QUALITY ASSURANCE AND THE BOLOGNA PROCESS IN HIGHER EDUCATION

Abstrac

The effect of alpha-lipoic acid on NOS dispersion in the lung of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

Oxidative stress and impaired bioactivity of nitric oxide (NO) play an important role in the organ pathogenesis and angiopathic complications of diabetes mellitus. In this study, we evaluated the effects of a-lipoic acid (ALA) on nitric oxide synthase (NOS) in lung tissues. ALA is a strong antioxidant. We wonder how it can affect oxidative stress and NO in the lung cells and vessels of diabetic rats. Wistar rats were divided into four groups; control, diabetic [65 mg/kg streptozotocin (STZ) for 15 days], STZ+ALA-treated (65 mg/kg ALA every 2 days for 15 days), and ALA-only-treated animals. At the end of the experimental period, lipid peroxidation, superoxide dismutase (SOD), and inducible NOS (iNOS) and endothelial NOS (eNOS) distribution were evaluated. Oxidative stress decreased with ALA in diabetic animals, and SOD also increased with ALA. iNOS and eNOS increased in diabetic animals, and ALA prevented iNOS increment in lung tissues. As a result, ALA can prevent some diabetic effects on the lungs and can also protect from vascular damages. (c) 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

THE ANTIOXIDANT AND ANTIAPOPTOTIC EFFECT OF BORIC ACID ON HEPATOXICITY IN CHRONIC ALCOHOL-FED RATS

The harmful use alcohol is a worldwide problem involving all ages. This study aims to investigate chronic alcohol exposure related hepatotoxicity on the rats liver and possible hepatoprotective effects of boric acid. Rats were separated into four different group: control, ethanol, ethanol+boric acid and boric acid. We measured malondialdehyde levels (MDA), total sialic acid (TSA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) levels which are known to be the markers of alcohol damage and also caspase-3, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) as the markers of apoptosis were measured. In ethanol group MDA, TSA and TNF-α levels increased whereas SOD and CAT levels decreased compared with control group. Ethanol+boric acid group MDA, TSA, caspase-3 and TNF-α levels decreased whereas SOD and CAT levels increased compared with ethanol group. Histopathological evaluation of light microscope images, immunohistochemical caspase-3 and TNF-α activity in the ethanol+boric acid group were shown to be decreased compared with that in the ethanol group. Our result revealed that ethanol is capable of triggering oxidative stress and apoptosis in the rat liver. We propose that boric acid is an effective compound in protecting the rat liver against ethanol.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author

Effects of pentoxifylline and platelet activating factor on sperm DNA damage

WOS: 000371187300024PubMed ID: 26748389Objective: Pentoxifylline and platelet-activating factor (PAF) have been used to increase sperm motility in embryology laboratories. In the present study, we aimed to investigate whether these agents pose sperm DNA damage using DNA sperm chromatin dispersion (SCD) assay. Study design: Following application of pentoxifylline and PAF, sperm samples of 50 individuals with different sperm parameters were compared to baseline in terms of DNA damage using SCD assay. Furthermore, the relationship between DNA damage and sperm parameters in predicting DNA damage was assessed. Results and conclusions: Significant increase in DNA damage was observed following application of PAF and pentoxifylline. Furthermore, DNA damage was significantly increased with application of pentoxifylline compared to PAF. Sperm motility was observed to be a statistically significant indicator in predicting alterations in DNA damage in baseline and subsequent to application of PAF and pentoxifylline independent of sperm concentration and morphology. Increased DNA damage was observed in both groups following application of pentoxifylline and PAF. Furthermore, the increase in DNA damage was higher in samples treated with pentoxifylline compared to samples treated with PAF. Thus, PAF seems to be more innocent in choosing viable sperm cells and in achieving sperm motility in the in vitro fertilization laboratory. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.Istanbul Bilim University Faculty of Medicine BAPKO ProjectIstanbul Bilim University Faculty of Medicine BAPKO Project

The impact of vessel clamps on endothelial integrity and function of saphenous vein grafts

İstanbul Bilim Üniversitesi, Tıp Fakültesi.Background: Saphenous vein graft (SVG) failure can be associated with endothelial damage during coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Endothelial damage may develop after application of occlusive vessel clamps on SVGs. This study was designed to investigate the effect of plastic and metal clamps on the endothelial integrity and function of SVGs. Methods: Saphenous vein samples were obtained from 10 consecutive patients, who underwent an elective CABG using SVG. Plastic (group 1) and metal (group 2) clamps were sequentially applied on the vein. Each set of clamps (1 plastic and 1 metal) was removed and sampled at 5, 15, and 30 min, respectively. A short SVG segment was removed as control. The samples were fixed for histopathologic study using hematoxylin eosin staining and immunostaining for endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) expression. In each group, endothelial, elastic tissue, muscular layer, and adventitial changes were investigated under light microscope and compared using a histologic scoring system. The intensity of eNOS expression was assessed using histochemical scoring system. Results: In both groups, histopathologic examinations showed progressive endothelial damage in the zones of clamp application, compared with the control group (P < 0.001). Histopathologic changes were more favorable with the metal clamps, compared with the plastic clamps, at 5 and 15 min. No significant increase in endothelial damage occurred after 15 min. The eNOS immunoreactivity of SVGs significantly decreased in the damaged areas of the endothelium (P < 0.05). In metal clamps, the intensity of eNOS immunostaining was significantly high at 5 min, compared with plastic clamps (P < 0.05). However, the intensity of eNOS expression in metal clamps was significantly lower than plastic clamps at 15 min (P < 0.05). No significant difference was observed between the groups at 30 min. Conclusions: The endothelial cells can be better preserved with short-term application of SVGs with metal clamps rather than plastic clamps. These findings suggest that temporary use of metal clamps can be preferred without major effects on vascular integrity and function