Digital Commons Network^™

Simultaneous Measurement Of Water Volume And Ph In Single Cells Using Bcecf And Fluorescence Imaging Microscopy, Francisco J. Alvarez-Leefmans, José J. Herrera-Pérez, Martín S. Márquez, Victor M. Blanco

Pharmacology and Toxicology Faculty Publications

Regulation and maintenance of cell water volume and intracellular pH (pH_i) are vital functions that are interdependent; cell volume regulation affects, and is in turn affected by, changes in pH_i. Disruption of either function underlies various pathologies. To study the interaction and kinetics of these two mechanisms, we developed and validated a quantitative fluorescence imaging microscopy method to measure simultaneous changes in pH_i and volume in single cells loaded with the fluorescent probe BCECF. CWV is measured at the excitation isosbestic wavelength, whereas pH_iis determined ratiometrically. The method has a time resolution of …

Identification And Seasonal Distribution Of Airborne Fungi In Urban Outdoor Air In An Eastern Black Sea Turkish Town, Murat Topbaş, İlknur Tosun, Gamze Çan, Neşe Kaklikkaya, Faruk Aydi̇n

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

The aim of the present report was to evaluate the prevalent species of airborne fungi in the outdoor environment in the city of Trabzon, Turkey. The area is surrounded by high mountains running parallel to the Black Sea, and has a mostly rainy and temperate climate together with a most varied and widespread flora. Air samples were collected in four seasons by means of the gravitational settling method using petri dishes with SDA culture media. Those fungi colonies that formed after an incubation period of 7-10 days at 25 ºC were determined on the basis of micro and macromorphological features. …

Morbidity Pattern Among The Elderly Population In The Rural Area Of Tamil Nadu, India, Anil Jacob Purty, Joy Bazroy, Malini Kar, Kavita Vasudevan, P. Zacharia, Purushottam Panda

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Globally there are an estimated 605 million people aged 60 years and above. From the morbidity point of view, almost 50 per cent of the Indian elderly have chronic diseases and 5 percent suffer from immobility. A major component of the burden of illness for the elderly derives from prevalent chronic disease. Hence a study was undertaken to assess the present morbidity pattern of rural elderly persons. A community based cross-sectional study was undertaken in the rural service area of Pondicherry Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) between october 1, 2002 to October 31, 2003. All persons above the age of …

Rapid Determination Of Reduced And Oxidized Glutathione Levels Using A New Thiol-Masking Reagent And The Enzymatic Recycling Method: Application To The Rat Liver And Bile Samples, Imam H. Shaik, Reza Mehvar

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

A microtiter plate assay for quantitation of reduced (GSH) and oxidized (GSSG) glutathione in the rat liver tissue and bile is described. The assay is based on the established enzymatic recycling method and a new thiol-masking reagent, 1-methyl-4-vinyl-pyridinium trifluoromethane sulfonate (M4VP). Samples were first processed by homogenization with (liver) or addition of (bile) sulfosalicylic acid. The total glutathione and GSSG were then determined before and after rapid (>= 2 min) and efficient (100%) masking of the GSH content of the samples with M4VP followed by the enzymatic recycling assay. The percentages of error and coefficient of variation of the …

Transposon Disruption Of The Complex I Nadh Oxidoreductase Gene (Snod) In Staphylococcus Aureus Is Associated With Reduced Susceptibility To The Microbicidal Activity Of Thrombin-Induced Platelet Microbicidal Protein 1, Arnold S. Bayer, Peter Mcnamara, Michael R. Yeaman, Natalie Lucindo, Tiffanny Jones, Ambrose L. Cheung

