Although there have been a number of studies on the pathogenesis of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) recently, knowledge on this topic is still insufficient. This study aims to reveal the kinetics of serum CCHF virus (CCHFV) titers, serum levels of anti-CCHFV immunoglobulin (Ig)G, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10, and interferon (IFN)-γ in CCHF patients.In total, 31 CCHF cases (11 fatal) were studied. Serum samples were obtained daily from all patients from the time of admission and continued for a 7-day hospitalization period for serologic (ELISA), virologic (real-time PCR), and cytokine (ELISA) analysis.The mean serum CCHFV titer at admission was 5.5E + 09 copies/mL in fatal cases and 5.7E + 08 copies/mL in survivors (p < 0.001). Compared to survivors, both the mean serum levels of IL-6 and TNF-α at admission were found to be significantly increased in fatal cases. The serum levels of IL-6, TNF-α and serum CCHFV titer at admission were significantly and positively correlated with disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) scores (r = 0.626, p = 0.0002; r = 0.461, p = 0.009; and r = 0.625, p = 0.003, respectively). When the data obtained from the sequential determination of CCHFV titer and levels of anti-CCHFV IgG, IL-6, TNF-α, IL-10 and IFN-γ were grouped according to the days of illness, the initial serum CCHFV titer of a fatal patient was 5.5E + 09 (copies/mL) and it was 6.1E + 09 (copies/mL) in a survivor on the 2 day of illness. While significant alterations were observed in all cytokines during the monitoring period, IL-6 levels remained consistently higher in fatal cases and TNF-α levels increased in both in fatal and non-fatal CCHF cases.The increased CCHFV load and higher concentrations of IL-6 and TNF-α, the presence of DIC, and the absence of CCHFV specific immunity are strongly associated with death in CCHF.
Acanthamoeba is a free-living amoeba causing a potentially blinding infection of the cornea. Acanthamoeba keratitis is difficult to treat, without total efficacy in some patients because of cysts that are less susceptible than trophozoites to the usual treatments. Contact lens wearers are most at risk and account for some 95% of cases. Cationic steroid antibiotic (CSA)-13 is a small molecule aminosterol that has been shown to mimic the activity of endogenous antimicrobial peptides and has bactericidal activity based on membrane disruption. We investigated here the in vitro effectiveness of CSA-13 with a concentration of 100, 75, 50, and 25 mg/mL on proliferation of Acanthamoeba castellanii trophozoites and cysts and cytotoxic potential. CSA-13 was evaluated for its amoebicidal activity using an inverted light microscope at 1, 2, 4, 8, 12, and 24 h. For the determination of cytotoxicity of the CSA-13 on L929 cells, agar diffusion tests were performed. CSA-13 inhibited trophozoite growth in dose- and time-dependent ways. At 1 h, no viable trophozoites were observed in the presence of CSA-13 solution in a concentration 100 mg/mL in phosphate-buffered saline. Results of cytotoxicity experiments demonstrated that CSA-13 solution had mild toxicity at 100 mg/mL concentration on cells, whereas it had no toxicity at 75 mg/mL concentration. The findings of this experiment as in vitro ameboebicidal activity for Acanthamoeba suggest that CSA-13 has a potential to be used as a new agent in lens solutions to prevent Acanthamoeba growth and infections.
Objective:The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of pentoxifylline (PNX) with a pharmacological dose range on proliferation of human umblical venous endothelial cells (HUVEC).Method: The cells were maintained in M199 supplemented with 20% fetal bovine serum, penicillin, and streptomycin.The cultures were cultivated in an incubator at 37°C and with 5% CO2, until cell monolayers attained confluence which occurred after 7 days.The assays were performed in the exponential growth phase of the cells.The cell viability was assessed using the cleavage of tetrazolium salts added to the culture medium.Pentoxifylline with concentrations of 10 -4 M, 10 -5 M, 10 -6 M and 10 -7 M were used for the proliferation assay in which cells were incubated for 24, 48, and 72-hours with these drugs.The experiments were conducted in six replicates.Results: Only the 10 -4 M dose of PNX at 72 h significantly reduced the viability of HUVEC (p<0.05) and except this, there was no cytotoxic effect of PTX on HUVEC in a dose-and time-dependent manner (p>0.05).Conclusions: Overall, PTX with a pharmacological dose range has no cytotoxic effect on HUVEC.We think that this is also in accordance with the findings of several studies performed in animal models and clinical settings, indicating positive effects of PTX on tissues in normal and ischemic conditions.
