Antimicrobial properties of bioactive compounds isolated from epidermal mucus in two Ray species (Dasyatis marmorata and Gymnura altavela)

Purpose: To investigate the occurrence and antimicrobial effects of certain biochemical compounds in the epidermal mucus secretions of fish and to demonstrate their potential for biomedical applications.Methods: Crude, aqueous, and acidic epidermal mucus samples were collected from live ray specimens. Gas chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analyses were performed to identify the biochemical compounds present in the mucus. The spectrophotometric broth microdilution method was used to determine the antibacterial and antifungal properties of the mucus extracts. The bacterial strains, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Enterococcus faecalis, and Klebsiella pneumonia, were used for the tests, as well as the fungal strains, Candida parapsilosis and Candida albicans.Results: GC/MS analysis revealed the presence of several hydrocarbon-derived compounds in the epidermal mucus of the two ray species. The acidic extract of G. altavela epidermal mucus produced a high MIC value, indicating the highest inhibitory effect of 8.64 μL against E. coli, while the crude extract of G. altavela epidermal mucus (41.13 μL against B. subtilis) was the least effective. Conclusion: Epidermal mucus extracts, especially when acid-based, displays strong antimicrobial properties against all the tested pathogens. These findings suggest the plants possess some potential for the development of novel antimicrobial components for applications in medicine. Keywords: Fish, Ray species, Epidermal mucus, Antimicrobial properties, Bioactive compound

Pojava plavog dugmeta Porpita porpita (Linnaeus, 1758) zaljev Iskenderun, sjeveroistočna mediteranska obala Turske

The blue button Porpita porpita (Linnaeus, 1758) was observed for the first time in July 2018 in the Iskenderun Bay, Northeastern Mediterranean coast of Turkey. This is the third record of this species for Turkish marine waters, while it is the first record for Iskenderun bay. The presence of P. porpita in the northeastern Mediterranean coast of Turkey shows its extension from northwestern Mediterranean coast (Antalya Bay) of Turkey.Plavo dugme Porpita porpita (Linnaeus, 1758.) prvi je put primijećen u srpnju 2018. u zaljevu Iskenderun, sjeveroistočna obala Mediterana u Turskoj. Ovo je treći zapis ove vrste za tursko more, a prvi je zabilježeni nalaz za zaljev Iskenderun. Prisutnost P. porpita na sjeveroistočnoj mediteranskoj obali Turske pokazuje njezino proširenje od sjeverozapadne mediteranske obale (zaljev Antalya) u Turskoj

The course of acute appendicitis disease i̇n the COVID-19 period

The COVID 19 outbreak has changed the course of diseases requiring emergency surgery. Our aim in this study is to reveal whether the COVID 19 pandemic complicates acute appendicitis (AA) disease or not. We retrospectively investigated the patients who were diagnosed with AA in our city (Rize, Turkey). Our study includes two patient groups over 16 years of age who were operated on for AA. Group 2 includes patients operated between 11 March 2020 and 31 December 2020, while Group 1 includes patients who were operated on during the same period in 2019. There were 298 patients (57%) in Group 1 and 226 patients (43%) in Group 2. In Group 2, midline or paramedian incisions were used significantly more than the classical Mc Burney incision: (%10 vs %20, p<0.003). Postoperative complications were significantly higher in Group 2: (%5 vs %12, p<0.004). White blood cells and CRP were significantly different in Group 2 in the admission blood tests (p<0.005, p<0.001, respectively). Operation time and hospitalization time were significantly different in Group 2 (p<0.001, p<0.014, respectively). During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a serious decrease in the number of patients admitted to the emergency services. Because people were afraid of being infected, they preferred to stay home and with the increase in complaints, they applied to the hospital. AA disease has also become more complicated, as people delayed their admission to the hospital. Serious changes happened in the course of the disease

Effects of COVID-19 pandemic on colorectal cancer surgery

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic has changed the course of diseases that require emergency surgery. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on colorectal cancer disease stage. DESIGN AND SETTING: Retrospective analysis in the city of Rize, Turkey. METHODS: This was a comparative analysis on two groups of patients with various symptoms who underwent surgical colorectal cancer treatment. Group 1 comprised patients operated between March 11, 2019, and December 31, 2019; while group 2 comprised patients at the same time of the year during the COVID-19 pandemic. RESULTS: Groups 1 and 2 included 56 and 48 patients, respectively. The rate of presentation to the emergency service was higher in Group 2 (P < 0.02). The stage of the pathological lymph nodes and the rate of liver metastasis was higher in Group 2 (P < 0.004 and P < 0.041, respectively). The disease stage was found to be more advanced in Group 2 (P < 0.005). The rate of postoperative complications was higher in Group 2 (P < 0.014). CONCLUSION: The presentation of patients with suspicious findings to the hospital was delayed, due both to the fear of catching COVID-19 and to the pandemic precautions that were proposed and implemented by healthcare authorities worldwide. Among the patients who presented to the hospital with emergency complaints and in whom colorectal cancer was detected, their disease was at a more advanced stage and thus a higher number of emergency oncological surgical procedures were performed on those patients

