The relationship between serum bilirubin level with interleukin.6, interleukin.10 and mortality scores in patients with sepsis

Context: Bilirubin has been shown to influence the mechanisms of both apoptosis and inflammation.Aims: The aim of the following study is to investigate the relationship between the serum bilirubin level with sepsis progression.Settings and Design: A total of 20 patients from intensive care unit were included for this study.Materials and Methods: Patients were divided into two groups: Patients diagnosed with sepsis according to the American College of Chest  Physicians/Society of Clinical Care Medicine consensus conference criteria (n = 10) and patients treated for various other diagnoses (n = 10). Blood samples were collected for both groups at the time of origin (defined as the time of diagnosis) and 24 and 48 h after diagnosis. Serum interleukin (IL).6, IL.10 and bilirubin levels were analyzed and compared. Acute physiology and chronic health evaluation (APACHE) II and sepsis related organ failure (SOFA) scores of the patients were also evaluated. Statistical Analysis Used: We used Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS for Windows, version 17.0, SPSS Inc. 233 South Wacker Drive, Chicago) for statistical analysis.Results: At all.time intervals, serum IL.6, IL.10 and total, direct and  indirect serum bilirubin levels were significantly higher in the sepsis group (P < 0.05); APACHE II and SOFA scores were also significantly higher. Both SOFA scores and serum IL.10 levels were positively correlated with bilirubin levels 24 h after diagnosis (P < 0.05, r = .0.76).Conclusions: Although levels of bilirubin and other associated parameters were higher for the sepsis group, only SOFA score and bilirubin levels were correlated. Because bilirubin is already a SOFA parameter, this correlation was not considered as clinically significant.Key words: Acute physiology and chronic health evaluation, bilirubin, interleukin.6, interleukin.10, sepsi

Comparison of anaesthetic cost in open and laparoscopic appendectomy

Context: Appendectomy is generally conducted as open or by laparoscopic surgical techniques under general anesthesia.Aims: This study aims to compare the anesthetic costs of the patients, who underwent open or laparoscopicappendectomy under general anesthesia.Settings and Design: The design is retrospective and records of 379 patients who underwent open or laparoscopicappendectomy under general anesthesia, falling under the category of I‑III risk group according to the American Societyof Anesthesiologists (ASA) classification between the years 2011 and 2013, and aged 18-77.Subjects and Methods: Open (Group I) or laparoscopic (Group II) appendectomy operation under general anesthesiawere evaluated retrospectively by utilizing hospital automation and anesthesia observation records. This study evaluatedthe anesthesia time of the patients and total costs (Turkish Lira ₺, US dollar $) of anesthetic agents used (induction,maintenance), necessary medical materials (connecting line, endotracheal tube, airway, humidifier, branule, aspirationprobe), and intravenously administered fluids were evaluated.Statistical Analysis Used: We used Statistical Package for the Social Sciences software (SPSS version 17.0) forstatistical analysis.Results: Of the patients, 237 were males (62.53$) in Group I and 83.09 ± 26.85₺ (41.29 ± 13.34$) inGroup II (P > 0.05). A correlation was observed between cost and operation times (P = 0.002, r = 0.158).Conclusions: Although a statistical difference was not established in this study in terms of time and costs inappendectomy operations conducted as open and laparoscopically, changes may occur in time in market conditionsof drugs, patent rights, legal regulations, and prices. Therefore, we believe that it would be beneficial to update andrevise cost analyses from time to time.Keywords: Cost, cost comparison laparoscopic appendectomy, open appendectom

Vitamin C attenuates methotrexate-induced oxidative stress in kidney and liver of rats

Like several other anticancer drugs, methotrexate (MTX) causes side effects, such as neuropathic pain, hepatotoxicity, and nephrotoxicity. Abnormal production of reactive oxygen species has been suspected in the pathophysiology of MTX-induced hepatorenal toxicity. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the probable protective role of vitamin C (Vit C) on oxidative stress induced by MTX in the liver and kidney tissues of rats. A total of 32 rats were randomly and equally divided into four groups. The first group served as the control group. The second group received a single dose of 20 mg/kg of MTX intraperitoneally. To demonstrate our hypothesis, the third and the fourth groups received 250 mg/kg of Vit C for 3 days by oral gavage, with or without MTX treatment. At the end of the study, the liver and kidney tissues of the rats were collected and examined using histology. Both the tissues were assayed for malondialdehyde concentration and superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities. In hepatic and renal tissues, lipid peroxidation levels were increased, whereas SOD, CAT, and GSH-Px levels were decreased by MTX. All parameters, including CAT levels in hepatic tissue, were significantly restored after the administration of Vit C for 3 days. Similar to the biochemical findings, evidence of oxidative damage was examined in both types of tissues by histopathological examination. From the results of this study, we were able to observe that Vit C administration modulates the antioxidant redox system and reduces the renal and hepatic oxidative stress induced by MTX. Vit C can ameliorate the toxic effect of MTX in liver and kidney tissues of rat

