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These results suggest that oxidative and nitrosative stress may play a major role in tissue damage in acute intestinal amebiasis patients. Also these parameters can be used to supplement the conventional microscopic method for reliable diagnosis of intestinal amebiasis.

Introduction and aim. Meningitis is an acute inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, known as the meninges. In this study, oxidative and nitrosative stress were evaluated in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and blood samples that were taken from patients with meningitis. Our goal was to identify a fast and a reliable biomarker using these parameters in order to the early diagnose of bacterial meningitis. Material and methods. In this study, 37 bacterial meningitis, 30 tuberculous meningitis and 30 viral meningitis cases were included. Serum/CSF total oxidant status (TAS) and total antioxidant status (TOS) were measured by the Erel method. Nitrotyrosine concentrations were quantified by using ELISA in both serum and CSF Results. Serum nitrotyrosine, CSF TAS and TOS levels were not significantly different in three groups (p>0.05). CSF nitrotyrosine levels were significantly higher in bacterial meningitis than tuberculous meningitis group (p<0.05). Viral meningitis patients had higher serum TOS and TAS concentrations than tuberculous meningitis group (p<0.05). Conclusion. As a result, we can say that the oxidative and nitrosative stress markers studied are not a rapid and reliable biomarker in bacterial meningitis’s diagnosis.

The prolidase activity in serum and in erythrocytes was measured in 28 healthy mothers and in the cord blood of their newborn babies in using a modified Chinard method. 45 healthy non-pregnant women aged between 15-36 years formed a control group. Biochemical parameters (CK, BUN, C-peptid, AFP, Uric acid) were also measured. The serum and erythrocyte prolidase activities in maternal blood were 45.8+/-13.4 U/L and 37.8+/-2.7 U/g Hb respectively. There was no significant difference in the enzyme activities between pregnant women and the control group (p>0.05). However serum and erythrocyte prolidase activity in cord blood (20.3+/-8.2 U/L and 31.6+/-7.3 U/g Hb) was significantly different when compared with control group (53.4+/-14.7 U/L in serum and 42.3+/-10.3 U/g Hb in erythrocyte, p<0.001). There was a significant correlation between maternal and cord blood serum enzyme activity (r: 0.76 p<0.01). This correlation was also shown in erythrocyte prolidase activities of both groups (r: 0.49, p<0.05). Cord blood prolidase activity was positively correlated with birth weight (r: 0.89, p<0.01). Prolidase activity in cord blood was low even though collagen turnover is increased in fetal growth.