Distribution of Spoligotyping Defined Genotypic Lineages among Drug-Resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis Complex Clinical Isolates in Ankara, Turkey

Background: Investigation of genetic heterogeneity and spoligotype-defined lineages of drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis clinical isolates collected during a three-year period in two university hospitals and National Tuberculosis Reference and Research Laboratory in Ankara, Turkey. Methods and Findings: A total of 95 drug-resistant M. tuberculosis isolates collected from three different centers were included in this study. Susceptibility testing of the isolates to four major antituberculous drugs was performed using proportion method on Löwenstein–Jensen medium and BACTEC 460-TB system. All clinical isolates were typed by using spoligotyping and IS6110-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) methods. Seventy-three of the 95 (76.8%) drug resistant M. tuberculosis isolates were isoniazid-resistant, 45 (47.4%) were rifampicin-resistant, 32 (33.7%) were streptomycinresistant and 31 (32.6%) were ethambutol-resistant. The proportion of multidrug-resistant isolates (MDR) was 42.1%. By using spoligotyping, 35 distinct patterns were observed; 75 clinical isolates were grouped in 15 clusters (clustering rate of 79%) and 20 isolates displayed unique patterns. Five of these 20 unique patterns corresponded to orphan patterns in th

Quantitative analysis of colonization with real-time PCR to identify the role of Oxalobacter formigenes in calcium oxalate urolithiasis

KISA, Ucler/0000-0002-8131-6810; Batislam, Ertan/0000-0002-7493-4573WOS: 000308813800003PubMed: 22215293The objective of the study was to quantitatively measure the number of Oxalobacter formigenes (O. formigenes) colonizations in the gastrointestinal tract in calcium oxalate-forming patients with real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Calcium oxalate-forming patients (n: 27) were included in the study. Serum calcium, sodium, potassium, urea and creatinine levels, as well as 24 h urine levels of calcium and oxalate were measured. The numbers of O. formigenes colonies in stool samples were detected by real-time PCR. One or two metabolic abnormalities were detected in 15 of 27 patients. The O. formigenes levels in patients with metabolic disturbance were significantly decreased when compared to the patients with no metabolic abnormalities (p: 0.038). The undetectable levels of O. formigenes were encountered in one of five patients with hypercalciuria, in three of four patients with hyperoxaluria and in four of six patients with both hypercalciuria and hyperoxaluria. In nine patients with a history of stone recurrence, O. formigenes colonization was significantly lower than the patients with the first stone attack (p: 0.001). O. formigenes formation ceased or significantly diminished in patients with calcium oxalate stones with a coexistence of both hyperoxaluria and hypercalciuria. The measurement of O. formigenes colonies by real-time PCR seemed to be an inconvenient and expensive method. For this reason, the real-time PCR measurements can be spared for the patients with stone recurrences and with metabolic abnormalities like hypercalciuria and hyperoxaluria. The exact measurement of O. formigenes may also help more accurate programming of O. formigenes-based treatments

Anthelmintic Activity of Nigella sativa against Caenorhabditis elegans

Increasing resistance against classical anthelmintic drugs makes discovering new anthelmintic compounds from natural plants important. Nigella sativa (N. sativa) is used as a medicinal plant overall the world and is known to have anthelmintic activity. Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans), a common cost-effective model organism that is easily maintained, is useful to determine the anthelmintic activity of new compounds derived from natural products. In our study we aimed to evaluate through toxicity assays the nematocidal activity of N. sativa on C. elegans during its larval and adult stages. Different concentrations of N. sativa oil (900, 450 and 270 mg/mL) were tested and toxicity assessments were done under stereomicroscope by counting the number of surviving nematodes. This study showed that N. sativa essential oil significantly decreases survival of C. elegans in both larval and adult stages at 900 mg/mL final concentration. Larval-stage worms were more sensitive to N. sativa essential oil than were adults. We recommend further studies on other effects of N. sativa on C. elegans after removing the toxic compound(s) from the extract. The further discovery of N. sativa essential oil compounds responsible for anthelmintic activity and determination of their mechanisms of toxicity can pave the way toward new medicines

