Cansu Köseoğlu Toksoy, Hayri Demirbaş, Erhan Bozkurt, Hakan Acar, and Ülkü Türk Börü. Korean J Pain 2021;34:241-5. https://doi.org/10.3344/kjp.2021.34.2.241

We investigated the antioxidant effects of vitamin E on a glucocorticoid (GC) induced model of cataracts in chick embryos. We used 70 fertilized eggs divided into seven groups as follows: phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) group, olive oil treatment (OO) group, hydrocortisone treatment (HC) group, olive oil and hydrocortisone treatment (OO + HC) group, 50 mg/kg vitamin E and hydrocortisone treatment (HC + VE (50)) group, 25 mg/kg vitamin E and hydrocortisone treatment (HC + VE (25)) group and 15 mg/kg vitamin E and hydrocortisone treatment (HC + VE (15)) group. On day 17, chick embryos were removed from the eggs and lens and liver tissues were excised. Cataract formation was evaluated and total antioxidant status (TAS), total oxidant status (TOS), malondialdehyde (MDA) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) were measured in lens and liver tissues; MDA was measured only in liver. The lenses in the HC + VE (50) group exhibited significantly higher levels of GPx and TAS, and lower levels of TOS than for HC and OO + HC groups. The livers of the HC + VE (50) group exhibited significantly higher levels of GPx and lower levels of MDA than for the HC and OO + HC groups. The HC + VE (50) group lenses were evaluated as grade 1, because the nuclei were completely free of cataracts, likely due to the antioxidative effect of high dose VE. VE is an effective antioxidant agent that exhibits a dose-response effect, for ameliorating the negative effects of GCs.

Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is a metabolic disease characterized by hyperglycemia. Chronic hyperglycemia is associated with long-term dysfunction such as retinopathy, nephropathy, neuropathy and cardiovascular diseases. These complications increase rates of death and disability worldwide. Due to the negative effects of DM on the quality of life, the mechanism and treatments of the disease should be investigated in more detail. Most of the research in diabetes is performed in experimental animals. Experimental animal models contributed to the advancement of clinical research, the development of new therapeutic approaches, the discovery of insulin and the purification of insulin. There are many animal models of DM in the literature. But there are a few DM model studies created with chick embryos. In these studies, it was seen that there were differences in STZ doses and STZ administration techniques. The objective of this study was to create a more acceptable and easier DM model. 180 specific pathogen free (SPF) fertilized chicken eggs (White Leghorn chicken) were used in this study. STZ was administered to 160 SPF eggs for an induced DM model. The remaining 20 SPF eggs were separated as a control group. We used two different DM models (Air sack model (ASM) and Chorioallantoic membrane model (CAMM)) and blood sampling technique in our study. 160 SPF eggs were divided into two groups with 80 eggs in each group, according to the model in which STZ was administered. When the relationship between blood glucose and blood insulin levels were examined, it was determined that there was a significantly strong negative correlation in the control group and ASM 1 group; and a significantly very strong negative correlation was found in the ASM 2 group and ASM 3 group. Our data indicate that the optimal STZ dose to create a DM model was 0.45 mg/egg and the best DM model was ASM. The second technique to be the best blood sampling technique for determining blood glucose levels. We believe that ASM can be used in DM studies and anti-DM drug studies in terms of its easebly, applicability, reproducibility and low cost.

We sought to evaluate neurologic symptoms and findings in patients with COVID-19 infection hospitalized in a ward and intensive care unit (ICU).This study was designed as a prospective study. Hospi...