Cryopreservation of Thymus cariensis and T. vulgaris shoot tips: comparison of three vitrification-based methods.

Thymus is an important genus of the Lamiaceae family, comprising more than 400 perennial aromatic thyme species, which are used extensively for medicinal and culinary purposes. The present study focused on the development of cryopreservation procedures for Thymus vulgaris and T. cariensis, the latter being an endemic and endangered species of Turkey. For cryopreservation of T. vulgaris shoot tips, PVS2-based one-step freezing methods, i.e., PVS2 vitrification, encapsulation-vitrification and droplet-vitrification, were compared. Cold hardening and sucrose preculture were also optimized before the cryopreservation trials. For T. cariensis, a droplet-vitrification method was applied to cold-hardened shoot tips, and after sucrose preculture. In all the methods tested, PVS2 was applied for up to 120 min. The best T. vulgaris cryopreservation was achieved with a droplet-vitrification method, that involved 2-weeks cold hardening of shoot cultures, 48 h preculture of shoot tips on MS medium supplemented with 0.25 M sucrose, and a 90 min PVS2 treatment in droplets. After direct immersion in LN, thawing and plating, 80% of shoot-tips recovered. Post-thaw recovery was significantly lower when the same procedure was applied to T. cariensis shoot tips; however also here 90 min PVS2 treatment produced the highest survival (25 percent) and recovery (25 percent) levels.

Cryopreservation of redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) in vitro buds using vitrification-based techniques.

In this study, the efficiency of three vitrification-based cryopreservation techniques, i.e. vitrification, encapsulation-vitrification and droplet-vitrification were compared for cryopreserving Sequoia sempervirens apical and basal buds sampled from in vitro shoot cultures. The effect of cold-hardening of mother-plants and of bud culture medium and sucrose preculture was also investigated. Culture of apical and basal buds sampled from cold-hardened mother-plants on Quoirin and Lepoivre medium with activated charcoal had a positive effect on regrowth. Only droplet-vitrification ensured survival and regrowth after cryopreservation. After cryopreservation, regeneration of apical buds was possible for PVS2 exposure durations between 90 and 180 min but it remained low, with a maximum of 18 percent after 135 min treatment. With basal buds, regeneration after cryopreservation was possible over a larger range of PVS2 treatment durations, between 30 and 180 min. The highest regeneration percentage was slightly higher (22 percent) than that measured with apical buds, and was also achieved after 135 min PVS2 exposure.

Microdebrider-assisted versus radiofrequency-assisted inferior turbinoplasty: a prospective study with objective and subjective outcome measures.

In order to relieve the symptoms of nasal obstruction in patients with inferior turbinate hypertrophy, various surgical methods have been used. Aim of this study was to compare post-operative outcome between radiofrequency and microdebrider-assisted partial turbinoplasty. A prospective study was performed in 268 patients with nasal obstruction and hypertrophied turbinate mucosa refractory to medical treatment, from December 2000 to December 2005. Overall, 124 patients were treated with microdebrider (Group 1) and 144 patients with radiofrequency (Group 2). Post-operative changes in the degree of nasal obstruction, nasal discharge, hyposmia and headache were evaluated prospectively on the 7(th) day, 1(st), and 3(rd) months after the procedure. Rhinomanometric evaluation was also performed for objective comparison. Both procedures were perfectly tolerated by the patients. The nasal obstruction scale improved significantly in Group 1 on day 7, and within the periods of 1(st) and 3(rd) months after surgery, while the significant improvement took place in Group 2 only in the 1(st) and 3(rd) months after surgery. The comparison between the two groups showed that symptom improvement was statistically significant in Group 1 on the 7(th) day, 1(st) and 3(rd) months after surgery. Severity of nasal discharge, headache and hyposmia grades improved significantly in the first week after the operation both in the microdebrider and radiofrequency group and persisted during the 1(st) and 3(rd) months after the operation. Since microdebrider can effectively widen the nasal airway, the rhinomanometric measurements of these patients were found to be lower than in the radiofrequency group. Moreover, patient satisfaction in the microdebrider group was higher than that in the radiofrequency group. In conclusion, this study suggests that microdebrider-assisted partial turbinoplasty is more effective and satisfactory in relieving nasal obstruction.

