The comparison of three diagnostic tests in hydatidozis: Indirect fluoresan antibody test, indirect hemagglutination test, in-house fluoresan antibody test

Operasyonla karaciğer kist hidatiği olduğu kesinleşmiş hastalardan alınan serumları laboratuvarda kendi hazırladığımız IFA testi ve ticari olarak alınmış IFA, IHA kitleri ile çalışarak sonuçlarını karşılaştırmak.Gereç ve Yöntem: Et entegre tesislerinde kesilip karaciğerinde kist hidatik saptanan koyun karaciğerlerinde bulunan kistlerin germinal membranları ayrıldı. Frozen cihazında 8µm kalınlığında kesitler alındı ve lamlara tespit edildi. Lamlar indirekt Flöresan Antikor Tekniği ile Fluorescein-işaretli IgG globulin (Biomerieux) kullanılarak boyandı. 460-490 nm dalga boyunda flöresan mikroskobunda (Euroimmun EUROStar-1, Almanya) değerlendirildi. Ticari IFA (Euroimmun, Almanya) ve IHA (Fumouze Diagnostics, Fransa) kitleri de prosedürüne uygun olarak çalışıldı.Bulgular: Çalışılan serumların %66'sı IHAT ile, %86'sı ticari IFAT, %80'ni in-house IFAT ile pozitif bulundu.Sonuç: Buna göre IHAT'nin spesifitesi %66, sensitivitesi %100, IFAT'ın spesifitesi %86, sensitivitesi %100, in-house IFAT'ın spesifitesi %80, sensitivitesi %100 olarak bulundu. Sonuçlar arasındaki fark istatistiksel olarak anlamlı bulunurken, ticari IFAT ve in-house IFAT sonuçları arasındaki fark istatistiksel olarak anlamlı bulunmadı.To compare the results of the sera provided from the patients certainly diagnosed with liver cyst hydatid disease via surgery by investigating through IFA test which we prepared in the lab, and commercial IFA and IHA preparations.Materials and Methods: Germinal membranes of the cyst in sheep livers diagnosed with liver cyst hydatid and slaughtered in slauhgterhouses were seperated. The samples were cut off in size of 8 µm in a freezing device and fixed onto the lenses. The lenses were dyed with indirect Flourescent Antibody Technique using Flourescent-labelled IgG globulin (Biomerieux, France). The results were assessed under a fluorescent microscope (Euroimmun EUROstar-1, Germany) in the wavelength of 460-490 nm.Commercial IFA (Euroimmune, Germany) and IHA (Fumouze Diagnostics, France) preparations were also studied according to the procedure.Results: Within all of the sera studied, 66% were found to be positive with IHAT, 86% with commercial IFAT and 80% with in-house IFAT.Conclusion: In light of our results, the specifity and sensitivity rates of IHAT were found as 66% 100%, respectively. The same rates for IFAT were determined as 86% and 100%, respectively. For in-house IFAT, the specifity and sensitivity rates were found to be 80% and 100%, respectively. The difference between the results were found to be statistically significant, whereas the difference between the results of commercial IFAT and in-house IFAT were statistically found to be insignificant

Antimicrobial Resistance Patterns of Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus faecium Bacteria Isolated from Bloodstream Infections

