Our observations suggest that taurine treatment attenuates the accumulation of gentamicin within kidney tissue and counteracts the deleterious effect of gentamicin on renal tubular function. They may have potentially important clinical implications.

Successive voluntary motor movement involves a number of physiological mechanisms and may reflect motor skill development and neuromuscular fatigue. In this study, the temporal behavior of finger tapping was investigated in relation to motor skills and fatigue by using a long-term computer-based test. The finger-tapping performances of 29 healthy male volunteers were analyzed using linear and nonlinear regression models established for inter-tapping interval. The results suggest that finger-tapping performance exhibits a polyphasic nature, and has several characteristic time points, which may be directly related to muscle dynamics and energy consumption. In conclusion, we believe that future studies evaluating the polyphasic nature of the maximal voluntary movement will lead to the definition of objective scales that can be used in the follow up of some neuromuscular diseases, as well as, the determination of motor skills, individual ability, and peripheral fatigue through the use of a low cost, easy-to-use computer-based finger-tapping test.

In the present study, we aimed to investigate the effects of electroacupuncture treatment on lipoprotein A, apolipoprotein A and apolipoprotein B levels in obese subjects. Fifty-eight women were studied in 3 groups as follows: 1) Placebo acupuncture (n = 15; mean age = 41.47 +/- 4.61, and mean body mass index {BMI} = 33.43 +/- 3.10); 2) Electroacupuncture (EA) (n = 20; mean age = 40.55 +/- 5.30, and BMI = 35.65 +/- 3.84) and 3) Diet restriction groups (n = 23; mean age = 42.91 +/- 4.02, and BMI = 34.78 +/- 3.29). EA was performed using the ear points, Hungry, Shen Men and Stomach the body points, Hegu (LI 4), Quchi (LI 11), Tianshu (St 25), Zusanli (St 36), Neiting (St 44) and Taichong (Liv 3) for 20 days. Intragroup comparisons were made by using paired samples t-test whereas intergroup differences were investigated by the two-way variation analysis and LSD test. There was a 4.7% (p < 0.001) weight reduction in patients with electroacupuncture application, whereas patients in diet restriction had a 2.9% (p < 0.001) weight reduction. There were significant decreases in lipoprotein A (p < 0.05) and apolipoprotein B (p < 0.05) levels in the EA compared to the control group and no changes in apolipoprotein A levels was observed in EA, diet and placebo acupuncture groups. EA therapy may be a useful approach for the treatment of obesity for both losing weight and lowing the risk factors for cardiovascular disease associated with obesity, since this application may decrease the plasma lipoprotein A and apolipoprotein B levels.

The aim of this research was to determine whether administration of an antioxidant vitamin combination can reduce oxidative damage in erythrocytes induced by hyperbaric oxygenation (HBO). Malonyldialdehyde (MDA) levels and osmotic fragility ratios in erythrocytes of 28 rats were compared in group A [control], group B [Vitamin (E + C)], group C [HBO] and group D [HBO + Vitamin (E + C)]. HBO was applied at a pressure of 2.8 atmospheres absolute (ATA), 1 hour daily, for 45 days in groups C and D. Administration of alpha-tocopherol acetate (40 mg/kg) and Na-ascorbate (200 mg/kg) was initiated 3 days before the start of HBO exposures and administered intraperitoneally 3 times a week for 45 days. MDA levels and osmotic fragility ratios were significantly higher in group C than in groups A and B (p < 0.05 for all). Significant decreases in MDA levels and osmotic fragility were observed in group D compared with group C, although these parameters were still significantly higher than in controls (p < 0.05 for all). Prolonged HBO resulted in oxidative damage indicated by significant increases in MDA levels and osmotic fragility ratios, which were reduced by concomitant vitamin (E + C) administration.

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This article compared the efficiency of the mass screening test with projected color slides in detecting color-blindness with the authentic classic method of Ishihara. The study was conducted in a randomly selected lecture room with 104 students aged between 19-25 years (median 21). Using Ishihara projected slides, performed mass screening test. Re-testing was done individually with printed Ishihara plates. Six male and one female with color-blindness were detected. The frequency of color-blindness was 13.6% among males, with a total incidence of 6.7%. The results of two testing methods were compared statistically. Sensitivities and specificities of both tests were 100%. Using projected slides of Ishihara plates instead of the authentic method is an effective and timesaving method for detecting color-blindness. This method can be suggested as a mass-screening test and might be beneficial in detecting color-blindness in large populations such as students, soldiers, and so on.

Reperfusion injury, caused by free oxygen radicals, is a chain of events that occurs in tissues exposed to a constant period of ischemia. The antioxidant vitamins E and C (VEC) and hyperbaric oxygenation (HBO) have beneficial effects in treating ischemic tissues following skin flap operations. In our study, we aimed to compare the effects of VEC and/or HBO in ischemia-reperfusion injury induced by free oxygen radicals in an experimental rat epigastric island skin-flap model. Eight hours of ischemia was provided by clamping the inferior epigastric pedicle following the flap elevation. The flap survey was determined to be 28.6% in controls, 59.2% in HBO group, 66.3% in VEC + HBO group, and 82% in VEC group (p < 0.05). We conclude that although HBO and/or VEC increased the flap viability significantly by reducing ischemia-reperfusion injury, the most promising results were obtained in the antioxidant vitamins group.

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