Investigation of DPYD, MTHFR and TYMS polymorphisms on 5-fluorouracil related toxicities in colorectal cancer

Aim: To investigate the association of DPYD, MTHFR and TYMS polymorphisms on 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) related toxicities and patient survival. Materials & methods: A total of 103 colorectal cancer patients prescribed 5-FU were included in the study. Genotyping was conducted for several DPYD, MTHFR and TYMS polymorphisms using a microarray analyzer. Results: DPYD 496A>G polymorphism was found to be significantly associated with 5-FU related grade 0-2, but not severe toxicities (p = 0.02). Furthermore, patients with DPYD 85TC and CC genotypes had longer progression and overall survival times compared to TT genotypes in our study group (log rank = 6.60, p = 0.01 and log rank = 4.40, p = 0.04, respectively). Conclusion: According to our results, DPYD 496AG and GG genotypes might be protective against severe adverse events compared to the AA genotype. Another DPYD polymorphism, 85T>C, may be useful in colorectal cancer prognosis. Further studies for both polymorphisms should be conducted in larger populations to achieve accurate results.

Investigation of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Polymorphisms on Risk, Metastasis, Laterality, and Prognosis of Colorectal Cancer in Turkish Subjects

Objectives: Tumor angiogenesis is known to support the spread and invasion of tumor cells, allow distant organ metastasis, resulting in worse prognosis and mortality. Since vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A) is the major regulator of angiogenesis, in the present study, the associations of VEGF-A +405G>C and -460C>T polymorphisms with risk, primary tumor location, prognosis, and metastasis of colorectal cancer (CRC) were investigated in Turkish subjects. Material and Methods: A total of 153 subjects consisting of 74 controls and 79 CRC diagnosed patients were included in the study. VEGF-A +405G>C and -460C>T polymorphisms were analyzed using Agena MassARRAY platform. Results: VEGF +405GC+CC genotypes were found to be significantly associated with left colon cancer (unadjusted odds ratio [OR] = 5.208 confidence interval [95% CI]: 1.064-25.496, p = 0.04). VEGF -460TT and CT+TT genotypes were associated with reduced liver metastasis risk (OR = 0.080 95% CI: 0.009-0.689 p = 0.02 and OR = 0.191 95% CI: 0.039-0.925, p = 0.04, respectively). Patients with VEGF +405GG genotype showed longer progression-free survival as a response to bevacizumab treatment (Log rank = 6.92, p = 0.03). Conclusion: According to our results, VEGF +405G>C and -460C>T polymorphisms were found to be associated with CRC prognosis, sidedness, and metastasis. Our findings should be conducted in further studies.

Association of PD-1 and PDL-1 gene polymorphisms with colorectal cancer risk and prognosis

BACKGROUND

Programmed Cell Death-1 (PD-1) together with Programmed Death Ligand 1 (PDL-1) have crucial roles in anti-tumor immune response, cancer susceptibility and prognosis. Since PD-1 and PDL-1 have been considered as important genetic risk factors in cancer development and their functions can be affected by polymorphic sites, we investigated the effects of PD-1 rs2227981, rs2227982, rs36084323 and PDL-1 rs2282055, rs822336 gene polymorphisms on colorectal cancer (CRC) risk and prognosis in Turkish subjects.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Our study group consisted of 5-FU or Capacitabine prescribed CRC diagnosed patients and healthy controls. Genotype analyses of PD1 and PDL-1 polymorphisms were performed with Agena MassARRAY platform. rs36084323 CT genotype frequency was found to be higher in controls compared to cases (p < 0.001). rs36084323 CT genotype was highly associated with reduced CRC risk compared to CC genotype (OR 0.068, 95% CI 0.022-0.211, p < 0.001). In adjusted analysis, rs2282055 GG genotype was found to be associated with reduced CRC risk (OR 0.271, 95% CI 0.078-0.940, p = 0.040). rs2282055 TT genotype was found to be related to longer progression-free (Bonferroni corrected Log rank p = 0.013) and overall survival (Bonferroni corrected Log rank p = 0.009) to that of GG genotypes. Patients with rs822336 GC+CC genotypes showed longer overall survival times compared to GG (Log rank p = 0.044).

