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Background: Alterations of plateletcrit and mean platelet volume (MPV) and pathogenesis of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) have been linked to various inflammatory disorders. The prognostic impact of plateletcrit and MPV were evaluated. Methods: MPV and plateletcrit levels of both CLL and control group were compared and then in CLL patients, additional diseases, leukocyte count, platelet count, lactate dehydrogenase, Rai stage, progression-free and overall survival, mutations, if any, and chemotherapy, if any, were recorded. Then, the relationship between MPV and plateletcrit values and these parameters were evaluated in CLL patients. Results: Platelet and plateletcrit values were found to be significantly lower in CLL patients than the control group (p

Chromosomal data and karyological relationships provide valuable information about karyotype evolution and speciation. For the genus Bunium, the chromosomal data are limited. In the present study, the chromosomal data of 10 taxa are provided, 6 of which are given for the first time, 2 present new chromosome numbers, and 2 agree with previous reports. Four different chromosome numbers (2n=18, 20, 22 and 40) were detected, and 2n=40 is a new number in the genus Bunium. B. brachyactis is the first polyploid species of the genus with a ploidy level of 4x. The most asymmetric karyotypes are those of B. pinnatifolium and B. sayae. Regarding karyological relationships, B. pinnatifolium forms a monophyletic group by quite different karyological features such as large chromosomes, more submedian chromosomes and the most asymmetric karyotypes. In addition, the other 5 taxa form a strong monophyletic group. B. verruculosum and B. ferulaceum are cytotaxonomically very close species, as are B. sayae and B. elegans var. elegans. The chromosome numbers of 2 Turkish species, B. nudum and B. sivasicum, remain unknown. The presented results provide important contributions to the cytotaxonomy of Bunium.

This study investigated the effect of testosterone antibodies and a combination of vitamin A and E on reproductive performance and lipid peroxidation in Tuj sheep during the oestrus period. Two castrated Tuj rams were used to produce an ovine testosterone antibody. To perform the experiment, 30 clinically healthy adult Tuj sheep were divided into three groups, in each group had 10 sheep. The Control group were given a placebo, Group I was injected with the testosterone antibody alone and Group II was injected with testosterone antibody plus a combination of vitamins A and E in Freund"s incomplete adjuvant. The testosterone antibody and vitamin combination were administered at synchronization and 1 week before synchronization. To synchronize the sheep, 2.5 ml GnRH was injected to sheep in Control, Group I and Group II. Control, Group I and II were subsequently given 600 IU PMSG with 2 ml PGF2α at 5th day of synchronization. Progesterone levels were higher in the two treatment groups than in the control group as pregnancy progressed. Plasma malondialdehyde levels were higher during initial drug application and prior to mating but were lower in the experimental groups than in control during pregnancy and after parturition. Erythrocyte glutathione levels remained significantly higher in experimental groups than in Control during pregnancy. The number of offspring and the lambing rates in Group I and Group II was higher than the Control. There were no stillbirths in Group I. The number of nonpregnant sheep was lowest in Group II. In summary, injections of testosterone antibody and a combination of vitamins A and E led to an increased incidence of multiple pregnancies in sheep and a greater number of lambs were born. These data indicate that the immunoneutralization of testosterone combined with a reduction in free radicals via the antioxidant activities of vitamins led to increased rates of conception and twinning. Also, it is thought that to allow the growth of the herd in a shorter time, testosterone antibody and combination of vitamins A and E can be applied.

Eda Celik Guzel,1 Esra Bakkal,1 Savas Guzel,2 Hasan Emre Eroglu,3 Ayse Acar,2 Volkan Kuçukyalcin,2 Birol Topcu4 1Department of Family Physician, Faculty of Medicine, Namik Kemal University, Tekirdag, Turkey; 2Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Namik Kemal University, Tekirdag, Turkey; 3Faculty of Medicine, Namik Kemal University, Tekirdag, Turkey; 4Department of Biostatistics, Faculty of Medicine, Namik Kemal University, Tekirdag, Turkey Objective: Depression is a common condition in obese women that can result in severe impairment of their physical and social functioning. A deficiency of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is involved in the mechanism of depression. The aim of this study is to investigate whether BDNF levels differ between obese female patients and healthy controls and whether BDNF levels alter with affective states in depressive obese women.Methods: The study group included 40 obese, 40 preobese, and 40 normal weight women. BDNF levels were measured with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in patient and control groups. For identifying the depression and anxiety status, Beck Depression/Anxiety Inventories were used; and for the evaluation of cognitive functions, the mini-mental state examination was used.Results: BDNF levels were significantly lower in obese patients compared to the control group (P

