Seroepidemiological Findings in 1996-1997 Influenza Season

Serological surveys have contributed significantly to epidemiologic assesments of influenza. Serological surveys of persons in different ages have contributed to knowledge about immune responses to influenza viruses and have provided information about possible recycling of the influenza A subtypes. Although a variety of procedures have been used, the hemagglutinin inhibition (HI) test has been used most often for this purpose because the antibody measured is durable and is directed toward a surface glycoprotein exhibiting antigenic variation, the hemagglutinin, that is most relevant for assessing immunity and susceptibility. To detect influenza viruses circulating in Ankara in 1996-97 influenza season antibodies to influenza viruses were studied by HI method in blood sera of 106 healthy and unvaccinated persons of age group 20-50. Antibody titers above 1/20 to A/Taiwan 1/86 (H1N1), A/Johannesburg 33/94 (H3N2), A/Wuhan 359/95 (H3N2), B/Be›-j›ng 184/93, B/Guangdong 8/93 were positive in 84%, 75%, 21%, 53%, 100% on this group respectively. Considering these findings it was concluded that persons of age group 20-50 had exposed to aforementioned influenza virus strains and susceptible persons to influenza should be vaccinated with influenza vaccines containing especially those strains

Urine Culture Contamination Rates at a University Hospital

Objective: In this study, we aimed to determine the contamination rates of urine samples sent to the microbiology laboratory in terms of age and gender and investigate the factors that affect these rates. Methods: 17 730 urine cultures sent to the microbiology laboratory between May 17, 2017 and November 8, 2019 were evaluated retrospectively. The bacteria that grew more than 104 CFU/ml in urine cultures were accepted as uropathogenic. Urogenital Nora elements or cultures which resulted with three or more different strains were considered contaminated. Results: 6008 (33.9%) of the urine cultures were positive, and no growth was observed in II 722 (66.1%). We evaluated 3647 (20.58%) of them as contamination. The contamination rate was 25.3% in female urine samples and 15.6% in male urine samples, (28.9%) in children less than 1-year-old and close to mean value in children older than 5 years old (19.9%). Mean values of boys aged in 0-5 years were higher than girls. Conclusions: In our study, the contamination rate between 0-5 years was higher than the others. It was higher in females and children under 5 years degrees rage than other age groups (p<0.05). The contamination rate was highest in males under 5 years old and females older than 5 years old, and the difference was statistically significant (p 0.037 and p = 0.000). Contamination may result from improper pre-analytical and post-analytical processes or it also may result from differences in agent identification. The rates can be reduced by using appropriate techniques for urine collection, storage, and transport, which are the main tasks of the pre-analytical phase. For this reason, the processes and the standards in identifications should be applied correctly

Genotyping of mumps virus circulating in Turkey in the 2006-2007 winter season

In the winter of 2006-2007, several parotitis cases were reported in different provinces of Turkey. Serological and virological studies were undertaken to investigate these cases with the aim of determining the genotype of the mumps virus (MuV) circulating in Turkey. Samples from 23 cases-Ankara (n:5), Kirklareli (n:4), Mugla (n:10), Isparta (n:3), Trabzon (n:1)-with a diagnosis of clinical parotitis were investigated. Serum samples were tested against mumps IgM and IgG, nested PCR amplification of a 639-bp fragment encompassing the entire SH gene was performed using buccal swabs, and PCR products were sequenced. Of 18 serum samples, 16 (88.9%) were positive for mumps IgM. Seven (30.4%) of 23 buccal swab samples were positive by PCR. In five PCR-positive cases, the sample was also positive for mumps IgM, and serum samples were not available from two of the PCR- positive cases. There was 98% identity between the different sequences, and all were identified as genotype H. The sequences were most similar to sequences identified in Spain, Japan, Switzerland and the UK, and less closely related to the H strains identified in Belarus, Korea and Russia. This is the first report of the mumps virus genotypes circulating in Turkey. Turkey is, geographically, a bridge between Europe and Asia, and therefore, a better understanding of the molecular epidemiology of MuV in Turkey may led to improved tracking of the circulation of strains between the two continents. Moreover, there is a need to further investigate the existence of other genotypes in Turkey

Patient satisfaction with their pain management and comfort level after open heart surgery