Transmission of Helicobacter pylori infection in mother-infant pairs

KISA, Ucler/0000-0002-8131-6810WOS: 000253792300051

Helicobacter pylori infection in mother and infant pairs in Anatolia

KISA, Ucler/0000-0002-8131-6810WOS: 000283606200001PubMed: 20872322Background/aims: The aim of this prospective study was to determine the seroprevalence rates of Helicobacter pylori in mother and infant pairs and to discuss the possible fecal-oral transmission route of Helicobacter pylori infection in the early years of life. Methods: Forty-eight mother-child pairs were followed for 12 months. Helicobacter pylori IgG and hepatitis A virus (HAV) IgG levels were measured in maternal sera, infant sera and breast-milk samples at birth and in breast-milk samples and infant sera at follow-up visits. Results: At birth, the rate of Helicobacter pylori positivity was 81.25% in breast-milk and 95.8% in maternal and infant sera. Although there was a decrease in seropositivity in both baby sera and breast-milk at the age of nine months, an increase was observed in the 12(th) month. Hepatitis A virus IgG was measured to show whether Helicobacter pylori and hepatitis A virus use the same transmission routes. Hepatitis A was positive in all infants' sera, in 95.8% of mothers' sera, and in 68.75% of breast-milk samples. Seropositivity rates in infants whose mothers were seropositive for Helicobacter pylori and hepatitis A virus decreased gradually. There was an increase after the 9(th) month of life. Conclusions: Helicobacter pylori seroprevalence rates are high in Anatolia. It is possible that the decrease in breastfeeding with increased introduction of supplemental foods may lead to an increased risk of exposure to Helicobacter pylori.Carmosan 1st Scientific Researches and Projects CompetitionThis study was granted by Carmosan 1st Scientific Researches and Projects Competition, 1998. We would like to express our special thanks to Prof. Dr. Ender Pehlivanoglu for encouraging us in each phase of the study

In Vitro Antifungal Activity of a Medicinal Plant Extract Mixture Against Candida Species Isolated from Patients with Oral Stomatitis

Background: Ankaferd Blood Stopper (R) (ABS) is a hemostatic product comprising a standardized mixture of Thymus vulgaris, Gly-cyrrhiza glabra, Vitis vinifera, Alpinia officinarum, and Urtica dioica. It is used to control bleeding after extracorporeal injuries, traumatic cuts, dental operations, and surgical intervention. ABS was reported to exhibit antibacterial and germicidal activities

Description of 30 shared types containing 90 isolates that matched a preexisting shared type in the SITVIT2 proprietary database of the Pasteur Institute of Guadeloupe.

a<p>The percentage in this study as compared to the SITVIT2 database was calculated by dividing the number of strains with a given pattern in the present study by the total number of strains with the same pattern in the database, and then multiplying the figure by 100 to get the percentage with respect to the total amount. Note that SITVIT2 is an updated version of the previously released SpolDB4 database <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0030331#pone.0030331-Brudey1" target="_blank">[27]</a>. At the time of the present analysis, it contained genotyping information on 67,000 <i>M. tuberculosis</i> clinical isolates from 160 countries of patient origin.</p>b<p>Lineage designation, LAM: Latin-American and Mediterranean; Unk: Unknown patterns within any of the major lineage described in database.</p>c<p>For newly created SITs, match with an orphan isolate is shown in the database.</p

Drug resistance patterns of the 95 drug-resistant <i>M. tuberculosis</i> isolates from Ankara, Turkey.

<p>Drug resistance patterns of the 95 drug-resistant <i>M. tuberculosis</i> isolates from Ankara, Turkey.</p

Description of the orphan isolates (n = 5) after comparison of the spoligotype patterns of the drug-resistant <i>M. tuberculosis</i> isolates from Ankara with the SITVIT2 database.

<p>Description of the orphan isolates (n = 5) after comparison of the spoligotype patterns of the drug-resistant <i>M. tuberculosis</i> isolates from Ankara with the SITVIT2 database.</p

Statistical comparison of Beijing isolates in this study and in the previously published studies from Turkey.

<p>Statistical comparison of Beijing isolates in this study and in the previously published studies from Turkey.</p