Computer-assisted assessment of ovarian echotexture parameters in mares following changes after ovulation determined by ultrasonography

This study was carried out to determine the time-dependent changes in the ultrasonographic image of the ovary with computer-assisted analysis programs at certain intervals after ovulation and to determine whether computer-assisted analysis programs and ovulation programs can be managed in cases where the ovulation time is unknown. The study included 40 purebred Arab mares. The study was subdivided into 4 different time periods of 6 (Group 1), 12 (Group 2), 18 (Group 3) and 24 (Group 4) hours following ovulation. In addition, after ovulation and ultrasonographic examination, natural insemination was performed at 6, 12, 18 and 24 hours, and pregnancy examination and follow-up were performed at 15-30-45 days. In the echotexture analysis, mean grayness value (MGV) and contrast (CON) measurements were at different levels according to the time groups (p<0.001). Homogeneity (HOM) measurements were at different levels according to the time groups (p<0.001). A very strong, significant negative correlation was determined between MGV and pregnancy rates (r=-0.91, p=0.01, p<0.05). No significant relationship was observed between HOM values and pregnancy rates (r=0.19, p=0.23, p>0.05). A very strong, significant negative correlation was determined between CON and pregnancy rates (r=-0.92, p=0.01, p<0.05). It was concluded that the use of ultrasonographic echotexture in mares after ovulation provided very important information. In cases where the time of ovulation was not known, by looking at the values of echotexture parameters, it was seen that the highest pregnancy rates were at the 6th hour and the lowest pregnancy rates were at the 24th hour. As the echotexture parameters MGV and CON increased, it was determined that pregnancy rates decreased, but there was no relationship between them and the HOM value

Effectiveness of bitter melon extract in the treatment of ischemic wounds in rats

WOS: 000452776900006PubMed ID: 30983870There is no consensus on the properties of an ideal dressing for treating wounds. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of dressings using topically administered bitter melon extract with olive oil, pure olive oil, nitrofurazone, and saline in the healing of ischemic wounds. A sample group of 48 rats was used in the trial. Their wounds were treated with bitter melon extract, pure olive oil, nitrofurazone, and saline. Data were collected between October 2014 and April 2015. The highest percentage (94.7%) of wound healing was observed in the bitter melon extract group and the lowest percentage (86.3%) in the nitrofurazone group. At the end of the 21st day, macroscopic reepithelialization was observed in 9 wounds in the bitter melon extract group (75%), in 6 wounds in the pure olive oil group (50%), and in only 3 wounds in the nitrofurazone and saline groups (25%). It can be concluded that dressing with a bitter melon extract is more efficient in the treatment of wounds than using nitrofurazone or saline, and that dressing with olive oil accelerates wound healing, although not as much as dressing with bitter melon extract.Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK)Turkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Arastirma Kurumu (TUBITAK) [1150929]\This study was funded by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) as part of the 1002-Fast Foundation Project with number 1150929

In vitro/in vivo comparison of cefuroxime release from poly(epsilon-caprolactone)-calcium sulfate implants for osteomyelitis treatment

This study aimed to investigate the release of cefuroxime axetil (CF) and calcium from poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (PCL)-calcium sulfate (CaS) implants (PCL:CaS 2:1-10% CF; PCL:CaS 2:1-20% CF; PCL:CaS 1:1-10% CF) for treating infectious bone diseases. Bioactivity, crystallinity and strength, and release profiles under standard and pressurized release conditions were studied. PCL:CaS 2:1-20% CF had slower release than 10% loading. These groups had no significant change in CF and Ca release in response to pressure. The PCL:CaS 1:1 group had the slowest release despite having higher CaS, probably due to more compaction of discs. In contrast, pressure caused significant differentiation of CF and Ca2+ release. The presence of CaS enhanced mechanical properties and bioactivity of discs. SEM and XPS results showed calcium-phosphate containing accumulations on surfaces upon SBF incubation. CF-loaded implants were applied in a rabbit osteomyelitis model. In vivoCF release was enhanced with increased CaS proportions, suggesting that in vivo release conditions are closer to pressurized in vitro conditions. In the control group, there was still some inflammation in the bone and no complete coverage with bone was achieved in the defect site. Discs provided a suitable surface for regeneration of bone. However, bone formation in the PCL:CaS 1:1 disc implanted group was more complete and regular than in the 2:1 group. (C) 2013 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc. Volume 60, Number 6, Pages 603-616, 201

