Analysis between Adrenal MRI Mass Size and 1 mg Dexamethasone Suppression Test in Patients with Adrenal Incidentaloma

This study aimed to investigate the correlation of adrenal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) mass size and 1 mg dexamethasone suppression test results in patients with adrenal incidentaloma diagnosis. Eighty-six patients (82.6% female) with incidentally discovered adrenal masses, diagnosed and treated in the Department of Endocrinology Bakirkoy Dr. Sadi Konuk Education and Research Hospital between June and August 2017, were included in the analysis. All the patients evaluated for their hormonal functionality. 24-h urinary excretion of cortisol did not correlate with tumor size. But there was a positive correlation between longer adrenal nodule diameter and metanephrine, and there was a negative correlation between shorter adrenal nodule diameter and renin levels. We found that smaller and clinically “silent” tumors often do not demonstrate subclinical hormonal activity

Brachypodium Genomics

Brachypodium distachyon (L.) Beauv. is a temperate wild grass species; its morphological and genomic characteristics make it a model system when compared to many other grass species. It has a small genome, short growth cycle, self-fertility, many diploid accessions, and simple growth requirements. In addition, it is phylogenetically close to economically important crops, like wheat and barley, and several potential biofuel grasses. It exhibits agricultural traits similar to those of these target crops. For cereal genomes, it is a better model than Arabidopsis thaliana and Oryza sativa (rice), the former used as a model for all flowering plants and the latter hitherto used as model for genomes of all temperate grass species including major cereals like barley and wheat. Increasing interest in this species has resulted in the development of a series of genomics resources, including nuclear sequences and BAC/EST libraries, together with the collection and characterization of other genetic resources. It is expected that the use of this model will allow rapid advances in generation of genomics information for the improvement of all temperate crops, particularly the cereals

Can the mean platelet volume be a predictor of disease activity in primary Sjogren syndrome?

Background: Disease activity in primary Sjogren syndrome (PSS) is measured by the EULAR Sjogren’s syndrome disease activity index (ESSDAI) and patient reported index (ESSPRI). Studies investigating the association between ESSDAI and ESSPRI and previously reported indicators of systemic inflammation are few in the literature. The aim of this study was to determine the clinical utility of the mean platelet volume (MPV) in predicting disease activity in PSS patients.Methods: A total of 190 subjects including ninety-five PSS patients and ninety-five healthy controls were enrolled. Associations between MPV and other known indicators of systemic inflammation (red cell distribution width (RDW), neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and patient clinical characteristic, ESSDAI and ESSPRI were investigated by using spearman correlation and linear regression analysis.Results: MPV levels were found to be significantly higher in the PSS group than the control group (10.5±1.2 versus 9.0±1; P<0.001 respectively). Correlation and regression analysis showed a positive correlation between MPV levels and ESSDAI scores (r=0.24, p=0.01). There was a negative correlation between ESSPRI and MPV levels (r=-0.32, p=0.001). NLR and RDW did not show any significant correlation with either ESSDAI or ESSPRI scores.Conclusions: MPV levels are significantly elevated in PSS patients compared to their control peers, positively correlate with ESSDAI but negatively with ESSPRI scores. MPV might be a useful inflammatory marker to measure disease activity in PSS.

Diploid brachypodium distachyon of Turkey: molecular and morphological analysis

Brachypodium distachyon is a model species for the grass family, Poaceae, which includes major cereal crops such as wheat and barley. The aim of this study were to assess morphological and phylogenetic relationships among diploid accessions of Brachypodium representing diverse geographic regions of Turkey based on Sequence related Amplified Polymorphism (SRAP) analyses. The similarity matrix indicated close relation among species used in the section using SRAP primer combinations, produced 156 fragment bands, of which 120 were polymorphic. Genetic distance ranged from 0.03 to 0.62. Plant genotypes were grouped into two major clusters based on SRAP analysis. There was a high level of diversity among the native diploid Brachypodium genotypes. These genotypes can be used for a better understanding of grass genomics

Cloning of anti-hbsag single chain variable fragments from hybridoma cells for one-step elisa

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a worldwide health problem. More than 400 million people are chronic HBV carriers in the world. Infected individuals are at a high risk of developing liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma as the main consequences of HBV. The discoveries of fast diagnostic systems and new therapeutic applications are crucial in the fight against viral hepatitis. In this paper we present the generation of a single-chain variable fragment (scFv) from a mouse monoclonal antibody specific to the HBV surface antigen (HBsAg) and demonstrate its expression as a bacterial alkaline phosphatase (AP) fusion protein. In this study, we constructed scFvs from hybridoma cells expressing HBsAg-specific antibody using phage display technology and expressed them in Escherichia coli. The anti-HBsAg scFvs were inserted into pQE-2 vector to produce scFv antibody genetically fused to bacterial AP. Reproducibility of the recombinant HBsAg-scFv fusion protein was tested using Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). Present preliminary findings indicate that the anti-HBsAg-scFv AP conjugate could be further used for the development of one-step ELISA for the detection of HBV

Comparison of Survival Rates, Tumor Stages, and Localization in between Obese and Nonobese Patients with Gastric Cancer

