Red Cabbage (Brassica oleracea) Ameliorates Diabetic Nephropathy in Rats

The protective action against oxidative stress of red cabbage (Brassica oleracea) extract was investigated. Diabetes was induced in male Wistar rats using streptozotocin (60 mg/kg body weight). Throughout the experimental period (60 days), diabetic rats exhibited many symptoms including loss of body weight, hyperglycemia, polyuria, polydipsia, renal enlargement and renal dysfunction. Significant increase in malondialdehyde, a lipid peroxidation marker, was observed in diabetic kidney. This was accompanied by a significant increase in reduced glutathione and superoxide dismutase activity and a decrease in catalase activity and in the total antioxidant capacity of the kidneys. Daily oral ingestion (1 g/kg body weight) of B. oleracea extract for 60 days reversed the adverse effect of diabetes in rats. B. oleracea extract lowered blood glucose levels and restored renal function and body weight loss. In addition, B. oleracea extract attenuated the adverse effect of diabetes on malondialdehyde, glutathione and superoxide dismutase activity as well as catalase activity and total antioxidant capacity of diabetic kidneys. In conclusion, the antioxidant and antihyperglycemic properties of B. oleracea extract may offer a potential therapeutic source for the treatment of diabetes

Older sarcoidosis patients: Experience of a medical center in Turkey

Objectives: Although sarcoidosis is classically defined to be a disease of young adults, it might also be seen at older ages. There are very few clinical studies which focus on the features of patients diagnosed at older ages. In this study, we tried to determine the frequency of patients diagnosed at or above 50 years of age and to compare the clinical and demographic features of these subjects with other sarcoidosis patients

Total selenium concentration in various waters of Turkey

The total selenium levels of 335 water samples of Turkey were determined by a spectrofluorometric method. The samples were digested in nitric-perchloric acid mixture, potential interferences were masked with disodium EDTA-HONH2. HCl and selenium was complexed with freshly prepared 2,3-diaminonaphthalene solution and estimated spectrofluorometrically after extraction in cyclohexane. The selenium content of various waters (rain, tap, mineral, sea, lake, river, bottled drinking waters and collected drinking waters from 42 cities in Turkey) were determined. The selenium levels were compared with the literature data from different countries

Bone cysts in sarcoidosis: what is their clinical significance?

The incidence of bone cysts in sarcoidosis, a multisystemic disease, varies in different series, and these cysts are generally asymptomatic. We evaluated bone cysts in 516 sarcoidosis patients with available hand X-rays and in 200 patients with foot X-rays. Bone cysts were present in 21 cases (19 females, two males). The cysts were localized in phalanges of the hand in all cases, in feet in five cases, and in nasal bone in one. Six patients with bone cysts also had lupus pernio. Among those with cystic bone lesions, females were more frequent; extrapulmonary and skin involvement and lupus pernio were significantly more common. We diagnosed cystic bone lesions in 3.6% of our sarcoidosis patients and conclude that cysts were more frequent in females and in patients with lupus pernio

Lacrimal gland involvement in sarcoidosis - The clinical features of 9 patients

Patients and Methods: Ocular disease is relatively common in sarcoidosis and can be the initial clinical manifestation in some instances. In this study, we retrospectively evaluated the clinical and demographic features of 9 (1.74%) patients with lacrimal gland (LG) involvement out of 516 sarcoidosis patients who were followed up at our centre over the preceding 36-years. In addition, the characteristics of patients with LG involvement were compared to those of other cases with eye involvement and to other sarcoidosis patients

Lupus pernio in sarcoidosis - Clinical features and treatment outcomes of 14 patients

Lupus perio, (LP) is the most characteristic skin lesion of sarcoidosis. In this study, we retrospectively evaluated the clinical features of sarcoidosis patients with diagnosed LP at our center. Of 516 sarcoidosis patients diagnosed within a 36-year period, 14 (2.7%) had skin lesions that were clinically and histologically diagnosed as LP. Thirteen of our LP patients were females, and one was a male (mean age: 46.3, range: 24-67). In 2 sarcoidosis patients, the initial presentation of the disease was LP. When the LP patients were compared with other sarcoidosis patients, there were more fe- males, and the frequency of extrapidnionary involvement and the number of patients with advanced stage disease were higher (P <0.001). Oral and/or intralesional steroid therapy was the preferred treatment modality in all our patients and led to either recovery or regression in most patients with IP. As our study was an uncontrolled, retrospective one with few patients, it is difficult to say whether steroids are effective. LP runs a chronic course and spontaneous remission of lesions of more than 2 years' duration is quite rare. Because of the unwanted side effects of steroids, the efficacy of new treatment modalities should be tested especially in sarcoidosis patients with only skin involvement

Synchronous Lung and Liver Metastases from Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma

Metastatic disease is one of the most common causes of calcified nodules in the lung or liver. The incidence of calcified metastasis mainly to the lung and liver is high at the initial presentation in patients with medullary thyriod carcinoma. Synchronous calcified metastasis in the lung and liver is reported for the first time. The diagnosis of medullary thyroid carcinoma may be evident from the synchronous presence of miliary calcified nodules in two different sites if they are associated with high concentrations of serum markers