The "vaccine" hubbub: Viral load comparisons of SARS-CoV-2 Delta and Omicron variants against different vaccine-booster vaccine combinations.

There is a significant body of evidence showing that efficient vaccination schemes against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is helping control the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. However, this goal cannot be achieved without real world data highlighting the impact of vaccines against viral spread. In this study, we have aimed at differentially investigating the impact of COVID-19 vaccines (CoronaVac, Pfizer/BioNTech, Astra/Zeneca Oxford, Janssen) used in North Cyprus in limiting the viral load of Delta and Omicron variants of SARS-COV-2. We have utilized real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction cycle threshold values (Ct values) as a proxy of viral load of the two SARS-CoV-2 variants. Our results indicate that the administration of at least two doses of the messenger RNA-based Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine leads to the lowest viral load (highest Ct values) obtained for both Omicron and Delta variants. Interestingly, regardless of the vaccine type used, our study revealed that Delta variant produced significantly higher viral loads (lower Ct values) compared with the Omicron variant, where the latter was more commonly associated with younger patients. Viral spread is a crucial factor that can help determine the future of the pandemic. Thus, prioritizing vaccines that will play a role in not only preventing severe disease but also in limiting viral load and spread may contribute to infection control strategies.

Contribution of genotypes in Prothrombin and Factor V Leiden to COVID-19 and disease severity in patients at high risk for hereditary thrombophilia.

Thrombotic and microangiopathic effects have been reported in COVID-19 patients. This study examined the contribution of the hereditary thrombophilia factors Prothrombin (FII) and Factor V Leiden (FVL) genotypes to the severity of COVID-19 disease and the development of thrombosis. This study investigated FII and FVL alleles in a cohort of 9508 patients (2606 male and 6902 female) with thrombophilia. It was observed that 930 of these patients had been infected by SARS-CoV-2 causing COVID-19. The demographic characteristics of the patients and their COVID-19 medical history were recorded. Detailed clinical manifestations were analyzed in a group of cases (n = 4092). This subgroup was age and gender-matched. FII and FVL frequency data of healthy populations without thrombophilia risk were obtained from Bursa Uludag University Medical Genetic Department's Exome Databank. The ratio of males (31.08%; 27.01%) and the mean age (36.85 ± 15.20; 33.89 ± 14.14) were higher among COVID-19 patients compared to non-COVID-19 patients. The prevalence of FVL and computerized tomography (CT) positivity in COVID-19 patients was statistically significant in the thrombotic subgroup (p < 0.05). FVL prevalence, CT positivity rate, history of thrombosis, and pulmonary thromboembolism complication were found to be higher in deceased COVID-19 patients (p < 0.05). Disease severity was mainly affected by FVL and not related to genotypes at the Prothrombin mutations. Overall, disease severity and development of thrombosis in COVID-19 are mainly affected by the variation within the FVL gene. Possible FVL mutation should be investigated in COVID-19 patients and appropriate treatment should be started earlier in FVL-positive patients.

Altered expression levels of TAS1R2 and TAS1R3 genes among SARS-CoV-2 variants of concerns.

BACKGROUND: The most common symptoms of coronavirus infections are fever, cough, shortness of breath, headache, ache of joints, a loss of smell and loss of taste, and etc. Early studies suggested that smell and taste receptors were associated with pathogenic detection and immunity. Thus, we aimed to evaluate the expression profile of gene receptors that are related to taste, smell, and appetite control in COVID-19 patients and their putative correlation with SARS-CoV-19 variants. METHOD: Gene expression levels of TAS1R2, TAS1R3, TAS2R38, OR51E1, LEPR, GHRL were analyzed in 100 COVID-19 patients and 100 SARS-CoV-2 RT-qPCR negative group. RESULTS: The expression levels of TAS1R2 and TAS1R3 genes were significantly decreased in COVID-19 patients who were infected with Delta variant. However, the TAS2R38 gene expression level was significantly lower when compared to the control group. The TAS1R2 gene expression was positively correlated with TAS1R3, and TAS2R38 genes (p = 0.001, p = 0.025, respectively). CONCLUSION: TAS1R2, TAS1R3, and TAS2R38 gene expression levels were decreased in the Delta variant compared to the Omicron BA.1 variant in the studied groups. These results provided a significant clue for the temporary taste loss, especially in patients infected with the Delta variant, which is the most disruptive and symptomatic variant causing hospitalizations, and deaths compared to other variants may be because ACE2 is expressed in the taste buds and high replication of SARS-CoV-2 in the infected gustatory cells in the taste bud generates inflammation and then could eventually destroy the cells. This gustatory cell damage may cause malfunction of the gustatory system.

