Additional Notes on Delphacidae, Tettigometridae and Cixidae [Auchenorrhyncha (Insecta: Hemiptera)] Fauna in East and Southeast Anatolia Region of Turkey

This study was carried out to contribute the Delphacidae, Tettigometridae and Cixiidae (Hemiptera) fauna in the East and Southeast Anatolia Region of Turkey. Specimens were collected from different locations of the study area, in 2007, 2008, 2014 and 2015, and prepared according to standard methods. 7 species belonging to 6 genera from 3 families were determined: Hyalesthes obsoletus, Pentastiridius leporinus, Laodelphax striatellus, Sogatella vibix, Toya propinqua, Tettigometra atra and Tettigometra macrocephala. Number of examined specimens, host plants and distribution of species in Turkey have been given. In these species; P. leporinus, L. striatellus T. atra, T. macrocephala were new records in these regions

Oxidative stress is a mediator for increased lipid accumulation in a newly isolated Dunaliella salina strain

Green algae offer sustainable, clean and eco-friendly energy resource. However, production efficiency needs to be improved. Increasing cellular lipid levels by nitrogen depletion is one of the most studied strategies. Despite this, the underlying physiological and biochemical mechanisms of this response have not been well defined. Algae species adapted to hypersaline conditions can be cultivated in salty waters which are not useful for agriculture or consumption. Due to their inherent extreme cultivation conditions, use of hypersaline algae species is better suited for avoiding culture contamination issues. In this study, we identified a new halophilic Dunaliella salina strain by using 18S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing. We found that growth and biomass productivities of this strain were directly related to nitrogen levels, as the highest biomass concentration under 0.05 mM or 5 mM nitrogen regimes were 495 mg/l and 1409 mg/l, respectively. We also confirmed that nitrogen limitation increased cellular lipid content up to 35% under 0.05 mM nitrogen concentration. In order to gain insight into the mechanisms of this phenomenon, we applied fluorometric, flow cytometric and spectrophotometric methods to measure oxidative stress and enzymatic defence mechanisms. Under nitrogen depleted cultivation conditions, we observed increased lipid peroxidation by measuring an important oxidative stress marker, malondialdehyde and enhanced activation of catalase, ascorbate peroxidase and superoxide dismutase antioxidant enzymes. These observations indicated that oxidative stress is accompanied by increased lipid content in the green alga. In addition, we also showed that at optimum cultivation conditions, inducing oxidative stress by application of exogenous H2O2 leads to increased cellular lipid content up to 44% when compared with non-treated control groups. Our results support that oxidative stress and lipid overproduction are linked. Importantly, these results also suggest that oxidative stress mediates lipid accumulation. Understanding such relationships may provide guidance for efficient production of algal biodiesels

Sleep Is a Refreshing Process: An fNIRS Study

Sleep is a very critical process that constitutes up to one third of daytime of a healthy adult. It is known to be an active period where body and brain is refreshed for the next day. It is both part of a larger cycle, i.e., circadian rhythm, and has subcsycles in it, i.e., sleep stages. Although hemodynamics of these stages have been investigated especially in the last two decades, there are still points in the hemodynamics to be illuminated especially in terms of refreshment. This study aims to investigate refreshing property of sleep in terms of sleep stages using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) for measuring prefrontal cortex (PFC) hemodynamics. Nine healthy subjects slept in sleep laboratories, monitored by polysomnography and fNIRS before, during, and after night sleep. REM stage had lower oxyhemoglobin (HbO) and total hemoglobin (HbT) than the other sleep stages and wakefulness. Deoxyhemoglobin (HbR) did not differ between any stages. All sleep stages and wakefulness stage at the end of the sleep had higher HbO and lower HbR than the beginning of the sleep. HbT levels did not differ between the beginning and the end of the sleep for any stages. During REM sleep, PFC seems to get lower blood supply, possibly due to increased demand in other brain regions. Regardless of the stage, PFC has higher oxygenation toward the end of sleep, indicating refreshment. Overall, our brain seems to be on duty during sleep throughout the night for “cleaning” and “refreshing” itself. Hemodynamic changes from the beginning to end of sleep might be the indicator of this work. Thus, accordingly REM stage seems to be at a central point for this work

