Serum Proinflammatory Mediators at Different Periods of Therapy in Patients With Multiple Myeloma

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a malignant disease characterized by the clonal proliferation of plasma cells within the bone marrow. Several cytokines have been demonstrated to be involved in the control of growth, progression, and dissemination of MM. We determined serum levels of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-8 (IL-8), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and C-reactive protein (CRP) in 14 newly diagnosed MM patients. The median age of the patients was 63.4 ± 10.8 years and all of the patients were stage III (classified according to the Durie-Salmon classification). The same parameters were measured in 15 healthy controls. In addition, we also examined the effects of vincristine-adriamycin-dexamethasone (VAD) therapy on the same parameters and mediators as well as the relationship among the parameters in the same patient groups. The serum concentrations of TNF-α, IL-1β, sIL-2R, IL-6, IL-8, and CRP (18.6 ± 3.7 pg/mL, 10.1 ± 2.8 pg/mL, 730 ± 220 U/mL, 11.4 ± 3.3 pg/mL, 23.9 ± 8.3 pg/mL, and 49.9 ± 19.5 mg/dL, resp) were significantly higher in newly diagnosed MM patients than in healthy controls (P < .0001). All of the parameters were found to be significantly reduced after chemotherapy. In conclusion, we found that after the VAD therapy, the level of these cytokines which are thought to play an important role in the pathogenesis of MM was significantly suppressed. This is the first study demonstrating strong impact of VAD treatment on circulating mediators of sIL-2R and IL-8 levels parameters

Prevalence and antibiotic susceptibility of Mycoplasma hominis and Ureaplasma urealyticum in pregnant women

SummaryBackgroundMycoplasma hominis and Ureaplasma urealyticum are important opportunistic pathogens implicated in urogenital infections and complicated pregnancy. We aimed to study the role of these pathogens in symptomatic and asymptomatic pregnant women and determine their clinical significance and antibiotic susceptibility.MethodsOne hundred pregnant women were included in the study, 50 symptomatic patients and 50 asymptomatic controls. Duplicate endocervical samples were taken from each individual and analyzed using the Mycoplasma IST-2 kit and A7 agar medium. Antimicrobial susceptibility was tested against doxycycline, josamycin, ofloxacin, erythromycin, tetracycline, ciprofloxacin, azithromycin, clarithromycin, and pristinamycin using the Mycoplasma IST-2 kit.ResultsTwelve symptomatic pregnant women had spontaneous abortions. Of these, eight (66.7%) cases had been colonized with M. hominis and/or U. urealyticum. Of the pregnant women infected with M. hominis and/or U. urealyticum, 40.7% delivered a low birth weight infant. M. hominis was successfully cultured in five women (5%) and U. urealyticum in 27 (27%). Among positive cultures, 15.6% and 84.4% of isolates were M. hominis and U. urealyticum, respectively. M. hominis and U. urealyticum were uniformly susceptible to doxycycline, tetracycline, and pristinamycin, which may be successfully used in the empirical therapy of infected individuals.ConclusionsIt can be concluded that genital colonization with M. hominis and U. urealyticum may predispose to spontaneous abortion and low birth weight

Changes in the rates of antimicrobial resistance among clinical isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa between 2002 and 2004 in a tertiary-care teaching hospital in Turkey

WOS: 000259559800007PubMed: 18843889Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an important opportunistic pathogen usually resistant to most antimicrobials. We present changes in the resistance pattern of R aeruginosa to amikacin (AK) and ciprofloxacin (CIP) between January 2002 and June 2004. The physicians of each unit were given information on antibiotic resistance rates of P aeruginosa isolated from ward patients at regular intervals. The antibiotic resistance of 161 P aeruginosa isolates isolated from intensive care units (ICUs) and non-ICUs were tested by disk diffusion method, and the results were interpreted according to the guidelines of National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards. Thirty-five percent of all the P aeruginosa isolates were resistant to AK in 2002, 18% in 2003, and 20% in 2004. The CIP resistance rates were 4% in 2002, 26% in 2003 and 20% in 2004. In that period, resistance to AK decreased, whereas resistance to CIP increased. The usage rate of AK in 2002 was 32%, which fell to 26% in 2003 (p<0.05). This rate increased to 27% in 2004 (p<0.05). The usage rate of CIP was very low in 2002 (3%). Subsequently, it increased to 8% in 2003 and 2004 (p<0.05). The changes in resistance rates may have been due to alteration in drug usage policy in our hospital. It is important to provide physicians with information on antibiotic resistance rates at regular intervals to guide therapy for critical P. aeruginosa infections

