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Cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) is responsible for the therapeutic effects of indomethacin, while inhibition of the COX-1 enzyme and oxidative stress are responsible for its gastro-toxic effects. It has been reported that pycnogenol increases the expression of COX-1, suppresses the expression rate of COX-2 and oxidative stress. Our aim in this study is to investigate the antiinflammatory activities of indomethacin, pycnogenol, and their combination (PI) in rats and to examine their effects on stomach tissue. In the study, anti-inflammatory activity was investigated in carrageenan-induced inflammatory paw edema in albino Wistar male rats. Effects on stomach tissue were performed by applying the previous method. PI, indomethacin and pycnogenol were the best suppressors of carrageenan inflammation and oxidative stress in paw tissue, respectively. While the groups with the lowest COX-1 activity in paw tissue were IC, PIC and PC, respectively, PIC, IC and PC were the ones that best inhibited the increase in COX-2 activity. Pycnogenol inhibited the increase of malondialdehyde, the decrease of total glutathione and COX-1 in the stomach, and significantly suppressed the formation of indomethacin ulcers. Our experimental results showed that pycnogenol reduced the toxic effect of indomethacin on the stomach and increased anti-inflammatory activity. This beneficial interaction of pycnogenol and indomethacin suggests that PI will provide superior success in the treatment of inflammatory diseases.

Background Desflurane is a mainstay of general inhaled anesthetics with a methyl ethyl ether structure and is widely used in clinical practice. It has been reported to induce inflammation and lipid peroxidation in rat pulmonary parenchyma, to increase alveolar macrophages, and to cause peribronchial infiltration and edema. Rutin, a flavonoid vitamin P1, is known to have biological properties including acting as an antioxidant, an anti-inflammatory, and an inhibitor of bronchoalveolar polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PNL) infiltration. Objectives The aim of this study is to examine the effects of rutin on desflurane-induced pulmonary injury using biochemical and histopathological methods. Material and methods The rats were divided into 3 groups (n = 6 each): healthy control (HC), rutin+desflurane-treated (DRT) and desflurane-only (DSF). Briefly, 50 mg/kg of rutin was given orally to the DRT group and an equal volume of normal saline was given to the DSF and HC groups. After 1 h, anesthesia was induced and maintained in the DRT and DSF groups for 2 h. After the rats had been sacrificed, the lungs were removed. Malondialdehyde (MDA), total glutathione (GSH), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) levels were measured in the excised lung tissue. The removed tissues were also fixed in 10% formalin, and the obtained sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and evaluated under light microscopy. The biochemical and histopathological results of the DRT group were compared with those obtained from the DSF and HC groups. Results Desflurane increased MDA, TNF-α and NF-κB, and decreased GSH in lung tissue. The PNL infiltration, alveolar macrophages, hemorrhage, alveolar damage, and edema were observed in the lung tissue of the DSF group. Rutin was histopathologically shown to protect lung tissue from oxidative stress by preventing an increase in oxidant parameters and a decrease in antioxidants. Conclusions The results suggest that rutin may be useful in the treatment of desflurane-associated lung injury.

As is known, peptic ulcer is a common name used for stomach and duodenum ulcers. Incidence of peptic ulcer is 11-14% in male and 8-11% in female. However, stomach ulcers are seen equally in male and female [1]. Research has shown that 89-95% of peptic ulcers are associated with Helicobacter pylori and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) usage [2]. Serious gastrointestinal complications have been clinically reported in 1-4% of patients taking NSAIDs [3]. The factors leading to peptic ulcer cause disruption of the permeability of stomach mucosa and the intracellular calcium accumulation [4]. Studies show that calcium stimulates gastric mucosal oxyntic cells and gastric acid secretion in in-vivo conditions [5]. It also known that intracellular calcium dysregulation is related with reactive oxygen species [6]., Peptic ulcer has been reported to increase acid secretion and lead to oxidative stress. Benidipine is an antihypertensive drug with antioxidant properties. This study aims to investigate the effects of benidipine on indomethacin-induced gastric ulcers in rats. Four groups were designed in this study. Gastric ulcer was occurred with indomethacin in the first three groups. These groups were treated with famotidine, benidipine and distilled water respectively 5 minutes before indomethacin administration. The fourth group rats didn’t have gastric ulcer and they received only distilled water. Six hours after drug administration gastric tissue was extracted and macroscopic and biochemical examinations were performed. Damaged areas in the stomach of benidipine and famotidine receiving animal groups were smaller than the indomethacin received animals. Indomethacin elevated the levels of malondialdehyde and myeloperoxidase in the stomach tissue (p