In vitro and in vivo evaluation of doxycycline-chondroitin sulfate/PCLmicrospheres for intraarticular treatment of osteoarthritis

PubMed ID: 25350566Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative joint disease, which has no complete treatment with medication yet. Intraarticular hyaluronan (HA) injection can decrease pain and modify the natural course of OA. This study was designed to provide long term delivery of an MMP (matrix-metalloproteinase) inhibitor agent-doxycycline, together with matrix regenerative agent-chondroitin sulfate for treating OA which progress with matrix degenerations. Doxycycline (D) and doxycycline-chondroitin sulfate (D-CS) loaded poly-?-caprolactone (PCL) microspheres (MS) were prepared as intraarticular delivery systems. Bio-effectiveness of developed microspheres was first evaluated with three-dimensional in vitro model of OA where both MS showed significant reduction in MMP-13 levels compared to untreated OA-chondrocytes at 15 and 24 days. Significant decrease was observed in GAG release into the media for both D MS and D-CS MS treated groups at 15 and 24 days. Second, the microspheres were injected to rabbit knee in hyaluronan (HA) to evaluate the effectiveness of the treatment. Radiographic scores of D MS and D-CS MS groups improved after 8 weeks when compared to OA group. Mankin-Pitzker histological scores similarly showed improvement with D MS and D-CSMS groups when compared to OA group. Ex vivo hardness tests of cartilages demonstrated superior hardness values with both doses of D-CSMS compared to OA group. D MS showed promising improvement of OA in histology results. Although, both MS groups had similar effects on cells in the in vitro model, D-CSMS had a positive contribution on all in vivo treatment outcomes and showed potential as a new strategy for treatment when applied to OA knee joints. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 103B: 1238-1248, 2015. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc

In vitro and in vivo evaluation of doxycycline-chondroitin sulfate/PCLmicrospheres for intraarticular treatment of osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative joint disease, which has no complete treatment with medication yet. Intraarticular hyaluronan (HA) injection can decrease pain and modify the natural course of OA. This study was designed to provide long term delivery of an MMP (matrix-metalloproteinase) inhibitor agent-doxycycline, together with matrix regenerative agent-chondroitin sulfate for treating OA which progress with matrix degenerations. Doxycycline (D) and doxycycline-chondroitin sulfate (D-CS) loaded poly--caprolactone (PCL) microspheres (MS) were prepared as intraarticular delivery systems. Bio-effectiveness of developed microspheres was first evaluated with three-dimensional in vitro model of OA where both MS showed significant reduction in MMP-13 levels compared to untreated OA-chondrocytes at 15 and 24 days. Significant decrease was observed in GAG release into the media for both D MS and D-CS MS treated groups at 15 and 24 days. Second, the microspheres were injected to rabbit knee in hyaluronan (HA) to evaluate the effectiveness of the treatment. Radiographic scores of D MS and D-CS MS groups improved after 8 weeks when compared to OA group. Mankin-Pitzker histological scores similarly showed improvement with D MS and D-CSMS groups when compared to OA group. Ex vivo hardness tests of cartilages demonstrated superior hardness values with both doses of D-CSMS compared to OA group. D MS showed promising improvement of OA in histology results. Although, both MS groups had similar effects on cells in the in vitro model, D-CSMS had a positive contribution on all in vivo treatment outcomes and showed potential as a new strategy for treatment when applied to OA knee joints. (c) 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 103B: 1238-1248, 2015

Composite clinoptilolite/PCL-PEG-PCL scaffolds for bone regeneration: In vitro and in vivo evaluation