Investigation of Brucella canis and Brucella abortus Seropositivity by In-House Rapid Slide Agglutination Test and In-House ELISA in Northern Cyprus.

The incidence of Brucella canis (B. canis) in humans is unknown in Northern Cyprus. In this study, we investigated the prevalence of B. canis and Brucella abortus (B. abortus) infection in human sera and evaluated the results obtained by agglutination-based techniques using standardized antigens made from B. canis comparatively. All of the subjects were negative in terms of Rose-Bengal plate test. Undiluted serum samples were initially screened by rapid slide agglutination test (RSAT), and those which were found positive were retested in the dilution of 1/25-1/200. Confirmation of the positive results was performed by using 2-mercaptoethanol standard agglutination test (SAT). The test antigen was prepared from the less mucoid M (-) variant of B. canis, and 1/1,048 titered dog antiserum was used as positive control. In 225 serum samples, 3.6% (8/225) was positive by B. canis M (-) RSAT, 4.4 % (10/225) was positive by B. canis M (-) indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (iELISA). 5.3% (12/225) was positive by B. abortus S99 RSAT and 9.8% (22/225) was positive by B. abortus S99 iELISA. Nine samples were positive by both B. abortus S99 RSAT and B. abortus S99 iELISA. Seven samples were positive by both B. canis M (-) RSAT and B. canis M (-) iELISA. One patient was positive by all methods. It is important to evaluate patient samples with RSAT and iELISA. Until the notification system gives better results to the Ministry of Health, in order to reach the real data for Northern Cyprus, multicenter prevalence determination studies should be done for future.

Positive Anti-HIV ELISA Results in Pregnancy: Is It Reliable?

BACKGROUND: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) can be transmitted from mothers to their babies during pregnancy, delivery through vaginal fluids or breastfeeding. As false positivity anti-HIV results due to pregnancy could be detected and no relevant study have been reported in Northern Cyprus so far, we aimed to estimate the false anti-HIV positivity rate in pregnant women. METHODS: A total of 11.977 women admitted to Near East University Hospital between 2015 and 2018 were involved. The fourth generation anti-HIV-1/2 ELISA test was carried out by chemiluminescence enzyme immunoassay. Positive results were confirmed by real-time polymerase chain reaction (rt-PCR). SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) Demo Ver 22 program was used for statistical analysis and significance (p<0.05) was measured by Person Chi-Square and Fisher's Exact tests. RESULTS: Anti-HIV-1/2 ELISA test was positive in 7 (0.3%) of pregnant and 11 (0.1%) of non-pregnant women. HIV RNA was not detected in any pregnant however, was detected in 2 (0.02%) of non pregnant. S/Co titer of pregnant and non pregnant who have positive anti-HIV-test without viral load was x̄=2.68±1.64 (1.34-5.20) and x̄=8.63±7.68 (1.56-20.98) respectively. False positivity was significantly higher in pregnants compared to non-pregnants (p=0.033). CONCLUSION: False positivity can be encountered during pregnancy therefore, positive anti-HIV-1/2 ELISA results should be confirmed with molecular techniques before initiating antiretroviral treatment.

[Investigation of Leishmania infantum Seroprevalance and Leishmaniasis Knowledge Level in Northern Cyprus]. / Kuzey Kibris'ta Leishmania infantum Seroprevalansinin ve Leysmanyaz Bilgi Düzeyinin Arastirilmasi.