Introduction and aim Cardiovascular diseases remain the most common cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with diabetes. Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT), visceral fat depot of the heart, was found to be associated with coronary artery disease in cardiac and non-cardiac patients. Increased visceral adiposity is associated with proinflammatory activity, impaired insulin sensitivity, increased risk of atherosclerosis and high mortality. In the present study we aimed to investigate the relationship between EAT and visceral adiposity index (VAI) in patients with diabetes. Methods This was a cross-sectional study involving 128 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (73 females, 55 males; mean age, 54.09+±+9.17 years) and 32 control subjects (23 females, 9 males; mean age, 50.09+±+7.81 years). EAT was measured by using a trans-thoracic echocardiograph. Parameters such as waist circumference (WC), body mass index (BMI), triglyceride and high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol were used to calculate VAI. Result EAT and VAI measurements were significantly higher in patients with diabetes when compared to control subjects. In the bivariate correlation analysis, VAI was positively correlated with uric acid level (r=0.214, p=0.015), white blood cell count (r= 0.262, p=0.003), platelet count (r=0.223, p=0.011) and total cholesterol levels (r= 0.363, p Conclusion Simple calculation of VAI was found to be associated with increased EAT in patients with type 2 diabetes.

OBJECTIVE: The role of protein oxidation in the development of diabetic microvascular complications was investigated. METHODS: In total, 266 participants were split into five groups: Group 1; diabetes mellitus for at least 10 years without any complications, Group 2; diabetic nephropathy, Group 3; diabetic neuropathy, Group 4; diabetic retinopathy, and Group 5; control group. Thiol, disulfide, ferroxidase, and ischemia-modified albumin (IMA) levels were analyzed in the serum. RESULTS: Native thiol, total thiol, and native thiol/total thiol were lower in Group 4 than Groups 1, 3, and 5 (p

Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death. Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) surrounds the heart surface and creates local and systemic effects secreting the hormones, cytokines, inflammatory mediators. Previous studies demonstrated that both smoking and EAT have a strong association with inflammation and atherosclerosis.Our study aimed to determine the relationship of smoking with EAT thickness and inflammation by evaluating smokers and non-smokers. A total of 259 healthy male and female participants between the ages of 18-65, without a history of chronic disease and with a body mass index within normal limits, were included in a study. EAT thickness measurements were made by transthoracic echocardiography and EAT thicknesses of smokers and non-smokers were compared. In addition, the effects of smoking and EAT thickness on different inflammatory parameters were evaluated. When the EAT thicknesses were compared between smokers and non-smokers (2.60±1.2), a statistically significant difference was found in favor of smokers (3.84±1.84) (p

Objective Cisplatin is an anticancer drug used for treating childhood solid tumors. Symptoms related to cisplatin-induced cardiovascular adverse effects may be mild or severe. Rutin (vitamin P1) has many properties, including as antioxidant, anticancer, antidiabetic, antimicrobial, antiulcer, and tissue renewal properties. Therefore, we aimed to biochemically, histopathologically, and immunohistochemically demonstrate the effect of rutin on cisplatin-induced cardiotoxicity in rats. Methods The rats included in our study were divided into four groups: Healthy group (HE), 5-mg/kg cisplatin group (CP), 50 mg/kg rutin+5-mg/kg cisplatin (CR-50), 100-mg/kg rutin+5-mg/kg cisplatin (CR-100) group. Results CP group administered cisplatin had significantly increased blood, serum, and cardiac tissue malondialdehyde (MDA), interleukin 1 beta (IL-1s), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), troponin I, creatine kinase (CK), and CK-MB levels compared to the HE group, whereas there was a significant decrease in the total glutathione (tGSH) levels. Rutin was observed to prevent the increase in MDA, IL-1s, TNF-α, troponin I, CK, and CK-MB levels as well as prevent the decrease in tGSH levels more significantly when administered at a 100-mg/kg dose than at a 50-mg/kg dose. Histopathologically, cardiac necrosis, dilated/congested blood vessels, hemorrhage, polymorphonuclear leukocyte, edema, and cells with pyknotic nuclei were observed in the CP group. Rutin was shown to prevent cisplatin-induced cardiac damage more effectively when used at a100-mg/kg dose than at a 50-mg/kg dose. Conclusion These results suggest that rutin is useful for preventing cisplatin-related cardiovascular damage.