WOS: 000350724400002Objective The aim of this study is to determine patient satisfaction with pain management and comfort levels after undergoing open heart surgery. Design This descriptive study was performed between January 31 and April 29, 2011. Setting The study was conducted in the cardiovascular surgery clinic of Region Training-Research hospital in Erzurum, Turkey. Subjects Fifty two patients (32 males, 20 females; mean age 58.4 years; range 25 to 77 years) who had undergone open heart surgery were included in the study. Main outcome measure(s) The patient data was collected using Personal Information Form, Pain Satisfaction Surveys and General Comfort Scales at the time of discharge. The Pain Satisfaction Survey is a survey tool which was developed by the 'American Pain Society' in 1991. The General Comfort Scale was developed by Kolcaba in 1992 and its validity and reliability in a Turkish setting was tested by Kuguoglu and Karabacak in 2004. Results In this study, 61.5% of the patients underwent coronary artery bypass graft surgery, 30.7% aorta and/or mitral valve replacement and 7.7% aneurysm repair. The mean scores of pain intensity immediately after surgery, at first post-operative ambulation, at 24 hours before discharge and at discharge were 7.07+2.6, 6.71+2.7, 6.32+2.4 and 4.57+2.3, respectively. Most subjects (88.5%) reported a wait time of 15 min as the longest time they had to wait for pain medication and patient satisfaction with pain management was found to be high. The mean score of comfort level at discharge was 3.16+0.2 and there was no statistically significant difference between the comfort level and pain rating at discharge (r=-0.225, p>0.05). Conclusion It was found that pain intensity gradually decreased as patients neared hospital discharge and their overall satisfaction with the nurses' pain management was high

Efficacy of Oseltamivir Therapy in Ferrets Inoculated with Different Clades of H5N1 Influenza Virus

Highly pathogenic H5N1 influenza viruses have infected an increasing number of humans in Asia, with high mortality rates and the emergence of multiple distinguishable clades. It is not known whether antiviral drugs that are effective against contemporary human influenza viruses will be effective against systemically replicating viruses, such as these pathogens. Therefore, we evaluated the use of the neuraminidase (NA) inhibitor oseltamivir for early postexposure prophylaxis and for treatment in ferrets exposed to representatives of two clades of H5N1 virus with markedly different pathogenicities in ferrets. Ferrets were protected from lethal infection with the A/Vietnam/1203/04 (H5N1) virus by oseltamivir (5 mg/kg of body weight/day) given 4 h after virus inoculation, but higher daily doses (25 mg/kg) were required for treatment when it was initiated 24 h after virus inoculation. For the treatment of ferrets inoculated with the less pathogenic A/Turkey/15/06 (H5N1) virus, 10 mg/kg/day of oseltamivir was sufficient to reduce the lethargy of the animals, significantly inhibit inflammation in the upper respiratory tract, and block virus spread to the internal organs. Importantly, all ferrets that survived the initial infection were rechallenged with homologous virus after 21 days and were completely protected from infection. Direct sequencing of the NA or HA1 gene segments in viruses isolated from ferret after treatment showed no amino acid substitutions known to cause drug resistance in conserved residues. Thus, early oseltamivir treatment is crucial for protection against highly pathogenic H5N1 viruses and the higher dose may be needed for the treatment of more virulent viruses

In Vitro Efficacy of the Ankaferd Galenic Hemostatic Extract as a Germicidal Agent

Background: Hydatid cysts are encountered frequently in regions endemic with livestock. The basic treatment for a hydatid cyst is total surgical removal of the cyst and its inner contents. Hypertonic NaCl or diluted betadine solution are used as germicidal agents for most hydatid surgeries. However, the germicidal efficacy of the Ankaferd Blood Stopper® (ABS) has not been investigated. Thus, we compared the efficacy of ABS for hydatid cysts with that of other germicidal agents. Methods: Lung and liver tissues containing hydatid cyst liquid were collected from slaughterhouses. Six samples of each cyst were randomly allocated into different groups as follows: 20% hypertonic NaCl, betadine solution, ABS, 20% liquefied Andazole solution, 0.1% eosin, and distilled water. All groups were examined microscopically at 5, 10, and 15 min after treatment began to determine protoscolece viability rates. Results: The most efficacious germicidal agent at 5 min was ABS, and betadine and hypertonic NaCl had similar efficacies. Betadine, ABS, and hypertonic NaCl showed similar efficacies at 15 min.  Conclusion: ABS was an effective germicidal agent to treat hydatid cysts