Leishmaniasis is an infectious disease caused by Leishmania parasites, transmitted by sand flies and common in the Mediterranean region. Cyprus is located in the east of Mediterranean Sea and is considered endemic for Leishmaniasis. In our study, it was aimed to investigate Leishmania infantum IgG seropositivity in healthy volunteers living in different regions of Northern Cyprus and to determine the risk factors for Leishmaniasis and measure the level of public knowledge about the disease. A total of 300 healthy volunteers (farmer/livestock: 100, hunter: 100, control group: 100) from five different regions of Northern Cyprus were included in the study, including Nicosia, Kyrenia, Famagusta, Morphou/Lefka, and Trikomo/Karpasia. The participants' blood was drawn and prepared questionnaire forms were filled out. Collected blood was centrifuged and the serum samples were separated and stored at -80ºC until the day of the test. All serum samples were tested for L.infantum IgG specific antibodies using the ELISA method (NovaTec, Immundiagnostica GmbH, Germany) in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations. L.infantum IgG positivity was found to be 4.7% (14/300). The mean ages of L.infantum IgG positive and negative participants were 43.64 ± 11.74 and 42.17 ± 14.32 respectively. There was no statistically significant relationship between seropositivity and age (p= 0.706). The positivity rate was found to be significantly higher in hunters and farmers/livestocks compared with the control group (p= 0.020). In addition, it was determined that having a dog and the number of dogs owned were significantly associated with Leishmaniasis (p= 0.017, p= 0.020, respectively). On the other hand, 77% (231/300) of the volunteers included in our study had no prior knowledge about the disease. When compared to the other study groups, it was determined that hunters had the most knowledge of the Leishmaniasis infection (p= 0.001). Moreover, it was observed that as the education level of the participants increased, the level of knowledge about the disease also increased in parallel (p≤ 0.001). According to the results in our study, L.infantum IgG seropositivity was undeniably high in the healthy population living in Northern Cyprus. It is clear that outdoor activities such as hunting or dealing with farming/livestock are risk factors for the disease. In this context, it is apparent that more clear results will be obtained about the prevalence of the disease with the conduction of large-scale epidemiological studies. As a result, we concluded that especially risk groups should be informed about the current status of Leishmaniasis infection and necessary precautions should be taken.

Abnormal Dispersion of Ventricular Repolarization as a Risk Factor in Patients with Human Immunodeficiency Virus: Tp-e Interval, Tp-e/QTc Ratio.

OBJECTIVE: In recent years, there has been worldwide recognition of the problems associated with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). The prevalence of cardiovascular disease in the HIV-infected population is increasing. Repolarization abnormalities, the significant contributor to life-threatening arrhythmias and mortality, are the most frequent electrocardiographic changes in this population. This study aimed to evaluate the changes in Tp-e interval, Tp-e/QT and Tp-e/corrected QT (QTc) ratios, and traditional electrocardiographic features of electrical dispersion in adults infected with HIV. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A total of 235 participants were selected in the current study. The HIV group consisted of 85 subjects (median age 36 years [25-48], and the control group included 150 individuals (median age 39 years [27-51]). Tp-e interval, Tp-e/QT and Tp-e/QTc ratios were measured by the 12-lead electrocardiogram. RESULTS: Tp-e interval, cTp-e interval, and Tp-e/QT and Tp-e/QTc ratios were significantly higher in HIV patients compared to the control group (p = 0.006, p = 0.004, p = 0.003, and p = 0.002, respectively). In correlation analysis, there was inverse correlation between the mean cTp-e interval and CD4 count and Tp-e/QTc ratios and CD4 count (r = - 0.407, p < 0.001, r = - 0.416, p < 0.001, respectively). Besides, there was correlation between the mean cTp-e interval and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and Tp-e/QTc ratios and hsCRP (r = 0.403, p = 0.001, r = 0.406, p = 0.001, respectively). CONCLUSION: Our study revealed that the cTp-e interval, Tp-e/QT and cTp-e/QT ratios were prolonged and correlated to the severity of the disease in HIV-infected patients. Our findings may shed light on the cTp-e interval and Tp-e/QTc ratio and lead to further studies showing a relationship with ventricular arrhythmias and mortality in HIV-infected individuals.

A Special Risk Group for Hepatitis E Infection: The First Record of North Cyprus.