Purpose. In this study we tried to determine the association between body-mass index (BMI), survival rate, and the stage of tumor at the time of diagnosis in patients with gastric cancer. Methods. A total of 270 gastric cancer patients’ hospital records were retrospectively evaluated. Patients were grouped according to their BMI at the time of tumor diagnosis. Tumor stages at admission were compared according to their BMI values. Results. There were no differences in OS among BMI subgroups (p=0.230). The percent of patients with stage III tumor was significantly higher in nonobese while the percent of stage IV tumor was surprisingly higher in obese patients (p was 0.011 and 0.004, resp.). Percent of patients who did not have any surgical intervention was significantly lower in overweight and obese patients than normal and/or underweight patients. Conclusions. At the time of diagnosis, obese patients had significantly higher percent of stage IV tumor than nonobese patients. Despite of that, there were no differences in survival rates among BMI subgroups. Our study results are consistent with “obesity paradox” in gastric cancer patients. We also did not find any relationship between BMI and localization of gastric tumor

Identification of novel neutralizing single-chain antibodies against vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2

Human vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its receptor (VEGFR-2/kinase domain receptor [KDR]) play a crucial role in angiogenesis, which makes the VEGFR-2 signaling pathway a major target for therapeutic applications. In this study, a single-chain antibody phage display library was constructed from spleen cells of mice immunized with recombinant human soluble extracellular VEGFR-2/KDR consisting of all seven extracellular domains (sKDR D1-7) to obtain antibodies that block VEGF binding to VEGFR-2. Two specific single-chain antibodies (KDR1.3 and KDR2.6) that recognized human VEGFR-2 were selected; diversity analysis of the clones was performed by BstNI fingerprinting and nucleotide sequencing. The single-chain variable fragments (scFvs) were expressed in soluble form and specificity of interactions between affinity purified scFvs and VEGFR-2 was confirmed by ELISA. Binding of the recombinant antibodies for VEGFR-2 receptors was investigated by surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy. In vitro cell culture assays showed that KDR1.3 and KDR2.6 scFvs significantly suppressed the mitogenic response of human umbilical vein endothelial cells to recombinant human VEGF 165 in a dose-dependent manner, and reduced VEGF-dependent cell proliferation by 60% and 40%, respectively. In vivo analysis of these recombinant antibodies in a rat cornea angiogenesis model revealed that both antibodies suppressed the development of new corneal vessels (p &lt; 0.05). Overall, in vitro and in vivo results disclose strong interactions of KDR1.3 and KDR2.6 scFvs with VEGFR-2. These findings indicate that KDR1.3 and KDR2.6 scFvs are promising antiangiogenic therapeutic agents. © 2011 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc

Reproducibility of endometrial intraepithelial neoplasia diagnosis is good, but influenced by the diagnostic style of pathologists

Endometrial intraepithelial neoplasia (EIN) applies specific diagnostic criteria to designate a monoclonal endometrial preinvasive glandular proliferation known from previous studies to confer a 45-fold increased risk for endometrial cancer. In this international study we estimate accuracy and precision of EIN diagnosis among 20 reviewing pathologists in different practice environments, and with differing levels of experience and training. Sixty-two endometrial biopsies diagnosed as benign, EIN, or adenocarcinoma by consensus of two expert subspecialty pathologists were used as a reference comparison to assess diagnostic accuracy of 20 reviewing pathologists. Interobserver reproducibility among the 20 reviewers provided a measure of diagnostic precision. Before evaluating cases, observers were self-trained by reviewing published textbook and/or online EIN diagnostic guidelines. Demographics of the reviewing pathologists, and their impressions regarding implementation of EIN terminology were recorded. Seventy-nine percent of the 20 reviewing pathologists' diagnoses were exactly concordant with the expert consensus (accuracy). The interobserver weighted kappa values of 3-class EIN scheme (benign, EIN, carcinoma) diagnoses between expert consensus and each of reviewing pathologists averaged 0.72 (reproducibility, or precision). Reviewing pathologists demonstrated one of three diagnostic styles, which varied in the repertoire of diagnoses commonly used, and their nonrandom response to potentially confounding diagnostic features such as endometrial polyp, altered differentiation, background hormonal effects, and technically poor preparations. EIN diagnostic strategies can be learned and implemented from standard teaching materials with a high degree of reproducibility, but is impacted by the personal diagnostic style of each pathologist in responding to potential diagnostic confounders

Effects of aluminum chloride on some trace elements and erythrocyte osmotic fragility in rats

Aluminum (Al) is a nonessential, toxic element to which humans are constantly exposed as a result of an increase in industrialization and improving technology practices. The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of different durations and doses of Al exposure on serum and tissue element levels and erythrocyte osmotic fragility in rats. A total of 40 male Wistar Albino rats were divided into five groups: control, group I (3 weeks, 8 mg/kg), group II (6 weeks, 8 mg/kg), group III (3 weeks, 16 mg/kg), and group IV (6 weeks, 16 mg/kg). Al chloride (AlCl3) was injected intraperitoneally (i.p.) five times a week. At the end of the experimental period, levels of Al, iron (Fe), copper (Cu), and zinc (Zn) in serum, liver, and kidney tissues were measured using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry. Osmotic fragility was determined using a spectrophotometer. The results of the experiment indicate that Al induced a statistically significant increase in Al and Fe concentrations in liver and serum as well as in Cu in the kidney. The Fe concentration in serum and kidney tissues was significantly lower in all the groups. As a result of our study, it may be concluded that tissue Al accumulation may lead to an increase in osmotic fragility of erythrocytes and abnormal trace element levels