BACKGROUND:Use of a hookah (a type of water pipe) is a traditional way of smoking tobacco, particularly in the Middle East. In Turkey, its popularity has been growing in recent years, especially among young people. It is known that cigarette smoking ...

Sertraline, a leading antidepressant in the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) group of medicine, is the most frequently prescribed drug. In this study, the alkaline comet assay and the cytokinesis‐block micronucleus (CBMN) assay were used to investigate genotoxicity potential of sertraline in the peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) of acute and chronic sertraline‐treated Wistar albino rats. Male Wistar albino rats (n = 48) were administered low, medium and high doses of sertraline (10, 40, 80 mg/kg) for acute and chronic treatment by employing the gavage method to investigate genotoxicity of the administered drug. The data (tail length, tail intensity and tail moment) were analysed and indicated that there was no statistically significant difference between sertraline‐treated groups and the negative control group with respect toDNAdamage (p > 0.05). However, it was observed that acute sertraline administration had caused much moreDNAdamage in comparison with chronic treatment (p < 0.05). According to the data obtained from theCBMNtest, an increase in the micronucleus (MN) frequency was detected at chronic and high‐dose acute sertraline treatment. Based on the outcome of comet assay, detection of statistically insignificantDNAdamage may be due to the fact that sertraline did not cause damage onDNA. Also, increase in frequency ofMNin chronic sertraline treatment suggests that chronic sertraline administration might influence some mechanisms of cell division. Therefore, dose adjustment in depressed patients seems significant as it may help prevent further prognosis of the diseases.

In conventional clinical toxicology practice, the blood level of carboxyhemoglobin is a biomarker of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning but does not correspond to the complete clinical picture and the severity of the poisoning. Taking into account articles suggesting the relationship between oxidative stress parameters and CO poisoning, it seems reasonable to consider this topic more broadly, including experimental biochemical data (oxidative stress parameters) and patients poisoned with CO. This article aimed to critically assess oxidative-stress-related parameters as potential biomarkers to evaluate the severity of CO poisoning and their possible role in the decision to treat. The critically set parameters were antioxidative, including catalase, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl, glutathione, thiol and carbonyl groups. Our preliminary studies involved patients (n = 82) admitted to the Toxicology Clinical Department of the University Hospital of Jagiellonian University Medical College (Kraków, Poland) during 2015–2020. The poisoning was diagnosed based on medical history, clinical symptoms, and carboxyhemoglobin blood level. Blood samples for carboxyhemoglobin and antioxidative parameters were collected immediately after admission to the emergency department. To evaluate the severity of the poisoning, the Pach scale was applied. The final analysis included a significant decrease in catalase activity and a reduction in glutathione level in all poisoned patients based on the severity of the Pach scale: I°–III° compared to the control group. It follows from the experimental data that the poisoned patients had a significant increase in level due to thiol groups and the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl radical, with no significant differences according to the severity of poisoning. The catalase-to-glutathione and thiol-to-glutathione ratios showed the most important differences between the poisoned patients and the control group, with a significant increase in the poisoned group. The ratios did not differentiate the severity of the poisoning. The carbonyl level was highest in the control group compared to the poisoned group but was not statistically significant. Our critical assessment shows that using oxidative-stress-related parameters to evaluate the severity of CO poisoning, the outcome, and treatment options is challenging.

