The role of cytokines in the immunopathogenesis of toxoplasmosis

Objective: Infection caused by the obligatory intracellular parasite Toxoplasma gondii is generally asymptomatic in immunocompetent individuals but may be life-threatening in immunosuppressed patients and congenitally infected fetus. Scientists believed that the pathogenesis of the infection could be well established if the relation between cellular and humoral immune response was documented. Material and Methods: Starting from this point we tried to establish this relation, by measuring the production of Interferon-gamma (IFN-?) (Th1 cytokine) and interleucine (IL)-5 (Th2 cytokine) in supernatants of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) after in vitro specific T. gondii antigen stimulation in 19 patients that were grouped according to their anti-Toxoplasma IgM and IgG levels. Results: In our study, we observed that the level of IL-5 synthesis was higher than IFN-? in the initial phase of the infection; as the specific IgG titers started to rise, IFN-? synthesis increased and suppressed the synthesis of IL-5. As the infection became chronic, a decrease in the IFN-? synthesis and a slight increase in IL-5 synthesis were noted. In our seronegative patient group, cytokine production pattern showed mainly Th0 subgroup profile. Conclusion: As a result, we suggest that evaluation of antigen specific cytokine synthesis parallel to humoral response in the different stages of toxoplasmosis would be beneficial both in the diagnosis and in follow-up. Copyright © 2009 by Türkiye Klinikleri

Bis(3-chlorobenzoato-?2 O,O')bis(nicotinamide- ?N)copper(II)

The molecule of the title CuII complex, [Cu(C7H4ClO2)2(C6H6N2O) 2], contains two 3-chlorobenzoate (CB) and two nicotinamide (NA) ligands; the CB act as bidentate ligands, while the NA are monodentate ligands. The resulting CuN2O4 coordination polyhedron is a considerably distorted octahedron. The dihedral angles between the carboxylate groups and the adjacent benzene rings are 17.92 (12) and 24.69 (16)°, while the two benzene rings and the two pyridine rings are oriented at dihedral angles of 52.20 (8) and 1.56 (6)°. In the crystal, N - H...N and C - H...O hydrogen bonds link the molecules into a three-dimensional network. The ?-? contact between the benzene rings [centroid-centroid distance = 3.982 (2) Å] may further stabilize the crystal structure

The effects of thyroid scintigraphy studies on oxidative damage in patients

The majority of radiation injury in cells depends on oxidative stress. Irradiation and absorbed doses, duration of the irradiation and the susceptibility of the tissue against radiation are the factors that cause variations on living cells. The aim of this study was to investigate gamma radiation-induced oxidative damage in erythrocytes after thyroid scintigraphy with Tc-99m pertechnetate. Fifteen patients (8 women and 7 men) who performed thyroid scintigraphy with Tc-99m pertechnetate were included in this study. The median age was 52±8 years (range 33-65). The blood samples were taken from patients just before, 1 hour after and three hours after injection of radiopharmaceutical. Malondialdehyde (MDA) and antioxidant enzymes such as glutathione peroxidase (GPX), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT) levels were measured to evaluate the gamma radiation induced oxidative damage. No difference was detected in any final measurement activities of erythrocyte antioxidant enzyme such as SOD and GPX in the direct comparison between the before and after injection of the radiopharmaceutical groups, except erythrocyte CAT activities measured 1 hour after and 3 hours after injection of the radiopharmaceutical (p<0.05). MDA levels were decreased 1 hour after and 3 hours after injection of the radiopharmaceutical

9H-Carbazole-9-Carbo­thioic Di­thio­peroxy­anhydride

The whole mol­ecule of the title compound, C26H16N2S4, is generated by twofold rotational symmetry. The carbazole skeleton is nearly planar [maximum deviation = 0.054 (5) Å]. In the crystal, aromatic π–π stacking is observed between parallel carbazole ring systems of adjacent mol­ecules, the shortest centroid–centroid distances between pyrrole and benzene rings being 3.948 (3) and 3.751 (3) Å.PubMedScopu

Bis(3-Chloro­Benzoato-Κ2 O,O′)Bis­(Nicotinamide-Κn)Copper(II)

The mol­ecule of the title CuII complex, [Cu(C7H4ClO2)2(C6H6N2O)2], contains two 3-chloro­benzoate (CB) and two nicotinamide (NA) ligands; the CB act as bidentate ligands, while the NA are monodentate ligands. The resulting CuN2O4 coordination polyhedron is a considerably distorted octahedron. The dihedral angles between the carboxyl­ate groups and the adjacent benzene rings are 17.92 (12) and 24.69 (16)°, while the two benzene rings and the two pyridine rings are oriented at dihedral angles of 52.20 (8) and 1.56 (6)°. In the crystal, N—H⋯N and C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds link the mol­ecules into a three–dimensional network. The π–π contact between the benzene rings [centroid–centroid distance = 3.982 (2) Å] may further stabilize the crystal structure.PubMedScopu

