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Effect Of L-Carnitine On Diabetic Neuropathy And Ventricular Dispersion In Patients With Diabetes Mellitus, Hizir Ulvi̇, Recep Aygül, Recep Demi̇r

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Diabetes is a common cause of polyneuropathy. Cardiac arrhythmias and markedly increased mortality rate have been demonstrated in patients with diabetic neuropathy and also demonstrated that abnormally prolonged QT dispersion interval (QTd) is associated with a higher risk of ventricular arrhythmias and sudden death. We investigated the efficacy and tolerability of L-carnitine (LC) in the treatment of diabetic neuropathy and ventricular dispersion, mainly by evaluating the effects of treatment on electrophysiological parameters. Materials and methods: We recruited 30 patients with type I or type II diabetes (mean age: 60 ± 9 years, range: 36-75; 18 males, 12 females) meeting clinical …

Effect Of Telmisartan On Vascular Endothelium In Hypertensive And Type 2 Diabetic Hypertensive Patients, Burcu Barutçuoğlu, Zuhal Parildar, M. Işil Mutaf, Di̇lek Özmen, Emi̇n Ali̇oğlu, Sara Habi̇f, Oya Bayindir

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Hypertension and type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) cause endothelial dysfunction and may result in cardiovascular disease. The aim of this study was to assess endothelial dysfunction in essential hypertensives, and normotensive and hypertensive type 2 diabetics and to evaluate the effect of telmisartan on endothelium in hypertensives. Materials and methods: Eighteen essential hypertensives (group 1), 16 type 2 diabetic hypertensives (group 2), 10 type 2 diabetic normotensives (group 3), and 10 control subjects (group 4) were included in this study. Groups 1 and 2 received 40 mg/day telmisartan for 12 weeks and were evaluated at the beginning and end. Groups …

Serum Lipid And Lipoprotein Levels, Dyslipidemia Prevalence, And The Factors That Influence These Parameters In A Turkish Population Living In The Province Of Tokat*, İlhan Çeti̇n, Beytullah Yildirim, Şemsetti̇n Şahi̇n, İdri̇s Şahi̇n, İlker Eti̇kan

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

To determine the mean total LDL and HDL cholesterol values and trigliseride levels as well as dyslipidemia and the factors that influence the parameters mentioned above in the population living in the province of Tokat located in the Middle Black Sea (Northeastern) region of Turkey. Materials and methods: The study was performed in 58 rural and 12 urban residential areas. The 58 rural regions were selected using a cluster sampling method. A total of 1095 subjects were selected through a random sampling method. Results: The total serum cholesterol level was 186 ± 42 mg/dL with 33.7% of the participants having …

The Development Of Humoral And Cellular Responses To Plasmodium Falciparum Malaria In The Hypoendemic Peruvian Amazon And Potential Clinical Protection, Eva Helen Clark

All ETDs from UAB

Each year 300-500 million cases of Plasmodium falciparum malaria occur, leading to more than 1 million deaths. In high malaria transmission regions, development of immunity from severe infection requires 2-10 years of persistent parasitemia. This delay has been attributed to difficulties in the development of protective humoral responses. Indeed, anti-malarial antibody responses tend to be short-lived, and immunologic memory seems to be dysfunctional in high-transmission regions. In contrast, in the low-transmission Peruvian Amazon >60% of infections are asymptomatic, suggesting that clinical immunity occurs despite low parasite exposure. To analyze more precisely the naturally-acquired humoral responses to malarial antigens and their …

Small Molecule Inhibitors Of Acid Sensing Ion Channel-1, Yawar J. Qadri

All ETDs from UAB

Acid Sensing Ion Channel 1 is one of the many proteins in the Epithelial Sodium Channel/Degenerin family. The proteins in this family interact to form cation channels with unique biophysical properties and can all be inhibited by the small molecule amiloride. Their expression in many different cell types underlies their involvement in a large variety of physiological and pathophysiological processes. ASIC-1 containing channels, specifically, are an important therapeutic target for ischemic stroke, nociception, the invasiveness of glioblastoma cells, and many other processes including anxiety and memory formation. Of the members of the ENaC/Deg family, chicken ASIC-1 is the only protein …

