Isolation and characterization of yogurt starter cultures from traditional yogurts and growth kinetics of selected cultures under lab-scale fermentation.

The development of new starter cultures is a crucial task for the food industry to meet technological requirements and traditional products are important reservoirs for new starter cultures. In this respect, this study aimed to isolate, identify, and determine the technological characteristics of Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus strains originated from traditional yogurt samples. Genotypic discrimination of 200 isolates revealed the presence of distinct 19 S. thermophilus and 11 Lb. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus strains as potential starter cultures. Strain-specific properties determined the acidification capacity of the yogurt starter cultures and a higher acidification capacity was observed for S. thermophilus strains compared to Lb. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus strains. Proteolytic activity was found between 0.012-0.172 and 0.078-0.406 for S. thermophilus and Lb. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus strains, respectively. 4 of S. thermophilus and 3 of Lb. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus strains were found resistant to all tested bacteriophages. The antibiotic susceptibility tests of the isolates revealed that a very low antibiotic resistance was observed for the yogurt starter cultures. Finally, the growth kinetics of selected strains were determined and the maximum specific growth rate of selected S. thermophilus and Lb. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus was calculated as 0.527 h-1 and 0.589 h-1, respectively.

ASSOCIATION BETWEEN HASHIMOTO'S THYROIDITIS AND PAPILLARY THYROID CANCER: A SINGLE CENTER EXPERIENCE.

Purpose: To investigate the association between papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) and Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT). Design: This study is a retrospective study that conducted during 7 consecutive years with a median 119.5 months follow-up. Subjects and Method: Patients who underwent thyroidectomy in Dokuz Eylül University Hospital during 7 consecutive years were included. Patients' demographics, biochemical, radiological, and pathological results were retrospectively assessed. Results: Four hundred sixty nine patients were evaluated. Among 469 patients who underwent thyroidectomy, 132 (28.1%) were malignant, while 182 patients were diagnosed with HT (38.8%). PTC was ranked first at 92.4% (n: 122). The prevalence of HT was 54.9% in patients with PTC and 33.1% in patients without PTC diagnosis (p<0.001). Younger age and the presence of HT were independently associated with PTC. The presence of HT was associated with increased risk of development of PTC (OR: 2.2, %95 CI: 1.4-3.5, p<0.001) but not with TNM stage or recurrence. Lymph node metastasis at presentation was the strongest predictor of recurrence (OR: 13.9, CI: 3.5-54.6, p<0.001). Conclusions: HT was an independent risk factor for development of PTC. According to our findings, HT patients (particularly with nodular HT) should be observed carefully and thyroid fine needle aspiration biopsy (TFNAB) should be encouraged if necessary.

Case Report for Two Siblings Carrying Neurofibromatosis Type 1 with a Rare NF1: c.5392C>T Mutation.

Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is a neurocutaneous syndrome caused by mutations on the NF1 gene, which is located at chromosome 17q11.2. Although an autosomal dominant inheritance pattern is well-established, about half of new cases are the result of de novo NF1 mutations. Neurofibromatosis type 1 has an incidence rate of 1/2600-3000 individuals, making it a major public health problem. The product of the NF1 gene, the neurofibromin protein, is known to play a critical role in cellular differentiation and in tumor suppression. Due to widespread expression of neurofibromin in numerous tissues, particularly in cutaneous and nervous systems, NF1 mutations cause a wide variety of clinical symptoms, including cutaneous and ocular lesions such as café au lait spots, axillary and inguinal freckling, multiple cutaneous neurofibromas, iris Lisch nodules, choroidal freckling and internal tumors. In this article, we report the cases of two siblings with NF1, a 21-year-old male and his 24-year-old sister, who have the same c.5392C>T mutation on the NF1 gene (p.Gln1798 Ter). Café au lait macules and freckling were the prominent clinical features in both siblings. However, a plexiform neurofibroma was also observed on the left arm of the sister, which is known to carry potential risk for malignant transformation. Although the mutation was previously described once, to the best of our knowledge, no case report has been published since then.

PRNP gene polymorphisms in main indigenous Turkish goat breeds.

