A regulatory network comprising let-7 miRNA and SMUG1 is associated with good prognosis in ER+ breast tumours

Single-strand selective uracil–DNA glycosylase 1 (SMUG1) initiates base excision repair (BER) of uracil and oxidized pyrimidines. SMUG1 status has been associated with cancer risk and therapeutic response in breast carcinomas and other cancer types. However, SMUG1 is a multifunctional protein involved, not only, in BER but also in RNA quality control, and its function in cancer cells is unclear. Here we identify several novel SMUG1 interaction partners that functions in many biological processes relevant for cancer development and treatment response. Based on this, we hypothesized that the dominating function of SMUG1 in cancer might be ascribed to functions other than BER. We define a bad prognosis signature for SMUG1 by mapping out the SMUG1 interaction network and found that high expression of genes in the bad prognosis network correlated with lower survival probability in ER(+) breast cancer. Interestingly, we identified hsa-let-7b-5p microRNA as an upstream regulator of the SMUG1 interactome. Expression of SMUG1 and hsa-let-7b-5p were negatively correlated in breast cancer and we found an inhibitory auto-regulatory loop between SMUG1 and hsa-let-7b-5p in the MCF7 breast cancer cells. We conclude that SMUG1 functions in a gene regulatory network that influence the survival and treatment response in several cancers

Effect of Mitomycin - C and Triamcinolone on Preventing Urethral Strictures

Urethral stricture is a common disease with high recurrence rate. Several manipulations were defined to prevent the recurrence but the results were disappointing. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of triamcinolone and mitomycin-C on urethral stricture formation and their effect on inhibition of urethral fibrosis. A total of 24 New Zealand rabbits were divided into 3 groups. Urethras of rabbits were traumatized with pediatric resectoscope. Resection area was irrigated with 10mL saline, swapped with a cotton wool soaked with 0.5mg/mL MMC and injected by 40mg triamcinolone in groups 1, 2 and 3 respectively. Retrograde urethrogram was performed at 28th day of procedure and the urethra was removed for histopathologic evaluation. There were significant differences in urethral diameters and in lumen reduction rate between the control and study groups (p< 0.001). Compared to control group, all treatment groups showed mild fibrosis, less collagen bundle irregularity, and lower numbers of fibroblasts (p= 0.003). The Tunnel assay showed that the number of apoptotic cells in the submucosal connective tissue was quantitatively higher in control groups (p= 0.034). In the view of efficacy and safety, MMC and triamcinolone have the potential to replace the use of stents, clean intermittent catheterization, or long term catheters following internal urethrotomy. There were no statistically significant differences between two agents in terms of preventing urethral stricture formation in the present study. Mitomycin C and triamcinolone decreased the recurrence rates of urethral stricture

Effect of Co-60 gamma-ray irradiation on electrical properties of Ti/Au/GaAs1-xNx Schottky diodes

Current-voltage (I-V), capacitance-voltage-frequency (C-V-f) and conductance-voltage-frequency (G/ω-V-f) measurements at room temperature are used to study 50 kGy 60Co γ-ray electrical properties irradiation dependence of Ti/Au/GaAs1−xNx Schottky diodes with 0.2%; 0.4%; 0.8% and 1.2% nitrogen dilution. This γ-ray irradiation induces a permanent damage that has increased ideality factor and series resistance for all samples. It was accompanied by a decrease in Schottky barrier height with nitrogen content up to 0.4%N and remained constant thereafter. Radiation was also found to degrade the reverse leakage current. At high frequency (1 MHz), capacitance and conductance decreased after radiation due to a decrease in net doping concentration. Interface state density and series resistance were determined from C-V-f and G/ω-V-f characteristics using Hill-Coleman methods. Interface states density exponentially decreased with increasing frequency confirming the behavior of interface traps response to ac signal. Series resistance increases after irradiation is attributed to carrier's removal effect and mobility degradation. It has two peaks in the accumulation and inversion region for some diodes (0.4%N, 0.8%N). γ-ray irradiation produced traps levels and recombination centers that reduce relaxation time. An increase in %N content can impede irradiation damage with even some compensation when the percent of diluted nitrogen is high (1.2%N)

Age- and region-specific hepatitis B prevalence in Turkey estimated using generalized linear mixed models: a systematic review

Toy M, Önder FO, Wörmann T, et al. Age- and region-specific hepatitis B prevalence in Turkey estimated using generalized linear mixed models: a systematic review. BMC infectious diseases. 2011;11(1): 337.BACKGROUND: To provide a clear picture of the current hepatitis B situation, the authors performed a systematic review to estimate the age- and region-specific prevalence of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) in Turkey. METHODS: A total of 339 studies with original data on the prevalence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) in Turkey and published between 1999 and 2009 were identified through a search of electronic databases, by reviewing citations, and by writing to authors. After a critical assessment, the authors included 129 studies, divided into categories: 'age-specific'; 'region-specific'; and 'specific population group'. To account for the differences among the studies, a generalized linear mixed model was used to estimate the overall prevalence across all age groups and regions. For specific population groups, the authors calculated the weighted mean prevalence. RESULTS: The estimated overall population prevalence was 4.57, 95% confidence interval (CI): 3.58, 5.76, and the estimated total number of CHB cases was about 3.3 million. The outcomes of the age-specific groups varied from 2.84, (95% CI: 2.60, 3.10) for the 0-14-year olds to 6.36 (95% CI: 5.83, 6.90) in the 25-34-year-old group. CONCLUSION: There are large age-group and regional differences in CHB prevalence in Turkey, where CHB remains a serious health problem

The impact of biologics and tofacitinib on cardiovascular risk factors and outcomes in patients with rheumatic disease: a systematic literature review

