Diversity of micro-crustaceans in temporary habitats of the province of Sasalı (Izmir, Turkey)

A study on the distribution of micro-crustaceans in seven temporary habitats of the province of Sasalı (Izmir) was conducted between 27 March and 10 April 2011. 15 micro-crustacean species, comprising eight ostracods, four branchiopods and three copepods were identified. All species registered represent new reports for the studies area. One of these, living populations of Heterocypris barbara var. barbara is recorded for the first time. The highest number of species per site was nine, with the most frequent species being Daphnia (Ctenodaphnia) magna (Cladocera) and Eucypris virens (Ostracoda). Our results highlight the importance of temporary habitats as potential biodiversity hotspots, in spite of a few carried out by freshwater ecologists and taxonomists in undertaking scientific investigations in these environments.Key words: Ostracoda, cladocera, copepoda, biodiversity, Izmir, Turkey

Yearbook I - PhD research in progress July 2007

An edited volume with contributions from five PhD researchers in the school of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of East London. Each contributor details their research work in progress. Topics in this volume include: sexuality narratives of women in Turkey, post-apartheid South African culture, Turkey and the European information society, conceptualising feminism in Africa, and discourses of Europeanised cosmopolitanism

Serum paraoxonase and arylesterase activities in patients with lung cancer in a Turkish population

BACKGROUND: Lung cancer (LC) is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths. Oxidative DNA damage may contribute to the cancer risk. The antioxidant paraoxonase (PON1) is an endogenous free radical scavenger in the human body. The aim of this study was to determine serum PON1 and arylesterase (ARE) activities in patients with newly diagnosed LC. METHODS: This case control study involved a total of 39 patients with newly diagnosed LC (untreated) and same number of age- and sex-matched healthy individuals. Serum PON1 and ARE activities in addition to lipid parameters were measured in both groups. RESULTS: Serum PON1 and ARE activities were found to be lower in patients with LC compared to the controls (p = 0.001 and p = 0.018, respectively). The ratio of PON1/high density lipoprotein (HDL) was significantly lower in the LC group compared to the control one (p = 0.009). There were positive correlations between the serum levels of HDL and PON1 in both the control (r = 0.415, p = 0.009) and the LC groups (r = 0.496, p = 0.001), respectively. PON1 enzyme activity was calculated as three different phenotypes in both groups. In regard to lipid parameters, total cholesterol levels were significantly lower (p = 0.014) in the LC group whereas the other lipid parameters such as HDL, LDL, and triglyceride levels were not significantly different among groups. CONCLUSION: Serum PON1 activity is significantly low in the LC group compared with the healthy controls. Metastasis status and cigarette smoking do not affect serum PON1 activity in the LC patients

Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials in the Treatment of Human Brucellosis

BACKGROUND: Brucellosis is a persistent health problem in many developing countries throughout the world, and the search for simple and effective treatment continues to be of great importance. METHODS AND FINDINGS: A search was conducted in MEDLINE and in the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL). Clinical trials published from 1985 to present that assess different antimicrobial regimens in cases of documented acute uncomplicated human brucellosis were included. The primary outcomes were relapse, therapeutic failure, combined variable of relapse and therapeutic failure, and adverse effect rates. A meta-analysis with a fixed effect model was performed and odds ratio with 95% confidence intervals were calculated. A random effect model was used when significant heterogeneity between studies was verified. Comparison of combined doxycycline and rifampicin with a combination of doxycycline and streptomycin favors the latter regimen (OR = 3.17; CI95% = 2.05-4.91). There were no significant differences between combined doxycycline-streptomycin and combined doxycycline-gentamicin (OR = 1.89; CI95% = 0.81-4.39). Treatment with rifampicin and quinolones was similar to combined doxycycline-rifampicin (OR = 1.23; CI95% = 0.63-2.40). Only one study assessed triple therapy with aminoglycoside-doxycycline-rifampicin and only included patients with uncomplicated brucellosis. Thus this approach cannot be considered the therapy of choice until further studies have been performed. Combined doxycycline/co-trimoxazole or doxycycline monotherapy could represent a cost-effective alternative in certain patient groups, and further studies are needed in the future. CONCLUSIONS: Although the preferred treatment in uncomplicated human brucellosis is doxycycline-aminoglycoside combination, other treatments based on oral regimens or monotherapy should not be rejected until they are better studied. Triple therapy should not be considered the current treatment of choice

