The effect of taxifolin on cisplatin-induced oxidative pulmonary damage was investigated biochemically and histopathologically in male albino Wistar rats. There were four groups, with six animals in each group: 50 mg/kg of taxifolin plus 2.5 mg/kg of cisplatin (TC) group, 2.5 mg/kg of cisplatin only (CIS) group, 50 mg/kg of taxifolin only (TG) group, and a healthy control group (HG). In terms of the experimental procedure, the animals in the TC and TG groups were first treated via oral gavage. The CIS and HG groups received distilled water as solvent, respectively. One hour later, the TC and CIS groups received cisplatin at a dose of 2.5 mg/kg (injected intraperitoneally). Taxifolin, cisplatin, and the distilled water were administered at the indicated dose and volume, using the same method daily for 14 d. At the end of this period, the animals were killed with a high dosage of thiopental anaesthesia (50 mg/kg). Blood and lung tissue samples were taken for biochemical (malondialdehyde (MDA), myeloperoxidase (MPO), total glutathione (tGSH), and 8-hydroxy-2 deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG)) analyses and histopathological examinations. The biochemical and histopathological results in the TC and HG groups were then compared with those in the CIS group. Cisplatin increased the levels of MDA, myeloperoxidase, and 8-OHdG, a marker of oxidative DNA damage, and reduced the amount of tGSH in the lung tissue. Moreover, severe alveolar damage, including oedema and extensive alveolar septal fibrosis, in addition to infiltration of polymorphic nuclear leucocytes and haemorrhagic foci, was observed in the CIS group. These histopathological findings demonstrate that taxifolin provides protection against pulmonary oxidative stress by preventing increases in oxidant parameters and decreases in antioxidants.

Desflurane is a mainstay of general inhaled anesthetics with a methyl ethyl ether structure and is widely used in clinical practice. It has been reported to induce inflammation and lipid peroxidation in rat pulmonary parenchyma, to increase alveolar macrophages, and to cause peribronchial infiltration and edema. Rutin, a flavonoid vitamin P1, is known to have biological properties including acting as an antioxidant, an anti-inflammatory, and an inhibitor of bronchoalveolar polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PNL) infiltration. The aim of this study is to examine the effects of rutin on desflurane-induced pulmonary injury using biochemical and histopathological methods. The rats were divided into 3 groups (n = 6 each): healthy control (HC), rutin+desflurane-treated (DRT) and desflurane-only (DSF). Briefly, 50 mg/kg of rutin was given orally to the DRT group and an equal volume of normal saline was given to the DSF and HC groups. After 1 h, anesthesia was induced and maintained in the DRT and DSF groups for 2 h. After the rats had been sacrificed, the lungs were removed. Malondialdehyde (MDA), total glutathione (GSH), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) levels were measured in the excised lung tissue. The removed tissues were also fixed in 10% formalin, and the obtained sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and evaluated under light microscopy. The biochemical and histopathological results of the DRT group were compared with those obtained from the DSF and HC groups. Desflurane increased MDA, TNF-α and NF-κB, and decreased GSH in lung tissue. The PNL infiltration, alveolar macrophages, hemorrhage, alveolar damage, and edema were observed in the lung tissue of the DSF group. Rutin was histopathologically shown to protect lung tissue from oxidative stress by preventing an increase in oxidant parameters and a decrease in antioxidants. The results suggest that rutin may be useful in the treatment of desflurane-associated lung injury.

Cytarabine is effectively used in the treatment of adult acute leukemia, but it has a dose-limiting side effect of fatal pulmonary oedema because it increases the vascular permeability of the alveolar capillaries. The aim of the present study was to conduct a radiological, biochemical and histopathological investigation of the effect of rutin on cytarabine-associated pulmonary oedema in rats. Rats were treated with a combination of rutin+cytarabine by administering oral rutin at a dose of 50 mg/kg; other rat groups were orally administered the same volume of physiological saline. One hour after administration of rutin or saline, the rutin+cytarabine and cytarabine groups received an intraperitoneal injection of cytarabine (200 mg/kg). This administration procedure was repeated once a day for 14 days. Radiologically, 50% of the animals given cytarabine alone showed lung oedema, but the rutin+cytarabine group showed no oedema. The inclusion of rutin decreased the amounts of cytarabine-associated malondialdehyde, tumour necrosis factor-α, and nuclear factor-κB in the lung tissue. Rutin also inhibited the reduction of total glutathione by nitric oxide. These findings suggest that rutin may be a beneficial adjunct that can minimise the development of cytarabine-associated pulmonary oedema.

The aim of this study was to assess the impact of coronaphobia on treatment and follow-up compliance in cancer patients. The records of 230 cancer patients were reviewed. Coronaphobia was assessed ...

The most important factors in development of symptoms such as allergic asthma, rhinitis, conjunctivitis, and dermatitis in atopic persons are the allergens of house dust mites. The objective of this study was to compare living rooms and bedrooms, and woolen and spring mattresses in terms of the number and species of mites in houses in the province of Erzincan, Turkey. In total, 74 dust samples were collected from living rooms and bedrooms of 37 randomly selected houses from various districts of the city. All examined houses were positive for house dust mites. In total, 5,210 mites were isolated, 1,058 from the living rooms and 4,152 from the bedrooms, and the differences were statistically significant (P < 0.05). Of 4,152 mites detected in bedrooms, 1,330 (32%) were isolated from 31 spring mattresses and 2,822 (68%) from 6 woolen mattresses (P < 0.001). The study identified 14 families, 17 genera, and 16 species belonging to Astigmata, Prostigmata, and Oribatida. Of these, Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Trouessart) was the dominant species: living rooms, 63.3%; bedrooms, 74.4%; woolen mattresses, 84.6%; and spring mattresses, 52.8%. This was followed by Lepidoglyphus destructor (Schrank) (9.8%), Dermatophagoides farinae Hughes (5.1%), Tyrophagus putrescentiae (Schrank) (4.3%), and Acarus siro L. (2.5%) in living rooms; L. destructor (11.2%), Euroglyphus maynei (Cooreman) (4.2%), D. farinae (3.8%), and T. putrescentiae (1.0%) in bedrooms; L. destructor (11.8%), D. farinae (2.1%), E. maynei (0.3%), and T. putrescentiae (0.2%) in woolen mattresses; and E. maynei (12.5%), L. destructor (9.9%), D. farinae (7.5%), and T. putrescentiae (2.7%) in spring mattresses.