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Seyhan Taskin,1 Seyma Ozsoy,2 Ziya Cakir3 1Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Harran University, Sanliurfa, Turkey; 2Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Tokat Gaziosmanpasa University, Tokat, Turkey; 3Vocational Higher School of Health Services, Tokat Gaziosmanpasa University, Tokat, TurkeyCorrespondence: Seyhan Taskin, Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Harran University, Osmanbey Campus, Haliliye, Sanliurfa, 63300, Turkey, Tel +90 4143183000, Fax +90 414318 31 92, Email seyhan_taskin@yahoo.comPurpose: A combination of antiepileptic drugs and antioxidants may be an effective treatment by restoring the disrupted redox balance and reducing oxidative stress exposure to neurons. This study aims to evaluate the effects of valproate and vitamin B12 on oxidative stress in an experimental epilepsy model induced by penicillin when administered alone or in combination.Patients and Methods: 35 male Wistar rats were used in this study. The rats were divided into five groups, which were saline group, 1 mg/kg, 2 mg/kg Vit B12 groups and Sodium valproate group Sodium valproate + Vit B12 group. The epileptic activity was induced by 500 IU of penicillin injection. Sodium valproate and Vitamin B12 were administered 30 min after penicillin administration. Electrocorticogram recordings were taken for 2 hours post-treatment and serum parameters were assessed for oxidative stress markers using spectrophotometric method.Results: There is statistically significant difference between the groups in total antioxidant status, total oxidant status, and oxidative stress index value (p=0.013; p˂0.001; p˂0.001, respectively). The valproate+vitamin B12 group showed elevated total thiol and native thiol levels, along with reduced disulphide levels, resulting in the lowest OSI value.Conclusion: These findings suggest the combined treatment effectively reduces oxidative stress. This study provides valuable insights into the antioxidant properties of valproate and vitamin B12, positioning them as potential agents for managing epilepsy. Understanding the efficacy and reliability of antioxidant strategies in epilepsy management could contribute significantly to advancements in epilepsy therapeutics.Keywords: epilepsy, animal model, antiepileptic drug, Vitamin B12, oxidative stress

Meltem Oktay,1 Mehmet Asoğlu,2 Seyhan Taskin,3 Adnan Kirmit4 1Department of Psychiatry, Istanbul Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey; 2Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Harran University, Sanliurfa, Turkey; 3Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Harran University, Sanliurfa, Turkey; 4Department of Biochemistry, Iskenderun State Hospital, Hatay, TürkiyeCorrespondence: Seyhan Taskin, Department of Physiology Harran University Medical Faculty, Osmanbey Campus, Haliliye, Sanliurfa, 63300, Turkey, Tel +90 4143183000, Fax +90 414318 31 92, Email seyhan_taskin@yahoo.comPurpose: Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is a chronic disease persisting for at least 6 months, characterized by excessive and continuous anxiety, which leads to evident problems and functional disorders. S100B is a glial protein that plays a role in intercellular communication regulating cell growth and differentiation, and intracellular signal transmission. This study aimed to analyze the serum S100B, 8-OHdG, and oxidative stress levels of patients newly diagnosed with GAD who had not started treatment, to better understand the underlying neurobiological basis of the etiology of GAD.Patients and Methods: Forty-four patients diagnosed with GAD according to DSM-5 diagnostic criteria and 44 healthy controls were included in the study. The Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) was used to determine the anxiety levels of the GAD patients. The serum S100B, 8-OHdG, total oxidant status (TOS), and total antioxidant status (TAS) levels were measured in the patient and control groups.Results: The 8-OHdG values of the GAD group were determined to be statistically significantly higher than those of the control group (p=0.028). No significant difference was determined between the GAD patients and the control group in respect of the TAS, TOS, and oxidative stress index (OSI) values (p> 0.05). The S100B levels of the GAD group were found to be higher than those of the control group.Conclusion: The results of this study showed that there could be DNA damage because of oxidative stress in GAD patients. There is a need for further studies to confirm the role of S100B protein in GAD etiology and pathogenesis.Keywords: generalized anxiety disorder, oxidative stress, 8-OHdG, DNA damage, S100B