Demonstration of the histopathological and immunohistochemical effects of a novel hemostatic agent, ankaferd blood stopper, on vascular tissue in a rat aortic bleeding model

Background: Ankaferd Blood Stopper®(ABS) is a folkloric medicinal plant extract used as a hemostatic agent in traditional Turkish medicine. This experimental study investigated the histopathological and immunohistochemical effects of ABS on vascular tissue in a rat model of aortic bleeding.Methods: Four groups of 11 Wistar albino rats were used. The abdominal aortas of the rats were wounded; an ABS-soaked tampon was applied to rats in Groups 1 and 3, and a plain gauze tampon was applied to rats in Groups 2 and 4 until the bleeding stopped. The bleeding time was recorded. Immediately following sacrificing, the arteriotomy sites from Groups 1 and 2 were removed. The abdominal incisions in Groups 3 and 4 were closed following hemostasis. On Day 7 of the study, Group 3 and 4 rats were sacrificed and the abdominal aorta arteriotomy sites were removed for histopathological and immunohistochemical evaluation.Results: The mean bleeding time in 15 animals in Groups 2 and 4 was 4.9 ± 0.6 s, and in 22 animals in Groups 1 and 3 was 3.1 ± 0.6 s. Distal aortic occlusion was not observed on either Day 1 or 7 in any group. Significantly more widespread and dense endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) staining was observed in Group 1 animals than Group 2. On Days 1 and 7 after application of ABS, histopathological changes, consisting of necrosis, inflammation, and endothelial cell loss, in the rat abdominal aortas did not differ between Groups 1 and 2. The basophilic discoloration in the ABS group on the operation day was a result of a foreign body reaction and hemosiderin-loaded histiocyte accumulation, which occurred on Day 7.Conclusions: In this study, hemostasis was successfully achieved with ABS in rat abdominal aortas. No histopathological change was found in the rat abdominal aortas between the ABS and control groups on Days 1 and 7. Further studies on the long-term effects of foreign body reactions and hemosiderin-loaded histiocyte accumulation are required. © 2010 Kandemir et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd

Conscientiousness, Career Success, and Longevity: A Lifespan Analysis

Markers of executive functioning, such as prudent planning for the future and impulse control, are related to conscientiousness and may be central to both occupational success and health outcomes. The aim of the study was to examine relations among conscientiousness, career success, and mortality risk across a 65-year period. Using data derived from 693 male participants in the Terman Life Cycle Study, we examined associations among childhood personality, midlife objective career success, and lifelong mortality risk through 2006. Conscientiousness and career success each predicted lower mortality risk (N = 693, relative hazard (rh) = 0.82 [95% confidence interval = 0.74, 0.91] and rh = 0.80 [0.71, 0.91], respectively), with both shared and unique variance. Importantly, childhood personality moderated the success–longevity link; conscientiousness was most relevant for least successful individuals. Conscientiousness and career success predicted longevity, but not in a straightforward manner. Findings highlight the importance of lifespan processes

Structural, Metabolic, and Functional Brain Abnormalities as a Result of Prenatal Exposure to Drugs of Abuse: Evidence from Neuroimaging

Prenatal exposure to alcohol and stimulants negatively affects the developing trajectory of the central nervous system in many ways. Recent advances in neuroimaging methods have allowed researchers to study the structural, metabolic, and functional abnormalities resulting from prenatal exposure to drugs of abuse in living human subjects. Here we review the neuroimaging literature of prenatal exposure to alcohol, cocaine, and methamphetamine. Neuroimaging studies of prenatal alcohol exposure have reported differences in the structure and metabolism of many brain systems, including in frontal, parietal, and temporal regions, in the cerebellum and basal ganglia, as well as in the white matter tracts that connect these brain regions. Functional imaging studies have identified significant differences in brain activation related to various cognitive domains as a result of prenatal alcohol exposure. The published literature of prenatal exposure to cocaine and methamphetamine is much smaller, but evidence is beginning to emerge suggesting that exposure to stimulant drugs in utero may be particularly toxic to dopamine-rich basal ganglia regions. Although the interpretation of such findings is somewhat limited by the problem of polysubstance abuse and by the difficulty of obtaining precise exposure histories in retrospective studies, such investigations provide important insights into the effects of drugs of abuse on the structure, function, and metabolism of the developing human brain. These insights may ultimately help clinicians develop better diagnostic tools and devise appropriate therapeutic interventions to improve the condition of children with prenatal exposure to drugs of abuse