The autonomic innervation of the testicular parenchyma: a rat model

The specific roles and direct involvements of autonomic innervations on the spermatogenic process are poorly understood. The aim of this study was to investigate stereologically the relative importance of sympathetic innervations in testicular parenchyma rats in chemically sympathectomized with guanethidine. Treated animals (n=10) were injected intraperitoneally with guanethidine at doses of 10mg/kg/day for 15 days while control animals (n= 5) received an equivalent volume of saline. After routine histological procedures, 5μm thick sections of the testes were selected for examination. Organ volumes were estimated using the Cavalieri Principle of volume measurement by means of consecutive serial sections, using “J Images” software in a computer. At least 10 seminiferous tubules were selected randomly and measured per cross section for evaluation of epithelial heights, luminal diameter and total seminiferous tubule diameter. Testicular volumes and seminiferous tubule measurements of treated animals were found to be affected by the chemical sympathectomy with guanethidine with a a statistically significant difference between experimental and control group (p<0.01). Our findings indicate that chemical sympathectomy with-short term low dose guanethidine might display morphometric changes in the rat testis which indicate the presence of autonomic innervation of its parenchyma

Hypoglycemic activity of Capparis ovata desf. var. palaestina zoh. methanol extract

Caper (Capparis ovata Desf. and Capparis spinosa L.) is naturally widespread in Turkey. Traditionally, buds, fruits, seeds and roots of this plant are used as tonic, diuretic, anti-rheumatic, expectorant, antidiabetic, and antifungal. The aim of this study is to evaluate potential hypoglycemic effect of C. ovata var. palaestina extracts in alloxan-induced diabetic mice. For this purpose; diabetic mice were administered with 100, 300, 500 mg/kg (i.p.) doses of methanol extract of bud and fruit. Blood glucose levels were screened 60, 120, 240 and 360 min. after treatment. Furthermore, high resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) analysis, ABTS and DPPH free radical scavenging activity test, and phenolic and flavonoid compounds analysis of extracts were carried out. The data obtained from in vivo study revealed that fruit-methanol 500 mg/kg (FM3), bud-methanol 300 mg/kg (BM2), bud-methanol 500 mg/kg (BM3) extracts showed significant hypoglycemic activity. All extracts indicated significant antioxidant activity, however bud-methanol (BM) extract demonstrated the most potent antioxidant activity. Moreover high levels of phenolic substances and flavonoids were involved in all extracts, but the highest levels were found in FM extract. HRMS study showed that rutin, quercetin 3-O-glucoside (isoquercitrin) and stachydrine substances had seen in BM extract. The results of this study showed that the C. ovata var. palaestina extracts which, indicate hypoglycemic, antioxidant activities, might provide additional support in diabetes

Doktora başvuru ikilemi: Poliklinik hastalarında veri güvenilirliğinin irdelenmesi

The aim of the study is to investigate the nature of outpatient-based visits to speciality care physicians in outpatient departments of a teaching hospital. A questionnaire which was in a sense “an after-visit summary” that contained patient age, gender and doctor’s major office contact reason was developed. Physicians from different medical disciplines completed the questionnaire on randomly selected visits. Data was analysed statistically by descriptive analysis and cross tabulation. 1184 adult patients were analysed; 587 [49.6 (%)] of them were visited by medicine specialists, and 597 [50.4 (%)] by surgeons. Among all adult admissions, first patients comprised less than half of the workload, 40.8 (%) in surgery and 43.5 (%) in medicine. There was a significant difference between the number of patient contacts in medical and surgical specialities in terms of major visit categories. Compared to first visit, numbers of established patients, office consultation and reporting were significantly higher, whereas number of prehospitalizations was significantly lower in medicine than surgery. As shown in the study, per capita doctors’ visit data is not very reliable, nor is it uniform in OECD database, disabling the comparison between countries.Bu çalışmanın amacı, bir eğitim araştırma hastanesinin farklı polikliniklerine başvuran ayaktan hastaların başvuru nedenlerini incelemektir. Araştırmamızda farklı polikliniklerden hekimler tarafından doldurulan, hastanın yaşı, cinsiyeti ve başvuru nedenini içeren; bir bakıma “muayene sonrası özeti” olan bir çizelge geliştirilmiştir. Hekimler çizelgeyi rastgele seçilen muayeneler arasından tamamlamışlardır. Elde edilen verilerden çapraz tablolar oluşturulmuş ve tanımlayıcı istatistik ile analiz edilmiştir. 1184 yetişkin hasta analiz edilmiş olup; 587'si (%49,6) dahili klinikleri, 597'si (%50,4) cerrahi klinikleri hekimlerince muayene edilmiştir. Tüm yetişkin başvuruları arasındaki hastaların yarısından azı hem dahili [40,84 (%)] hem de cerrahi [43,55 (%)] polikliniklerde ilk kez hekime başvuru yapan hastalardır. Dahili ve cerrahi polikliniklere yapılan hasta başvuru nedenleri arasında önemli bir farklılık bulunmaktadır. İlk muayeneleri kıyasladığımızda dahili branşlarda, takipli hasta sayısı, konsültasyon ve rapor yazdırma sayıları cerrahi branşlara göre önemli ölçüde daha yüksekken, hastaneye yatış öncesi yapılan muayene sayısı cerrahi branşlara göre önemli ölçüde daha düşük çıkmıştır. Çalışmada gösterildiği gibi, doktor başına düşen muayene verileri güvenilir olmamakla birlikte OECD veri tabanında bu konuda tam bir tanım birliği bulunmamaktadır, bu da ülkeler arasındaki karşılaştırma yapılmasını engellemektedir

