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Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disease that causes increased morbidity and mortality in developed and developing countries. With recent advancements in technology, alternative treatment methods have begun to be investigated in the world. This study aims to evaluate the effect of pulsed magnetic field (PMF) on vascular complications and contractile activities of aortic rings along with Kir6.1 and Kir6.2 subunit expressions of ATP-sensitive potassium channels (K ) in aortas of controlled-diabetic and non-controlled diabetic rats. Controlled-diabetic and non-controlled diabetic adult male Wistar rats were exposed to PMF for a period of 6 weeks according to the PMF application protocol (1 h/day; intensity: 1.5 mT; consecutive frequency: 1, 10, 20, and 40 Hz). After PMF exposure, body weight and blood glucose levels were measured. Then, thoracic aorta tissue was extracted for relaxation-contraction and Kir6.1 and Kir6.2 expression experiments. Blood plasma glucose levels, body weight, and aortic ring contraction percentage decreased in controlled-diabetic rats but increased in non-controlled diabetic rats. PMF therapy repressed Kir6.1 mRNA expression in non-controlled diabetic rats but not in controlled diabetic rats. Conversely, Kir6.2 mRNA expressions were repressed both in controlled diabetic and non-controlled diabetic rats by PMF. Our findings suggest that the positive therapeutic effects of PMF may act through (K ) subunits and may frequently occur in insulin-free conditions. Bioelectromagnetics. 39:299-311, 2018. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

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Background/aim: Spinocerebellar ataxias (SCAs) are complex clinical and genetically heterogeneous, mostly autosomal dominant neurodegenerative diseases. At present, more than 30 hereditary SCA types have been associated with different gene mutations. In this study, the frequency distribution of the 6 SCA types 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, and 17 in the Turkish population was investigated with respect to clinical features.Materials and methods: 159 patients who received a diagnosis of SCA and 42 healthy controls from Adana, Mersin, Gaziantep, Hatay, and Osmaniye provinces were included in the study. DNA samples were isolated from 2 mL blood samples and the number of trinucleotide repeats (TNRs) for each SCA type was detected using PCR-RFLP technique and sequencing.Results: Of the 6 SCA types that were studied, 4 types, SCA 1, 3, 7, and 17, were positive and all heterozygous for expansions. SCA types 1 and 17 had higher frequencies, 4.4% and 3.8%, respectively, than SCA types 3 and 7. The clinical data of patients were also evaluated to correlate with the increased TNR numbers. Conclusion:This study, being the first mutation record of SCAs in this area, indicated that 9.4% of cases belonged to 4 types, SCA 1, 3, 7, and 17.