Genetic Analysis of MEFV Gene Pyrin Domain in Patients With Behçet's Disease

Objectives. Behçet's disease (BD) is a systemic vasculitis with recurrent oral and genital ulcers and uveitis. MEFV gene, which is the main factor in familial Mediterranean fever (FMF), is also reported to be a susceptibility gene for BD. The pyrin domain of MEFV gene is a member of death-domain superfamily and has been proposed to regulate inflammatory signaling in myeloid cells. This study was designed to determine if mutations in pyrin domain of MEFV gene are involved in BD. Methods. We analyzed the pyrin domain of MEFV gene in 54 Turkish patients with BD by PCR-analysis and direct sequencing. Results. Neither deletion or insertion mutations nor point mutations in pyrin domain were found in any patient. Conclusion. Although pyrin gene mutations have been reported in patients with BD, pyrin domain is not mutated. However, alterations in other regions of MEFV gene and interaction between pyrin domains are needed to be further investigated

Pathogenicity determinants and antibiotic resistance profiles of enterococci from foods of animal origin in Turkey

In this study, the presence of genes responsible for the pathogenicity and antibiotic resistance profile of enterococci isolated from various foodstuffs of animal origin was investigated. The percentage prevalence of enterococci was 54.1% (203/375) and the average count was found to be 3.81 log cfu/ml-g. Species-specific primers revealed Enterococcus faecalis as the predominant species carrying one or more virulence-associated traits of efa, gelE, ace, esp and agg genetic markers. Only one E. faecium isolate (from milk) was positive for the esp gene. Regarding antibiotic resistance, the highest frequency of resistance was observed for tetracycline (21.7%), followed by quinupristin/dalfopristin (13.3%), ciprofloxacin (2.0%), penicillin (2.0%), linezolid (1.0%), ampicillin (1.0%), streptomycin (1.0%), and gentamicin (0.5%). Enterococcus faecalis showed a higher prevalence of antibiotic resistance than other enterococci. The percentage of multidrug resistance among the isolates was 3.4%. Twenty-nine E. faecalis isolates (26.6%) carrying one of the virulence-associated traits were at the same time resistant to at least one antibiotic. Our results show that foods of animal origin, including ready-to-eat products, may be reservoirs of antibiotic-resistant and potentially virulent enterococci

Mubadele/Antallage (The Exchange): Remembering a Human Catastrophe through Music.

Mubadele/Antallage is a fifty-minute cantata for large ensemble of 14 players, two singers and a narrator. The piece is based on real life stories of an Orthodox Christian and a Muslim woman who were subjected to forced migration with the enactment of the Treaty of Lausanne in 1923: an agreement, following the 1919-1922 Greco-Turkish war, that decreed the compulsory exchange of religious minority populations in Greece and Turkey. As a result, almost a million and a half Orthodox Christians residing in Turkey and half a million Muslims residing in Greece were uprooted from the lands on which they lived for generations, forcefully sent to the opposite country, and rendered as refugees. The agreement not only caused a radical shift in the entire demographics of Near East, homogenizing and ethnically cleansing the region, but also marked a milestone in the nationalization and modernization processes of the two countries, thus reshaping the nationalist discourses, as well as the cultural and national identities of Greeks and Turks. In this musical composition I have constructed a libretto that displays the stories of these two women - reflecting their personal accounts, traumas and reactions to the political turmoil that revolves around them, whereas the music mediates the cultural and linguistic differences, thus transcending this divergence and working as a site of cultural convergence where these two women meet. The piece unfolds in two formal sections: Arias and narrations. The narration parts, accompanied by little or no music, are English-spoken sections that depict the stories of the two characters. The arias, sung in Greek and Turkish, are emotionally focused movements. This linguistically shaped formal scheme coupled with a Western musical medium seeks to manipulate not only the interplay between the folkloric materials from Greece and Turkey but also explore the possibilities of interaction, fusion, and synthesis of Western/non-Western and modern/traditional musical and narrative elements.AMUMusic: CompositionUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/93966/1/recepgul_1.pd

Investigation of abrasion in Al-MgO metal matrix composites

WOS: 000347583100091In this study, the effects of reinforcement volume fractions on abrasive wear behavior were examined in Al-MgO reinforced metal matrix composites of 5%, 10% and 15% reinforcement - volume ratios produced by melt-stirring. Abrasive wear tests were carried out by 60, 80 and 100 mesh sized Al2O3 abrasive papers and pin-on-disc wear test apparatus under 10, 20 and 30 N loads at 0.2 m/s sliding speed. The mechanical properties such as hardness and fracture strength were determined. Subsequent to the wear tests, the microstructures of worn surfaces were examined by scanning electron microscope analyses. While increased MgO reinforcement volume fraction in the composite resulted increased hardness, fracture strength was determined to decrease. Additionally, it was found that increased MgO reinforcement volume fraction in the composite was accompanied with increased wear loss and porosity as well as reinforcement - volume ratio was identified to be significant determinants of abrasive wear behavior. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Bryophyte flora of Erciyes Mountain in Turkey, with 6 bryophyte records from the country

