Melatonin protects kidney against apoptosis induced by acute unilateral ureteral obstruction in rats.

INTRODUCTION: To investigate whether there was a protective effect of melatonin on apoptotic mechanisms after an acute unilateral obstruction of the kidney. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 25 rats consisting of five groups were used in the study, designated as follows: Group 1: control, Group 2: sham, Group 3: unilateral ureteral obstruction treated with only saline, Group 4: unilateral ureteral obstruction treated with melatonin immediately, and Group 5: unilateral obstruction treated with melatonin one day after obstruction. Melatonin was administered as a 10 mg/kg dose intraperitoneally. The kidneys were evaluated according to the apoptotic index and Ki-67 scores. RESULTS: Comparison of all obstruction groups (Group 3, 4, and 5), revealed that the apoptotic index was significantly higher in Groups 1 and 2. Despite melatonin reduced apoptotic mechanisms in Groups 4 and 5, there was no significant difference between Groups 4 and 5 in terms of the reduction of apoptosis. However, the reduction of apoptosis in the melatonin treated group did not decrease to the level of Groups 1 and 2. CONCLUSIONS: Despite melatonin administration, which significantly reduces the apoptotic index occurring after acute unilateral ureteral obstruction, the present study did not observe a return to normal renal histology in the obstruction groups.

Effects of lornoxicam and intravenous ibuprofen on erythrocyte deformability and hepatic and renal blood flow in rats.

BACKGROUND: Change in blood supply is held responsible for anesthesia-related abnormal tissue and organ perfusion. Decreased erythrocyte deformability and increased aggregation may be detected after surgery performed under general anesthesia. It was shown that nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs decrease erythrocyte deformability. Lornoxicam and/or intravenous (iv) ibuprofen are commonly preferred analgesic agents for postoperative pain management. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of lornoxicam (2 mg/kg, iv) and ibuprofen (30 mg/kg, iv) on erythrocyte deformability, as well as hepatic and renal blood flows, in male rats. METHODS: Eighteen male Wistar albino rats were randomly divided into three groups as follows: iv lornoxicam-treated group (Group L), iv ibuprofen-treated group (Group I), and control group (Group C). Drug administration was carried out by the iv route in all groups except Group C. Hepatic and renal blood flows were studied by laser Doppler, and euthanasia was performed via intra-abdominal blood uptake. Erythrocyte deformability was measured using a constant-flow filtrometry system. RESULTS: Lornoxicam and ibuprofen increased the relative resistance, which is an indicator of erythrocyte deformability, of rats (P=0.016). Comparison of the results from Group L and Group I revealed no statistically significant differences (P=0.694), although the erythrocyte deformability levels in Group L and Group I were statistically higher than the results observed in Group C (P=0.018 and P=0.008, respectively). Hepatic and renal blood flows were significantly lower than the same in Group C. CONCLUSION: We believe that lornoxicam and ibuprofen may lead to functional disorders related to renal and liver tissue perfusion secondary to both decreased blood flow and erythrocyte deformability. Further studies regarding these issues are thought to be essential.

Aged Garlic Extract Attenuates Neuronal Injury in a Rat Model of Spinal Cord Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury.

Garlic has been used as a food as well as a component of traditional medicine. Aged garlic extract (AGE) is claimed to promote human health through antioxidant/anti-inflammatory activities with neuroprotective effects. We evaluated the possible beneficial effect of AGE neurologically, pathologically, ultrastructurally, and biochemically in a spinal cord ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) model of rats. Twenty-four Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into three groups: sham (no I/R), I/R, and AGE (I/R+AGE); each group consisted of eight animals. Animals were evaluated neurologically with the Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan (BBB) scoring system. The spinal cord tissue samples were harvested for pathological and ultrastructural examinations. Oxidative products (Malondialdehyde, nitric oxide), antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase), inflammatory cytokines (tissue tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin-1), and caspase-3 activity were analyzed. The AGE group had significantly higher BBB scores than the I/R group. Pathologically, AGE group revealed reduced degree of ischemia and spinal cord edema. Ultrastructural results also showed preservation of tissue structure in the AGE group. Oxidative product levels of the I/R group were significantly higher than both the other groups, and antioxidant enzyme levels of AGE group were significantly higher than the I/R group. There was also significant difference between the sham and AGE groups in terms of total antioxidant enzyme levels. Furthermore, AGE treatment significantly reduced the inflammatory cytokines and caspase-3 activity than the I/R group. This study demonstrates the considerable neuroprotective effect of AGE on the neurological, pathological, ultrastructural, and biochemical status of rats with I/R-induced spinal cord injury.