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is transmitted by a fecal oral route from animals to humans following exposure to the body fluids of infected animals. We investigated the seroprevalence of anti-hepatitis E (anti-HEV) antibodies by monitoring IgG and IgM virus antibodies amongst employees in the animal industry in North Cyprus through a cross-sectional study. Samples were taken from individuals without occupational exposure to animals and from those who worked with animals (doing animal husbandry, veterinary work or butchery). Enzyme-linked immunoassays were used to detect anti-HEV IgG and IgM in the blood samples. The prevalence of anti-HEV IgG antibodies was 3.0% (12/400), while the prevalence of anti-HEV IgM antibodies was 0.25% (1/400). The prevalence of anti-HEV IgG amongst the samples received from females was approximately 2.5-fold higher than samples received from males (2.4%). Anti-HEV IgG was detected amongst 7% of animal husbandry workers and amongst 2% of veterinarians and butchers. The current findings represent the first records of HEV surveillance in Cyprus. We investigated the seroprevalence of anti-HEV by monitoring IgG and IgM virus antibodies amongst employees.Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is transmitted by a fecal oral route from animals to humans following exposure to the body fluids of infected animals. We investigated the seroprevalence of anti-hepatitis E (anti-HEV) antibodies by monitoring IgG and IgM virus antibodies amongst employees in the animal industry in North Cyprus through a cross-sectional study. Samples were taken from individuals without occupational exposure to animals and from those who worked with animals (doing animal husbandry, veterinary work or butchery). Enzyme-linked immunoassays were used to detect anti-HEV IgG and IgM in the blood samples. The prevalence of anti-HEV IgG antibodies was 3.0% (12/400), while the prevalence of anti-HEV IgM antibodies was 0.25% (1/400). The prevalence of anti-HEV IgG amongst the samples received from females was approximately 2.5-fold higher than samples received from males (2.4%). Anti-HEV IgG was detected amongst 7% of animal husbandry workers and amongst 2% of veterinarians and butchers. The current findings represent the first records of HEV surveillance in Cyprus. We investigated the seroprevalence of anti-HEV by monitoring IgG and IgM virus antibodies amongst employees.

High Genetic Diversity among Stenotrophomonas maltophilia Isolates from Single Hospital: Nosocomial Outbreaks or Genotypic Profile Changes during Subcultures.

BACKGROUND: Stenotrophomonas maltophilia is a non-fermentative gram-negative bacillus which is widely recognised as an important nosocomial pathogen causing pneumonia, blood-stream, wound and urinary tract infections, particularly in immunosuppressed patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate a nosocomial outbreak of by S. maltophilia in an intensive care unit of a tertiary hospital and evaluate unexpected multiclonality. METHODS: A total of 11 isolates from respiratory cultures in intensive care unit of a 24 bed tertiary hospital obtained over a one months period and one isolate obtained from the nebuliser during environmental screening were investigated. The bacteria were identified by Phoenix 100 system. The clonal relatedness was evaluated by PFGE and semi-automated repetitive sequence-based PCR. Genotyping tests were repeated for 10 serial subcultures. RESULTS: PFGE and DiversiLab yielded 10 genotypic profiles for 12 isolates. Four to eight different genotypes were observed from 10 subcultures of the same isolate. CONCLUSION: We conclude that, high genetic diversity and supposed multiclonal appearance of the outbreak isolates may be due to changing profiles during subcultures most probably depending on hypermutation.

Effectiveness of non-fluoride and fluoride dentifrices for denture hygiene.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effectiveness of commonly used herbal/non-fluoride with fluoride dentifrices in order to eliminate pathogenic oral microorganisms from denture base material. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Heat-polymerized acrylic resin specimens (n = 288) were divided into three groups and each group inoculated with three various microorganisms (n = 96 for each) Candida albicans, Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa). Contaminated specimens were randomly assigned to the application of six herbal/non-fluoride and three fluoride dentifrices. These specimens were divided into two groups: negative and positive control (n = 3 for each). All acrylic specimens were incubated at 37 °C for 24 h for samples inoculated with bacterial strains and 37 °C for 48 h for samples inoculated with yeast strains. After the incubation period, all brain-heart infusion broths that contained disinfectant acrylic specimens were cultured on 5% sheep blood agar for bacterial counts and Sabouraud dextrose agar for yeast counts. The number of colony-forming units per millilitre (CFU/mL) were calculated. The results were analysed by Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests (p = .05). RESULTS: Both herbal/non-fluoride and fluoride dentifrices were effective against Candida albicans. However, fluoride dentifrices were comparatively better than the herbal/non-fluoride dentifrices against Staphylococcus aureus and P. aeruginosa. CONCLUSIONS: Herbal dentifrices could be used, especially among the elderly who lack a degree of manual dexterity during the rinsing of dentifrice chemicals from their dentures.

