Nesrin Emekli

Effect of parsley (Petroselinum crispum) on the skin of STZ induced diabetic rats.

Parsley (Petroselinum crispum) is one of the medicinal herbs used by diabetics in Turkey and it has been reported to reduce blood glucose. The purpose of this study therefore was to investigate the effect of feeding parsley on diabetes induced impairments in rat skins. Uncontrolled induced diabetes caused significant increases in nonenzymatic glycosylation of skin proteins, lipid peroxidation and blood glucose. Administration of parsley extract did not inhibit these effects except for the increase in blood glucose. SDS‐polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed no significant differences in any protein bands between any of the groups. Copyright

Investigation of Inflammatory and Hemostatic Parameters in Female Patients Undergoing Total Knee Arthroplasty Surgery

Tendency to hypercoagulation is a common phenomenon in primary osteoarthritis patients (POA) undergoing total knee arthroplasty (TKA) surgery, but the clinical implications of this condition are not clear. Therefore we aimed to evaluate the inflammatory and coagulation parameters in the patient group and find a possible explanation for the tendency to hypercoagulation occurring in plasma and synovia of inflamed joints. Of the evaluated factors involved in inflammation and coagulation, galectin-3, C reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), fibrinogen, FVIIa:C, FXII:C, and platelet count increased, whereas tissue factor (TF) activity in synovia, PT, APTT and FVII:C in plasma and synovia were decreased. In conclusion, activation of inflammation and tendency to hypercoagulation is observed in preoperative plasma and synovia of patients undergoing TKA surgery.

The effect of Glurenorm (gliquidone) on lenses and skin in experimental diabetes

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of administering Glurenorm (gliquidone, 10 mg/kg) on the lenses and skins of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. The drug was given to both diabetic and control rats daily, until the end of the experiment, at day 42. The drug was administered to one diabetic and one control group from day 0 and for the other diabetic and control groups from day 14. On day 42, cardiac blood samples, skin samples, and lenses were taken from each rat. Blood glucose (BG) was measured by the o-toluidine method. The total protein, nonenzymatic glycosylation of proteins (NEG), lipid peroxidation (LPO), and glutathione (GSH) levels in the lens and skin homogenates were determined by the Lowry, thiobarbituric acid, Ledwozwy, and Ellman methods, respectively. Laemmli SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was also carried out on the lens or skin homogenates. After 42 d, Glurenorm given to the diabetic rats produced (i) significant reductions in BG, NEG, and total protein in the lenses; (ii) significant increases in GSH levels in the lenses; (iii) and no significant results in the skin. The body weights of the drug group dropped relative to day 0, but not significantly. SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed no significant differences in any of the protein bands between any of the groups. In the lenses, the gains in turns of reduced NEG and increased GSH may have been offset by the reduction in protein.

Plasma Tissue Factor Levels and Salivary Tissue Factor Activities of Periodontitis Patients with and without Cardiovascular Disease

The association between periodontal and cardiovascular disease has received considerable attention. Studies have demonstrated a higher incidence of atherosclerotic complications in patients with periodontal disease. Tissue factor (TF) has been known as a key initiator of the coagulation cascade, and the TF pathway is the primary physiological mechanism of initiation of blood coagulation. Recently, it has been shown that the circulating pool of TF in blood is associated with increased blood thrombogenicity in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Various tissues and saliva have been known to have TF activity. Consequently, the aim of this study was to investigate plasma TF levels and TF activity of saliva in periodontitis patients with and without diagnosed CAD. Twenty-six patients with a diagnosis of CAD and 26 systemically healthy patients were examined in the dental clinic, and the Community Periodontal Index Treatment Needs (CPITN) scores were recorded. Plasma TF levels were determined using commercially available ELISA kit. Salivary TF activities were determined according to Quick’s one-stage method. Plasma TF levels were significantly increased in patients with CAD when compared with the control group. There was no difference in salivary TF activities between the 2 groups, but there was a strong and negative correlation between salivary TF activities and CPITN indexes in both groups. In order to determine the possible role of TF activity as a salivary marker in CAD and periodontitis and to fully understand the negative correlation between salivary TF activities and CPITN, TF activity of gingival crevicular fluid that may also affect saliva can be evaluated.

6,7-Dihydroxy-3-phenylcoumarin inhibits thromboplastin induced disseminated intravascular coagulation.

6,7‐Dihydroxy‐3‐phenylcoumarin (DHPC) was tested to determine whether it had any effect on vitamin K inhibition, by investigating the prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), fibrinogen level and platelet count. The anticoagulant and antithrombotic effects of DHPC were compared with those of warfarin by conducting a 4 h acute trial on thromboplastin‐induced disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), investigating various haemostatic and antioxidant system parameters and performing a haemogram. Of most significance was that in the 5‐d DHPC trial on healthy controls, PT, APTT, fibrinogen, platelet count remained within normal levels. In the 4‐h DIC trial, both DHPC (0·025 mg/kg, i.v.) and warfarin (0·25 mg/kg, i.v.) significantly inhibited DIC, by reducing the PT, APTT, and fibrin degradation products and increasing fibrinogen levels and platelet count. In the DIC drug groups, lipid peroxidation significantly increased only in the warfarin group and glutathione significantly increased only in the DHPC group. However leucocyte count was significantly higher in the DHPC than the warfarin group. Further investigation is required for why DHPC is effective on the parameters investigated, at doses one‐tenth of those of warfarin.