CONCLUSIONS

According to our results, PD-1 rs822336 G > C polymorphism might be useful in predicting CRC prognosis. PDL-1 rs2282055 T > G polymorphism might be useful in predicting both CRC risk and prognosis. Further studies should be conducted in larger and different populations to clear the roles of PD-1 and PDL-1 polymorphisms in CRC risk and prognosis.

The effects of glipizide on DNA damage and nuclear transport in differentiated 3T3-L1 adipocytes

BACKGROUND

Despite commonly use for treatment of type II diabetes, possible effects of glipizide on nuclear transport and DNA damage in cells are unknown. Since clinical response of glipizide may change with aging, the aim of the study was to investigate the effect of glipizide by comparing mature and senescent adipocytes.

METHODS AND RESULTS

The effects of glipizide were investigated in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Effective and lethal doses were determined by real-time monitoring iCELLigence system. Comet assay was performed to determine DNA damage and quantitative PCR was conducted to detect gene expression levels. RAN expressions were found to be up regulated in mature 180 µM glipizide treated adipocytes compared to control group (p < 0.05); whereas down regulated in senescent 180 µM glipizide treated adipocytes compared to their control adipocytes (p < 0.05). Olive Tail Moment values were significantly higher in mature 180 µM glipizide treated adipocytes (MTG) and senescent 180 µM glipizide treated adipocytes (STG) comparing their untreated controls (p < 0.001 and p < 0.001 respectively). Also class 5 comets that shows severe DNA damage were found to be higher in both MTG and STG groups than their controls (p < 0.001 and p < 0.001, respectively). OTM values were higher in STG than MTG (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

This is the first study that reports glipizide caused DNA damage increasing with senescence in adipocytes. As a response to glipizide treatment Ran gene expression increased in mature; and decreased in senescent adipocytes. Further studies are needed to reveal the effect of glipizide on DNA and nuclear interactions in molecular level.

A partially randomised trial of pretomanid, moxifloxacin and pyrazinamide for pulmonary TB

BACKGROUND: Treatment for TB is lengthy and toxic, and new regimens are needed.METHODS: Participants with pulmonary drug-susceptible TB (DS-TB) were randomised to receive: 200 mg pretomanid (Pa, PMD) daily, 400 mg moxifloxacin (M) and 1500 mg pyrazinamide (Z) for 6 months (6Pa200MZ) or 4 months (4Pa200MZ); 100 mg pretomanid daily for 4 months in the same combination (4Pa100MZ); or standard DS-TB treatment for 6 months. The primary outcome was treatment failure or relapse at 12 months post-randomisation. The non-inferiority margin for between-group differences was 12.0%. Recruitment was paused following three deaths and not resumed.RESULTS: Respectively 4/47 (8.5%), 11/57 (19.3%), 14/52 (26.9%) and 1/53 (1.9%) DS-TB outcomes were unfavourable in patients on 6Pa200MZ, 4Pa200MZ, 4Pa100MZ and controls. There was a 6.6% (95% CI -2.2% to 15.4%) difference per protocol and 9.9% (95%CI -4.1% to 23.9%) modified intention-to-treat difference in unfavourable responses between the control and 6Pa200MZ arms. Grade 3+ adverse events affected 68/203 (33.5%) receiving experimental regimens, and 19/68 (27.9%) on control. Ten of 203 (4.9%) participants on experimental arms and 2/68 (2.9%) controls died.CONCLUSION: PaMZ regimens did not achieve non-inferiority in this under-powered trial. An ongoing evaluation of PMD remains a priority.

