Detection of microplastics in patients with allergic rhinitis.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to investigate the relationship between microplastics, which are a worldwide health and environmental issue, and their relationship to allergic rhinitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 66 patients participated in this prospective study. The patients were divided into two groups. While there were 36 patients with allergic rhinitis in group 1, there were 30 healthy volunteers in group 2. The participants' age, gender and Score for Allergic Rhinitis results were noted. Microplastics were examined in the nasal lavage fluids of the patients and their numbers noted. The groups were compared on these values. RESULTS: There was no significant difference between the groups in terms of age and gender. There was a significant difference between the allergic rhinitis group and the control group in terms of the Score for Allergic Rhinitis results (p < 0.001). In the allergic rhinitis group, the microplastic density in the nasal lavage was significantly higher than in the control group (p = 0.027). Microplastics were detected in all participants. CONCLUSIONS: We found more microplastics in allergic rhinitis patients. According to this result, we can say that there is a relationship between allergic rhinitis and microplastics.

Does influenza subtype H1N1 have a place in the etiology of pityriasis rosea?

INTRODUCTION: Pityriasis rosea (PR) is an acute, inflammatory skin disease of unknown cause. Various infectious agents including viruses have been proposed as causative agents and presence of influenza subtype H1N1 was shown in case reports with PR, but the relation was not conclusive. We hypothesited that there may be a relation between PR and H1N1, since both of them are prevalent in the same period as winter or season transitions. AIM: To investigate the effect of the H1N1 virus in PR in this study. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Twenty-one female and 12 male PR patients who applied to Kirikkale University Faculty of Medicine Hospital Dermatology Outpatient Clinic were included in the study. Influenza subtype H1N1 IgM and IgG antibodies were detected by enzyme immunoassay (EIA) in sera of patients; tissue biopsy specimens were examined for influenza subtype H1N1 RNA by PCR. RESULTS: Seven (23%) of the 33 patients had positive IgM and IgG antibodies. Influenza subtype H1N1 RNA was not detected in the tissue samples of 33 PR patients. CONCLUSIONS: According to the results of this study, we can say that influenza subtype H1N1 does not play a role in PR etiology.

Helicobacter pylori resistance to clarithromycin and fluoroquinolones in a pediatric population in Turkey: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Helicobacter pylori antimicrobial resistance is gradually increasing around the world. However, there are a limited number of studies reporting on this issue in the pediatric population. In this study, we aimed to determine H pylori resistance to clarithromycin and fluoroquinolones in the pediatric patients living in Kirikkale province that were detected with H pylori in gastric biopsies. Moreover, we also aimed to investigate the concordance between the histopathologic and molecular methods used in the diagnosis of H pylori infection. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients aged 2-18 years who had a history of epigastric pain and/or nausea persisting for longer than 1 month underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. Biopsies were taken from the gastric antral mucosa. In the samples detected with H pylori in the histopathologic examination, the presence of H pylori and H pylori resistance to clarithromycin and fluoroquinolones was investigated using the GenoType HelicoDR test which allows the detection of wild-type and mutant genes. The strains detected with more than one mutant gene are defined as hetero-resistant strains. RESULTS: The 93 patients that underwent DNA extraction and amplification included 68 (73.1%) girls and 25 (26.9%) boys with a median age of 15 ± 2.62 (range 6-17) years. The overall concordance for the diagnosis of H pylori infection between histopathology and PCR was 94%, and H pylori resistance to clarithromycin and fluoroquinolones was 27% and 15%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The high H pylori resistance to clarithromycin and fluoroquinolones among the pediatric patients in our region implicates that the antibiotic sensitivity of strains should be studied prior to administration in accordance with the recommendations provided in the guidelines. Moreover, the presence of hetero-resistant strains in our patients may be a reason for treatment failure.

Does penile tourniquet application alter bacterial adhesion to rat urethral cells: an in vitro study.

PURPOSE: To investigate the effects of penile tourniquet (PT) application on bacterial adhesion to urothelium. METHODS: Fifty-six rats were allocated into control group (CG), sham group (SG), PT group (PTG). No intervention was applied in CG. A 5mm-length urethral repair was performed in SG and PTG. In PTG, a 10-min duration of PT was applied during the procedure and the tissue oxygenation monitor was used to adjust the same degree of ischemia in all subjects. Samples were examined for wound healing parameters and tissue levels of inflammatory markers, eNOS, e-selectin, and ICAM-1antibodies. The adhesion of Escherichia coli to urothelium was investigated with in vitro adhesion assay. RESULTS: Inflammation was higher and wound healing was worse in SG than CG and in PTG in comparison to CG and SG (p<0.05). The endothelial damage, as shown by eNOS expression, was significantly higher in PTG compared to CG and SG (p<0.05). The staining with ICAM-1 and e-selectin antibodies, showing increased inflammatory response to bacterial adhesion, was significantly higher in PTG compared to CG and SG (p<0.05). In vitro urethral cell proliferation was achieved only in CG and SG revealing significantly increased adhesion in SG compared to CG (p<0.05). The PT application caused endothelial corruption and prevented cell proliferation in cell culture. CONCLUSION: The PT application does not improve wound healing and increases bacterial adhesion molecules in penile tissue. The in vitro assays showed that PT causes severe endothelial damage and inhibits endothelial cell proliferation.

Drug resistance profiles and clonality of sporadic Shigella sonnei isolates in Ankara, Turkey

The aims of this study were to investigate drug resistance rates, types of extended spectrum beta lactamases (ESBLs), and molecular epidemiological characteristics of 43 Shigella sonnei isolates. Ampicillin-sulbactam, amoxicillin-clavulanate, chloramphenicol, and ciprofloxacin were the most active antibiotics. Five isolates harbored blaSHV-12, blaTEM-1 and blaCTX-M-15. More than 90% of the isolates had an indistinguishable pulsotype.