Intestinal mucositis is an important problem in the patients receiving cancer treatment. We aimed to investigate the effect of anakinra, which is a well known anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory agent, on methotrexate-induced small intestine mucositis in rats. Forty rats were divided into 4 groups with 10 in each group. The healthy group (HG) and the methotrexate group (MTXG) were given distilled water, while the methotrexate + anakinra 50 (MTX+ANA50) and the methotrexate + anakinra 100 (MTX+ANA100) groups were intraperitoneally administered 50 and 100 mg/kg of anakinra. After one hour, the MTXG, MTX+ANA50 and MTX+ANA100 groups were given oral methotrexate at a dose of 5 mg/kg. This procedure was repeated once a day for 7 days. After the rats had been sacrificed, the small intestine tissue of rats were removed for the assesment of biochemical markers, histopathological evaluation and gene expression analyze. Statistical analyses of the data were performed using one-way ANOVA. Malondialdehyde (MDA), myeloperoxidase (MPO) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels were significantly higher, whereas total glutathione (tGSH) levels were significantly lower in MTXG (P

Aim: It has been reported that nephrotoxicity is observed in 5-25% of patients during vancomycin use. The part oxidative stress plays in the pathogenesis of vancomycin-induced nephrotoxicity has been demonstrated. Lutein shows antioxidant activity. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate effects experienced by lutein on oxidative kidney damage induced by vancomycin in rats biochemically an histopathologically. Materials and Methods: Oral administration of lutein at a rate of 1mg per kg was performed for the lutein plus vancomycin group (L+VAN) (n=6), whereas saline was administered to the vancomycin (VAN) (n=6) and healthy control (C) (n=6) groups. Sixty minutes after administration of lutein and solvent, 200 mg/kg vancomycin was intraperitoneally injected twice a day to L+VAN and VAN groups. This procedure was repeated for 7 days. Then malondialdehyde (MDA), total glutathione (tGSH), total oxidant system (TOS) and total antioxidant system (TAS) levels have been assessed in kidney tissues; in addition, creatinine and BUN were measured in blood samples. Kidney tissues were also evaluated histopathologically. Results: Significant histopathological damage could be seen in the kidney tissue of the VAN group that increasing MDA and TOS and creatinine and BUN. Histopathological damage was not very significant in the L+VAN group that decreasing MDA, TOS, BUN and creatinine levels. Conclusion: This suggests that lutein may be effective for the treatment of the treatment of vancomycin-associated oxidative kidney damage.

WOS: 000390981200011, PubMed: 28144263, Introduction: Chronic inflammation is a major risk factor in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients. Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) is the true visceral fat depot of the heart. The relationship between coronary artery disease and EAT was shown in healthy subjects and ESRD patients. In the present study we aimed to investigate the relationship between EAT and inflammation parameters including neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in hemodialysis (HD) patients. Material and methods: Forty-three HD patients (25 females, 18 males; mean age: 64.1 11.9 years) receiving HD and 30 healthy subjects (15 females, 15 males; mean age: 59.1 +/- 10.8 years) were enrolled in the study. Epicardial adipose tissue measurements were performed by echocardiography. Results: Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio levels were significantly higher in HD patients than in the healthy control group. Hemodialysis patients were separated into two groups according to their median value of NLR (group 1, NLR < 3.07 (n = 21) and group 2, NLR 3.07 (n = 22)). Group 2 patients had significantly higher EAT, C-reactive protein and ferritin levels, while albumin levels were significantly lower in this group. In the bivariate correlation analysis, EAT was positively correlated with NLR (r = 0.600, p < 0.001) and ferritin (r = 0.485, p = 0.001) levels. Conclusions: Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio was found to be an independent predictor of EAT in HD patients (odds ratio = 3.178; p = 0.008). We concluded that this relationship might be attributed to increased inflammation in uremic patients.

Arslan, Aynur/0000-0001-5968-5823; Cetin, Nihal/0000-0003-3233-8009; WOS: 000387526400001 PubMed: 27333839 Intestinal mucositis is one of the major problems in the patients receiving cancer treatment. Nimesulide is a drug with antioxidant, antiinflammatory and antiulcer features. We aimed to investigate the effect of nimesulide on the small intestine mucositis induced by methotrexate (MTX) in rats. Experimental animals were divided into the control group, MTX group (MTXG) and nimesulide+MTX administered group (NMTXG) with eight rats per group. the control and MTXG groups were given distilled water by gavage and the NMTXG was given nimesulide 100 mg/kg orally. After one hour, the NMTXG and MTXG rat groups were administered oral MTX 5 mg/kg. This procedure was repeated once a day for 15 days and the rats were sacrificed. the duodenum and jejunum of each rat was removed for the assessment of biochemical markers and histopathological evaluation. Malondialdehyde (MDA) and myeloperoxidase (MPO) levels were significantly higher in the duodenal and jejunal tissues of the animals which received MTX, compared to the control and NMTXG (P

