The way of “Adipocentric thinking” in the pathophysiology of disease

The worldwide epidemics of obesity and related disorders such as type-2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension, atherosclerosis, metabolic syndrome and sleep apnea as well as obesity related cancer have focused attention on adipobiology. Human body comprises two types of adipose tissue namely brown and white adipose tissue (WAT). Brown adipose tissue is specialized for heat production by non-shivering thermogenesis whereas white adipose tissue serves as the main energy reservoir. However, understanding of the physiology of WAT changed over the past decade by definition of its secretory products which are collectively termed adipokines. As Trayhurn stated in detail “they are highly diverse in terms of physiological function including classical cytokines [e.g. tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin (IL-6)], growth factors [e.g. transforming growth factor-beta (TGFbeta)], satiety hormon (leptin) and proteins of the alternative complement pathway (adipsin); they also include proteins involved in the regulation of blood pressure (angiotensinogen), vascular hemostasis [e.g. plasminogen activator inhibitor- 1 (PAI-1)], lipid metabolism (e.g. retinol binding protein, cholesteryl ester transfer protein), glucose homeostasis (e.g. adiponectin) and angiogenesis (e.g. vascular endothelial growth factor)”1. Endocrine effects of adipocyte-secreted substances has been suggested to be the pathophysiologic link between health and disease in many disorders. Most of these adipocyte-derived secretory products were extensively studied in the pathophysiology of various diseases2-6. Evidence suggest that adipokines may also contribute to pathophysiology of several diseases as paracrine mediators besides endocrine action. The pathophysiologic link between adipocyte penumbra and the disease includes mesenteric fat and Crohn's disease, mammary gland-associated adipose tissue and breast cancer, periadventitial fat (tunica adiposa) and atherosclerosis, periprostatic adipose tissue and prostate cancer, and infrapatellar fat pad and osteoarthritis. Obese state is characterized by a chronic low-grade inflammation. Furthermore, the site of inflammation induced by adipokines may be local or systemic (i.e. paracrine or endocrine). In this issue Chaldakov et al.,7 discussed paracrine importance of adipose tissue and brought about cultivation of an “adipocentric thinking” which places adipose tissue-generated inflammation at the very heart of pathophysiologic basis of disease. They state that maintaining the balance between pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory adipokines requires yin-and-yang model of adipocyte secretion. Furthermore, they discuss adipoparacrinology of atherosclerosis, breast and prostate cancer. Again, an emerging field coming with emerging hope

Turfgrass species response exposed to increasing rates of glyphosate application

To investigate the response of nine turfgrass species exposed to increasing rates of glyphosate application, the dry matter production, visual leaf injury symptoms (e.g., chlorosis and necrosis) and the concentrations of shikimate and mineral nutrients were determined in shoots. The rates of foliar glyphosate application were 0%, 5% (1.58 mM), and 20% (6.32mM) of the recommended application rate for weed control. In general, there was a negative and weak correlation between the intensity of visual injury and relative decreases in shoot dry matter production caused by glyphosate application. The decreases in shoot dry matter production and the severity of leaf damage pronounced by increasing glyphosate rate showed a substantial variation among the turfgrass species. Of the turfgrass species tested, Festuca arundinacea ‘Falcon’ and Buchloe dactyloides ‘Bowie’were selected as the most tolerant and sensitive species to applied sublethal rates of glyphosate as judged from visual injury ratings, respectively. At the highest glyphosate rate, shoot dryweightwas decreased by 4-fold in Bowie and only 1.6-fold in Falcon. When glyphosatewas not applied, shoot shikimate concentration of all species was very low and below 2.8mol g−1 FW (fresh weight). Glyphosate applications resulted in increases in shoot shikimate concentration with substantial variations among species. At 6.32mM glyphosate treatment, shikimate concentration ranged between 156.1mol g−1 (F. rubra, Ambrose) and 16.5mol g−1 FW (F. rubra, Cindy Lou). However, the highly sensitive and the tolerant genotypes were not different in shoot shikimate concentrations. Even, in the case of some genotypes, high glyphosate tolerance is accompanied by higher shoot concentrations of shikimate. Depending on the turfgrass species and mineral nutrients tested, increasing glyphosate application either did not affect or reduced mineral nutrient concentrations. In the case of decreases in shoot concentration of mineral nutrients, the decreases in Ca, Mg, Mn and Fe were most distinct. The results obtained indicate existence of a large genetic variation in tolerance to glyphosate toxicity among the turfgrass species. This differential variation in tolerance to glyphosate could not be explained by the changes in shoot concentrations of shikimate and mineral nutrients

Could Māsarjawayh In The Records Of Ibn Djuljul Be The Same Person Māsarjīs In The Records Of Nadīm?