International nosocomial infection control consortium (INICC) report, data summary of 36 countries, for 2004-2009

The results of a surveillance study conducted by the International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium (INICC) from January 2004 through December 2009 in 422 intensive care units (ICUs) of 36 countries in Latin America, Asia, Africa, and Europe are reported. During the 6-year study period, using Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN; formerly the National Nosocomial Infection Surveillance system [NNIS]) definitions for device-associated health care-associated infections, we gathered prospective data from 313,008 patients hospitalized in the consortium's ICUs for an aggregate of 2,194,897 ICU bed-days. Despite the fact that the use of devices in the developing countries' ICUs was remarkably similar to that reported in US ICUs in the CDC's NHSN, rates of device-associated nosocomial infection were significantly higher in the ICUs of the INICC hospitals; the pooled rate of central line-associated bloodstream infection in the INICC ICUs of 6.8 per 1,000 central line-days was more than 3-fold higher than the 2.0 per 1,000 central line-days reported in comparable US ICUs. The overall rate of ventilator-associated pneumonia also was far higher (15.8 vs 3.3 per 1,000 ventilator-days), as was the rate of catheter-associated urinary tract infection (6.3 vs. 3.3 per 1,000 catheter-days). Notably, the frequencies of resistance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates to imipenem (47.2% vs 23.0%), Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates to ceftazidime (76.3% vs 27.1%), Escherichia coli isolates to ceftazidime (66.7% vs 8.1%), Staphylococcus aureus isolates to methicillin (84.4% vs 56.8%), were also higher in the consortium's ICUs, and the crude unadjusted excess mortalities of device-related infections ranged from 7.3% (for catheter-associated urinary tract infection) to 15.2% (for ventilator-associated pneumonia). Copyright © 2012 by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

Diversity of micro-crustaceans in temporary habitats of the province of Sasali{dotless} (Izmir, Turkey)

A study on the distribution of micro-crustaceans in seven temporary habitats of the province of Sasali{dotless} (Izmir) was conducted between 27 March and 10 April 2011. 15 micro-crustacean species, comprising eight ostracods, four branchiopods and three copepods were identified. All species registered represent new reports for the studies area. One of these, living populations of Heterocypris barbara var. barbara is recorded for the first time. The highest number of species per site was nine, with the most frequent species being Daphnia (Ctenodaphnia) magna (Cladocera) and Eucypris virens (Ostracoda). Our results highlight the importance of temporary habitats as potential biodiversity hotspots, in spite of a few carried out by freshwater ecologists and taxonomists in undertaking scientific investigations in these environments.© 2011 Academic Journals

A new record for the freshwater ostracod fauna of turkey: hungarocypris madaraszi (Örley, 1886) (crustacea: ostracoda)

A bisexual population of Hungarocypris madaraszi (Örley, 1886) was found in a dead arm of the Küçük Menderes River near Torbalı (İzmir). The species is a new record for the freshwater ostracod fauna of Turkey. © 2002 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

New records and redescriptions of three Cyprididae ostracods(Crustacea) from Turkey

Hemicypris vulgaris Okubo, 1990, Stenocypris bolieki Ferguson, 1962 and Bradleystrandesia parva (Hartmann, 1964) are reported from a tributary of the Gönen River (Balikesir) in Turkey. Hemicypris vulgaris is reported for the first time from Turkey. The finding of Bradleystrandesia parva is especially important as its original description is brief and inadequate. This paper provides details of redetection of the three species and comments on their variability and possible cryptic speciation. © 2017 Faculty of Oceanography and Geography, University of Gdansk, Poland. All rights reserved 2017