DNA Damage in AML-12 Hepatocytes and 3T3-L1 Adipocytes Treated with Clopidogrel

BACKGROUND

Clopidogrel has been commonly prescribed as a selective P2Y12 receptor antagonist to reduce heart attack and stroke risk. Nearly 10 % of absorbed clopidogrel is metabolized by cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes in the liver to active forms and 90 % to inactive clopidogrel carboxylate by esterases.

OBJECTIVE

Since different forms of clopidogrel have cytotoxic potential, our aim was to determinate the effect of clopidogrel (7.5, 40 and 75µM) over DNA damage in adipocyte and hepatocytes. Material Methods: In the present study DNA damage was investigated by Comet analysis using 3T3-L1 adipocytes and Alpha Mouse 12 (AML-12) hepatocytes.

RESULTS

DNA fragmentation was found to be increased as a response to 7.5 µM, 40 µM and 75 µM clopidogrel treatment compared to non-treated control groups in AML-12 hepatocytes (p<0.01, p<0.001, p<0.01 respectively) and 3T3-L1 adipocytes (p<0.001, p<0.001 and p<0.001 respectively). DNA damage levels as a response to clopidogrel treatment was found to be higher in 3T3-L1 adipocytes than AML-12 hepatocytes. Also, DNA damage levels in adipocytes and hepatocytes were found to increase dose dependently for 7.5 and 40 μM clopidogrel whereas decreased as a response to 75 μM.

CONCLUSION

According to our results, clopidogrel results in more DNA damage in adipocytes than in hepatocytes. The molecular mechanism of clopidogrel genotoxicity need to be further investigated especially in adipose tissue.

On the effect of age on the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in households, schools and the community

BACKGROUND

There is limited information on the effect of age on the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 infection in different settings, including primary, secondary and high schools, households, and the whole community. We undertook a literature review of published studies/data on detection of SARS-CoV-2 infection in contacts of COVID-19 cases, as well as serological studies, and studies of infections in the school setting to examine those issues.

RESULTS

Our literature review presents evidence for significantly lower susceptibility to infection for children aged under 10 years compared to adults given the same exposure, for elevated susceptibility to infection in adults aged over 60y compared to younger/middle aged adults, and for the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection associated with sleeping close to an infected individual. Published serological studies also suggest that younger adults (particularly those aged under 35y) often have high cumulative rates of SARS-CoV-2 infection in the community. Additionally, there is some evidence of robust spread of SARS-CoV-2 in secondary/high schools, and there appears to be more limited spread in primary schools. Some countries with relatively large class sizes in primary schools (e.g. Chile and Israel) reported sizeable outbreaks in some of those schools, though routes of transmission of infection to both students and staff are not clear from current reports.

CONCLUSIONS

Opening secondary/high schools is likely to contribute to the spread of SARS-CoV-2, and, if implemented, it should require both lower levels of community transmission and greater safeguards to reduce transmission. Compared to secondary/high schools, opening primary schools and daycare facilities may have a more limited effect on the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in the community, particularly under smaller class sizes and in the presence of mitigation measures. Efforts to avoid crowding in the classroom and other mitigation measures should be implemented, to the extent possible, when opening primary schools. Efforts should be undertaken to diminish the mixing in younger adults to mitigate the spread of the epidemic in the whole community.

COVID-19 pandemic-a focused review for clinicians

BACKGROUND

The COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 remains a significant issue for global health, economics and society. A wealth of data has been generated since its emergence in December 2019, and it is vital for clinicians to keep up with this data from across the world at a time of uncertainty and constantly evolving guidelines and clinical practice.

OBJECTIVES

Here we provide an update for clinicians on the recent developments in the virology, diagnostics, clinical presentation, viral shedding, and treatment options for COVID-19 based on current literature.

SOURCES

We considered published peer-reviewed papers and non-peer-reviewed pre-print manuscripts on COVID19 and related aspects with an emphasis on clinical management aspects.

