Correlation of suicidal thoughts and toxoplasmosis in patients with depression

Objective We investigated the correlation between serum anti-Toxplasma gondii IgG and suicidal thoughts in depressive patients. Methods Depressive patients with (n = 100) and without (n = 100) suicidal thoughts along with 100 healthy control subjects were recruited for this study. In all three groups, a semi-structured clinical interview form called Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) Axis-I Disorder (SCID-I), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD), suicidal behavior scale, and a sociodemographic data form were completed. Sera from all participants were taken, and anti-toxoplasma IgG was measured by Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA)-Chemiluminescent Microparticle Immunoassay. Statistical analysis of the data was performed. Results The serum anti-toxoplasma IgG levels of patients with suicidal thoughts were significantly higher than those without suicidal thoughts and the controls, which were 80.04 +/- 40.66, 78 +/- 14.82, and 19.98 +/- 14.65, respectively, p < 0.001. There was no correlation between toxoplasma IgG and HAMD score in patients lacking suicidal thoughts (r = -0.112, p = 0.463). Conclusion This study shows a correlation between seropositivity for anti-Toxoplasma gondii IgG and depression with suicidal thoughts

Strain relatedness in gram-negative bacteremia: Cause or contamination?

Aim: Bloodstream infections are a major cause of mortality, 25% of which are associated with gram-negative bacteremia. To avoid the inappropriate use of antibiotics, it is important to differentiate the bacteremia from contamination. In general, gram-positive bacteria were more likely to be contaminants than gram-negative-bacteria. There is little information in the literature concerning the epidemiology of gram-negative bacteria isolated from sequential blood cultures. Therefore, we aimed to examine the molecular epidemiology of gram-negative bacteria isolated from sequential blood cultures. Material and Methods: A total of 56 patients (112 samples and strains) with two or more sequential positive blood cultures for gram-negative bacteria with the same antibiogram were included in the study. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and arbitrarily primed PCR (AP-PCR) were performed for the determination of strain relatedness. Results: While PFGE analysis demonstrated relatedness in 6 isolates, AP-PCR demonstrated 9 relatedness in 112 isolates. Discussion: The results of our study suggest that, although the possibility of contamination is very low in gram-negative bacteremia, this can still take place, as shown in sequential blood cultures with the same antibiogra

Glass particle contamination threat in nursing practice: A pilot study

Aim The aim of this study was to determine the level of glass particle contamination from medical ampoules during breakage in nursing practice and their removal by filtration. Design Glass medical ampoules were broken-open as instructed and contamination was assessed microscopically. Methods Three types of medial ampoules (A, B, C) were used. Dispensation of contents was carried out using 21 or 22 G needles, with and without syringe-filters. Particles were determined by light microscopy. This study was conducted between April 2018 and January 2020. Results Glass particles of 0.94-90.70 mu m were detected in 94% of all samples. There were 48, 162 and 201 glass particles in groups, A, B and C, respectively. Filtration had no effect in group A but was effective up to 85% in the other groups. Conclusion This study confirms that ampoule contents are contaminated with glass particles during the opening procedure, which varies with make and content. Syringe-filter use can be up to 85% effective in their removal. Impact Use of syringe-filter can decrease glass particle contamination up to 85%. Innovative nursing studies are needed to minimize or completely avoid particule contamination.Scientific Research Projects Coordination Unit of Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa 3365

Contribution of neutrophil activation in the differentiation of urine infection and contamination in pregnant women

SAHIN, KAZIM/0000-0002-6459-1853; Yazici, Zihni Acar/0000-0003-1603-6545WOS: 000360450100010PubMed: 25998166Background: Urinary tract infections are among the most common bacterial infections of humans. Urine culture is the gold standard for asymptomatic bacteriuria and pyuria is not always present in bacteriuria, nor is it specific for bacteriuria. Objective: the aim of the present study was to determine neutrophil activation and the contributions of this activation in the differentiation of infection and contamination. Methods: the serum and urine myeloperoxidase (MPO) levels of 50 pregnant females with symptoms suggesting UTI and 25 healthy non-pregnant control subjects were measured using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method and the obtained values were compared with the results of urine microscopy and urine culture. Results: the leukocyte count in urine was significantly higher in group 1 (infection) and group 2 (contamination) when compared with the control group (group 1 mean: 18.2; group 2 mean: 14.2; control mean: 4.8; ANOVA test, p = 0.451). Conclusion: the study findings suggest that standardized measurement techniques such as dipstick screening assay for urine MPO level may be useful in differentiating infection and contamination, especially in pregnant patients. (C) 2015 S. Karger AG, Base

