Dialogi Örneğinde Hıristiyan Azizlerin Özellikleri

Azizlik kültü, erken dönemlerden itibaren Hıristiyan toplumların dinî yaşantısında önemli bir yer işgal etmiştir. Başlangıçta havariler ve İsa’nın öğretisini takip eden kişilerin tamamı aziz olarak değerlendirilirken; zaman içerisinde Hıristiyanlığın geniş kitlelere yayılması ve öğretilerin şekillenmeye başlamasıyla birlikte Hıristiyan toplumların aziz algısında değişiklikler meydana gelmiştir. Hıristiyanlığın gizli yaşandığı ve devlet tarafından kabul görmediği dönemde, inancı uğruna şehit olanlar aziz olarak kabul edilmiştir. Ancak Hıristiyanlığın, Roma İmparatorluğu tarafından meşru kabul edilmesiyle birlikte bu tür şehitlik mertebesine ulaşma imkânı ortadan kalkmıştır. Bu andan itibaren azizlik algısında önemli bir kırılma yaşanmış ve inancı uğrunda dünyadan el etek çeken keşişler, aziz olarak görülmeye başlamıştır. Mısır ve Suriye bölgelerinde başlayan manastır hayatı ve keşişlik, V. yüzyılda Batı’ya taşınmış ve Avrupa’daki Hıristiyanlığın gelişiminde etkili olmuştur. Bu noktada 590-604 yılları arasında Roma piskoposluğu makamında oturan, tarihteki ilk keşiş papa Gregorius Magnus (ö. 604) ve Avrupalı azizlerin hikâyelerini anlattığı Dialogi adlı eseri önemli bir konumda bulunmaktadır. Papa I. Gregorius’un bu eseri yüzyıllar boyunca Avrupa’da etkili olmuş ve Hıristiyanların hem inançlarını hem de dinî yaşantılarını şekillendirmiştir. Bu çalışmada azizlik algısının zaman içerisindeki dönüşümü ve Gregorius Magnus’un Dialogi üzerinden bu dönüşüme yaptığı katkı incelenecektir

Comparison of pediatric and adult antibiotic-associated diarrhea and Clostridium difficile infections

This is an open access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by-nc/4.0/.Antibiotic-associated diarrhea (AAD) and Clostridium difficile infections (CDI) have been well studied for adult cases, but not as well in the pediatric population. Whether the disease process or response to treatments differs between pediatric and adult patients is an important clinical concern when following global guidelines based largely on adult patients. A systematic review of the literature using databases PubMed (June 3, 1978-2015) was conducted to compare AAD and CDI in pediatric and adult populations and determine significant differences and similarities that might impact clinical decisions. In general, pediatric AAD and CDI have a more rapid onset of symptoms, a shorter duration of disease and fewer CDI complications (required surgeries and extended hospitalizations) than in adults. Children experience more community-associated CDI and are associated with smaller outbreaks than adult cases of CDI. The ribotype NAP1/027/BI is more common in adults than children. Children and adults share some similar risk factors, but adults have more complex risk factor profiles associated with more co-morbidities, types of disruptive factors and a wider range of exposures to C. difficile in the healthcare environment. The treatment of pediatric and adult AAD is similar (discontinuing or switching the inciting antibiotic), but other treatment strategies for AAD have not been established. Pediatric CDI responds better to metronidazole, while adult CDI responds better to vancomycin. Recurrent CDI is not commonly reported for children. Prevention for both pediatric and adult AAD and CDI relies upon integrated infection control programs, antibiotic stewardship and may include the use of adjunctive probiotics. Clinical presentation of pediatric AAD and CDI are different than adult AAD and CDI symptoms. These differences should be taken into account when rating severity of disease and prescribing antibiotics.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio

Heart Rate Variability in Children with Tricyclic Antidepressant Intoxication

The aim of this study was to evaluate HRV in children requiring intensive care unit stays due to TCA poisoning between March 2009 and July 2010. In the time-domain nonspectral evaluation, the SDNN (P<0.001), SDNNi (P<0.05), RMSDD (P<0.01), and pNN50 (P<0.01) were found to be significantly lower in the TCA intoxication group. The spectral analysis of the data recorded during the first 5 minutes after intensive care unit admission showed that the values of the nLF (P<0.05) and the LF/HF ratio (P=0.001) were significantly higher in the TCA intoxication group, while the nHF (P=0.001) values were significantly lower. The frequency-domain spectral analysis of the data recorded during the last 5 minutes showed a lower nHF (P=0.001) in the TCA intoxication group than in the controls, and the LF/HF ratio was significantly higher (P<0.05) in the intoxication group. The LF/HF ratio was higher in the seven children with seizures (P<0.001). These findings provided us with a starting point for the value of HRV analysis in determining the risk of arrhythmia and convulsion in TCA poisoning patients. HRV can be used as a noninvasive testing method in determining the treatment and prognosis of TCA poisoning patients

The Immunomodulatory Properties of Extracellular Vesicles Derived from Probiotics: A Novel Approach for the Management of Gastrointestinal Diseases

Probiotics, included in functional foods, nutritional supplements, or nutraceuticals, exhibit different beneficial effects on gut function. They are extensively used to improve the digestive processes as well as reduce the symptoms and progression of different diseases. Probiotics have shown to improve dysbiosis and modulate the immune response of the host by interacting with different cell types. Probiotics and the host can interact in a direct way, but it is becoming apparent that communication occurs also through extracellular vesicles (EVs) derived from probiotics. EVs are key for bacteria–bacteria and bacteria–host interactions, since they carry a wide variety of components that can modulate different signaling pathways, including those involved in the immune response. Interestingly, EVs are recently starting to be considered as an alternative to probiotics in those cases for which the use of live bacteria could be dangerous, such as immunocompromised individuals or situations where the intestinal barrier is impaired. EVs can spread through the mucus layer and interact with the host, avoiding the risk of sepsis. This review summarizes the existing knowledge about EVs from different probiotic strains, their properties, and their potential use for the prevention or treatment of different gastrointestinal diseases.This work was supported by Junta de Andalucia (Spain) (research grants CTS 164 and PI-0206-2016) and the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (research grant AGL2015-67995-C3-3-R) and cofinanced by the Fondo Europeo de Desarollo Regional (FEDER) from the European Union. JA-MT is a Ph.D. student from the Postgraduate Program Nutricion y Ciencias de los Alimentos at the University of Granada (Spain). The CIBER-EHD is funded by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III