Evaluating the efficiency of humic acid to remove micro-organisms from denture base material.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficiency of humic acid substances on removing micro-organisms from denture base materials. BACKGROUND: Old denture wearer needs effective, easy-use and safe denture-cleaning material. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Square-shaped, heat-polymerised acrylic resin specimens (n = 550) were prepared and divided into five groups (n = 110 for each) corresponding to the microbial contamination (Candida albicans, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Enterococcus faecalis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa). Contaminated specimens were randomly assigned to the application of five different denture-cleaning agents as follows (n = 20 for each): Kloroben, Corsodyl, Steradent, Corega, experimental solution with humic acid. Ten specimens were assessed as an experimental control carried out simultaneously for the treatment groups for each micro-organism. It was divided into two groups: negative control and positive control (n = 5 for each). All acrylic specimens were incubated 37°C for 24 h (for bacterial strains) and 37°C for 48 h (for yeast strains). After incubation period, all brain-heart infusion broths (BHI) which contain disinfectant acrylic specimens were cultured on 5% sheep blood agar (for bacteria) and Sabouraud dextrose agar (SDA) for yeast using loop. The numbers of colony-forming units per millilitre (CFU/ml) were calculated. The results were analysed by Mann-Whitney U-test and Kruskal-Wallis tests (p = 0.05). RESULTS: Corsodyl and Kloroben completely eliminated the adherence of all investigated micro-organisms (100%) and showed the highest removal activity compared with other cleaning agents (p < 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference between Corsodyl and Kloroben (p ≥ 0.05), and there was no statistically significant difference between Corega, Steradent and experimental solution (p ≥ 0.05). CONCLUSION: Humic acid could be used as an alternative 'natural' solution for denture-cleaning agent.

[Molecular epidemiology of hepatitis B virus in Northern Cyprus]. / Kuzey Kibris'ta hepatit B virusunun moleküler epidemiyolojisi.

Identification of hepatitis B virus (HBV) strains and understanding of molecular epidemiological characteristics are important for the effective surveillance of HBV infections. Genotype D is dominant in studies performed in Turkey but it is known that cases infected with genotypes A, E, G and H also exists. In contrast, there are no data regarding the molecular epidemiologic characteristics of the HBV in Northern Cyprus. The aim of this study was to determine the distribution of genotypes and subgenotypes of HBV among the people living, educating and working in Northern Cyprus. A total of 160 cases (1.2%) who were HBsAg seropositive out of 13.892 subjects admitted to Nicosia, Near East University Hospital microbiology laboratory for the routine control and to blood center for donor screening tests between November 2011 to September 2014, were included in the study. HBV-DNA levels in the HBsAg positive cases were detected by real-time polymerase chain reaction and genotypes/subgenotypes were determined by sequence analysis of the viral pol gene (reverse transcriptase [rt] region, between 80-250. aminoacids). Sixty samples (60/160, 37.5%) were excluded from sequencing analysis due to negative and/or very low (< 30 IU/ml) HBV-DNA levels, so 100 samples were included in sequence analysis. Ninety-six of those cases (13 female, 87 male; mean age: 35.51 ± 12.88 years) were anti-HBc IgG, 95 were anti-HBe and five were HBeAg positive, with a mean HBV-DNA level of 5.36 x 10(6) ± 3.58 x 10(7) IU/ml. As 32 (32%) samples yielded HBV-DNA level below the threshold of 1000 IU/ml, sequence analyses were unsuccesful, eventually 68 (68/160, 42.5%) samples could be phylogenetically analyzed. The distribution of HBV genotypes/subgenotypes were found as follows: 48 were (70.6%) D/D1; four were (5.9%) D/D2; one was (1.5%) D/D3, five were (7.4%) A/A1, two were (2.9%) A/A2 and eight were (11.8%) genotype E. Among the most frequent D1 strains, 60.4% (29/48) cases were from Turkish; single D/D3 strain from Benguela (Angola) and all eight genotype E strains were from Nigerian national cases. According to the data of this first study performed in TRNC on this subject, genotype D is dominant (53/68, 78%) in Northern Cyprus and consistent with the subgenotype distribution that is similar to Turkey and mediterranean basin. The prevalences of genotype A (7/68, 10.3%) and E (8/68, 11.8%) were also remarkable. In conclusion, although Northern Cyprus is an island country the heterogeneous distribution of HBV genotype/subgenotype may be contributed to the cosmopolitan characteristics of various populations from different countries who have come here for education, work or touristic purposes.

