The role of oxidative stress in chemotherapy-induced gonadotoxicity in a rat model, and the protective effects of Nigella Sativa oil on oxidative stress, the anti-Müllerian hormone level, and apoptosis.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine the role of oxidative stress (OS) in carboplatin-induced gonadotoxicity and whether Nigella Sativa oil (NSO), an herbal antioxidant, has a protective effect on ovarian apoptosis, OS, and the anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) level in a rat model. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included 24 adult female rats that were divided into 4 treatment groups. Group A saline + saline (sham group); group B: NSO + saline; group C: saline + carboplatin; group D: NSO + carboplatin. Saline, NSO, and carboplatin were administered intraperitoneally 24 and/or 48 h before sacrification as 4 mL/kg, 4 mL/kg, and 80 mg/kg, respectively. Apoptosis, OS parameters, and AMH were measured. RESULTS: Oxidant levels and apoptosis were higher, whereas AMH and the antioxidants were lower in group C than in group A. Apoptosis, OS parameters, and AMH levels were negatively affected by chemotherapy (CTx) in group C whilst improvement in those parameters was observed in group D following NSO pretreatment. The levels of apoptosis and malondialdehyde (MDA), an OS parameter, in group D were lower than in group C as they declined from 34.3% to 8.65% (p = 0.002) and from 199.4 nmol/g tissue to 136.4 nmol/g tissue (p = 0.002), respectively. However, the slight increase in AMH level from 2.7 ng/mL to 3.5 ng/mL due to the NSO effect was not significant between groups C and D. CONCLUSIONS: The present findings show that carboplatin has adverse effects on AMH, ovarian tissue apoptosis, and OS parameters. NSO pretreatment might protect ovarian tissue and decrease CTx-induced ovarian injury by decreasing OS and apoptosis, but the protective effect of NSO on AMH is limited.

Short communication: determination of potential 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furaldehyde and 2-furaldehyde compounds in follow-on milks and infant formulas using the high-performance liquid chromatography method.

The aim of present study was to determine the levels of potential 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furaldehyde (HMF) and 2-furaldehyde (F) in 109 baby food samples (60 follow-on milks, 49 cereal- and milk-based infant formulas) obtained from different markets in Ankara (Turkey). Potential HMF and F compounds were determined by HPLC. Mean levels (± standard error) of HMF and F of follow-on milk samples were found to be 237.85±18.25 and 9.44±0.39 µg/100mL, respectively. Regarding the infant formulas, mean levels of HMF and F were found to be 905.41±91.94 and 13.22±1.21 µg/100g. As a result, potential HMF was determined in all of the samples; potential F was determined in all the samples except 1. The mean levels of potential HMF and F of infant formulas were higher than mean levels of potential HMF and F of follow-on milks. In addition, HMF and F values of some samples with an imminent expiration date were found to be higher than HMF and F values of the other samples. At present, no limits have been established in the Turkish Food Codex (TFC) for furfural compounds concentrations in infant formula and milks. Establishing limits related to these compounds would be important for protecting the quality of infant foods.

Evaluation of pertussis immunity status in schoolchildren immunized with whole-cell vaccine.

It has recently been reported that the worldwide increase in the number of pertussis cases is a result of the waning of whole-cell vaccine-induced immunity. Thus, in this study, we aimed to investigate the pertussis immunity status of primary and secondary school students in a district of Ankara, Turkey. A total of 997 healthy students, aged 9-17 years, who had been immunized with four doses of whole-cell pertussis vaccine were included in the study. The subjects were divided into two age groups: 9-14 and 15-17 years. To determine the immune status, serum levels of IgG anti-pertussis toxin (aPT) antibody were tested by in-house ELISA and arbitrarily evaluated as non-immune [< 10 ELISA units (EU)/ml], immune (10-100 EU/ml), and recent infection (> 100 EU/ml). Serum samples of 997 students (559 females, 438 males) aged between 9 and 17 years (mean 13.02 +/- 2.25, median 13 years) were tested. Non-immune, immune and recent infection levels of aPT were found in 27.3%, 59.3% and 13.4% of individuals, respectively. The immune group did not have statistically significant differences between males and females (P = 0.68). In the 9-14 and 15-17 years age groups, serum aPT antibody levels 10 EU/ml were 73.1% and 72.2%, respectively, which did not represent any statistical difference (P = 0.81). Students aged 15-17 years had a higher immunity rate than the 9-14 years group, and the percentage of students with recent infection in the 9-14 years group was higher than the 15-17 years group (P < 0.001). The peak age of non-immunized subjects was 9 years (47.0%), and decreased to a minimum at age 12-13 years, and began to increase again from age 13-14 years. In contrast, the ratio of recent infection was least at age 9-10 years, began to increase, and reached a peak at 12 years, and then decreased. On the other hand, it was observed that household size and monthly income were not associated with the immunity status (P = 0.65, P = 0.37, respectively). The results of the present study show that levels of antibody against pertussis decreased in the younger age groups and, as a result, there is an increase in the number of pertussis cases. Thus, in order to decrease the incidence of pertussis and protect infants, we recommend the application of booster doses at regular intervals.