The biochemical analysis of tympanosclerotic plaques

OBJECTIVE: We conducted a biochemical analysis of tympanosclerotic (TS) plaques

Expressions of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors NR2A and NR2B subunit proteins in normal and sulfite-oxidase deficient rat's hippocampus: Effect of exogenous sulfite ingestion

Sulfites whether ingested or produced through the sulfur-containing amino acids metabolism of the animal are very active molecules and can cause cellular toxicity. Sulfite oxidase (SOX), a heme- and molybdenum containing mitochondrial enzyme, prevents mammalian cells from adverse effects of sulfite toxicity by metabolizing sulfite to sulfate. The present study was aimed to investigate effect of sulfite on the N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor (NMDAR) NR2A and NR2B subunits in hippocampus of normal and SOX-deficient rats. Rats were divided into four groups; (1) control group, which was given rat chow and tap water ad libitum (C), (2) sulfite group, treated with sulfite (25 mg/kg) in drinking water and commercial rat chow ad libitum (S), (3) SOX-deficient group, maintained on high-W/Mo-deficient regimen to produce SOX deficiency (D), and (4) SOX-deficient + sulfite group (DS), prepared as those in the third group and were afterwards given sulfite (25 mg/kg) additionally. Whole treatment schedule were continued for 6 weeks. Sulfite treatment caused a decrease of NR2A and NR2B subunits of the NMDAR in hippocampus of rats in S and DS groups. Interestingly, similar decrement was observed in D group, probably due to increased endogen sulfite production. In summary, the results indicated that feeding sulfite to the rats may cause down-regulation of NMDARs by degrading NR2A and NR2B subunits of it, which may be considered as a neuro-compensatory mechanism. © Springer-Verlag 2006

Synthesis, characterization, and optical and surface properties of (4-(trifluoromethylthio)phenoxy) copper(ii) phthalocyanine

This paper reports on the synthesis and characterization of a non-peripherally tetra-substituted copper phthalocyanine containing a 4-(trifluoromethylthio)phenoxy group. The synthesized compounds have been characterized using elemental analysis, FTIR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, MALDI-TOF, SEM and UV-vis spectral data. The crystal structure of 3-(4-(trifluoromethylthio)phenoxy)phthalonitrile (1) was confirmed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The crystallographic information file (cif) was uploaded to the data center with CCDC 1538643. We investigated the UV-vis spectra, band edge, band gap, refractive indices, dispersion, sensing, conductance and dielectric properties. The surface morphological properties of the Cu(ii)Pc (2) film were investigated under different conditions. © 2018 The Royal Society of Chemistry and the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique.BAP-2017-02-04-013We thank The Research Fund of Sakarya University (Project no: BAP-2017-02-04-013)

Diagnostic values of detrusor wall thickness, postvoid residual urine, and prostate volume to evaluate lower urinary tract symptoms in men

PURPOSE This prospective, controlled clinical study aimed to assess the diagnostic values of detrusor wall thickness (DWT), postvoid residual urine volume (PVR), and prostate volume in men with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). MATERIALS AND METHODS During an 18-month period, a total of 243 males were included in the study. Three groups were assessed due to their International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS): men with normal lower urinary tracts (n=51; control group), men with mild LUTS (n=60; Group 1), and men with moderate to severe LUTS (n=132; Group 2). DWT, bladder, and prostate volumes and PVR were measured by suprapubic ultrasonography. DWT was measured when the bladder was full (DWT-1) and when it was empty (DWT-2). RESULTS The mean age for the study population was 60.0±0.6 years, while the mean IPSS for the whole group was 8.0±0.4. Both the bladder and prostate volumes in Group 2 were statistically significantly higher than the control group and Group 1. The mean DWT-1 values were significantly lower in the control group when compared to Groups 1 and 2. However, when study groups were compared with each other, no statistical significance was noticed (1.12 vs. 1.17 mm). In contrast, the mean PVR and DWT-2 values were significantly different in each group. There was a significant correlation between IPSS questionnaire results and all individual parameters. CONCLUSION Suprapubic transabdominal ultrasonographic assessment of the lower urinary tract in a noninvasive manner allows the clinician to assess LUTS severity in men without morbidity. Additional studies are necessary to provide further conclusions regarding this clinical procedure. © Turkish Society of Radiology 2012