OBJECTIVE: In acute and chronic aerobic exercise, skeletal muscle and liver are the main organs that adapt and regulate metabolic activity. The levels of nitrosative stress caused by exercise in these organs are extremely important in the continuity of exercise, its health-promoting benefits, and the evaluation of therapeutic efficacy. In this study, nitrosative stress levels were investigated in musculus quadriceps femoris tissue and liver tissue of mice that were given low and high-speed aerobic running exercise and also received Cr supplementation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, nitrosative stress levels were investigated in the muscle/liver tissue of 42 BALB/c mice that were given low and high-speed aerobic running exercise and creatine monohydrate (Cr) (40 mg/ kg of diet daily) supplementation with exercise. The study included six groups with and without Cr supplementation, low-speed aerobic running, high-speed aerobic running, and no exercise. The mice in groups with low-speed and high-speed aerobic exercise with and without Cr supplementation were run on the treadmill for 8 weeks. Then, nitric oxide (NO·), nitric oxide synthase (NOS), and peroxynitrite (ONOO-) levels in muscle/liver tissue were measured by spectrophotometric method. RESULTS: It was found that the nitrosative stress level in the groups that did low and highspeed aerobic running exercises increased compared to the group that did not exercise. It was found that NO· decreased NOS activity and ONOO- level increased in muscle tissues of low and high-speed aerobic exercise groups that received Cr supplementation compared to those that did not. However, NO· and ONOO- levels in liver tissue decreased while NOS activity did not change. The lowest level of nitrosative stress in both muscle and liver tissue was found in the low-speed exercise group receiving Cr supplementation. CONCLUSIONS: Although supplements in exercise are an important component, the simultaneously measured nitrosative stress level is critical in determining the optimal exercise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background The study aimed to investigate novel biomarkers from the C1q TNF superfamily and evaluate their role in autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic diseases with the goal of identifying an effective biomarker to measure clinical disease activity and assess treatment efficacy. Methods Sixty-one Axial spondyloarthritis (AxSpa) patients and 30 healthy controls were enrolled in the study. The serum biomarkers subfatin, CTHRC1, CTRP3, CTRP6, IL-6, IL-17, and TNF-α and the disease indices BASDAI, BASFI, MASES, and ASDAS–ESR/CRP were evaluated and compared. The patients were then classified, and their serum biomarkers were assessed according to their ASDAS scores and their treatment regimens. Results Among the studied biomarkers, none showed a significant difference between the patients and the healthy controls. Although the difference was not statistically significant, the median values of serum subfatin, CTHRC1, CTRP3, CTRP6, IL-6, IL-17, and TNF-α were all found to be lower in the AxSpa patients than in the healthy controls. Furthermore, once the patients were classified regarding their disease activity, no correlation between the study biomarkers and levels of clinical disease indices was observed. Finally, biological treatments were found to affect the serum concentration of these biomarkers regardless of the level of disease activity. Conclusion Novel adipokines and known modulators of inflammation, circulating subfatin, CTHRC1, CTRP3, CTRP6, IL-6, IL-17, and TNF-α levels may play a role in assessing treatment efficacy, especially in those treated with TNF-inhibitors. However, we failed to demonstrate a correlation between clinical disease activity and serum biomarker levels.

Introduction Muscle enzymes are an indicator of ongoing muscle damage and disease activity in patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathy. Although platelet-related parameters have been shown to be useful as markers of disease activity in autoimmune diseases, the relationship between platelet distribution width (PDW) and disease activity has not been previously studied in polymyositis. We aimed to determine the relationship between PDW and disease activity in patients with polymyositis. Material and methods Twenty-seven patients with polymyositis and thirty healthy controls were included in the study. Disease activity was evaluated using the myositis disease activity assessment Visual Analogue Scale (MYOACT) and the Myositis Intention to Treat Index (MITAX). The relationship between PDW and disease activity was evaluated using Pearson’s or Spearman’s correlation and reliability was assessed using correlation coefficients. Results The mean platelet volume (MPV) and plateletcrit (PCT) were significantly higher and PDW was significantly lower in patients with polymyositis compared to the control group. The mean PDW levels were lower in patients with constitutional symptoms and arthralgia/arthritis (p < 0.005). Although PDW levels were lower in patients with mechanical hand, lung involvement, or dysphagia compared to patients without, there was no statistically significant difference between them. Platelet distribution width was found to be negatively correlated with disease activity. Conclusions We found that PDW was negatively correlated with MYOACT and MITAX, widely used tools in assessing the disease activity of polymyositis. Based on this, PDW may be utilized as a non-invasive potential index to assess disease activity in patients with polymyositis.

