Effect of melatonin in the prevention of post-operative adhesion formation in a rat uterine horn adhesion model

BACKGROUND: Our main aim was to investigate the effects of melatonin (ME), possibly the most powerful free-radical scavenger, on the prevention of i.p. adhesion formation in rat uterine horn. Our secondary aim was to determine whether different methods of administration of ME were beneficial. METHODS: Animals were randomly assigned into seven groups, each consisting of 13 rats. Measured serosal injury was created using a standard technique. While control and two sham groups were not given ME, two of the remaining four groups were given a single dose of 10 mg/kg (2 mg) of ME i.p. immediately after injury and 30 min prior to injury respectively. In the two other groups, ME treatment was continued daily for 5 days. All animals were killed 2 weeks after surgery and adhesions were determined and scored by a examiner blinded to the test. RESULTS: The extent, severity and total scores of adhesion were found to be significantly reduced in all of the ME treatment groups when compared with control and sham groups. There were no statistically significant differences between the treatment groups. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that even single dose ME therapy was effective in the prevention of post- operative i.p. adhesion formation.     

Morphology of the lumbar spinal canal in normal adult Turks

Pathological changes can occur in the diameters of the lumbar spinal canal. Therefore, assessing the canal size an important diagnostic procedure. Two hundred plain anterioposterior radiographs of the lumbar spine were examined. The sample consisted of 100 males and 100 females. The transverse diameter of the bony spinal canal (interpedicular distance), which was measured as the minimum distance between the medial surfaces of the pedicles of a given vertebra, was measured. In addition, the transverse diameter of the vertebral body, which was measured as the minimum distance across the waist of the vertebra, was measured. The distances were measured to the nearest one tenth of a millimetere using a Vernier caliper. At all levels (L1 - L5) the transverse diameters of the lumbar spinal canal were approximately 1 - 1.5 mm higher in males than in females. The intersegmental differences increased proximodistally, in both sexes. The ratio of the transverse diameter canal to the width of the vertebra ranged from 0.55 to 0.60 mm in both sexes. The distribution of the different lumbar canal types were 47% A, 42% B, 11% C. Additionally, subtypes were determined and classified.     

Molecular Characterization of a Full Genome Turkish Hepatitis C Virus 1b Isolate (HCV-TR1): A Predominant Viral Form in Turkey

Based on direct sequencing information from 5UTR and NS5B regions, we identified subtype 1b as a predominant hepatitis C virus genome in Turkey, which affected more than 91% of 79 patients studied. Next, the full genome sequence of a Turkish 1b isolate was obtained by the cloning of polypeptide-encoding region into 7 overlapping fragments. Turkish 1b isolate, which was named HCV-TR1, comprises 9361 nucleotides, including 306 nucleotides of 5UTR, a single long open reading frame of 9033 nucleotides, and 22 nucleotides of 3UTR. When compared to HCV 1b polypeptide sequences available at GenBank, the predicted polypeptide displayed a total of 36 amino acid substitutions, of which 16 was specific for HCV-TR1 isolate. Despite these changes, major structural and functional motifs of HCV proteins were maintained in HCV-TR1. In contrast, HCV-TR1 displayed amino acid substitutions in 6 out of 9 major cytotoxic T-cell epitopes. These data suggest that HCV-TR1 encodes functionally intact viral proteins, but it also encodes altered viral epitopes, which may affect host immune-response.     

B-cell activation and allosensitization after left ventricular assist device implantation is due to T-cell activation and CD40 ligand expression

