Elevated Serum Level of DHEAS as a Hormone and IL-6 as a Proinflammatory Cytokine May Better Indicate Metabolic Syndrome in PCOS Women

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is the most prevalent metabolic disorder in reproductive-age women, indeed multifactorial condition. Cytokines such as TNF-alpha and IL-6 have influence on several metabolic activities. The increase in dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is thought to play an important role in IL-6-mediated pathogenetic effects in PCOS women. The aim of this study is to explore whether TNF-alpha and IL-6 are correlated hormone levels in PCOS disease.  We recruited 65 PCOS patients and 45 healthy controls. The serum IL-6, TNF-alpha, levels were measured by ELISA and clinical characteristics were measured. Both serum IL-6, TNF-alpha levels (p<0.01), or the serum TSH, FSH, LH, PRL levels were significantly higher in the patients of PCOS (p<0.01). Serum IL-6 levels were correlated with DHEAS level (r=-0.4186, p<0.01). DHEAS level tended to be higher in PCOS women with a correlation between age, BMI, IL-6 level and positively correlated with FSH, LH and PRL levels (p<0.01). There was an elevation of TSH level in the PCOS group (2.4±1.5) vs. control group (1.8±1.6). However, in control samples, there was no correlation between TNF alpha and IL-6, while in the PCOS samples positive correlation, was obtained. Oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was higher than the control (20.38±13.2) group vs. PCOS women (128.33±33.8) but only 3.44 % of them had Type II diabetes. HOMA-IR index was higher in the PCOS group (8.26±15.06) vs. control group (2.12±0.88) too. There was a correlation between age and IL-6 level and BMI. Serum IL-6 and DHEAS levels were significantly altered in PCOS patients and determined which might be PCOS prognostic importance. Keywords; PCOS; Cytokines; TNF-alpha; IL-6; DHEAS; Metabolic syndrome DOI: 10.7176/JMPB/71-02 Publication date:June 30th 202

Dizajn maske za lice s UVC-LED zračenjem i njezina djelotvornost protiv uobičajenih klica

During the Covid-19 pandemic, one of the best means of personal protection was using face masks. In this context, the World Health Organization has declared the attempts to produce masks inactivating airborne virus species a welcome initiative. This preliminary study aimed to prove that airborne germs passing through a mask filter cartridge can be destroyed by the rays emitted from UVC LEDs placed in such cartridge. We therefore designed such a face mask and tested the efficiency of UVC LEDs placed in its cartridge against common contaminants, gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus, gram-negative Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and the influenza A/Puerto Rico/8/1934 virus because of its similarity with SARS CoV-2. Eight UVC LEDs with a total power of 75 mW provided sufficient germicidal effect for all three germs. In terms of safety, ozone production released during UVC LED emission was negligible. Our findings are promising, as they show that well-designed UVC-based face masks can be effective against airborne germs, but further research on a greater sample may help us learn more and optimise such face masks.Tijekom pandemije Covida-19 jedan od najboljih oblika osobne zaštite bilo je nošenje maski za lice. U tom je smislu Svjetska zdravstvena organizacija pozdravila pokušaje izrade maski koje ubijaju virusne vrste koje se prenose zrakom. Cilj je ovoga preliminarnog istraživanja bio dokazati da se zrakom nošene klice koje prolaze kroz filtarske uloške mogu uništiti zračenjem UVC ledica smještenih u takve uloške. Stoga smo osmislili masku za lice s tom namjenom i iskušali djelotvornost UVC ledica protiv uobičajenih izvora zaraza: gram-pozitivnoga Staphylococcus aureus, gram-negativnoga Pseudomonas aeruginosa i virusa influence A/Puerto Rico/8/1934 zbog njegove sličnosti s virusom SARS CoV-2. Osam UVC ledica ukupne snage 75 mW iskazale su dovoljan germicidni učinak protiv svih triju klica. U smislu sigurnosti primjene, ozon proizveden tijekom UVC-LED zračenja pokazao se zanemarivim. Naši su rezultati obećavajući jer pokazuju da dobro osmišljene maske za lice s UVC zračenjem mogu biti djelotvorne protiv zrakom nošenih klica, ali će tek daljnja istraživanja na većem uzorku pomoći da doznamo više i usavršimo takve maske za lice

Determination of Tissue Trace Element Levels with Atomic Absorption Spectrometry in Varicose Vein Patients