The effects of rivaroxaban, an oral anticoagulant, on human IVD primary cultures

Introduction: The present study aimed to investigate the potential effects of rivaroxaban, an oral anticoagulant that inhibits the effects of factor Xa, on intact intervertebral disc tissue cells and the extracellular matrix (ECM). Material and methods: Rivaroxaban was applied to primary human cell cultures prepared from tissues of the intervertebral disc. Comparative molecular analyses were performed on non-drug-treated control group samples. Descriptive statistics were presented as the mean +/- standard deviation. An analysis of variance test was performed to determine whether there were significant differences in the mean across the groups. When differences across groups were observed, Tukey's honestly significant difference post-hoc test was used for multiple pairwise comparisons. The significance of the obtained data was determined statistically. The alpha significance value was < 0.05. Results: The cells in the control group and in the rivaroxaban-treated group were viable, healthy, and proliferated (p < 0.05). However, the expression levels of the chondroadherin gene (CHAD), cartilage oligo matrix protein (COMP), matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-13, and MMP-19 genes were changed (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Although rivaroxaban does not suppress cell proliferation due to morphological, biological, and biochemical changes in the intervertebral disc tissue, it may change the expression of genes that are related to ECM maintenance

Effects of vincamine on testicular dysfunction in alloxan-induced diabetic male rats

Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is frequently linked with problems of several organ systems, including retinopathy, neuropathy, and nephropathy. Additionally, patients have changes in sexual functioning, such as decreased libido and fertility. Vincamine, a monoterpenoid indole alkaloid, has hypoglycemic and antioxidant effects. Objectives: This research assessed the impact of vincamine on testicular dysfunction in alloxan-induced male rats by measuring fasting blood glucose, oxidative stress, seminal analysis, and histological examination of the testis. Methods: Wister-albino male rats were randomized into the following groups at random: Untreated-healthy, untreated-DM, vincamine-treated (20 mg/kg) DM, vincamine-treated (40 mg/kg) DM, and clomiphene-treated DM (5 mg/kg). On day 14, rats were sacrificed, and semen/blood samples were collected. Sperm count, motility, and morphological abnormalities were noted by microscopic examination. The testis was examined histopathologically and assessed using Johnsen’s score. Results: Compared with the untreated diabetic group, a dosage of 40 mg/kg vincamine generate a significant reduction in fasting blood sugar (FBG). Compared with the untreated diabetic group, the vincamine-treated rats produced greater plasma testosterone levels and Johnsen scores. In the vincamine 20 mg/kg group, sperm concentration was higher than in the vincamine 40 mg/kg group. Conclusions: It is possible that vincamine has a potential preventive effect against diabetes-related reproductive problems attributable to its antioxidant activity and capacity to restore testicular steroidogenesis

Hepatoprotective effect of Foeniculum vulgare essential oil: A carbon-tetrachloride induced liver fibrosis model in rats

Hepatoprotective activity of Foeniculum vulgare (fennel) essential oil was studied using a carbon tetrachloride-  induced liver fibrosis model in rats. The hepatotoxicity produced by chronic carbon tetrachloride administration  was found to be inhibited by Foeniculum vulgare essential oil with evidence of decreased levels of  serum aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase and bilirubin. Histopathological  findings also suggest that Foeniculum vulgare essential oil prevents the development of chronic liver  damage. The changes in body weights in the rats assigned to the study groups supported these biochemical  and histopathological findings. The results of this study clearly indicate that Foeniculum vulgare essential oil  has a potent hepatoprotective action against carbon tetrachloride-induced liver fibrosis in rats.