Objective. Obese people may have nutritional deficiencies, although they are exposed to excessive food intake. We aim to assess relationship of vitamin D, B12, and folic acid levels and dietary vitamin intake and insulin resistance in obese people. Design. This case-control study was performed at the obesity outpatient clinics between March 2014 and April 2015. Subjects and Methods. We included 304 nondiabetic obese subjects in patient group and 150 normal weight individuals in control group. Patients were questioned in detail about their food intake. Results. Mean age of obese patients was 37.3«10.1 years, the mean duration of obesity was 7.9«5.4 years, and the percentage of female patients was 65.8%. Mean vitamin D, B12, and folic acid levels were significantly lower in patients than in controls. Vitamin D deficiency (<20 ng/mL) in 69.7%, vitamin B12 deficiency (<200 pg/mL) in 13.5%, and folic acid deficiency (<4 ng/mL) was found in 14.2% of the patients. BMI negatively correlated with vitamin D, B12, and folic acid levels. B12 levels negatively correlated with duration of obesity. Insulin resistance was found in 55.9% of patients and HOMA-IR levels negatively correlated with vitamin D and B12 levels. While dietary vitamin D and folic acid intakes were inadequate in all of patients, only 28.3% of patients had inadequate vitamin B12 intake. There was no relation between vitamin levels and dietary vitamin intakes. Conclusions. The study reveals that vitamin D, B12, and folic acid levels were low and poor vitamin D and B12 status were associated with insulin resistance in nondiabetic obese patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Objectives: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) presents significant risks for both maternal and neonatal health, affecting fetal growth and increasing the likelihood of future diabetes mellitus (DM) development in affected women. The dysregulation of metabolic biomarkers, including catestatin, has been implicated in GDM pathophysiology. However, the clinical significance of catestatin in GDM remains poorly understood, particularly in the context of different therapeutic approaches. Methods: This observational, prospective, and cross-sectional study was conducted to evaluate maternal serum catestatin levels in gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) patients and healthy controls. Data were collected at a single time point during the second trimester of pregnancy (24 to 28 weeks). Participants were categorized based on their glucose tolerance and GDM management strategies (diet regulation or insulin therapy). Results: Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis demonstrated the diagnostic significance of serum catestatin levels in GDM, suggesting a cut-off value of >9.61 ng/mL for discriminating between women with and without GDM. However, further research is needed to elucidate the mechanistic role of catestatin in GDM and its utility in guiding therapeutic interventions. Conclusions: Our study highlights the potential of catestatin as a biomarker for GDM risk stratification and monitoring, complementing existing diagnostic tools. Integrating metabolic biomarkers like catestatin into clinical management approaches may optimize maternal and neonatal health outcomes in GDM. However, the limitations of our study, including its cross-sectional design and sample size, underscore the need for future multicenter studies to validate our findings comprehensively.

Aims: Chronic osteomyelitis, including implant-related prosthetic joint infection, is extremely difficult to cure. We develop vancomycin containing release systems from poly(d,l-lactide) (PDLLA) and poly(d,l-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) composites with beta-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) to treat methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus osteomyelitis. We ask whether vancomycin containing PDLLA/β-TCP and PLGA/β-TCP composites will prevent early biofilm formation, allow cell proliferation and osteogenic differentiation, and stimulate osteogenic signaling molecules in the absence of an osteogenic medium., Methods: Composites were produced and characterized with scanning electron microscopy. In vitro vancomycin release was assessed for 6 weeks. Biofilm prevention was calculated by crystal violet staining. Human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hBM-MSCs) and osteosarcoma cell (SaOS-2) proliferation and differentiation were assessed with water soluble tetrazolium salt and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) staining. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction defined osteogenic signaling molecules for hBM-MSCs., Results: Totally, 3.1 ± 0.2 mg and 3.4 ± 0.4 mg vancomycin released from PDLLA/β-TCP and the PLGA/β-TCP composites, respectively, and inhibited early biofilm formation. hBM-MSCs and SaOS-2 cells proliferated on the composites and stimulated ALP activity of cells. Runt-related transcription factor 2 (RUNX2) and SRY-Box transcription Factor 9 (SOX9) expressions were, however, lower with composites when compared with control., Conclusion: Vancomycin containing PDLLA/β-TCP and PLGA/β-TCP composites inhibited early biofilm formation and proliferated and differentiated hBM-MSCs and SaOS-2 cells, but osteogenesis-related RUNX2 and SOX9 transcription factors were not strongly expressed in the absence of an osteogenic medium for 14 days., Competing Interests: One or more of the authors (BK, EB, PK, and FK) has received funding from the Republic of Turkey Ministry of Science, Industry and Technology SANTEZ Programme Project No: 00817.STZ.2011-1., (Copyright © 2022 Kankilic, Bayramli, Korkusuz, Eroglu, Sener, Mutlu and Korkusuz.)

