The effects of metformın, acetylsalıcylıc acıd and ıbuprofen on telomerase enzyme actıvıty: ınhıbıtory effect of ıbuprofen

Telomerase enzyme is necessary for the elongation of telomeres while telomerase being critical for aging and cancer. Metformin, ibuprofen, and acetylsalicylic acid used in this research are drugs that millions of people already use and that many are likely to use in future. In this study, the effects of these drugs on telomerase activity of Mus musculus swiss albino mice in liver tissue were investigated and the telomerase activity was measured with a PCR-ELISA based kit. In the study a possible connection between telomerase enzyme activity and activities of antioxidant enzymes was also investigated by determining the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase enzymes. The data obtained show that metformin slightly decreased telomerase enzyme activity in low dose application; however, this change was not statistically significant. In ibuprofen application, there was a significant inhibitory effect when high doses were used; whereas, there was a slight inhibitory effect at low doses. In acetylsalicylic acid application, a slight activator effect was detected; it was not statistically significant, though. Metformin was observed to increase catalase and SOD activities in general while low and high doses of acetyl salicylic acid showed different effects. In addition, ibuprofen caused a statistically significant increase in liver SOD values. It is important to note that this study demonstrated a significant inhibitory effect of ibuprofen on telomerase enzyme activity in animal models

Do Bmı or Waıst-to-Hıp Ratıo Interfere wıth The Number of Oocytes Retrıeved ın IVF Cycles?

The effect of obesity on ovarian response to ovulation induction and on in vitro fertilization (IVF) outcome is controversial. This controversy might stem from the fact that almost all studies on the subject use body mass index (BMI) for obesity measurement. We aimed to determine which obesity measure predicts the possible effect of obesity on ovarian response in IVF patients. In this retrospective study, patients who presented for IVF and underwent an antagonist protocol were included. Their histories and cycle properties were recorded, as well as their BMI and waist-to-hip (W/H) ratios. A total of 35 patients were included. While normal BMI significantly lowered the gonadotropin dose, normal W/H ratio increased the antral follicle count (AFC). Both BMI and W/H ratio did not significantly affect either the number of oocytes retrieved or the metaphase II oocytes. Ovulation induction during IVF cycles can overcome the adverse effects of obesity on ovarian reserve. Large-sample-sized, well-designed studies must be performed to clarify the best obesity measurement method for infertility treatment and to determine the real effect of obesity on IVF success

MIR376A is a regulator of starvation-induced autophagy

Background: Autophagy is a vesicular trafficking process responsible for the degradation of long-lived, misfolded or abnormal proteins, as well as damaged or surplus organelles. Abnormalities of the autophagic activity may result in the accumulation of protein aggregates, organelle dysfunction, and autophagy disorders were associated with various diseases. Hence, mechanisms of autophagy regulation are under exploration. Methods: Over-expression of hsa-miR-376a1 (shortly MIR376A) was performed to evaluate its effects on autophagy. Autophagy-related targets of the miRNA were predicted using Microcosm Targets and MIRanda bioinformatics tools and experimentally validated. Endogenous miRNA was blocked using antagomirs and the effects on target expression and autophagy were analyzed. Luciferase tests were performed to confirm that 3’ UTR sequences in target genes were functional. Differential expression of MIR376A and the related MIR376B was compared using TaqMan quantitative PCR. Results: Here, we demonstrated that, a microRNA (miRNA) from the DlkI/Gtl2 gene cluster, MIR376A, played an important role in autophagy regulation. We showed that, amino acid and serum starvation-induced autophagy was blocked by MIR376A overexpression in MCF-7 and Huh-7 cells. MIR376A shared the same seed sequence and had overlapping targets with MIR376B, and similarly blocked the expression of key autophagy proteins ATG4C and BECN1 (Beclin 1). Indeed, 3’ UTR sequences in the mRNA of these autophagy proteins were responsive to MIR376A in luciferase assays. Antagomir tests showed that, endogenous MIR376A was participating to the control of ATG4C and BECN1 transcript and protein levels. Moreover, blockage of endogenous MIR376A accelerated starvation-induced autophagic activity. Interestingly, MIR376A and MIR376B levels were increased with different kinetics in response to starvation stress and tissue-specific level differences were also observed, pointing out to an overlapping but miRNA-specific biological role. Conclusions: Our findings underline the importance of miRNAs encoded by the DlkI/Gtl2 gene cluster in stress-response control mechanisms, and introduce MIR376A as a new regulator of autophagy

Migraine headaches among university students using id migraine test as a screening tool