Cryopreservation of Fraxinus excelsior L. embryogenic callus by one-step freezing and slow cooling techniques.

An efficient cryopreservation protocol for the safe storage of Fraxinus excelsior L. embryogenic callus cultures is reported. The cryopreservation methods tested included one-step freezing by means of (i) encapsulation-vitrification; or (ii) encapsulation-dehydration; and (iii) slow cooling using the Nalgene Freezing container, Mr Frosty, which produces a temperature decrease of about 1 masculineC min-1 when placed in a -70 degree C freezer. None of the one-step freezing techniques was effective for cryopreservation of encapsulated callus masses, irrespective of the cryoprotective treatment applied, i.e., treatment with the PVS2 vitrification solution or physical dehydration with silica gel before direct immersion in liquid nitrogen. On the contrary, when a slow cooling protocol was applied to embryogenic callus which had been pretreated for 60 min with a 210 g per liter (0.61 M) sucrose-7.5 percent DMSO cryoprotective solution, up to about 1.3 g per Petri dish of proliferating callus was observed 42 days after recovery from liquid nitrogen, and cultures were able to produce somatic embryos 8 weeks after transfer to semi-solid medium. TTC staining of callus cultures provided a fast evaluation of culture viability.

Cryopreservation of Pistacia spp. seeds by dehydration and one-step freezing.

Cryopreservation protocols by dehydration and one-step freezing were developed for seeds from three Pistacia species, i.e., P. vera, P. terebinthus and P. lentiscus, which were characterised by different initial germination percentages (100%, 17% and 81%, respectively). In P. vera, a maximum of 90% germination was obtained following 8 hours drying in silica gel (corresponding to 11.7% moisture content on a FW basis) and direct immersion in LN. In P. terebinthus and P. lentiscus, shorter periods of dehydration (1 hour and 15 min, respectively) were sufficient to reduce their moisture content to about 20%, which resulted in peak seed germination percentages from cryostorage of 16% and 47%, respectively. Following cryopreservation, the seeds germinated better on semi-solid MS medium, than on cotton wool wetted with dH(2)O or liquid MS medium. Finally, in P. vera and P. lentiscus, high and significant correlation coefficients were obtained between the TTC viability test and seed germinability after recovery from LN, provided that seeds which were considered positive in the test showed completely or partially red embryonic axes coupled to completely red cotyledons.

The prevalence of allergic rhinitis in urban and rural areas of Eskisehir-Turkey.

Allergic rhinitis is the most common allergic disease in our country. The epidemiology of allergic rhinitis varies according to the geographic regions of the country. The aim of this study was to find out if it also differs in urban and rural areas of the same region. The study groups were randomly selected in order to sample high school students living in small towns or villages in rural areas and in the city center. Initially the screening questionnaires about allergic rhinitis were responded by the students at school. Then the questionnaires were evaluated. Seven hundred eighty-three students who had a positive questionnaire outcome were underwent an ENT examination. Then skin tests and blood analysis were performed to two hundred forty-six students who were diagnosed as allergic rhinitis clinically. Prick test results was found to be positive 61.8% in urban areas and 46.7% in rural areas. The comparison of the ratios of urban and rural areas was significant. Similar results were obtained in serum specific Ig E analysis. The correlation of specific Ig E levels and skin prick test results was significant in all allergens. Allergic rhinitis is a medical and economic problem all over the world and further epidemiologic investigations should be performed.