Introduction Association of vitamin D, inflammation and endothelial dysfunction, beside the classic bone metabolism disorders, may explain the pathogenesis of numerous diseases associated with vitamin D deficiency. While large numbers of reports support the relationship of vitamin D with inflammation, several reports fail to confirm this relationship. Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) are novel and inexpensive markers of inflammation that can be studied in all centers. The goal of this study was to investigate the association between 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25(OH)D) and inflammation with the novel inflammatory markers NLR and PLR. Material and methods This study was performed retrospectively. Results of the simultaneously performed 25(OH)D, parathyroid hormone, albumin, calcium, phosphorus, alkaline phosphatase and creatinine level measurements and complete blood count were recorded. The data of 4120 patients were included in the study. Results Between vitamin D deficient and non-deficient groups there were significant differences in PLR (p < 0.001) and NLR (p = 0.001). Vitamin D had a significant negative correlation with PLR (p < 0.001) and NLR (p < 0.001). Multiple regression analysis indicated that 25(OH)D was independently and negatively correlated with PLR (OR = 0.994, 95% CI 0.991–0.998, p = 0.02). Conclusions Platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio and NLR were significantly associated with 25(OH)D levels, and PLR was found to be an independent predictor of 25(OH)D levels. Our study revealed an inverse association of vitamin D levels and inflammation with these inexpensive and universally available markers.

The prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM) is increasing secondary to increased consumption of food and decreased physical activity worldwide. Hyperglycaemia, insulin resistance and hypertrophy of pancreatic beta cells occur in the early phase of diabetes. However, with the progression of diabetes, dysfunction and loss of beta cells occur in both types 1 and 2 DM. Programmed cell death also named apoptosis is found to be associated with diabetes, and apoptosis of beta cells might be the main mechanism of relative insulin deficiency in DM. Autophagic cell death and apoptosis are not entirely distinct programmed cell death mechanisms and share many of the regulator proteins. These processes can occur in both physiologic and pathologic conditions including DM. Besides these two important pathways, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) also acts as a cell sensor to monitor and maintain cellular homeostasis. ER stress has been found to be associated with autophagy and apoptosis. This review was aimed to describe the interactions between apoptosis, autophagy and ER stress pathways in DM.

Background. Oxidative stress and interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) have been reported to play a role in the pathogenesis of nephrotoxicity induced by cisplatin. Objectives. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of anakinra, which is an IL-1β receptor antagonist, on cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity in rats, through biochemical, gene expression and histopathological analyses. Material and methods. The study was designed with 4 groups. For 1 week, the control group (C) and the cisplatin (Cis) group received distilled water, while the cisplatin + anakinra 50 (Cis + ANA50) group and the cisplatin + anakinra 100 (Cis + ANA100) group were intraperitoneally administered 50 mg/kg and 100 mg/kg of anakinra, respectively. The Cis, Cis + ANA50 and Cis + ANA100 groups were intraperitoneally injected with a 2.5 mg/kg dose of cisplatin for 7 days. After sacrifice, the kidney tissue of each rat was extracted for the assessment of the malondialdehyde (MDA) and total glutathione (tGSH) levels, and for gene expression analyses of IL-1β. The kidney tissues were histopathologically evaluated. Statistical analyses of the data were performed using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results. The administration of cisplatin (the Cis group) yielded a higher level of MDA (4.75 ±0.25 nmol/mL; p < 0.001) and lower levels of tGSH (1.80 ±0.35 mg/L; p < 0.001) compared to other groups. Cisplatin also increased IL-1β gene expression (6.33 ±0.27 gene expression levels; p < 0.001) compared to other groups. The impact of anakinra on the MDA and tGSH levels, and on IL-1β gene expression induced by cisplatin was observed as a reversal of these findings (p < 0.05). Anakinra better prevented an increase of the levels of MDA and IL-1β at a dose of 100 mg/kg compared to a 50 mg/kg dose. Conclusions. Anakinra prevents oxidative kidney damage induced by cisplatin in a dose-dependent manner. This result suggests that anakinra may be useful in the treatment of cisplatin-induced kidney damage

