Nonsense β-thalassemia mutation at codon 37 (TGG>TGA), detected for the first time in three Turkish cases

Thalassemias are genetically heterogeneous group of disorders with reduced or absent production of globin. β-Thalassemia major can be caused by homozygosity or compound heterozygosity for β-globin gene mutation. Here we report, for the first time in Turkey, three cases who carry the nonsense β-thalassemia (β-thal) mutation at codon 37 (TGG>TGA; Trp→Stop) causing premature stop codon.     

β-Glucan treatment prevents progressive burn ischaemia in the zone of stasis and improves burn healing: An experimental study in rats

Saving the zone of stasis is one of the major goals of burn specialists. Increasing the tissue tolerance to ischaemia and inhibiting inflammation have been proposed to enable salvage of this zone. After a burn, excessive inflammation, including increased vascular permeability, local tissue oedema and neutrophil activation, causes local tissue damage by triggering vascular thrombosis and blocking capillaries, resulting in tissue ischaemia and necrosis. Oxygen radicals also contribute to tissue damage after a burn. However, macrophages play a pivotal role in the response to burn. We studied β-glucan because of its many positive systemic effects that are beneficial to burn healing, including immunomodulatory effects, antioxidant effects (free-radical scavenging activity) and effects associated with the reduction of the inflammatory response.     

Correspondence: Cox inhibitors and bone healing

No Abstract available     

Psychiatric disorders and characteristics of abuse in sexually abused children and adolescents with and without intellectual disabilities

The purpose of this study was to compare sexually abused children and adolescents, with and without intellectual disabilities (ID), in terms of post-abuse psychiatric disorders, features of the sexual abuse, and sociodemographic characteristics. The study included sexually abused children aged 6–16 years, who were sent to three different child mental health units for forensic evaluation; there were 102 cases (69 girls and 33 boys) with ID and 154 cases (126 girls and 28 boys) without ID. Researchers retrospectively examined the files, social examination reports, and the judicial reports of the cases. It was determined that in the group with ID, sexual abuse types including penetration and contact had higher rates, they were exposed to more frequent repeated abuses, the abuses were revealed with their own reports at a later period and lower rates, and post-abuse pregnancies were more frequent. It was also determined that the abuser was a familiar person and a family member at lower rates and more than one abuser was encountered more frequently, compared to the group without ID. While no difference was determined between the two groups in terms of the frequency of post-abuse post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depressive disorder (MDD), conduct disorder (CD) was observed more frequently in the group with ID. This study emphasizes that sexual abuse, which is an important problem in individuals with ID, has different features and effects.     

L-carnitine alleviates sciatic nerve crush injury in rats：functional and electron microscopy assessments

Several studies have demonstrated that L-carnitine exhibits neuroprotective effects on injured sciatic nerve of rats with diabetes mellitus. It is hypothesized that L-carnitine exhibits neuro-protective effects on injured sciatic nerve of rats. Rat sciatic nerve was crush injured by a forceps and exhibited degenerative changes. After intragastric administration of 50 and 100 mg/kg L-carnitine for 30 days, axon area, myelin sheath area, axon diameter, myelin sheath diameter, and numerical density of the myelinated axons of injured sciatic nerve were similar to normal, and the function of injured sciatic nerve also improved signiifcantly. These ifndings suggest that L-carnitine exhibits neuroprotective effects on sciatic nerve crush injury in rats.     

Investigation of rosemary herbal extracts (Rosmarinus officinalis) and their potential effects on immunity

The discovery of new curative drugs and the consumption of natural dietary ingredients with the ability to exhibit immunomodulatory activity is urgently needed to decrease the risk of chronic diseases among the population. Rosmarinus officinalis (Lamiaceae) is an aromatic plant that has been traditionally and medicinally used as a carminative, antispasmodic, painkiller, circulatory tonic, to stimulate hair growth and to improve memory dysfunction. This study aimed to assess the potential effects of rosemary solvent extracts on human immune function. Science Direct, Web of Science, Wiley, Elsevier, PubMed, Scopus, and the Google scholar search engines were used to retrieve relevant information included combinations of “rosemary” or “R. officinalis” with “immune function,” “immunity,” “immune system,” “anti‐inflammatory,” “inflammation,” or “health benefit.” A number of studies have been found a stimulatory effect of rosemary and its active compounds on the immune system in vitro and animal study, but there is a lack of evidence in humans for supporting this. The results demonstrated the potential of rosemary and its main active components as dietary ingredients with immunomodulatory functionality. Human studies should be performed and a double‐blind randomized controlled trial would be ideal.