Suleyman Ayvaz

Factors associated with childhood constipation

Aim:  To evaluate factors associated with constipation, determine its risk factors and identify common methods of managing constipation among schoolchildren from ages 7–12 in Edirne, Turkey.

The protective role of melatonin in experimental hypoxic brain damage.

Background : It is known that oxygen‐derived free radicals play an important role in the pathogenesis of brain injury. Melatonin is a powerful scavenger of the oxygen free radicals. In this study, the protective effect of melatonin against the damage inflicted by reactive oxygen species during brain hypoxia was investigated in newborn rats using biochemical parameters.

The effects of methylene blue on renal scarring due to pyelonephritis in rats

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of methylene blue (MB) in preventing renal scar formation after the induction of pyelonephritis (PNP) in a rat model with delayed antimicrobial therapy. An inoculum of the K-12 strain of Escherichia coli was injected into both kidneys. Control groups received isotonic saline instead of bacterial solution. Four equal groups were then formed: the PNP group was untreated and the PNP ciprofloxacin (CIP) treated group was treated only with CIP intraperitoneally (i.p.) starting on the third day following bacterial inoculation. In the PNP (MB)-treated group, MB was given i.p., and in the PNP MB + CIP-treated group, MB + CIP were administered i.p.. In the sixth week following bacterial inoculation, all rats were sacrificed, and both kidneys of the rats in all groups were examined biochemically and histopathologically for renal scarring. Renal scar was significant in the groups treated with MB alone or MB + CIP combination compared with untreated or antibiotic only groups. Delayed treatment with antibiotics had no effect on scarring. These results suggest that the addition of MB to the delayed antibiotic therapy might be beneficial in preventing PNP-induced oxidative renal tissue damage.

Blunt chest trauma in childhood.

Background:  Although thoracic injuries are uncommon in children, their rate of morbidity and mortality is high. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical features of children with blunt chest injury and to investigate the predictive accuracy of their paediatric trauma scores (PTS).

Prevalence of cryptorchidism, retractile testis and orchiopexy in school children.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of cryptorchidism, retractile testis and orchiopexy and investigate the effects of these clinical conditions on testicular volume among schoolchildren aged 7–12 years. Methods: It was a cross-sectional and descriptive study. The participants were stratified by school population and age and 1,800 questionnaires were distributed. The inguino-scrotal examinations and the testicular volumes of the children were recorded. Results: The parents of 1,500 children agreed to allow their children to be examined. The prevalence of cryptorchidism and orchiopexy was found to be 0.73 and 1.3%, respectively. Retractile testis was found in 3.9% of the children. The mean testicular volume of children having retractile testis (1.82 ± 1.41 ml) was less than the ones who do not (2.38 ± 1.40 ml, p < 0.05). The prevalence was 1.7%, and 4% in the participants who had inguinal hernia also had hernioplasty. Conclusions: The prevalence of cryptorchidism and the mean age of orchidopexy are high among schoolchildren aged 7–12. Retractile testis might have some negative effects on the development of testicular volume in children. Parents and healthcare and education professionals should give special attention to inguino-scrotal diseases.

Acute gastric volvulus due to deficiency of the gastrocolic ligament in a newborn

Abstract. Gastric volvulus is rare in the neonatal period. Only three cases of gastric volvulus due to deficiency of gastrocolic ligament have been reported until now in the literature. We describe a neonatal case due to absence of the gastrocolic ligament. Stamm gastrostomy was performed for fixation and there has been no recurrence of his symptoms during a 13-month post-operative period. Conclusion: Stamm gastrostomy is a viable treatment of gastric volvulus due to lack of the gastrocolic ligament.

The Syk Inhibitor Fostamatinib Decreases the Severity of Colonic Mucosal Damage in a Rodent Model of Colitis

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Inflammatory bowel disease is a chronic inflammatory disease of the gastrointestinal system. In some cases, current medications used for inflammatory bowel disease may not be enough for remission, creating a need for more potent and reliable medications. There is no study showing the efficacy of fostamatinib, with proven effects on some inflammatory diseases, on ulcerative colitis. In our study we planned to research the efficacy of fostamatinib, a spleen tyrosine kinase inhibitor, on acetic acid-induced colitis. METHODS The study included 28 male Sprague-Dawley rats, randomly divided into control group, fostamatinib group, colitis group and fostamatinib + colitis group, each containing seven rats. Colitis induction was performed with 4% acetic acid. Colonic inflammation was assessed with disease activity index, macroscopic and histological damage scores, colonic myeloperoxidase, malondialdehyde and superoxide dismutase activity, and tumour necrosis factor alpha [TNFα], CD3, Syk, and phospho-Syk expression. RESULTS There was a significant difference between the colitis and control groups in terms of all parameters. The disease activity index, macroscopic and microscopic damage scores, immunohistochemical TNFα, CD3, Syk, and phospho-Syk expression, and tissue myeloperoxidase activity were found to be significantly lower in the colitis + fostamatinib group compared with the colitis group. There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of myeloperoxidase and malondialdehyde activity. CONCLUSIONS Fostamatinib reduced the inflammatory damage in the experimental colitis. This effect may be due to suppression of TNFα, T-lymphocytes, and neutrophils in colonic mucosa via suppression of Syk. Fostamatinib may be an appropriate treatment alternative for ulcerative colitis. Further clinical studies are required to support this.