The consistency of total immunoglobulin E with the symptoms according to age and the selection of allergy panels in Malatya (Turkey)

WOS: 000247519500004Distribution of allergens may change according to characteristics of regions. Measurements of total immunoglobulin E (TIE) and specific IgE antibodies are used to diagnose allergic diseases. In this study, we investigated sensitivity of TIE and its consistency with allergic symptoms, and compared the appropriateness of some allergy panels with features of Malatya, south-eastern Turkey province. Sera of 233 allergic patients of various age groups were tested for TIE. The specific IgE's were worked with 529 sera for food panel 5 (FP5) and one inhalant panel by using chemiluminesence technique. The sixty of inhalant panel positive sera were tested with specific IgE against house dust mites, Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and Dermatophagoides farinae. The specific IgE against egg white, milk, wheat, corn, tomato, beef, strawberry and banana were investigated in sixty of FP5 positive sera by enzyme immunoassay method. The sensitivity of TIE was found to be 85%. We concluded that TIE can be used as a scanning test in children aged 5-18 years (69% positive) but it is not useful for 0-5 age group nor in adults (38%, 53% positive, respectively). The allergen scanning test panels should be designed according to custom of society and characteristics of the region

Investigation of an outbreak of Salmonella Typhi in Battalgazi district, Malatya-Turkey Investigação de um surto de Salmonella Typhi no distrito de Battalgazi, Malatya, Turquia

Salmonella Typhi infections are important public health problems for the developing countries. In this study we investigated the molecular epidemiology of a suspected well-water borne S. Typhi outbreak occurred in a district of Malatya-Turkey. This outbreak affected 10 patients in two days. Arbitrary primed polymerase chain reaction (AP-PCR) based typing showed two clones, one had seven, and the other had three strains, supporting outbreak speculation. By adding chlorine to wells by local municipal authority, the outbreak ended within a very short time (about ten days).<br>As infecções por Salmonella Typhi são problemas importantes de saúde pública em países em desenvolvimento. Neste estudo, investigamos a epidemiologia molecular de surto de Salmonella Typhi, supostamente causado por água de poço, ocorrido no distrito de Battalgazi, Malatya, Turquia. Este surto afetou 10 pessoas em dois dias. A tipagem por AP-PCR (arbitrary primed polimerase chain reaction) indicou dois clones, um com sete isolados e outro com três isolados. Com a adição de cloro aos poços pelas autoridades locais, o surto terminou rapidamente (em dez dias)

Multiple-Locus Variable-Number Tandem-Repeat Analysis Genotyping of Human Brucella Isolates from Turkey▿†

A multiple-locus variable-number tandem-repeat analysis (MLVA) was applied to investigate the epidemiological relationship and genetic diversity among 162 human Brucella isolates collected from all geographic regions of Turkey in an 8-year period (2001 to 2008). The isolates were genotyped by using an MLVA assay developed in Orsay, France (MLVA-16Orsay) including eight minisatellite (panel 1) and eight microsatellite (panel 2, subdivided into 2A and 2B) markers. Panels 1 and 2A distinguish 14 genotypes; two of these represented 85% of the strains. Panel 2B displayed a very high discriminatory power. Three loci from panel 2B had diversity index values higher than 0.74. MLVA-16Orsay yielded 105 genotypes; 73 were represented by a unique isolate, and 32 included two to eight isolates. The isolates from different patients within the same outbreak or from the same patient before first-line therapy and after relapse showed identical genotypes. A number of MLVA genotypes appeared to be partially restricted to some geographic areas and displayed no annual variation, possibly reflecting persistence of genotypes in certain areas for a time span of at least a decade. This study, representing the first molecular typing results of human Brucella isolates from Turkey, indicated that Turkish human Brucella melitensis isolates were most closely related to the neighboring countries' isolates included in the East Mediterranean group