Objective: To investigate the effects of low-flow and high-flow anesthesia techniques, administered with sevoflurane during laparoscopic cholecystectomy, on thiol/disulphide homeostasis and serum ischemia-modified albumin (IMA) levels., Study Design: Double-blind, randomised study., Place and Duration of Study: Department of Anesthesiology and Reanimation, Health Science University, Bursa Yuksek Ihtisas Training and Education hospital, Bursa, Turkey from January to October 2020., Methodology: Patients over the age of 18 years, scheduled for elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy, were included in the study. The patients were divided into two groups: Group 1 (low-flow, 1 L/min) and Group 2 (high-flow, 2 L/min). The blood samples for thiol/disulphide homeostasis and serum IMA levels were collected as follows: 5 minutes before induction of anesthesia (T0), 5 minutes after induction of anesthesia (T1) and postoperative 24th hour (T2)., Results: The final analysis included 104 patients. The two groups did not differ significantly in terms of any of the demographic characteristics (p >0.05). There were also no inter-group differences in terms of thiol/disulphide homeostasis parameters or serum IMA levels at T0, T1, or T2. However, in both groups, there were statistically significant changes in serum disulphide and IMA levels from T0 to T1 and T0 to T2 (p=0.000, and p=0.005, respectively)., Conclusion: There was no difference between low-flow and high-flow anesthesia during laparoscopic cholecystectomy in terms of hemodynamics or thiol/disulphide homeostasis. Key Words: Low-flow anesthesia, High-flow anesthesia, Thiol/disulphide homeostasis, İschemia-modified albumin (IMA), Laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

Aim: To evaluate the possible neuroprotective effects of systemic administration of cyclosporine (Cyclosporin A) after traumatic brain injury in rats., Material and Methods: The modified Feeney method was used as the trauma model in male Sprague Dawley rats. After the trauma, 20 mg/kg of cyclosporine was administered to the one group of the rats (n=12) intraperitoneally. Twenty-four hours after injury, the subjects were sacrificed, and brain samples were removed. The level of brain edema was evaluated through the wet-dry weight method, the lipid peroxidation ratio, and histological examination by transmission electron microscopy., Results: The level of brain edema and lipid peroxidation ratio significantly decreased in the rats that received cyclosporine. Ultrastructural neurodestruction was graded, and a comparison of the scores between the experimental groups revealed significant neuroprotective effects of cyclosporine., Conclusion: The results demonstrated that systemic administration of cyclosporine produces a statistically significant decrease in both the level of brain edema and lipid peroxidation ratio when compared with "no treatment". Cyclosporine, which is regularly used as an immunosuppressant agent, is also known to prevent opening of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore by unbinding mitochondrial matrix cyclophilin. Regulation of transition pore for mitochondrial permeability by cyclosporine implies that mitochondrial dysfunction following traumatic brain injury is an important event in the progressive loss of neuronal tissue.

