Histomorphology of the Male Reproductive System and Spermatogenesis of Phyllobius (Ectomogaster) fulvago Gyllenhal, 1834 (Coleoptera, Curculionidae): A Light and Scanning Electron Microscope Study

Abstract: The morphology and histology of the male reproductive system of Phyllobius fulvago were described and discussed in relation to other Coleoptera species. The results show that Ph. fulvago has two-lobed flower-shaped arranged testes, each lobe with fourteen follicles. There are two types of glands in the male reproductive system in Ph. fulvago: tubular accessory glands and lobed prostate glands. © 2021, Pleiades Publishing, Ltd

Formation of the sural nerve in foetal cadavers

The purpose of this study was to provide a morphologic description and assessmenton the formation level of the sural nerve (SN) and its components. Alsowe aimed to reveal histological features of the SN components. An anatomicalstudy of the formation of the SN was carried out on 100 limbs from 50 embalmedfoetuses. The results showed that the SN was formed by the union ofthe medial sural cutaneous nerve (MSCN) and the peroneal communicatingbranch (PCB) in 71% of the cases (Type A); the MSCN and PCB are branches ofthe tibial and common peroneal nerve (CPN) or lateral sural cutaneous nerves(LSCN), respectively. Formation level of the SN was at the distal third of the legin 43% of the cases, at the middle third of the leg in 46% of the cases, and atthe upper third of the leg in 11% of the cases. The PCB originated in the CPN in68% and the PCB originated in the LSCN in 3% of the cases. The SN wasformed only by the MSCN in 20% of the cases (Type B). Type C was divided intofour subgroups: in the first group the PCB and fibres of the posterior femoralcutaneous nerve joined the MSCN in 4% of cases; in the second group theMSCN, PCB, and sciatic nerve did not unite and coursed separately in 1% ofcases; in the third group the SN arose directly from the sciatic nerve alone andthe MSCN made a little contribution in 2% of cases; and in the fourth groupthe PCB, fibres of the sciatic nerve, and the MSCN formed the SN in 1% of thecases. The SN was formed only by the PCB in 1% of the cases (Type D). Distancesof the formation level of the SN to the intercondylar line and the lateralmalleolus were measured and also noted. A detailed knowledge of the anatomyof the SN and its contributing nerves are important in many interventionalprocedures

Salicylic acid and fish flour pre-treatments affect wheat phenolic and flavonoid compounds, lipid peroxidation levels under salt stress

The potential effect of combined salicylic acid and fish flour to improve plant tolerance to salt stress was investigated. This pre-treatment improved the growth of wheat seedlings under salinity when compared to control (untreated wheat seedlings). Moreover, combined pre-treatment improved significantly phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) and peroxidase (POD) enzyme activities, also phenolic-flavonoid content in the shoots of salt stressed seedlings. One of the most important consequences of increase in salt stress is the oxidative tissue damage. In our study, salt stress increased lipid peroxidation levels (LPO) and also the loss of chlorophylls levels during stress might also be related to photo-oxidation resulting from oxidative stress. Whereas phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) activities of wheat shoots increased by a 2.1-fold under salt stress, the activities of shoots grown from seeds primed with salicylic acid and fish flour (SA + FF) increased by a 4-fold for 0.05 mM SA + FF, 4.8- fold for 0.1 mM SA + FF and 3.7-fold for 2.5 mM SA + FF combined pre-treatment under salt stress. Also, the combined salicylic acid + fish flour primed seedlings showed higher content of the scopoletin, and salicylic, syringic, vanilic and gallic acids under both salt and nonsalinity stress conditions

Diagnostic value of combined serum biomarkers for the evaluation of liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis C infection: A multicenter, noninterventional, observational study

Background/Aims: The hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is important cause of chronic hepatitis. Liver biopsy is considered the gold standard for assessment of fibrosis but this procedure is an invasive procedure. We aimed to evaluate the diagnostic efficiency of non-invasive serum biomarkers, separately and in combinations, on liver fibrosis in treatment-naive chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients. Materials and Methods: Two hundred and sixteen treatment-naive CHC patients were enrolled from 32 locations across Turkey in this open-labelled, non-interventional prospective observational study. FibroTest®, aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index(APRI), aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase ratio (AAR), fibrosis index based on four factors (FIB-4), Age-platelet(AP) index and Forns index were measured and compared with Metavir scores got from liver biopsies. Results: Data from 182 patients with baseline liver biopsy were suitable for analysis. One hundred and twenty patients (65.9%) had F0-F1 fibrosis and 62 patients (34.1%) had F2-F4 fibrosis. APRI 0.732 area under the curve(AUC) indicated advanced fibrosis with 69% sensitivity and 77% specificity. FIB-4 0.732 AUC and FibroTest 0.715 AUC indicated advanced fibrosis with 69% and 78.4% sensitivity, and 75% and 71.4% specificity, respectively. The combined use of tests also led to an increase in AUC and specificity. Combinations of FibroTest with APRI and/or FIB-4, and FIB-4 with APRI were optimal for the evaluation of liver fibrosis. Conclusion: Fibrotest, FIB-4, APRI, AP index and Forns index exhibit good diagnostic performance for determining liver fibrosis in CHC patients, and the use of at least two tests together will increase their diagnostic value still further. © Copyright 2018 by The Turkish Society of Gastroenterology