CONTENT

We describe the virological characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 and the clinical course of COVID-19 with an emphasis on diagnostic challenges, duration of viral shedding, severity markers and current treatment options.

IMPLICATIONS

The key challenge in managing COVID-19 remains patient density. However, accurate diagnosis as well as early identification and management of high-risk severe cases are important for many clinicians. For improved management of cases, there is a need to understand test probability of serology, qRT-PCR and radiological testing, and the efficacy of available treatment options that could be used in severe cases with a high risk of mortality.

The effects of CYP2C9 and VKORC1 gene polymorphisms on warfarin maintenance dose in Turkish cardiac patients

Aim: Our aim was to examine the effect of CYP2C9 and VKORC1 polymorphisms on warfarin dose requirements in Turkish patients. Materials & methods: 24 warfarin prescribed patients were included and analyzed for eight VKORC1 and 6 CYP2C9 polymorphisms in the study. Results: Patients with CYP2C9 *1/*1 and VKORC1 -1639 GG and GA genotypes required higher warfarin doses in comparison to wild type VKORC1 genotype. Patients with CYP2C9 *1/*3 and VKORC1 -1639 GG genotypes simultaneously, required the lowest dose of warfarin (4.64 mg/day). Patients with CYP2C9 *1/*1 and VKORC1 9041 AA genotype were found to require higher warfarin doses. Conclusion: Our results provide additional evidence to support the hypothesis that CYP2C9 *2, *3, VKORC1 9041 G > A polymorphisms explain considerable proportion of inter-individual variability in warfarin dose requirement.

Evaluation of Cytotoxicity and Mutagenicity of Wastewater from Istanbul: Data from Hospitals and Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant

Wastewater (WW) carry considerable amount of chemicals that could have mutagenic or cytotoxic effect from hospital discharges to aquatic environment. Our objective was to determinate the possible mutagenic and toxic effects of hospital originated WWs and effectiveness of the wastewater treatment plants (WTP) functions. In the study the mutagenic and cytotoxic potential of three hospitals and influent/effluent of a treatment plant WW collected in Istanbul and was examined using AMES, XTT, and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assays. Mutagenic effects were detected at both hospital discharges and advanced biological wastewater plant. We observed no cytotoxic effect in fibroblasts for LDH and XTT assays whereas high cytotoxicity for all samples was found in hepatocytes by XTT assay. According to the results even if advanced technology is used for treatment of WW, mutagenic and cytotoxic effects still remain, and the present technologies need to be further improved.

Knowledge-based isocenter selection in radiosurgery planning

PURPOSE

We present a new method for knowledge-based isocenter selection for treatment planning in radiosurgery. Our objective is to develop a prediction model that can learn from past manually designed treatment plans. We leverage recent advances in deep learning to predict isocenter locations in treatment plans in order to provide a decision support tool.

METHODS

The proposed method adapts a geometric approach using orthogonal moment expansions as a feature vector for describing the shape of the tumor. Our approach accounts primarily for tumor shape and OAR proximity, the two factors that are known to greatly affect the isocenter placement. We solve the prediction problem by training a residual neural network with skip connections on the formed shape descriptors. Our network was trained on 533 patient cases and was validated on a set of out-of-sample cases.

RESULTS

Our method generates heatmap predictions for isocenter locations that are in most cases comparable to the experienced human planners, which shows that the method can be used in treatment planning to guide the users for determining the isocenters.

CONCLUSIONS

Our numerical experiments indicate a positive predictive value on an independent validation set when compared against a test dataset that was not seen by the model during training.

Simultaneous optimization of isocenter locations and sector duration in radiosurgery

Stereotactic radiosurgery is an effective technique to treat brain tumors for which several inverse planning methods may be appropriate. We propose an integer programming model to simultaneous sector duration and isocenter optimization (SDIO) problem for Leksell Gamma Knife^® Icon^TM (Elekta, Stockholm, Sweden) to tractably incorporate treatment time. We devise a Benders decomposition scheme to solve the SDIO problem to optimality. The performances of our approaches are assessed using anonymized data from eight previously treated cases, and obtained treatment plans are compared against each other and against the clinical plans. The plans generated by our SDIO model all meet or exceed clinical guidelines while demonstrating high conformity.