The polymorphisms of the PRNP gene influence the susceptibility to scrapie in goats. In this study, caprine PRNP gene was analysed in a total of 249 individuals from three main indigenous goat breeds of Turkey: Anatolian Black, Angora and Kilis. We focused on the Anatolian Black breed, which represents 97% of the goat population in Turkey and compared the data of samples originated from different geographical regions. Eight polymorphisms were determined, given rise to 12 haplotypes. Allele, genotype and haplotype frequencies of the polymorphisms at codons 142, 143, 146, 154, 171, 211, 222 and 240 were calculated. Alleles associated to resistance to scrapie were found to be relatively rare in all breeds. The resistance allele 222K was absent in Turkish breeds. Other resistance-associated alleles: 146D, 146S, 154H and 171R were observed with low frequencies. The results of this study, which cover the mainly bred indigenous goats in Turkey, present the distribution of PRNP polymorphisms. Very low frequencies of resistance-associated alleles show the susceptibility to scrapie. The resistance-associated alleles S and D of codon 146 might be accepted as candidate alleles, due to their relative higher frequencies observed in the present study. A breeding program aiming to increase particularly the frequency of 146S might be applied. Predictions about impacts of a long-term breeding programme based on low initial allele frequencies and regarding its possible adverse effects are warranted. Our results might be a database for future breeding programmes, which should be carefully designed with adequate levels of genetic resistance and acceptable timeframe.

Evolution of femtosecond laser damage in a hafnia-silica multi-layer dielectric coating.

To optimize optical coating materials, designs, and technologies for high damage resistance, understanding the growth of laser damage is of paramount importance. In this Letter, we show the evolution of femtosecond laser damage in a hafnia-silica (HfO2/SiO2) multilayer dielectric mirror coating. Depending on various spatial features of damaged sites, we identified several regimes of the laser-material interaction with varying laser fluence and incident number of pulses. A change in surface roughness has been observed only for a small number of pulses, and interestingly, a threshold number of pulses is found for nanocrack formation. We report the polarization-dependent orientation of nanocracks and their growth with an increasing number of pulses. The presented results demonstrate that the laser damage originates from the nanobumps and surface roughening, which then leads to the formation of nanocracks. The presented experimental results acknowledge the existing theoretical models in bulk dielectrics to explain the formation of nanostructures by interference of the incident laser with the scattering radiation from laser-induced inhomogeneities and growth of the field enhancement due to nanoplasma.

Rapid detection of adulteration of milks from different species using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR).

The aim of the studies reported in the Research Communication was to develop a rapid spectroscopic technique as an alternative method for the classification and discrimination of milk sources by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Cow, sheep and water buffalo milk samples were collected from various local milk producers in Istanbul, Turkey. In addition, various brands of packaged milk were purchased locally. Spectrums were obtained according to milk species origin and binary mixtures prepared in increments of 10% (10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80 and 90%) for each sample analysed in FTIR spectroscopy. A successful milk species (cow, sheep, and water buffalo) discrimination and classification were achieved utilising Hierarchical cluster and principle component analyses (PCA) on the basis of Euclidean distance and Ward's algorithm. Amide-I (1700-1600/cm) and Amide-II (1565-1520/cm) spectral bands were used in the chemometric method. The results of the study indicated that adulteration of milk samples can be quantitatively detected by the FTIR technique in a short time with high accuracy. In conclusion, this method could be used as a new alternative technique for routine analysis in authenticity control of milk species origin.

Hypophosphatemic osteomalacia: a case simulating anklylosing spondylitis treated with anti-TNF therapy.

In this case, a young male patient diagnosed as hypophosphatemic osteomalacia and ankylosing spondylitis (AS) will be assessed by literature. A 32-year-old male patient who had been previously diagnosed as ankylosing spondylitis and hypophosphatemic osteomalacia was admitted to our clinic. In the beginning of the disease, he complained of pain on the first metatarsal bone and low back. Sacroiliac magnetic resonance (MR) images were interpreted as sacroiliitis. He was diagnosed as AS, and referred to many hospitals and received several therapies. He did not benefit from the treatment and his complaints worsened. The human leukocyte antigen (HLA) B-27 test was negative and alkaline phosphatase level was high. Old femur fractures were reported in the whole body bone scintigraphy. In addition, the patient was diagnosed with osteomalacia. While the patient was receiving vitamin D, oral phosphate, anti-tumor necrosis factor therapy was added. Patient's diagnosis was reevaluated. His final diagnosis was hypophosphatemic osteomalacia instead of ankylosing spondylitis.

The beneficial effects of 18ß-glycyrrhetinic acid following oxidative and neuronal damage in brain tissue caused by global cerebral ischemia/reperfusion in a C57BL/J6 mouse model.

