Effect of aerial part and root extracts from Ferulago mughlae Pesmen and Ferulago sandrasica Pesmen & Quezel growing in Turkey on erectile dysfunction in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

WOS: 000459615300010Ferulago species have been utilised since ancient times as antihelmentic, peptic, sedative and aphrodisiac, and as the seasoning in view of their special odors. In Turkish traditional medicine, the roots from some members of this genus are utilized as aphrodisiac, so we determined to show in vitro relaxant effect of F. mughlae Pesmen and F. sandrasica Pesmen & Quezel species extracts on corpus cavernosum (CC). A totality of 20 adult male Sprague-Dawley rats (diabetic and control groups) were induced by single intraperitoneal injection of 40 mg/kg of Streptozotocin. In vitro organ bath tests were carried out on rats to evaluate isometric pressure. Tissues were stretched with phenylephrine (Phe), and relaxation responses relevant to acetylcholine (ACh, 1 mM), sodium nitroprusside (SNP 0.1 mu M) and electrical field stimulation (EFS, frequency 20 Hz) were gained. Whole these concentration-response curves were replicated with aqueous extracts obtained from the aerial parts and roots. The extracts were active in both groups. It was found that root extracts of F. mughlae and F. sandrasica yielded 97.80% and 97.55% relaxation. Among the extracts of roots (especially roots of F. mughlae) showed the best activity. On the other hand, lyophilized aqueous extracts of aerial part (especially F. sandrasica) showed the worst activity. Based on this findings, the roots of this species deserve further in vivo assessments for their aphrodisiac potential

alpha-Amylase and alpha-glucosidase inhibitory activities of the extracts and constituents of Ferulago blancheana, F. pachyloba and F. trachycarpa roots

Eleven coumarins named osthole (1), imperatorin (2), bergapten (3), prants-chimgin (4), grandivitinol (5), suberosin (6), xanthotoxin (7), felamidin (8), marmesin (9), umbelliferone (10), ulopterol (11), and a sterol mixture consisted of stigmasterol (12), beta-sitosterol (13) were isolated from the roots of Ferulago blancheana, F. pachyloba and F. trachycarpa through in vitro bioassay-guided fractionation processes. The extracts and bioactive compounds were evaluated for their alpha-amylase and alpha-glucosidase activities. Among the tested compounds, felamidin and suberosin showed significant alpha-glucosidase inhibitory activity with IC50 values of 0.4 and 0.9 mg/mL, respectively, when compared to the reference standard acarbose (IC50 = 4.9 mg/mL). Grandivitinol (IC50 = 20.0 mg/mL) had the lowest inhibitory effect. On the other hand, none of the tested extracts were found to be active on alpha-amylase inhibition. This is the first report on isolation, characterization of the bioactive compounds and evaluation the alpha-amylase and alpha-glucosidase inhibitory activities of these species

Regional distribution of genetic mutation in lung cancer in Turkey (REDIGMA)

Introduction: The results of standard chemotherapy in lung cancer are not very satisfactory, so it is important to identify genetic mutations that provide targeted therapies. Recent reports have suggested influences of racial difference on the frequency of mutation in lung cancer. We aimed to determine the frequency and regional distribution of genetic mutations of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in Turkey

Immunization status in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: A multicenter study from Turkey

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to detect the prevalence and the factors associated with influenza and pneumococcal vaccination and outcomes of vaccination during 2013-2014 season in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in Turkey. METHODS: This was a multicenter retrospective cohort study performed in 53 different centers in Turkey. RESULTS: During the study period, 4968 patients were included. COPD was staged as GOLD 1-2-3-4 in 9.0\%, 42.8\%, 35.0\%, and 13.2\% of the patients, respectively. Influenza vaccination rate in the previous year was 37.9\%; and pneumococcus vaccination rate, at least once during in a life time, was 13.3\%. Patients with older age, higher level of education, more severe COPD, and comorbidities, ex-smokers, and patients residing in urban areas had higher rates of influenza vaccination. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that advanced age, higher education levels, presence of comorbidities, higher COPD stages, and exacerbation rates were associated with both influenza and pneumococcal vaccination. The number of annual physician/outpatient visits and hospitalizations due to COPD exacerbation was 2.73 +/- 2.85 and 0.92 +/- 1.58 per year, respectively. Patients with older age, lower education levels, more severe COPD, comorbid diseases, and lower body mass index and patients who are male and are residing in rural areas and vaccinated for influenza had significantly higher rates of COPD exacerbation. CONCLUSIONS: The rates of influenza and pneumococcal vaccination in COPD patients were quite low, and the number of annual physician/outpatient visits and hospitalizations due to COPD exacerbation was high in Turkey. Advanced age, higher education levels, comorbidities, and higher COPD stages were associated with both influenza and pneumococcal vaccination

International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortiu (INICC) report, data summary of 43 countries for 2007-2012. Device-associated module

We report the results of an International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium (INICC) surveillance study from January 2007-December 2012 in 503 intensive care units (ICUs) in Latin America, Asia, Africa, and Europe. During the 6-year study using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) U.S. National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) definitions for device-associated health care–associated infection (DA-HAI), we collected prospective data from 605,310 patients hospitalized in the INICC's ICUs for an aggregate of 3,338,396 days. Although device utilization in the INICC's ICUs was similar to that reported from ICUs in the U.S. in the CDC's NHSN, rates of device-associated nosocomial infection were higher in the ICUs of the INICC hospitals: the pooled rate of central line–associated bloodstream infection in the INICC's ICUs, 4.9 per 1,000 central line days, is nearly 5-fold higher than the 0.9 per 1,000 central line days reported from comparable U.S. ICUs. The overall rate of ventilator-associated pneumonia was also higher (16.8 vs 1.1 per 1,000 ventilator days) as was the rate of catheter-associated urinary tract infection (5.5 vs 1.3 per 1,000 catheter days). Frequencies of resistance of Pseudomonas isolates to amikacin (42.8% vs 10%) and imipenem (42.4% vs 26.1%) and Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates to ceftazidime (71.2% vs 28.8%) and imipenem (19.6% vs 12.8%) were also higher in the INICC's ICUs compared with the ICUs of the CDC's NHSN