Application of vascular endothelial growth factor at different phases of intestinal ischemia/reperfusion: what are its effects on oxidative stress, inflammation and telomerase activity?

Background. Intestinal ischemic reperfusion injury (IRI) represents a great challenge in clinical practice, with high morbidity and mortality. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), asasignal protein, contributes tovasculogenesis and angiogenesis.Objectives. To evaluate the local effectiveness of VEGF following intestinal IRI and its relation with application time.Material and methods. Thirty Wistar albino rats were allocated to5 groups and underwent laparotomy. Thesuperior mesenteric arteries (SMA) were dissected in4 groups, while thecontrol group (GrC) underwent aresection ofsmall and large intestines. The VEGF group (Gr V) received VEGF following SMA dissection, with no further intervention, and theremaining 3 groups were subjected toischemia for 90min through occlusion ofSMA and reperfusion for 4h. Ischemic reperfusion group (Gr I/R) received no additional medication, while theremaining 2 groups received VEGF just before ischemia (Gr V+I/R) and during reperfusion (Gr I/R+V).Results. Both applications of VEGF caused decreases inplasma levels of interleukin6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor ? (TNF-?), intestinal malondialdehyde (MDA), oxidized glutathione, protein carbonyl levels, and increases inintestinal total glutathione and superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels. Telomerase activity, which disappeared for Gr I/R, was found to be elevated following both treatment groups. Similarly, the histopathological scores were found better for both treatment groups, but Gr V-I/R represented best outcomes.Conclusions. The findings of our study revealed that VEGF, applied either before ischemia or during reperfusion, iseffective onlocal damage following intestinal IRI. Byinterpreting thebiochemical analysis and histopathological findings, we conclude either treatment option to be considered according to the reason of intestinal IRI

The Ultrastructure of the Zona Fasciculata Layer of Suprarenal Gland During Pregnancy

OBJECTIVE: Increased estrogen levels affect the suprarenal gland cortex, thus raising the adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) during pregnancy. This study aimed to examine possible structural changes in the suprarenal gland cortex in relation to the hormonal fluctuations during pregnancy. STUDY DESIGN: The suprarenal glands of 6-day, 12-day and 18-day pregnant rats were removed and compared with those of the control group under electron microscope. RESULTS: Lipid droplets in zona fasciculata cells were observed to increase significantly in number and volume, enlarged mitochondria, active Golgi region in comparison to the control groups on 6th and 12th days of pregnancy. On day 18 were observed to lipid droplets were seen to decrease and similar characteristics with the control group. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, with the increased estrogen hormone of pregnancy, various structural changes were observed in the cortex of suprarenal glands as related to mutual interaction among secreted hormones from the suprarenal glands, hypophysis and placenta

Platelet and Endothelial Cell Adhesion Molecule Expression in Pregnant Women with Preeclampsia

Amaç: Preeklampsi (PE), gebe kadınları etkileyen en önemli sağlık sorunlardan biri olmasına rağmen, hastalığın ortaya çıkmasındaki etiyopatogenetik faktörler hala net değildir. Çalışmamızda preeklamptik ve kontrol grubu sağlıklı plasentalarda trombosit endotel hücre adezyon molekülü-1’in (PECAM-1) ekspresyon düzeylerini araştırmayı amaçladık. Yöntemler: Plasental doku örnekleri, PE tanısı konan hastalardan ve sağlıklı normal gebelerin doğum sonrası plasentalarından elde edildi ve adhezyon molekülü PECAM-1’in ekspresyon seviyeleri için immünohistokimyasal yöntemlerle analizleri yapıldı. Bulgular: Subkoryonik hematomu olan abortus imminensi kadınlar ile subkoryonik hematomu olmayan abortus imminensli kadınlar arasında yaş, parite ve gravite açısından anlamlı bir fark saptanmadı. Subkoryonik hematomu olan kadınlarda anti-kardiyolipin antikor pozitifliği subkoryonik hematomu olmayan kadınlara göre istatistiksel olarak anlamlı daha yüksek saptandı. Ayrıca araştırmamızda anti-kardiyolipin antikor pozitif olan gebelerde anti-kardiolipin pozitif olmayan gebelere göre olumsuz gebelik sonuçları daha sık görüldü. Sonuç: Kontrol grubunun plasentalarında plasental villusun damar duvarlarını kaplayan endotelyal hücrelerde PECAM-1’in zayıf bir tutulumu bulunmuş, ancak PE grubunun plasentalarında ise PECAM-1 tutulumu yüksek seviyede saptanmıştır.Objective: Despite the fact that preeclampsia (PE) is one of the most important health problems which affect pregnant women, the etiopathogenetic factors which lead to the illness are still yet to be known. Hereby in this study, we have aimed to investigate the expression levels of the platelet and endothelial cell adhesion molecule, PECAM-1, in the healthy placentas of preeclamptic and control group patients. Methods: The placental tissue samples have been obtained from the patients diagnosed with PE and from the postnatal placentas of the healthy pregnant women; and analyzed through immunohistochemical methods for the expression levels of the adhesion molecule, PECAM-1. Results: In the placentas of the control group, a weak involvement of PECAM-1 has been observed in the endothelial cells covering the vein walls of the placental villus; yet in the placentas of the PE group, the involvement level has been observed to be high. Conclusion: Due to the increase in the expression levels of PECAM-1 in preeclamptic placenta, the functional roles of these adhesion molecules are thought to be present in the pathophysiology of PE. And with this fact being known, decent treatment approaches will emerge in the future in order to avoid PE symptoms