Effects of subcutaneous melatonin implants and short-term intravaginal progestagen treatments on estrus induction and fertility of Kivircik ewes on seasonal anestrus

The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of estrus induction and fertility by using subcutaneous melatonin (MEL, T1) and short-term intravaginal medroxyprogesteronacetate plus pregnant mare serum gonadotropin treatments (sMAP+eCG, T2) in ewes on seasonaly anestrus. In this study, 105 mature clinically healthy Kivircik ewes in anestrus season and 4 rams were used. After synchronization applications, ewes exhibiting estrus signs were hand-mated with rams known to be fertile. Blood samples were collected at different times in order to determine progesterone (P4) concentrations. Results showed that estrus manipulation protocols induced significant improvement in pregnancy rate. All the fertility results obtained with the sMAP+eCG or MEL groups were similar, in seasonal anestrus. The efficacy duration of P4 in the MEL group was longer than that in short-term progestagen group. Plasma P4 concentrations was significantly different between the first (I) and last (III) measurement days (p0.01). Increase in P4 concentration in T2 group was faster than that in T1 group, and blood P4 concentrations at higher levels could successfully be achieved by using any of the protocols in this study during the seasonal anestrus. In conclusion, according to the results obtained, the hormone application groups received very high estrus response. In addition, the twin ratio was found to be higher in T1 group compared to those determined in the other groups (T2 and Control group). Furthermore, plasma P4 concentrations and high birth rates were obtained in ewes in T1 and T2 groups. These procedures can be considered a good alternative to traditional procedures due to its flexibility under field conditions.

Modeling and comparison of alternative approaches for sector duration optimization in a dedicated radiosurgery system

Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is an effective technique to treat brain metastasis for which several inverse planning methods may be appropriate. We compare three different optimization models for segment duration optimization in SRS using Leksell Gamma Knife^® Icon^TM (Elekta, Stockholm, Sweden). We investigate (1) a linear programming approach, (2) a piecewise quadratic penalty approach, and (3) an unconstrained convex moment-based penalty approach. We examine the performances of these approaches using anonymized data from 14 previously treated cases. In addition, we investigate the important modeling question of selecting weights for the objective functions where we use a simulated annealing algorithm to determine these weights for each model. The inverse plans obtained via optimization models are compared against each other and against the clinical plans. The three inverse planning models can all yield optimal treatment plans in a reasonable amount of time and the treatment plans obtained by these models meet or exceed clinical guidelines while displaying high conformity.

Severe Blunt Perineal Trauma in Children: A Retrospective Analysis of 28 Patients

Purpose

The current study was designed to determine the common mechanisms of blunt perineal trauma (BPI) and associated injuries in paediatric patient. The initial management and outcome concerning such injuries are discussed.

Materials and methods

The hospital records of 28 paediatric patients who were treated surgically between April 2004 and November 2010 because of BPI were reviewed retrospectively. The initial clinical examination under conscious sedation (EUCS) in each patient was performed by both an experienced emergency physician and a paediatric surgeon to obtain a complete physical examination.

Results

Among the 28 paediatric patients, twenty-two girls and six boys, aged 2 to 12 years experienced BPI. Fall onto a rough surface was the main cause for BPI in 21 patients (75%) and the rest had a motor vehicle-pedestrian crash. Five patients had concomitant anal or rectal injuries. There were concomitant urinary tract injuries in eight patients of whom three had combined lacerations or contusions of the perineum and disruption of the posterior urethra. There was concomitant complete rupture of proximal urethra from bladder in one patient. The remaining 4 patients with urinary tract injuries suffered from periurethral lacerations. The fifteen patients without anorectal or urethral injuries had concomitant vaginal or vulvar lacerations.

