The effects of long-term exposure of magnetic field via 900-MHz GSM radiation on some biochemical parameters and brain histology in rats.

The aim of this study is to determine the effects of magnetic field via cell phones on some blood parameters and neurons in the brain of rats. Animals have been classified into three groups: control, Magnetic Field (MF), and F2 groups. Throughout this study, cell phones were placed on the wall of the cages. Rats were exposed to the effects of cell phones during prenatal and postnatal periods until they were 80 days old. During the study, the exposure procedure of rats was that the phone was in standby mode for a whole day and in talking mode for 30 min per day. The waves of cell phones caused an increased blood glucose level from 96.52 ± 5.64 mg/dl to 132.14 ± 5.93 mg/dl and an increased serum protein level from 131.14 ± 6.19 mg/dl to 319.29 ± 6.73 mg/dl compared to control. Statistically, significant differences wasn't observed in the blood cholesterol concentration between the groups compared to the control. Weekly weight gain decreased in all groups compared to the control. MF exposure decreased pyramidal neuron numbers 51.15% and increased ischemic neuron numbers 73% at cortex region of brain. In addition, vascular dilatations have increased clearly in group F2.Whereas the procedure of MF did not have any effects on hippocampal pyramidal cell numbers, magnetic fields increased the amount of ischemic neurons three-fold compared to the control. In conclusion, MF affected some biochemical parameters, especially the cortex region of the brain.

Allergenic pollen in the atmosphere of Kayseri, Turkey.

Airborne pollen are important allergens that cause sensitization in allergic rhinoconjunctivitis and asthma. Our aim was to detect the pollen in the atmosphere of Kayseri, to present a pollen calendar, and to detect the allergenic level of these pollen by performing skin tests on patients. Atmospheric pollen were collected by Durham gravimetric samplers in Kayseri between March and November in the years 1996 and 1997. In our study, we observed pollen belonging to 43 different taxa. The total number of pollen per cm2 was found to be 1,330.8 in 1996 and 1,182.5 in 1997. Most of the pollen were from the taxa Pinus, Poaceae, Chenopodiaceae/Amaranthaceae, Cupressaceae, Populus and Quercus in decreasing order. In the skin tests, pollen of the taxa Poaceae and Chenopodiaceae were found to give the most frequent allergic reactions. It was concluded that preparing an airborne pollen calendar could be useful for medical practice. Nevertheless the skin test data did not really correlate with the aerobiologic data, as skin test reactivity is related to the allergenicity of the pollen and not just to ambient exposure.