In this study, clinoptilolite (CLN) was employed as a reinforcement in a polymer-based composite scaffold in bone tissue engineering and evaluated in vivo for the first time. Highly porous, mechanically stable, and osteogenic CLN/PCL-PEG-PCL (CLN/PCEC) scaffolds were fabricated with modified particulate leaching/compression molding technique with varying CLN contents. We hypothesized that CLN reinforcement in a composite scaffold will improve bone regeneration and promote repair. Therefore, the scaffolds were analyzed for compressive strength, biodegradation, biocompatibility, and induction of osteogenic differentiation in vitro. CLN inclusion in PC-10 (10% w/w) and PC-20 (20% w/w) scaffolds revealed 54.7% and 53.4% porosity, higher dry (0.62 and 0.76 MPa), and wet (0.37 and 0.45 MPa) compressive strength, greater cellular adhesion, alkaline phosphatase activity (2.20 and 2.82 mg/g(DNA)/min), and intracellular calcium concentration (122.44 and 243.24 g Ca/mg(DNA)). The scaffolds were evaluated in a unicortical bone defect at anterior aspect of proximal tibia of adult rabbits 4 and 8 weeks postimplantation. Similar to in vitro results, CLN-containing scaffolds led to efficient regeneration of bone in a dose-dependent manner. PC-20 demonstrated highest quality of bone union, cortex development, and bone-scaffold interaction at the defect site. Therefore, higher CLN content in PC-20 permitted robust remodeling whereas pure PCEC (PC-0) scaffolds displayed fibrous tissue formation. Consequently, CLN was proven to be a potent reinforcement in terms of promoting mechanical, physical, and biological properties of polymer-based scaffolds in a more economical, easy-to-handle, and reproducible approach

The effect of dystocia on oxidative stress, colostral antibody/passive immune status, and blood gases in Damascus goats and their kids

The present study was conducted to investigate the effect of dystocia on oxidative stress, venous blood gases, and colostrum and serum immunoglobulins G (IgG) in Damascus goats and their kids, respectively. The study sample comprised a total of 40 Damascus goats with of their own 40 kids separated into 2 groups according to the type of birth. Group 1 consisted of goats with eutocia (n = 20) and their kids (n = 20), and Group 2 consisted of goats with dystocia (n = 20) and their kids (n = 20). Blood samples were taken from the goats and their kids in both groups to measure oxidative stress within one hour after kidding, and from the kids to evaluate serum IgG levels 24 h after kidding. Following blood gas and acid/base status were determined immediately after blood collection, colostrum samples were taken before the kids were sucked. Malondialdehyde (MDA), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), ischemia modified albumin (IMA), and total oxidant capacity (TOC) levels were significantly higher in the dystocia group than in the eutocia group (p < 0.05). Glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) were significantly lower in the dystocia group than those in the eutocia group (p < 0.05). In addition, the scrum IgG levels of kids were significantly lower in the dystocia group than those in the eutocia group (p < 0.05). In the kids, partial pressure of oxygen (pO(2)), pH value, bicarbonate (HCO3), base excess (BE), and glucose levels were significantly lower in the dystocia group than those in the eutocia group (p < 0.05), whereas partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pCO(2)), potassium (K) and calcium (Ca) levels were significantly higher in the dystocia group than those in the eutocia group (p < 0.05). In the goats, oxygen pressure (pO(2)) was significantly higher in the dystocia group than that in the eutocia group (p < 0.05), whereas bicarbonate (HCO3) was significantly lower in the dystocia group than that in the eutocia group (p < 0.05). There was a significant correlation between IMA and serum IgG in kids in Group 1 (r=0.611, p < 0.05). A statistically significant correlation was observed between MDA and colostrum IgG levels in goats in Group 2 (r = 0.464, p < 0.05). In conclusion, current results could reveal that dystocia caused oxidative stress in both goats and kids. The present study elucidates that dystocia resulted in hypercapnia and hypoxia in kids, negatively affected blood gases, and decreased serum IgG levels in kids. It was revealed that oxidative stress increased, and colostrum IgG level did not change in goats in the dystocia group