Murat Can

Effects of dexmedetomidine or methylprednisolone on inflammatory responses in spinal cord injury

Background: The aim of this study was to compare the anti‐inflammatory response of methylprednisolone and the α2‐agonist dexmedetomidine in spinal cord injury (SCI).

Effect of Dexmedetomidine on Testicular Torsion/Detorsion Damage in Rats

Background and Objective: We assessed the antioxidant activity of dexmedetomidine (DEX) during an ischemic period in a rat model of testicular torsion/detorsion (T/DT) by using biochemical and histopathological methods. Methods: Wistar Albino male rats weighing 250–300 g were divided into three groups: sham (group S, n = 7); torsion/detorsion (group T/DT, n = 7), and DEX treatment (group DEX, n = 7). In the T/DT group, right testes were rotated 720° for 1 h. Group S served for normal basal values. Rats in group T/DT were operated to make T/DT, this group served as a control group. Group DEX received intraperitoneal DEX 10 µg · kg–1 after the 30-min torsion period. For measurement of total antioxidant enzyme activities and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, testes of 7 animals in each group were excised after 4 h of reperfusion. Germ cell apoptosis was evaluated using the apoptosis protease-activating factor 1 (APAF-1) antibody in all groups and also on the expressions of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) were assessed within the bilateral testes. Results: Mean MDA levels in group T/DT were significantly higher than in groups S and DEX (p < 0.05). There were also significant decreases in mean total antioxidant activities in group T/DT when compared to groups S and DEX (p < 0.05). These values were significantly higher in group DEX than group T/DT. Germ cell apoptosis, eNOS and iNOS levels were significantly higher in group T/DT when compared to groups S and DEX (p < 0.05). Conclusions: DEX treatment has potential biochemical and histopathological benefits by preventing ischemia/reperfusion-related cellular damage in an experimental testicular torsion model. Preference of DEX for anesthesia during the detorsion procedure may attenuate ischemia-reperfusion injury.

Comparison of angiotensin-converting enzyme, malonaldehyde, zinc, and copper levels in preeclampsia

Preeclampsia is a syndrome of unknown etiopathogenesis. Recent studies carried out on preeclampsia have focused on the increase in free radicals in the feto-placental unit with poor perfusion. It is believed that the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) has a role in the poor perfusion of the placenta. It is uncertain whether there is a pre-existing impairment in RAS in pre-eclamptic pregnant women or not. In the present study, we measured angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), malonaldehyde (MDA), zinc, and copper levels in the placental tissue of 16 pre-eclamptic pregnant women and compared them with those in 20 healthy pregnant women.Whereas ACE activity and MDA were found to be high in the placentas of pre-eclamptic patients, zinc and copper levels were low and there was a negative correlation between ACE activity and zinc concentration. These findings suggest that high ACE activity might play a role in the increase in tissue hypoxia and consequent lipid peroxidation through vasoconstriction; zinc deficiency in the placental tissue might cause insufficiency of superoxide dismutase, an antioxidant enzyme. Furthermore, deficiency in placental zinc also plays a role in the biosynthesis of connective tissue, maintaining its integrity, which might have an impact on the structure of the spiral arteries

Inflammatory markers in preeclamptic patients.

Abstract Background: Preeclampsia is characterized by hypertension and proteinuria that begins in the second half of pregnancy. Endothelial dysfunction and trophoblastic hypoperfusion seen in preeclampsia suggested to be part of an increased maternal inflammatory response to pregnancy. In this study, we aimed to evaluate some inflammatory markers in pre-eclamptic and normotensive pregnants. Methods: The study included 36 cases with mild preeclamp-sia, 36 cases with severe preeclampsia and 33 cases of normotensive pregnant. High sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and serum amyloid A (SAA) were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, serum procalcitonin was measured by enzyme-linked fluorescent immunassay. Mean arterial pressure (MAP) was used as an indicator of the severity of the disease. Results: In severe preeclampsia group hsCRP, serum amyloid A and procalcitonin levels were significantly higher than mild preeclamptic and normotensive groups. SAA and hsCRP levels were higher in mild preeclamptic group when compared with normotensive pregnant but no significant difference was found in procalcitonin between these groups. There were significant correlations betweeen hsCRP, SAA, procalcitonin and MAP. Conclusions: The results confirm that inflammatory reactions are closely associated with preeclampsia.

