Theoretical aspects of some 4-[2,6-substituted-9H-purin-9-yl]-2-cyclopentene-1-methanol derivatives as anti-HIV agents

Some (-)-(1S,4R) -4-[2-amino-6-(substituted)-9H-purin-9-yl]-2-cyclopentene-1-methanol derivatives have been considered for semiempirical treatment at the level of AM1 type calculations. Certain theoretical structure-activity relationship were investigated

Investigation of the virulence genes in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from biomaterial surfaces [Biyomalzeme yüzeylerinden izole edilen metisiline dirençli Staphylococcus aureus suşlar?nda virülar?s genlerinin araşt?r?lmas?]

PubMed ID: 18444560Staphylococci are the most important agents of nosocomial infections originating from biomaterials. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of virulence genes and their phenotypic expressions in 11 methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from the surfaces of clinically used biomaterials of 48 thorasic intensive-care unit patients. By the use of specific primers, the presence of genes encoding the attachment and biofilm production (icaA, icaC, bap), methicillin resistance (mecA), enterotoxins A-E (sea, seb, sec, sed, see), toxic shock syndrome toxin (tst), exfoliative toxins A and B (eta and etb), alpha- and beta-hemolysins (hla and hlb), staphylococcal exotoxin-like protein-1 (set1), proteases (sspA, sspB, aur, serine proteaz gene), lipase (geh) and the regulatory genes (sarA and agrCA) were investigated by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The phenotypic properties of the isolates such as biofilm formation, antibiotic susceptibility, extracellular protease and lipase production were also evaluated. None of the isolates were found to be biofilm and/or slime producers, however, all strains were found to have icaA gene which is responsible for biofilm formation. Nevertheless the presence of icaC and bap genes that are also responsible for biofilm formation were not detected. All the strains have had mecA gene and were resistant to oxacillin, penicilin G and gentamicin, while 10 were also resistant to erythromycin and nine were also resistant to ofloxacin. The isolates were susceptible to vancomycin, teicoplanin and co-trimoxazole. Screening of toxin and regulatory genes revealed that all the strains harboured sea, set1, hla, hlb and sarA genes. The phenotypic tests for the determination of extracellular protease production revealed that all the strains formed very weak zones on skim milk and milk agar plates, and yielded negative results on casein agar plates. Furthermore, all strains were found to harbour sspA, sspB, aur and serine protease genes. Tween 20, Tween 80 and tributyrin containing media were used to detect lipase production and all strains gave late-positive results (on the third day of incubation), although they all lacked for lipase gene (geh). As a result, S.aureus strains isolated from biomaterial surfaces yielded positivity for some of the tested virulence genes, of which some of them have not been expressed phenotypically. Although there were some limitations in the study, it could be concluded that the presence of these virulence genes in S.aureus strains might be considered as potential threats especially in intensive care unit patients

Investigation of the surface properties of Staphylococcus epidermidis strains isolated from biomaterials [Bi·yomalzemelerden i·zole edi·len Staphylococcus epidermidis suşlarinin yüzey özelli·kleri·ni·n beli·rlenmesi·]

PubMed ID: 20455404The surface properties of bacteria play an important role on adhesion to the biomaterial surface. In this study, the surface properties of Staphylococcus epidermidis strains isolated from clinically used polymeric biomaterial surfaces were investigated on the basis of zeta potential, hydrophobicity and surface topography. A total of 10 S.epidermidis strains isolated from intravenous catheters (n= 5), endotracheal tubes (n= 3) and central venous catheters (n= 2) which were used in the patients of pulmonary Intensive Care Unit, Ege University Medical Faculty Hospital, were included to the study. Seven of those isolates were biofilm producers, inhabiting biofilm genes, 2 were non-biofilm producers, however, inhabiting biofilm genes, and 1 was non-biofilm producer, inhabiting no biofilm genes. Zeta potential analysis have been performed in 3 different buffers (phosphate-buffered saline, 1 mM potassium chloride and 1 mM potassium phosphate buffer) and at different pH values (pH 4.1-8.2), in order to simulate in vivo environment of the biomaterials. Hydrophobicities of the strains were examined by bacterial adhesion to hydrocarbon (BATH) test and the surface topography of biofilms and slime layers were visualized by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) methods. It was found that all strains have negative zeta potential values (surface charge) in all buffers and pH values. In hydrophobicity analysis, the highest value (86%) was determined for non-biofilm forming S.epidermidis strain YT-169b (endotracheal tube isolate) and the lowest hydrophobicity (2.5%) was determined for biofilm forming S.epidermidis strain YT-212 (central venous catheter isolate). Biofilm and slime layers of the strains were imaginated by AFM and SEM analysis in µm scale. SEM analysis showed that bacteria highly adhered to rough surfaces on biomaterial surfaces and the produced slime layers covered the surface of bacteria. In conclusion, elucidating the surface properties of opportunistic pathogens in different physiologic buffers will give important clues for the production of non-adhesive materials and antibacterial surfaces for those bacteria. It was also estimated that designing the surface of the biomaterial to have negative surface charge in the body and to be as smooth as possible will hamper biofilm formation

Phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibition attenuates cyclosporine A induced nephrotoxicity in mice

WOS: 000352110200002PubMed: 25420893We investigated the renal protective effects of phophodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitors in mice with cyclosporine A (CyA; a calcineurin phosphatase inhibitor) induced nephrotoxicity. Fifty male mice were divided into five groups of 10. Group 1 received no treatment, group 2 received only saline orally, group 3 received 30 mg/kg/day CyA by subcutaneous injection, group 4 received only 30 mg/kg/day vardenafil orally, and group 5 received 30 mg/kg/day CyA by subcutaneous injection and 30 mg/kg/day vardenafil orally. At 28 days, platelet-derived growth factor A (PDGF-A) and C (PDGF-C), transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-beta 1), cyclo-oxygenase 1 and 2 (COX-1 and COX-2), and P glycoprotein (Pgp) expression levels were measured in the renal tissues. In addition, expressions of COX-1 and COX-2 genes were determined using real-time PCR. PDE5 inhibitor administration ameliorated decreased PDGF-A and C, TGF-beta 1, COX-1 and -2, and Pgp expression levels by modulation of cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) activity in kidneys. The relative expressions of COX-1 and COX-2 genes to GAPDH revealed that the maximum increase was obtained in the group treated with CyA and vardenafil for both COX-1 and COX-2 genes. Our study revealed that long term oral treatment with vardenafil protects kidneys from CyA induced nephrotoxicity. We showed that long term oral treatment with PDE5 prevents pathological kidney changes caused by CyA induced nephrotoxicity.Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK-TOVAG), Ankara, TurkeyTurkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Arastirma Kurumu (TUBITAK) [110 O 402]Our study was funded by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK-TOVAG; Project no. 110 O 402), Ankara, Turkey

Levels of hormones and cytokines associated with growth in Honamlı and native hair goats

This study was designed to assess alterations of hormone and cytokine levels associated with growth period during puberty in Honamli goats which were identified as a new goat breed and had one of the highest meat production potential among the other goat breeds in Turkey. Honamli goats are originated from native hair goats, so parallel studies of sampling and analyzing were conducted also in native hair goats which have moderate meat production. Blood serum samples of Honamli (n=90) and native hair goats (n=90) were obtained from the pure herds in Korkuteli and Ka districts of Anatolia. Concentrations of growth hormone (GH), myostatin (MSTN), insulin-like growth factor (IGF), growth hormone releasing hormone (GHRH), growth hormone releasing peptide (GHRP), leptin, transforming growth factor-betal (TGF-ß1) and vascular endothelial cell growth factor (VEGF) levels were measured by ELISA in each breed in the age groups of 4, 8 and 12 months. The present results indicate interesting correlations among the age groups and all the examined hormone and cytokine parameters exhibited significant (P<0.05 and P<0.001) differences. The parameters investigated were usually begun to increase after 4 months of age in the both breeds and sexes. Therefore, this paper supported the view that the beginning of hormonal alterations of goats could occur at 4th month of age. The results reported here emphasize the primary role played by GH, MSTN, IGF-1, leptin, GHRH, GHRP, TGF-ßi and VEGF in the first year growth period of goats

Prevalence and Antibiotic Resistance of Foodborne Staphylococcus aureus

In this study, 154 Staphylococcus aureus isolates were detected from 1070 food samples (14.4%) collected from seven cities in Turkey. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing against 21 antibiotics was performed by agar disk diffusion method, and those isolates resistant to any antibiotic were further analyzed to determine minimum inhibitory concentration by E-test and polymerase chain reaction analysis of vanA and mecA genes. According to disk diffusion test results, a total of 139 strains were resistant to at least one tested antibiotic, with 39 (25.3%) strains being multidrug resistant (MDR) and the other 15 strains being susceptible to all antibiotics. Penicillin G, linezolid, erythromycin, and tetracycline took up 71.4%, 23.4%, 18.2%, and 15.6% of the tested strains, respectively. In addition, all of the strains were susceptible to vancomycin, oxacillin, cefoxitin, and imipenem. Only one strain (S158B) was resistant to both teicoplanin and cefazolin. On the other hand, the presence of vanA and mecA genes was not detected in the strains. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis analysis was used to identify genetic-relatedness of the MDR strains. It is noteworthy that some strains from different sources showed 100% homology; however, some of MDR strains were found unrelated with 60% or less homology. The high diversity observed in pulsed-field gel electrophoresis results indicated the possible contamination of S. aureus from different sources and routes.The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (Turkey) (Project number:107T266