[Investigation of the correlation between anti-HCV levels (S/Co) with HCV-RNA in the diagnosis of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection]. / Hepatit C virus (HCV) enfeksiyonunun tanisinda anti-HCV düzeyi (S/Co) ile HCV-RNA arasindaki korelasyonun arastirilmasi.

Detection of borderline and/or low positive anti-HCV results by enzyme immunoassay (EIA) leads to severe problems in routine laboratories and needs confirmation with nucleic acid amplification tests which can increase the cost. In EIA tests, if the ratio of sample to cut-off (S/Co) is ≥ 1, the sample is accepted as positive according to the manufacturers' instructions. Although over the last decade the application of S/Co values have also applied to HCV-RNA readings, the current study aims to determine whether the S/Co value is adequate and applicable for the anti-HCV EIA test, and to determine whether a correlation exists between HCV-RNA and HCV infections. A total of 658 cases (402 female, 256 male; mean age: 49.4 ± 17.0 years) who were found anti-HCV positive between January 2011-July 2013 were included in the study. Anti-HCV tests were performed by chemiluminescent EIA (Architect i2000SR, Abbott, USA and LiaisonXL Murex, DiaSorin, Italy) and HCV-RNA by real-time PCR (Cobas Ampliprep/Cobas TaqMan HCV, Roche, USA). The mean S/Co value of the cases was 7.3 ± 4.8 (range: 1.00-17.59) and mean HCV-RNA value was 2.3x105 ± 2.1x106 copies/ml. When the anti-HCV S/Co value of varying ranges was compared with HCV-RNA readings a particular trend was noted. In the anti-HCV S/Co values of 1.0-4.0; 4.1-7.0; 7.1-10.0; 10.1-13.0; 13.1-16.0 and ³16.1, HCV-RNA positivity rates were detected as 1.9%, 24.7%,37.1%, 46.7%, 56.4% and 75%, respectively. Statistical analysis indicated an intermediate positive correlation (r= 0.454) between anti-HCV ve HCV-RNA readings (p= 0.000). An adequate S/Co value was accepted as 5.0 based on the ROC analysis, and this value gave a performance confidence level of 95.6% when determining whether a patient is HCV positive. Based on the data of this study it became evident that further EIA testing is not required if the S/Co value is ≥ 5.0, however if the S/Co value is less than 5.0, then further clinical analysis and revaluation of the patient is required.

Molecular Epidemiology of HIV-1 Subtypes and Primary Antiretroviral Resistance Profiles in Northern Cyprus: First Data Series.

The distribution of human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) subtypes indicates difference from region to region and in risk groups acquiring the disease worldwide. Although subtype C is more in terms of total cases, subtype B is dominant in certain regions, especially in western and central Europe. Molecular epidemiological studies are essential for the control, effective treatment, and understanding in transmission routes of HIV-1 infection. This study aims to determine the molecular epidemiology and antiretroviral drug resistance profiles of HIV-1 in northern Cyprus. The study involved 71 naive HIV-positive patients diagnosed in northern Cyprus between 2016 and 2022. HIV-1 subtypes and circulating recombinant forms (CRFs) were identified by phylogenetic analysis (neighbor-joining method) of pol gene sequences. Drug resistance mutations were analyzed using the World Health Organization (WHO) lists of mutations for surveillance. The Stanford University HIVdb program was used to interpret drug resistance mutations. In our study, 40 of 71 samples were successfully sequenced. Subtype B of HIV-1 was dominant with a rate of 52.5%, followed by CRF02_AG (20%) and G (7.5%) subtypes. The rate of subtype B (71.4%) in northern Cyprus was significantly higher than in the other country of origin (p = .028). Antiretroviral drug resistance was found in 15% of the sequenced serum samples. Nucleoside/nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI), non-nucleoside nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI), and protease inhibitor (PI) resistance rates were 10% (4/40), 7.5% (3/40), and 2.5% (1/40), respectively. According to the results, it is noteworthy that the dominant subtype circulating in northern Cyprus is the B subtype, and CRFs were detected at a higher rate than expected.

