Fikrettin Sahin

Effects of aqueous extracts of Satureja hortensis L. on rhinosinusitis treatment in rabbit.

Satureja hortensis L. (Lamiaceae) is an annual herb that used as traditional folk medicine in Eastern Anatolia region of Turkey for treatment of different infectious diseases and disorders. This study was designated to investigate anti-inflammatory effect of aqueous extract (250 mg/kg) of Satureja hortensis. Therapeutic potential of Satureja hortensis as an anti-inflammatory agent was examined by measurement of NO* metabolites and histological changes in a rabbit model of rhinosinusitis. The results showed that both activity of NOS enzyme and concentration of NO* metabolites were significantly reduced by topical administration of Satureja hortensis extract. Histological examination demonstrated no edema and/or reduced inflammation in therapy group as compared to the control. Thus, the data suggest Satureja hortensis extract may have the potential to be used as anti-inflammation agent, and can be used in the treatment of rhinosinusitis diseases.

Effect of inoculation with non-indigenous and indigenous rhizobacteria of Erzurum (Turkey) origin on growth and yield of spring barley

Two experiments were performed to examine the effects of inoculation of barley cv. Tokak 157/37 with indigenous and non-indigenous bacterial strains. A greenhouse experiment was carried out with 75 strains isolated from Erzurum Plain and Pasinler Plain soils of Turkey, and the 6 non-indigenous strains. The 41 strains had significant positive effects on tiller number per plant, 8 strains on plant height, one strain on dry matter yield, and 24 strains on plant protein concentration. In the second experiment, the response of barley to 20 treatments (9 indigenous strains, 6 non-indigenous strains, 4 levels of N, and a control) was investigated in Erzurum Agricultural Experiment field in 2000 and 2001. Inoculation with certain indigenous and non-indigenous strains clearly benefited growth and increased the yield of field grown barley. On average of years, inoculation with Strain No. 19, Strain No. 39, Strain No. 73, Strain No. 82, BA-7, BA-142 and M-13 increased total biomass by 29.4–15.1%, grain yield by 26.6–17.7%, and total N-yield by 32.7–20.6%, as compared to the control. Indigenous Strain No. 19 was superior to all other treatments in terms of grain yield and N-yields. The higher efficacy of combining Strain No. 19 and Tokak 157/37 indicates the possibility of improved associations using olden and common cultivar and indigenous bacteria. In conclusion, Strain No. 19 seems to be suitable inoculant for barley cultivation in areas such as in Erzurum conditions.

The fatty acid content and composition of spinal cord and brain of rabbits receiving intrathecal ketamine

AbstractThe present study investigates the effects of intrathecal ketamine on the concentration and composition of fatty acids in blood-brain barrier (BBB) tissues of New Zealand male rabbits. Ketamine is a drug that produces analgesia following intrathecal injection. It is very well known that fatty acids (FAs) play an important role in membrane fluidity of BBB tissues, which control the transportation of substances into brain. The total cellular fatty acids in brain and three spinal cord sections (cervical, thoracic, lumbar) of rabbits with or without drug administration were determined by gas chromatography using the Sherlock software (Microbial ID, Newark, DE) with the eukary database of fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) profiles for eukaryotic cells (Sherlock version 4.0). The fatty acid profiles of three different spinal cord sections were quite similar, but different than those of brain tissues. There were 23–25 fatty acids in spinal cord sections and 11 in the brain tissues of control animals compare...