Objective We aimed to determine the species of the house dust mites seen in Erzincan, the number of mites per gram of dust in the houses, and the relationship between temperature and the number of mite specimens. Methods For this purpose, 54 dust samples collected from 18 houses located in different districts of Erzincan province between November 2013 and January 2014. These samples were examined by a lactic acid precipitation method. Results Of the houses in which the dust samples were collected, 94.44% were found to be positive in terms of mites. A total of 844 mite specimens were isolated from the dust samples, and the mean number of mites per gram of dust was found to be 18.34. The most common species was found to be Acarus siro (55.55%) and was followed by Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (50.00%), Tyrophagus putrescentiae (22.22%), Histiostoma sp. (22.22%), Lepidoglyphus destructor (16.66%), T. perniciosus(11.11%), Euroglyphus maynei (11.11%), Glycyphagus privatus (11.11%), Cheyletus sp. (11.11%), Tarsonemus sp. (11.11%), and Tetranychus sp. (11.11%). Conclusion Mite-holding rate of the houses in Erzincan province was found to be 94.44%. The mean number of mites per gram of dust was found to be 18.34. The most common mite species was A. siro, which was followed by D. pteronyssinus.

Coxiella burnetii (C. burnetii) bacterium, the causative agent of Q fever has regained importance due to the increasing cases of infections and outbreaks. A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted to investigate the seroprevalence of C. burnetii in human populations of Erzincan province located in the eastern Turkey, identify the risk factors, and to explore the relationship between geographical features.A total of 368 people residing in the rural (306) and urban (62) areas of the province were included in the study. Serum samples were analyzed for the presence of C. burnetii phase II IgG antibody using ELISA (Virion/ Serion, Wurzburg, Germany). Spatial analyses were performed to evaluate correlations between seroprevalence and geographical features.The overall seroprevalence of C. burnetii was found to be 8.7% (32/368). In rural residents it was 8.5% (26/306), while in urban population it was 9.7% (6/62). Cattle breeding and contact with animal afterbirth waste were found to be major risk factors, and were significantly correlated with seropositive cases (p0.05). The seropositive cases were only observed in the areas between 1067 and 1923 masl. Of the total seropositive cases, 65.6% were within 1000 m and 87.5% within 4000 m of rivers and their main tributaries. Around 59.4% cases were observed in areas with a slope of 0 to 5°.The results of the study showed that C. burnetii seroprevalence was higher than expected, and significantly differs according to geographical features of a region. Significant risk factors include raising cattle and exposure to infected animals or their birth products/secretions. It is also more frequent in areas with higher number of rivers and streams, higher altitude and lower slope.

Objective: In this study, we aimed to investigate the difference of uric acid levels between metabolically healthy and unhealthy obese individuals. Methods: Patients of internal medicine and endocrinology outpatient clinics who admitted with the complaint of overweight were separated into two groups, by diagnostic criteria for metabolic syndrome, as metabolically healthy obese and metabolically unhealthy obese individuals. Total of 193 women aged between 18 to 70 years were enrolled into study. Results: Statistically significant differences were determined regarding waist circumference (p=0.038), HOMA-IR (p0.05) were not differ between these groups. When patients were separated into two groups according to uric acid median, the rate of metabolic syndrome found to be increased in high uric acid group (p=0.021). A correlation analysis showed that uric acid was significantly associated with number of metabolic syndrome parameters (r=0.270, p

Amac: Calismadaki amacimiz endoskopi yapilan gastritli hastalarda Helicobacter pylori sikligi ve yerlesim yerinin yas ve cinsiyetlere gore dagiliminin belirlenmesidir. Yontemler: Hastanemizde Ocak 2012-Temmuz 2013 tarihleri arasinda ust gastrointestinal sistem endoskopisi yapilarak biyopsi alinan 1405 hastanin endoskopi ve patoloji raporlari retrospektif olarak incelendi. Hastalarin Helicobacter pylori sikliklari yerlesim yerine, cinslerine ve yas gruplarina ayrilarak degerlendirildi. Sydney siniflamasi esas alinarak Helicobacter pylori yogunluguna gore, yok (-), dusuk (+), orta (++) ve yuksek (+++) olarak skorlandi. Bulgular: Calismaya hem korpus hem de antrum biyopsileri olan, 824'u (%58,6) kadin, 581'i (%41,4) erkek olmak uzere toplam 1405 hasta alindi. Hastalarin genel yas ortalamasi 48,58±16,96 (15-94) yil idi. Erkek hasta grubunda Helicobacter pylori pozitifligi kadinlardan anlamli yuksek bulundu (p=0,012). Korpus ve antrumdan herhangi birinde Helicobacter pylori pozitifligi olan hastalarin sayisi 1101 (%78,4), negatif olanlarin sayisi ise 304 (%21,6) idi. Kadin cinsiyette pozitiflik orani daha yuksek olsa da her iki cins ve yas gruplari arasinda Helicobacter pylori pozitifligi acisindan anlamli istatistiki fark yoktu. Antrumdan alinan biyopsilerin 1064'unde (%75,7) Helicobacter pylori pozitif iken, 341'inde (%24,3) negatifti. Ayrica yas gruplari arasinda ve cinsiyetler arasinda Helicobacter pylori pozitifligi acisindan anlamli farklilik yoktu. Korpustan alinan biyopsi sonuclarinin 572'sinde (%40.7) Helicobacter pylori pozitifken 833'unde (%59,3) negatifti. Korpusta yas gruplari arasinda Helicobacter pylori pozitifligi acisindan istatistiksel olarak anlamli fark saptanmadi. Sonuc: Calismamizda, Helicobacter pylori pozitiflik orani %78,4 idi. Bu yuksek oranda pozitiflik nedeniyle iliskili oldugu hastaliklar acisindan ciddi bir halk sagligi problemi olabilir.

