No abstract

SARS CoV-2 is a novel coronavirus which has caused many deaths in the recent pandemic. This study aimed to determine zinc, copper and magnesium status on pregnant women with COVID-19. 100 healthy (33/32/35) and 100 SARS-CoV-2 positive (34/33/33) pregnant women were included in the study according to their trimesters. Blood samples were obtained from the patients along with the initial laboratory tests for clinical outcomes upon their first admission to hospital. In the first and third trimesters serum zinc level was lower (p:0,004 and p:0,02), serum copper level was higher (p:0,006 and p:0,008), the Zn / Cu ratio decreased(p < 0.0001 and p < 0.0001) and the serum magnesium level was higher(p < 0.0001 and p < 0.0001) in the COVID-19 group.In the second trimester COVID-19 patients had lower serum zinc (p:0,05) and copper levels (p:0,0003) compared to controls. Disease severity correlated with zinc/copper ratio in COVID19 patients (p:0.018, r:-0.243). Serum zinc and Zn/Cu ratio levels had a negative relationship with acute phase markers such as IL-6, Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate, procalcitonin and Creactive Protein. Also, increased serum magnesium level may play a role in decreased white blood cell, neutrophil, lymphocyte cell count and increased CRP levels in the third trimester. This study indicated that trace element status changed in pregnant women with COVID-19. The effect of trace elements on pregnant women diagnosed with COVID-19 infection was investigated in comparison with healthy pregnant women for the first time. This effect will be revealed better in more comprehensive studies to be planned in the future.

Abstract. The purpose of the study was to investigate whether carvedilol has an antiproliferative effect alone and whether carvedilol provides an additive, synergistic or antagonistic effect on imatinib mesylate-induced cytotoxicity in both C6 glioma monolayer and spheroid culture. The C6 rat glioma chemoresistant experimental brain tumour cell line, that is notoriously difficult to treat with combination chemotherapy, was used both in monolayer and spheroid cultures. We treated C6 glioma cells with carvedilol alone and a combination of carvedilol and imatinib mesylate at a concentration of 10 μM. Following treatment, we evaluated cell proliferation index, bromodeoxyuridine labelling index (BrDU-LI), cell cycle distributions, apoptotic cell percentages, cAMP levels and three dimensional cell morphology at monolayer cultures. In addition BrDU-LI, volume and morphology of spheroids were also assessed. Carvedilol and imatinib mesylate alone reduced cell number, BrDU-LI, cAMP levels and spheroid volume. Carvedilol and imatinib mesylate arrested cells at G0/ G1 phase in a time-dependent manner and time-independent manner, respectively. Carvedilol increased apoptosis rate only at the 24th h, but imatinib mesylate did for all time intervals. Interestingly carvedilol, drug with well-known protective effect on mitochondria, induced severe mitochondria damage, and imatinib mesylate induced autophagy confirmed only by transmission electron microscopy. These results suggest that carvedilol showed antitumour activity against rat C6 glioma cells and a combination of carvedilol with imatinib mesylate resulted in enhanced in vitro antitumour activity.

Cancer incidence and mortality rates have been increasing in Turkey as most of the developing countries. Besides socioeconomic factors, one of the most prominent attributes of developing countries is the dissimilarity of their age-dependent demographic structure. In Turkey, cancer incidence rates rise due to individual and environmental risk factors as well as due to the improvement in the registry system and to increase in access to health services. According to the data retrieved from the Ministry of Health Department of Cancer Control database cancer incidence rates increased between 2002 and 2005. Incidence rates rose from 133.78 per 100 thousand in 2002 to 173.85 per 100 thousand in 2005. Between 2002 and 2005 the average growth rate of increase for men comes about 9.7%, which is higher than 8.6% for women leading to the widening of incidence gap between man and women. First five frequent cancer types in Turkey are lung (30.13), prostate (24.33), skin (18.91), breast (17.96), stomach (9.92) cancer with an incidence of per 100 thousand. Cancer incidence growth rates for men exceed the cancer incidence growth rate for women. This gap is resulting mainly from lung cancer incidence which is much higher for men. Further extension of the nationwide cancer screening and prevention programs will result in improvement of cancer control.

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) has been established as an important mediator in renal ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury. Leptin, a product of the ob gene, has been known to exhibit cytoprotective effects on renal tissue, but its effect on renal tissue TNF-alpha level after renal I/R injury in rats remains unknown. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effects of leptin on renal tissue TNF-alpha, malondialdehyde (MDA), protein carbonyls (PCs) and total sulfydryl group (SH) levels, and plasma nitrite levels after renal I/R injury in rats. The animals were divided into three groups: control, I/R and I/R+leptin. Rats were subjected to renal ischemia by clamping the left pedicle for 45 min, and then reperfused for 1 h. The I/R+leptin group was pretreated intraperitoneally with leptin (10 microg/kg) 30 min before the induction of ischemia. Our results indicate that MDA, TNF-alpha levels, and PCs were significantly higher in the I/R group than those in the control group (p < 0.05). The administration of leptin decreased these parameters (p < 0.05) significantly. The SH level was observed to significantly decrease after I/R injury when compared to the control group (p < 0.05). Leptin treatment significantly increased tissue SH and plasma nitrite levels when compared to the I/R group (p < 0.05). Plasma nitrite levels did not change significantly in I/R when compared to the control. These results suggest that leptin could exert a protective effect on I/R induced renal damage by decreasing TNF-alpha levels and increasing nitrite level.