Comparison of active vs. expectant management of the third stage of labor in women with low risk of postpartum hemorrhage: a randomized controlled trial

Objectives: To compare the ‘strictly’ active management protocol in women with low risk of postpartum hemorrhage using the expectant management protocol with respect to changes in hematologic parameters, uterotonics, blood transfusions, or additional interventions. Material and methods: A randomized controlled prospective trial in which 934 singleton parturients enrolled; 654 were randomly assigned to the active and mixed management groups. The primary outcome parameter was the reduction in hemoglobin concentrations due to delivery, and the secondary outcome parameters were changes in hemoglobin of more than 3 g/dL (ΔHb ≥ 3 g/dL), durations of the third stage of labor, need for additional uterotonic agents, blood transfusions, manual removal of the placenta, and surgical evacuation of retained products of conception. Results: The mean postpartum hemoglobin concentration was significantly higher (P = 0.04) in the active management group with a significantly lower reduction (P = 0.03). Falls of hemoglobin levels of more than 3 g/dL (ΔHb ≥ 3g/dL) were less common in the active management group though not significantly (P = 0.32). The mean duration of the third stage of labor was significantly (P &lt; 0.001) shorter in the active management group. There was no significant difference between the two groups with regard to the need for additional uterotonic agents, uterine atony, blood transfusion, manual removal of the placenta, surgical evacuation of retained products of conception, and prolonged third stage of labor. Conclusions: Although active management of the third stage of labor was associated with higher postpartum hemoglobin levels, it did not influence the risk of ‘severe postpartum hemorrhage’ in women with low risk of postpartum hemorrhage

A Checklist of the Non-indigenous Fishes in Turkish Marine Waters

A checklist of non-indigenous marine fishes including bony, cartilaginous and jawless distributed along the Turkish Marine Waters was for the first time generated in the present study. The number of records of non-indigenous fish species found in Turkish marine waters were 101 of which 89 bony, 11 cartilaginous and 1 jawless. In terms of occurrence of non-indigenous fish species in the surrounding Turkish marine waters, the Mediterranean coast has the highest diversity (92 species), followed by the Aegean Sea (50 species), the Marmara Sea (11 species) and the Black Sea (2 species). The Indo-Pacific origin of the non-indigenous fish species is represented with 73 species while the Atlantic origin of the non-indigenous species is represented with 22 species. Only first occurrence of a species in the Mediterranean, Aegean, Marmara and Black Sea Coasts of Turkey is given with its literature in the list

Threatened brill species in marine waters of Turkey: Scopthalmus rhombus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Scopthalmidae)

Scopthalmus rhombus is rarely occurred and restricted to marine and estuarine sites in the eastern Marmara Sea and western Black Sea coast of Turkey. S. rhombus is occasionally caught in low numbers and continuously decreased in abundance due to overfishing and habitat degradations. This species should be considered to be threatened for Turkish marine waters. This species might also be recorded in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as Near Threatened (NT)

First record red lionfish Pterois volitans (Linnaeus, 1785) in the Mediterranean Sea

A single male specimen of red lionfish Pterois volitans was recorded for the first time in 13 May 2016 from the Iskenderun Bay, North-eastern Mediterranean, Turkey. The present paper also reports the first record of the red lionfish P. volitans along the Mediterranean Sea

Occurrence of the Red Sea goatfish Parupeneus forsskali (Fourmanoir & Guézé, 1976) (Perciformes: Mullidae) from Iskenderun Bay, Northeastern Mediterranean

On 15 March 2015, a single specimen of Parupeneus forsskali (Fourmanoir & Guézé, 1976) was captured by a trammel net at a depth of 30 m from Iskenderun Bay. The occurrence of the Red Sea goatfish P. forsskali was reported for the first time in the Iskenderun Bay and the first captured data for the Turkish marine waters

Phylogenetic Relationships of Turbot Species (Scophthalmidae) Inferred from the Mitochondrial COIII Gene and Morphological Characters

In this study, the validity, distribution and structure of three turbot species, Scophthalmus maeoticus, S. maximus, S. rhombus, belong to Scophthalmidae family in Turkish, Bulgarian and Russian coastal waters were determined with mtDNA sequencing of Cytochrome c oxidase subunit III (COIII). The sequencing of the COIII region revealed 8 bp variable and 6 bp parsimony informative sites between all turbot species. The overall genetic and haplotype diversities among all turbot species were found to be 0.004109 and 0.7655, respectively. Genetic distance analysis showed that the highest nucleotide differences was observed between S. maximus and S. rhombus species with a value of 0.09620 and, the lowest value (0.02482) was observed between S. maximus and S. maeoticus species. Neighbor Joining and Maximum Parsimony phylogenetic approaches resulted in the similar tree topologies that S. maximus and S. maeoticus were found as sister group, whereas S. rhombus was more divergent from this group. The mtDNA COIII gene is a useful genetic marker for species specific identification of the genus Scophthalmus due to its inter-specific heterogeneity producing a species-specific pattern. In morphological analyses, S. rhombus was most differentiated from S. maximus and S. maeoticus. The genetic data was supported by the detected morphometric variations among the turbot species