This study investigated the effects of 18ß-glycyrrhetinic acid (GA) on neuronal damage in brain tissue caused by global cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) in C57BL/J6 mice. All subjects (n = 40) were equally divided into four groups: (1) sham-operated (SH), (2) I/R, (3) GA, and (4) GA+I/R. The SH group was used as a control. In the I/R group, the bilateral carotid arteries were clipped for 15 min, and the mice were treated with the vehicle for 10 days. In the GA group, mice were given GA (100 mg/kg) for 10 days following a median incision without carotid occlusion. In the GA+I/R group, the I/R model was applied to the mice exactly as in the I/R group, and they were then treated with the same dose of GA for 10 days. Cerebral I/R significantly induced oxidative stress via an increase in lipid peroxidaitons and a decrease in elements of the antioxidant defense systems. However, GA treatment was protective against the oxidative effects of I/R by inducing significant increases in antioxidant defense systems and a significant decrease of lipid peroxidations. Additionally, cerebral I/R increased the incidence of histopathological damage and apoptosis in brain tissue, but these neurodegenerative effects were eliminated by GA treatment. Therefore, the current study demonstrated that GA treatment effectively prevents oxidative and histological damage in the brain caused by global I/R. In this context, GA may be useful for the attenuation of the negative effects of global cerebral I/R and, in the future, it may be a viable and safe alternative treatment for ischemic stroke in humans.

Comparison of infliximab with adalimumab in biologic-naïve patients with Crohn's disease: a single-center 13-year experience.

OBJECTIVE: Long-term comparison studies between infliximab (IFX) and adalimumab (ADA) with or without immunomodulator therapy are still needed in Crohn's disease (CD). In this study, we evaluated IFX and ADA for long-term clinical effectiveness and safety in CD patients who had not previously received a biologic treatment. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The data of adult CD patients were collected retrospectively between December 2007 and February 2021. We compared CD-related hospitalization, CD-related abdominal surgery, steroid use, and serious infections. RESULTS: Out of 224 CD patients, 101 started IFX first (median age: 38.12 years, 61.4% male), while 123 started ADA first (median age: 30.2 years, 64.2% male). The disease durations were 7.01 years and 6.91 years for IFX and ADA, respectively. There were no significant differences between the two groups with respect to age, gender, smoking, immunomodulator usage, and disease activity score at the onset of anti-TNF therapy (p>0.05). Overall, the median follow-up time was 2.36 and 1.86 years after starting anti-tumor necrosis factor-alpha (anti-TNF) therapy in the IFX and ADA groups, respectively. Steroid use (4.0% vs. 10.6%, p=0.109), hospitalization for CD (13.9% vs. 22.8%, p=0.127), abdominal surgery for CD (9.9% vs. 13.0%, p=0.608), and major infections (1.0% vs. 0.8%, p>0.999) did not differ significantly from one another. There were also no significant differences in the rates of these outcomes between concomitant immunomodulator therapy and monotherapy (p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we observed no significant differences in the long-term effectiveness and safety of IFX and ADA in biologic-naïve patients with CD.

Lumen reconstruction with magnetic compression anastomosis technique in a patient with complete esophageal stricture.

Background: Complete esophageal obstruction (CEO) is a rare condition of which treatment options are challenging. Surgery is the main treatment with high morbidity and mortality rates. Magnetic compression anastomosis (MCA) is a novel technique developed to restore lumen patency in gastrointestinal and biliary tracts. However, MCA experience is limited in respect of esophageal strictures. Case Report: We present a 26-year-old patient having CEO. Magnets are inserted endoscopically to both sides of the obstructed area via oral and retrograde (through the gastrostomy tract) route. On day 8, magnets stuck together and were removed endoscopically through the oral route. Subsequently, sessions of balloon dilatations and triamcinolone injection were performed. The patient's complaint of aphagia resolved after the treatment process. Conclusion: In conclusion, MCA is an alternative technique that can be used to restore lumen patency in esophageal strictures and also avoids complications of surgical interventions.

Protective effect of short-term thymoquinone administration on the central nervous system in cisplatin-induced neurotoxicity.

