechnology which is the fastest growing and most rapidly changing technology in the twenty-first century (Ravi, Baunthiyal, & Saxena, 2014). Even if biotechnology has great importance within the sciences, it is not still prominent field in the scope of science education (Borgerding, Sadler & Koroly, 2013). The purpose of this study was to investigate pre-service science teachers’ (PST) content knowledge, attitude and ethical approach regarding biotechnology. A total of 275 PST attending to faculty of education at a mid-sized university in Turkey participated in the study. Data were collected through Content Knowledge about Biotechnology Scale (Prokop, Leškova, Kubiatko, & Diran, 2007), Attitudes towards Biotechnology Applications Scale (Özel, Erdogan, Uşak, & Prokop, 2009) and Ethical Approach to the Application of Biotechnology Scale (Yuce, 2011). Findings of the study indicated that PST generally have average content knowledge of biotechnology and a positive attitudes toward biotechnology applications. However, PST did not seem to support any biotechnological intervention used for living being. In addition, significant differences were not found in PST’s mean scores of year at university and gender

Characterization of the BETA1 gene, which might play a role in Beta vulgaris subsp. Maritima salt tolerance

Salinity stress has a negative impact on plant growth, which affects homeostasis and productivity. The uptake of nonessential salt ions changes the osmotic balance of the cell and causes dehydration. Higher plants develop salt tolerance mechanisms to avoid dehydration. Sea beet (Beta vulgaris subsp. maritima) is a halophytic ancestor of cultivated sugar beet that displays salt stress tolerance. In this study, we screened a B. vulgaris subsp. maritima cDNA library in Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain Ab11c (ena1Δ, nha1/4Δ, nhx1Δ), which is deficient in sodium transport, to find sodium-detoxifying genes. We identified a cDNA construct, named BETA1, providing salt tolerance to yeast cells. This gene had no previously described function. Intracellular sodium measurements demonstrated no significant differences between yeast cells expressing BETA1 or a sham vector, suggesting that sodium was not effluxed in BETA1-expressing cells. Transcriptionally, BETA1 mRNA levels were induced immediately in leaves and later in the root system in response to the salt stress. Our results suggest that the BETA1 gene is part of the salt tolerance network in B. vulgaris subsp. maritima.Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (115Z694