Investigation Of Residues Of The Vesicular Stomatitis Virus Nucleocapsid Protein That Affect Transcription And Rna Replication, Djamila Harouaka

All ETDs from UAB

The template for transcription and RNA replication for vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) and other negative-strand RNA viruses is a ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complex consisting of the viral RNA genome and associated nucleocapsid (N) protein. The structure of the RNP-like complex of VSV showed that the RNA is sequestered between two lobes of the N protein, and adjacent N monomers are linked by an extensive network of interactions. Long-range interactions mediated by the N-terminal arm and C-terminal loop of the N protein stabilize the side-to-side contacts between adjacent N monomers, and are required for RNA encapsidation. It is unclear how the polymerase …

Mechanisms Of Major Outer Membrane Protein (Momp)-Vaccine Induced Protective Immunity Against Chlamydia Muridarum Genital Infection, Christina M. Farris

All ETDs from UAB

Urogenital infection with Chlamydia trachomatis is the most common bacterial sexually transmit-ted disease with an estimated 90 million new infections occurring each year worldwide. In women infection with C. trachomatis can result in serious complications including ectopic pregnancy, pelvic inflammatory disease and tubal factor infertility. Despite very effective antimicrobial chemotherapy, control of the infection will likely require an effective vaccine. We have assessed the protective effect of an outer membrane based vaccine using a murine model of chlamydial genital tract infection. Female mice were vaccinated with C. muridarum major outer membrane protein (MOMP) plus the immunostimulatory adjuvants CpG-1826 and Montanide …

The Role Of Gli1 In Eralpha-Negative Breast Cancer: Promoting Survival, Migration, Invasion, And Metastasis, Yeon-Jin Kwon

All ETDs from UAB

Glioma-associated oncogene homolog 1 (Gli1) is a well-known oncogene and a transcription factor that mediates several signaling pathways important for tumor progression, such as hedgehog, TGFß, Ras, and EGFR. Although Gli1 is known to play an important role in cancers of brain, skin, prostate, and the pancreas, the role of Gli1 in breast cancer was not previously well-defined. Therefore, this dissertation focuses on defining the role of Gli1 and the mechanism underlying Gli1-mediated transcription in breast cancer. Interestingly, the major findings of the dissertation clearly indicate that Gli1 promotes cell survival and is predictive of a poor outcome in Estrogen …

Role Of Heme Oxygenase-1 In Acute Kidney Injury, Subhashini Bolisetty

All ETDs from UAB

Acute kidney injury (AKI), defined as the rapid loss of kidney function, is often seen in the setting of multiple organ failure in critically ill patients. Lack of established therapeutic approaches to overcome AKI has lead to unacceptably high incidence of morbidity and mortality in these patients. The molecular mechanisms that lead to AKI often have oxidative stress as a common pathogenic event. The kidney responds by prompt induction of its own anti-oxidant machinery including the highly inducible, anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic gene-heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1). This microsomal enzyme degrades pro-oxidant heme, which is released from heme proteins. The cytoprotective properties of …

Evolution Of Pneumococcal Serogroup 6, Preston Eugene Bratcher

All ETDs from UAB

Serogroup 6 of Streptococcus pneumoniae has been known to contain three serotypes, named 6A, 6B and 6C, with highly homologous capsule gene loci. The 6A and 6B capsule gene loci consistently differ from each other by only one nucleotide in the wciP gene. The 6A capsule gene locus has a galactosyltransferase (wciNα), which has been replaced with a glucosyltransferase (wciNß) in the 6C capsule gene locus. We considered that a new serotype, 6D, would be possible if the glucosyltransferase found in 6C strains was combined with the wciP gene from a 6B strain. We demonstrate that this gene combination yields …

