Antifungal and antibacterial effects of some acrocarpic mosses

In this study, the antifungal and antibacterial effect of 6 different  acrocarpous mosses were tested in vitro aganist 8 different  microorganisms. For the extraction, ethyl alcohol, methyl alcohol, acetone and chloroform were used as solvents. While the highest antimicrobial effect was seen in methyl alcohol extracts, extracts of chloroform showed the lowest level of antimicrobial effect. Grimmia anodon Bruch & Schimp. which is one of the acrocarp mosses used in this study, showed the highest activity in termsof the number of microorganism affected. Tortella tortuosa (Hedw.) Limpr. only has effect on Candida albicans ATCC 16231 strain. All the results were compared with standard antibiotic discs, ketoconazole (50 ìg), ampicillin (10 ìg), eritromycin (15 ìg) and vancomycin (30 ìg).Key words: Moss, acrocarpous, antimicrobial effect

Investigation of antimicrobial activity of some Turkish pleurocarpic mosses

In this study, the antimicrobial activities of different extracts from the five pleurocarpic mosses (Platyhypnidium riparioides (Hedw.) Dixon, Leucodon sciuroides (Hedw.) Schwägr., Hypnum cupressiforme Hedw., Homalothecium sericeum (Hedw.) Br.Eur., and Anomodon viticulosus (Hedw.) Hook & Taylor.) were tested aganist eight bacterial and fungal strains. For the extraction, four different solvents (ethyl alcohol, methyl alcohol, chloroform and acetone) were used. While methanolic extracts of P. riparioides showed the highest antibacterial effect against the Gram-negative bacterium Pseudomonas aeroginosa ATCC 27853, acetone extract of A. viticulosus showed the highest antifungal effect against the fungus Saccharomyces cerevisiae ATCC. All the results were compared with standard antibiotic discs: ketoconazole (50 μg), amphicillin (10 μg), eritromycin (15 μg), penicillin (10 μg) and vancomycin (30 μg).Key words: Moss, pleurocarpic, antimicrobial activity

Fraction of exhaled nitric oxide is higher in liver transplant recipients than in controls from the general population: a cohort study

BackgroundFraction of exhaled nitric oxide with an expiratory flow of 50 mL/s (FENO50) is a biomarker of eosinophilic airway inflammation. Liver transplant recipients have an increased risk of pulmonary infections, but little is known about the burden of chronic pulmonary diseases in this group. We aimed to assess the prevalence of elevated FENO50 in liver transplant recipients and compare it to controls from the general population.MethodsFENO50 was measured in 271 liver transplant recipients from The Danish Comorbidity in Liver Transplant Recipients (DACOLT) study and 1,018 age- and sex-matched controls from The Copenhagen General Population Study (CGPS). Elevated FENO50 was defined as ≥25 or ≥50 parts per billion (ppb). The analyses were adjusted for known and suspected confounders.ResultsThe median age of the liver transplant recipients was 55 years (interquartile range (IQR) 46–64), and 58% were men. The liver transplant recipients had a higher median FENO50 than the controls [16 ppb (IQR 10–26) vs. 13 ppb (IQR 8–18.), p < 0.001]. Furthermore, the liver transplant recipients had a higher prevalence of elevated FENO50 (for FENO50 ≥25 ppb 27% vs. 11%, p < 0.001 and ≥50 ppb 4% vs. 2%, p = 0.02). The results were similar after adjusting for age, sex, smoking status, use of airway medication, and blood eosinophil counts [the adjusted odds ratio (OR) for FENO50 ≥25 ppb was 3.58 (95% CI: 2.50–5.15, p < 0.0001) and the adjusted OR for FENO50 ≥50 ppb was 3.14 (95% CI: 1.37–7.20, p = 0.007)].ConclusionThe liver transplant recipients had elevated FENO50, implying increased eosinophilic airway inflammation. The clinical impact of this finding needs further investigation

Lack of association between RNASEL Arg462Gln variant and the risk of breast cancer

Background: The RNASEL G1385A variant was recently found to be implicated in the development of prostate cancer. Considering the function of RNase L and the pleiotropic effects of mutations associated with cancer, we sought to investigate whether the RNASEL G1385A variant is a risk factor for breast cancer. Patients and Methods: A total of 453 breast cancer patients and 382 age- and sex-matched controls from Greece and Turkey were analyzed. Genotyping for the RNASEL G1385A variant was performed using an Amplification Refractory Mutation System (ARMS). Results: Statistical evaluation of the RNASEL G1385A genotype distribution among breast cancer patients and controls revealed no significant association between the presence of the risk genotype and the occurrence of breast cancer. Conclusion: Although an increasing number of studies report an association between the RNASEL G1385A variant and prostate cancer risk, this variant does not appear to be implicated in the development of breast cancer

Problematic online behaviors among adolescents and emerging adults: associations between cyberbullying perpetration, problematic social media use, and psychosocial factors

Over the past two decades, young people's engagement in online activities has grown markedly. The aim of the present study was to examine the relationship between two specific online behaviors (i.e., cyberbullying perpetration, problematic social media use) and their relationships with social connectedness, belongingness, depression, and self-esteem among high school and university students. Data were collected from two different study groups via two questionnaires that included the Cyberbullying Offending Scale, Social Media Use Questionnaire, Social Connectedness Scale, General Belongingness Scale, Short Depression-Happiness Scale, and Single Item Self-Esteem Scale. Study 1 comprised 804 high school students (48% female; mean age 16.20 years). Study 2 comprised 760 university students (60% female; mean age 21.48 years). Results indicated that problematic social media use and cyberbullying perpetration (which was stronger among high school students) were directly associated with each other. Belongingness (directly) and social connectedness (indirectly) were both associated with cyberbullying perpetration and problematic social media use. Path analysis demonstrated that while age was a significant direct predictor of problematic social media use and cyberbullying perpetration among university students, it was not significant among high school students. In both samples, depression was a direct predictor of problematic social media use and an indirect predictor of cyberbullying perpetration. However, majority of these associations were relatively weak. The present study significantly adds to the emerging body of literature concerning the associations between problematic social media use and cyberbullying perpetration