Investigation of Francisella tularensis Seroprevalence and Determination of Risk Factors for Tularemia among Hunters in Northern Cyprus.

Background: Tularemia is a zoonotic disease (reservoir is usually rodents) caused by Francisella tularensis, especially seen in the northern hemisphere. Hunters are in the risk group for this disease. In this study, it was aimed to determine the seroprevalence of tularemia among hunters and determine the risk factors of tularemia in our country. Methods: The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) is divided into four regions (Nicosia, Kyrenia, Famagusta/Trikomo, and Morphou/Lefka) and 100 volunteer hunters randomly selected from these regions were included in our study. Tube agglutination test (TAT) and F. tularensis IgG and IgM (ELISA method) were applied in all sera. All hunters were filled with a pre-prepared questionnaire to determine risk factors for tularemia. Results: TAT positivity was found in 11%. While F. tularensis ELISA IgG positivity was 17%, IgM positivity was not found in any hunters. Hunters with positive F. tularensis ELISA IgG test (17%) were accepted as seropositive in terms of tularemia. There was no statistically significant difference between the mean age of IgG-positive and negative hunters (p= 0.915). Of the 86 hunters who kept at least one hunting dog in their garden, 15 (17.4%) were IgG-positive. There was no significant relationship between feeding hunting dogs and tularemia (p= 0.561). Conclusion: Our study showed that the seroprevalence of tularemia was high (17%) among hunters, who are considered a risk group, in our country. We think that more epidemiological research should be done on tularemia infection and it should not be overlooked in the clinic.

Fractional order model of MRSA bacterial infection with real data fitting: Computational Analysis and Modeling.

Bacterial infections in the health-care sector and social environments have been linked to the Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection, a type of bacteria that has remained an international health risk since the 1960s. From mild colonization to a deadly invasive disease with an elevated mortality rate, the illness can present in many different forms. A fractional-order dynamic model of MRSA infection developed using real data for computational and modeling analysis on the north side of Cyprus is presented in this paper. Initially, we tested that the suggested model had a positively invariant region, bounded solutions, and uniqueness for the biological feasibility of the model. We study the equilibria of the model and assess the expression for the most significant threshold parameter, called the basic reproduction number (ℛ0). The reproductive number's parameters are also subjected to sensitivity analysis through mathematical methods and simulations. Additionally, utilizing the power law kernel and the fixed-point approach, the existence, uniqueness, and generalized Ulam-Hyers-Rassias stability are presented. Chaos Control was used to regulate the linear responses approach to bring the system to stabilize according to its points of equilibrium, taking into account a fractional-order system with a managed design where solutions are bound in the feasible domain. Finally, numerical simulations demonstrating the effects of different parameters on MRSA infection are used to investigate the impact of the fractional operator on the generalized form of the power law kernel through a two-step Newton polynomial method. The impact of fractional orders is emphasized in the study so that the numerical solutions support the importance of these orders on MRSA infection. With the application of fractional order, the significance of cognizant antibiotic usage for MRSA infection is verified.

Knowledge, attitudes and behaviour towards sexually transmitted diseases in Turkish Cypriot adolescents.

BACKGROUND: The incidence of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) is increasing among adolescents all around the world. There may be differences in knowledge and attitudes among different cultures and ethnic populations. The aim of this study is to determine knowledge, attitudes and behaviour of Turkish Cypriot adolescents related to STDs. OBJECTIVES: To assess knowledge of STDs, attitudes towards sexual behaviour and STDs among the secondary school students. METHODS: A cross sectional study, with a sample size of 423 students, was conducted by using a semi-structured questionnaire. Simple random sampling method was applied during the selection of the sample. RESULTS: The mean age of all participants was 15.61 +/- 1.22, 211 (49.88%) of them were male and 212 (50.12%) female. The majority of students (91.25%) stated that they had some knowledge about STDs; hovewer, 8.75% of the participants did not have any knowledge at all. Most of them, 42.32% described school as a source of information on STDs, nonetheless, only 7.57% of the group cited health care professionals as the information source. The majority of students (97.64%) has never been treated for STDs. Among 423 applicants, 93.14% indicated that they would have appreciated information about STDs during the high school years. CONCLUSIONS: There is a general understanding that the students are willing to participate and are in need of seminars that will be held about STDs during high school attendance. Furthermore, awareness raising educational events on this matter should be reviewed and revised in order to come up with more powerful ways of fighting against STDs transmission in this young population group of Turkish Cypriot (TC) community.