Chronic inflammation was found to be correlated with coronary (CAC) and thoracic peri-aortic calcification (TAC) in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients. Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) was introduced as a potential marker to determine inflammation in cardiac and noncardiac disorders. Data regarding NLR and its association with TAC and CAC are lacking. We aimed to determine the relationship between NLR and vascular calcification in ESRD patients. This was a cross-sectional study involving 56 ESRD patients (22 females, 34 males; mean age, 49.9 ± 14.2 years) receiving peritoneal dialysis or hemodialysis for ≥6 months in the Dialysis Unit of Necmettin Erbakan University. TAC and CAC scores were measured by using an electrocardiogram-gated 64-multidetector computed tomography. NLR was calculated as the ratio of the neutrophils and lymphocytes. There was a statistically significant correlation between NLR, TACS and CACS in ESRD patients (r = 0.43, P = 0.001 and r = 0.30, P = 0.02, respectively). The stepwise linear regression analysis revealed that age, as well as NLR were independent predictors of TACS. However, increased age was the only independent predictor of CACS according to linear regression analysis. Simple calculation of NLR can predict vascular calcification in ESRD patients.

Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) was introduced as a potential marker to determine inflammation in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients. Recently, platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and NLR were found to positively correlated with inflammatory markers including tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin (IL)-6 in cardiac and noncardiac patients. Data regarding PLR and its association with inflammation are lacking in hemodialysis (HD) and peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. Hence, we aimed to determine the relationship between PLR, NLR, and inflammation in ESRD patients. This was a cross-sectional study involving 62 ESRD patients (29 females, 33 males; mean age, 49.6 ± 14.6 years) receiving PD or HD for ≥6 months in the Dialysis Unit of Necmettin Erbakan University. PLR, NLR, C-reactive protein, TNF-α, IL-6 levels were measured. PLR, NLR, serum high sensitive C-reactive protein, IL-6, and TNF-α levels were significantly higher in PD patients when compared with HD patients. ESRD patients with PLR ≥ 140 had significantly higher NLR, IL-6, and TNF-α levels when compared to patients with PLR

To determine the seroprevalence and risk factors associated with Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) in residents of Erzincan, Turkey. Although CCHFV is endemic in Erzincan, this is the first study to evaluate its seroprevalence in this region. This study included a total of 372 subjects, 174 of whom had been exposed to or bitten by ticks, 145 of whom worked with livestock, and 53 of whom resided in the city and did not have exposure to livestock. Data on CCHFV IgG and IgM antibodies were extracted from serum samples collected from all subjects using an ELISA. All samples were tested for CCHFV IgG and CCHFV IgM. Only IgM-positive samples were processed for detection of viral RNA through RT-PCR. Using seropositive cases only, we performed spatial analyses to evaluate correlations between seroprevalence and geographic location (i.e., proximity to rivers, altitude, and slope angle of land). In this study, 14.0% (52/322) of the total subjects were positive for CCHFV IgG. Seven of the individuals were positive both for CCHFV IgG and CCHFV IgM. Of these seven, only one sample tested positive for CCHFV RNA. Individuals who worked with livestock in the rural areas and had a history of tick exposure were statistically more likely to test positive for CCHFV IgG than individuals from the city and not exposed to ticks (p < 0.05). Seroprevalence was affected by geographic characteristics, including distance to rivers, altitude, and slope angle of land. We observed a high seroprevalence of CCHFV in Erzincan, which is similar to that observed in other endemic regions of Turkey. CCHFV seroprevalence rates are found to be quite high in the people who live in the sloping fields at certain heights and where there are a lot of rivers and streams.