The Evaluation of Cystatin C, IL-1β, and TNF-α Levels in Total Saliva and Gingival Crevicular Fluid From 11- to 16-Year-Old Children

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to evaluate the levels of cystatin C, interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) in the total saliva and gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) of periodontally healthy children (PHC) and children with gingivitis (CG) who were between 11 and 16 years old. METHODS The study was carried out with 10 PHC and 25 CG. Unstimulated total saliva and GCF samples were obtained. Clinical parameters, including probing depth (PD), clinical attachment loss (CAL), plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI), and gingival bleeding index (GBI), were assessed. GCF samples were collected from four maxillary upper incisors. After sampling, biochemical analyses were performed using latex particle-enhanced turbidimetric immunoassay for cystatin C and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for IL-1β and TNF-α. The multivariate analysis of variance test was used for statistical evaluation. RESULTS In total saliva, cystatin C and TNF-α levels were higher in PHC, and IL-1β levels were higher in CG, but the differences were not statistically significant. In GCF, cystatin C levels were higher in PHC (P >0.05), whereas TNF-α and IL-1β levels were higher in CG (P >0.05). In the CG group, there were positive correlations between the GCF cystatin C level and the PI of the sampled site (r = 0.488; P <0.05); also, GCF IL-1β (r = 0.603; P <0.05) and TNF-α (r = 0.456; P <0.05) levels were positively correlated with PD and CAL. For the whole mouth and the sampled sites, PI, GI, GBI, PD, and CAL values were higher in CG (P <0.05), but no significant differences were detected between GCF volumes of the two groups. CONCLUSIONS To the best of our knowledge, this study represents the first evaluation of cystatin C in the gingival disease mechanism in children. Our results showed that total saliva and GCF cystatin C levels were higher in PHC (P >0.05), but there was no correlation between cystatin C levels and IL-1β or TNF-α levels in total saliva or GCF.

Levels of Oxidized LDL, Estrogens, and Progesterone in Placenta Tissues and Serum Paraoxonase Activity in Preeclampsia

In vitro literature studies have suggested that atherosclerotic oxidized low density lipoprotein (OxLDL) inhibits trophoblast invasion. The objective of this study was to determine the levels of OxLDL and to examine the relationship between antioxidative estradiol, estriol, and prooxidative progestin in normal and preeclamptic placental tissues and measure the serum activity of antioxidative paraoxonase (PON1). The study included 30 preeclamptic and 32 normal pregnant women. OxLDL was determined with ELISA, estradiol, unconjugated estriol, and progesterone that were determined with chemiluminescence method in placental tissues. Serum PON1 activity was determined with spectrophotometric method. Levels of OxLDL (P = 0.027), estriol (P < 0.001), estradiol (P = 0.008), and progesterone (P = 0.009) were lower in the placental tissues of preeclamptic group compared to the normal pregnant women. Serum PON1 activity was higher in preeclamptic group (P = 0.040) and preeclamptic group without intrauterine growth restriction (P = 0.008) compared to normal pregnant women. Tissue estriol of preeclamptic group without/with IUGR (P < 0.001, P = 0.002) was lower than the normal group. Results of our study suggest that the events leading to fetoplacental insufficiency lead to a reduction in the levels of estriol limit deposition of OxLDL in placental tissues. The serum PON1 activity is probably important in the inhibition of OxLDL in preeclampsia.

Lipid peroxidation and homocysteine levels in Behçet's disease.

