Effects of cell phone radiation on lipid peroxidation, glutathione and nitric oxide levels in mouse brain during epileptic seizure.

The objective of the this study was to evaluate the effects of cellular phone radiation on oxidative stress parameters and oxide levels in mouse brain during pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) induced epileptic seizure. Eight weeks old mice were used in the study. Animals were distributed in the following groups: Group I: Control group treated with PTZ, Group II: 15min cellular phone radiation+PTZ treatment+30min cellular phone radiation, Group III: 30min cellular phone radiation+PTZ treatment+30min cellular phone radiation. The RF radiation was produced by a 900MHz cellular phone. Lipid peroxidation, which is the indicator of oxidative stress was quantified by measuring the formation of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS). The glutathione (GSH) levels were determined by the Ellman method. Tissue total nitric oxide (NOx) levels were obtained using the Griess assay. Lipid peroxidation and NOx levels of brain tissue increased significantly in group II and III compared to group I. On the contrary, GSH levels were significantly lower in group II and III than group I. However, no statistically significant alterations in any of the endpoints were noted between group II and Group III. Overall, the experimental findings demonstrated that cellular phone radiation may increase the oxidative damage and NOx level during epileptic activity in mouse brain.

Congenital cavernous hemangioma of the skull.

Calvarial cavernous hemangiomas (CHs) comprise 0.2% of benign neoplasms of the skull and frequently occur in the second and fourth decades. Their occurrence in infancy is extremely rare and they can initially be misdiagnosed as cephal hematoma or caput succadeneum that can occur due to the birth trauma, but trauma is not a predisposing factor. CT scan is more helpful than other neuro-imaging studies and untreated CHs of the skull may show progression. Only two cases of congenital primary CH of the skull without intracranial invasion have been reported in the literature. Herewith we reported a 4-month-old infant operated on due to a CH of the parietal bone and discussed the diagnostic and therapeutic modalities.

The effect of repetitious concussions on cognitive functions in rats.

AIM: In this study, we aimed to investigate the effect of repetitious concussions on the spatial learning and memory function in rats. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 46 adult, male Sprague-Dawley rats were assigned to three homogenous groups by stratified random sampling according to their basal performance during the first four days of the Morris water maze (MWM), as Control (n=10), Sham (n=10) and Concussion (n=26) groups. On the 12th day, the MWM experiment was repeated to evaluate the memory function. Rats in the concussion group were then subjected to the first head trauma. Some of the trauma-applied rats were sacrificed for histopathological examination 4 hours (n=4) and 24 hours (n=3) after the trauma. The spatial memory function of the rest of the rats was re-evaluated by MWM on the 20th day. Some of the rats were then subjected to the second head trauma (n=13), four of which were then sacrificed at the 4th hour, and three of which were sacrificed at the 24th hour. On the 27th day, six rats that had received single concussion and the remaining six that had received two concussions were re-evaluated for retention development by the third MWM experiment. RESULTS: Escape latency curves showed a decrease in Sham and Control groups on the 20th and 27th days, and an increase in concussion group on the 20th day but no statistical significance was found between the groups. CONCLUSION: Repetitious concussions did not significantly affect spatial learning-memory functions in rats, and may lead to a counter-adaptive mechanism against concussive injury.

Predictive value of leucocytosis in head trauma.

AIM: Head trauma is associated with an acute phase response which is characterized by leucocytosis due to increased levels of catecholamine and cortisol. Early edema formation following severe head injury may also be associated with microglia activation. Therefore, increased white blood cell (WBC) count after head trauma may be a predictive parameter of the severity of craniocerebral trauma. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We retrospectively studied 59 patients with severe, moderate and minor injury between February 2007 and March 2009. WBC counts of all patients were obtained within the first day of their admission. All patients were divided into separate groups according to their Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) scores and hospital stay durations. Their CT progressions and Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) scores were also assessed. The relationship between these parameters and WBC counts were evaluated by statistical methods. RESULTS: There was a favorable correlation between WBC counts of the patients and GCS scores (pI0.01), hospital stay (p=0.006), CT progression (p < 0.01) and GOS scores (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: AWBC count exceeding 17.5 x 106/l has a predictive value for poor GCS score, and long hospital stay. CT progression tends to be seen in patients with moderate and severe head injury.