OBJECTIVE: This study was performed to investigate the potential beneficial effects of thymoquinone (TQ) on brain tissue based on biochemical and histopathological analyses in cisplatin (CIS) treated rats with central nervous system (CNS) neurotoxicity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The rats were randomly divided into 4 groups with 8 rats in each group (n:8). Group 1: (Control), saline was administered for 3 days at a volume of 0.5 ml per day intraperitoneal (i.p.). Group 2: (CIS Group), one dose of CIS was administered (7 mg/kg i.p.). Group 3: (TQ Group), TQ was given at a dose of 5 mg/kg per day for 3 days (i.p.). Group 4: (CIS+TQ Group), one dose of 7 mg/kg was initiated half an hour before administration of CIS and one dose of 5 mg/kg per day was administered TQ i.p. for 3 days. RESULTS: Malondialdehyde levels were found to be statistically significantly higher in the CIS group compared to the control group. Degenerative changes observed in the CIS+TQ group were found to be milder than in the CIS group. In the CIS+TQ group, a statistically significant decrease in the severity of caspase-3 immunoreactivity was found when compared to the CIS group. It was found that the severity of neurofilament immunoreactivity monitored in neuronal extensions was similar in all groups. In the CIS+TQ group, the severity of tau protein's immunoreactivity was similar to that of the CIS-group. CONCLUSIONS: According to the results obtained in our study, beneficial effects were obtained in reducing neurotoxicity with short-term TQ application in rats treated with CIS treatment.

A comparison of computerized tomography and flair-SWI MRI results of patients with head injury attending the emergency department.

OBJECTIVE: Detection of traumatic brain injury (TBI) is of vital importance in patients who apply to the emergency department with a history of trauma. The aim of initial imaging in patients with suspected TBI is to detect trauma-related injury quickly and accurately. In this study, the effectiveness of prospectively cranial computed tomography (CT) and fluid attenuation inversion recovery (FLAIR) and susceptibility weighted imaging (SWI) sequence magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination results of patients diagnosed with TBI in the emergency department in terms of bleeding detection was investigated in the light of the literature. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with traumatic brain injury who applied to the emergency department between 2016 and 2020 were included in this prospective study. Cranial CT and MRI images containing SWI-FLAIR sequence were taken on the same day, immediately after cranial CT, for a total of 500 patients. RESULTS: In our study, TBI was detected in 242 males (70.8%) and 100 females (29.2%), for a total of 342 patients. The mean age was 41.45, the mean GCS was 13.35. There was a history of trauma such as falling in 155 patients (45.3%), traffic accidents in 171 patients (50%), and trauma in 16 patients (4.7%). In the comparative evaluation of CT and FLAIR-SWI MRI examinations no bleeding was detected in the FLAIR-SWI sections of 239 patients who did not have bleeding on CT; however, bleeding was detected in FLAIR-SWI sections in 14 patients who did not have bleeding on CT. CONCLUSIONS: FLAIR-SWI MR, which is a more reliable examination method, should be performed before control CT, especially in patients with incompatible clinical and admission CT.

Nutritional evaluation of non-traumatic patients admitted to the hospital from Emergency Department.

OBJECTIVE: Malnutrition is a common condition, especially among hospitalized patients which are overlooked by many clinicians. Malnutrition was found to be associated with increased hospitalization duration, increased admission frequency, increase in infection frequency and severity, bad wound healing, gait disturbances, fallings, and fractures. In this study, we aimed to determine malnutrition frequency in patients who were admitted to the emergency department for non-trauma causes and hospitalized. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 245 patients were admitted to the Emergency Department for non-trauma causes and hospitalized and 245 control group patients were included in this study. Hospitalized patients were assessed with NRS-2002 (Nutritional Risk Screening) and Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA). Age, gender, height, weight, body mass index (BMI), malnutrition status, and wards of the patients were screened. RESULTS: 140 (57.1%) of the hospitalized patients had malnutrition according to NRS-2002 and MNA. There was a statistically significant difference between the control group and the hospitalized patients who were malnourished (Pearson chi-square test; p<0,001). There was a significant relation between hospitalized departments and malnutrition (p<0.05). There was a significant difference in age and height between hospitalized patients and the control group (p<0.0001) whereas no significant difference was found between the height and BMI (p>0.05). There was a significant relationship in terms of hospitalization and malnutrition. CONCLUSIONS: The nutritional state of the patients admitted to the emergency department for non-trauma conditions is an important factor and should not be overlooked.

Exemplar deep and hand-modeled features based automated and accurate cerebral hemorrhage classification method.