The Role Of Wnt5a In Mammary Gland Development, Sarah Baxley

All ETDs from UAB

Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) negatively regulates mammary gland development and requires Wnt5a to exert some of these effects on mammary gland development. Wnt5a is a non-canonical signaling Wnt that is expressed in all stages of mammary gland development except lactation. Using slow release pellets containing Wnt5a, as well as Wnt5a null tissue, we previously showed that Wnt5a also acts to limit mammary development. Initial studies revealed a potential role for TGF-beta and Wnt5a in regulating mammary gland progenitor cells, indicating they may act to regulate the stem and progenitor cell population. In order to study the role of Wnt5a on …

Canonical Wnt Signaling By The Proteolytic Processing Of Lrp6, Brandon Richard Beagle

All ETDs from UAB

Low density Lipoprotein receptor Related 6 (LRP6) functions as an essential co-receptor for Wnt/Beat;-catenin signaling as pathway activation, reflected by cytosolic Beta-catenin stabilization and TCF/LEF-1 transactivation, requires Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3Beta(GSK3Beta)-mediated phosphorylation of multiple PPP(S/T)P motifs within the membrane anchored LRP6 intracellular domain. Additionally, LRP6 undergoes a proteolytic cleavage event resulting in the formation of a soluble LRP6 intracellular domain (LRP6-ICD). LRP6-ICD can function within the Wnt/Beta-catenin pathway by interacting with GSK3Beta and attenuating the phosphorylation of GSK3Beta substrates such as cytosolic Beta-catenin as well as stimulate TCF/LEF-1 activity. However, LRP6-ICD's role(s) within the Wnt/Beta-catenin pathway and the mechanism(s) that …

Pneumococcal Vaccine Response And Aging In Human, Saeyoung Park

All ETDs from UAB

Streptococcus pneumoniae is a major human pathogen, especially for young children and older adults. To protect from pneumococcal diseases, 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPV23) has been used clinically since 1983. However, PPV23 is not so effective among old adults with its protective efficacy diminishing with age. We confirmed that young and old adults, who were immunized with PPV23, have comparable pneumococcal polysaccharide (PS) specific IgG levels. Interestingly, we found that old adults had lower IgA and IgM antibody levels than young adults for three serotypes (serotype 14, 18C and 23F). Consistent with the previous results, opsonic capacities of immune sera …

Dna Replication And Cytokinesis In Drosophila Melanogaster, Anton Svitin

All ETDs from UAB

DNA replication and cytokinesis are two important parts of the cell division process. Our studies address different aspects of both of these processes and potential links between them. One of the best approaches for studying DNA replication in eukaryotes has been an analysis in cell free in vitro systems. The existing cell free replication systems for Drosophila are relatively ineffective. In the first part of this work, we have developed an optimized in vitro system to study DNA replication using early egg extracts of Drosophila. Our studies indicate that this system proves to be an extremely useful tool for a …

The Structural And Functional Studies Of Yeast Nucleotide Exchange Factor Sil1p And Its Complex With Bip, Ming Yan

All ETDs from UAB

Sil1 is an Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) localized protein. SIL1 was initially identified as a UPR-regulated gene. Later studies show Sil1 functions as the nucleotide exchange factor of ER lumenal Hsp70--Bip by directly interacting with the ATPase domain of Bip. Currently, the molecular mechanism how Sil1 catalyzes nucleotide exchange of Bip is still elusive. In this study we determine the complex structure of yeast S.cerevisia Sil1 and Bip (also called Kar2) ATPase domain at 2.3Å resolution by Single-anomalous dispersion (SAD) methods. The Sil1-Bip complex structure reveals that one sil1 molecule interacts with one Bip ATPase domain molecule to form the complex. …

Isolation Of Cryptococcus Neoformans From Pigeon Droppings In Ahwaz, Iran, Majid Zarrin, Masoomeh Jorfi, Nasrin Amirrajab, Morad Rostami