Dartmouth Scholarship

The cationic molecule thrombin-induced platelet microbicidal protein 1 (tPMP-1) exerts potent activity against Staphylococcus aureus. We previously reported that a Tn551 S. aureus transposon mutant, ISP479R, and two bacteriophage back-transductants, TxA and TxB, exhibit reduced in vitro susceptibility to tPMP-1 (tPMP-1(r)) compared to the parental strain, ISP479C (V. Dhawan, M. R. Yeaman, A. L. Cheung, E. Kim, P. M. Sullam, and A. S. Bayer, Infect. Immun. 65:3293-3299, 1997). In the current study, the genetic basis for tPMP-1(r) in these mutants was identified. GenBank homology searches using sequence corresponding to chromosomal DNA flanking Tn551 mutant strains showed that the fourth gene …

Follicular Thyroid Carcinoma In A Patient With Graves' Disease, Mehmet Özdoğan, Ahmet Gürer, Beki̇r Çakir, Si̇bel Orhun, İsmai̇l Gömceli̇, Selma Göğkuş, Raci̇ Aydin

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

ZDOĞAN^1, Ahmet GÜRER^1, Bekir ÇAKIR^2, Sibel ORHUN^3, İsmail GÖMCELİ^1, Selma GÖĞKUŞ^1, Raci AYDIN^1 ^1Department of General Surgery, Atatürk Educational and Research Hospital, Ankara - Turkey ^2Department of Endocrinology, Atatürk Educational and Research Hospital, Ankara - Turkey ^3Department of Pathology, Atatürk Educational and Research Hospital, Ankara - Turkey

The Effect Of Erythropoietin In Acute Pancreatitis: An Experimental Study, Ari̇fe Polat Düzgün, Nuretti̇n Kahramansoy, Mahi̇ Balci Özgedi̇k, M. Mahi̇r Özmen, Selda Seçki̇n, Faruk Coşkun

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Background: Although the pathogenesis of acute pancreatitis is not clearly known, the most frequently mentioned factors are proinflammatory cytokines and nitric oxide (NO), which is stimulated by bacterial endotoxins. The relationship of erythropoietin (EPO), which is an erythroid line growth hormone, with proinflammatory cytokines and NO is also not clear. EPO has a well-known general tissue protective effect, yet its role in an inflammatory presentation like that of acute pancreatitis has not been investigated and documented. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the role of EPO in acute pancreatitis. Materials and Methods: 60 Wistar Albino rats were …

A Selective Ideational Apraxic Agraphia For Consonants, Serpi̇l Demi̇rci̇

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Aim: The proposed graphemic area in the dominant hemisphere contains letter representations that are responsible for guiding the skilled movements required for writing and for recognition of the physical features of letters. Dysfunction in this system may cause apraxic agraphia. In this study, writing performance of a right-handed, left hemisphere damaged, 12-year old apraxic agraphic patient with a native language of shallow ortography is analysed. Methods: Writing performance was evaluated with several different word lists, each holding same amount of letters, novel words (non-word), words, functors, and high-imagery and low-imagery words. Non-words were derived from words by changing a single …

Exposure Of Rats To Whole Body Gamma Rays Induces Early Alterations In Biliary Secretion, Omar Mohamed Abdel-Salam, Ihsan Hadajat, Ayman Ragab Baiuomy, Siham El-Shinawy, Mahmoud S. Arbid

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Aim: To study the effects of whole body gamma irradiation on bile flow and bile composition in rats. Methods: Three groups of male Sprague-Dawley rats were irradiated with a single 8 gray (Gy) fraction for 15-20 min and examined for bile secretion at different time intervals (18, 48, 72 h) after irradiation. For collection of biliary secretions, rats were anesthetized with intraperitoneal (i.p.) urethane (1.25 g/kg) and equipped with biliary cannulas inserted into the bile duct through the sphincter of Oddi. Bile was collected for 4 h following bile duct cannulation. Bile flow (bile-pancreatic juice) and biliary excretion of total …

Transcriptional Profiling Of Degraded Rna In Cryopreserved And Fixed Tissue Samples Obtained At Autopsy, Andrew C. Haller, Deepa Kanakapalli, Rosemarie Walter, Samir Alhasan, James F. Eliason, Richard B. Everson