Predictive value of relative changes in serum total sialic acid level for response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with locally advanced breast carcinoma.

The aim of this study was to determine whether relative changes in total serum sialic acid (TSA) levels are associated with response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in locally advanced breast carcinoma (LABC) patients. Forty-seven patients with stage III-B breast carcinoma and 20 healthy subjects (controls) were included to the study. TSA levels were determined in serum from patients at baseline and after completion of preoperative chemotherapy. Pathological responses to chemotherapy were determined on specimens of modified radical mastectomy underwent in responders. Association between the relative changes in serum TSA levels and the pathological response to chemotherapy was investigated. The baseline mean serum TSA level of LABC patients was 88.6+/-0.6 mg/dl and 66.9+/-0.7 mg/dl for the control group (p<0.0001). After 3 cycles chemotherapy, the serum levels of TSA were markedly decreased with pathological partial response (pPR) (73.8+/-1.0 mg/dl) and complete response (pCR) (68.1+/-1.9 mg/dl) compared to baseline values (p<0.05). In 8 non-responders, mean TSA value was 88.9+/-1.1 mg/dl (p=0.9 for pretreatment vs posttreatment TSA levels). Of 39 responders, 6 had pathological complete response (pCR) and remaining had pathological partial response (pPR). TSA levels derived from patients with pCR and from those with pPR were 68.1+/-1.9 mg/dl and 73.8+/-1.0 mg/dl, respectively (p=0.03). While TSA levels from pCR were not different from those of controls (p=0.4), there was a significant difference between TSA levels from pPR and from controls (p<0.0001). A significant correlation was demonstrated between the relative changes in TSA levels and pathological response (p<0.0001, coefficient of correlation [rs]=0.81). The ROC analysis showed that the discriminating ability was satisfactory and relative decrease by more than 21% in TSA levels indicated a pCR with the sensitivity by 83%, specificity by 76%. In conclusion, there is a significant correlation between the relative changes in TSA levels by chemotherapy and clinical/ pathological response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in LABC patients.

Bone resorption starts at 14 days of treatment with gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist in in vitro fertilization cycles.

The effect of gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRH-a) use on bone turnover was investigated in a prospective cohort study of female patients undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment. In 46 couples diagnosed with male-factor infertility, the women underwent a long step-down ovulation induction protocol. Urinary cross-linked N-telopeptide (uNTx) level was used to demonstrate bone turnover rate and was measured at the first day of GnRH-a administration, the first day of gonadotropin administration, the day after human chorionic gonadotropin injection and 12 days after embryo transfer. Urinary NTx levels (mean+/-standard deviation (SD)) were 71+/-34, 81+/-40, 81+/-50 and 83+/-47 nmol BCE/mmol creatinine (BCE, bone collagen equivalents), respectively. There was no statistically significant difference between the four measurements (p = 0.28). In 19 women GnRH-a was administered for > or = 14 days. Urinary NTx values of this group and the remaining 27 patients after GnRH-a treatment were 96.2+/-40.7 and 71.5+/-36.8 nmol BCE/mmol creatinine (mean+/-SD), respectively. The difference between these groups was statistically significant (p=0.038). These findings suggest that < 14 days' use of GnRH agonist in IVF patients has no effect on bone metabolism. To our knowledge, this is the first study demonstrating that the effect of agonists on bone metabolism starts as soon as estradiol suppression has started.

Primary pure choriocarcinoma of the ovary in reproductive ages: a case report.

Choriocarcinoma is an aggressive tumor with cyto- and syncytiotrophoblastic cells. It arises gestationally or nongestationally. Nongestational choriocarcinoma of the ovary can be pure or mixed with other germ cell tumors. Pure type is less frequent than mixed type and the diagnosis of nongestational choriocarcinoma of the ovary is very difficult in the reproductive period. A case of a 20-year-old woman with pure choriocarcinoma of the ovary is presented with a review of the literature and discussion of its origin.

[The effect of the covering of mares during the postpartum heat on the pregnancy rate]. / Untersuchungen über den Einfluss der Deckung der Stuten in der postpartalen Rosse auf die Trächtigkeitsrate.

The present study was carried out to investigate the pregnancy rate after covering in the foal heat (Group I), in the subsequent spontaneous heat (Group II), and in the induced heat (Group III) after administration of 7.5 mg of the prostaglandin F2 alpha analogue Luprostiol (Reprodin, Bayer) between the 20th and 22nd day post partum. Breeding during foal heat resulted in a pregnancy rate of 43.9% compared to 48.6% in the subsequent spontaneous heat post partum. Of 18 mares in group III, 14 mares had a foal heat, whereas 4 others had not shown a foal heat. 1-8 days after treatment, 14 mares (77.8%) returned to an oestrus. In consideration of the mares which had shown a foal heat, oestrus was induced in 85.7% of treated mares. In this group, a pregnancy rate of 50.0% was achieved. In conclusion, the results of the present study indicate that induction of oestrus by treatment with prostaglandin 20-22 days after parturition for covering is a good alternative.