The effect of methylene blue treatment on aspiration pneumonia

BACKGROUND The study aimed to examine whether methylene blue (MB) prevents different pulmonary aspiration materials-induced lung injury in rats. METHODS The experiments were designed in 60 Sprague-Dawley rats, ranging in weight from 250-300 g, randomly allotted into one of six groups (n = 10): saline control, Biosorb Energy Plus (BIO), hydrochloric acid (HCl), saline + MB treated, BIO + MB treated, and HCl + MB treated. Saline, BIO, and HCl were injected into the lungs in a volume of 2 mL/kg. After surgical procedure, MB was administered intraperitoneally for 7 days at a daily dose of 2 mg/kg per day. Seven days later, rats were killed, and both lungs in all groups were examined biochemically and histopathologically. RESULTS Our findings show that MB inhibits the inflammatory response reducing significantly (P < 0.05) peribronchial inflammatory cell infiltration, alveolar septal infiltration, alveolar edema, alveolar exudate, alveolar histiocytes, interstitial fibrosis, granuloma, and necrosis formation in different pulmonary aspiration models. Pulmonary aspiration significantly increased the tissue hydroxyproline content, malondialdehyde levels, and decreased (P < 0.05) the antioxidant enzyme (superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase) activities. MB treatment significantly (P < 0.05) decreased the elevated tissue hydroxyproline content and malondialdehyde levels and prevented the inhibition of superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase (P < 0.05) enzymes in the tissues. Furthermore, there is a significant reduction in the activity of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling, and arise in the expression of surfactant protein D in lung tissue of different pulmonary aspiration models with MB therapy. CONCLUSIONS MB treatment might be beneficial in lung injury and therefore shows potential for clinical use.

Effects of sphingosylphosphorylcholine against oxidative stress and acute lung ınjury ınduced by pulmonary contusion in rats

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE The goal of this study was to evaluate effects of exogenous sphingosylphosphorylcholine (SPC) administration on acute lung injury induced by pulmonary contusion in rats. METHODS Eight animals were included in each of the following five groups: control, contusion, contusion phosphate-buffered solution (PBS), contusion SPC 2, contusion SPC 10. SPC was administered 3 days at a daily two different doses of 2 μm/ml and 10 μm/ml intraperitoneally. The severity of lung injury was determined by the neutrophil activation and histological and immunohistochemical changes in the lung. Malondialdehyde (MDA), nitric oxide (NO), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and glutathione (GSH) were determined to evaluate the oxidative status in the lung tissue. RESULTS Treatment with 2 μM SPC inhibited the increase in lung MDA and NO levels significantly and also attenuated the depletion of SOD, GPx, and GSH in the lung injury induced by pulmonary contusion. These data were supported by histopathological findings. The inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) positive cells and apoptotic cells in the lung tissue were observed to be reduced with the 2 μM SPC treatment. But, the 10 μM SPC treatment did not provide similar effects. CONCLUSIONS In conclusion, these findings suggested that 2 μM SPC can attenuate lung damage in pulmonary contusion by prevention of oxidative stress, inflammatory process and apoptosis. All these findings suggest that low dose SPC may be a promising new therapeutic agent for acute lung injury.

Desferrioxamine Reduces Oxidative Stress in the Lung Contusion

Our hypothesis in this study is that desferrioxamine (DFX) has therapeutic effects on experimental lung contusions in rats. The rats were divided into four groups (n = 8): control, control+DFX, contusion, and contusion+DFX. In the control+DFX and contusion+DFX groups, 100 mg/kg DFX was given intraperitoneally once a day just after the contusion and the day after the contusion. Contusions led to a meaningful rise in the malondialdehyde (MDA) level in lung tissue. MDA levels in the contusion+DFX group experienced a significant decline. Glutathione levels were significantly lower in the contusion group than in the control group and significantly higher in the contusion+DFX group. Glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels in the contusion group were significantly lower than those in the control group. In the contusion+DFX group, SOD and GPx levels were significantly higher than those in the contusion group. In light microscopic evaluation, the contusion and contusion+DFX groups showed edema, hemorrhage, alveolar destruction, and leukocyte infiltration. However, histological scoring of the contusion+DFX group was significantly more positive than that of the contusion group. The iNOS staining in the contusion group was significantly more intensive than that in all other groups. DFX reduced iNOS staining significantly in comparison to the contusion group. This study showed that DFX reduced oxidative stress in lung contusions in rats and histopathologically ensured the recovery of the lung tissue.