Beta 2 glycoprotein I Valine247Leucine polymorphism in patients with antiphospholipid syndrome

Aim: Beta 2 Glycoprotein I (β2-GP I) takes part in the pathogenesis of antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). Valine247Leucine (Val247Leu) gene polymorphism of β2-GP I might affect the binding/production of anti-β2-GP I antibodies. Multiple studies are showing different frequencies of this polymorphism in various ethnic backgrounds; we aimed to determine the frequency and clinical importance of Val247Leu gene polymorphism of β2-GP I in patients with APS and healthy. Methods: Eighty-three patients with APS [68 primary APS, 15 APS with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)] and 63 healthy individuals were included. Β2-GP I Val247Leu polymorphism was determined by quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction and melting curve analysis. The presence of anti-β2-GP I antibodies was detected by ELISA in the patient group. Results: Allele and genotype frequencies were similar between patients and healthy controls (p=0,307). V allele and VV genotype frequencies were significantly higher in primary APS patients with thrombocytopenia (p=0.040). There was no significant difference between β2-GP I Val247Leu gene polymorphism and the anti-β2-GP IgM and IgG antibody levels in the patient group (p=0.631 and p=0.077, respectively) Conclusion: This is the first study investigating the β2-GP I Val247Leu gene polymorphism in the Turkish population. The frequencies of Val247Leu gene polymorphism of β2-GP I were not different between patients with APS and healthy individuals in line with the other studies in Caucasian populations. Significantly high levels of V allele and VV genotype frequencies in primary APS patients could offer further insight to into the pathogenesis of thrombocytopenia in APS

Impact of early disease factors on metabolic syndrome in systemic lupus erythematosus: data from an international inception cohort.

To access publisher's full text version of this article, please click on the hyperlink in Additional Links field or click on the hyperlink at the top of the page marked Files. This article is open access.The metabolic syndrome (MetS) may contribute to the increased cardiovascular risk in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). We examined the association between MetS and disease activity, disease phenotype and corticosteroid exposure over time in patients with SLE.Recently diagnosed (1, higher disease activity, increasing age and Hispanic or Black African race/ethnicity were independently associated with MetS over the first 2 years of follow-up in the cohort.MetS is a persistent phenotype in a significant proportion of patients with SLE. Renal lupus, active inflammatory disease and damage are SLE-related factors that drive MetS development while antimalarial agents appear to be protective from early in the disease course.Canadian Institutes of Health Research 93695 86526 Arthritis Research UK (Arthritis Research UK Epidemiology Unit Core Support Programme Grant) National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Unit Funding Scheme NIHR Manchester Biomedical Research Centre Arthritis Research UK Manchester Academic Health Science Centre NIHR Biomedical Research Unit Funding Scheme NIHR Manchester Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Facility Arthritis Research Clinical Research Fellowship 18845 Ministry for Health and Welfare, Republic of Korea A120404 Lupus UK NIHR/Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Facility at University Hospital Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust and City Hospital Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust, UK NIH UL1 RR025741 P60AR 30692 K24 AR 002138 RR00046 Hopkins Lupus Cohort NIH RD-1 43727 Department of Education, Universities and Research, Basque Government Singer Family Fund for Lupus Research tier 1 Canada Research Chair on Systemic Autoimmune Rheumatic Diseases, Universite Lava

