Evaluation of auricular lymph node cell lymphocyte proliferation and cytokine production as non-radioactive endpoints during murine contact allergy

The murine local lymph node assay (LLNA) has been developed as a test method to assess allergic contact dermatitis. In spite of the validity of the LLNA, attention was drawn to the two disadvantages: use of radioactivity for in vivo measurement of lymph node cell proliferation ([(3)H]-thymidine labeling) and the possibility of false positive results caused by non-specific cell activation as a result of inflammatory processes in the skin (irritation). We aimed to investigate the following non-radioactive endpoints of LLNA: 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU) incorporation ex vivo and in vivo, in vivo and ex vivo cytokine production with or without phytohemagglutinin (PHA) stimulation. Here, 8-12-week-old female BALB/c mice were treated topically with the strong sensitizer 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB) in acetone:olive oil (AOO, 4:1 [v/v]) at levels of 0.025, 0.05, 0.01, or 0.25% (w/v). Ear thickness was also measured to determine the differentiation index (DI) indicating the proportion of non-specific activation due to irritating properties of test compound. At the concentration of 0.05%, stimulation index (SI) value was found to be 3 for DNCB based on in vivo and ex vivo BrdU incorporation. The results of the in vivo and ex vivo non-radioactive LLNA assays were compatible both with each other and with previous radioactive LLNA data. Our results indicate that non-radioactive endpoints may be used as an alternative to the [(3)H]-thymidine LLNA. The levels of T(H)1 cytokines (IL-2 and IFNγ) and T(H)2 cytokines (IL-4 and IL-5) in lymph node cell cultures were significantly (P? 1, the applied concentrations of DNCB caused only allergic effect but not any irritant effect. This study reports that the use of these non-radioactive endpoints can assess allergic contact dermatitis caused by chemicals.     

Static and dynamic balances of patients with acromegaly and impact of exercise on balance

Pituitary - Patients with acromegaly may have balance abnormalities due to changes in body composition. We aim to compare static and dynamic balances in patients with acromegaly and healthy...     

Reliability and validity of the Turkish version of the pediatric sleep questionnaire: a tool for prediction of sleep related breathing disorder

Use of a questionnaire that predicts the diagnosis and influence of sleep related breathing disorder (SRBD) may be a cost-effective method to aid in both diagnostic algorithm and therapy. Therefore, the aim of this study was to adapt Pediatric Sleep Questionnaire (PSQ) into Turkish and to test the validity and reliability of the Turkish questionnaire. Total of 111 children (59 male, 52 female) aged 2 to 17 years who had symptoms suggestive of SRBD were enrolled consecutively. Demographic characteristics such as age and gender of all children enrolled in the study were recorded. All parents were questioned about symptom severity, frequency and duration. Lastly, PSQ was administered to all parents. Mean age of the children enrolled in the study was 8.1 ± 3.4 years. Total PSQ score ranged between 0 and 0.95 and mean score was 0.35 ± 0.22. Comparison of total PSQ scores between children reporting different symptom frequencies demonstrated that PSQ score increased as the symptom frequency increased (p< 0.001). There was a significant difference of all PSQ scores among the groups (p< 0.05 for all). Total PSQ score for children that did not report snoring was 0.2 ± 0.5 wile that for the ones who snore throughout sleep was 3.8 ± 0.5 (p< 0.001). Cronbach's alpha values for all domains of PSQ were satisfactory. All items were significantly correlated with their corresponding scale. Turkish version of PSQ is a valid and reliable tool that may be used in the initial evaluation of Turkish children with symptoms suggestive of SRBD.     

Estimation of ochratoxin A in some Turkish populations: An analysis in urine as a simple,sensitive and reliable biomarker

In this study, ochratoxin A (OTA) occurrence and level in human urine samples, collected from four different regions of Turkey was analyzed by NaHCO₃ dilution, immunoaffinity column clean-up and high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescent detection. For the repeatability of the method, RSD (%) values were found between 3.83 and 8.86, for the accuracy, the recovery values were found between 85.7% and 110.5% and limit of detection and limit of quantification of the method were measured as 0.006 and 0.018 ng mL⁻¹ respectively. For the analysis, first morning urine samples were collected and the results were adjusted with creatinine levels. From the total collected samples of 233 larger amounts of 83% was contaminated with OTA. Among the calculated to be OTA levels, positive sample rate, average OTA amount and the highest contamination was found in Ankara. (Positive sample rate; 90.1%, average OTA concentration; 14.34 ng g⁻¹ creatinine and highest OTA value; 75.60 ng g⁻¹ creatinine). In order to define the exposure profile of OTA in human a questionnaire was conducted among the voluntaries as well. But related to the gender, age, dietary habits, coffee consumption, smoking and alcohol habits of the volunteers, no correlation was found with the OTA exposure.