Ertan Delilbaşı

Serum selenium and gluthathione-peroxidase activities and their interaction with toxic metals in dialysis and renal transplantation patients

Selenium, aluminum, cadmium, and magnesium concentrations and gluthathione-peroxidase activities in sera of 35 healthy individuals, 30 renal transplants, and 30 hemodialysis patients were measured. Serum selenium, aluminum, and cadmium concentrations in both groups of patients were higher than the controls (p<0.001), whereas the serum gluthathione-peroxidase levels were lower (p<0.001). According to our results, it can be concluded that the patients receiving hemodialysis are subjected to more toxic elements than the transplantation patients. These findings imply that dietary selenium supplement may be suggested in renal failure for the detoxification of elements, such as cadmium and mercury. The essential trace element selenium takes part not only in the direct protection of endothelial cells against the accumulation of aggressive oxygen species, but also in the preventions of the toxic effects of cadmium or in the modulation of the active calcium transport.

Selenium and Behçet's disease.

Behçets disease is an inflammatory disorder of unknown etiology, characterized by recurrent oral and genital aphthous ulcers, ocular inflammation, and skin lesions of erythema nodusum and acneiformeruptions. Selenium (Se) affects all components of the immune system, i.e., the development and expression of nonspecific, humoral, and cell-mediated responses. In general, a deficiency in Se appears to result in immunosuppression, whereas supplementation with low doses of Se appears to result in augmentation and/or restoration of immunoglogic functions. In this study, the distribution of Se and IgG, IgM in serum were compared in samples from healthy adult control and Behçets disease patients. The serum Se levels were measured by AA-30-40 Varian Spectra, and immunoglobulins were measured by immunodiffusion technique. The mean (SD) serum Se level of 54.24 ± 8.06 ng/mL among Behçets disease subjects was significantly different (P<0.01) from that in the control subjects (90.01 ± 9.94 ng/mL). We also measured IgG and IgM as 10.01 ± 2.74 mg/mL and 1.26 ± 0.29 mg/mL, respectively for patients, and 15.08 ± 4.73 mg/mL and 1.58 ± 0.43 mg/mL for controls. The mean values of IgG and IgM for patients were significantly (P<0.05) different from the values of controls. It seems, therefore, that a deficiency in selenium impedes the humoral immune response.

Effect of medication on biomechanical properties of rabbit bones: Heparin induced osteoporosis

SummaryThe aim of this controlled study is to investigate the effect of heparin on osteoporosis initiation and of calcitonin and tamoxifen on the progress of osteoporosis induced by heparin through biomechanical means and, thus, to assist in clinical usage of these drugs. 32 four-month-old female New Zealand white rabbits were divided into four different experimental groups. The animals in group A were administered heparin (Liquemine) intraperitoneally at the dosage of 1000 IU/kg/day. The animals in group B were injected the same amount of heparin as those of group A, and in addition, were given calcitonin at the dosage of 100 IU/kg/day. The animals in group C were medicated the same way as group B but 2 mg/kg/day tamoxifen (Nolvadex) was orally added into their intestine via cannula, one side connected to the injector. The animals in group D were the control. The experiment lasted 8 weeks. The animals in all experimental groups showed the same growth pattern as that of the control group. Whole-bone femur, humerus and tibia specimens were subjected to 3-point bending tests while sections from the proximal ends of the same specimens were subjected to compression tests. The data, recorded as load vs deflection, were converted into stress vs strain using the strength of materials formulae. The data obtained from the bending and the compression experiments were treated separately. The stiffness of the bones of the medicated groups were compared with those of the control groups. Our data indicated that the tamoxifen treated humera, femora and tibiae attained the largest bending stiffness in all cases investigated. However, this was not the case for compression. None of the drug administered groups attained the stiffness of the control group except for the case of tamoxifen treated femora which attained stiffness close to that of the controls. The results show that heparin altered the mechanical properties of bones indicating osteoporosis, tamoxifen was effective in reducing the effect of heparin while calcitonin yielded no conclusive result.

