A rare cause of hydrops fetalis in two Gaucher disease type 2 patients with a novel mutation

Metabolic Brain Disease - Gaucher disease type 2 is the most progressive and the rarest form of Gaucher disease, defined as the acute neuronopathic type. We presented two GD2 patients who died...     

Acromegaly is associated with a distinct oral and gut microbiota

Pituitary - Our aim was to investigate the changes in the composition of oral and gut microbiota in patients with newly diagnosed acromegaly and their relationship with IGF-1 levels. Oral and fecal...     

Urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin is associated with preeclampsia in a cohort of Turkish women

Purpose: We investigated the optimal cut-off level for urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) in preeclamptic patients to confirm the diagnosis.

Methods: Urinary NGAL concentrations were measured by specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

Results: Patients with preeclampsia had significantly higher urinary NGAL concentrations than controls (mean: 387 ng/ml vs. 188 ng/ml, respectively; P< 0.001). Using a cutoff value 252 ng/ml for urinary NGAL to confirm diagnosis of preeclampsia, sensitivity, and specificity were 92% and 91%, respectively.

Conclusion: Urinary NGAL concentrations were significantly elevated in women with preeclampsia versus normotensive controls.     

The genotoxic and antigenotoxic effects of tannic acid in human lymphocytes

The genotoxicity of tannic acid (TA, tannin) were investigated using chromosome aberration (CA), sister chromatid exchange (SCE), and micronucleus (MN) test systems in human peripheral lymphocytes. Also, the antigenotoxicity of TA against known mutagen EMS was also examined. The lymphocytes were treated with 1.74?×?10(-5), 3.49?×?10(-5), and 6.98?×?10(-5) μM of TA for 24- and 48-hour treatment periods. For the antigenotoxicity of TA, the lymphocytes were treated with three different concentrations of TA and 2.71 μM of EMS. TA synergically induced the CA alone and with the mixture of EMS. However, TA did not induce the SCE alone, whereas TA and EMS as a mixture also synergically induced SCE. TA alone showed no clear effect on micronucleus formation, and it did not induce the MN when used with EMS as a mixture. In addition, TA showed a synergistic cytotoxic effect by decreasing the mitotic and nuclear division indices. The replication index was decreased at all concentrations for 48 hours of treatment time by TA and EMS as a mixture.     

Propranolol-induced relaxation in the rat basilar artery

Propranolol is a non-selective beta-adrenergic receptor blocker used in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases and migraine prophylaxis. Although it has been shown that propranolol dilates the peripheral arteries of rat, its action in the central nervous system vasculature has not been investigated. In this study, the effects of propranolol in rat basilar artery were investigated. Basilar arteries from male Wistar rats were examined in a myograph system. The relaxant effects of propranolol, pindolol, atenolol, pizotifen and methysergide were examined in basilar arteries precontracted by serotonin or PGF2α. Only propranolol and pizotifen induced vasorelaxations; the pD2 values were 5.23 ± 0.13 and 5.94 ± 0.03; respectively. The vasorelaxation induced by propranolol and pizotifen was not affected by endothelium or the presence of l-NOARG and/or indomethacin. The calcium channel blocking activity of propranolol and pizotifen was compared with that of nifedipine in a calcium free solution with high K⁺ (60 mM) concentration. These drugs shifted the concentration–response curves of calcium induced contractions with pA2 values of 5.45 ± 0.04; 7.14 ± 0.09; and 9.22 ± 0.06 respectively. The P2Y receptor agonist UTP was used to induce sustained and stable contractions in basilar artery segments. Nifedipine caused a marked, but an incomplete relaxation. Cyclopiazonic acid, an inhibitor of sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium channels, but not propranolol or pizotifen abolished the remaining tonus after partial relaxations obtained with nifedipine.These results suggest that propranolol causes vasorelaxation by blocking the L-type voltage-gated calcium channels in the rat basilar artery.     

The in vivo genotoxic effects of carvacrol and thymol in rat bone marrow cells

The aim of this study was to investigate the in vivo genotoxic effects of carvacrol and thymol in bone marrow cells of rats. In the present study, both carvacrol (10, 30, 50, and 70 mg/kg b.w.) and thymol (40, 60, 80, and 100 mg/kg b.w.) significantly induced the structural and total chromosome abnormalities (CA) for all treatment periods (6, 12, and 24 h) when compared with control in bone marrow cells of rats intraperitonally administered. Both carvacrol and thymol showed similar effects with the positive control urethane on induction of the percentage of structural and total CA at the highest concentrations except the effects of carvacrol for 6 h treatment (70 mg/kg b.w. and 100 mg/kg b.w., respectively). In addition, carvacrol induced the numerical CA at all concentrations when compared to control and at two highest concentrations (50 and 70 mg/kg b.w.) when compared to solvent control. Thymol also induced the numerical CA especially at the highest concentration (100 mg/kg b.w.) for all treatment periods. It was shown that there was a dose-dependent effect on induction of structural, numerical and total CA for both carvacrol and thymol. Carvacrol and thymol decreased the mitotic index (MI) in all the concentrations and treatment times when compared with control. Carvacrol showed the similar effects with EC on decreasing the MI at 70 mg/kg b.w. for 6 h, at 30 and 50 mg/kg b.w. for 12 h and at all concentrations for 24 h treatment periods. Thymol also showed a similar effect with urethane (ethyl carbamate, EC) on decreasing the MI at 60, 80, and 100 mg/kg b.w. for 6 h and at all concentrations for 24 h treatment periods. Test substances decreased the MI in a dose-dependent manner.     

A Functioning-Desensitization Paraganglioma Which Caused Hemodynamic Instability During Tumoral Resection: Report of a Case

Paragangliomas are uncommon tumors arising from the neuroendocrine elements of the paraganglia. Their successful management is associated with many problems. We herein present the findings of a 22-year-old man in whom a paraganglioma was incidentally found and in which the clinical and previous operative behavior was functioning desensitization. As a result, preoperative medication was not performed; however, during the tumor resection the patient demonstrated hemodynamic instability.