The prevalence of allergic rhinitis in urban and rural areas of Eskis¸ehir-Turkey

Allergic rhinitis is the most common allergic disease in our country. The epidemiology of allergic rhinitis varies according to the geographic regions of the country. The aim of this study was to find out if it also differs in urban and rural areas of the same region. The study groups were randomly selected in order to sample high school students living in small towns or villages in rural areas and in the city center. Initially the screening questionnaires about allergic rhinitis were responded by the students at school. Then the questionnaires were evaluated. Seven hundred eighty-three students who had a positive questionnaire outcome were underwent an ENT examination. Then skin tests and blood analysis were performed to two hundred forty-six students who were diagnosed as allergic rhinitis clinically. Prick test results was found to be positive 61.8 % in urban areas and 46.7 % in rural areas. The comparison of the ratios of urban and rural areas was significant. Similar results were obtained in serum specific Ig E analysis. The correlation of specific Ig E levels and skin prick test results was significant in all allergens. Allergic rhinitis is a medical and economic problem all over the world and further epidemiologic investigations should be performed

La rinitis alérgica es la enfermedad alérgica más común en Turquía, y su epidemiología varía dependiendo de las regiones del país. El presente estudio tenía por objeto averiguar si la epidemiología variaba también entre las zonas urbanas y rurales de la misma región. Los grupos de estudio se seleccionaron aleatoriamente para realizar un muestreo de los alumnos de educación secundaria tanto de aldeas y pueblos de zonas rurales como del núcleo urbano. Inicialmente los alumnos respondieron en los institutos a cuestionarios de diagnóstico, que posteriormente se evaluaron. 783 alumnos cuyo cuestionario resultó positivo se sometieron a una exploración de oído, nariz y garganta. A continuación se realizaron pruebas cutáneas y análisis de sangre a 246 alumnos a los que se había diagnosticado clínicamente una rinitis alérgica. Las pruebas cutáneas dieron positivo en un 61,8 % en las zonas urbanas y en un 46,7 % en las zonas rurales. La diferencia entre los porcentajes de las zonas rurales y urbanas fue significativa, obteniéndose resultados similares en los análisis de IgE específica sérica. La correlación entre los niveles de IgE específica y los resultados de las pruebas cutáneas fue significativa en todos los alergenos. La rinitis alérgica es un problema médico y económico en todo el mundo, y deben realizarse más investigaciones epidemiológicas

Effects of laryngeal tuberculosis on vocal fold functions: case report.

Laryngeal tuberculosis is the most common granulomatous disease of the larynx. In this study, the videostroboscopic findings and vocal assessments of a 28-year-old female with laryngeal and pulmonary tuberculosis were evaluated. Although it can be treated successfully, tuberculosis of the larynx may cause irreversible changes in voice quality which is very important for vocal professionals.

Efficacy of long-term sublingual-oral immunotherapy in allergic rhinitis.

Aim of the study was to evaluate the clinical efficacy of sublingual-oral immunotherapy in allergic rhinitis induced by various allergens and to demonstrate its effects using objective methods such as skin prick tests and specific IgE analysis. The first 100 patients diagnosed with allergic rhinitis and treated with sublingual-oral immunotherapy took part in the study and were followed for 2 years. Baseline findings were statistically compared with data obtained at the end of the study period. All symptoms including nasal discharge, sneezing, nasal congestion, and itching, as well as all clinical findings, including lower turbinate colour, turbinate congestion, and nasal discharge, observed by the physician, were significantly decreased after sublingual-oral treatment for two years (p < 0.001). A significant reduction in skin test reactivity was found when the initial and the final tests were compared. The difference between before and after treatment levels of specific IgE levels for D. pteronyssinus, D. farinea, and grasses were significant (p < 0.001), but were not significant for cereals (p=679 ns). As far as concerns the correlation between the recovery of clinical findings and age, as well as the correlation between the recovery of clinical findings and sex, neither of these were statistically significant (age: r = -0.076, p = 0.453, sex: r = -0.004, p = 0.97). The efficacy of the treatment, determined by means of symptom evaluations, was higher than expected in our study. A certain effect of this recovery might be due to the placebo effect, but it is supported by the improvement in skin tests and specific IgE levels.