Toxic effects of Aroclor 1254 on rat liver and modifying roles of selenium

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were used in different industrial areas and banned due to their high toxicity. Aroclor 1254 (A1254), commercial PCB congener, accumulates in environment leading to high human exposure. A1254 may cause hepatotoxicity, metabolic and endocrine disorders. In our study, 3-week-old male rats were separated into 6 groups: C (0.15 mg/kg Se in diet); SeS (1 mg/kg Se in diet); SeD (0.05 mg/kg Se in diet); A1254 receiving groups (A; ASeS; ASeD) were given 10 mg/kg/day A1254 orally for last 15 days of feeding period with control, SeD or SeS diet, respectively, for 5 weeks. Histopathology, oxidant/antioxidant balance, apoptosis and cell cycle proteins (p53, p21) in liver were evaluated. Our results suggest that A1254 leads to changes in histology, oxidative stress and apoptosis. Selenium deficiency augments oxidative stress and apoptosis while selenium supplementation is partially protective. More mechanistic in vivo experiments are necessary for evaluation of hepatotoxicity of PCBs.

Serum ADAMTS-9 Level in Newborn Babies with Congenital Heart Disease

OBJECTIVE

 A Disintegrin and Metalloproteinase with Thrombospondin-9 (ADAMTS-9), one of the ADAMTS enzymes, is expressed in all fetal tissues, unlike other ADAMTS enzymes, and is thus thought to play a role in fetal development. In this context, the objective of this study is to investigate the relationship between ADAMTS-9 activity and the development of congenital heart diseases (CHD) with a view to using ADAMTS-9 level as a biomarker for CHDs.

STUDY DESIGN

 Newborns diagnosed with CHD and healthy newborns were included in the study as the CHD and control groups, respectively. Gestational age, maternal age, and mode of delivery information pertaining to the mothers and Apgar score and birthweight information pertaining to the newborns were recorded. Blood samples were taken from all newborns to determine their ADAMTS-9 levels in the first 24 hours of life.

RESULTS

 Fifty-eight newborns with CHD and 46 healthy newborns were included in the study. Median ADAMTS-9 levels were 46.57 (interquartile range [IQR]: 33.31 [min: 26.92, max: 124.25]) and 23.36 (IQR: 5.48 [min: 11.7, max: 37.71]) ng/mL in the CHD and control groups, respectively. ADAMTS-9 levels in the CHD group were statistically significantly higher than in the control group (p = 0.000). ADAMTS-9 levels of the CHD and control groups were analyzed by the receiver operating characteristics curve. The area under the curve value for ADAMTS-9 levels of >27.86 ng/mL as the cut-off value for predicting the development of CHD in newborns was 0.836 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.753-0.900, p = 0.0001). ADAMTS-9 levels of >27.86 ng/mL were determined to predict the development of CHD in newborns with a sensitivity of 77.78% (95% CI: 65.5-87.38) and a specificity of 84.78% (95% CI: 71.1-93.60).

CONCLUSION

 In conclusion, it was found that the serum ADAMTS-9 levels were significantly higher in newborns with CHD than in healthy newborns. In parallel, ADAMTS-9 levels above a certain cut-off value were associated with CHD.

KEY POINTS

· ADAMTS-9 is expressed in fetal tissues.. · Its level increases in congenital heart diseases.. · It can be used as a biochemical marker in diagnosis..

Investigation of the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in obese patients diagnosed with metabolic syndrome in childhood and examination of left ventricular function by echocardiography

OBJECTIVES

The objective of this study is to investigate the cardiovascular risk factors associated with metabolic syndrome (MetS), which is increasingly becoming prevalent in childhood obesity.

METHODS

A total of 113 patients, 76 of whom were between the ages of 10 and 17 (mean age: 14.5 ± 1.8 years) and diagnosed with obesity (30 non-MetS and 46 MetS using IDF) and 37 of whom constituted the control group, participated in the study. Echocardiographic examination and atherogenicity parameters (Atherogenic index of plasma [AIP: logTG/HDL], total cholesterol/HDL, and TG/HDL ratio and non-HDL) were evaluated.

