Capsaicin effectively prevents apoptosis in the contralateral testis after ipsilateral testicular torsion

Objective To evaluate the effect of afferent nerve blockage by administration of capsaicin on apoptotic changes in the contralateral testis in rats undergoing ipsilateral testicular torsion. Materials and methods Twenty male albino rats were randomly divided into four groups. In groups 1 and 2, rats underwent a sham operation and testicular torsion, respectively, after the intraperitoneal administration of 0.9% NaCl. Similarly, in groups 3 and 4 the rats underwent a sham operation and testicular torsion, respectively, after an intraperitoneal capsaicin injection. The testes were untwisted 24 h later and the contralateral testes harvested. Apoptosis was assessed in paraffin-embedded sections stained for nuclear DNA fragmentation. Fifteen cells were counted in each seminiferous tubule and the apoptotic cells recorded. A score was calculated for each group and the results compared using the Kruskal-Wallis analysis of variance and Mann Whitney U-tests, with P < 0.05 considered to be significant. Results The mean apoptotic score of group 2 was significantly higher than that of the other groups. There was no difference between the apoptotic scores of groups 1 and 3, 1 and 4, and 3 and 4. Conclusion Capsaicin effectively prevented apoptosis in the contralateral testes of rats that had undergone testicular torsion

The Effect of Vitamin D on Expression of TGF beta 1 in Ovary

The transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) is thought to have important roles in several stages of folliculogenesis. Vitamin D is effective in cell proliferation, differentiation and on estrogen biosynthesis. The aim of the present study was to determine the respective role of 1,25-dihydroxy-vitamin D3 on expression of TGF-beta 1 in developing rat ovaries. 24 (one-month-old n = 12 and adult n = 12) female Wistar rats were enrolled in this study. All animals were divided into 4 groups. Group I and II that consist of one-month-old (n = 6) and adult rats (n = 6) respectively served as control groups. Intramuscular vitamin D3 (0.05 mu g/kg/every other day) was injected for 8 weeks to group III and IV which consist of one-month-old and adult rats respectively. After last injection, ovaries of animals were removed and processed for immunohistochemistry assay. No remarkable differences in staining intensity and localization for TGF-beta 1 were observed in group I and group III. TGF immunostaining was also predominantly found in oocytes. In granulosa cells, TGF-beta 1 immunoreactivity was negative. TGF-beta 1 immunostaining were observed both in nuclei and cytoplasm of granulosa cells in group II. But in group IV granulosa cells and oocytes were negative for TGF-beta 1. We found that vitamin D administration resulted in a decrease in TGF-beta 1 levels in the adult rats, but, TGF-beta 1 expression did not significantly decrease in the newborn rats. However, in multiple linear regression analysis, TGF-beta 1 expressions were independently associated with vitamin D administration. It is observed that Vitamin D attenuated TGF-beta 1 expression. The results of this study suggest that vitamin D may play role in folliculogenesis via TGF-beta 1

abdominal trauma

The role of serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (SGOT) and serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase (SGPT) levels on intra-abdominal injury in children has not been adequately studied. In this report, the accuracy of these tests in predicting the degree and extend of intra-abdominal and hepatic injury in children with blunt abdominal trauma was investigated.Eighty-seven haemodynamically stable children with multiple trauma were prospectively evaluated. The SGOT and SGPT of patients with and without abdominal trauma (Groups I and II) were compared. Patients with and without radiologically verified intra-abdominal injury were further compared (Groups Ib and Ia).There was significant difference in SGOT and SGPT levels of Groups I and II. SGOT and SGPT levels were 333.6 +/- 283.8 and, 197.5 +/- 192.5 U/l, respectively in Group Ib; but 84.2 +/- 55.9, 43 29.8 U/l in Group Ia (P < 0.001). In all patients with radiologically detected intra-abdominal pathology SGOT and SGPT levels were above 110.5 and 63.5 U/l, respectively. In patients with hepatic injury SGOT level was above 500 U/l and, SGPT level was above 300 U/l. Statistically significant positive correlation was found between radiologically detected intra-abdominal pathology and increased SGOT (above 110.5 U/l) and SGPT (above 63.5 U/l) levels (P < 0.05).These data indicated that the SGOT and SGPT levels were significantly higher in patients with intra-abdominal injury even in the absence of hepatic injury. We suggest that liver function tests may be used as screening tests in children with blunt abdominal trauma in addition to physical abdominal examination. A sudden rise up to 110.5 U/l in SGOT and 63.5 U/l in SGPT indicate an intra-abdominal injury and severe hepatic injury should be suspected with higher levels of SGOT and SGPT. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved

Cost factors in pediatric trauma

Introduction: There is a lack of information on the cost of treating trauma in children in developing countries. Therefore, in the pediatric emergency unit of a university hospital in Turkey, we prospectively investigated the cost factors of pediatric trauma and attempted to identify cost predictors. Methods: We prepared questionnaires and charts for 91 children (50 boys, 41 girls) admitted with multiple trauma to obtain data on age, gender, date and mechanism of injury, site of injury, type of the treatment and length of hospital stay. We studied the physical findings, Pediatric Trauma Score (PTS), Revised Trauma Score (RETS) and pediatric Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score, and we totalled all hospital-based costs according to Ministry of Health guidelines. Results: The mean (and standard deviation [SD]) age of the children was 79.4 (52.3) months. Motor vehicle crashes accounted for 45% of the injuries, followed by falls (41%) and bicycle accidents (14%). The mean (and SD) total cost of care was US$376.60 ($428.20) (range from $20-$1995). The cost associated with motor vehicle crashes was higher than that for the other injury types (p < 0.05). Seventeen patients required major and 27 patients required minor surgical treatment, whereas 44 patients were treated conservatively; 3 died. Forty-eight percent of patients were referred from another hospital, and the cost of care of referred patients was significantly higher than for those admitted directly (p < 0.001). The mean (and SD) duration of hospital stay was 98 (150) hours. Total cost correlated directly with the duration of hospital stay and distance of the referred hospital or accident scene from our hospital (p < 0.001, r = 0.827 and 0.374 respectively), but the cost correlated inversely with the PTS, the RETS and the pediatric GCS score (p < 0.001, r = -0.339, -0.301 and -0.453 respectively). Conclusion: Our findings indicate that the cost of pediatric trauma is high and may be predicted from admission data and trauma scores