Wayne State University Associated BioMed Central Scholarship

Abstract

Background

Traditional multiplexed gene expression methods require well preserved, intact RNA. Such specimens are difficult to acquire in clinical practice where formalin fixation is the standard procedure for processing tissue. Even when special handling methods are used to obtain frozen tissue, there may be RNA degradation; for example autopsy samples where degradation occurs both pre-mortem and during the interval between death and cryopreservation. Although specimens with partially degraded RNA can be analyzed by qRT-PCR, these analyses can only be done individually or at low levels of multiplexing and are laborious and expensive to run for large numbers of RNA …

Identification Of Novel Functional Sequence Variants In The Gene For Peptidase Inhibitor 3, Mahboob A. Chowdhury, Helena Kuivaniemi, Roberto Romero, Samuel Edwin, Tinnakorn Chaiworapongsa, Gerard Tromp

Wayne State University Associated BioMed Central Scholarship

Abstract

Background

Peptidase inhibitor 3 (PI3) inhibits neutrophil elastase and proteinase-3, and has a potential role in skin and lung diseases as well as in cancer. Genome-wide expression profiling of chorioamniotic membranes revealed decreased expression of PI3 in women with preterm premature rupture of membranes. To elucidate the molecular mechanisms contributing to the decreased expression in amniotic membranes, the PI3 gene was searched for sequence variations and the functional significance of the identified promoter variants was studied.

Methods

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified by direct sequencing of PCR products spanning a region from 1,173 bp upstream to 1,266 bp …

K-Spmm: A Database Of Murine Spermatogenic Promoters Modules & Motifs, Yi Lu, Adrian E. Platts, G Charles Ostermeier, Stephen A. Krawetz

Wayne State University Associated BioMed Central Scholarship

Abstract

Background

Understanding the regulatory processes that coordinate the cascade of gene expression leading to male gamete development has proven challenging. Research has been hindered in part by an incomplete picture of the regulatory elements that are both characteristic of and distinctive to the broad population of spermatogenically expressed genes.

Description

K-SPMM, a database of murine Spermatogenic Promoters Modules and Motifs, has been developed as a web-based resource for the comparative analysis of promoter regions and their constituent elements in developing male germ cells. The system contains data on 7,551 genes and 11,715 putative promoter regions …

Decreased Intracellular Zinc In Human Tumorigenic Prostate Epithelial Cells: A Possible Role In Prostate Cancer Progression, Liping Huang, Catherine P. Kirschke, Yunfan Zhang

Wayne State University Associated BioMed Central Scholarship

Abstract

Background

Zinc plays important roles in maintaining normal function of the prostate and in development of prostate malignancy. It has been demonstrated that prostate malignant epithelial cells contain much less cellular zinc than the surrounding normal epithelial cells. However, the pathway(s) which leads to lower zinc accumulation in malignant prostate epithelial cells is poorly understood. In this study, the zinc homeostatic features of two human prostate epithelial cell lines (non-tumorigenic, RWPE1, and tumorigenic, RWPE2) were investigated. Effects of over-expression of ZIP1 in RWPE2 on cell proliferation and apoptosis were also studied.

Results

RWPE2 accumulated less intracellular zinc than RWPE1 …

Effect Of Prophylactic And Therapeutic Mitomycin C On Corneal Apoptosis, Cellular Proliferation, Haze, And Long-Term Keratocyte Density In Rabbits, Marcelo V. Netto, Rajiv R. Mohan, Sunilima Sinha, Ajay Sharma, Pankaj C. Gupta, Steven E. Wilson

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

PURPOSE—To determine the mechanism through which topical mitomycin C prevents and treats corneal haze after photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) and to examine the effects of dosage and duration of exposure.