RESULTS

The most common component accompanying obese MetS was found to be hypertension and low HDL. While obesity duration, body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, fasting insulin, insulin resistance, atherogenicity parameters were determined to be significantly higher in the obese-MetS group. Echocardiography showed that while the thickness, volume, and diameter of LV end-diastolic wall, left ventricular mass (LVM), LVM index (LVMI g/m²) and relative wall thickness (RWT) were significantly high in the MetS group, however, mitral E/A ratio was significantly lower (p<0.05). Change in LV geometry consistent with concentric remodeling (increased RWT, normal LVMI) was visible in obese groups. LVM were positively significantly related to BMI, waist circumference, insulin resistance, blood pressure, LDL level, and negative to mitral E/A ratio. In the obese-MetS group, LVMI was positively correlated to office systolic BP, left atrium end-diastolic volume/index.

CONCLUSIONS

LVMI and atherogenicity parameters that were found to be significantly higher in obese MetS exhibit increased cardiovascular risk in childhood.

Nasopharyngeal pneumococcal carriage in healthy Turkish children after 13-valent conjugated pneumococcal vaccine implementation in the national immunization program

BACKGROUND

In Turkey, pneumococcal conjugated vaccine (PCV) was introduced to the national immunization program as PCV7 in 2008, and was replaced with PCV13 in 2011. The aims of this study were to investigate the effects of PCV13 on nasopharyngeal pneumococcal carriage (NPC) by determining the serotype distribution, and to identify risk factors for carriage, in healthy Turkish children.

METHODS

This prospective study was conducted on 500 healthy children aged 0-13 years between April and November 2014. Nasopharyngeal swab samples were taken, and molecular method for capsular serotyping was performed by multiplex PCR.

RESULTS

Of 500 children, 43.4% were unvaccinated with a PCV (7- or 13-valent), 56.6% were vaccinated and The NPC rate was found to be 9.8%. Of 49 positive Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates, 26 (53%) were PCV13 vaccine strains (VSs), and 17 (34.7%) were non-VS. Six isolates (12.2%) were not typeable by the method applied. The most common serotypes detected were serotype 3 (18.3%), serotype 19F (14.2%), serotype 6A/B (8.1%), serotype 11A (8.1%), and serotype 15B (8.1%). The total coverage rate of the PCV13 serotypes was 60.4%.

CONCLUSION

A significant decrease in carriage rate was detected within three years after the introduction of PCV13 in Turkey. However, the nasopharyngeal carriage of PCV13 strains was found to be interestingly high.

Low zinc levels may contribute to gynecomastia in puberty

This study aimed to determine whether there were any differences in trace element levels between adolescent boys with gynecomastia and control boys and to determine the correlations between the levels of trace elements and body mass index (BMI) and sex hormones. The pubertal gynecomastia group comprised of 41 patients (mean age=13.2 ±0.9 years), who were admitted to Hacettepe University İhsan Doğramacı Children's Hospital in Ankara. Control group comprised of 21 healthy male children. Analyses of trace element levels were performed atomic absorption spectrometry. The mean zinc level of control group was 101.33±16.87μg/dL and the mean zinc level of gynecomastia group was 81.36±17,43μg/dL (20% lower in gynecomastia patients, p=0.0001). However, the mean copper and manganese levels of gynecomastia patients were not statistically different than the control group. There were significant positive correlations between plasma zinc and total testosterone levels in gynecomastia group (r=0.592; p<0.05). There was a significant negative correlation between plasma zinc levels and BMI (r=-0.311; p<0.05). These results indicate that zinc deficiency might be one of the underlying factors of gynecomastia, the importance of which needs to be further elucidated.

The effects of di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate on rat liver in relation to selenium status