The Serum S100B Level as a Biomarker of Enteroglial Activation in Patients with Ulcerative Colitis

Objective. Recent studies have demonstrated that enteric glial cells (EGC) participate in the homeostasis of the gastrointestinal tract. This study investigated whether enteroglial markers, including S100B protein and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), can serve as noninvasive indicators of EGC activation and disease activity in UC patients. Methods. This clinical prospective study included 35 patients with UC and 40 age- and sex-matched controls. The diagnosis of UC was based on standard clinical, radiological, endoscopic, and histological criteria. Clinical disease activity was evaluated using the Modified Truelove-Witts Severity Index. Serum samples were analyzed for human GFAP and S100B using commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits. Results. GFAP was not detected in the serum of either UC patients or controls (P>0.05). However, we found a significant (P<0.001) decrease in the serum S100B levels in the UC patients. No correlation between the serum S100B level and the disease activity or duration was observed (P>0.05). The serum S100B levels did not differ between UC patients with active disease (24 patients, 68.6%) or in remission (11 patients, 31.4%) (P>0.05). Conclusions. Ulcerative colitis patients had significantly lower serum S100B levels, while GFAP was of no diagnostic value in UC patients

Inefficient Transmission of H5N1 Influenza Viruses in a Ferret Contact Model▿

The abilities to infect and transmit efficiently among humans are essential for a novel influenza A virus to cause a pandemic. To evaluate the pandemic potential of widely disseminated H5N1 influenza viruses, a ferret contact model using experimental groups comprised of one inoculated ferret and two contact ferrets was used to study the transmissibility of four human H5N1 viruses isolated from 2003 to 2006. The effects of viral pathogenicity and receptor binding specificity (affinity to synthetic sialosaccharides with α2,3 or α2,6 linkages) on transmissibility were assessed. A/Vietnam/1203/04 and A/Vietnam/JP36-2/05 viruses, which possess “avian-like” α2,3-linked sialic acid (SA) receptor specificity, caused neurological symptoms and death in ferrets inoculated with 103 50% tissue culture infectious doses. A/Hong Kong/213/03 and A/Turkey/65-596/06 viruses, which show binding affinity for “human-like” α2,6-linked SA receptors in addition to their affinity for α2,3-linked SA receptors, caused mild clinical symptoms and were not lethal to the ferrets. No transmission of A/Vietnam/1203/04 or A/Turkey/65-596/06 virus was detected. One contact ferret developed neutralizing antibodies to A/Hong Kong/213/03 but did not exhibit any clinical signs or detectable virus shedding. In two groups, one of two naïve contact ferrets had detectable virus after 6 to 8 days when housed together with the A/Vietnam/JP36-2/05 virus-inoculated ferrets. Infected contact ferrets showed severe clinical signs, although little or no virus was detected in nasal washes. This limited virus shedding explained the absence of secondary transmission from the infected contact ferret to the other naïve ferret that were housed together. Our results suggest that despite their receptor binding affinity, circulating H5N1 viruses retain molecular determinants that restrict their spread among mammalian species

Management of Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Infection: A Consensus Report of the Study Group for Viral Hepatitis of the Turkish Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases

Study Group for Viral Hepatitis of the Turkish Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases convened a meeting to develop a consensus report on management of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, a global public health problem, affecting more than 400 million people worldwide. Relevant literature and international guidelines were reviewed, and recommendations agreed are presented at the end of each section such as epidemiology and natural history of HBV infection, economic burden of chronic hepatitis B (CHB), diagnosis of acute hepatitis B (AHB) and CHB, differentiation of AHB from acute exacerbation of CHB, treatment of CHB, evaluation of response to treatment and longterm outcomes in HBeAg-positive and negative patients, antiviral resistance and its follow-up, and prevention of HBV infection. Examples of some selected recommendations are as follows: [1] The selection of a highly potent drug such as entecavir or tenofovir with a high genetic barrier to resistance as a first line therapy provides the best approach of achieving the goals of long-term treatment. [2] Antiviral drugs with a low genetic barrier to resistance such as lamivudine or telbivudine should not be among the first choices. [3] Pegylated interferon a should be used in selected patient groups. [4] Analysis of HBV drug resistance gene mutation should be a part of managing clinical treatment

Efficacy of oral ribavirin treatment in Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever: A quasi-experimental study from Turkey

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of oral ribavirin treatment in patients with Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF)