Oxidative stress and antioxidant enzyme activities in patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis in endemic region of Hatay (ANTIOCH)

Leishmania is the collective name for a number of disease caused by protozoon flagellates of genus Leishmania which have diverse clinical manifestations. In this study, we investigated the effect of free radicals and antioxidants on cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL). Venous blood samples of patients and controls were collected and analyzed for serum nitric oxide (NO) and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities. 53 treated CL patients, 42 untreated patients and 30 healty control subjects were enrolled in this study. The levels of MDA and NO showed a significant increase (p < 0.05) in the untreated patients when compared to the treated patients and control groups. In the untreated group, the activities of both SOD and CAT were found to be decreased (p < 0.05) compared with values in the control and treated groups. After the treatment, NO and MDA levels were decreased whereas the activities of CAT and SOD were increased. These results provide some evidence for a potential role of increased lipid peroxidation and decreased enzymatic antioxidants in cutaneous leishmaniasis. These results suggested that oxidant stress plays an important role in the pathogenesis of cutaneous leishmaniasis

Effects of organic selenium on growth, muscle composition, and antioxidant system in rainbow trout

This experiment was conducted to understand the effects of organic selenium on rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss. Fish (33.47±0.15 g; n = 216) were randomly assigned to four treatment groups consisting of three replicates of 18 fish each in 100 × 100 × 125 cm cages. The fish were fed a basal diet supplemented with 2, 3, or 4 mg/kg organic Se (Sel-Plex®) supplementation for 8 weeks. Muscle of fish fed the unsupplemented control diet had a lower (p0.05) in proximate composition except for protein content in fish fed the 3 mg/kg diet. Glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), catalase (CAT), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity was significantly higher (p<0.05) and liver malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration significantly lower in fish fed the supplemented diets than in the control. Results show that 3 mg/kg Se supplementation is most effective for growth and hepatic antioxidant enzyme activity in rainbow trout

Ultrasound-guided axillary brachial plexus blocks for pseudo- syndactyly surgeries in a patient with epidermolysis bullosa: a case report.

Epidermolysis bullosa (EB) is a rare genetic disease characterized by recurrent blister formation following injuries or traumas. In patients with EB, general anaesthesia may result in potential airway obstruction, aspiration and prolonged hospital stay due to airway instrumentation-associated new bullae formation and scarring. On the other hand, regional anaesthesia has been shown to be efficient and safe. Ultrasound (US)-guidance particularly provides additional benefits to this clinical situation by minimizing skin contacts, improving block success and preventing complications. We describe a patient with EB, whose bilateral pseudo-syndactyly surgical treatment was successfully managed by the use of US-guided axillary brachial plexus blocks

IRS-2 G1057D polymorphism in Turkish patients with colorectal cancer

Introduction: Gene polymorphisms have a broad range of analysis, but are of particular use in molecular medicine due to their potential in revealing the genetic tendency in diseases such as cancer, heart attack etc. These studies basically depend on mutations that can be detected by proper techniques. The genes coding the insulin receptor substrate (IRS) proteins are among the most widely analysed polymorphisms in various cancer types, in which a G1057D mutation is seen. Aim: To determine the risk of colon cancer by analysing the IRS-2 gene polymorphism in Turkish patients. Material and methods: A total of 161 newly diagnosed colorectal cancer patients were analysed and compared to 197 unrelated healthy controls. A polymerase chain reaction-based restriction fragment length polymorphism method was carried out. Results: No differences were observed between the patient and control groups for both allele and genotype frequencies of the IRS-2 G1057D gene. Conclusions: Our results demonstrated that IRS-2 G1057D polymorphism is not associated with colorectal cancer in the Turkish population. This research is a preliminary and original study in Turkish patients with colorectal cancer. It also provides population-level genetic data on IRS-2 in the Turkish population. Further studies should be performed on larger number of patients and controls for more reliable results about the genetic tendency in colorectal cancer in Turkey. The study is a collaborative work of different universities and scientists

Asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) levels are increased in patients with fibromyalgia: Correlation with tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and 8-iso-prostaglandin F-2 alpha (8-iso-PGF(2 alpha))

Objective: The aim of the study was to investigate serum levels of asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and plasma levels of 8-iso-prostaglandin F-2 alpha (8-iso-PGF(2 alpha),) in patients with fibromyalgia