METHODS—In 224 New Zealand rabbits, −9.0 diopter PRK with mitomycin C or balanced salt solution was performed. Haze level was graded at the slit-lamp. Rabbits were sacrificed at 4 hours, 24 hours, 4 weeks, or 6 months after surgery and immunohistochemistry was performed with TUNEL assay, Ki67 and α-SMA.

RESULTS—TUNEL-positive apoptotic cells marginally increased in all mitomycin C groups whereas Ki67-positive mitotic cells decreased significantly following mitomycin C application. A greater …

Adjuncts (Tramadol And Magnesium) Potentiate Impulse Inhibition By A Local Anaesthetic In Isolated Frog Siatic Nerves?, Belgi̇n Büyükakilli, Nurcan Doruk, Ülkü Çömelekoğlu, Handan Çamdevi̇ren, Sevgi̇ Güneş

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Aim: In clinical use, the addition of adjuncts (magnesium or tramadol) to local anesthetic agents is used for different reasons. However, reports about the effect of magnesium plus bupivacaine and of tramadol plus bupivacaine on in vitro preparations are scarce. The aim of this study was to examine the ability of local anesthetics to reduce the amplitude of compound nerve action potentials of the isolated frog sciatic nerve in the absence and presence of adjuncts (magnesium and tramadol). Materials and Methods: The experiments were done on frog sciatic nerves, using an extracellular recording technique. Isolated frog sciatic nerves were bathed …

Evaluation Of Tumor Markers In Asthma Patients, Abdurrahman Coşkun, Öner Balbay, Özlem Yavuz, Ramazan Memi̇şoğullari, Ali̇ Ni̇hat Annakkaya, İsmet Bulut, Cahi̇t Bi̇lgi̇n, Emel Kurt

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Background: Although tumor markers have been used as biomarkers for monitoring response to therapy and detecting early relapse in malignancies, it is well known that most tumor marker increases are not specific enough to be used for diagnosis of cancer. Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the serum concentrations of \alpha -fetoprotein (AFP), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), cancer antigen (CA) 19-9, CA 125, CA 15-3 and IgE in asthma patients. Materials and Methods: Thirty-five newly diagnosed asthmatic patients and 14 healthy subjects were included into the study. Blood samples were drawn from antecubital vein of asthma patients and …

The Status Of Trace And Toxic Elements In Biological Samples (Scalp Hair) Of Skin-Disease Patients And Normal Subjects, Hassan Imran Afridi, Tasneem Gul Kazi, Mohammad Khan Jamali, Gul Hasan Kazi, Ghulam Qadir Shar

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Background: Direct association of trace and macro-elements in relation to human disease has been observed in many research studies. In many cases, an alteration in the metabolism of these minerals has been demonstrated. Methods: In this investigation, the hair levels of the trace elements zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), chromium (Cr), iron (Fe), nickel (Ni) and the toxic elements lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) were determined in 110 subjects (57 skin- diseased subjects and 53 controls). Samples were analyzed using atomic absorption spectrophotometric methods. Results: Analysis of hair samples revealed significantly lower levels of zinc, iron and copper in skin-diseased patients …

Diagnosis Of Lafora Body Disease By Axillary Skin Biopsy, Selçuk Çomoğlu, Şenay Özbakir, Emel Peşi̇nci̇

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Lafora body is a rarely seen and progressive disease which is characterized by mental decline, myoclonus and generalized epilepsy. Definitive diagnosis is made with biopsy showing typical spherical PAS positive inclusion bodies. In this article, we present a case who had myoclonus, generalize seizure and dementia and diagnosed with Lafora body disease. Diagnosis was confirmed by axillary skin biopsy. Na Valproat 15 mg/kg was started by orally for myoclonic and generalized epilepsy. Partial improvement in both myoclonic and generalized seizure frequencies was seen.