Objective. Effects of high frequency chest wall oscillation technique were investigated on intubated ICU patients.Background. Thirty intubated patients were included in the study. The control group (n=15) received routine pulmonary rehabilitation technique. In addition to the pulmonary rehabilitation technique, the study group (n=15) was given high frequency chest wall oscillation (HFCWO). APACHE II, dry sputum weight, lung collapse index, and blood gas values were measured at 24th, 48th, and 72nd hours and endotracheal aspirate culture was studied at initial and 72nd hour. The days of ventilation and days in ICU were evaluated.Results. There is no significant difference between APACHE II scores of groups. The dry sputum weights increased in the study group at 72nd hour (p=0.001). The lung collapse index decreased in study group at 48th (p=0.003) and 72nd hours (p<0.001). The PO2levels increased in the study group at 72nd hour (p=0.015). The culture positivity at 72nd hour was decreased to 20%. The days of ventilation and staying in ICU did not differ between the groups.Conclusions. Although HFCWO is very expensive equipment, combined technique may prevent the development of lung atelectasis or hospital-acquired pneumonia more than routine pulmonary rehabilitation. It does not change intubated period and length of stay in ICU. However, more further controlled clinical studies are needed to use it in ICU.

Cetin, Nihal/0000-0003-3233-8009; Malkoc, Ismail/0000-0002-9221-510X WOS: 000370081000014 PubMed: 26517535 Objective: the aim of this study was to assess the impact of resveratrol (RST) on oxidative stress induced by methotrexate in rat ileum tissue. Materials and Methods: Twenty-four rats were divided into 4 groups with 6 in each group. Each rat was orally administered the following every day for 30 days: group 1 (MTXG), methotrexate (MTX; 5 mg/kg); group 2 (RMTXG), MTX (5 mg/kg) plus RST (25 mg/kg/day); group 3 (RSTG), RST alone (25 mg/kg/day), and group 4 (controls), distilled water. After the rats had been sacrified, the ilea were removed for the assessment of malondialdehyde (MDA), total glutathione (tGSH) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px). Gene expression analyses for interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and myeloperoxidase (MPO) were also performed. Hematoxylin and eosin-stained paraffinembedded sections of the ileum were analyzed under a light microscope and the findings were recorded. Statistical analyses of the data were performed using one-way ANOVA. Results: the administration of MTX in group 1 yielded a higher level of MDA (8.33 +/- 2.5 mu mol/g protein, p < 0.001) and lower levels of tGSH (0.97 +/- 0.29 nmol/g protein) and GSH-Px (5.22 +/- 0.35 U/g protein, p < 0.001) compared to the other groups. MTX also increased IL-1 beta (40.33 +/- 5.43 gene expression levels), TNF-alpha (6.08 +/- 0.59) and MPO gene expression (9 +/- 1.41) in group 1 compared to the controls (11.33 +/- 2.07, 2.15 +/- 0.33 and 3.43 +/- 0.48, respectively, p < 0.001). the impact of RST on IL-1 beta, TNF-alpha and MPO gene expression induced by MTX was observed as a reversal of these findings (p < 0.05). Severe inflammation, damage to the villus epithelium and crypt necrosis was observed histopathologically in the MTXG group, whereas only mild inflammation was seen in the RMTXG group. Conclusion: in this study, ileal damage caused by MTX was inhibited by RST. (C) 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel

WOS: 000312869700007, PubMed ID: 22630818, Mean platelet volume (MPV) is a determinant of platelet activation. Atherogenic index of plasma (AIP), which is defined as the logarithm of the ratio of plasma level of triglycerides to the level of high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol (log[TG/HDL-C]), has recently been used as a marker of atherogenicity. This study included 104 normotensive individuals. Mean platelet volume and AIP were measured in all patients. Nondipper individuals (8.6 +/- 0.9 fL, 0.3 +/- 0.2) demonstrated higher values of MPV and AIP compared with dippers (7.9 +/- 1.1 fL, 0.1 +/- 0.2) (P

