ABSTRACT
Aims@#Recent reports indicate that many coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) strains are resistant to most antimicrobials used against staphylococcal infections. This study was aimed to determine the species distribution of the CoNS isolates in Lokman Hekim Ankara Hospital and determine their antimicrobial resistance characteristics.@*Methodology and results@#The study was conducted at Lokman Hekim University Ankara Hospital between February 2020 and August 2021. The 154 blood cultures included in the study were incubated in the BACTEC FX40 automated blood culture device. Identification and antimicrobial susceptibility tests of the samples with positive catalase tests were performed with the BD Phoenix Automated Microbiology Sensitivity System. The statistical significance level was accepted as p<0.05. Nineteen different types of methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci (MRCoNS) isolated from different age groups were identified. Vancomycin resistance was observed in 20 samples (13%). Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) resistance was seen in 44 of 152 samples (28.6%), linezolid resistance in 15 of 143 samples (10.5%) and daptomycin resistance in 16 of 146 blood samples (11%).@*Conclusion, significance and impact of study@#In our investigation, there has been a striking rise in the prevalence of vancomycin, TMP-SMX, linezolid and daptomycin resistance among infections with the MRCoNS. Identifying and classifying multidrug resistance on MRCoNS requires reliable epidemiological data to be collected and compared between healthcare facilities in different countries. The research finding reported in this paper will contribute to the determination of alternative antibiotics for treating MRCoNS.
Subject(s)
Staphylococcal Infections , Drug Resistance, Bacterial , TurkeyABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE@#This study aimed to evaluate the effects of force loading on root damage caused by contact with temporary anchorage devices (TADs) during orthodontic treatment and to examine the repair process 4, 8, and 12 weeks after TAD contact by micro-computed tomography (CT).@*METHODS@#We enrolled 42 volunteers who required bilateral upper first premolar extractions. The experimental study design was as follows. For both first premolars, cantilever springs were placed, and then TADs were immediately inserted between the premolars of all volunteers. According to the removal order of the appliances, the participants were divided into the TAD group (Group T: n = 21, only TAD removal) and the spring group (Group S: n = 21, only spring removal). A split-mouth design was adopted in both groups as follows. For each volunteer, the left premolars were extracted 4, 8, or 12 weeks after TAD-root contact. The right premolars were extracted immediately after contact in both groups (Groups T-C and S-C) and used as positive controls. Resorption volumes and numbers of craters were determined by micro-CT.@*RESULTS@#The numbers of resorption craters were higher in Group T than in Group S at 8 and 12 weeks (p < 0.01). Crater volumes were higher in Group T than in Group S at 4 and 12 weeks (p < 0.01, both).@*CONCLUSIONS@#Root injury was not completely repaired 12 weeks after root-TAD contact, even when the TADs were removed in cases of continuous force application.
ABSTRACT
BackgroundLevodopa is the indispensable choice of medial therapy in patients with Parkinson disease (PD). Since L-dopa treatment was shown to increase serum homocysteine levels, a well-known risk factor for cardiovascular disorders, the patients with PD under L-dopa treatment will be at increased risk for future cardiovascular events. The objective of this study is to evaluate cardiovascular risk in patients with PD under levodopa treatment.MethodsThe study population consisted of 65 patients with idiopathic PD under L-dopa treatment. The control group included 32 age and gender matched individuals who had no cognitive decline. Echocardiographic measurements, serum homocysteine levels and elastic parameters of the aorta were compared between the patients with PD and controls.ResultsAs an expected feature of L-dopa therapy, the Parkinson group had significantly higher homocystein levels (15.1 ± 3.9 μmol/Lvs. 11.5 ± 3.2 μmol/L,P = 0.02). Aortic distensibility was significantly lower in the patients with PD when compared to controls (4.8 ± 1.5 dyn/cm2vs. 6.2 ± 1.9 dyn/cm2,P = 0.016). Additionally, the patients with PD had higher aortic strain and aortic stiffness index (13.4% ± 6.4%vs. 7.4% ± 3.6%,P < 0.001 and 7.3 ± 1.5vs. 4.9 ± 1.9,P< 0.001 respectively). Furthermore, serum homocysteine levels were found to be positively correlated with aortic stiffness index and there was a negative correlation between aortic distensibility and levels of serum homocysteine (r = 0.674,P < 0.001;r=-0.602,P < 0.001, respectively).ConclusionsThe patients with PD under L-dopa treatment have increased aortic stiffness and impaired diastolic function compared to healthy individuals. Elevated serum homocysteine levels may be a possible pathophysiological me-chanism.