ÖZ Rheum türleri tıbbi öneme sahiptir. Rheum ribes L. yerel olarak ışkın, uçkun ve uşgun olarak bilinmektedir. Genellikle Lübnan’da, İran’da ve Türkiye’nin doğusunda yetişmektedir. Rheum ribes L. bitkisinin çeşitli bölümlerinden elde edilmiş ekstraktlar birçok hastalığın tedavisinde kullanılmaktadır. Bu çalışmada, Rheum ribes L. ekstraktının hazırlanması, elde edilen toz ekstraktlarının Avrupa Farmakopesi’ne uygun olarak toz kontrollerinin yapılması, hazırlanan ekstraktın sert jelatin kapsül formülasyonunun elde edilmesi ve Rheum ribes L. ektstraktını içeren sert jelatin kapsüllerin kapsül kalite kontrol çalışmalarının yapılması, bitkisel ekstraktın in vitro olarak antioksidan özellik gösterip göstermediği incelenmiştir. Sert jelatin kapsüllere dolumu gerçekleştirilen Rheum ribes L. ekstraktlarında yığın dansitesi, sıkıştırılmış dansite, sıkıştırılabilirlik indeksi, hausner oranı, akış süresi, yığın açısı tayini, elek analizi; dolumu yapılan sert jelatin kapsüllere ise dağılma testi, ağırlık sapması testi yapılmıştır. Bitki ekstraktının antioksidan aktivitesi DPPH metodu ile ölçülmüştür. Elde edilen sonuçlara göre yığın açısı 26,66 ± 0.33 ̊ yığın dansitesi 0,37±0,06 g/ml, sıkıştırılmış dansite 0,46±0,09 g/ml, elek analizinin sonucuna göre d50: 214,734±12,36 µm, d90: 43,99±2,92 µm bulunmuş olup, yapılan dağılma testinde ise suni mide vasatında 1 dakika 12 saniyede, suni barsak vasatında 2 dakika 10 saniyede kapsüller dağılma göstermiştir, dolumları yapılan kapsüllerde ağırlık sapması 250,16±1.85 mg’dır. Rheum ribes L. ekstraktının IC50’si 74,1±4,8 µg /mL olarak bulunmuştur. Elde edilen verilere göre, Avrupa Farmakopesi baz alındığında kapsüllere dolum yapılan tozun akışkanlığı mükemmel, elek analizi sonucuna göre tozun inceliği çok kaba toz olarak bulunmuştur. Bu sonuçlara göre; Rheum ribes L. ekstraktı içeren sert jelatin kapsüllerin formülasyon açısından bir sorun teşkil etmediği ve piyasada gıda takviyesi olarak kullanılabileceği düşünülmektedir. Anahtar Kelimeler: Rheum ribes L., sert jelatin kapsül, oksidatif stres, kalite kontrol, Işkın

Objective: The mainly significant reason in the etiology of lung cancer is smoking, which is important in other environmental pollutants and genetic susceptibility. Lung cancer is separated two major groups as mainly non-small cell and small cell according to the growth rate, spread, timing of metastasis, response to chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) constitutes the highest rate with 50-80% in gene mutations which are prognostic value in lung cancer. Many studies have shown that EGFR is overexpressed in lung cancer. In our study, we aimed to investigate the relationship between EGFR gene exon 21 L858R mutations in lung cancer. Material and Methods: Our sample consisted of a healthy group of 190 healthy volunteers with the same age and gender characteristics as the patient group of 178 patients who were diagnosed as lung cancer in the Mersin University Medical Faculty Oncology clinic. The DNAs were obtained according to the standard salt precipitation method. Mutation detection and genotyping analyzes were identified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analyzes. Results: Smoking was one of the other risk factors for lung cancer, 130 (68.33%) in the control group and 156 (87.5%) in the lung cancer group. 27 person of the lung cancer (15%) were female and 151 (85%) were male. In the control group, 92 people (48.33%) were in the wild genotype and 98 persons were in the mutant genotype (51.66%). In the lung cancer group 80 (45%) were wild-type and 98 (55%) were mutant genotypes. According to the histopathological types of lung cancer, EGFR-21 mutation heterozygous or homozygous carriers are proportionally compatible (p = 0.90). Conclusion: According to our findings, the EGFR-21 mutation is not associated with histopathological types of lung cancer.

Epilepsy is a widespread neurological disorder affecting over 70 million individuals globally, with approximately 4.9 million new cases diagnosed annually. Despite extensive research, the underlying mechanisms of epilepsy remain poorly defined. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, non-coding RNA molecules that play significant roles in the regulation of gene expression and have been increasingly implicated in the pathogenesis of neurological disorders, such as epilepsy. This study aimed to identify novel candidate miRNAs associated with epilepsy and evaluate their diagnostic potential. The expression profiles of 84 miRNAs were analyzed in plasma samples from 20 epilepsy patients and 25 controls using Real-Time Quantitative Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (Real-Time qRT-PCR) on the BioMarkTM 96.96 Dynamic Array (Fluidigm Corporation) system. In the epilepsy group, a total of 44 miRNAs exhibited decreased expression compared to the control group, of which 24 were statistically significant. In particular, 18 miRNAs showed a highly significant decrease in their expression levels ( p < 0.0001). Some of these miRNAs that showed the most significant decreases are: hsa-let-7e-5p, hsa-miR-105-5p, hsa-miR-106b-5p, hsa-miR-107, hsa-miR-125b-5p. In the epilepsy group, a total of 40 miRNAs showed increased expression compared to the control group, among which 28 were statistically significant. Notably, 23 miRNAs showed a highly significant increase in their expression levels ( p < 0.0001). Among these miRNAs, some of the most significantly increased ones are: hsa-miR-101-3p, hsa-miR-130a-3p, hsa-miR-132-3p, hsa-miR-146a-5p, hsa-miR-146b-5p. These findings suggest that miRNAs hold significant potential as innovative, non-invasive biomarkers for the early detection and diagnosis of epilepsy, offering a promising avenue for advancing clinical practices.