The effectiveness of local steroid injection after internal urethrotomy to avoid recurrence.

OBJECTIVE: Local steroid injection to the stricture region after internal urethrotomy (IU) is a promising technique to avoid the recurrence, although the effectiveness and safety of this technique is still controversial. We aimed to determine the efficacy and safety of local steroids as applied with the IU procedure. MATERIAL-METHOD: A total of 83 patients data with urethral stricture in men were examined retrospectively. Patients classified in two groups who had steroid injection with internal urethrotomy or not. Metil prednisolone 40 mg was injected with transurethral injection needle in the stricture region at the 5, 7 and 12 o'clock sites at the same session with internal urethrotomy. Procedure was considered successful if patient did not report any voiding difficulty and maximum flow rate > 15 mL/second for a voided volume of at least 150 mL after removal of the catheter. Patient's age, time to recurrence, previous recurrences were evaluated. RESULTS: The mean age was 56.4 (18-83) years. Of those patients 33/83 had recurrent stenosis. Nineteen out of these 33 recurrent stenosis patients were treated with local steroid injection and 14/33 had no injection. Only two patients of the steroid treated group had recurrence. Despite that 12 patients had recurrence in the steroid non-treated group. Also the primary stenosis patients showed no recurrence at the steroid+ IU group. CONCLUSIONS: The use of local steroids with IU seems to decrease the high stricture recurrence rate following IU. When local steroids were administered with complementary intention, the disease control outcomes are encouraging. Further robust comparative effectiveness studies are now required.

Acute Phase Reaction after Femur Fracture in a Child with Griscelli Syndrome.

Griscelli syndrome (GS) is an autosomal recessive disorder that is characterized by partial albinism of the skin and hair shaft. Prompt and early diagnosis is a crucial step for the follow up and management of GS, which would otherwise dramatically decrease the life expectancy of the patients. This case report presents the clinical course of a femoral fracture treated with closed reduction and pelvic-pedal cast, and progression of acute phase reaction during the follow up period.

Anti-inflammatory efficiency of Ankaferd blood stopper in experimental distal colitis model.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Ankaferd blood stopper (ABS) is a herbal extract that enhances mucosal healing. In this study, we aimed to investigate the efficiency of ABS in the treatment of experimental distal colitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty one male albino rats were divided into three groups: Sham control (Group 1), colitis induced by acetic acid and treated with saline (Group 2), colitis induced by acetic acid and treated with ABS (Group 3). At end of the 7 th day of induction, all the rats were lightly anesthetized with intramuscular ketamine (8 mg/kg) and thereafter laparotomy and total colectomy were performed. The distal colon segment was assessed macroscopically and microscopically. In addition malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and nitric oxide (NO) levels of the colonic tissue and changes in body weight were measured. RESULTS: The MDA and NO levels of the colonic tissues and weight loss were significantly higher in Group 2 compared to Group 1 and Group 3. Microscopic and macroscopic damage scores were significantly higher in Group 2 and Group 3 than Group 1 (P: 0.001, P: 0.004, respectively). Although the microscopic and macroscopic damage scores in Group 3 were slightly lower than Group 2, the difference was not statistically significant. The SOD levels of the colonic tissues were not different between the three groups. CONCLUSION: Weight alterations and high-levels of the colonic tissue MDA and NO suggested that ABS might have anti-inflammatory effects on experimental distal colitis. However, this suggestion was not supported by histopathological findings.