Curcumin-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles (C-SLNs) were prepared using micro emulsion and ultrasonication methods in the first stage of this study to determine the role of C-SLN on liver-spleen scintigraphy. It was concluded that the curcumin that was encapsulated in solid lipid nanoparticles had a β' polymorph structure according to the X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. İt was concluded that these particles were at nano scale according to the laser diffraction (LD) analysis. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) analysis suggested an interaction between the curcumin and the solid lipid matrix, and the curcumin was loaded on the solid lipid nanoparticles. Moreover, the particles were concluded to be spherical and at nanoscale according to the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images. On the other hand, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) suggested that the curcumin loaded solid nanoparticles were stable against the temperature. C-SLNs were labeled with Technetium-99m ( 99m Tc) radioisotope in the second stage of the study, then using scintigraphic methods in-vivo studies were performed on New Zealand rabbit and made a comparison with Phytate colloid, routinely used in liver-spleen scintigraphy. After analyzing the images and the biological distributions obtained from the experiments, uptake was observed in the liver and the spleen. Following from the experiment results, 99m Tc-labeled C-SLNs was concluded to be a possible imaging agent. In particular, it could be a new radiopharmaceutical alternative to 99m Tc-labeled compounds that are used in liver and spleen imaging in colloid scintigraphy., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: To determine knowledge levels of working and student nurses about cervical cancer and prophylactic cancer vaccines., Materials and Methods: This study was performed on 259 nursing students in the Department of Nursing and 137 nurses working in Health Research and Practice Center, approved to participate in the study between April-June 2012. The study was performed universally without selecting a sample. A questionnaire that was prepared for evaluating participants' knowledge and attitudes about human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine was distributed to the nurses and data obtained from the forms were transferred to SPSS 15.00 program and statistically analyzed., Results: It was found that 54.8% of the student nurses were between 21-24 years old and 13.1% of working students were between 25-28 years old. When student nurses and working nurses were compared in terms of their knowledge about the causes of cervical cancer, their ideas about prevention from cervical cancer with HPV vaccine, their ideas about possible risks of HPV vaccine and conservation ratios of HPV vaccine, it was observed that there were no statistically significant differences (p>0.05). When student nurses and working nurses were compared in terms of the information-source about HPV, ways of HPV contamination, awareness about people who are susceptible to HPV contamination and age of HPV vaccination, it was determined that there was a statistically significant difference (p<0.05)., Conclusions: It was found that all nurses had some knowledge about cervical cancer and HPV vaccine, but this was not sufficient. Therefore; it is recommended to use verbal, written and visual communication tools intensively in order to have topics on cervical cancer, early diagnosis and prevention in bachelor and master programs for nurses, to inform society about cervical cancer and HPV vaccine for public health and to teach precautions for its prevention.

Background: Tracheal stenosis constitutes one of the most frequently seen problems in thoracic surgery. Although many treatment modalities to prevent fibroblast proliferation, angiogenesis, or inflammation that causes tracheal stenosis have been attempted, an effective method has not yet been found. In this study, a transforming growth factor beta3 (TGF-β3)/chitosan combination was used for this purpose., Methods: A slow-release preparation containing a thin layer of TGF-β3 with a chitosan base was made. Thirty albino Wistar rats were divided into 3 groups. A full-layer vertical incision was made in the anterior side of the trachea of each rat between the second and fifth tracheal rings. The tracheal incision was sutured. Group A was evaluated as the control group. In Group B, a chitosan-based film was placed on the incision line. In Group C, a slow-release TGF-β3/chitosan-coated substance was placed on the incision line. The rats were killed on day 30, and their tracheas were excised by cutting between the lower edge of the thyroid cartilage and the upper edge of the sixth tracheal ring together with the esophagus. Epithelialization, fibroblast proliferation, angiogenesis, inflammation, and collagen levels were evaluated histopathologically by the same histopathologist., Results: Statistically significant differences were not found among the 3 groups. Cold abscesses were observed at the incision sites in both the TGF-β/chitosan and chitosan groups. These were thought to have formed due to the chitosan., Conclusions: As this was the first experiment in the literature to use this type of TGF-β3 formulation, we intend to change the formulation and perform this study again with a different TGF-β3/chitosan preparation.

Aim: Spinal cord injury (SCI) is characterized by posttraumatic inflammatory cascades including excitotoxicity, oxidative stress, and apoptosis. Agents against neuroinflammation are the current scope of studies on experimental SCI with promising results., Material and Methods: Thirty-two male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing 250-320 gram were used. They were randomized and divided into four groups with eight animals in each as sham, control, SCI+PEG (polyethylene glycol) and SCI+atorvastatin group. Rats were anesthetized with intraperitoneal ketamine (80 mg/kg) and xylazine (10 mg/kg) and SCI was induced by the weight-drop model. A single level laminectomy was performed at T10 and the spinal column was immobilized with a stereotactic device. Rats in the treatment group received ip atorvastatin at 0.2 mg/kg. Neurological impairments were examined through Modified Tarlov's and inclined angle scores. The SCI section was resected for electron-microscopic analysis, IL-1β and IL-6 level. All data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA and Dunnet T3 test., Results: Atorvastatin improved locomotor recovery after rat SCI. The results were further confirmed with a statistically significant decrease of IL-1β, IL-6 and lipid peroxide levels. This finding revealed the anti-inflammatory and beneficial effect of atorvastatin on rat SCI., Conclusion: The present study focused on both B and T cell mediated immunity and confirmed the beneficial effect of atorvastatin with decreased expressions of IL-1β and IL-6.