The quantitative investigation of infrared laser effects on the levels of copper and zinc in various tissues

In order to study the effects of infrared laser irradiation on biological systems, the levels of copper and zinc in various irradiated tissues have been investigated. The zinc level in the muscle of the irradiated group increased (P less than 0.001) compared with the control group while in submandibular glands its level decreased (P less than 0.001). The copper levels in these two types of tissues decreased significantly (P less than 0.001). In irradiated skin, both copper and zinc levels increased compared with the control group (P less than 0.005). Quantitative determination of the trace elements copper and zinc indicated the necessity for more detailed studies of the effect of infrared laser irradiation at the cellular level.

Effects of metabolic syndrome on masseter muscle of male Wistar rats

The aim of this study was to investigate the association between metabolic syndrome (MetS) and the metabolic indicators of masticatory muscles in an animal model. A total of 16 male Wistar rats were used. To induce MetS, 10 rats were fed with standard rat chow and 32% sucrose solution ad libitum for 16 wk. Six rats fed with standard rat chow and water ad libitum formed the control group. All rats were killed at week 16, and the right superficial masseter muscles were harvested. Metabolic indicators of masticatory muscle metabolism, including antioxidant enzyme activities, ion transport ATPase activities, and the levels of macro and trace elements, were determined in the muscles. Superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, and glutathione reductase activities were significantly decreased by 32%, 26%, 33%, and 16%, respectively, in the MetS group. Na(+) /K(+) -ATPase activity was significantly decreased in the MetS group by 54% compared with the control group. The levels of chromium and selenium were significantly decreased, and the level of copper was increased, in the MetS group compared with the control group. These results show that significant alterations occurred in antioxidant defense mechanisms, ion transport mechanisms, and trace element levels of masseter muscles in MetS.

Bir diş hekimliği fakültesi ağız, diş ve çene cerrahisi kliniğine başvuran hastaların dental kaygı düzeylerinin değerlendirilmesi

AMAC: Bu calismanin amaci, Agiz, Dis ve Cene Cerrahisi klinigine basvuran hastalarin dental kaygi duzeylerini belirlemek ve dental kayginin iliskili olabilecegi dusunulen faktorlerle olan baglantisini degerlendirmektir. GEREC VE YONTEM: Gazi Universitesi Dis Hekimligi Fakultesi Agiz, Dis ve Cene Cerrahisi Klinigine 1 Şubat 2013- 1 Ocak 2014 tarihleri arasinda basvuran hastalara (n=1165) dental kaygi duzeyinin degerlendirilmesi amaciyla Modifiye Dental Anksiyete Skalasi (MDAS) ve dental kayginin baglantili olabilecegi dusunulen faktorlere iliskin sorulari iceren anketler uygulandi. MDAS skor degeri ≥19 olan katilimcilar yuksek dental kaygi duzeyine sahip olarak degerlendirildi. Katilimcilarin demografik ozelliklerini de iceren veriler istatistik programina aktarilarak deskriptif yontemler ile sonuclar degerlendirildi. BULGULAR: Calismaya katilan hastalarin %14.1’inde yuksek dental kaygi saptandi. Dental kaygi, cinsiyet, daha once gecirilmis travmatik deneyim varligi ve dis hekimine gitme sikligi ile iliskili bulundu (p 0.05). SONUC: Bu calismanin sonuclari agiz cerrahisi islemleri oncesi dental kayginin gunumuzde dis hekimligi alanindaki teknik, farmakolojik ve cerrahi gelismelere ragmen dikkate deger olcude varligini surdurdugunu gostermektedir. Agiz cerrahisi uygulamalarinda anksiyete tanimlayici/giderici yontemlerin uygulanmasi hasta rahatinin artirilmasi ve cerrahi kosullarin iyi hale getirilmesi acisindan onem tasimaktadir.

A possible relationship between serum satellite DNA and cellular antioxidative mechanism

Abstract The presence of circulating free DNA in the sera of cancer patients has been reported by different authors. Moreover, a hypothetical relationship between the DNA level and different stages of the disease has also been suggested. In this work, the free serum DNA level in various cancer patients was measured and consistent results with the reported data were found. (1,4) To assess the possible mechanism for the release of this fraction and to explain the high levels observed in cancer patients levels of the bivalent intracellularcation, magnesium were determined. Further to relate the process to the antioxidative mechanism of the cell membrane also selenium levels were measured simultaneously. The serum free DNA and the magnesium concentration of the patients before treatment were significally higher and the selenium levels lower than the control group. After appropriate the rapy the magnesium levels were found to decline while the high free DNA and low selenium values still persisted. These findin...