BACKGROUND: Cerebral hemorrhage (CH) is a commonly seen disease, and an accurate diagnosis of the type of CH is a very crucial step in treatment. Therefore, CH requires a prompt and accurate diagnosis. To simplify this process, an accurate CH classification model is presented using a machine learning technique. MATERIAL AND METHOD: A computed tomography (CT) image dataset was collected retrospectively in this research. This dataset contains 9818 images with five categories. An exemplar fused feature generator is presented to classify these features. This generator uses pre-trained AlexNet, local binary pattern (LBP), and local phase quantization (LPQ). The neighborhood component analysis (NCA) method selects the top features, and the chosen feature vector is classified on the support vector machine. RESULTS: Six validation methods are utilized to calculate the performance of the presented exemplar fused features and NCA-based CH classification model. This model attained 97.47%, 96.05%, 95.21%, 93.62%, 91.28% and 96.34% accuracies using five hold-out validations and ten-fold cross-validation respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The calculated results clearly demonstrate the success and robustness of the introduced exemplar fused feature generation and NCA-based model. Furthermore, this model can be used in emergency services to overcome a prompt diagnosis of CH.

Efficacy of Intravenous Paracetamol and Ibuprofen on Postoperative Pain and Morphine Consumption in Lumbar Disc Surgery: Prospective, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial.

OBJECTIVES: Effective postoperative pain management after lumbar disc surgery reduces complications and improves postoperative care. The purpose of this prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study is to evaluate the effects of IV paracetamol and ibuprofen on postoperative pain, morphine consumption and side effects of morphine in patients who underwent lumbar disc surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Seventy-five patients aged 18-85 years scheduled for lumbar disk surgery with a single level laminectomy included in this study. All patients received morphine with an IV patient-controlled analgesia device during the first postoperative 24hour. The patients were divided randomly and double-blinded into three groups (control, paracetamol and ibuprofen). The demographic characteristics and procedure data, VAS score, cumulative morphine consumption, opioid-related side effects were recorded. RESULTS: There was no significant difference regarding to demographic characteristics, comorbidities, and durations of anesthesia and surgery. There was a significant difference between all groups regarding to total morphine consumption (P<0.001). IV ibuprofen significantly reduced the total morphine consumption in comparison with control and paracetamol (P<0.001). Repeated measures ANOVA showed in all periods of the study that VAS score was significantly lower in ibuprofen (P<0.001), but not in paracetamol (P=0.394) in comparison with control. There was no difference between groups regarding postoperative heart rate, mean arterial pressure, nausea-vomiting, pruritus and urinary retention. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that pain scores and morphine consumption, but not the side effects of patient-controlled analgesia during 24hours after the lumbar disk surgery, were significantly reduced by IV ibuprofen as a supplemental analgesic when compared with controls and paracetamols.

Biodiversity and technological properties of yeasts from Turkish sourdough.

In this study, yeasts were isolated and characterized from twelve traditional sourdough samples which belongs to Black Sea and Aegean regions of Turkey. Twenty six yeast species were isolated and identified by both 26S rDNA sequencing and FTIR spectroscopy. Saccharomyces cerevisiae (50%), Torulaspora delbrueckii (40%) and Kluyveromyces marxianus (10%) were found in 12 Turkish traditional sourdough samples. S. cerevisiae was found to be the most dominant species in Aegean region while T. delbrueckii was the most frequently isolated species in Black Sea region. Some technological properties of isolated yeast species such as acidity development, resistance to NaCI and potassium sorbate, and yeast effect on bread quality were investigated. Breads were prepared by S. cerevisiae TGM38 strain demonstrated the highest bread volume compared the other yeasts used in the study. This study showed the yeast diversity and technological properties of traditional Turkish sourdough breads fermented by chosen yeast species.

Central nervous system protection by resveratrol in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

The objective of the present study was to investigate the possible neuroprotective effect of resveratrol against streptozotocin-induced hyperglycaemia in the rat brain and medulla spinalis. Thirty adult male Wistar rats were divided into three groups as follows: control group, streptozotocin-induced diabetic-untreated group, and streptozotocin-induced diabetic resveratrol-treated group. Diabetes was induced by a single injection of streptozotocin (STZ) (60 mg/kg body weight). Three days after streptozotocin injection, resveratrol (10 mg/kg) was injected intraperiteonally daily over 6 weeks to the rats in the treatment group. Six weeks later, seven rats from each group were killed and the brain stem and cervical spinal cord were removed. The hippocampus, cortex, cerebellum, brain stem and spinal cord were dissected for biochemical studies (lipid peroxidation measuring malondialdehyde [MDA], xanthine oxidase [XO], nitric oxide [NO] and glutathione). MDA, XO and NO levels in hippocampus, cortex, cerebellum, brain stem and spinal cord in the streptozotocin-induced diabetic-untreated group increased significantly. Treatment with resveratrol significantly reduced MDA, XO and NO production and increased glutathione levels when compared to the streptozotocin-induced diabetic-untreated group. This study demonstrates that resveratrol is a potent neuroprotective agent against diabetic oxidative damage.