Ibn Djuljul from Andalusia who wrote in the Western Islamic World and Nadīm from Baghdād who wrote in the Eastern Islamic World, give information about lots of physicians and translators in their books that contributed significantly to history of science. Both authors write their books at same time or very close time. Sometimes they offer similar information, but sometimes they provide different information. One of the physicians whom Ibn Djuljul mentioned in his book, Māsarjawayh lived at the times of Umayyads. Nadīm gives information about Māsarjīs who lived at the times of Abbāsids. However, in the course of centuries, some authors combined the knowledge about these two people by giving reference to Ibn Djuljul’s and Nadīm’s work and represented as the same person. Accordingly, most of the modern scholars mentioned the two authors as a substitute. This paper wants to keep track of this confusion and wants to clarify whether Māsarjawayh who was mentioned by Ibn Djuljul and Māsarjīs who was told by Nadīm are the same person or not

Glyphosate reduced seed and leaf concentrations of calcium, manganese, magnesium, and iron in non-glyphosate resistant soybean

Greenhouse experiments were conducted to study the effects of glyphosate drift on plant growth and concentrations of mineral nutrients in leaves and seeds of non-glyphosate resistant soybean plants (Glycine max, L.). Glyphosate was sprayed on plant shoots at increasing rates between 0.06 and 1.2% of the recommended application rate forweed control. In an experiment with 3-week-old plants, increasing application of glyphosate on shoots significantly reduced chlorophyll concentration of the young leaves and shoots dry weight, particularly the young parts of plants. Concentration of shikimate due to increasing glyphosate rates was nearly 2-fold for older leaves and 16-fold for younger leaves compared to the control plants without glyphosate spray. Among the mineral nutrients analyzed, the leaf concentrations of potassium (K), phosphorus (P), copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) were not affected, or even increased significantly in case of P and Cu in young leaves by glyphosate, while the concentrations of calcium (Ca), manganese (Mn) and magnesium (Mg) were reduced, particularly in young leaves. In the case of Fe, leaf concentrations showed a tendency to be reduced by glyphosate. In the second experiment harvested at the grain maturation, glyphosate application did not reduce the seed concentrations of nitrogen (N), K, P, Zn and Cu. Even, at the highest application rate of glyphosate, seed concentrations of N, K, Zn and Cuwere increased by glyphosate. By contrast, the seed concentrations of Ca, Mg, Fe and Mn were significantly reduced by glyphosate. These results suggested that glyphosatemay interfere with uptake and retranslocation of Ca, Mg, Fe and Mn, most probably by binding and thus immobilizing them. The decreases in seed concentration of Fe, Mn, Ca and Mg by glyphosate are very specific, and may affect seed quality

Differences in absorption and distribution of foliarly-applied zinc in maize and wheat by using stable isotope of 70Zn and Zn-responsive fluorescent dye Zinpyr

Zinc (Zn) deficiency is an important health problem worldwide, affecting about two billion people, especially children and women. Zinc deficiency related diseases are more prevailing in developing countries because populationa rely on cereals (i.e., wheat, rice and maize) as a staple food which are inherently low in micronutrients. Zinc concentration in cereal grains can be improved by genetic or agronomic biofortification. Optimized applications of soil and foliar Zn fertilizers has been found effective for cereals like wheat and rice but not significantly in maize. Current study focuses to elucidate the physiological reasons behind the poor response of maize to foliar applications compared to wheat. Experiments with stable isotope of Zn (70Zn) revealed the differences in leaf uptake, root and shoot translocation of foliar-applied Zn in wheat and maize. The results suggested that wheat has greater capacity for leaf absorption and translocation of foliarly applied Zn compared to maize. The increased leaf Zn uptake and localization in wheat was confirmed by a visual demonstration using Zn-responsive fluorescent dye Zinpyr and fluoresce microscopy. This study provides valuable information to maximize the uptake and deposition of foliarly applied Zn to cereal grains

Grain zinc, iron and protein concentrations and zinc-efficiency in wild emmer wheat under contrasting irrigation regimes