Levels of C-Reactive Protein and Protein C in Periodontitis Patients with and without Cardiovascular Disease

Since periodontitis is a chronic and inflammatory disease, a number of hypotheses have proposed that it has an etiological or modulating role in cardiovascular disease (CVD). This study aimed to ascertain the changes in the plasma levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) and protein C (PC), a natural anticoagulant also having an anti-inflammatory effect, in patients who have mild-to-severe periodontitis with or without CVD. The test group consisted of 26 patients with CVD and chronic periodontitis and the control group consisted of 26 patients with chronic periodontitis and no systemic disease. In both groups Community Periodontal Index of Treatment Needs scores were recorded and blood samples were collected. CRP levels were significantly high and PC activity was significantly low in the test group compared to the control group (p < 0.001). There was a negative correlation between tooth loss and PC and between CRP and PC. How PC is affected by the inflammatory events and its association with CRP is an active area of investigation.

The Relation between Plasma Tissue Factor and Oxidized LDL Levels in Acute Coronary Syndromes

Aim: Tissue factor (TF) is a low-molecular-weight glycoprotein responsible for the initiation of the coagulation cascade. The relation between oxidized low-density lipoprotein (Ox-LDL), that has been shown to be involved in atherogenesis, and TF has not been evaluated before in circulating plasma. The aim of this study was to determine plasma levels of TF and Ox-LDL in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and stable coronary artery disease (SCAD). Methods: The study group consisted of 41 patients with ACS and 26 patients with SCAD. Among the ACS patients, 12 were diagnosed with unstable angina pectoris (UAP) and 29 were diagnosed with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The control group consisted of 30 healthy volunteers. TF and Ox-LDL levels were evaluated by ELISA kits. Results: Ox-LDL levels were significantly higher in UAP and AMI patients compared with the control (p < 0.001) and SCAD (p < 0.01 and p < 0.001, respectively) groups. TF levels were significantly higher in the UAP, AMI and SCAD groups compared with the control group (p < 0.001, p < 0.001 and p < 0.01, respectively). In the AMI group a significant increase was observed in TF levels when compared with the SCAD group (p < 0.01). Plasma Ox-LDL levels were significantly and positively correlated with TF levels in the UAP and AMI groups (p < 0.05, r = 702, and p < 0.0001, r = 0.679, respectively). Conclusion: Thepotential link between Ox-LDL and TF in circulating blood in ACS may strengthen the evidence supporting a relationship between oxidant stress, lipids and thrombosis and consequently may contribute to understanding the mechanism through which Ox-LDL and TF may mediate the pathogenesis of CAD.

Lens glutathione, lens protein glycation and electrophoretic patterns of lens proteins in STZ induced diabetic rats

As diabetes is a very complex disease, with the pathological symptoms varying with age, diabetic type and means of control, it still warrants manyin vivo andin vitro studies. During hyperglycaemia, increases in the sorbitol pathway, nonenzymatic glycosylation of lens proteins and damage to antioxidant systems have been reported to cause opacification of the lens leading to cataract formation. In this study, intracapsular extracts of lenses from STZ induced diabetic female rats were examined. Total protein, glutathione and nonenzymatic glycosylation were determined by the Lowry, Ellman reagent and thiobarbituric acid methods respectively. Laemmli protein electrophoresis was also carried out on the lens homogenates. After a period of as short as 5 weeks, a decrease in lens glutathione, and an increase in nonenzymatic glycosylation of lens proteins were found. The electrophoresis showed an increase in proteins of high molecular weight.

Serum and saliva sialic acid in periodontitis patients with and without cardiovascular disease.

Serum total sialic acid (sTSA) has recently been shown to be a cardiovascular risk factor. However, there is little information about the role of sTSA and TSA in saliva in periodontitis, a chronic and inflammatory disease known to be a risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). We aimed to investigate the changes in sTSA and TSA levels in saliva in patients having both periodontitis and CVD versus periodontitis patients without diagnosed CVD. The study group consisted of 26 patients with proven periodontitis and 26 controls with no diagnosed systemic disease but periodontitis. sTSA and saliva TSA levels were determined by the thiobarbituric acid method, and C-reactive protein (CRP) was evaluated by the nephelometric method. The severity of periodontitis has been determined by the community periodontal index of treatment needs (CPITN). TSA in blood and saliva and CRP levels in blood were significantly increased in CVD patients compared with the control group. CPITN ranged from 2 to 4 in both groups. Significant and positive correlations were found between sTSA and saliva SA levels in patients and controls and between tooth loss and TSA both in blood and saliva. Therefore, TSA in saliva may be a useful marker similar to sTSA in CVD patients.

Limited Effects of Parsley (Petroselinum crispum) on Protein Glycation and Glutathione in Lenses of Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rats

Parsley (Petroselinum crispum), which has hypoglycaemic activity, has been used as a folk remedy for diabetes. This study investigated the effect of parsley administration on diabetes-induced impairments in rat lenses. Administration of parsley extract did not prevent a decrease in glutathione nor an increase in protein glycation, although it did significantly prevent an increase in blood glucose. SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed no significant differences in any protein bands between any of the groups.