Conclusion

All paediatric patients who sustained severe BPI should be checked for multi-system trauma and those undergone routine EUCS to evaluate the extent of concomitant injuries should pay particular attention to the anorectal and urogenital tracts. Primary repair of such injuries is often recommended as the initial treatment of choice.

Effects of melatonin implantation on the fertility potentials of Kivircik and Charollais ewes and rams during the non-breeding season

This study examined the effect of melatonin implantation during the non-breeding season on the reproductive performance of ewes and the testicular dimensions of rams. In seasonally anestrus Kivircik and Charollais ewes and rams were subjected to melatonin. Estrus response was significantly higher in treated than control ewes of both breeds (p<0.001). The pregnancy rate was significantly lower (p<0.001) in the control than in the treated animals. The twinning rate was significantly lower in melatonin implanted Kivircik than Charollais ewes (p<0.05). The testicular dimensions after 42 days of melatonin treatment increased in both breeds. Scrotal length (SL) increased in Kivircik and Charollais rams (p<0.01). The increase in scrotal circumference (SC) was more marked in the Charollais (P<0.01) than in the Kivircik rams. There was a large increase in testicular volume (TV) in both Kivircik (p<0.01) and Charollais (p<0.001) rams. This study shows that melatonin implants can be applied to induce estrus in ewes approximately four months earlier than breeding season. Melatonin implantation in the non-breeding season significantly increased testicular dimensions in Kivircik and Charollais rams thus increasing their reproductive potential.

Leucemia inhibitory factor; investigating the time-dependent effect on viability of vitrified bovine embryos

Leucemia inhibitory factor (LIF) is involved in various reproductive processes, including sperm development, regulation of ovulation, as well as blastocyst formation, hatching and implantation in embryos. Moreover, LIF has also been shown significantly to enhance the blastocyst formation rates of bovine embryos, a finding that remains controversial. Our purpose was to investigate time-dependent effect of LIF on bovine embryo culture, especially in terms of addition timing. Presumptive zygotes were cultured in five different groups. In this study, 100 ng/ml LIF was added to the culture medium were as follows; control: SOF alone, group A: at day 0 (fertilization day), group B: at day 4 post-insemination (p.i.), group C: at day 4 to 7 (p.i. before vitrification) and group D: at day 8 (p.i. after thawing). Addition of LIF to the culture medium at day 4 significantly increased the percentage of blastocyst rate when compared day 0, day 4 at 6/7 and control group (41.8% versus 24.3%, 19.7%, 34.6%). In conclusion, the addition of LIF only on day 4 (p.i.) to the culture medium was found to be beneficial for bovine embryonic development based on several measures, including blastocysts rate, re-expansion rate and cellular cryotolerance after vitrification.

Comparison of sexual performance and testicular characteristics of melatonin treated Kivircik and Charollais rams during the non-breeding season

ABSTRACT This study was conducted to investigate the effects of melatonin implantation on basic testicular characteristics and reproductive performance of Kivircik and Charollais rams and ewes during the non-breeding season. In this study, 8 Kivircik and 6 Charollais rams were used. Rams were implanted with 54 mg melatonin according to the manufacturer's instructions. At melatonin implantation and at ram introduction the reproductive performance and testicular characteristics were evaluated. Throughout the experimental period, rams were permanently kept outdoors under conditions of natural day length and at ambient temperature. The effects of exogenous melatonin treatments on the reproductive performances of rams and ewes, estrus response, pregnancy rate, litter size and twinning rate of ewes were evaluated in all groups. Libido values were significantly higher in Charollais rams compared to Kivircik rams (P<0.001). Testicular volume (TV) was increased in both ram breeds. Scrotal length (SL) was also increased in both Kivircik and Charollais rams (P<0.01). In conclusion, we showed that the treatment of rams with slow release melatonin implants increased scrotal diameters and testicular volumes in both Kivircik and Charollais rams. Furthermore, melatonin implantation improved the reproductive performances of ewes naturally mated with these melatonin implanted rams during non-breeding season.