Time dependent influence of etonogestrel on the caspase-3 imunereactivity and apoptotic indexes of rat uterus and ovaries

Apoptosis is necessary for the balance between cell proliferation and loss. Thirty-six Wistar-Albino rats were subjected to investigate apoptotic effect of widely used implantable progestins on ovarian and uterine tissues. Rats were divided into 6 groups. In the first five groups, we applied etonogestrel (IMP) subcutaneous implants (n = 30). The rats in groups were sacrificed sequentially every 10 days after application. The rats in the last group (n = 6) were accepted as controls. Apoptotic index (AI) values and Caspase-3 immunereactivities of ovaries and uterus were recorded. In IMP groups, AI and Hscore values in stroma and glandular epithelium of uterus, granulosa and teca-lutein cells of the ovary increased with the longer progesterone exposure. Increase in AI and Hscore values were more prominent after 30 days of exposure for teca-lutein cells of ovary. Progestins increased apoptosis in ovaries and uterus by the longer exposure. Apoptosis increased in ovaries by chronic progesterone exposure. The apoptotic effect of progestin on endometrium is clear but long-term systemic application may lead to alterations in ovarian physiology. We evaluated time dependent apoptotic effect of etonogestrel on reproductive physiology and discussed progestins effect from another point of view in this study

Surface chemistry and morphology in single particle optical imaging

Biological nanoparticles such as viruses and exosomes are important biomarkers for a range of medical conditions, from infectious diseases to cancer. Biological sensors that detect whole viruses and exosomes with high specificity, yet without additional labeling, are promising because they reduce the complexity of sample preparation and may improve measurement quality by retaining information about nanoscale physical structure of the bio-nanoparticle (BNP). Towards this end, a variety of BNP biosensor technologies have been developed, several of which are capable of enumerating the precise number of detected viruses or exosomes and analyzing physical properties of each individual particle. Optical imaging techniques are promising candidates among broad range of label-free nanoparticle detectors. These imaging BNP sensors detect the binding of single nanoparticles on a flat surface functionalized with a specific capture molecule or an array of multiplexed capture probes. The functionalization step confers all molecular specificity for the sensor’s target but can introduce an unforeseen problem; a rough and inhomogeneous surface coating can be a source of noise, as these sensors detect small local changes in optical refractive index. In this paper, we review several optical technologies for label-free BNP detectors with a focus on imaging systems. We compare the surface-imaging methods including dark-field, surface plasmon resonance imaging and interference reflectance imaging. We discuss the importance of ensuring consistently uniform and smooth surface coatings of capture molecules for these types of biosensors and finally summarize several methods that have been developed towards addressing this challenge

Effects of melatonin on cytokine release and healing of colonic anastomoses in an experimental sepsis model.

The present objective was to identify effects of early melatonin application on healing of anastomotic wound and inflammation in an experimental sepsis model