WOS: 000336620000014In this study, the bryophyte flora of Erciyes Mountain was investigated. In total, 244 taxa were found in this area. Of these, 9 families, 9 genera, and 11 taxa belong to liverworts and 25 families, 72 genera, and 233 taxa belong to mosses. According to Henderson's grid-square system, 138 bryophyte taxa for the B8 square are new records. Among them, Leiocolea heterocolpos (Thed. ex Hartm.) H.Buch., Scapania obscura (Arn. & Jens.) Schiffn., Schistidium pulchrum H. H.Blom., Tortula lingulata Lindb., Bryum knowltonii Barnes, and Brachythecium capillaceum (F.Weber & D.Mohr) Giacom are new records for the bryophyte flora of Turkey. Polytrichastrum sexangulare (Brid.) G.L.Sm.; Dicranum fulvum Hook.; Gymnostomum lanceolatum M.J.Cano, Ros & J.Guerra; Tortula systylia (Schimp.) Lindb.; Pohlia obtusifolia (Vill. ex Brid.) L.F.Koch.; and Drepanocladus polygamus (Schimp.) Hedenas are second records for Turkey.Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) [210T033]The authors are indebted to the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) for its financial support (Project Code: 210T033)

Association of Cytotoxic T Lymphocyte Antigen-4 Gene Polymorphisms with Psoriasis Vulgaris: A Case-Control Study in Turkish Population

Psoriasis is a common, chronic, and autoimmune skin disease in which dysregulation of immune cells, particularly T cells, is thought to play an important role in the pathogenesis. Cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen-4 (CTLA-4) expressed only on activated T cells is an immunoregulatory molecule and plays a role in the pathogenesis of autoimmune disorders. We aimed to determine whether CTLA-4 gene polymorphisms are associated with development and/or clinical features of psoriasis vulgaris (Pv). Genotyping of SNPs (-318C>T, +49A>G, and CT60A>G) in CTLA-4 gene was performed using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) in 103 Pv patients and 102 controls. No statistically significant associations were detected in any of the investigated genetic models for the -318C>T polymorphism. The genotype distributions of +49A>G and CT60A>G were associated with Pv development. In haplotype analysis, while frequency of CAA haplotype was significantly higher in the control group, frequencies of CGG and CAG haplotype were significantly higher among the patients. However, all of CTLA-4 polymorphisms and haplotypes do not have an effect on severity and onset age of Pv. In conclusion, the +49A>G and CT60A>G polymorphisms may be risk factors for Pv development. Furthermore, CGG and CAG haplotypes may contribute to Pv development, while CAA haplotype may be protective against Pv

Effects of nigella sativa oil on allergic rhinitis: an experimental animal study

Objectives: Nigella sativa oil is known antiallergic and immunomodulatory effects. We aimed to compare this oil with mometasone furoate, a topical steroid, on a rat model in the prevention of allergic rhinitis symptoms. Methods: A total of 28 two-to-four-month-old Wistar Hannover rats weighing 250–350 g were randomly divided into four groups of seven, which included control, allergic rhinitis, mometasone furoate, and Nigella sativa oil groups. Loss of cilia, an increase of goblet cells, vascular proliferation, inflammatory cell count, eosinophil infiltration, and the degree of hypertrophy in chondrocytes were assessed by light microscopy. Results: The frequency of nasal scratching in the Nigella sativa oil group was found to be significantly lower compared with the allergic rhinitis group (p < 0.05). Typical inflammatory changes seen in allergic rhinitis were not detected in the Nigella sativa oil group. No inflammation was observed in 85.7% of both the healthy control group and the Nigella sativa oil group. In addition, no inflammation was observed in 71.4% of the mometasone furoate group, and this difference was found to be significant compared with the control group (p < 0.05). In addition, eosinophil infiltration, cilia loss, chondrocyte hypertrophy, vascular proliferation, and goblet cell increase were found to be significantly decreased in the mometazone furoate and Nigella sativa oil groups compared to the allergic rhinitis group (p < 0.05). Conclusion: According to the findings obtained from this study, we found anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic effects of Nigella sativa oil as equally effective as mometasone furoate in the treatment of experimentaly generated allergic rhinitis. Level of evidence: IV

Angiotensin-converting enzyme gene and endothelial nitric oxide synthase gene polymorphisms in Beh double dagger et's disease with or without ocular involvement

WOS: 000267826500008PubMed: 19255721The association of known ACE gene and eNOS gene polymorphisms with BD in a group of Turkish patients with or without ocular involvement has been investigated. The ACE and eNOS gene polymorphisms were investigated in 73 BD patients and 90 controls. The distrubition of "DD", "ID" and "II" genotypes of the ACE gene were 32 (43.8%), 29 (39.8%) and 12 (16.4%) for BD patients and 32 (35.5%), 35 (38.9%) and 23 (25.6%) for healthy controls. There was no significant difference between the groups (p = 0.140, OR 1.44, CI 0.90-2.30). When Beh double dagger et patients with ocular involvement were compared to the control group, statistical significance was found (p = 0.049, OR 2.18, CI 1.00-4.81). The "bb", "ba", and "aa" genotype frequencies of the eNOS gene were 48 (65.8%), 23 (31.5%), and 2 (2.7%) for patients with BD and 75 (83.3%), 15 (16.7%), and 0 (0%) for healthy controls, respectively. The significant difference found in allelic frequencies between the two groups (p = 0.011, OR 2.32, CI 1.11-4.87). When Beh double dagger et patients with ocular involvement were compared, sharper statistical significance was found (p = 0.001,OR 4.61,CI 1.85-11.52). The ACE gene polymorphism does not play a role in the pathogenesis of BD. The findings of the eNOS gene polymorphisms confirmed the significant association with BD and even more in patients with ocular involvement