Several all-ceramic materials have been developed to meet the most challenging requirements in restorative dentistry. However, only limited reports have focused on the issue of biocompatibility of all-ceramics. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of different types of all-ceramic substructural materials to determine their biological performance under experimental conditions. We tested six all-ceramic systems [glass-infiltrated alumina-reinforced ceramic (In-Ceram Alumina, Turkom Cera), glass-infiltrated zirconia-toughened alumina ceramic (In-Ceram Zirconia), low-fusing ceramic (Finesse), yttria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia ceramic (Zirkonzahn), and lithium disilicate glass ceramic (IPS e.max)] using a tetrazolium assay prior to and 3 days after aging, to determine their ability to alter cellular mitochondrial dehydrogenase activity. Mann–Whitney U test and Wilcoxon t test were used for statistical analysis (α = 0.05). According to the results of the 3-(4,5-dimethyl-thiazol-2yl-)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide tests, the toxic effects of Finesse and Zirkonzahn were statistically insignificant (P > 0.05) compared with the negative control group. In contrast, In-Ceram Alumina, In-Ceram Zirconia, Turkom Cera, and IPS e.max demonstrated statistically significant toxic effects (P < 0.05) compared to the negative control group. When effects of aging on cytotoxic properties were evaluated, In-Ceram Zirconia and Turkom Cera showed increased cytotoxic effects on the 1st day following the aging process, whereas IPS e.max and Zirkonzahn displayed cytotoxic effects on the 2nd day and Day 7, respectively. The cytotoxic effect of Zirkonzahn and IPS e.max was decreased on the 1st day and at the 2nd week, respectively. Several types of all-ceramic substructures did not cause the same in vitro responses. Finesse and Zirkonzahn did not carry high biologic risk. However, our results suggest that In-Ceram Alumina, In-Ceram Zirconia, Turkom Cera, and IPS e.max should not be considered as entirely biocompatible materials.
In the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL), developing drug resistance, existing toxic effects of drugs and failure respond to treatment cause the need to try different treatment methods. We investigated the effect of gold-conjugated macrophage-specific antibody on amastigotes under infra-red light for the treatment of CL.Female BALB/c (4-8 weeks old, 20 ± 5 g weight) mice were used in the study. The L. major strain was inoculated on the soles of mice in amastigote form and subpassed. Nanogold (Au), Au + macrophage-specific antibody (MSA) modification and near infra-red (NIR) (5 seconds) were applied to mice groups that developed cutaneous leishmaniasis on their soles. On the 5th and 10th days of the treatment, the lesions were examined clinically and pathologically.When the erythema values were examined, the highest decrease was calculated in the Au + MSA + NIR group in the measurements made on the 10th day (p < 0.014). The best improvement in 10th day measurements is in the NIR and Au + MSA + NIR groups when area values were examined (p = 0.011, p = 0.001). There was a statistically significant difference between the groups in terms of parasite load (PL) (p < 0.005) in pathological evaluation. According to PL grouping, the best result is NIR (p = 0.002). When both main titles (clinical and pathological) are examined, the Au + MSA + NIR group is thought to have an optimal therapeutical feature.Au + MSA + NIR combination could be a new treatment approach for CL treatment.
Unfractionated heparin (UFH) and low molecular weight heparins have been used as anticoagulation agents in cardiovascular clinics for decades. However, these molecules also have potent antiangiogenic effects. Whereas, angiogenesis may be the most crucial determinant of the prognosis of cardiovascular diseases, and except some special situation, antiangiogenic effect is not desirable in the most of the cardiovascular disease. In this study, we aimed to compare the antiangiogenic potency of UFH, enoxaparin, and tinzaparin. The antiangiogenic efficacies of UFH, enoxaparin, and tinzaparin were examined in vivo by using the chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) model. Twenty fertilized eggs were used for each studied drug. Drug solutions were prepared in 10 and 1 IU/10 μl concentrations. Decreases in the density of the capillaries were assessed and scored. All three drugs showed antiangiogenic effects on the chick CAM at the 10 IU/10 μl concentration. However, the antiangiogenic score of the UFH was significantly higher than that of enoxaparin and tinzaparin at 1 and 10 IU/10 μl concentrations. UFH had stronger and antiangiogenic potential than enoxaparin and tinzaparin. However, tinzaparin showed dose-dependent antiangiogenic effects. We think that an anticoagulant molecule with a less and dose-dependent antiangiogenic effect, as in the case of tinzaparin, may be more desirable in case of cardiovascular disease related with insufficient angiogenesis.
