Browsing by Author "Kendir Y."

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    Nesfatin-1 and ghrelin levels in serum and saliva of epileptic patients: Hormonal changes can have a major effect on seizure disorders
    (2009) Aydin S.; Dag E.; Ozkan Y.; Erman F.; Dagli A.F.; Kilic N.; Sahin I.; Karatas F.; Yoldas T.; Barim A.O.; Kendir Y.
    Nesfatin-1 and ghrelin are the two recently discovered peptide hormones involved in the control of appetite. Besides its main appetite-control function, ghrelin also has anticonvulsant effects, while nesfatin-1 causes depolarization in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN). The aims of this study, therefore, were to investigate: (i) whether there are differences in the concentrations of nesfatin-1 and ghrelin in saliva and serum samples between eplilepsy patients and normal controls and (ii) whether salivary glands produce nesfatin-1. The study included a total of 73 subjects: 8 patients who were newly diagnosed with primary generalized seizures and had recently started antiepileptic drug therapy; 21 who had primary generalized seizures and were continuing with established antiepileptic drug therapy; 24 who had partial seizures (simple: n = 12 or complex: n = 12) and were continuing with established antiepileptic drug therapy; and 20 controls. Salivary gland tissue samples were analyzed for nesfatin-1 expression by immunochemistry and ELISA. Saliva and serum ghrelin levels were measured by ELISA and RIA, and nesfatin-1 levels by ELISA. Nesfatin-1 immunoreactivity was detected in the striated and interlobular parts of the salivary glands and the ducts. The nesfatin-1 level in the brain was around 12 times higher than in the salivary gland. Before antiepileptic treatment, both saliva and serum nesfatin-1 levels were around 160-fold higher in patients who are newly diagnosed with primary generalized epilepsy (PGE) than in controls; these levels decreased with treatment but remained about 10 times higher than the control values. Saliva and serum nesfatin-1 levels from patients with PGE and partial epilepsies who were continuing antiepileptic drugs were also 10-fold higher than control values. Serum and saliva ghrelin levels were significantly (twofold) lower in epileptic patients before treatment than in controls; they recovered somewhat with treatment but remained below the control values. These results suggest that the low ghrelin and especially the dramatically elevated nesfatin-1 levels might contribute to the pathophyisology of epilepsy. Therefore, serum and saliva ghrelin and especially the remarkably increased nesfatin-1 might be candidate biomarkers for the diagnosis of epilepsy and for monitoring the response to anti-epileptic treatment. © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC. 2009.
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    Fat-free milk as a therapeutic approach for constipation and the effect on serum motilin and ghrelin levels
    (2010) Aydin S.; Donder E.; Akin O.K.; Sahpaz F.; Kendir Y.; Alnema M.M.
    Objective: This study explores the effects of fat-free milk supplementation on individuals with chronic constipation with regard to levels of motilin and acylated and des-acylated ghrelin (which affect intestinal motility) and compares them with data from control subjects given whole milk supplementation. Methods: The investigation was designed according to the constipation severity test of individuals whose ages and body mass indexes were comparable. Individuals with mild constipation (n=10) were supplemented with 400. mL of fat-free milk daily; moderate constipation cases (n=10) were supplemented with 600 mL, and severe constipation cases (n=10) were supplemented with 800 mL of fat-free milk daily. Healthy control subjects were administered 400 mL of fat-free milk (group 1), which was followed a month later by administration of 400 mL of whole milk for 3 days (group 2). Blood samples were collected from the subjects before and after milk supplementation for hormone analyses. Motilin and acylated and des-acylated ghrelin were quantified with ELISA assay. Results: Supplementation of fat-free milk significantly increased levels of circulating motilin and ghrelin in all groups, including the control subjects, but whole milk supplementation led to a decrease in these hormone levels in the control subjects. Conclusion: Drinking fat-free milk might be a new way of solving constipation. © 2010 Elsevier Inc.