Abstract Background: The aim of this study was to investigate serum paraoxonase (PON1) activity in relation to homocysteine, malondialdehyde (MDA) and lipid parameters in active and inactive Behçets disease (BD). Methods: A total of 46 consecutive BD patients and 25 healthy control subjects were included in the present study. Results: Serum PON1 activity in both active and inactive BD was significantly lower compared with healthy subjects (p<0.05). When compared to the control group, serum MDA levels were significantly higher in both active and inactive BD (p<0.05). Serum C-reactive protein (CRP) and homocysteine concentrations were significantly higher in active BD than those in inactive BD and control subjects (p<0.05). In addition, there was significant negative correlation between serum PON1 and MDA levels (r=−0.697, p<0.05) and serum PON1 activity was also negatively correlated with homocysteine levels (r=−0.428, p<0.05) in BD patients. Conclusions: Decreased PON1 could explain the increased lipid peroxidation and oxidative stress observed in BD. Also, according to our results, we suggest that homocysteine may contribute to decreased serum PON1 activity. Clin Chem Lab Med 2006;44:1115–8.

Oxidative stress and apoptosis in preeclampsia

We aimed to determine the oxidative stress and antioxidant status in preeclamptic placenta. Also, we investigated the apoptotic index of villous trophoblast and proliferation index of cytotrophoblasts. The study included 32 pregnant with preeclampsia and 31 normotensive healthy pregnant women. Malondialdehyde (MDA) and total antioxidant status (TAS) levels were measured in the placenta. For detection of apoptosis and proliferation in trophoblast, apoptosis protease activating factor 1 (APAF-1) and Ki-67 were used. Placental MDA levels in preeclamptic women were significantly higher than normal pregnancies (p=0.002). There was no significant difference between the groups in the TAS levels of placenta (p=0.773). Also, the apoptotic index in villous trophoblasts increased (p<0.001), but proliferation index did not change in preeclampsia (p=0.850). Increased oxidative stress and apoptosis in pathological placenta are not balanced by antioxidant systems and proliferation mechanisms.

Effects of ozone oxidative preconditioning on radiation-induced organ damage in rats

Because radiation-induced cellular damage is attributed primarily to harmful effects of free radicals, molecules with direct free radical scavenging properties are particularly promising as radioprotectors. It has been demonstrated that controlled ozone administration may promote an adaptation to oxidative stress, preventing the damage induced by reactive oxygen species. Thus, we hypothesized that ozone would ameliorate oxidative damage caused by total body irradiation (TBI) with a single dose of 6 Gy in rat liver and ileum tissues. Rats were randomly divided into groups as follows: control group; saline-treated and irradiated (IR) groups; and ozone oxidative preconditioning (OOP) and IR groups. Animals were exposed to TBI after a 5-day intraperitoneal pretreatment with either saline or ozone (1 mg/kg/day). They were decapitated at either 6 h or 72 h after TBI. Plasma, liver and ileum samples were obtained. Serum AST, ALT and TNF-α levels were elevated in the IR groups compared with the control group and were decreased after treatment with OOP. TBI resulted in a significant increase in the levels of MDA in the liver and ileal tissues and a decrease of SOD activities. The results demonstrated that the levels of MDA liver and ileal tissues in irradiated rats that were pretreated with ozone were significantly decreased, while SOD activities were significantly increased. OOP reversed all histopathological alterations induced by irradiation. In conclusion, data obtained from this study indicated that ozone could increase the endogenous antioxidant defense mechanism in rats and there by protect the animals from radiation-induced organ toxicity.

Is direct method of low density lipoprotein cholesterol measurement appropriate for targeting lipid lowering therapy

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to compare the Friedewald Formula with direct homogeneous low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) assay for the detection of LDL-C levels. METHODS Fasting serum samples were obtained for lipid analysis from 1001 patients. Total cholesterol (TC) and triglyceride (TG) levels were measured with enzymatic methods and the measurements of high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and LDL-C levels were detected using direct methods. RESULTS The mean levels of serum TC, TG, HDL-C and LDL-C were detected with in the reference range. The LDL-C estimated by the Friedewald formula was significantly correlated (P<0.01) with the direct method but there was a negative bias among them. CONCLUSION Laboratories cannot use direct method as a substitute for Friedewald formula because direct method has not been standardized in large populations and increase cholesterol assay costs.