Expression of angiogenic growth factors in canine squamous cell cancers

WOS:000574958500001PubMed: 33006294Skin and subcutaneous tissue tumors are the most common neoplasms in dogs. The most common sites of origin in dogs include digits, skin and the oral cavity including cheek and retromandibular area. We investigated canine squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) samples from 15 dogs and classified them histopathologically according to the degree of differentiation. bFGF, VEGF-C, TGF-beta, PDGF-A, PDGF-C and PDGFR-alpha expressions were assessed using immunohistochemistry to determine the roles of growth factors during SCC. We found that TGF-beta 1 immunolabeling was elevated significantly compared to healthy controls in SCC originating from nailbeds, while expression of other growth factors did not change significantly. Our findings might explain the role of TGF-beta 1 in the infiltrative and malignant behavior of SCC originating from nailbeds.Scientific Projects Commission of Mehmet Akif Ersoy University, Burdur, Turkey [0170-NAP-13]This study was supported financially by Scientific Projects Commission of Mehmet Akif Ersoy University [Project number: 0170-NAP-13], Burdur, Turkey

Periostin normalizes levels of cardiac markers in rats with experimental isoproterenol cardiotoxicity

WOS: 000418020700011PubMed: 29216729BACKGROUND: Although the molecular mechanism of cardiac healing is not fully understood, myocardial infarction is one of the most usual diagnoses in hospitalized patients in industrialized nations while periostin has been recently suggested to have a potential in tissue repairing following myocardial ischemia. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effects of periostin on the levels of selected cardiac parameters (cardiac troponin I and T, creatine kinase and creatine kinase isoenzyme-MB), antioxidant/lipid peroxidation parameters (superoxide dismutase, catalase, and malondialdehyde), hepatic parameters (alkaline phosphatase, lactate dehydrogenase, aspartate and alanine transaminases) as well as lipids (total cholesterol, triglyceride, high, low and very-low-density lipoproteins) in a rat model of isoproterenol - induced myocardial injury. METHODS: A total of 84 male rats were grouped into saline (Group I), periostin (Group II), isoproterenol (Group III) and isoproterenol+periostin (Group IV) groups (n = 21). Isoproterenol (85 mg/kg/day) and periostin groups were both injected intraperitoneally (1 mu g/kg). RESULTS: Our results revealed that periostin has a positive reducing effect on the levels of analysed parameters especially on cardiac troponins and creatine kinases on days 7 and 28 of the recovery period following the induced experimental heart damage in rats. CONCLUSION: It is concluded that periostin could have a potential to increase the rate of myocardial recovery after myocardial infarction (Tab. 5, Ref. 28). Text in PDF www.elis.sk.Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK-TOVAG)Turkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Arastirma Kurumu (TUBITAK) [114O734]; TUBITAK-TOVAGTurkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Arastirma Kurumu (TUBITAK)This article is a part of the project funded by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK-TOVAG; Project No.: 114O734). Authors' special thanks are extended to TUBITAK-TOVAG for financial support

Significance of Angiogenic Growth Factors in Bovine Ocular Squamous Cell Carcinoma

WOS: 000477949100008PubMed: 31375160Bovine ocular squamous cell carcinoma (BOSCC) is the most common and economically significant neoplasm of the eye in cattle. This study investigated the role of angiogenic growth factors in the pathogenesis of BOSCC. Eighteen cases of BOSCC were classified histopathologically according to the degree of differentiation. Normal upper and lower eyelids and third eyelids collected from the right and left eyes of six healthy cattle aged 1-3 years, that had been presented for slaughter to abattoirs, served as controls. Transcription of genes encoding the angiogenic growth factors vascular endothelial growth factor-C (VEGF-C), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), platelet-derived growth factor-C (PDGF-C) and platelet-derived growth factor receptor-alpha (PDGFR-alpha) was determined by quantitative real-time polymerise chain reaction (RT-PCR) in tissue obtained from paraffin wax blocks. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was utilized to detect intensity of expression and tissue distribution of these growth factors. IHC results revealed that bFGF and PDGF-C were elevated significantly (P >0.05) and VEGF-C expression was decreased in BOSCC compared with healthy control tissue. PDGR-alpha expression was elevated; however, the difference, compared with control tissues, was not significant. RT-PCR results showed an inverse relationship to the results of IHC; where protein levels were elevated their corresponding mRNA levels were decreased or vice-versa. Angiogenic regulators therefore appear to play a role in the pathogenesis of BOSCC. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Scientific Projects Commission of Ondokuz Mayis University, Samsun, Turkey [PYO.VET.1901.13.008]This study was financially supported by Scientific Projects Commission of Ondokuz Mayis University (Project number: PYO.VET.1901.13.008), Samsun, Turkey