The effects of the inhaled formaldehyde during the early postnatal period in the hippocampus of rats: A morphological and immunohistochemical study

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of formaldehyde (FA) gas inhalation during the early postnatal period on the heat shock proteins 70 kDa (Hsp70) synthesis and morphological changes in the hippocampus in developmental process of rats and to determine whether the changes was reversible or not. Neonatal rats were exposed to 0 (control), 6 and 12 ppm FA gas throughout 30 day period following the birth. After the exposure to FA, some animals from each concentration group were decapitated at the day 30. Despite cessation of FA exposure, other groups were left for decapitation until the days of 60th and 90th. The brain samples were stained with Hsp70 as immunohistochemically and H&E. In the samples, pyramidal cell layer in the hippocampus was examined. Hsp70 (+) neurons were found in the hippocampus of rats that inhaled FA on the 30th day. Furthermore, a considerable increase on the count of pyknotic neurons in these groups. But, on the other hand, in the 60th and 90th days, Hsp70 immunostaining and the count of pyknotic cells were found to be diminishing in FA inhaled groups. In conclusion, inhalation of FA gas in cytotoxic concentrations during early postnatal period causes increase in Hsp70 synthesis and damages the rat's hippocampus. Diminishment or disappearance of these negative changes in the 60th and 90th days indicates a reversible change in rats

Temporal variations of Eastern Black Sea aerosol

In this study, chemical composition of coarse (PM2.5-10) and fine (PM2.5) aerosols and their seasonal characteristics was used to investigate factors affecting seasonal variations in concentrations of species. Concentrations of 17 trace elements and SO(4)(2-)were determined in coarse and fine aerosol samples collected at a high altitude (1115 m above sea level) site (Torul, 40 degrees 32'34 '' N 39 degrees 16'57 '' E) between March 2011 to November 2012 on the Eastern Black Sea region of Turkey. The samples were analyzed by energy dispersive x-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) using an Oxford ED-2000 Spectrometer. Measured concentrations varied between approximat ely 0.40 +/- 0.7 ng m(-3) for As and 2070 +/- 1270 ng m(-3) for SO42-. Soil-derived elements, Al, Si, K, Ca, Ti, V and Fe, had higher concentrations in the coarse fraction as expected. The results indicated that concentrations of elements showed well-defined seasonal variations. Crustal elements showed higher concentration in summer. Na, which is an element generally associated with sea salt had also higher concentrations in summer season, suggesting a strong crustal contribution to Na concentration at our station. Anthropogenic elements As, Zn, Pb and Cr had comparable concentrations in both seasons. Cu, Ni, and V, had higher concentrations in winter season due to sources close to sampling point. Crustal enrichment factors of Ni, Cu, Cr, As, Pb, Zn and SO42- varied between 12 for Ni and 800 for SO42-. Upper atmospheric flow climatology showed that most frequent flow direction was the sector between West and North, indicating the regions between these wind sectors are the potential source regions for the observed levels of species

Association of OSR-1 With Vascular Dysfunction and Hypertension in Polycystic Kidney Disease

Autosomal-dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is associated with oxidative stress and hypertension development before renal function decline and cardiovascular disease development. Oxidative stress-responsive kinase-1 (OSR-1) participates in the signaling regulating Na+ transport during oxidative stress and also plays a role in the regulation of cell volume and blood pressure. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the potential role of OSR-1 in ADPKD patients. Eighty ADPKD patients, 80 healthy controls, and 80 non-ADPKD patients with hypertension were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. Twenty-four-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring was conducted in all participants. Blood samples were taken after 12-h fasting for the measurement of biochemical parameters and OSR-1 gene expression. Vascular dysfunction was assessed using ischemia-induced forearm flow-mediated vasodilation (FMD). Briefly, of the 80 ADPKD patients, 41(51%) were male, and 53(66%) of them were hypertensive. The mean age of the 80 controls was 35.3 +/- 12.6 years, and 37(46%) of them were male. The mean age of the 80 non-ADPKD patients with hypertension was 44.6 +/- 11.9 years, and 38(47.5) of them were male. There were significant differences in serum OSR-1 gene expression between the ADPKD patients and the control subjects. Serum OSR-1 gene expression was also significantly increased in hypertensive ADPKD patients in comparison with both normotensive ADPKD counterparts and non-ADPKD hypertensive subjects. Serum OSR-1 gene expression was increased in patients with ADPKD than healthy subjects. Low estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), OSR-1 gene expression, total kidney volume (TKV), and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) were also independently associated with hypertension in ADPKD patients

Hypoxia-inducible factors in arteriovenous fistula maturation: A prospective cohort study

Background Neointimal hyperplasia is the main cause of arteriovenous fistula (AVF) failure. Hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs) factors are associated with neointimal hyperplasia. Thus, we investigated the association between HIF-2 alpha (HIF-2 alpha) and AVF maturation in end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) patients. Methods This prospective cohort study was conducted in 21 voluntary healthy subjects and 50 patients with ESKD who were eligible for AVF creation. Inclusion criteria were being ESKD patients without a history of AVF surgery and dialysis. Eight patients excluded from the study due to having unavailable veins six patients were excluded due to acute thrombosis after surgery. One patient lost to follow-up. A total of 35 patients were included in final analysis. The blood samples were collected a day before the AVF surgery for biochemical parameters and HIF-2 alpha measurement. HIF-2 alpha levels were measured by the ELISA method. Results Compared with healthy subjects, ESKD patients had a significantly higher level of HIF-2 alpha. [1.3 (1.0-1.9) vs 2.2 (1.6-3.0)] (P = .002). Patients were divided into two groups after the evaluation of AVF maturation, as the mature group (n = 19) and the failure group (n = 16). Serum HIF-2 alpha level was 1.7 (1.1-1.8) in the mature group; however, it was 3.1 (2.8-3.3 in failure group (P .001). Multiple logistic regression analyses showed that HIF-2 alpha independently predicted AVF maturation. The ROC curve analysis showed that HIF-2 alpha > 2.65 predicted AVF maturation failure with the 87% sensitivity and 94% specificity [AUC:0.947, 95% CI (0.815-0.994),P .001]. Conclusions HIF-2-alpha levels were higher in ESKD patients than healthy subjects. HIF-2-alpha could be a marker of AVF maturation failure

Association between liver fibrosis and coronary heart disease risk in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Background Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is being increasingly recognized as the most common cause of chronic liver disease worldwide. It has been shown that NAFLD in adults is associated with increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). Because of the limitations of liver biopsy, noninvasive scoring indexes such as the NAFLD fibrosis score (NFS) were developed. The Framingham risk score (FRS) provides an estimate of CHD risk. In our study we aimed to investigate whether the severity of liver fibrosis estimated with the NFS is associated with a higher risk of CHD among individuals with ultrasonography-diagnosed NAFLD