Arterial Thrombosis In Refractory Multiple Myeloma Patient Treated With Thalidomide And Dexamethasone: A Case Report, Di̇lek Soysal, Orhan Küçükşahi̇n, Ayça İnci̇, Mustafa Pehli̇van

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

A 48-year-old man with relapsing multiple myeloma (MM) presented with serum monoclonal protein (IgG l) of 5.93 g/dl. He was initially treated with four cycles of VAD (vincristine, adriamycin and dexamethasone) but due to deterioration of his renal functions with disease relapse, he was placed on hemodialysis. A combined treatment with thalidomide at a daily dose of 200 mg and 4-d cycles of dexamethasone was started for relapsing MM. Thalidomide dose was increased to 400 mg after two weeks. In the second month of his treatment, the patient presented with progressive drowsiness without other symptoms. His cranial MR was suggestive …

Early Onset Stroke Due To Fibromuscular Dysplasia In A Child, Selçuk Çomoğlu, Yavuz Gürer

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD) is a rare, idiopathic and nonatheromatous disease. Definitive diagnosis is made only by angiography, which is characterized by a "string of beads" appearance. In this article, we present the rare entity of early-onset thromboembolic stroke due to FMD in a case who was found to have a carotid artery lesion in angiography. Antiaggregant therapy was given (300 mg/oral/day) and partial improvement was observed on follow-up.

Guillain-Barré Syndrome And Hepatitis A (Selçuk Çomoğlu, Mustafa Cesur. Turk J Med Sci 2006; 36(3): 185-186), Şi̇nasi̇ Özsoylu

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

No abstract provided.

Preparation Of Some Substituted Terephthalic Acids, Susanna Branion, Vladimir Benin

Chemistry Faculty Publications

We report in detail the preparation of two substituted terephthalic acids: 2‐sulfomethylterephthalic acid (1) and 2‐phosphonoterephthalic acid (2). Efficient, short syntheses have been developed for both compounds. They are potentially useful monomers for construction of acid‐pendant polymer chains.

Preparation, Characterization And Dft Studies Of Some New N-Nitrosocarbamates And N-Nitrosoureas, Ragavan Narayanan, Helene Hedian, Eric Shamo, Vladimir Benin

Chemistry Faculty Publications

We are presenting the preparation, characterization and density functional theory (DFT) studies {B3LYP/6-31+G(d)) of several reiated classes of N-nitrosocarbamates and N-nitrosoureas. The iong-range goal is the design and preparation of compounds, which would undergo photochemical or hydrolytic decomposition, to yield stabilized cyclic cations that can serve as alkylating agents at various nucleophilic centers, including DNA bases.

In-Vitro Effect Of Phthalate Esters On Retinal Aldolase, Syed Nasir Askari, Meena Zaidi, Nafees Ahmed

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Background and Aim: Phthalate esters used in the manufacture of cosmetics, lubricants, medical devices and wood furnishings enter the human system through various routes and accumulate into tissues to a considerable level. Low levels of plasticizer cause infertility, hypospadias and premature puberty, while high doses of esters can damage the liver and lung. Reports on the ocular effects of these compounds are either not available or very scarce. The present study assessed the impact of dimethyl phthalate (DMP), diethyl-phthalate (DEP) and diethyl hexyl-phthalate (DEHP) on bovine retinal aldolase. Materials and Methods: Retinal aldolase activity of 0.1 ml of 1:10 solution …

Study Of Elements, Antioxidants And Lipid Peroxidation In Hemodialysis Patients, Esma Menevşe, Abdullah Si̇vri̇kaya, Emrah Karagözoğlu, Ali̇ Muhtar Ti̇fti̇k, Süleyman Türk

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Background: During hemodialysis, most of the elements must be kept in a rather narrow physiological range, otherwise life-threatening events may occur. Furthermore, lipid peroxidation in patients may be partly due to the trace element disturbances. It has been mentioned that there are relations between deficiency in trace elements and antioxidant levels. The present study aimed to determine whether there were differences between hemodialysis patients and a healthy group according to selenium, aluminium, malondialdehyde (MDA), reduced form of glutathione (GSH) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels. Methods: The study included 47 hemodialysis patients (hemodialysis group). Blood samples were taken before (pre-hemodialysis) and …

Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms In The Folypoly-Gamma-Glutamate Synthetase Gene, Nadine Thompson

Theses and Dissertations

Folic acid is an essential vitamin utilized in the one-carbon metabolism pathway for the synthesis of purine and thymidine nucleotides, which are necessary for cell growth and proliferation. As a result, the enzymes that participate in the metabolism of folic acid have been good targets for cancer chemotherapy. Folylpoly-γ-glutamate synthetase (FPGS) is an enzyme in the folate metabolism pathway that catalyzes the addition of glutamic acid to the naturally occurring folates, thereby allowing the retention of folate cofactors in cells. Similarly, in the case of cancer chemotherapy, antifolates, such as Lometrexol and Tomudex are retained in cells through the activity …

Relationship Between Cb1 And S1p Receptors In The Central Nervous System, Lauren Michele Collier

Theses and Dissertations

There is significant sequence homology and anatomical co-distribution between cannabinoid (CB1) and sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) receptors in the CNS, but potential functional relationships between these lysolipid receptors have not been examined. Therefore, to investigate possible relationships between these two systems at the level of G-protein activation, agonist-stimulated [35S]GTPγS binding and autoradiography were conducted. Autoradiographic studies were first performed to localize receptor-mediated G-protein activation in mouse brain. Coronal brain slices were processed for stimulation of [35S]GTPγS binding using the synthetic cannabinoid agonist WIN 55,212-2 (WIN) or SIP. High levels of WIN- and S1P-stimulated [35S]GTPγS binding were observed in the caudate putamen, hippocampus, …

Temporal Processing In The Exponential Integrate-And-Fire Model Is Nonlinear, Joanna R. Wares, Todd W. Troyer

Department of Math & Statistics Faculty Publications

The exponential integrate-and-fire (EIF) model was introduced by Fourcaud-Trocme et al. (2003) as an extension of the standard leaky integrate-and-fire model (LIF). Here, the nonlinearity in the EIF model’s temporal response to square-wave inputs is investigated. Comparing the time course of onset and offset responses revealed that offset responses have a steeper initial slope, but a slower approach to equilibrium. A linear systems analysis performed for these square-wave inputs indicates that at frequencies above ~40 Hz, gain was slightly smaller for square-wave inputs, but phase did not change significantly relative to simulations in which the corresponding sinusoids were presented in …

Characterization Of Hard2, A Processed Hard1 Gene Duplicate, Encoding A Human Protein N-Alpha-Acetyltransferase., Thomas Arnesen, Matthew J Betts, Frédéric Pendino, David A Liberles, Dave Anderson, Jaime Caro, Xianguo Kong, Jan E Varhaug, Johan R Lillehaug

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Protein acetylation is increasingly recognized as an important mechanism regulating a variety of cellular functions. Several human protein acetyltransferases have been characterized, most of them catalyzing epsilon-acetylation of histones and transcription factors. We recently described the human protein acetyltransferase hARD1 (human Arrest Defective 1). hARD1 interacts with NATH (N-Acetyl Transferase Human) forming a complex expressing protein N-terminal alpha-acetylation activity. RESULTS: We here describe a human protein, hARD2, with 81 % sequence identity to hARD1. The gene encoding hARD2 most likely originates from a eutherian mammal specific retrotransposition event. hARD2 mRNA and protein are expressed in several human cell lines. …

Where Do We Go From Here? : Internal Medicine In The 21st Century, Medical Professionalism And Basic Concepts In Residency Training, Mi̇ne Durusu Tanriöver, Serhat Ünal

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

USU TANRIÖVER, Serhat ÜNAL Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Hacettepe University, 06100 Ankara - Turkey