Amaç: Günümüzde venöz yetmezlik hala ciddi bir klinik problemdir. Etiyolojisinin kesin nedeni ve moleküler mekanizmaları hala bilinmemekle beraber mekanik ve intrinsik faktörlerin varlığı ileri sürülmektedir. Bu çalışmada, alt ekstremite varisleri olan hastaların ven dokularında, antioksidan enzimlerin yapısında kofaktör olarak görev yaparak, organizmanın oksidan/antioksidan dengesine katkı sağlayan eser elementlerden Zn, Cu ve Fe’in düzeylerini inceledik. Elde ettiğimiz sonuçlar ile elementlerin düzeyindeki değişikliklerin venöz yetmezliğin gelişimi ve/ ve ya ilerlemesinde oynadığı rolü açıklamaya çalıştık. Materyal ve Metot: Çalışmamız alt ekstremitede primer varis tanısı nedeniyle opere edilecek 40 kişi ve koroner arter bypass greft operasyonu geçirecek 40 kişinin vena safena magna dokuları üzerinde gerçekleştirildi. Alınan ven doku örneklerinde eser elementlerden Zn, Cu ve Fe ölçümleri atomik absorbsiyon spektrometresi ile yapıldı. Bulgular: Kontrol grubu ile karşılaştırıldığında Zn düzeyleri çalışma grubunda istatistiksel olarak anlamı seviyede düşük, Fe düzeyleri ise anlamlı olarak yüksek saptanmıştır. Cu düzeyleri çalışma grubunda kontrol grubuna kıyasla yüksek olmasına rağmen, bu fark anlamlı değildir. Çalışma grubunda, eser elementler açısından herhangi bir korelasyon gözlenmemiştir. Sonuç: Variköz ven doku örneklerinde düşük saptanan Zn düzeylerinin azalmış antioksidan aktivite ile ilişkili olduğu düşünülmüştür. Artan Cu düzeyi ise, artmış kollajen ve elastin yapımı nedeni ile gerçekleşmiş olabilir. Çalışma grubunda dokularda artmış Fe birikiminin, hasarlı dokuya çökerek oksidatif stresi tetiklediğini de düşünmekteyiz.Aim: Currently, venous insufficiency is still a serious clinical problem. The exact cause and molecular mechanisms of the etiology are still unknown, but the presence of mechanical and intrinsic factors has been suggested. In this study, we excamined (Zn, Cu and Fe) levels of trace elements contributing to the oxidant / antioxidant balance of the organism by acting as a cofactor in the structure of antioxidant enzymes in the veins of patients with lower extremity varices. With the results we obtained, we tried to explain the changes in the level of the elements in the development and / or progress of venous insufficiency. Materials and Methods: Our study was carried out on 40 patients who underwent surgery for the diagnosis of primary varicose veins in the lower extremity and 40 patients who underwent coronary artery bypass graft surgery and on their vena safena magna tissues. Levels of Zn, Cu and Fe were measured with atomic absorption spectrometry in vein tissue samples. Results: Zn levels were significantly lower in the study group whereas Fe levels were significantly higher in the study group compared to the control group. Although Cu levels were higher in the study group compared to the control group, this difference was not significant. In the study group, no correlation was observed in terms of trace element levels. Conclusions: Low levels of Zn in tissue samples were thought to be associated with decreased antioxidant activity. Increased Cu level may be due to increased collagen and elastin production. We assume that increased Fe accumulation in tissues in the study group was triggered oxidative stress by adsorbing on the damaged tissue

UVC-LED-based face mask design and efficacy against common germs

During the Covid-19 pandemic, one of the best means of personal protection was using face masks. In this context, the World Health Organization has declared the attempts to produce masks inactivating airborne virus species a welcome initiative. This preliminary study aimed to prove that airborne germs passing through a mask filter cartridge can be destroyed by the rays emitted from UVC LEDs placed in such cartridge. We therefore designed such a face mask and tested the efficiency of UVC LEDs placed in its cartridge against common contaminants, gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus, gram-negative Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and the influenza A/Puerto Rico/8/1934 virus because of its similarity with SARS CoV-2. Eight UVC LEDs with a total power of 75 mW provided sufficient germicidal effect for all three germs. In terms of safety, ozone production released during UVC LED emission was negligible. Our findings are promising, as they show that well-designed UVC-based face masks can be effective against airborne germs, but further research on a greater sample may help us learn more and optimise such face masks