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Cryptococcus neoformans is an opportunistic human pathogen that causes cryptococcosis, a life-threatening infection that is usually manifested as menigeoencephalitis mainly in immunocompromised patients. The objective of this study was to evaluate the presence of Cryptococcus neoformans in Ahwaz, Iran. Materials and methods: Sixty-five samples of pigeon droppings were collected from 10 different regions in Ahwaz. Each sample was suspended 1:10 in saline solution and then cultured in Sabouraud's dextrose agar medium including chloramphenicol. Identification of C. neoformans was performed on the basis of melanin synthesis on bird seed agar, presence of a capsule on India ink preparation, urease production on …

Trace Elements And Physical Activity In Children And Adolescents With Depression, M. Meti̇n Donma, Orki̇de Donma

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Depression is a common mental health problem among adolescents. Depressive symptoms are also important and may appear even during the preschool period. Physical activity, which may improve some mental health problems, is inversely associated with depression. Due to the presence of some clinical evidence about the relation between the use of antidepressants and suicide, there is a need for supportive agents during antidepressant therapy. Within this context, essential trace elements gain importance for further consideration. Protection of the developing brain from the negative effects of iron deficiency is important because of iron deficiency's association with poor mental development. Reactions between …

Effects Of Three Different Methods Of Anesthesia On The Release Of Brain Natriuretic Peptid In Patients With Cardiac Risk Undergoing Lower Extremity Surgery, Canan Atalay, Celaletti̇n Dağli, Ednan Bayram, Haci Ahmet Alici, Ali̇ Fuat Erdem, Mevlüt Sai̇t Keleş, Şahi̇n Yüksek

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

To investigate if intra and postoperative thoracal epidural analgesia could decrease plasma concentrations of brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) in patients who were at risk for, or had, coronary artery disease (CAD) and undergoing lower extremity operations. Materials and methods: Sixty patients with risk of CAD scheduled to undergo lower extremity surgery were divided into 3 groups. Group G was administered general anesthesia followed by intravenous patient-controlled analgesia (I.V PCA) (n = 20). Group L was administered lumbar epidural anesthesia followed by lumbar epidural analgesia (n = 20). Group T was administered general anesthesia combined with intra and postoperative thoracal epidural …

An Application Of Nonlinear Canonical Correlation Analysis On Medical Data, Ayşe Canan Yazici, Ersi̇n Öğüş, Handan Ankarali, Fi̇kret Gürbüz

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

In studies in the field of medicine, necessity to examine the relations between data sets composed of categorical variable groups is widely encountered. In this study, it was aimed to examine nonlinear canonical correlation analysis (OVERALS) method, which allows examination of relations among K number of categorical variable sets and structural similarities of the data set, and to discuss usefulness of the method in more comprehensive data sets obtained from studies carried out in the field of medicine in terms of practice and interpretation. Materials and methods: OVERALS method was applied to a part of data set obtained from a …

The Comparison Of Mri Findings With Severity Score Of Incontinence After Pubovaginal Sling Surgery, Serdar Tarhan, Bi̇lali̇ Gümüş, Gökhan Temeltaş, Gülgün Yilmaz Ovali, Seli̇m Serter, Ci̇han Göktan

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

To investigate the relationship between postoperative MRI findings and the severity score of incontinence in patients treated with pubovaginal sling surgery. Materials and methods: Fifty-two female patients treated with pubovaginal slings were included in the study. These patients' severity scores of incontinence were evaluated in the postoperative 6th month. All the patients were examined using MRI on the same day. A T2-weighted sagittal image of the midline structures, including the symphysis, urethra, and coccyx, was obtained at rest and at maximal strain. The mobility of the bladder floor and change in the posterior urethrovesical angle were calculated for each patient. …

The Comprehensive Evaluation Of Latent Tuberculosis Infection In Health Care Workers And Of Patients With Active Tuberculosis Using Tst, Elisa, And Elispot Methods, Hülya Şi̇mşek, Si̇bel Meryem Alpar, Kurtuluş Aksu, Funda Aksu, İsmai̇l Ceyhan, Sali̇h Cesur, Ayşegül Gözalan, Mustafa Ertek