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Migraine is a significant health problem, especially for the young people, due to its frequency and accompanying morbidity, causing disability and loss of performance. In this study, our aim was to determine the prevalence of migraine headaches among university students in Edirne, a Turkish city.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In this cross-sectional and descriptive study, study population was composed of students registered to Trakya University in the academic year of 2008-2009. Out of these, 3694 of them accepted to participate. Participants who had two or more headaches in the last 3 months formed the headache group. Afterwards, two preliminary questions were applied to the headache group and participants with at least one affirmative response were asked to perform the validated ID-Migraine™ test.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The mean age of 3694 students participated in the study was 19.23 ± 1.84 (17-39 years), with adolescents:adult ratio being 2.5:1. 1613 students (43.7%) did have at least two headaches in the last three months. Migraine-type headache was detected in 266 subjects (7.2%) based on the ID-Migraine™ test. Of the migraine group, 72 were male (27.1%) and 194 were female (72.9%). There was no significant difference in migraine prevalence between adolescent and adult age groups.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>With a prevalence similar to adults, primary care physicians should be aware of the probability of migraine headaches in university students in order to maintain a successful school performance.</p

Impact of opioid-free analgesia on pain severity and patient satisfaction after discharge from surgery: multispecialty, prospective cohort study in 25 countries

Background: Balancing opioid stewardship and the need for adequate analgesia following discharge after surgery is challenging. This study aimed to compare the outcomes for patients discharged with opioid versus opioid-free analgesia after common surgical procedures.Methods: This international, multicentre, prospective cohort study collected data from patients undergoing common acute and elective general surgical, urological, gynaecological, and orthopaedic procedures. The primary outcomes were patient-reported time in severe pain measured on a numerical analogue scale from 0 to 100% and patient-reported satisfaction with pain relief during the first week following discharge. Data were collected by in-hospital chart review and patient telephone interview 1 week after discharge.Results: The study recruited 4273 patients from 144 centres in 25 countries; 1311 patients (30.7%) were prescribed opioid analgesia at discharge. Patients reported being in severe pain for 10 (i.q.r. 1-30)% of the first week after discharge and rated satisfaction with analgesia as 90 (i.q.r. 80-100) of 100. After adjustment for confounders, opioid analgesia on discharge was independently associated with increased pain severity (risk ratio 1.52, 95% c.i. 1.31 to 1.76; P &lt; 0.001) and re-presentation to healthcare providers owing to side-effects of medication (OR 2.38, 95% c.i. 1.36 to 4.17; P = 0.004), but not with satisfaction with analgesia (beta coefficient 0.92, 95% c.i. -1.52 to 3.36; P = 0.468) compared with opioid-free analgesia. Although opioid prescribing varied greatly between high-income and low- and middle-income countries, patient-reported outcomes did not.Conclusion: Opioid analgesia prescription on surgical discharge is associated with a higher risk of re-presentation owing to side-effects of medication and increased patient-reported pain, but not with changes in patient-reported satisfaction. Opioid-free discharge analgesia should be adopted routinely

Use of Cloud Computing Applications in Reference Services

Bulut bilişim, herhangi bir yazılım ve depolama birimi olmaksızın, masaüstü-dizüstü bilgisayar, tablet PC veya akıllı telefonlar kullanılarak internet üzerinden bilgiye erişim sağlayan bir bilişim platformudur. Kütüphaneler gibi birçok kurum zamandan ve paradan tasarruf etmek için bu uygulamaları kullanmaktadır. Kütüphaneler danışma hizmetlerini yeni teknolojilere göre uyarlamakta ve hizmetlerini söz konusu bilişim ortamına taşımaktadır. Bu çalışmada bulut bilişimin tanımı, sunduğu fırsatlar ve zorluklardan kısaca bahsedilmekte ayrıca danışma hizmetlerinde bulut tabanlı uygulamaların nasıl kullanılabileceğine yer verilmektedir. Bu bağlamda Ankara’da bulunan üniversite kütüphanelerinde çalışan danışma kütüphanecilerinin bulut tabanlı yazılım olarak hizmet (Software as a Service - SaaS) araçlarının ne ölçüde kullandıklarını belirlemek amacıyla bir anket uygulanmıştır. Anket sonuçlarına göre, danışma hizmetlerinde bu araçların kullanım oranlarının çok düşük olduğu görülmektedir. / Cloud computing is a computing platform that allows access the information over internet by using desktop computers, laptops, tablet PCs and smart phones without any software and storage unit. Many organizations use this technology and save time and money, such as libraries. Libraries have been adopting their reference services to the new technology and library services have been moving to the cloud. This paper defines cloud computing, presents the opportunities and challenges, also include how to use cloud based applications in reference services. A survey was applied to identify the use of cloud based Software as a Service (SaaS) models by references librarians who work at university libraries in Ankara. According to results, the degree of usage of this tools generally low