Introduction: Enterococci have recently become one of the most common causes of nosocomial bloodstream infections. Today, these bacteria account for about 10% of all bacteria. This study aimed to determine the rates of resistance to antibiotics that are commonly used in the treatment of Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus faecium strains isolated from nosocomial bloodstream infections. Materials and Methods: The study included the E. faecalis and E. faecium strains isolated from bloodstream infections at the Practice and Research Hospital of the Faculty of Medicine, Cumhuriyet University over a total period of four and a half years between (January 2009 and June 2013). Strain typing and antimicrobial sensitivity testing were performed using an automated system (BD, Phoenix, AZ, USA) according to the guidelines of the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute. Nosocomial bloodstream infection diagnosis was based on the diagnostic criteria of the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention. Results: One hundred and three enterococci strains were isolated from nosocomial bloodstream infections during the study period. 51 (49.5%) of these strains were typed as E. faecalis and 52 (50.5%) as E. faecium. While there were 44 (84.6%) ampicillin-resistant strains among E. faecium isolates, this number was 2 (3.9%) (p= 0.001) among E. faecalis strains. High-level aminoglycoside resistance rate (500 µg/mL) was higher among E. faecium isolates compared with E. faecalis isolates (63.5% vs. 33.3%; p= 0.002). While no linezoid or daptomycin resistance was noted among the strains, only 2 (1.9%) of a total of 103 enterococci strains were found to be resistant to both vancomycin and teicoplanin. Conclusion: Problems caused by the resistance of nosocomial pathogens to antimicrobials are rapidly increasing. Therefore, clinical centers should constantly update and share their available data in relation to drug resistance. We consider that the local findings of this study, conducted at a university hospital, can be used particularly in fighting against nosocomial enterococcal infections to contribute to the formation of successful empirical treatment models

Spoligotyping of M. tuberculosis Strains from Cattle in Turkey

WOS: 000354410800009Although it is generally accepted that M. bovis leads to tuberculosis in cattle, there are statements given from the different regions of the world, referring to the fact that M. tuberculosis, which is known as the human tuberculosis agent, causes tuberculosis in cattle as well. The material of the study consisted of 13 M. tuberculosis isolates which were isolated and identified from the organ pieces of 95 cattle with the culture methods; these organ pieces had been taken from the cattle with granulomatous lesion detection after the slaughtering in slaughterhouses located in Cukurova region and brought to the laboratory under sterile conditions. It was determined in the genotyping conducted by using the Spoligotyping method that 13 of the 55 isolates were M. tuberculosis and they belonged to the T1 family (SIT53) by becoming dense in one cluster (100%). Consequently, it was shown with this study that M. tuberculosis, which leads to tuberculosis in humans, could be transmitted from humans to animals and from animals to humans again, and researching the human and epidemiological tuberculosis cases by using molecular epidemiology-based methods such as spoligotyping might provide useful information about explaining the ways of transmission of tuberculosis

The Prevalence of Extended-Spectrum Beta-Lactamase and Antibiotic Resistance among Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae Isolates Responsible for Nosocomial Blood-Stream Infections

Introduction: This study aimed to identify the extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) production prevalence of Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae strains isolated from nosocomial bloodstream infections as well as their resistance to the antibiotics used. Materials and Methods: This study examined the E. coli and K. pneumoniae strains isolated from blood-stream infections at the Health Care and Research Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Cumhuriyet University, between 2009 and 2012. Strain description and antimicrobial susceptibility tests were carried out using an automated system (BD, Phoenix, AZ, USA) based on the recommendations of the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI). Results: This study examined 321 E. coli and 104 K. pneumoniae strains isolated from nosocomial blood-stream infections. ESBL was found in 38.3% of E. coli strains and in 26.9% of K. pneumoniae strains isolated from blood cultures. No resistance was found in any strains to carbapenems. Amikacin was considered to be the second-least resistant antibiotic for these strains. One hundred and thirtyfour of the 425 nosocomial strains were isolated from intensive care units and 291 from other services. Fifty-six percent of strains isolated from intensive care units were found to be E. coli and 44% as K. pneumoniae. ESBL was found in 57.3% of E. coli and 30.5% of K. pneumoniae strains isolated from intensive care units, and this ratio was found to be 32.5% and 22.2%, respectively, for other units. Conclusion: Increasing rates of resistance are being reported worldwide in studies carried out with E. coli and K. pneumoniae strains raising future concerns. Thus, resistance data should be constantly updated. We conclude that the local data gathered in this study can be used in the fight against relevant bacterial nosocomial bloodstream infections and can be effective in creating successful empirical treatment models and preventing the spread of such microorganisms

