ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The aim of this experimental study was to investigate the effects of melatonin and phospholipid on adhesion formation and the correlation with vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression in rats. METHODS: Sixty Wistar-Albino rats were divided into four groups as sham, control and two study groups, each including 15 rats. In the sham group, laparotomy was the only procedure. Left lower parietal peritoneum was abraded after laparotomy and serosal defects formed on the cecum, ileum and right uterine horn in the study and control groups. Ringer lactate was then applied to the control group, while melatonin and phospholipid suspension were applied separately in the two study groups. Relaparotomy was performed in all groups on the 15th day to score and evaluate the adhesion formation. RESULTS: Adhesion formation was significantly lower in the sham, melatonin and phospholipid groups than in the control group (p<0.05). VEGF staining was significantly higher in the control group with adhesion areas compared to the other groups (p<0.05). When VEGF staining was compared, there was no significant difference between VEGF- stained and normal areas in the melatonin and phospholipid groups. CONCLUSION: Melatonin and phospholipid decreased the adhesion formation in an experimental adhesion model in rats. There is a correlation between adhesion severity and VEGF expression.
Subject(s)
Melatonin/pharmacology , Phospholipids/pharmacology , Tissue Adhesions/prevention & control , Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A/metabolism , Animals , Antioxidants/pharmacology , Cecum/pathology , Cell Adhesion , Disease Models, Animal , Female , Ileum/pathology , Random Allocation , Rats , Rats, Wistar , Uterus/pathologyABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To compare the number of axons in the right and left optic nerves of right- and left-pawed rats. STUDY DESIGN: In this study, optic nerve samples were obtained from right- and left-pawed rats and axon numbers of optic nerves and vice versa were stereologically and histologically evaluated. RESULTS: In the right-pawed rats, more axons were found in the right optic nerve than in the left optic nerve, and left-pawed rats had more axons in the left optic nerve than in the right optic nerve. CONCLUSION: The paw preference is associated with eye dominance and the number of axons in the ipsilateral optic nerve.
Subject(s)
Axons/ultrastructure , Functional Laterality , Optic Nerve/ultrastructure , Animals , Axons/physiology , Male , Ocular Physiological Phenomena , Optic Nerve/physiology , Rats , Rats, Sprague-DawleyABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: The effects of retrograde neuronal death is well determined in dorsal root ganglia (DRG) after peripheral nerve injury, but the effects of intracerebral hemorrhage on the DRG has not been well known. In this study, it was investigated if hemorrhagic lesions of sensory-motor cortex cause neurodegeneration on DRG. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was conducted on 23 male hybrid rabbits. Three of 23 animals were examined as control. Left parietal burr-hole surgery was applied to remaining 20 animals and autolog blood of 0.25ml injected into left sensory-motor region under general anesthesia. All rabbits were followed-up for two months and sacrificed. L(5) DRG's were observed histopathologically. The results were analyzed with Mann-Whitney U-test. RESULTS: Right spastic hemiplegia developed only in 16 operated animals and 10 of them were developed ileus. The number of degenerated neurons in DRG was higher in the plegic side than in the non-plegic side (p<0.001). But, the difference between the non-plegic side of the study group and control group did not meaningful (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: Intracerebral hemorrhages affecting the sensory-motor cortex may result in neurodegeneration in DRG. Sensitive reflex arches of striated muscles and bowels may be disturbed due to DRG degeneration and results in spasticity and/or ileus.
Subject(s)
Cerebral Hemorrhage/pathology , Ganglia, Spinal/pathology , Hemiplegia/etiology , Ileus/etiology , Nerve Degeneration/etiology , Neurons/pathology , Animals , Cerebral Hemorrhage/complications , Disease Models, Animal , Male , Rabbits , Statistics, NonparametricABSTRACT
Sex and handedness differences in the volumes of cerebral ventricles were studied in 20 right- and 21 left-handed subjects. To assess the volumes of cerebral ventricles, Cavalieri's method was used using MRI. In right-handers, the volume of the lateral ventricle was higher in the right side than in the left side, but, in left-handers, it was higher in the left side than in the right side. The volumes of right-lateral and third ventricles were larger in right-handers than in left -handers. There were no sex related differences in terms of the volumes of right- and left -lateral, third, and fourth ventricles. These results suggest that left-handedness is an important factor reducing the sizes of all the brain ventricles.
Subject(s)
Cerebral Ventricles/anatomy & histology , Functional Laterality/physiology , Sex Characteristics , Adolescent , Adult , Female , Humans , Magnetic Resonance Imaging , MaleABSTRACT
Alzheimer's disease is the major cause of dementia in humans. The affected brain shows characteristic abnormal filamentous proteins that accumulate intracellularly as neurofibrillary tangles, and extracellularly as senile plaques, as well as in cerebral blood vessels. The extracellular deposits are an amyloid protein, which is highly insoluble. In our study, we intended to show that the N-terminus of amyloid A4 protein can change in length and sequence in Alzheimer's disease, and possibly in other dementias.