Introduction: It has been known that vitamin D has some immunomodulatory effects and in autoimmune thyroid diseases, vitamin D deficiency was more prevalent. In this study, our aim was to investigate the relationship between thyroid autoantibodies and vitamin D., Material and Methods: Group 1 and 2 consisted of 254 and 27 newly diagnosed Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) and Graves' disease (GD) cases, respectively; age-matched 124 healthy subjects were enrolled as controls (group 3). All subjects (n = 405) were evaluated for 25OHD and thyroid autoantibody [anti-thyroid peroxidase (anti-TPO) and anti-thyroglobulin (anti-tg)] levels., Results: Group 2 and group 1 patients had lower 25OHD levels than group 3 subjects 14.9 ±8.6 ng/ml, 19.4 ±10.1 ng/ml and 22.5 ±15.4 ng/ml, respectively (p < 0.001). Serum 25OHD levels inversely correlated with anti-tg (r = -0.136, p = 0.025), anti-TPO (r = -0.176, p = 0.003) and parathormone (PTH) (r = -0.240, p < 0.001). Group 2 patients had higher anti-tg and anti-TPO levels than group 1 and 3 (p < 0.001)., Conclusions: In this study, we found that patients with autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD) present with lower vitamin D levels and GD patients have higher prevalence. Since we found an inverse correlation between vitamin D levels and thyroid antibody levels, we may suggest that vitamin D deficiency is one of the potential factors in pathogenesis of autoimmune thyroid disorders.

In this study, we have formulated chitosan-coated sodium alginate microparticles containing meloxicam (MLX) and aimed to investigate the correlation between in vitro release and in vivo absorbed percentages of meloxicam. The microparticle formulations were prepared by orifice ionic gelation method with two different sodium alginate concentrations, as 1% and 2% (w/v), in order to provide different release rates. Additionally, an oral solution containing 15 mg of meloxicam was administered as the reference solution for evaluation of in vitro/in vivo correlation (ivivc). Following in vitro characterization, plasma levels of MLX and pharmacokinetic parameters [elimination half-life (t(1/2)), maximum plasma concentration (C(max)), time for C(max) (t(max))] after oral administration to New Zealand rabbits were determined. Area under plasma concentration-time curve (AUC(0-∞)) was calculated by using trapezoidal method. A linear regression was investigated between released% (in vitro) and absorbed% (in vivo) with a model-independent deconvolution approach. As a result, increase in sodium alginate content lengthened in vitro release time and in vivo t(max) value. In addition, for ivivc, linear regression equations with r(2) values of 0.8563 and 0.9402 were obtained for microparticles containing 1% and 2% (w/v) sodium alginate, respectively. Lower prediction error for 2% sodium alginate formulations (7.419 ± 4.068) compared to 1% sodium alginate formulations (9.458 ± 5.106) indicated a more precise ivivc for 2% sodium alginate formulation.

Atorvastatin is commonly used as a cholesterol lowering agent in patients. Recently, the neuroprotective effects of atorvastatin became the focus of many research studies. In this study, we have formulated chitosan microspheres containing atorvastatin calcium. In-vitro characterization of chitosan microspheres and quantification of atorvastatin calcium from formulations were also evaluated. The neuroprotective efficiency of atorvastatin calcium was investigated by an experimental spinal cord injury model. Atorvastatin calcium microspheres were implanted at the laminectomy area (1 mg/kg) immediately after trauma. Twenty-four hours after injury, motor functions of animals were scored according to modified Tarlov Scale. In spinal cord tissues tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, interleukin (IL)-1beta, IL-6 and lipid peroxidation levels were quantified and ultrastructural changes have been investigated. The results of all parameters indicate that microspheres containing atorvastatin calcium were capable of improving functional outcome, attenuating the expression of TNF-alpha, IL-1beta and IL-6; lowering lipid peroxidation levels and maintaining the preservation of the cellular uniformity.