The effect of BMP-2, BMP-4 and BMP-6 on bone destruction of cholesteatoma presence.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of our study was to investigate the relationship between the destruction of temporal bone structures, ossicular chain destruction, dissemination of cholesteatoma and the expressions of bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs), BMP-2, BMP-4 and BMP-6 in patients with acquired cholesteatoma. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This study was performed in a total of 80 patients with cholesteatoma and without cholesteatoma who had undergone surgery due to chronic otitis media. The patients were grouped as the study and the control groups. The study group comprised patients with primary acquired cholesteatoma, and the control group consisted of chronic otitis media patients without cholesteatoma. The samples were obtained from cholesteatoma tissue and the external acoustic meatus skin in study group patients and they were obtained from the external acoustic meatus skin only in control group patients. The Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction method was used for the measurements of BMPs, BMP-2, BMP-4 and BMP-6 expressions. Polymerase Chain Reaction was studied by isolation of Ribonucleic Acid from the tissue samples. RESULTS: When the expressions of BMP in the external acoustic meatus skin were compared between the study and the control groups, the BMPs, BMP-2 and BMP-6 were determined to have a statistically significant relation in the study group (p<0.05), but BMP-4 was not significant (p>0.05). When the expression of BMP in cholesteatoma tissue was investigated in the study group patients, the BMPs, BMP-2 and BMP-6 were determined with statistically significant positivity (p<0.05), but there was no significant positivity for BMP-4 (p>0.05). In the study group, there was no statistical significance between the expressions of BMPs, BMP-2, BMP-4 and BMP-6 in cholesteatoma tissue, in the external acoustic meatus skin, and temporal and ossicular chain destruction, and dissemination of cholesteatoma (p>0.05). A statistically significant positivity for BMPs expression in cholesteatoma tissue was determined in patients with destruction of the incus+malleus+stapes (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The expressions of BMPs, BMP-2 and BMP-6, were elevated in cholesteatoma tissue. Furthermore, the positivity of BMPs expression was statistically significant in patients with destruction of all the ossicles, and we think that this marker can be used for evaluation of the aggressiveness of cholesteatoma.

The evaluation of vestibular functions in patients with pseudoexfoliation syndrome.

The main objective of the study is to evaluate vestibular system of the inner ear with postural tests in the patients with pseudoexfoliation syndrome (PEX). It is clinical case-control study. The study group included 34 patients with PEX and 40 controls without PEX. The patients and controls underwent complete ophthalmic and otorhinolaryngologic examinations. Vestibular functions were done by Fitzgerald and Dix-Hallpike, caloric tests, Romberg test, tandem Gait test, Quiks test in both control and study groups. Pur-tone and high-frequency audiography were also performed in all cases. The mean patient age was 63 years (+/-11.80) (range 47-74 years) in the PEX group and 65 years (+/-8.70) (range 61-68 years) in the control group with no differences among the two groups (P > 0.05). Although none of the 34 patients with PEX had clinical history of balance disturbance, 21 (61.76%) had significant pathologic sign in vestibular function tests (P < or = 0.05), while only 3 (7.5%) of 40 cases in the control group had pathologic sign in vestibular function tests. The scales from pure tone and high-frequency audiogram in the PEX group were similar to those of the control group. In conclusion, the patients with PEX, there may be a vestibular involvement in the pathological level in the inner ear. Larger clinical studies, experimental animal studies, and post mortem studies in humans are needed to disclose the pathology in the vestibulocochlear system in the patients with PEX.

Lipid peroxidation in patients with brain tumor.

Molecular and genetic signatures may predict brain tumor behavior and may soon guide tumor classification, diagnosis, and tumor-specific treatment strategies. Free oxygen radicals (FOR) are thought to take part in oncogenesis and cellular differentiation. This article explored the state of FORs and antioxidant system in patients with cerebral tumor. The serum concentrations of malondialdehyde (MDA), catalase, and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) enzyme activities were measured in the serum of 35 patients with cerebral tumors (21 glioma, 14 meningioma) and 11 controls. MDA measurement was done with fluorometric method and catalase and GSH-Px enzyme activities were done with photometric method. Mean serum MDA levels, catalase, and GSH-Px enzyme activities were significantly higher for both glial and meningiomal tumor cases when compared to controls (p < .05). There is no significant difference between glioma and meningioma groups in terms of the aforementioned parameters (p > .05). In conclusion, lipid peroxidation and antioxidant enzymes as assessed by MDA, catalase, and GSH-Px were increased in patients with brain tumors, for this respect there is no difference between gliomas and meningiomas.

Oxidants and antioxidants in tonsillar and adenoidal tissue in chronic adenotonsillitis and adenotonsillar hypertrophy in children.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study is to determine the possible role of oxidants and antioxidants in the pathogenesis of chronic adenotonsillitis and adenotonsillar hypertrophy in children. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The children were divided into infection and hypertrophy groups, which were comparable according to age and gender distribution. The infection group was consisted of 20 children with the diagnosis of chronic adenotonsillitis and the hypertrophy group was made up of 19 children with adenotonsillar hypertrophy to whom adenotonsillectomy was performed. Preoperative blood levels of erythrocyte MDA, serum MDA, erythrocyte catalase and serum catalase, and adenoidal and tonsillar tissue levels of MDA and catalase were studied. RESULTS: There were significant increase in tonsil MDA, adenoid MDA, tonsil catalase and adenoid catalase levels in infection group (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Oxidants and antioxidants are found to have an important role in the pathogenesis of adenotonsillar hypertrophy and chronic adenotonsillitis. These findings strengthen the hypothesis that indicates adenotonsillar hypertrophy and chronic adenotonsillitis are different diseases of the same tissues.