Investigation of thiol-disulphide balance in patients with acute urticaria and chronic spontaneous urticaria

Background: Thiol–disulphide balance plays a major role in health and diseases. This balance may be disrupted by various diseases. We aimed to determine status of the effect of thiol–disulphide balance in urticaria.

Objectives: We aimed to investigate the thiol–disulphide balance in patients with acute urticaria (AUP) and chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU).

Methods: Study included 53 AUP and 47 healthy controls plus 57 patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSUP) and 57 healthy controls. Levels of native thiols, disulphides and total thiols were evaluated in plasma using a new and automated spectrophotometric method. Ratios of disulphides/total thiols, disulphides/native thiols and native thiols/total thiols were calculated.

Results: For AU, there was no statistical difference compared to control group in levels of native thiols, disulphides and total thiols. For CSU, however, there was an increase in levels of native thiols, disulphides and total thiols and the ratio of thiol/disulphide in favour of disulphide.

Conclusion: Thiol–disulphide balance was not affected by AU but shifted towards to disulphide in CSU indicating the presence of oxidative stress (OS).     

Evaluation of serum cystatin C levels and 99mTechnetium-mercaptoacetyltriglycine-3 renal scintigraphy for the early detection of cisplatin-induced renal toxicity in cancer patients

SUMMARY: Cisplatin has a broad-spectrum antineoplastic activity. Nephrotoxicity is a prominent component of the toxicity profile of cisplatin-based chemotherapy. In recent years, several reports have confirmed that cystatin C (cys-C) demonstrates a better correlation with the glomerular filtration rate than with serum creatinine. Scintigraphic techniques are also widely used in evaluating renal function. In the present study, serum cys-C, serum creatinine concentrations and ^99mTechnetium-mercaptoacetyltriglycine-3 (^99mTc-MAG-3) scintigraphy were studied in 22 cisplatin-naive cancer patients, 3 days before and 24 h after the first cycle of cisplatin-based chemotherapy. Serum cystatin C and creatinine levels increased in cancer patients after chemotherapy (creatinine: from 68 ± 12 to 72 ± 17 nmol/L; cystatin-C: from 0.064 ± 0.025 to 0.072 ± 0.033 jimol/L), but these differences were not statistically significant (P>0.05). Semiquantitative variables of ^99mTc-MAG-S scintigraphy significantly elevated after chemotherapy (T½*: from 10.27 ± 5.00to 16.17 ± 9.40 min, R20/max*: from 0.40 ± 0.12 to 0.67+0.45, Tmax**: from 5.40 ± 4.01 to 7.59 ± 5.30 min; * P <0.001, ** P <0.01, respectively). These results suggest that MAG-3 scintigraphy is a highly sensitive method in the early detection of cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity. Serum cystatin C doesn't seem to play a role in the early detection of cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity. As a result, MAG-3 scintigraphy may be used in selected patients who have a predisposition for renal toxicity.     

Legionnaire's disease: a nosocomial outbreak in Turkey

Six nosocomial cases of Legionella pneumophila occurred over a two-week period, with one further case being diagnosed retrospectively after 30 days. Strains isolated from the hospital water system were clonally related to a single sputum isolate. A sero-epidemiological investigation into legionella exposure amongst staff and inpatients was undertaken at the eight-year-old Inonu University Medical Centre in Turkey, which has 600 beds and central air conditioning. There is no disinfection programme for the hospital water system. A total of 500 serum samples (400 hospital staff and 100 inpatients) were screened for antibody to L. pneumophila by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Seroreactive cases were confirmed by a four-fold antibody rise in ELISA, a high indirect immunofluorescent assay (IFA) antibody titre or a positive urinary antigen test. ELISA showed that 24 (6%) of the 400 hospital staff and seven (7%) of the 100 inpatients had antibody titres higher than the cut-off value. ELISA-seroreactive cases were followed for two to four weeks. Of these subjects, seven (three patients and four staff) showed a four-fold rise in antibody titre by ELISA, six (three patients and three staff) had a high IFA titre, three patients with pneumonia had a positive urinary antigen test, and one of these patients also had a positive sputum culture. In addition, 22 water distribution systems were screened for the presence of L. pneumophila by culture. L. pneumophila was isolated from 15 sites. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis typing indicated that all strains isolated from water systems were identical and clonally related to the strain isolated from sputum. Superheating and flushing of water systems were undertaken with legionella being re-isolated from four sites. Repeated superheating and flushing eliminated legionella completely. This study demonstrated that rapid detection of L. pneumophila and adequate superheating and flushing of water systems are effective for elimination and reduction of spread of this organism.     

The efficiency of intraperitoneal high-dose immunoglobulin in experimental nephrotic syndrome

Although it has been reported that high-dose immunoglobulin has beneficial effects in chronic glomerulonephritis, it is not known whether it is effective in the treatment of idiopathic nephrotic syndrome. We have investigated the effects of intraperitoneal immunoglobulin in adriamycin-induced nephrotic syndrome. Adriamycin (2 mg kg^–1 per dose) was given intravenously to sixteen Wistar albino rats (eight control and eight treatment rats) on day 1 and at week 3. At week 5 intraperitoneal immunoglobulin (1 g kg^–1 per dose) was given to the treatment group on two consecutive days whereas the control group received intraperitoneal saline solution. In both treatment and control groups urinary protein excretion was significantly elevated after administration of adriamycin (P=0.018). Urinary protein excretion, serum albumin, and triglyceride levels in the two groups were not significantly different after 5, 8, 12, and 16 weeks. Serum creatinine levels were higher and creatinine clearance was significantly lower in the control group in week 16 (P=0.001 and P=0.049, respectively). Glomerular sclerosis index was significantly lower in the treatment group (P=0.012). Although intraperitoneal high-dose immunoglobulin did not reverse biochemical results, it is encouraging that glomerular sclerosis index was significantly lower in the treatment group.     

Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells co-cultured with pancreatic islets display β cell plasticity

The direct co-culturing effect of rat bone-marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (rBM-MSCs) on the pancreatic-islets (PIs) was studied to obtain functional islet cells. MSCs were isolated from rat bone marrow and cultivated under standard conditions. Following their characterization, the rBM-MSCs were directly (with cell-islet contact) co-cultured with recovered PIs together with the single cell cultures of those cell cultures as a control. The effect of direct co-cultures of rBM-MSCs with the PIs of normal rats was investigated using immunophenotypical and functional methods. The change in the amount of insulin secretion was evaluated as an indicator for differentiation of rBM-MSCs. One approache for in vitro differentiation to achieve reprogramming for differentiation into suitable cell types by changing the microenvironment of the cells to provide signals that might activate metabolic pathways is to use co-cultures with the microenvironment of the specific cells of the desired cell type, tissue/organ extracts, extracellular matrix compounds or biologically absorbable materials. Differentiated rBM-MSCs were found to be immunopositive for the specific insulin-producing cell marker, insulin, but not in undifferentiated rBM-MSCs. The functionality tests by ELISA confirmed that insulin secretion of co-cultured MSCs with islets was higher than that of islets. These evidences indicated that PIs could be regarded as critical components of the stem cell niche, such that MSCs can be differentiated into insulin-producing cells (IPCs). Moreover, direct cell-to-cell contact might provide additional and independent support. This approach would circumvent the need for PI-stem cell co-culture and could potentially facilitate the production of functional IPCs for future clinical applications.     

Screening for mutations of the HFE gene in Parkinson's disease patients with hyperechogenicity of the substantia nigra

Iron mediated oxidative stress is known to contribute to the neurodegenerative process in Parkinson's disease (PD). Although there are hints that genes involved in brain iron metabolism might be involved in the pathogenesis of PD in some instances, it is still not known whether the increase in brain iron content constitutes a primary or secondary event in the disease cascade. Recent studies on the role of hemochromatosis gene (HFE) mutations in PD vary from a protective effect of C282Y heterozygosity, no effect of the C282Y or H63D mutation to an increased risk for PD in C282Y mutation carriers. In this study, analyzing the whole coding region of the HFE gene by dHPLC in 278 PD patients, priorly characterized by transcranial sonography for increased iron content of the substantia nigra (SN), we did not find an association of the common HFE mutations and PD. However, we identified two novel variants (K92N and I217T) each in a single PD patient. These variations were not found in any of the controls. Future studies are necessary to reveal a possible functional relevance of these mutations for PD. Our results indicate that mutations in the HFE gene are not a common cause for PD with increased iron levels of the SN.     

Effects of sevoflurane on QT dispersion and heart rate variability

The purpose of this study was to use estimates of corrected QT dispersion (QTcd) and heart rate variability (HRV) to assess the effects of sevoflurane, an inhalation agent used frequently in clinical practice, on autonomic cardiac function. This study was conducted prospectively and in a blind manner on 20 women between 38 and 51 y of age who were classified as American Society of Anesthesiologists stage I–II and whose treatment required total abdominal hysterectomy. Electrocardiograms were recorded by 12-lead Holter monitor for 5 min before sevoflurane induction and again for 5 min at 10 min after tracheal intubation. Data on the first recording were considered as baseline; those on the second recording were viewed as final data. The study was terminated at this point, and surgery was allowed to proceed. QTcd and HRV values were assessed by a cardiologist, who was blinded to all data. All parameters were expressed as a mean value ± standard deviation. Wilcoxon’s test was used to compare baseline and final data. Statistical significance was considered asP< .05. No significant changes were observed between baseline and final QTcd values and between low and high-frequency components (LF and HF) of HRV; nor were changes seen in the LF/HF ratio. With the patient under sevoflurane/nitrous oxide anesthesia, no significant changes were detected in QTcd, LF, and HF values, and in the LF/HF ratio, whereas a significant increase (P=.001) was seen in standard deviation of the R-R interval, which was used as a measure of cardiac autonomic tone.     

Isolation and analysis of bioactive diterpenoids in Salvia species (Salvia chionantha and Salvia kronenburgiii) by micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography

In the present work, we isolated two bioactive diterpenoids, horminone and 7-O-acetylhorminone and developed a micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) method for the simultaneous quantitative analysis of them in Turkish Salvia species. The optimal separation electrolyte was 50 mmol/L SDS and 25% methanol at pH 11.5. The limits of detection (S/N = 3) were 3.269 and 4.518 μg/mL for horminone and 7-O-acetylhorminone, respectively. The method has been applied successfully to analyze these two components in Salvia chionantha and Salvia kronenburgii acetone extracts.