In Vitro Physiological Effects of Betahistine on Cell Lines of Various Origins

Objectives: Betahistine is a histamine analog commonly prescribed for symptomatic treatment of vertiginous symptoms. In vitro studies have shown that betahistine was not toxic at the prescribed doses in a nasal epithelial cell line. However, the effect of betahistine on other cell types has not been studied. In this study, we aimed to investigate some of the physiological effects of betahistine on L929 fibroblast, A549 lung cancer, human umbilical vein endothelial (HUVEC), and Ishikawa endometrial cell lines. Materials and Methods: Cellular proliferation was assed assessed by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay, apoptosis was evaluated by acridine orange-ethidium bromide staining, and cellular migration was assed assessed by scratch assay. Results: Betahistine treatment (0.1-0.5 mg/mL, 24 hours) can inhibit cell proliferation and induce apoptosis in HUVEC, A549, Ishikawa, and L929 cell lines. Betahistine (≥0.1 mg/mL) significantly increased the number of apoptotic cells (HUVEC: 26.3%, A549: 17.3%, L929: 8.6%, and Ishikawa: 2.3%). Betahistine at doses over 0.1 mg/mL significantly suppressed the cell migration rate in all of the cell lines. In contrast, exposure to a low dose of betahistine (0.025 mg/mL) induced migration rates of HUVEC and Ishikawa cells by 81% and 48%, respectively. Conclusion: Betahistine may alter the processes of cellular proliferation, apoptosis, and cellular migration in a cell line- and dose-dependent manner. In this sense, proliferative and metastatic properties of certain cancer cells can potentially be altered in response to betahistine treatment.

Anesthetic and Analgesic Efficient of Regional Nerve Blockade in Otoplasty.

AIM: The prominent ear is the most common congenital deformity of the external ear. Otoplasty is performed to correct the appearance of the prominent ear. This study was planned to compare the analgesic and anesthetic effects of local nerve blockade and local infiltration anesthesia in the otoplasties. METHOD: Thirty-two patients who underwent otoplasty in both ears between February 2018 and March 2019 were included in the study. Three patients were excluded because they refused regional anesthesia. In the patients included in the study, only local infiltration anesthesia was applied to 1 ear and regional nerve blockade was applied to the other ear. Regional nerve blockade was applied to the study group; local infiltration anesthesia was applied to the control group. Surgical and anesthetic complications were recorded. The onset time, duration and severity of pain were followed. Numerical evaluation scale scores were used to evaluate pain levels. RESULTS: It was observed that the first pain of the patients On the side where regional nerve block (RNB) anesthesia was applied after an average of 10.5 hours. On the other hand on the side where local infiltration anesthesia was applied; the pain was observed to start after an average of 3.5 hours. At the 6th and 12th hours postoperatively, the scores of the numerical evaluation scale were significantly lower in the study group than the control group (P < 0.05). At the 24th-hour pain score, the values were lower in the study group, but the difference was not significant between the groups (P > 0.05). In the regional anesthesia group, can develop such as difficulty in swallowing, weakness in the neck, weakness in the upper extremity, nausea, Horner syndrome; but all side effects resolve spontaneously within 6 to 12 hours. CONCLUSION: The application of regional anesthesia in prominent ear surgical procedures can be considered as an alternative method to provide better quality preoperative anesthesia and better quality postoperative analgesia in patients.

The effect of Korean red ginseng on mesenchymal stem cells from healthy and osteoporotic human bone marrow.

BACKGROUND: Osteoporosis is a disease characterized by an increase in bone fragility as a result of decreased bone mass and weakening of the bone structure. There are studies on the relationship between osteoporosis and hearing and balance system. The goal of this study was to compare the proliferation and osteogenesis induction properties of mesenchymal stem cells derived from healthy and osteoporotic individuals to better understand the healing properties of Korean red ginseng (KRG) and Panax ginseng-Avena Sativa-Tribulus Terrestris mixture (PAT). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Osteoporotic and healthy MSCs were isolated successfully in culture conditions. The proliferation levels of cells treated with different doses of KRG and PAT were compared by Water-Soluble Tetrazolium-1 (WST-1) assay. Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) assay was performed by selecting the most effective KRG dose in proliferation. RESULTS: Morphology of isolated cells and the expression of cell surface antigens have been detected as similar. The WST-1 assay showed that KRG was effective on the proliferation of osteoporotic cells. The levels of ALP in osteoporotic cells treated with KRG is increased depending on the differentiation day compared to healthy cells. CONCLUSION: KRG triggered an increase in intracellular ALP levels of osteoporotic MSCs. It suggests that KRG on osteoporotic cells is influential in stimulating osteogenesis and may be useful in osteoporotic patients.

Intradermal Skin Testing in Allergic Rhinitis and Asthma with Negative Skin Prick Tests.

Taking medical history, physical examination, and performing some in vivo and in vitro tests are necessary for the diagnosis of allergy. Skin prick test (SPT) is considered as the standard method and first-line approach for the detection of allergic sensitization. Although mainly SPT is used for the detection of allergic sensitization, intradermal skin test (IDST) may be necessary, especially in patients with a negative SPT result. IDST is quite safe; however, is nowadays seldom used for detection of inhalant allergy and its value remains controversial. We aimed to investigate whether IDST is useful and necessary in diagnosis of respiratory allergies or not. This study involved 4223 patients with allergic rhinitis (AR) and/or bronchial asthma (BA). SPT results were positive in 2419 patients (57%) and negative in 1804 (43%). IDST was applied to 344 patients with marked allergic symptoms and with negative SPT results. Out of 344 patients, 152 (44%) showed allergic sensitization to IDST. The most commonly encountered allergic response was against the house dust mite (HDM) (32.6%). Allergic response against fungal spores was also relatively high (22%), while the pollen allergy rate (4.3%) was quite low. In BA patients with negative prick test, IDST made a significant contribution to the diagnosis of HDM allergy (p=0.003). To avoid missed diagnosis of AR and BA, particularly regarding  the HDM allergy, application of IDST may be beneficial; therefore, IDST should be considered as the next step after SPT for diagnosis of allergy prior to in vitro or provocation tests.

Is Routine Histopathologic Examination Necessary Following Tonsillectomy and/or Adenoidectomy Procedures in Pediatric Patients?

Tonsillectomy and/or adenoidectomy is the most common surgical procedure in ENT practice and the malignancy rate of tonsillar tissue is very rare. The purpose of the present study is to investigate the necessity of routine histopathologic examinations following tonsillectomy and/or adenoidectomy surgeries. A total of 385 patients between the age of 5 and 16 years who were admitted to our ENT clinic and underwent adenoidectomy and/or tonsillectomy between October 2008 and July 2015 participated in the study. Patient data such as age, sex, indication for surgery, and histopathologic findings were recorded prospectively. Histopathologic findings were analyzed for hyperplastic lymphoid parenchyma and malignancy. No malignancies were detected in the studied patients and all had hyperplastic lymphoid parenchyma. Unilateral tonsillar swelling, significant lesions on the tonsil or adenoid tissue, malignancy history in the head and neck region, or a mass in the neck region with weight loss must be examined histopathologically; however, we conclude that there is no need to perform histopathologic examination for patients for whom there is no clinical suspicion. A meta-analysis is needed in this regard.