Construction and establishment of a new environmental chamber to study real-time cardiac development

Heart development, especially the critical phase of cardiac looping, is a complex and intricate process that has not yet been visualized "live" over long periods of time. We have constructed and established a new environmental incubator chamber that provides stable conditions for embryonic development with regard to temperature, humidity, and oxygen levels. We have integrated a video microscope in the chamber to visualize the developing heart in real time and present the first "live" recordings of a chick embryo in shell-less culture acquired over a period of 2 days. The time-lapse images we show depict a significant time window that covers the most critical and typical morphogenetic events during normal cardiac looping. Our system is of interest to researchers in the field of embryogenesis, as it can be adapted to a variety of animal models for organogenesis studies including heart and limb development. © MICROSCOPY SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2007

Epididimal ve Dondurulmuş Çözülmüş Holstain Boğa Spermasında Farklı Boyama Yöntemlerinin Karşılaştırılması

Öz: Bu çalışmanın amacı, epididimal ve dondurulmuş çözdürülmüş boğa spermalarında farklı sperma boyama yöntemlerinin etkinliğinin karşılaştırılmasıdır. Dondurulmuş sperma 37 ºC’de 30 saniyede çözdürüldü. Epididimal sperma mezbahadan cauda epididimisten elde edildi ve PBS ile sulandırıldı. Mikroskop altındaki ön değerlendirilmeden sonra dondurulmuş çözdürülmüş ve epididimal spermalardan froti hazırlandı ve hazırlanan frotiler kurutuldu. Spermatozoa Coomassie Blue, Gümüş Nitrat, May-Grünwald+Giemsa, Naphthol Yellow-S+Eritrosin-B, Trypan Blue+Giemsa ve Eosin+Coomassie Blue, Panceao-S, Ponceau-S+ Napthol Yellow-S+ Eritrosin B ve modifiye wright ile boyandı. Boyanan frotiler parlak ışık mikroskobunda değerlendirildi (Nikon E-600). Bütün frotilerden en az 100 spermatozoa incelendi. Sağlam spermatozoadaki egüteryal bölge çok iyi fark edildi ve akrozomal bölge bazı sperma boyama yöntemlerinde diğer bölgelere göre farklı renkte boyandı  (Coomassie Blue, May-Grünwald+ Giemsa, Naphthol yellow-S+Eritrosin-B, Eosin+Coomassie Blue). Bozuk akrozomlu spermatozoadaki eguteryal bölgeler iyi boyanmadı. Çalışmamızdaki tüm boyama yöntemlerinde epididimal sperma dondurulmuş çözdürülmüş spermaya göre daha iyi boyandı. Bu ise cryoprotektan olarak kullanılan maddelerden kaynaklanabileceği tahmin edildi (hayvansal protein kaynakları gibi). Sonuç olarak çalışmamız Eosin+Coomassie boyamasının Holstein boğalarda basit, ucuz, güvenilir bir boyama yöntemi olduğunu gösterdi. Bu metot Holstein boğalarda epididimal ve dondurulmuş çözdürülmüş spermalarda hızlı çalışan, ölü-canlı ve akrozomal/ morfolojik bozuklukların hesaplanmasında kullanılabilir bir metot olduğunu ortaya koymuştur. Anahtar kelimeler: sığır, spermatozoa, boyam

Treatment Resistant Severe Digital Ischemia Associated with Antiphospholipid Syndrome in a Male Patient with Systemic Sclerosis

We report the case of a male patient with limited cutaneous systemic sclerosis (SSc) that was complicated with severe digital ischemia, resistant to medical treatment. Due to the lack of treatment response, further laboratory and imaging studies were conducted. Findings were compatible with antiphospholipid syndrome and oral warfarin was added to the treatment regimen. After successful anticoagulation no further recurrences of digital ischemia were seen. An underlying etiology in SSc patients with treatment resistant digital ischemic necrosis should be suspected for accompanying antiphospholipid syndrome (APS)

Association between single nucleotide polymorphisms in prospective genes and susceptibility to ankylosing spondylitis and inflammatory bowel disease in a single centre in Turkey

