Stereological analysis of sciatic nerve in chickens following neonatal pinealectomy: an experimental study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Although the injury to the peripheral nervous system is a common clinical problem, understanding of the role of melatonin in nerve degeneration and regeneration is incomplete.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The current study investigated the effects of neonatal pinealectomy on the sciatic nerve microarchitecture in the chicken. The chickens were divided into two equal groups: unpinealectomized controls and pinealectomized chickens. At the end of the study, biochemical examination of 10 sciatic nerve samples from both groups was performed and a quantitative stereological evaluation of 10 animals in each group was performed. The results were compared using Mann-Whitney test.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In this study, the results of axon number and thickness of the myelin sheath of a nerve fiber in newly hatched pinealectomy group were higher than those in control group. Similarly, surgical pinealectomy group had significantly larger axonal cross-sectional area than the control group (p < 0.05). In addition, the average hydroxyproline content of the nerve tissue in neonatal pinealectomy group was higher than those found in control group. Our results suggest that melatonin may play a role on the morphologic features of the peripheral nerve tissue and that melatonin deficiency might be a pathophysiological mechanism in some degenerative diseases of peripheral nerves. The changes demonstrated by quantitative morphometric methods and biochemical analysis has been interpreted as a reflection of the effects of melatonin upon nerve tissue.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In the light of these results from present animal study, changes in sciatic nerve morphometry may be indicative of neuroprotective feature of melatonin, but this suggestion need to be validated in the human setting.</p

Utilization of metallic fibers in textiles

Some metal-based fibers should be used in order to provide the technical textiles with desired properties. Therefore, the use of such materials in textile products have been increased with the developing technology. Silver and copper are among the most preferred materials especially in areas such as smart textiles, medical textiles and protective textiles. The advantages of these materials such as conductivity for smart textiles and antibacterial effect for medical textiles are crucial for these types of textiles. In this study, classification of metal and metal-based textile raw materials used in textile products according to their usage areas and a general evaluation of the studies about these areas will be done

Wild silk fibers: Types, properties and utilization areas

As being one of the most important textile fibers, silk has drawn attention of specialists for a long time. Fiber’s extraordinary features, due to its structure, are the reasons for this. This animal fiber, commonly known as silk, is the mulberry silk produced by the silkworm called Bombyx mori. In addition to this, there are also different silk types which are called as “wild silk” and obtained from the cocoons of the worms that they produce for completing their metamorphosis. Although their use is not as common as Mulberry silk, utilization of wild silk fibers - generally produced in India and China - in textiles have been increasing in recent years. There are various studies about wild silk fibers which have different types such as Eri, Muga, Tasar and Tussah. Moreover, spider silk can be categorized in wild silk fiber group. In this study, wild silk types, their properties and utilization in textiles are introduced

The Experience of Symptoms and Information Needs of Cancer Patients Undergoing Radiotherapy

The aim was to determine the symptoms and information needs of cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy (RT). The study population consisted of 345 RT patients accrued over 6 months. Patients' needs for information, sources of information, levels of satisfaction with information, symptoms and demographic factors were assessed by questionnaire and personal interview. Chi-square tests were used to test the correlation between patient variables and information needs/experiences. Most patients (80.9%) experienced RT side effects-fatigue, nausea, vomiting and loss of appetite were the most frequent. More than half of the patients had not received information about RT; however, patients (83.2%) who had problems during the treatment wanted to have information (P < 0.05). The majority of the patients receiving information identified doctors as the primary source. The patients' prioritized needs for information were all the aspects of their diagnosis and treatment and side effects of RT. Overall, the results indicate that most patients require information about their treatment and also experienced a variety of symptoms

Prealbumin is a more sensitive marker than albumin to assess the nutritional status in patients undergoing radiotherapy for head and neck cancer

Aim of the study: The aim of this prospective study was to determine the prevalence of malnutrition and to evaluate a more sensitive marker to assess the nutritional status in patients undergoing RT for head and neck cancer

Radioprotective Effects of Melatonin on Bone Marrow Cells in Total Body Irradiated Mice

This study was undertaken to evaluate the radioprotective effects of melatonin (N-acetyl-5-methyloxy tryptamine) in total body irradiated mice. Albino mice were intraperitoneally (i.p.) treated with 5 or 25 mg/kg melatonin, either 0.5 h before or 0.5 h after exposure to 200 cGy whole body irradiation using a Co-60 gamma-irradiation machine. The animals were divided into six groups. Each group was subdivided equally, half processed for micronuclei examination and the other subgroup was processed for mitotic index assay. All mice were sacrificed 24 h following treatment. The incidence of micronuclei formation and mitotic index in these bone marrow cells (BMCs) were determined for all groups. The results showed that melatonin caused a significant reduction in micronuclei formation and mitotic index of bone marrow cells depending of the melatonin dose and administration time. Administration of one single 25 mg/kg melatonin dose given before irradiation, reduced bone marrow cell mitotic index and micronuclei formation significantly (p < 0.05). However, no significant effect was observed when melatonin was given after irradiation. The data obtained from this study indicated that melatonin administration may have an active role in protection against damage inflicted by radiation when given prior to exposure to irradiation and not after, depending on it's dosage

Gamma radiation sensitivity of larvae and adults of the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum Herbst

In this study, the susceptibility of larvae and adults of Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) to gamma radiation was investigated in the laboratory in Turkey. Gamma radiation was applied at 6 dose levels between 20 and 200 Gy to 13-15 day-old adults and at 5 dose levels between 20 and 180 Gy to 18-20 day-old larvae of T. castaneum. All experiments were performed in growth chambers maintained at 27+/-1degreesC and 70+/-5% r.h. The larvae proved to be the more susceptible stage, survival to the adult stage being prevented by exposure of the eggs to 100 Gy; the adult stage was less susceptible. LD50 and LD99 values were determined as 19,75 and 42,97 Gy for larvae and 33,21 and 64,50 Gy for adult stage, respectively. It was concluded that 100 Gy is the effective dose for both larval and adult stages

Primary calvarial osteosarcoma: A case report Primary cranial osteosarcoma: Olgu Sunumu

Osteosarcoma (OS) is a malignant tumor of mesenchymal origin and composed of osteoid tissue or immature bone production. OS of the skull is exceedingly rare and devastating tumors. The overall prevalence of primary craniofacial OS is around 2-9% in published series, while the prevalence of pure cranial localization is 1-2%. It usually develops secondary to preexisting bone diseases or after the radiation therapy. Local recurrence rates are 26-69% and five-year survival rate is 25-37%. Amongst primary craniofacial OS, skull lesions appear the have the worst prognosis. In this report, the clinical, radiologic, pathological features, recommended treatment and prognosis of a 26-year-old female patient diagnosed with primary calvarial osteosarcoma has been discussed