Background Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT), visceral fat depot of the heart, was found to be associated with coronary artery disease in cardiac and non-cardiac patients. Platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) were introduced as potential markers to determine inflammation in various disorders. Recently, atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) was found to be closely associated with atherosclerosis in general population. Waist circumference is commonly used to assess the risk factors in various metabolic disorders. There has been a well known relation between inflammation and peripheral adipose tissue in diabetes mellitus. However, the data regarding EAT and inflammation is scant in this population. Hence, we aimed to determine the relationship between PLR, NLR, AIP, waist circumference and EAT in diabetic patients. Methods This was a cross-sectional study involving 156 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (87 females, 69 males; mean age, 53.62 ± 9.33 years) and 50 control subjects (35 females, 15 males; mean age, 51.06 ± 8.74 years). EAT was measured by using a trans-thoracic echocardiogram. Atherogenic index of plasma was calculated as the logarithmically transformed ratio of the serum triglyceride to high density lipoprotein (HDL)cholesterol. NLR and PLR were calculated as the ratio of the neutrophils and platelets to lymphocytes, respectively. Results Waist circumference, PLR, NLR, AIP and EAT measurements were significantly higher in diabetic patients when compared to control subjects. When diabetic patients were separated into two groups according to their median value of EAT (Group 1, EAT

A total of 132 consecutive type 2 diabetic patients who were diagnosed at least one year prior and 80 sex- and agematched healthy controls were enrolled in this observational, cross-sectional study. T2DM was diagnosed according to the American Diabetes Association criteria (16). Of the diabetic cases, 48 (36.3%) patients were receiving insulin and 84 (63.7%) patients were receiving an oral anti-diabetic treatment. The exclusion criteria for the patients were as follows: a history of coronary artery disease, left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction, moderate to severe valvular heart disease, arterial hypertension, AF, pre-excitation syndromes, atrioventricular conduction abnormalities, bundle branch block, previously implanted cardiac pacemakers, anti-arrhythmic medicine use, electrolyte imbalance, thyroid diseases, chronic renal or liver diseases, pulmonary disease, chronic inflammatory disorders, known infectious disease and a history of a hypoglycemic episode in the past month. The study protocol was approved by our local ethics committee and all patients provided their written informed consent to participate in the study., OBJECTIVES: The aim of our study was to evaluate the total atrial conduction time and its relationship to subclinical atherosclerosis, inflammation and echocardiographic parameters in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. METHODS: A total of 132 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (mean age 54.5¡9.6 years; 57.6% male) and 80 age- and gender-matched controls were evaluated. The total atrial conduction time was measured by tissueDoppler imaging and the carotid intima-media thickness was measured by B-mode ultrasonography. RESULTS: The total atrial conduction time was significantly longer in the patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus than in the control group (131.7¡23.6 vs. 113.1¡21.3, p,0.001). The patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus had significantly increased carotid intima-media thicknesses, neutrophil to lymphocyte ratios and high-sensitivity Creactive protein levels than those of the controls. The total atrial conduction time was positively correlated with the high-sensitivity C-reactive protein level, neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio, carotid intima-media thickness and left atrial volume index and negatively correlated with the early diastolic velocity (Em), Em/late diastolic velocity (Am) ratio and global peak left atrial longitudinal strain. A multiple logistic regression analysis demonstrated that the neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio, carotid intima-media thickness and global peak left atrial longitudinal strain were independent predictors of the total atrial conduction time. CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that subclinical atherosclerosis and inflammation may represent a mechanism related to prolonged total atrial conduction time and that prolonged total atrial conduction time and impaired left atrial myocardial deformation may be represent early subclinical cardiac involvement in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) is the true visceral fat depot of the heart. The relationship between coronary artery disease and EAT was shown in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients. One of the established risk factor in this population is dyslipidemia. We aimed to determine the relationship between atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) and EAT in ESRD patients.This was a cross-sectional study involving 76 ESRD patients receiving PD or HD for ≥6 months and 42 healthy subjects. EAT was measured by using an electrocardiogram-gated 64-multidetector computed tomography (MDCT). Atherogenic index of plasma was calculated as the logarithmically transformed ratio of the serum trigliseride to HDL-cholesterol.The etiology of ESRD patients was diabetic nephropathy (n = 16), chronic glomerulonephritis (n = 10), hypertensive nephropathy (n = 23), polycystic kidney disease (n = 7), nephrolithiasis (n = 5) and unknown (n = 15). There were no differences with respect to the following variables between ESRD patients and healthy subjects: age; sex; BMI; predialysis levels of DBP; serum levels of albumin, HDL-cholesterol and hemoglobin. However, ESRD patients had higher serum levels of trigliseride, hs-CRP and AIP when compared to healthy subjects. There was a statistically significant relationship between EAT, BMI and AIP in ESRD patients (r = 0.42, p 0.001 and r = 0.25, p = 0.028, respectively). The stepwise linear regression analysis revealed that age, as well as BMI were independent predictors of EAT.We found a relationship between EAT as defined by MDCT and AIP in ESRD patients. Further clinical and experimental studies are needed.