Effect of the prenatal electromagnetic field exposure on cochlear nucleus neurons and oligodendrocytes in rats

Electromagnetic radiation from elecromagnetic field (EMF) sources has been an important health concern for a long time. The vast majority of this exposure is due to the widespread use of mobile phones, an important source of the EMF. The EMF generated by mobile phones may have adverse effects on the various biological structures that regulate the body system and function. In this study, it was aimed to evaluate histopathologically the effects of 900-megahertz (MHz) EMF application in the prenatal period on the development of the ventral cochlear nucleus, which is the first place of hearing in the brainstem, at various time points of the postnatal period in rats. In the study, Sprague-Dawley pregnant rats were divided randomly into two groups as the control group and the EMF group. The rats in the EMF group were exposed to a 900-MHz EMF every day until birth, while no EMF was applied to the rats in the control group. Auditory brainstem responses of both groups were recorded on the postnatal 13th day, the day the hearing starts. Newborn rats were sacrificed by anesthesia on days 7, 10, 15, and 30. Contrary to the control group, structural damage in cochlear nuclear neurons and oligodendrocyte cell structures and increased caspase-3 activity were observed in the postnatal period in the EMF groups. However, no significant difference was observed between the groups in terms of structural damage and caspase-3 activity at different stages of the postnatal period when cochlear nucleus development was observed. According to ABS, there was no significant difference between the average latency of waves in both groups. In conclusion, this study shows that 900-MHz electromagnetic waves propagated from mobile phones during the prenatal period have no harmful effects on the development of the ventral cochlear nucleus of rats.Recep Tayyip Erdogan University 2010/4

Anthocyanins profiling of Thymus praecox opiz subsp caucasicus var. caucasicus

SANDALLI, Cemal/0000-0002-1298-3687; Yazici, Zihni Acar/0000-0003-1603-6545; k, selvi/0000-0002-9912-8586WOS: 000366065200090Thymus praecox Opiz subsp. caucasicus var. caucasicus (Anzer tea) was studied to determine its anthocyanin content; anthocyanin stability in response to acidic hydrolysis and temperature changes. in this study, anthocyanin profiling of the flowers of T. praecox Opiz subsp. caucasicus var. caucasicus (Anzer tea) were determined for the first time by high performance liquid chromatography coupled with ultraviolet detector (HPLC-UV). the effect of acidic hydrolysis on the extracts also was examined. While eleven peaks were observed before hydrolysis, they dropped to three peaks including that of cyanidin post-hydrolysis. Beside, cyanidin and pelargonidin were quantified in plant extracts. Since, the amount of cyanidin was greater than the cyanidin equivalent to the other two peaks (1.9 and 8.9 times) in the hydrolyzed extract, it can be concluded that the plant has mainly cyanidin derivatives such as glycosides. the stability of standard cyanidin in methanol with 1% HCl at 18 degrees C during a period of 63 days was determined to be above 78%. on the other hand, the concentration of the frozen and thawed standard (10 times) and samples dropped below 74% and 88%, respectively. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Council of Scientific Research Projects of RTE UniversityWe are grateful to the Council of Scientific Research Projects of RTE University for the financial support given to this work. We also thank Prof. Salih Terzioglu for identifying the Thymus genus and Mustafa Lezgioglu for collecting fresh plant

Comparison of the Effects of Copper T and Levonorgestrel IUD on Proteoglycan Composition of Cervical Mucus

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the effects of Copper T and Levonorgestrel IUD (LNG-IUD) on the proteoglycan composition of cervical mucus. STUDY DESIGN: This was a cross-sectional study that was conducted at a gynecology outpatient clinic of a University hospital for a six month period. The study participants were between 18-50 years old, using either Copper T or LNG-IUD for contraception. Cervical mucus samples were collected 7 days after the menstrual bleeding and the levels of hyaluronan (HA), heparin sulfate (HS) and sulfated-glycosaminoglycans (s-GAG) were evaluated. RESULTS: The levels of HA, HS and s-GAG in the Copper-T and LNG-IUD groups were higher than those of the controls. However, the difference was statistically significant only for s-GAG (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: Copper T and Levonorgestrel intrauterine contraceptive devices have significant effects on proteoglycan component of cervical mucus

Cooper T ve Levonorgestrelli rahim içi araçların servikal mukus proteoglikan yapısı üzerine etkilerinin karşılaştırılması

AMAÇ: Bu çalışmanın amacı Cooper T ve Levonorgestrelli Rahim içi araçların (LNG-IUD) servikal mukus proteoglikan yapısı üzerine etkisinin değerlendirilmesidir. GEREÇ VE YÖNTEM: Bu kesitsel çalışma bir üniversite hastanesi jinekoloji polikliniğinde altı ay süre ile yürütülmüştür. Dahil edilme kriterleri 18-50 yaş arasında olmak ve kontraseptif yöntem olarak Copper T ya da LNG-IUD kullanmaktır. Mu kus örnekleri menstural kanamadan 7 gün sonra elde edilmiş ve servikal mukusta Hyaluronan (HA), Heparin Sulfat (HS) ve sulfatlanmış glikozaminoglikan (s-GAG) seviyeleri değerlendirilmiştir. BULGULAR: Copper T ve LNG-IUD gruplarında HA, HS ve s- GAG seviyeleri kontrol grubundan daha yüksektir. Ancak fark sadece s-GAG için istatistiksel olarak anlamlıdır (p<0,001). SONUÇ: Bakırlı ve levonorgestrelli rahim içi kontraseptif araçların servikal mukusun proteoglikan içeriği üzerinde önemli etkileri vardır.OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the effects of Copper T and Levonorgestrel IUD (LNG-IUD) on the proteoglycan composition of cervical mucus. STUDY DESIGN: This was a cross-sectional study that was conducted at a gynecology outpatient clinic of a University hospital for a six month period. The study participants were between 18-50 years old, using either Copper T or LNG-IUD for contraception. Cervical mucus samples were collected 7 days after the menstrual bleeding and the levels of hyaluronan (HA), heparin sulfate (HS) and sulfated-gly- cosaminoglycans (s-GAG) were evaluated. RESULTS: The levels of HA, HS and s-GAG in the Copper-T and LNG-IUD groups were higher than those of the controls. However, the difference was statistically significant only for s-GAG (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: Copper T and Levonorgestrel intrauterine contraceptive devices have significant effects on proteoglycan component of cervical mucus

Wernicke's encephalopathy in a patient with unresectable gastric carcinoma and literature review

Rakici, Sema Yilmaz/0000-0002-5543-9761; Yazici, Zihni Acar/0000-0003-1603-6545WOS: 000349897200187PubMed: 25785154Wernicke's encephalopathy (WE) is a disease classically associated with nutrition deficiency. It is characterized by typical symptoms like confusion, ataxia and ophthalmoparesis, and developes due to thiamine deficieny in alcoholic patients. Recently, it has been shown that WE could ocur in patients with gastric carcinoma without a history of alcohol use. in this paper, we have made some suggestions about early diagnosis, treatment and prevention of WE by discussing the development of WE in a patient with unresectable gastric carcinoma, who had been inpatient for a long time and given radiotherapy and chemotherapy

Inhibition of methotrexate induced toxicity in the adult rat spleen by adalimumab

Methotrexate (MTX) has been in use for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriasis, and cancer since 1948. Its toxic side effects on tissues and organs have been well documented but splenotoxicity has not been addressed. This study set out to investigate this issue by examining the effectiveness of anti-TNF alpha agents against MTX-induced toxicity in T lymphocytes and macrophages via the regulation of CD3, CD68, and CD200R. Twenty-four Sprague Dawley rats were allocated to three groups: control (received saline solution only), MTX (20 mg/kg of single-dose of MTX), and Ada + MTX (single dose of 10 mg/kg Adalimumab before MTX administration). The spleens were removed 5 days after MTX administration. The number of CD3+/mm3 cells for the control, MTX and Ada + MTX groups were, respectively, 2.69 +/- 0.86, 20.51 +/- 2.7, (p = 0.000) and 11.07 +/- 2.01 (p = 0.000). The number of CD68+ macrophages/mm3 in the control, MTX and Ada + MTX groups were, respectively, 8.62 +/- 1.08, 38.19 +/- 1.37 (p = 0.000), and 16.87 +/- 12.57 (p = 0.000). The number of macrophages that were CD200R+/mm3 in the control, MTX, and Ada + MTX groups were 3.33 +/- 1.66, 25.77 +/- 2.37 (p = 0.000), and 8.68 +/- 2.66 (p = 0.000), respectively. We also observed that Ada reduced the numerical densities of these cells following MTX administration (p < 0.05). Ada may, therefore, be a promising candidate for the prevention of the deleterious effects on T lymphocytes and macrophages of MTX-induced toxicit