Local thrombolytic therapy in acute mesenteric ischemia

BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to evaluate the local thrombolytic therapy (LTT) in combination with laparoscopy, in management of acute mesenteric ischemia (AMI). METHODS: From January 2000 to January 2010, patients who were admitted to the hospital with AMI due to acute arterial occlusion were analysed retrospectively. Patients presenting with acute abdomen with a suspicion of AMI were evaluated with computerized tomography angiography (CTA). Patients who had findigs of AMI on CTA, were underwent selective mesenteric angiography and LTT eventhough without peritoneal signs. LTT was carried out before or after laparoscopy or laparotomy, and initiated with recombinant plasminogen activator. RESULTS: LTT was performed in 13 (17.1%), out of 76 patients. From the remaining patients, 56 underwent necrotic bowel resection and 7 underwent tromboembolectomy. The median age was 62 years (45–87). The median duration of symptoms was 24 h. Four (30.7%) patients presented within 24 h onset of symptoms, whilst 9 (69.3%) patients presented after 24 h onset of symptoms. There were 5 (39.5%) patients, who presented with abdominal pain without peritoneal signs on physical examination and 8 (61.5%) patients, who had peritoneal signs. The mortality rate was 20% (1/5) in the first group who presented without peritoneal signs, whilst it was 62.5% (5/8) in the remaining. CONCLUSION: Early intervention in AMI is the key to better results. CTA combined with early laparoscopy and LTT may have beneficial effects at this setting

Treat-to-target in systemic lupus erythematosus: recommendations from an international task force.

The principle of treating-to-target has been successfully applied to many diseases outside rheumatology and more recently to rheumatoid arthritis. Identifying appropriate therapeutic targets and pursuing these systematically has led to improved care for patients with these diseases and useful guidance for healthcare providers and administrators. Thus, an initiative to evaluate possible therapeutic targets and develop treat-to-target guidance was believed to be highly appropriate in the management of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients as well. Specialists in rheumatology, nephrology, dermatology, internal medicine and clinical immunology, and a patient representative, contributed to this initiative. The majority convened on three occasions in 2012-2013. Twelve topics of critical importance were identified and a systematic literature review was performed. The results were condensed and reformulated as recommendations, discussed, modified and voted upon. The finalised bullet points were analysed for degree of agreement among the task force. The Oxford Centre level of evidence (LoE, corresponding to the research questions) and grade of recommendation (GoR) were determined for each recommendation. The 12 systematic literature searches and their summaries led to 11 recommendations. Prominent features of these recommendations are targeting remission, preventing damage and improving quality of life. LoE and GoR of the recommendations were variable but agreement was >0.9 in each case. An extensive research agenda was identified, and four overarching principles were also agreed upon. Treat-to-target-in-SLE (T2T/SLE) recommendations were developed by a large task force of multispecialty experts and a patient representative. It is anticipated that 'treating-to-target' can and will be applicable to the care of patients with SLE

Neuropsychiatric events in systemic lupus erythematosus: a longitudinal analysis of outcomes in an international inception cohort using a multistate model approach.

OBJECTIVES: Using a reversible multistate model, we prospectively examined neuropsychiatric (NP) events for attribution, outcome and association with health-related quality of life (HRQoL), in an international, inception cohort of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients. METHODS: Annual assessments for 19 NP events attributed to SLE and non-SLE causes, physician determination of outcome and patient HRQoL (short-form (SF)-36 scores) were measured. Time-to-event analysis and multistate modelling examined the onset, recurrence and transition between NP states. RESULTS: NP events occurred in 955/1827 (52.3%) patients and 592/1910 (31.0%) unique events were attributed to SLE. In the first 2 years of follow-up the relative risk (95% CI) for SLE NP events was 6.16 (4.96, 7.66) and non-SLE events was 4.66 (4.01, 5.43) compared with thereafter. Patients without SLE NP events at initial assessment had a 74% probability of being event free at 10 years. For non-SLE NP events the estimate was 48%. The majority of NP events resolved over 10 years but mortality was higher in patients with NP events attributed to SLE (16%) versus patients with no NPSLE events (6%) while the rate was comparable in patients with non-SLE NP events (7%) compared with patients with no non-SLE events (6%). Patients with NP events had lower SF-36 summary scores compared with those without NP events and resolved NP states (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: NP events occur most frequently around the diagnosis of SLE. Although the majority of events resolve they are associated with reduced HRQoL and excess mortality. Multistate modelling is well suited for the assessment of NP events in SLE

