Objective:To investigate the effects of thymoquinone (TQ) in a penicillin-induced epilepsy model in rats.Methods:This experimental study included 56 adult male Wistar rats. Experiments were performed in the Research Laboratory of the Department of Physiology, Medical School, Duzce University, Duzce, Turkey, between October 2013 and December 2014. Animals were divided into the following 7 groups: sham, control, only thymoquinone, vehicle (Dimethylsulfoxide), and doses of 10, 50, and 100 mg/kg of TQ. After rats were anesthetized, the left part of the skull was removed. A pair of silver/silver chloride electrodes was placed on the somatomotor area, and electrocorticographic recording was started. After 5 minutes basal activity was recorded, and TQ was applied intraperitoneally. At the thirtieth minute after TQ, epileptiform activity was induced by intracortical penicillin. The first spike latency, spike frequency, and the amplitude of epileptiform activity were analyzed statistically.Results:The different doses of TQ significantly increased the latency time to onset of first spike wave, and decreased the frequency, and amplitude of epileptiform activity in the first 20 minutes compared with the control group.Conclusion:Thymoquinone shows potential as an antiepileptic drug resulting from its effects of prolonged latency time, and reduced spike wave frequency and amplitude of epileptiform activity.

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Aim: Approximately fifty million people in the world suffer from epilepsy, and a large part of these patients are resistant to antiepileptic drugs discovered so far. In addition, side effect profiles of these drugs are very wide. Rapamycin that is an inhibitor of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) has antineoplastic, aging-retarding, and anti-inflammatory effects. The studies regarding the effects of mTOR on nervous system have shown that it has neuro-protective effects. Moreover, it has been reported that use of rapamycin reduces epileptic seizures in tuberous sclerosis patients. In this study we aimed to investigate acute effects of the mTOR inhibitor rapamycin on penicillin-induced experimental epilepsy in rats. Materials and Methods: In this study, a model of forty adult male Wistar rats with penicillininduced experimental epilepsy was used. The forty rats were divided into five groups, which were saline group, solvent (dimethylsulfoxide) group, and 0.1 mg/kg, 0.4 mg/kg and 0.8 mg/kg rapamycin groups. All substances were administered intraperitoneally. After the administration of 1.25 g/kg urethane for anesthesia, the left part of each rat's skull was opened and electrodes were placed on the brain. Electrocorticography recording was initiated. Penicillin was intracortically administered two hours after the administration of rapamycin. After the administration of penicillin, electrocorticographic data were recorded for another two hours. Results: In rapamycin-treated rat groups, administration of 0.4 mg/kg and 0.8 mg/kg rapamycin significantly reduced epileptic spike-wave frequency and amplitude of epileptiform activity. However, when compared in terms of latency no significant difference was found between the groups. Discussion and Conclusion: Acute administration of rapamycin reduced spike-wave frequency and spike-wave amplitude of penicillin-induced epileptiform activity in the rats, and these findings indicate that rapamycin has an antiepileptogenic potential. ÖzetAmaç: Yeryüzünde yaklaşık elli milyon insan epilepsinin pençesindedir ve bu hastaların büyük bir bölümü şimdiye kadar keşfedilmiş antiepileptik ilaçlara karşı dirençlidir. Bunun yanı sıra, bu ilaçların yan etki profilleri de oldukça geniştir. Memelideki rapamisin hedefi (mTOR) inhibitörü olan rapamisin; antineoplastik, yaşlanmayı geciktirici ve antienflamatuvar etkilere sahiptir. mTOR'un sinir sistemi üzerindeki etkilerine dair çalışmalarda ise nöroprotektif etkisinin olduğu gösterilmiştir. Buna ek olarak, tüberoskleroz hastalarında rapamisin kullanımının epileptik nöbetleri azalttığı bildirilmiştir. Bu çalışmanın amacı mTOR inhibitörü rapamisinin sıçanlarda penisilinle oluşturulmuş deneysel epilepsi üzerindeki akut etkisini araştırmaktır. Gereç ve Yöntemler: Bu çalışmada penisilinle oluşturulmuş deneysel epilepsili kırk adet erişkin erkek Wistar sıçan içeren bir model kullanılmıştır. Söz konusu kırk sıçan; salin, çözücü (dimetilsülfoksit), ve de 0,1 mg/kg, 0,4 mg/kg ve 0,8 mg/kg rapamisin grupları olmak üzere beş gruba

(IUIU), in collaboration with Doctors Worldwide (DWW) from Turkey, organized a surgical camp in April 2014. In this camp, different types of hernia repair, among other general surgical procedures were conducted. The target population was the population within the Gombe hospital serving districts. Methods: The defined area for the surgical camp was Butambala and neighboring districts including Mpigi; Gomba, Mityana, and parts of Wakiso district. The IUIU team and Gombe hospital team were respectful to the sensitivities of the community, district and government officials. The surgical team composed of 4 surgeons (three from DWW-Turkey and one from Uganda), 3 Anesthesiologists, (two from DWW-Turkey and one from Uganda), 2 nurses and 2 intern doctor, (one from DWW-Turkey and one from Uganda). Results: The total number of patients operated was 115; however the total number of operations performed was 130. One hundred and fourteen operations were different types of hernia repair. The ages of hernia patients ranged between 1 and 80 years (mean±SD is 27.46±24.55). Hemoglobin values ranged between 9.2 and 17 (mean±SD is 12.5±1.48). Only two (1.8%) of 114 hernia patients had positive results on HIV serology. Sixteen patients underwent circumcision. Of those, only two (12.5%) patients had positive results on HIV serology. Conclusion: Hernia is a common surgical problem in all age groups. It is more common in men. In addition to the operations conducted, the need for surgery for 187 patients was detected. This condition shows that the hernia operation is commonly accepted as a negligible condition.