Left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation is frequently complicated by B-cell activation and allosensitization, posing a significant risk to successful transplant outcome. This study investigated whether B-cell hyperreactivity and alloantibody production in LVAD recipients involves T-cell dependent pathways. T-cell calcium flux and nuclear translocation of NFATc were used to determine states of T-cell activation. Flow cytometry was used to assess human T- and B-cell activation after culture with LVAD-derived biomaterial particles. Sera from LVAD recipients and controls were tested for the presence of anti-HLA antibodies, and for soluble CD40 ligand. LVAD-derived biomaterial induced rapid and sustained calcium flux into normal T cells, resulting in calcineurin-dependent nuclear translocation of NFATc. This resulted in increased T-cell expression of CD40 ligand and subsequent B-cell activation, which was reduced by inhibitors of T-cell activation (CsA or anti-CD25 mAb) or by anti-CD40 ligand mAb. LVAD recipients demonstrated higher frequencies of anti-HLA antibodies and serum levels of soluble CD40 ligand compared with heart failure controls. The results indicate that exposure of human mononuclear cells to LVAD-derived biomaterial leads to T-cell dependent B-cell activation via CD40--CD40 ligand interaction, and suggest that treatment with calcineurin inhibitors or monoclonal antibodies against either CD25 or CD40 ligand could be effective at preventing B-cell hyperreactivity and allosensitization after LVAD implantation.     

Immunohistochemical study on histogenesis of congenital epulis and review of the literature

Congenital epulis is a very rare lesion found only in newborn infants. This tumor is multiple in about 10% of reported cases, rarely with the simultaneous involvement of the maxilla and mandibula, as in this article. In the presented case, light microscopy demonstrated large eosinophilic granular cells arranged in solid nests that are separated by thin fibrovascular areas. The tumors In the maxilla and mandibula were investigated with a panel of polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies, and using immunoperoxidase methods on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded sections. Immunohistochemical studies revealed strong and diffuse cytoplasmic staining for neuron specific enolase and vimentin. However, all other reactions were negative. These results suggest that the congenital epulis may be derived from uncommitted nerve-related mesenchymal cells.     

PS2 and HSP70 expression in rectal adenocarcinomas: an immunohistochemical investigation of 45 cases.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the expression of HSP70 and pS2 and to determine whether it may be an additional prognostic variable in the prediction of recurrence and survival in rectal adenocarcinomas. METHODS: The paraffin sections of 45 patients with rectal carcinoma who were treated with surgical resection were stained with HSP70 and pS2 antibodies by using the standard biotin immunoperoxidase method. Cytoplasmic staining for both antibodies was scored semiquantitatively. RESULTS: Only 16 (35.6%) tumors showed a positive cytoplasmic reaction with HSP70 antibody, while pS2 expression was observed in 26 (57.8%) tumors. There was an association between HSP70 and pS2 expression (P=0.002). No correlations were found between HSP70 and pS2 expression and tumor recurrence or overall survival and other prognostic factors. However, the type of surgical resection was significantly associated with pS2 expression status (P=0.013). Significant correlations were detected between tumor recurrence and other clinicopathologic parameters, such as clinical stage, lymph node involvement, and resection type (P=0.015, P=0.015, and P=0.03, respectively). Resection type was significantly associated with clinical outcome, recurrence, and metastasis (P=0.009, P=0.03, P<0.01, respectively). In addition, there was a statistically significant relationship between clinical stage and final outcome (P=0.005). CONCLUSIONS: The strong correlation between pS2 expression and incomplete surgical resection suggests that pS2 may be related to invasive tumor behavior and may also play a role in tumor recurrence, although this latter association did not reach statistical significance in this study. HSP70 expression does not appear to be related to tumor invasiveness or tumor recurrence.     

Kinetics of the reaction of a glycol with a diisocyanate

The reaction between poly(ethylene oxide) glycol (α-hydro-ω-hydroxypoly(oxyethylene)) and methylenebis(1,4-cyclohexylene) diisocyanate was studied at 70, 80 and 90°C. The course of the reaction was followed by determining the isocyanate content of the reaction mixture at appropriate time intervals. The data thus obtained were analyzed by taking into consideration the glycol- and urethane-catalyzed reactions separately. It was found that although the urethane-catalyzed reaction was faster in the temperature range studied, its relative importance decreased with increasing temperature.     

Early impact of hormone replacement therapy on vascular hemodynamics detected via ocular colour Doppler analysis

Objective: To determine the effects of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) on ocular blood flow.