Anti-KIF20B autoantibodies are associated with cranial neuropathy in systemic lupus erythematosus

BACKGROUND: Cranial neuropathies (CN) are a rare neuropsychiatric SLE (NPSLE) manifestation. Previous studies reported that antibodies to the kinesin family member 20B (KIF20B) (anti-KIF20B) protein were associated with idiopathic ataxia and CN. We assessed anti-KIF20B as a potential biomarker for NPSLE in an international SLE inception cohort. METHODS: Individuals fulfilling the revised 1997 American College of Rheumatology (ACR) SLE classification criteria were enrolled from 31 centres from 1999 to 2011 and followed annually in the Systemic Lupus Erythematosus International Collaborating Clinics inception cohort. Anti-KIF20B testing was performed on baseline (within 15 months of diagnosis or first annual visit) samples using an addressable laser bead immunoassay. Logistic regression (penalised maximum likelihood and adjusting for confounding variables) examined the association between anti-KIF20B and NPSLE manifestations (1999 ACR case definitions), including CN, occurring over the first 5 years of follow-up. RESULTS: Of the 1827 enrolled cohort members, baseline serum and 5 years of follow-up data were available on 795 patients who were included in this study: 29.8% were anti-KIF20B-positive, 88.7% female, and 52.1% White. The frequency of anti-KIF20B positivity differed only for those with CN (n=10) versus without CN (n=785) (70.0% vs 29.3%; OR 5.2, 95% CI 1.4, 18.5). Compared with patients without CN, patients with CN were more likely to fulfil the ACR haematological (90.0% vs 66.1%; difference 23.9%, 95% CI 5.0%, 42.8%) and ANA (100% vs 95.7%; difference 4.3%, 95% CI 2.9%, 5.8%) criteria. In the multivariate analysis adjusting for age at baseline, female, White race and ethnicity, and ACR haematological and ANA criteria, anti-KIF20B positivity remained associated with CN (OR 5.2, 95% CI 1.4, 19.1). CONCLUSION: Anti-KIF20B is a potential biomarker for SLE-related CN. Further studies are needed to examine how autoantibodies against KIF20B, which is variably expressed in a variety of neurological cells, contribute to disease pathogenesis

Cancer Risk in a Large Inception Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Cohort: Effects of Demographic Characteristics, Smoking, and Medications

Objective: To assess cancer risk factors in incident systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Methods: Clinical variables and cancer outcomes were assessed annually among incident SLE patients. Multivariate hazard regression models (overall risk and most common cancers) included demographic characteristics and time-dependent medications (corticosteroids, antimalarial drugs, immunosuppressants), smoking, and the adjusted mean Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index 2000 score. Results: Among 1,668 patients (average 9 years follow-up), 65 cancers occurred: 15 breast, 10 nonmelanoma skin, 7 lung, 6 hematologic, 6 prostate, 5 melanoma, 3 cervical, 3 renal, 2 each gastric, head and neck, and thyroid, and 1 each rectal, sarcoma, thymoma, and uterine cancers. Half of the cancers (including all lung cancers) occurred in past/current smokers, versus one-third of patients without cancer. Multivariate analyses indicated that overall cancer risk was related primarily to male sex and older age at SLE diagnosis. In addition, smoking was associated with lung cancer. For breast cancer risk, age was positively associated and antimalarial drugs were negatively associated. Antimalarial drugs and higher disease activity were also negatively associated with nonmelanoma skin cancer risk, whereas age and cyclophosphamide were positively associated. Disease activity was associated positively with hematologic and negatively with nonmelanoma skin cancer risk. Conclusion: Smoking is a key modifiable risk factor, especially for lung cancer, in SLE. Immunosuppressive medications were not clearly associated with higher risk except for cyclophosphamide and nonmelanoma skin cancer. Antimalarials were negatively associated with breast cancer and nonmelanoma skin cancer risk. SLE activity was associated positively with hematologic cancer and negatively with nonmelanoma skin cancer. Since the absolute number of cancers was small, additional follow-up will help consolidate these findings