Can Oxidative Stress Parameters Be Used as Biomarkers for the Discrimination of Malignant Head and Neck Tumors.

OBJECTIVE: In this study the authors have investigated oxidative stress parameters in sera and tissues, and evaluated their significance for the differentiation of malignant and benign tumors. METHODS: The study included 104 patients who were operated for head and neck tumors, and 45 healthy volunteers. Group 1 (n = 56) consisted of patients with malignant, Group 2 (n = 48) consisted of patients with benign tumors, and Group 3 (n = 45) was the control group. While both tissue and plasma samples were collected from groups 1 and 2, only plasma samples were collected from Group 3. Plasma and tissue levels of oxidative status were determined by using an automated measurement method. RESULTS: Serum analysis revealed that total oxidant status (TOS) and oxidative stress index (OSI) values of Group 1 were significantly higher than those of Groups 2 and 3, and total antioxidant status (TAS) values of Group 1 were significantly lower than those of Groups 2 and 3. TAS values of Group 2 were lower than those of Group 3, but the difference was not statistically significant. Biochemical tissue analysis revealed that TOS and OSI values of Group 1 were significantly higher than those of Group 2, while TAS values of Group 1 were significantly lower than those of Group 2. CONCLUSIONS: There is a significant difference between the total oxidative stress parameters of malignant and benign head and neck tumors. The authors think that total oxidative stress parameters can be used as a practical, cheap, and easy method for discriminating malignant tumors from benign tumors.

Oxidative status and lymphocyte DNA damage in patients with acute pancreatitis and its relationship with severity of acute pancreatitis.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a life-threatening disease with a rising incidence. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between oxidative status, lymphocyte deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) damage, and acute pancreatitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 45 patients with AP and 35 healthy controls were included in the study. We assessed pancreatic enzymes, oxidative stress, and lymphocyte DNA damage. The severity of AP disease was determined by the Harmless Acute Pancreatitis Score (HAPS) and Balthazar scoring systems. RESULTS: In AP patients, lymphocyte DNA damage was significantly higher than in controls [49.84±25.48 arbitrary units (AU) vs. 28.80±13.98 AU, p<0.001]. The plasma total oxidative status (TOS) and oxidative stress index (OSI) were higher in patients than in healthy controls (10.36±5.54 vs. 8.47±2.66, p<0.05; 0.64±0.35 vs. 0.45±0.13 AU, p<0.001, respectively). The plasma total antioxidant status level in patients was lower than in healthy controls (1.66±0.19 vs. 1.86±0.18, p<0.001). Lymphocyte DNA damage was correlated with TOS, OSI, and HAPS and Balthazar scores. CONCLUSION: This study shows that patients with AP have higher lymphocyte DNA damage and more deteriorated oxidative status than healthy controls.