Micronutrient malnutrition, and particularly deficiency in zinc (Zn) and iron (Fe), afflicts over three billion people worldwide, and nearly half of the world’s cereal-growing area is affected by soil Zn deficiency. Wild emmer wheat [Triticum turgidum ssp. dicoccoides (Körn.) Thell.], the progenitor of domesticated durum wheat and bread wheat, offers a valuable source of economically important genetic diversity including grain mineral concentrations. Twenty two wild emmer wheat accessions, representing a wide range of drought resistance capacity, as well as two durum wheat cultivars were examined under two contrasting irrigation regimes (well-watered control and water-limited), for grain yield, total biomass production and grain Zn, Fe and protein concentrations. The wild emmer accessions exhibited high genetic diversity for yield and grain Zn, Fe and protein concentrations under both irrigation regimes, with a considerable potential for improvement of the cultivated wheat. Grain Zn, Fe and protein concentrations were positively correlated with one another. Although irrigation regime significantly affected ranking of genotypes, a few wild emmer accessions were identified for their advantage over durum wheat, having consistently higher grain Zn (e.g., 125 mg kg−1), Fe (85 mg kg−1) and protein (250 g kg−1) concentrations and high yield capacity. Plants grown from seeds originated from both irrigation regimes were also examined for Zn efficiency (Zn deficiency tolerance) on a Zn-deficient calcareous soil. Zinc efficiency, expressed as the ratio of shoot dry matter production under Zn deficiency to Zn fertilization, showed large genetic variation among the genotypes tested. The source of seeds from maternal plants grown under both irrigation regimes had very little effect on Zn efficiency. Several wild emmer accessions revealed combination of high Zn efficiency and drought stress resistance. The results indicate high genetic potential of wild emmer wheat to improve grain Zn, Fe and protein concentrations, Zn deficiency tolerance and drought resistance in cultivated wheat

Uykuda saç koparma: Bir pediyatrik olgu

Kişinin kendi kılını karşı konulamaz bir şekilde çekip koparması olarak tanımlanan trikotilomani, DSM-IV-TR'da Başka Türlü Adlandırılamayan Dürtü Kontrol Bozuklukları başlığı altında sınıflandırılmaktadır. Bu davranış, artmış öfke ve kaygı gibi duygular nedeni ile ortaya çıkan gerilimi ortadan kaldırmak için yapılmaktadır. Olgumuz, tüm gece boyunca uyurken saçını koparma ve altını ıslatma bulguları gösteren 11 yaşında erkek çocuğuydu. Ayırıcı tanı için olgumuza tüm gece süresince uyku sırasında polisomnografi uygulanarak, epileptik deşarjların ayırt edilmesi amaçlandı. Sonuçlar normal sınırlarda bulundu. Trikotilomani ön tanısı tartışıldı. Trikotilomaninin parasomni tanısı adı altında değerlendirilmesinin daha uygun olacağı sonucuna varıldı.Trichotillomania, defined as an irresistible urge to pull and pluck one's own hair, is categorized as an impulse control disorder not otherwise specified in DSM-IV-TR. This behavior is performed in response to a number of emotions such as increasing temper or anxiety and gives resultant tension relief. Our case is an 11-year-old boy who showed signs of pulling his hair overnight and bedwetting when he was sleeping. Polysomnography was performed on him overnight during sleep to differentiate epileptic discharge, for a differential diagnosis. The results were within normal limits. The initial diagnosis of trichotillomania was discussed and we concluded that it would be more appropriate to evaluate the case under the diagnosis of parasomnia

Foliar-applied glyphosate substantially reduced uptake and transport of iron and manganese in sunflower (helianthus annuus L.) plants

Evidence clearly shows that cationic micronutrients in spray solutions reduce the herbicidal effectiveness of glyphosate for weed control due to the formation of metal-glyphosate complexes. The formation of these glyphosate-metal complexes in plant tissue may also impair micronutrient nutrition of nontarget plants when exposed to glyphosate drift or glyphosate residues in soil. In the present study, the effects of simulated glyphosate drift on plant growth and uptake, translocation, and accumulation (tissue concentration) of iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn), and copper (Cu) were investigated in sunflower ( Helianthus annuusL.) plants grown in nutrient solution under controlled environmental conditions. Glyphosate was sprayed on plant shoots at different rates between 1.25 and 6.0% of the recommended dosage (i.e., 0.39 and 1.89 mM glyphosate isopropylamine salt). Glyphosate applications significantly decreased root and shoot dry matter production and chlorophyll concentrations of young leaves and shoot tips. The basal parts of the youngest leaves and shoot tips were severely chlorotic. These effects became apparent within 48 h after the glyphosate spray. Glyphosate also caused substantial decreases in leaf concentration of Fe and Mn while the concentration of Zn and Cu was less affected. In short-term uptake experiments with radiolabeled Fe (59Fe), Mn (54Mn), and Zn (65Zn), root uptake of 59Fe and 54Mn was significantly reduced in 12 and 24 h after application of 6% of the recommended dosage of glyphosate, respectively. Glyphosate resulted in almost complete inhibition of root-to-shoot translocation of 59Fe within 12 h and 54Mn within 24 h after application. These results suggest that glyphosate residues or drift may result in severe impairments in Fe and Mn nutrition of nontarget plants, possibly due to the formation of poorly soluble glyphosate-metal complexes in plant tissues and/or rhizosphere interactions