The investigation of the effects of monosodium glutamate on healthy rats and rats with STZ-induced diabetes.

Monosodium glutamate (MSG, E621) is a flavor-enhancing food additive used widely in the food preparation industry and consumed regularly. It is considered that long-term consumption of MSG causes metabolic syndrome and obesity. Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic metabolic disease characterized by high blood sugar, polyuria, polydipsia, and polyphagia, in which insulin secreted from pancreatic β cells is inadequate for maintaining blood glucose homeostasis.

Assessment of aflatoxin M1 in maternal breast milk in Eastern Turkey.

Breastfeeding may be considered as a risk factor for aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) exposure in early infancy. Hence, AFM1 levels in maternal breast milk (MBM) and the correlation between moldy cheese consumption of lactating mothers and infant exposure to AFM1 were investigated in this study. MBM samples from 73 lactating women randomly selected in hospitals located in Eastern Turkey were analysed for the presence of AFM1 using competitive ELISA.

The effects of age and gender on gingival tissue and peripheral blood T-lymphocyte subsets: a study in mice.

The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of age and gender on relative number of CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocyte and CD4+/CD8+ ratios in gingival tissue and peripheral blood of periodontally healthy BALB/c mice with flow cytometric analysis. The study was carried out on periodontally healthy 60 BALB/c mice. They were separated into five groups according to the life expectancy: Group I (newborn, 1-10 days old), Group II (age at weaning, 21-28 days old), Group III (age of sexual maturity, puberty, 7-8 weeks old), Group IV (adult, 8 months old), and Group V (the aged, 14 and over).

Determination of aflatoxin B(1) levels in deep-red ground pepper (isot) using immunoaffinity column combined with ELISA.

Deep-red ground pepper, a variety of red ground pepper, is a special spices belonging to Sanliurfa and consumed both in Sanliurfa and other provinces of Turkey. The aim of this study was to determine the aflatoxin B(1) (AFB(1)) levels of deep-red ground pepper. For this purpose, 75 samples of deep-red ground pepper (isot) marketed in Sanliurfa (Turkey) were purchased from bazaars and herbal shops.