32 ALLOCATION OF INNER CELL MASS AND TROPHECTODERM CELLS OF NUCLEAR TRANSFER EMBRYOS CULTURED IN MEDIUM SUPPLEMENTED WITH EPIDERMAL GROWTH FACTOR AND INSULIN-LIKE GROWTH FACTOR-I

This study was conducted to determine the additive effects of exogenous growth factors and different macromolecules during in vitro oocyte maturation (IVM) and sequential embryo culture of nuclear transfer (NT) embryos. Oocytes were matured in TCM-199 supplemented with 10% fetal calf serum (FCS), 50 mg mL–1 sodium pyruvate, 1% penicillin/streptomycin (10 000 U mL–1 penicillin G, 10 000 mg mL–1 streptomycin), 5 mg mL–1 LH, and 0.5 mg mL–1 FSH without growth factors (Treatment 1) or with 50 ng mL–1 epidermal growth factor (EGF; Treatment 2) or with 50 ng mL–1 EGF and 100 ng mL–1 insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-1; Treatment 3). Cloned bovine embryos were produced by transferring granulosa cells into enucleated meiosis II oocytes. Following activation, reconstructed embryos were cultured in Quinn's Advantage Cleavage Medium (QACM) supplemented with 8 mg mL–1 essentially fatty-acid free (FAF) BSA for 72 h. Then, developing embryos from granulosa cells were cultured in Sequential Quinn's Advantage Blastocyst Medium (QABM) supplemented with 4 mg mL–1 essentially FAF-BSA (Sigma-Aldrich, St. Louis, MO, USA) + 5% FCS (Group 1), 4 mg mL–1 BSA + 5% FCS+100 ng mL–1 IGF 1 (Group 2), and 4 mg mL–1 BSA + 5% FCS+100 ng mL–1 IGF-1+50 ng mL–1 EGF (Group 3) for an additional 5 days under low oxygen tension (5% CO2, 5% O2, 90% N2) at 38.5°C in high humidity conditions. Maturation rates of oocytes matured in the presence of EGF (75.5%) and EGF+IGF-I combination (75.0%) were significantly higher than those of oocytes matured (63.8%) in the presence of only FCS (P < 0.05). The developing NT embryos derived from granulosa cells of the Anatolian Grey Cattle showed no significant differences in fusion (53.62%, 53.25%, 57.36%), cleavage (67.98%, 74.20%, 66.80%), or blastocyst rates (32.65%, 29.47%, 41.77%) among culture groups (P > 0.05). When 13 to 23 embryos per group were examined by using differential staining, the results showed that the IGF-I alone and combination with EGF in the sequential embryo culture medium (Group 2: 46.61%. and Group 3: 41.37%) significantly increased the number of inner cell mass (ICM)/total blastocyst cell ratio in comparison with Group 1 (29.32%, no IGF-I and EGF; P < 0.05). Our results showed that the addition of growth factors to IVM medium and sequential culture medium changed the cell ration of cloned bovine embryos to the advance of ICM without changing total cell number. Supplementation of media with growth factors can alter the allocation of ICM and trophectoderm cells in NT embryos.

Acquisition and extinction under periodic reinforcement

This study reexamined the processes of acquisition and extinction under periodic reinforcement. During the first phase of the experiment, pigeons were exposed to a fixed-interval schedule either 40 or 80 s long. During the second phase, each session started with the fixed-interval schedule but changed to extinction at an unpredictable moment. The results showed that during phase 1 the curve for the average rate of pecking along the interval rotated across sessions, that is, the rate immediately after food decreased, whereas the rate at the end of the interval increased. The initial and terminal rates approached their steady state at different speeds. During the extinction trials of phase 2, behavior was characterized by pause-peck oscillations with a period slightly longer than the fixed-interval duration. These findings concerning acquisition and extinction under periodic reinforcement were then compared with the predictions of some current theories of timing.