This study was performed to determine the hepatotoxicity of di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) in relation to selenium status. In 3-week-old Sprague-Dawley rats, selenium deficiency was induced by a ≤0.05 selenium mg/kg. A selenium supplementation group was given 1 mg selenium/kg diet for 5 weeks. Di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate-treated groups received 1000 mg/kg dose by gavage during the last 10 days of the experiment. Histopathology, peroxisome proliferation, catalase (CAT) immunoreactivity and activity and apoptosis were assessed. Activities of antioxidant selenoenzymes [glutathione peroxidase 1 (GPx1), glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPx4), thioredoxin reductase (TrxR1)], superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione S-transferase (GST); aminotransferase, total glutathione (tGSH), and lipid peroxidation (LP) levels were measured. Di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate caused cellular disorganization while necrosis and inflammatory cell infiltration were observed in Se-deficient DEHP group (DEHP/SeD). Catalase activity and immunoreactivity were increased in all DEHP-treated groups. Glutathione peroxidase 1 and GPx4 activities decreased significantly in DEHP and DEHP/SeD groups, while GST activities decreased in all DEHP-exposed groups. Thioredoxin reductase activity increased in DEHP and DEHP/SeS, while total SOD activities increased in all DEHP-treated groups. Lipid peroxidation levels increased significantly in SeD (26%), DEHP (38%) and DEHP/SeD (71%) groups. Selenium supplementation partially ameliorated DEHP-induced hepatotoxicity; while in DEHP/SeD group, drastic changes in hepatic histopathology and oxidative stress parameters were observed.

Selenium levels, selenoenzyme activities and oxidant/antioxidant parameters in H1N1-infected children

Selenium (Se) is an essential trace element, and it shows its biological functions within low molecular Se compounds and Se-containing proteins, known as "selenoproteins". Glutathione peroxidases (GPxs) and thioredoxin reductases (TrxRs) are the most important selenoproteins functioning as antioxidant enzymes. These enzymes protect the body from the endogenous products of cellular metabolism that have been implicated in DNA damage, mutagenesis, and carcinogenesis. H1N1 virus is a subtype of the influenza A virus and was an endemic in humans in 2009 and 2010. Taking into account the high incidence of Se deficiency and the high mortality and morbidity rates in H1N1 infection, this study was designed to investigate the plasma and erythrocyte Se levels, selenoenzyme activities and other oxidant/antioxidant parameters in H1N1-infected children during the 2009-2010 pandemic. We observed a significant increase in C-reactive protein levels (245%) and marked decreases in both plasma and erythrocyte Se levels (11%, both) and in GPx1 (45%), GPx3 (16%) and TrxR (30%) activities in H1N1-infected children compared to the control group. In addition, significant decreases were observed in erythrocyte catalase (CAT) (38%), total superoxide dismutase (SOD) (42%) and glutathione S-transferase (GST) (19%) activities and in erythrocyte total glutathione (GSH) (18%) and plasma GSH (10%) concentrations, while marked increases were observed in plasma lipid peroxidation levels (27%). However, we did not find a significant difference in selenoprotein P (SePP) levels between the groups. Our findings show that Se-dependent and -independent blood redox systems are down-regulated in H1N1 influenza. These findings emphasized the critical role of Se as an effective redox regulator and the importance of Se status in infections, particularly in H1N1 influenza.

Predictive values of neutrophil CD64 expression compared with interleukin-6 and C-reactive protein in early diagnosis of neonatal sepsis

BACKGROUND

Despite major advances in the management of newborn infants, neonatal sepsis (NS) remain important causes of neonatal morbidity and mortality in the newborn, mainly among preterm and low birth weight infants.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to investigate the usefulness of neutrophil CD64 expression alone and together with other infection markers in NS.

METHODS

Peripheral blood samples were taken from 109 neonates, who were categorized into three groups: proven or clinical sepsis (n=35); disease without infection (n=42); and healthy controls (n=32). Complete blood count with differential, interleukin-6 (IL-6), C-reactive protein (CRP), and cell surface expression of CD64 on neutrophils have been evaluated in a prospective manner as a diagnostic aid for NS.

RESULTS

Expression of CD64 was significantly enhanced in neonates with sepsis compared with newborns with disease without infection and healthy controls (P=0.001 and P=0.001, respectively). Cutoff values of IL-6, CRP, CD64(MFI), and CD64(i) were 24.9  pg/ml, 4.05  mg/l, 87.7, and 4.39, respectively. Sensitivity-negative predictive values of IL-6, CRP, and CD64(MFI)/CD64(i) were 80.0-90.6%, 80.0-88.8%, and 88.6-94.0%, respectively. Combining all three tests increased the sensitivity to 100%; however, specificity and positive predictive value decreased to 62.1 and 55.5%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

CD64 might be used either alone or combined with IL-6 and CRP for early diagnosis of NS. The advantages of CD64 when compared with IL-6 and CRP are rapid quantitation, very small blood volume required, and easy handling.