The association between different molecular weights of hyaluronic acid and CHAD, HIF-1 alpha, COL2A1 expression in chondrocyte cultures

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of three different formulations of hyaluronic acid (HA): Low molecular weight (MW) Sinovial One((R)), medium MW Viscoplus((R)) and high MW Durolane((R)), on chondrocyte proliferation and collagen type II (COL2A1), hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha (HIF-1 alpha) and chondroadherin (CHAD) expression in primary chondrocyte cultures. Standard primary chondrocyte cultures were established from osteochondral tissues surgically obtained from 6 patients with gonarthrosis. Cell morphology was evaluated using an inverted light microscope; cell proliferation was determined with a MTT assay and confirmed with acridine orange/propidium iodide staining. Levels of CHAD, COL2A1 and HIF-1 alpha expression were assessed using specific TaqMan gene expression assays. The results demonstrated the positive effect of HA treatment on cell proliferation, which was independent from the MW. COL2A1 expression increased in the medium and high MW HA treated groups. It was observed that HIF-1 alpha expression increased in the high MW treated group alone. CHAD expression increased only in the medium MW HA treated group. Evaluation of gene expression revealed that levels of expression increased as the duration of HA application increased, in the medium and high MW HA treated groups. In terms of increased viability and proliferation, a longer duration of HA application was more effective. Taken together, it may be concluded that the administration of medium and high MW HA may be a successful way of treating diseases affecting chondrocytes in a clinical setting

Antiproliferative and apoptotic effects of onobrychis albiflora extract on HCT-116 cells

In this study, the cytotoxic effects of the extracts of methanol: water (80:20) prepared from the above-ground parts of the varieties of Onobrychis albiflora Hub.-Mor., Onobrychis argyrea Boiss. subsp. argyrea, Onobrychis galegifolia Boiss. and Onobrychis tournefortii (Willd.) Desv. species to HCT-116 cells were investigated. With cytotoxicity analysis that with these species inhibitor concentrations (IC50) which resulted in a 50% reduction in the proliferation of HCT-116 cells were identified. In continuation of the study; the antiproliferative and apoptotic effects of Onobrychis albiflora extract on HCT-116 cells were evaluated by Caspase 3, Annexin V / PI Apoptosis / Necrosis analysis, Apopxin Green and 7-AAD Apoptosis / Necrosis analysis. The antiproliferative, apoptotic and necrotic effects of Onobrychis albiflora extract on HCT-116 cells also were determined

Preclinical evaluation of scorzonera sp root extracts and major compounds against acute hepatotoxicity induced by carbon tetrachloride

WOS: 000419284200007Evaluation of hepatoprotective activities of Scorzonera roots and their major compounds, was aimed in current study. Scorzonera latifolia, S. tomentosa, S. mollis ssp. szowitsii, S. parviflora and S. cana var. jacquiniana roots, methanol-water (80:20) extracts together with chlorogenic acid, scorzotomentosin-4'-O-beta-glucoside, hydrangenol-8-O-beta-glucoside as major compounds isolated from S. latifolia roots were tested for their hepatoprotective activities. Sprague Dawley rats were used for experiment and hepatotoxicity was induced by carbon tetrachloride. Aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase levels were measured and all results were confirmed by histopathological examination. Plasma aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase levels of examined groups were not significant when compared to carbon tetrachloride-treated groups. However histopathological results have revealed that all tested groups have less damage when compared to carbon tetrachloride group except scorzotomentosin-4'-O-beta-glucoside and hydrangenol-8-O-beta-glucoside groups. Scorzonera species displayed moderate hepatoprotective activities against carbon tetrachloride induced acute toxicity. Chlorogenic acid, among tested compounds exhibited higher activity than all tested Scorzonera species as well as other isolated compounds. Therefore chlorogenic acid could be suggested as responsible compound

Effects of etanercept, a tumor necrosis factor receptor fusion protein, on primary cell cultures prepared from intact human intervertebral disc tissue

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of etanercept (ETA), a tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitor, on human cell cultures prepared from intact intervertebral disc tissue. ETA is used as a treatment for cases of rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, axial spondyloarthritis and ankylosing spondylitis accompanied by moderate or severe joint pain. ETA was applied to primary cell cultures [annulus fibrosus and nucleus pulposus (NP) from intact intervertebral disc tissue]. Cell cultures without ETA treatment served as the control group. Morphological and quantitative molecular analyses of the two groups were performed. The number of viable cells and cell proliferation decreased in the ETA-treated cultures as compared with those in the control group. Furthermore, in the treatment group, the chondroadherin gene, an NP-specific marker, was not expressed after 24 h. By contrast, the cartilage oligo matrix protein was expressed 24, 48 and 72 h post-ETA treatment, while its expression was significantly lower than that in the control group. In addition, the expression of interleukin-1 beta, as well as matrix metallopeptidase-7 and -19, was markedly decreased. Overall, the cell proliferation and gene expression in the ETA-treated cells were significantly different from those in the control group (P<0.05). These results suggest that the treatment duration and dosage of TNF inhibitors, which are used to suppress active inflammation, should be considered in the clinical setting. These biological agents may delay the healing of intervertebral disc tissue damage by slowing cell proliferation and altering gene expression via anabolic and catabolic pathways