Evaluation of antioxidative/oxidative status and prolidase parameters in cases of inguinal hernia with joint hypermobility syndrome

PURPOSE

Most previous reports have shown that the basic mechanism of inguinal hernia involves insufficient collagen strength and metabolism. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether joint hypermobility is involved in the development of inguinal hernia in children and to investigate oxidative stress parameters and prolidase activity in tissue samples from children with inguinal hernia.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study involving 41 patients (age, 6.36 ± 2.96 years) with inguinal hernia treated in the pediatric surgery department of our institution and 40 age- and sex-matched controls (age, 6.02 ± 3.13 years) was performed from May to December 2011. Joint hypermobility was assessed using the Beighton criteria in all patients. Hernia sacs were analyzed with respect to the total antioxidative/oxidative status and prolidase activity. The patients were divided into two groups (inguinal hernia with and without hypermobility) according to a Beighton score cut-off of ≥6.

RESULTS

A total of 81 subjects aged 3-10 years participated. The ratio of joint hypermobility was significantly higher in patients than in controls (p = 0.01). The prolidase activity, total oxidant status, and oxidative stress index were higher in tissue samples from patients with joint hypermobility (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Our results show that joint hypermobility syndrome is associated with inguinal hernia in children and that increased prolidase activity and oxidative stress in tissue samples from patients with joint hypermobility syndrome are related to collagen tissue damage and turnover.

Role of Oxidative Stress in the Clinical Outcome of Patients with Multiple Blunt Trauma

OBJECTIVE: This prospective study evaluated serum total oxidant status (TOS), total antioxidant status (TAS) and oxidative stress index (OSI), along with the Revised Trauma Score (RTS) and Injury Severity Score (ISS), as predictors of clinical outcome in the early post-traumatic period in patients with multiple blunt trauma (MBT). METHODS: The study included 52 patients admitted to the emergency department with MBT and 40 age-and sex-matched healthy control subjects. RESULTS: The overall MBT patient mortality was 32.7% (17/52). There was no significant association between age and mortality in MBT patients, but there was a negative correlation between mortality and RTS, and a positive correlation between mortality and ISS. TOS levels were significantly higher in nonsurvivors compared with survivors. There was no correlation between TAS or OSI and survival. ISS and RTS showed positive and negative correlations with TOS level, respectively, but neither was significantly related to TAS or OSI. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that TOS, as an early oxidative stress biomarker, may be an objective alternative criterion to the ISS and RTS for managing patients with MBT during the early period following traumatic injury.

The discrimination of relative frequency by pigeons

Five experiments addressed the issue of how pigeons learn to discriminate the relative frequency of stimuli. During a sampling period, three different stimuli (keylights) were presented serially, in mixed order, and with different frequencies. During a choice period, the stimuli were presented simultaneously, and reinforcement was arranged for choosing the stimulus that was presented the least number of times during the sample. The results showed that (a) the overall proportion of correct choices was always above chance levels; (b) the likelihood of a correct choice decreased with the serial position of the correct stimulus, a negative recency effect; (c) when the last three stimuli of the sample were constrained to be one of each kind, the negative recency effect decreased but errors became more likely when the correct stimulus occurred early in the sample, a negative primacy effect; (d) accurate performance generalized to new and larger samples; and (e) under some conditions the probability of a correct choice was independent of the serial position of the correct stimulus. The serial position curves suggest that in a least frequent discrimination task, two processes determine how the least frequent stimulus controls behavior: a passive decay process (the stimulus loses its effectiveness with time since its last occurrence), and a residual salience process (when the stimulus occurs in the first position it may decay to a higher asymptote than when it occurs in later positions.