Assessment of Genetic Relationship among Male and Female Fig Genotypes Using Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR) Markers

Fig (Ficus carica L.) is a traditional crop in Turkey and widely cultivated around the Mediterranean areas. The gynodioecious fig species is present in two sexual forms, i.e. the domesticated fig (female tree) and the caprifig (male tree). Caprifigs are crucial for high quality fig production and breeding while, the studies on assessment of genetic relationship among caprifigs is limited. The aim of this study was to determine genetic diversity among 45 caprifigs and 2 female figs collected from four provinces in Marmara and Aegean Sea Regions of Turkey using simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. In this work, 24 SSR markers were tested, one was monomorphic and the remaining markers amplified 82 alleles. The number of polymorphic alleles per SSR marker ranged from 2 to 7. The observed heterozygosity (Ho) differed from 0.18 to 0.76 and expected heterozygosity (He) ranged between 0.24 and 0.81. The polymorphism information content (PIC) varied from 0.42 to 0.98. A UPGMA analysis based on Dice similarity matrix clustered fig genotypes into two main groups and similarly, STRUCTURE analysis placed fig genotypes into two different gene pools (K=2). Fig genotypes collected from the same region were not clustered together in a group indicating that the fig genotypes did not cluster on the basis of their collection sites. Our results demonstrated that caprifigs and female figs are not genetically distinct and they clustered together in a group. All fig genotypes had distinct SSR marker profiles suggesting that there were no synonyms or homonyms. These results revealed a high genetic variation among fig genotypes and 23 SSR markers were enough to discriminate all fig genotypes analysed in this study demonstrating that SSR marker system is suitable for genetic analysis in figs

Glutathione S-transferase M1 and T1 gene polymorphisms in patients with chronic plaque-type psoriasis: A case-control study

Objective: To determine the role of glutathione S-transferase (GST) isoenzyme polymorphisms as susceptibility factors in patients with psoriasis in a Turkish cohort. Subjects and Methods: In this case-control study, 105 patients with plaque-type psoriasis and 102 healthy controls were recruited from the dermatology outpatient clinics of two university hospitals. Genomic DNA was extracted from whole blood using a DZ DNA isolation kit. Multiplex PCR was used to determine GSTM1 and GSTT1 polymorphisms in the isolated DNAs. Results: Of the 150 patients with psoriasis, 83 (79%) were identified with the GSTT1 genotype and 22 (21%) with the null genotype. Of the 102 patients in the control group, 69 (67.6%) subjects were identified with the GSTT1 genotype and 33 (32.4%) with the null genotype. There was no significant difference between the patient and control groups (p = 0.063). Regarding the GSTM1 polymorphism, 54 (51.4%) patients were identified with this genotype and 51 (48.6%) with the null genotype; in the control group, 50 (49%) were identified with this genotype and 52 (51%) with the null genotype. Again there was no statistically significant difference between the groups (p = 0.957). Conclusion: In this Turkish cohort of patients with psoriasis, neither GSTT1 nor GSTM1 polymorphisms were associated with disease susceptibility. Larger studies with a wider range of GST isoenzyme are needed

Soluble CD40 Ligand Levels in Otherwise Healthy Subjects With Impaired Fasting Glucose

Unlike diabetes mellitus and impaired glucose tolerance, it is not clear whether the subjects with impaired fasting glucose (IFG) are at increased risk of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases. The CD40-CD40 ligand interaction is involved in the mechanism of atherosclerosis. We investigated whether soluble CD40L (sCD40L) as well as high sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP) levels are increased in subjects with IFG having no confounding factors for inflammation or atherosclerosis. Twenty four IFG subjects with no additional disorders and 40 appropriate healthy controls were studied. sCD40L and hsCRP levels in the IFG and control groups were similar. Blood pressures, total and LDL-cholesterol, and triglyceride levels were also similar, whereas HDL-cholesterol was lower and HOMA-IR indexes were higher in the IFG group. Though the sample size was small, the present data show that sCD40L seems not to alter in subjects with IFG suggesting that it might not be an independent risk factor for atherosclerosis

The efficacy and safety of omalizumab in refractory chronspontaneous urticaria: Real-life experience in Turkey

Introduction: This study used real-world data to evaluate the effectiveness and reliability of omalizumab in treating recalcitrant chronic spontaneous urticaria in Turkish patients. Methods: Study data were collected retrospectively from eight tertiary-care hospitals in Turkey. This study included 132 patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria that were resistant to H1 antihistamine treatment in a dose up to four times the licensed dose and were treated with 300 mg/month of omalizumab for 6 months. Results: The mean weekly urticarial activity score (UAS7) after omalizumab treatment improved significantly compared to the pretreatment score (p <0.001). Treatment response was detected primarily in the 1st and 2nd months after treatment. No significant association was observed between omalizumab’s treatment effectiveness and disease-related parameters or laboratory data. The mean dermatology life quality index was 23.12 ± 6.15 before treatment and decreased to 3.55 ± 3.60 6 months after treatment (p <0.001). No side effects were reported in 89.4% (118) of the patients. Conclusion: This study showed that UAS7 decreased significantly and quality of life improved in omalizumab-treated patients. Moreover, treatment effectiveness was mainly observed in the first 2 months after treatment. However, no association was observed between omalizumab treatment effectiveness and disease-related parameters or laboratory data

Associations between Demodex species infestation and various types of cancer

Tumor-associated immune system cells secrete protease and cytokines that can inhibit the immune response. In particular, T-cell effector functions could be inhibited, potentially causing an increase in parasitic infestations. Demodex species are common inhabitants of normal hair follicles. Humans are the specific host for two species Demodex folliculorum and D. brevis. The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence and infestation of D. folliculorum and D. brevis in patients with cancer. In the present study, 101 patients with cancer were selected from among patients who were diagnosed and treated for cancer. The cancer patients were divided into four groups according to cancer type. Slides were examined for parasites using light microscopy at magnifications of x40 and x100. Infestation was defined as having at least five living parasites/cm(2) of skin. The ages of the patients with cancer ranged between 38 and 82 years, with a mean of 65.5 +/- 10.1 years. It was determined that 77 of the 101 (76.2%) cancer patients were positive for Demodex species. Infestation was positive in 18 (47.4%) of the 38 cases in the breast cancer group, 7 (29.2%) of the 24 cases in the lung cancer group, 5 (18.5%) of the 27 cases in the gastrointestinal system cancer group, and 2 (16.7%) of the 12 cases in the urogenital system cancer group. Results showed that the rate of Demodex species infestation was higher in patients with breast cancer. Thus, cancer - and particularly breast cancer - is a risk factor for Demodex species infestation