Production and characterization of a new biodegradable fenugreek seed gum based active nanocomposite film reinforced with nanoclays.

In the present work, fenugreek seed gum (FSG)/clay nanocomposite films were prepared with nanoclays (Na+ montmorillonite [MMT], halloysite [HNT] and Nanomer® I.44 P [NM]) at different amounts (0, 2.5, 5.0 and 7.5g clay/100g FSG) by solution casting method and characterized. Increasing amount of nanoclay significantly (P<0.05) improved oxygen barrier and thermal properties of the biodegradable films. Agar diffusion tests revealed that FSG based nanocomposite films exhibited strong antimicrobial properties against foodborne pathogens namely Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli O157:H7, Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus independently of clay type and concentration. In the case of mechanical properties, nanoclay incorporation up to 5% provided higher (P<0.05) tensile strength (TS) properties while elongation at break (EB) values of the films significantly (P<0.05) decreased in the presence of clay in the film matrix. SEM micrographs showed that especially lower levels (up to 5%) of nanoclay reinforcements provided a homogeneous and smooth film structure. In conclusion, FSG based nanocomposite films reinforced with nanoclays up to 5% showed a precious potential to be used in antimicrobial food packaging applications.

Protective and therapeutic effects of molsidomine on radiation induced neural injury in rats.

We investigated the protective and therapeutic effects of molsidomine (MOL) in a rat model of whole brain radiotherapy (RT). Forty female rats were divided into five groups of eight: group 1, control; group 2, 15 Gy single dose RT (RT); group 3, 4 mg/kg MOL treated for 5 days (MOL); group 4, 4 mg/kg MOL for 5 days, 10 days after RT treatment (RT + MOL); group 5, 4 mg/kg MOL treatment for 5 days before RT treatment and for 5 days after RT treatment (MOL + RT). All rats were sacrificed on day 16. Neurodegenerative changes in the brain and tissue levels of oxidants and antioxidants were evaluated. The oxidative parameters were increased and antioxidant status was decreased in group RT compared to groups MOL + RT and RT + MOL. Histopathological examination showed that treatment with MOL after RT application and treatment with MOL before RT treatment decreased neuronal degeneration. No difference in neuronal appearance was found between groups RT + MOL and MOL + RT. MOL treatment protected the nervous system of rats and may be a treatment option for preventing RT induced neural injury.

Molecular characterization of Listeria monocytogenes from natural and urban environments.

Characterization of 80 Listeria monocytogenes isolates from urban and natural environments differentiated 7 and 26 EcoRI ribotypes, respectively. Whereas the majority of isolates from the natural environment represented L. monocytogenes lineage II (12 of 13 isolates), urban isolates grouped evenly into lineages I and II (32 and 33 isolates, respectively) and included two lineage III isolates. Multilocus sequence typing of all natural isolates and a randomly selected subset of 30 urban isolates showed a higher overall diversity (Simpson index of discrimination [D] of 0.987 and 0.920, respectively) than did EcoRI ribotyping (D = 0.872 and 0.911, respectively). Combined analysis with ribotype and lineage data for 414 isolates from farm sources, 165 isolates from foods and food-processing environments, and 342 human clinical isolates revealed that lineage I was significantly more common among human (P < 0.0001) isolates, whereas lineage II was more common among isolates from the natural environment, farms, and foods (P < or = 0.05). Among a total of 92 ribotypes, 31 showed significant associations with specific isolate sources. One ribotype (DUP-1039C) was significantly associated with both natural environments and farms. A spatial analysis showed a marginal association between locations in the natural environment positive for L. monocytogenes and a proximity to farms. Our data indicate that (i) L. monocytogenes strains from different sources show a high level of diversity; (ii) L. monocytogenes subtypes differ significantly in their associations with different environments, even though populations overlap; and (iii) a higher proportion of isolates from environmental sources than from human clinical cases can be classified into L. monocytogenes lineage II, which supports the classification of this lineage as an environmentally adapted subgroup.