What Is Going on in Indoor Air Quality of a University Hospital in Northern Cyprus?

Background: There are two main purposes of microbial monitoring of the inanimate hospital environment. One of them is to monitor hygiene standards, and the second is to determine the presence of nosocomial pathogens. This study was aimed to investigate the indoor environment of the different departments of a university hospital. Methods: The prospective study was conducted in a university hospital, a teaching hospital with 143 beds and 30 ICU beds, and a hospital with 6 different wards in Northern Cyprus. Active air sampling was done by using an air IDEAL 3P device. Air samples were taken at 38 points defined before in different parts of the hospital. Results: Our results showed a low level of microorganisms' numbers in microbial airborne communities in a university hospital. Moreover, our results indicated that the temperature of the hospital's indoor environment is not significantly related to the airborne microbial community. On the other hand, our results indicate that the Aspergillus species were mostly isolated in the drug preparation room. Conclusion: The studies have shown that one of the causes of hospital infections is the microorganisms entering the airborne microbial communities. In this case, epidemiology and pathogenesis of airborne microbial communities should be understood.

Frequency of Developing COVID-19 Pneumonia in Patients Who Were Vaccinated Double-Dose CoronaVac: Data of the Pandemic Authorized Hospital in Northern Cyprus.

Background: RT-PCR is the leading method used in the diagnosis of COVID-19, caused by 2019-nCoV. CT applications also provide a fast and easy diagnosis for detecting pneumonia caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The current study, aimed to compare the lung involvement of vaccinated (two-dose CoronaVac) and unvaccinated patients in the early stage of COVID-19 disease. Methods: In the current retrospective study, which included patients diagnosed with RT-PCR COVID-19 positivity (n=651) between 01 July 2021-15 September 2021, patient information was obtained from the authorized hospital of the pandemic. Data included patients' chest CT scans and whether patients had been vaccinated (two-dose CoronaVac) information. Results: The ratio of vaccination with double-dose CoronaVac in positive patients was 74.3%. The ratio of patients with normal lung appearance was 61.8%. It was determined that the ratio of involvement in both lungs of patients who were vaccinated with a double dose was significantly lower than the ratio of involvement in patients who were never vaccinated (p <0.001). Conclusion: In this study, it was determined that pneumonia cases were less common in individuals vaccinated with double-dose CoronaVac. In this study, it was also determined that the protection of the vaccine was higher in females than in males and that the protection of the double-dose CoronaVac vaccine was higher in the 50-60 age group compared to 60 older patients.

Assessment of Deep Learning Models for Cutaneous Leishmania Parasite Diagnosis Using Microscopic Images.

Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is a common illness that causes skin lesions, principally ulcerations, on exposed regions of the body. Although neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are typically found in tropical areas, they have recently become more common along Africa's northern coast, particularly in Libya. The devastation of healthcare infrastructure during the 2011 war and the following conflicts, as well as governmental apathy, may be causal factors associated with this catastrophic event. The main objective of this study is to evaluate alternative diagnostic strategies for recognizing amastigotes of cutaneous leishmaniasis parasites at various stages using Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs). The research is additionally aimed at testing different classification models employing a dataset of ultra-thin skin smear images of Leishmania parasite-infected people with cutaneous leishmaniasis. The pre-trained deep learning models including EfficientNetB0, DenseNet201, ResNet101, MobileNetv2, and Xception are used for the cutaneous leishmania parasite diagnosis task. To assess the models' effectiveness, we employed a five-fold cross-validation approach to guarantee the consistency of the models' outputs when applied to different portions of the full dataset. Following a thorough assessment and contrast of the various models, DenseNet-201 proved to be the most suitable choice. It attained a mean accuracy of 0.9914 along with outstanding results for sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, F1-score, Matthew's correlation coefficient, and Cohen's Kappa coefficient. The DenseNet-201 model surpassed the other models based on a comprehensive evaluation of these key classification performance metrics.