To establish the prevalence of the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of endoplasmic reticulum aminopeptidase 1 (ERAP1), IL-23 receptor (IL-23R), signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT-3) and Janus kinase 2 (JAK-2) in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in a Turkish population.Materials and Methods: A total of 562 subjects who presented at the Ankara University internal medicine departments of rheumatology and gastroenterology outpatient clinics were recruited in this study, including 365 patients with AS, 197 patients with IBD and 230 healthy controls. ERAP1, IL-23R, STAT-3 and JAK-2) were genotyped in competitive allele-specific polymerase chain reactions. Results: The ERAP1 (rs26653) polymorphism was found to increase the disease risk in patients with AS and IBD compared with the control group (p=0.02 and p=0.01, respectively). In addition, this polymorphism revealed a significant relationship with the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) and the Bath AS Functional Index (BASFI) in patients with AS (r=0.829, p<0.001 and r=0.731, p<0.001, respectively). Conclusion: The ERAP1 gene polymorphism might be a risk factor in the pathogenesis of AS and IBD. In contrast, IL-23R gene polymorphisms may serve a protective role in AS and IBDTo establish the prevalence of the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of endoplasmic reticulum aminopeptidase 1 (ERAP1), IL-23 receptor (IL-23R), signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT-3) and Janus kinase 2 (JAK-2) in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in a Turkish population.Materials and Methods: A total of 562 subjects who presented at the Ankara University internal medicine departments of rheumatology and gastroenterology outpatient clinics were recruited in this study, including 365 patients with AS, 197 patients with IBD and 230 healthy controls. ERAP1, IL-23R, STAT-3 and JAK-2) were genotyped in competitive allele-specific polymerase chain reactions. Results: The ERAP1 (rs26653) polymorphism was found to increase the disease risk in patients with AS and IBD compared with the control group (p=0.02 and p=0.01, respectively). In addition, this polymorphism revealed a significant relationship with the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) and the Bath AS Functional Index (BASFI) in patients with AS (r=0.829, p<0.001 and r=0.731, p<0.001, respectively). Conclusion: The ERAP1 gene polymorphism might be a risk factor in the pathogenesis of AS and IBD. In contrast, IL-23R gene polymorphisms may serve a protective role in AS and IB

Essential oil compositions and antioxidant properties of the roots of twelve Anatolian Paeonia

Essential oil compositions and antioxidant potentials of fourteen ethanol (75%) root extracts prepared from twelve taxa of the genus Paeonia (Paeoniaceae), including P. arietina Anders., P. daurica Andrews, P. x kayae N. Ozhatay, P. kesrouanensis Thieb., P. mascula (L.) Miller subsp. arasicola G. Kaynak,. Yilmaz & R. Daskin, P. mascula (L.) Miller subsp. bodurii N. Ozhatay, P. cf. mascula L. (Mill.) subsp. mascula (two samples from central and northeastern Anatolia), P. cf. officinalis Retz., P. peregrina Miller (two samples from western and northwestern Anatolia), P. tenuifolia L., P. turcica Davis & Cullen, and P. wittmanniana Hartwiss ex Lindl. were assessed. The chromosome numbers of the root tips of the species were examined using chromosome staining technique with Shiff's reagent under Leitz microscope. The essential oils of the roots of the Paeonia species were analyzed by gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography-mass-spectrometry (GC-MS) and the major components were identified as salicylaldehyde (10%-94.4%), cis-myrtanal (5.5%-59.7%), and methyl salicylate (2%-52.2%). Antioxidant potentials were tested against 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and nitric oxide (NO) radicals using propyl gallate and rutin as the references. Total phenolic contents of the ethanol extracts were determined using Folin-Ciocalteau's method. The extracts exerted moderate NO scavenger effect and displayed insignificant DPPH radical scavenger activity at 500 mu g mL(-1). On the other hand, P. daurica, P. tenuifolia and P. cf. mascula subsp. mascula are diploids with 2n = 10, while other nine taxa are tetraploids with 2n = 20