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Until recently, the tuberculin skin test (TST) has been the only assay used for detecting latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI), but two ex-vivo tests, used as alternative methods to TST, based on enumerating the M. tuberculosis-specific interferon (IFN)-\gamma response are now commercially licensed. The aim of this study was to compare the sensitivity and specificity of TST, QuantiFERON Gold (QFT-G), and T-SPOT.TB in diagnosing LTBI and active tuberculosis (TB). Materials and methods: This study was carried out with 95 participants including 3 groups (negative control, close contact, and patient groups) during a 10-month period from March 2007 to January 2008. Results: …

The Prevalence Of Home Injuries Among Elderly People In Samsun, Turkey, And The Influencing Factors, Hülya Doğan, Sevgi̇ Canbaz, Berna Tander, Yildiz Pekşen, Ferhan Cantürk, Ni̇met Özal Oruç

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Home injuries are a serious public health problem for the elderly. Our aim was to investigate the prevalence of home injuries among elderly people in Samsun, Turkey, and the influencing factors. Materials and methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted between 1 January and 28 February 2007. A questionnaire, the Home-Screen Scale (HSS), and the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) were administered to the elderly subjects. Results: Of all participants, 20.6% had experienced some kind of home injury. Seven participants living alone and 14 living with their families had suffered home injuries, suggesting a statistically significant difference between these 2 groups (P < 0.05). Eleven (14.7%) subjects living in secure housing and 10 (37.0%) living in unsecure housing had suffered home injuries, the difference again being statistically significant (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Home injuries are more common among people living alone and in unsecure housing according to the HSS.

Allele Distribution Data For 16 Short Tandem Repeat Loci In Bolu, Ayşi̇m Tuğ, Zerri̇n Erkol, Aysun Çeti̇nyürek, Yeşi̇m Doğan Alakoç, Cüneyt Elma, Bora Büken, Hayri̇ Erkol

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

To examine the short tandem repeat (STR) data of Bolu population and compare the data with previously published population studies and with the data of a neighboring province, Düzce (a former district of Bolu), which became a province after the earthquake in 1999. Materials and methods: Blood samples were taken from 175 unrelated individuals. DNA was isolated using a DNA Kit and the amplification was performed using an AmpFlSTR Identifier kit. Genotyping was carried out by an ABI Prism 310 genetic analyzer by using a reference ladder. Several parameters, such as allele frequencies, Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, power of exclusion, power of …

Does Central Corneal Thickness Correlate With Haemoglobin A1c Level And Disease Severity In Diabetes Type Ii?, Mehmet Özgür Zengi̇n, Zeynep Özbek, Gül Arikan, İsmet Durak, Ali̇ Osman Saatci̇

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

To compare central corneal thickness (CCT) values of patients with type II diabetes mellitus with those of healthy subjects, and evaluate the effect of disease duration, retinopathy severity, and HbA1c level on CCT. Materials and methods: One hundred and twenty-six consecutive type II diabetic patients and 36 non-diabetic healthy subjects were included in the study. CCT was measured using the Orbscan II corneal topography system. The effect of disease duration, retinopathy severity, and HbA1c level on CCT was evaluated using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the independent sample t test. Results: CCT was significantly higher in diabetic patients than in …

Analysis Of Periprocedural Medical Complications During Carotid Angioplasty And Stent Placement, İsmai̇l Aydin Erden, Almila Gülsün Pamuk, İbrahi̇m Özkan Önal, Burcu Akbay Özkaya, Seda Banu Akinci, Kivilcim Yavuz, Bi̇lge Çelebi̇oğlu, Ülkü Aypar

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

To evaluate periprocedural medical complications during carotid angioplasty and stent placement. Materials and methods: Data of all patients who underwent carotid artery stenting and were admitted to the postanesthesia care unit between January and December 2006 were retrospectively evaluated. All patients received conscious sedation, constant monitoring, and 0.5 mg atropine before balloon inflation. Risk factors and intra- and postprocedural complications were recorded. Results: Twenty-two patients were treated for asymptomatic carotid stenosis and 25 patients for symptomatic carotid stenosis. Of the symptomatic patients 3 presented with retinal symptoms, 15 with a hemispheric transient ischemic attack, and 7 with a minor stroke. …