Radical radiotherapy for paediatric solid tumour metastases:An overview of current European protocols and outcomes of a SIOPE multicenter survey

Purpose/objective: About 20% of children with solid tumours (ST) present with distant metastases (DM). Evidence regarding the use of radical radiotherapy of these DM is sparse and open for personal interpretation. The aim of this survey was to review European protocols and to map current practice regarding the irradiation of DM across SIOPE-affiliated countries. Materials/methods: Radiotherapy guidelines for metastatic sites (bone, brain, distant lymph nodes, lung and liver) in eight European protocols for rhabdomyosarcoma, non-rhabdomyosarcoma soft-tissue sarcoma, Ewing sarcoma, neuroblastoma and renal tumours were reviewed. SIOPE centres irradiating >= 50 children annually were invited to participate in an online survey. Results: Radiotherapy to at least one metastatic site was recommended in all protocols, except for high-risk neuroblastoma. Per protocol, dose prescription varied per site, and information on delineation and treatment planning/delivery was generally missing. Between July and September 2019, 20/27 centres completed the survey. Around 14% of patients were deemed to have DM from ST at diagnosis, of which half were treated with curative intent. A clear cut-off for a maximum number of DM was not used in half of the centres. Regardless of the tumour type and site, conventional radiotherapy regimens were most commonly used to treat DM. When stereotactic radiotherapy was used, a wide range of fractionation regimens were applied. Conclusion: Current radiotherapy guidelines for DM do not allow a consistent approach in a multicentre setting. Prospective (randomised) trials are needed to define the role of radical irradiation of DM from paediatric ST. (C) 2020 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd

Evaluation of the ICT Tuberculosis test for the routine diagnosis of tuberculosis

BACKGROUND: Rapid and accurate diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) is crucial to facilitate early treatment of infectious cases and thus to reduce its spread. To improve the diagnosis of TB, more rapid diagnostic techniques such as antibody detection methods including enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)-based serological tests and immunochromatographic methods were developed. This study was designed to evaluate the validity of an immunochromatographic assay, ICT Tuberculosis test for the serologic diagnosis of TB in Antalya, Turkey. METHODS: Sera from 72 patients with active pulmonary (53 smear-positive and 19 smear-negative cases) and eight extrapulmonary (6 smear-positive and 2 smear-negative cases) TB, and 54 controls from different outpatient clinics with similar demographic characteristics as patients were tested by ICT Tuberculosis test. RESULTS: The sensitivity, specificity, and negative predictive value of the ICT Tuberculosis test for pulmonary TB were 33.3%, 100%, and 52.9%, respectively. Smear-positive pulmonary TB patients showed a higher positivity rate for antibodies than smear-negative patients, but the difference was not statistically significant. Of the eight patients with extrapulmonary TB, antibody was detected in four patients. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that ICT Tuberculosis test can be used to aid TB diagnosis in smear-positive patients until the culture results are available

Antioxidant, antimicrobial and anticancer activity of the lichens Cladonia furcata, Lecanora atra and Lecanora muralis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The aim of this study is to investigate in vitro antioxidant, antimicrobial and anticancer activity of the acetone extracts of the lichens <it>Cladonia furcata, Lecanora atra </it>and <it>Lecanora muralis</it>.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Antioxidant activity was evaluated by five separate methods: free radical scavenging, superoxide anion radical scavenging, reducing power, determination of total phenolic compounds and determination of total flavonoid content. The antimicrobial activity was estimated by determination of the minimal inhibitory concentration by the broth microdilution method against six species of bacteria and ten species of fungi. Anticancer activity was tested against FemX (human melanoma) and LS174 (human colon carcinoma) cell lines using MTT method.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Of the lichens tested, <it>Lecanora atra </it>had largest free radical scavenging activity (94.7% inhibition), which was greater than the standard antioxidants. Moreover, the tested extracts had effective reducing power and superoxide anion radical scavenging. The strong relationships between total phenolic and flavonoid contents and the antioxidant effect of tested extracts were observed. Extract of <it>Cladonia furcata </it>was the most active antimicrobial agent with minimum inhibitory concentration values ranging from 0.78 to 25 mg/mL. All extracts were found to be strong anticancer activity toward both cell lines with IC₅₀values ranging from 8.51 to 40.22 μg/mL.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The present study shows that tested lichen extracts demonstrated a strong antioxidant, antimicrobial and anticancer effects. That suggest that lichens may be used as as possible natural antioxidant, antimicrobial and anticancer agents to control various human, animal and plant diseases.</p

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