Introduction Rheumatic diseases are autoimmune, inflammatory diseases often associated with cardiovascular (CV) disease, a major cause of mortality in these patients. In recent years, treatment with biologic and targeted synthetic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs), either as monotherapy or in combination with other drugs, have become the standard of treatment. In this systematic literature review, we evaluated the effect of treatment with biologic or tofacitinib on the CV risk and outcomes in these patients. Methods A systematic search was performed in MEDLINE, Embase, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews for articles reporting on CV risk and events in patients with rheumatic disease treated with a biologic agent or tofacitinib. Articles identified were subjected to two levels of screening. Articles that passed the first level based on title and abstract were assessed on full-text evaluation. The quality of randomized clinical trials was assessed by Jadad scoring system and the quality of the other studies and abstracts was assessed using the Downs and Black instrument. The data extracted included study design, baseline patient characteristics, and measurements of CV risk and events. Results Of the 5722 articles identified in the initial search, screening yielded 105 unique publications from 90 unique studies (33 clinical trials, 39 prospective cohort studies, and an additional 18 retrospective studies) that reported CV risk outcomes. A risk of bias analysis for each type of report indicated that they were of good or excellent quality. Importantly, despite some limitations in data reported, there were no indications of significant increase in adverse CV events or risk in response to treatment with the agents evaluated. Conclusions Treatment with biologic or tofacitinib appears to be well-tolerated with respect to CV outcomes in these patients

Zercon bulgaricus Balogh, 1961, a new species for the fauna of Turkey (Acari, Mesostigmata, Zerconidae)

In this study, Zercon bulgaricus Balogh, 1961, is recorded for the first time from Turkey. Its description is revised from the collected specimens and given with drawings

Nomisia anatolica Seyyar, Ayyildiz & Topcu, 2009, sp. n.

Nomisia anatolica sp. n. (Figs. 3–12) Material examined. Holotype (&male;) TURKEY: Kayseri Province, Yahyal&imath; district, surrounding of Kapuz ba&scedil;&imath; waterfalls, (37° 46' N, 35° 23' E), 691m, on ground, 26. V.2007, leg. O. Seyyar. Paratypes: Same data as holotype, leg. O. Seyyar & A. Topçu, (2&female;&female;); Osmaniye Province, Kadirli district, Karatepe National Park, Çak&imath;c&imath;lar village, (37° 15' N, 36° 13' E), 297m, on ground, 24. V.2007, leg. O. Seyyar & H. Demir (2&male;&male;, 2&female;&female;); Kahramanmara &scedil; Province, Püren Pass, (37° 56' N, 36° 30' E), 1581m, on ground, 20. V.2007, leg. O. Seyyar, (1&male;). Diagnosis. Males of N. anatolica sp. n. are very close to N. ripariensis, but easily separated from this species by the shape of the transparent membrane, nose-like bulging on tegulum and distinct embolus. The tibial apophysis of this species is slightly different from that of N. ripariensis as illustrated by Levy (1995) and Chatzaki (2002a), but the other palp structures are very different. In females, the epigynal plate resembles that of N. exornata and N. ripariensis but differs by the shape and size of the lateral contours of epigyne. In N. exornata the lateral contours of epigyne converge in with central depression, in N. ripariensis slightly separate but in N. anatolica sp. n. they are relatively separated and extended (Figs 1–2). Etymology. The specific name is an adjective referring to the country it was found. Description. Male. Measurements (holotype): Body length 4.5; Carapace length 2.1; width 1.6; Abdomen length 2.4; width 1.5; length of legs: (I) 8.1, (II) 5.8, (III) 5.0, (IV) 7.7. Carapace nearly rectangular in shape, slightly narrowed in front; yellowish-brown with its upper parts lightly reticulated black; ocular area darker with few setae; cephalic area slightly elevated, its sides emphasized by black contours. Thoracic groove distinct in the middle. Anterior row of eyes nearly straight, posterior row slightly recurved in dorsal view; AME smallest, lateral eyes largest; PME oval, others nearly circular with black edges; lateral eyes slightly touching medians, but median eyes nearly separated from each other by their diameter. Chelicerae, labium and endites darker than carapace. Chelicerae with small fang and serrated carina retromarginally. Labium nearly triangular in shape. Endites rounded with swollen bases. Sternum nearly heart-shaped, same colour as carapace, bordered by thin black line, densely covered by hairs on margins. Abdomen yellow to brown, lighter on back with brown chevrons, and dark longitudinal bands on venter. Legs reddish-yellow. Patellae IV without setae. Leg formula 1423. Male palp. Retrolateral tibial apophysis wide at base and protrudes outwards with peaked hump, ventral tibial apophysis lacking. Tegulum with nose-like bulging and its end with convoluted sperm duct. Median apophysis reduced. Transparent membrane elevated, its descending part elongated directly and its side with small protrusion. Embolus long, covered by a membrane in base, but only sclerotized and hook shaped at the tip (Figs 3–6, 11–12). Description. Female. As male, but larger body and slightly lighter in colour. Measurements: Body length 5.0–5.6; carapace length 2.1–2.5; width 1.6–1.9. Abdomen length 2.9–3.1; width 1.9–2.1; length of legs: (I) 5.9–7.0, (II) 5.1–5.7, (III) 4.8–5.3, (IV) 7.0–7.6. Leg formula 4123. Epigyne. Heart-shaped, lateral contours very wide. Spermathecea and its ducts evident, spermathecae circular, ducts curved (Figs 7–10).Published as part of Seyyar, O, Ayyildiz, N & Topcu, A, 2009, Description of a new species of the genus Nomisia Dalmas, 1921 (Araneae: Gnaphosidae) from Turkey with some faunistical remarks, pp. 62-68 in Zootaxa 2006 on pages 63-6