Endoscopic Biliary Tract Brush Cytology In 54 Cases, Işin Soyuer, Arzu Taşdemi̇r, Şebnem Gürsoy, Alper Yurci̇, Ertuğrul Mavi̇li̇, Nevzat Özcan

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Duct brushing cytology is an important tool in the evaluation of the extrahepatic biliary tract. New liquid-based preparations and ancillary tests have emerged with the intent of addressing this issue. Materials and methods: Fifty-four consecutive patients and 68 specimens with a suspected malignant obstruction of the common bile duct were included in a consecutive, nonrandomized order. We selected patients whose follow-up, in the form of either histology (25/54, 46%) or at least 6 months of clinical observation, was available. They underwent sampling during ERCP (33 patients/40 materials) or PTC (21 patients/28 materials) using the brush method. Results: A total of …

The Efficacy, Safety, And Pharmacokinetics Of Intramuscular And Oral Phenyramidol In Patients With Low Back Pain In An Emergency Department, Hakan Ergün, Onur Polat, N. Arda Demi̇rkan, Müge Günalp, Serdar Gürler

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

To compare the efficacy, safety, and pharmacokinetics of oral and intramuscular (i.m.) phenyramidol in patients with low back pain. Materials and methods: Consecutive patients with low back pain were recruited and randomized (5:3) to treatment with either 800 mg oral or i.m. phenyramidol. Pain was assessed by visual analogue scale every 30 min for 2 h. Blood samples were drawn at baseline and every 15 min for 2 h. A 5-point verbal global evaluation scale was performed by both patients and physicians. In addition, the need for rescue analgesics after 2 h was noted. After the acute phase, patients were …

The Effect Of Intradialytic Food Intake On The Urea Reduction Ratio And Single-Pool Kt/V Values In Patients Followed-Up At A Hemodialysis Center*, Belgüzar Kara, Cengi̇z Han Açikel

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

This study was conducted to determine the effect of intradialytic food intake on the urea reduction rate (URR) and single-pool Kt/V (spKt/V) values in hemodialysis (HD) patients. Materials and methods: The study was designed as a quasiexperiment. Twenty-five patients were enrolled in this study. The patients' mean age was 56.5 ± 13.0 years and median time on HD was 63 months. In the first stage of the study, patients were given a standard meal after the first hour of the treatment. The same study group underwent HD without intradialytic food intake 1 week later. Predialysis and postdialysis blood samples for …

Loss Of The Sin3 Transcriptional Corepressor Results In Aberrant Mitochondrial Function, Valerie L. Barnes, Bethany S. Strunk, Icksoo Lee, Maik Hüttemann, Lori A. Pile

Wayne State University Associated BioMed Central Scholarship

Abstract

Background

SIN3 is a transcriptional repressor protein known to regulate many genes, including a number of those that encode mitochondrial components.

Results

By monitoring RNA levels, we find that loss of SIN3 inDrosophilacultured cells results in up-regulation of not only nuclear encoded mitochondrial genes, but also those encoded by the mitochondrial genome. The up-regulation of gene expression is accompanied by a perturbation in ATP levels in SIN3-deficient cells, suggesting that the changes in mitochondrial gene expression result in altered mitochondrial activity. In support of the hypothesis that SIN3 is necessary for normal mitochondrial function, yeastsin3null mutants exhibit very poor …

Patterned Cell Cultures For High Throughput Studies Of Cell Electrophysiology And Drug Screening Applications, Anupama Natarajan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Over the last decade, the field of tissue and bio-engineering has seen an increase in the development of in vitro high-throughput hybrid systems that can be used to understand cell function and behavior at the cellular and tissue levels. These tools would have a wide array of applications including for implants, drug discovery, and toxicology, as well as for studying cell developmental behavior and as disease models. Currently, there are a limited number of efficient, functional drug screening assays in the pharmacology industry and studies of cell-surface interactions are complicated and invasive. Most cell physiology studies are performed using conventional …