Study design: In a prospective controlled study, 40 healthy women who presented to the menopause clinic between December 2000 and December 2001 were randomly assigned into the study. The HRT-receiving group was administered estradiol 17-valerate 2 mg the first 11 days, and estradiol 17-valerate 2 mg plus ciproterone acetate 1 mg the next 10 days of the monthly cycle for 6 months. The control group did not receive any HRT for 6 months. The ocular colour Doppler analysis were performed at baseline and after 3 and 6 months. The ocular Doppler analysis was performed in the first half of the cycle in the HRT-receiving group.

Results: Central retinal artery and ophthalmic artery basal Doppler index (peak systolic velocity, end-diastolic velocity, resistive index and pulsatility index) values of the two groups at the beginning of the study did not show any statistically significant difference. Both the right and the left central retinal artery pulsatility index (PI) values of the study group, who received HRT at the end of the third and sixth months, showed a statistically significant decline (paired-samples test, P < 0.05), while the decrease in the resistive indexes was not significant.

Conclusion: These results suggest that 6 months of combined hormone replacement therapy with estradiol 17-valerate 2 mg plus ciproterone acetate 1 mg improves ocular vascular Doppler indices which may be a reflection of cerebral vascular status.     

Role of insulin like growth factor-I in repair response in immature cartilage

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of exogenous local Insulin like growth factor-I (IGF-I) on the repair of full-thickness articular cartilage defects in immature rabbits. DESIGN: Thirty-six skeletally immature New Zealand rabbits between 6 and 8 weeks old were used. A single defect, 3.5-mm-wide by 4-mm-deep full-thickness articular cartilage defect in the medial femoral condyle, was created. The defect was either filled with a collagen sponge or with a collagen sponge impregnated with 5 mug of recombinant IGF-I. The animals were sacrificed at 4, 8 or 12 weeks, and the repair tissue was examined macroscopically and histologically. Repair tissue was also examined immunohistochemically for the presence of type-I collagen, type-II collagen and PCNA at all weeks. RESULTS: Newly formed tissue in all of the defects in the IGF-I group had the gross, histological and histochemical appearance of a smooth, intact hyaline articular cartilage. The average total scores on the histological grading scale were significantly better (p<0.05) for the defects treated with recombinant IGF-I at all time points. Immunostaining with an antibody against type-II collagen showed the diffuse presence of the repair cartilage in the IGF-I treated defects. The control groups demonstrated minimum staining with type-II collagen antibody. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that repair of full-thickness immature cartilage defects can be enhanced by recombinant IGF-I.     

Removal of hydrosalpinges increases endometrial leukaemia inhibitory factor (LIF) expression at the time of the implantation window

BACKGROUND: The presence of hydrosalpinges is associated with lower implantation and pregnancy rates in women undergoing IVF-embryo transfer, while salpingectomy improves these parameters. Although the mechanism by which hydrosalpinges affects fertility is not entirely understood, an adverse effect on endometrial receptivity has been postulated. In this study, we hypothesized that the adverse effects of hydrosalpinges on fertility may be in part mediated by inappropriate endometrial expression of leukaemia inhibitory factor (LIF), a cytokine implicated in implantation. METHODS: In order to test our hypothesis, we prospectively examined the expression of LIF during the window of implantation in the endometrium of infertile women (n = 10) with hydrosalpinges prior to and following salpingectomy and of fertile controls (n = 10) by Western blotting and immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: LIF expression was significantly lower in infertile women with hydrosalpinges compared with fertile controls (P < 0.05). Salpingectomy resulted in an increase in LIF expression in eight out of 10 women with hydrosalpinges. LIF levels were increased by 231 +/-49% (mean +/- SEM) following salpingectomy. Immunohistochemical analysis confirmed the Western blot findings. The increased LIF immunoreactivity was predominantly localized to luminal and glandular epithelial cells. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that observed benefit from salpingectomy in infertile women with hydrosalpinges may be in part mediated by the up-regulation of endometrial LIF expression.