Introduction:The endothelial damage, changes in vascular permeability and plaque formation are caused by the effects of cytokines and chemokines that plays role in chronic inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and ankylosing spondylitis (AS). It has been reported that arterial stiffness and the level of cell adhesion molecules are affected by inflammation. In this study, we aimed to determine the relationship between vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), E-selectin, arterial stiffness and disease activity in patients with rheumatic diseases.Methods:Thirteen patients diagnosed with AS, 28 patients diagnosed with RA and 30 healthy controls were included in the study. Arterial stiffness, VEGF, E-selectin, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) were evaluated in all patients and healthy controls. Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) and Disease Activity Score-28 (DAS-28) were calculated in patients with rheumatic diseases. The level of serum VEGF and E-selectin were determined by ELISA, and arterial stiffness was measured by oscillometric method. The data were statistically evaluated by using Student t-test, Mann-Whitney U Test and Wilcoxon test.Results:DAS-28, BASDAI, ESR and CRP levels were significantly decreased on the 3rd month of treatment in all patients (p

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Up to 5% of familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) cases are unresponsive to colchicine, through resistance, side effects and toxicity. Anakinra is an alternative treatment for FMF patients whose disease remains uncontrolled with colchicine. We aimed to evaluate anti-interleukin-1 treatment regarding clinical findings, laboratory parameters and quality of life (QoL) among FMF patients presenting resistance and toxicity towards colchicine. DESIGN AND SETTING: Descriptive observational study at the rheumatology clinic, Adnan Menderes University Medical School, Aydın, Turkey. METHODS: Among the patients included, age, sex, MEFV genotypes, acute-phase reactants, hepatic/renal function tests, average colchicine dose, disease duration, attack frequency, attack duration, disease severity, proteinuria, amyloidosis and QoL were evaluated. Colchicine resistance was defined as > 6 typical episodes/year or > 3 per 4-6 months. Kolmogorov-Smirnov, Friedman and two-way analysis of variance tests were used for statistical analyses. RESULTS: Between 2015 and 2017, 14 FMF patients receiving anakinra were enrolled. The mean colchicine dose was 1.7 ± 0.3 mg/day before use of anakinra. Ten patients were attack-free after treatment, while three showed reductions of at least 50% in attack frequency, attack duration and disease severity. Proteinuria levels in all patients with renal amyloidosis decreased after treatment. QoL among patients with renal amyloidosis differed significantly from QoL among non-amyloidosis patients. Mean visual analogue scale scores significantly improved in both groups after use of anakinra. CONCLUSIONS: Use of anakinra reduced attack frequency and proteinuria and acute-phase reactant levels, and improved QoL, with only a few uncomplicated side effects among colchicine-resistant or intolerant FMF patients. Injection-site reactions of severity insufficient to require discontinuation of treatment were seen.

Aim: Anti-tumor necrosis factor-alpha (Anti-TNF-α) therapy has achieved an important position, are widely used for ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients. TNF-α inhibition improves clinical outcomes and has differential effects on haematopoiesis. Information about effects on eosinophils is limited. The aim of our study is to determine the relationship between blood eosinophil counts in AS patients treated with TNF-α inhibitors. Methods: Seventy-five patients diagnosed with AS according to modified New York criteria were enrolled in this study. Disease activity was assessed by BASDAI, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein of patients were evaluated. All data were analyzed with Spearman’s correlation and Friedman's Two-Way by using SPSS version 19.0 statistical software, and p 0.05). It counts lower before anti-TNF-α therapy compare with post-treatment (130/mm3, 140/mm3 and 190/mm3, respectively). There was no statistically significant difference between pre- and 3rd month (p > 0.05), while correlation was found between pre- and 6th month, and also 3rd month and 6th month (p