Picturing asthma in Turkey: results from the Turkish adult asthma registry

Introduction: National data on asthma characteristics and the factors associated with uncontrolled asthma seem to be necessary for every country. For this purpose, we developed the Turkish Adult Asthma Registry for patients with asthma aiming to take a snapshot of our patients, thereby assigning the unmet needs and niche areas of intervention. Methods: Case entries were performed between March 2018 and March 2022. A web-based application was used to record data. Study outcomes were demographic features, disease characteristics, asthma control levels, and phenotypes. Results: The registry included 2053 patients from 36 study centers in Turkey. Female subjects dominated the group (n = 1535, 74.8%). The majority of the patients had allergic (n = 1158, 65.3%) and eosinophilic (n = 1174, 57.2%) asthma. Six hundred nineteen (32.2%) of the patients had obese asthma. Severe asthma existed in 670 (32.6%) patients. Majority of cases were on step 3–5 treatment (n: 1525; 88.1%). Uncontrolled asthma was associated with low educational level, severe asthma attacks in the last year, low FEV1, existence of chronic rhinosinusitis and living in particular regions. Conclusion: The picture of this registry showed a dominancy of middle-aged obese women with moderate-to-severe asthma. We also determined particular strategic targets such as low educational level, severe asthma attacks, low FEV1, and chronic rhinosinusitis to decrease uncontrolled asthma in our country. Moreover, some regional strategies may also be needed as uncontrolled asthma is higher in certain regions. We believe that these data will guide authorities to reestablish national asthma programs to improve asthma service delivery

The relationship between urine heat shock protein 70 and congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract: UTILISE study

BackgroundCongenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract (CAKUT) are defined as structural malformations of the kidney and/or urinary tract. Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are expressed in the kidney in response to cellular changes, such as thermal, hemodynamic, osmotic, inflammatory, and mechanical stresses. This study aimed to assess uHSP70 levels during acute urinary tract infections (UTI) and non-infection periods in patients with CAKUT, and to evaluate whether uHSP70 is elevated in CAKUT subtypes.MethodsAmong patients with CAKUT, 89 patients with UTI (CAKUT-A), 111 without UTI (CAKUT-B), and 74 healthy children were included in the study. uHSP70 levels were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).ResultsuHSP70 level was significantly higher in the CAKUT-A group than in the CAKUT-B and healthy control groups (p < 0.0001). Moreover, the level of uHSP70 was significantly higher in the CAKUT-B group than in the control group (p < 0.0001), but was not different between the CAKUT subtypes (p > 0.05).ConclusionUrine HSP70 can also be used to predict UTI in patients with CAKUT. Moreover, uHSP70 levels were higher in children with CAKUT during the non-infectious period than in healthy controls. This suggests that children with CAKUT are at risk of chronic non-infectious damage

Characteristics of asthma in an older adult population according to sex and control level: why are asthma symptoms in older women not well-controlled?

ObjectiveThe older adult population in Turkey has increased by 22.6% in the last 5 years, and the characteristics of such patients with asthma remain uninvestigated. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the characteristics of older adults with asthma according to sex and asthma control status to provide an in-depth overview of asthma in this population in Turkey.MethodsThe data of older adults (age 65 years and over) with asthma were obtained from a multicenter, cross-sectional asthma database registry (Turkish Adult Asthma Registry, TAAR) funded by the Turkish Thoracic Society. Comparisons were made based on sex and asthma control levels using the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) Asthma Symptom Control Questionnaire.ResultsOf the 2053 (11.5%) patients registered with the TAAR, 227 were older adults (median age, 69 (8), women, 75.8% (n = 172)). Of these, 46.5% (n = 101) had obesity to some degree. Compared with men, women had lower education, income levels, and employment rates. Additionally, women exhibited a higher prevalence of obesity, hypertension, and thyroid gland disease than men. Being female (OR: 2.99; 95% CI: 1.307-6.880), the presence of gastroesophageal reflux disease (OR: 2.855; 95% CI: 1.330-6.130), and a predicted forced expiratory volume in the first-second value lower than 80% (OR: 2.938; 95% CI: 1.451-5.948) were associated with poorly controlled asthma.ConclusionsHerein, older adults comprised 11.5% of adult patients with asthma. Being female poses a disadvantage in terms of both asthma prevalence and control in the older adult asthmatic population owing to the prevalence of comorbidities and socioeconomic sex-related distinguishing factors