The aim of this paper was to investigate the levels of maternal serum placental protein13 (PP13), beta human chorionic gonadotropin (β-hCG) and progesterone in the prediction of miscarriages in threatened miscarriages. A total of 110 patients with a gestational age < 14 weeks were included in the study. A total of 42 patients were allocated as the study group (threatened miscarriage) and 68 patients were allocated as controls. A total of six miscarriages were observed in the study group. β-hCG levels were significantly lower in the group with threatened miscarriage when compared with controls (p = 0.018). There was no statistically significant difference in regard to progesterone and PP13 levels occurred between two groups (p = 0.653 and p = 0.062, respectively). Following receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, the β-hCG parameter was found useful in differentiating miscarriages from the threatened miscarriage group (p = 0.031). PP13 and progesterone parameters in predicting miscarriages were not found as statistically significant (p = 0.084 and p = 0.914, respectively). This study suggests that β-hCG measurements could be useful in predicting spontaneous miscarriage in women presenting with threatened miscarriage. Even though PP13 seems unfeasible to be used as a predictive marker for miscarriage, factors affecting PP13 levels should be considered along with the need for comprehensive studies including larger patient populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is characterized by fatigue, memory problems, and widespread pain. The syndrome is present in about %2-8 of the general population. However, knowledge about this topic in specific populations is limited. Our aim was to evaluate FMS in patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis, hemodialysis, and control group, and the association between clinical and laboratory parameters.Patients and Methods: Eighty-nine dialysis patients and healthy volunteers were included in the study. The control group compromised 30 healthy adults (9 females 21 males with mean age of 52,9±16,3 years), 26 patients (7 females 19 males, with mean age of 53±15,9 years) receiving peritoneal dialysis and 33 patients (11 females and 22 males, with mean age of 64,5±7,1 years) receiving hemodialysis were enrolled in this study. Fibromyalgia was diagnosed with the criteria of 1990 American College of Rheumatology (ACR) and 2011 modification of the ACR preliminary diagnostic criteria. Gender, age, renal function tests, electrolytes, parathyroid hormone, renal failure etiology, and how long has it been dialyzed were recorded. Results: The prevalence of fibromyalgia was higher in patients with peritoneal dialysis compared with hemodialysis group. There was no statistically significant between peritoneal dialysis group and healthy group. Also, there was no statistically significant between for depression and cognitive functions between peritoneal dialysis group and healthy group. But, the parameter was found to be high in patients receiving hemodialysis compared with peritoneal and healthy groups. Kidney function tests and electrolyte levels were significantly different between healthy adults and dialysis groups (p lt;0.001).Conclusion: The prevalence of fibromyalgia was similar between peritoneal dialysis and healthy group. It may be related to actively participate in treatment, fewer stress factors, and better preservation of renal functions.

Bu araştırmanın amacı “İlkokul Türkçe 1 Ders Kitabı’nın öğretim programındaki temel becerilere uygunluğu açısından incelenmesidir. Böylelikle Türkçe Öğretim Programı’nın kazandırmayı amaçladığı anahtar yetkinlikler ve temel becerilerin 2017-2018 Öğretim Yılı’nda birinci sınıflarda uygulamaya konulan Türkçe ders kitabına ne şekilde yansıdığı sınanmış olacaktır. Araştırmada 2017-2018 Öğretim Yılı’nda birinci sınıflarda okutulan Türkçe ders kitabında yer alan metin öncesi hazırlık soruları, metinler ve bu metinlere bağlı etkinlikler; 2017 Türkçe Dersi Öğretim Programı’ndaki her bir beceriye uygunluğu bakımından ayrı ayrı incelenmiştir. Nitel araştırma yöntemlerinden durum çalışması araştırmasının kullanıldığı çalışmada veriler doküman analizi yöntemiyle toplanmıştır. Çalışmanın bulguları tablolar halinde sunulup yorumlanmış ve elde edilen sonuçlar bağlamında öneriler geliştirilmiştir.

The article discusses a study on the value of ultrasonographic screening and symptom-based triage towards endometrial pathology detection in breast cancer patients through the estrogen-receptor modulator, tamoxifen. It mentions that the modulator is applied as part of adjuvant therapy for women with the said disease wherein its activity us primarily anti-estrogenic. It also notes their possible benefits for detecting pathological changes in the endometrium.