[Evaluation of Western Blot method for the detection of antibodies to Helicobacter pylori antigens in patients with gastric carcinoma and cases with epigastric complaints]. / Gastrik karsinomali hastalar ile epigastrik yakinmalari olan olgularda Helicobacter pylori antijenlerine karsi antikor varliginin saptanmasinda western blot yönteminin degerlendirilmesi.

Helicobacter pylori proteins CagA (cytotoxin-associated gene A) and VacA (vacuolating cytotoxin A) are among the virulence factors of this species. CagA gene carrying H. pylori strains are particularly associated with gastric adenocarsinoma. This study was conducted to evaluate Western Blot (WB) method to determine specific H. pylori antibodies in a group of patients with gastric cancer and in a control group with no malignancy. A total of 99 patients with gastric cancer (94 adenocarcinoma, 2 adenosquamous cell carcinoma, 3 non-Hodgkin lymphoma) and 150 control cases with epigastric complaints such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, gastroesophageal reflux and abdominal pain, were included to the study. H. pylori IgG-ELISA was positive in all study (mean age: 56.7 +/- 1.2 years, 62 male) and control (mean age: 24.2 +/- 1.3 years, 64 male) patients. Specific antibodies against CagA, VacA, OMP (outer membrane protein)-67, urease-A, urease-B, HSP (heat shock protein) and flagellin antigens determined by a commercial WB-based kit (RIDA Blot Helicobacter, R-Biopharm GmbH, Germany). Interestingly, no anti-VacA positivity was detected in none of the patient and control groups. The positivity rates for H. pylori CagA, OMP-67, urease A, urease-B, flagellin and HSP specific antibodies were as 78%, 54%, 37%, 60%, 53% and 82% in the gastric cancer group and 85%, 71%, 55%, 43%, 61% and 75% in the control group, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference (p > 0.05) between gastric carcinoma and control groups in terms of CagA, HSP and flagellin antibodies (p > 0.05). On the other hand, a statistically significant difference was found between the 2 groups in terms of urease-A, urease-B and OMP-67 (p < 0.01). These results suggested that this test should be assessed again by the manufacturer for its detection power directed towards specific H. pylori antibodies, especially for Vac-A. Further molecular and clinical studies are necessary to determine the factors that affect H. pylori virulence and disease prognosis.

Sperm motility changes after coincubation with various uropathogenic microorganisms: an in vitro experimental study.

OBJECTIVE: We investigated the relationship between semen motility and various uropathogenic microorganisms. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Semen specimens from healthy donors were divided into portions and incubated with uropathogenic microorganisms in concentrations varying from 2 x 10 to 2 x 10(7) microorganisms/ml(-1). Uninfected suspensions of spermatozoa served as controls. In all samples, sperm motility was examined at the second, fourth, and sixth hours after incubation in order to assess motility as a function of time. Enterobacter aerogenes, Staphylococcus epidermidis, S. aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Escherichia coli were used as bacterial agents. Besides these bacterial strains, Candida albicans was also used. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Observed negative impact on sperm motility was not correlated with microorganism concentration. However, until a certain concentration threshold, this impact was prominent. Regardless of the microorganism, this deleterious effect could not be confirmed in specimens coincubated with lower microorganism concentration. No or poor correlation was found between motility and bacteria concentration except with E. aerogenes at the second hour. The data indicates that sperm function impairment is not related to direct sperm and bacteria interaction. Instead, bacterial concentration enough to change the environment or to consume high energy might result in motility loss.

Evaluation of related with age of IFN-gamma levels of treated leprosy patients and their healthy relatives compared with a control group.

OBJECTIVE: This study was to search how change with age of IFN-gamma (IFN-gamma) levels of leprosy patients who had received or still undergoing treatment, their healthy close relatives and healthy people. METHOD: From a total of 39 patients, 28 had received leprosy treatment and recovered with some defects [17 Lepromatous Leprosy(LL), 7 Borderline Lepromatous (BL), 3 Borderlien Tuberculoid (BT), 1 Tuberculoid form (TT)] and 11 (9 LL, 2 BL) were undergoing therapy in a hospital at that moment. Close relatives of the patients included 39 people living with treated patients in the same house and the control group consisted of 39 healthy people. Human IFN-gamma kits were used as a solid phase sandwich ELISA method. RESULTS: The IFN-gamma values of treated leprosy patients, therapy receiving patients, relatives group's and control group's were detected as 11-20 pg/mL, 11-18 pg/mL, 12-145 pg/mL and 12-65 pg/mL respectively. CONCLUSION: According to the statistical evaluation of these three groups, IFN-gamma levels of patients were detected lower than other two groups. According to the age, if IFN-gamma levels were compared, it was detected that significant relationship between relatives groups and interferon gamma levels.

Chronic hepatitis delta virus infection in Van region of eastern Turkey.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Hepatitis delta virus infection is an important cause of liver morbidity and mortality worldwide. In Eastern Turkey, hepatitis B virus infection is the major cause of chronic liver diseases. We aimed to research the role of hepatitis delta virus infection in chronic liver diseases related to hepatitis B virus infection in the Van region of Eastern Turkey. METHODS: Serological markers of hepatitis B virus and hepatitis delta virus infection [HBsAg, HbeAg, Anti-HBe and Anti- hepatitis delta virus total (IgM+IgG)] were determined by ELISA test in patients with chronic hepatitis and cirrhosis. Serum hepatitis B virus DNA was determined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method in chronic hepatitis B patients. RESULTS: Hepatitis delta virus infection was detected in 5% (7/138) of asymptomatic hepatitis B virus carriers, in 16% (24/148) of chronic hepatitis B patients and in 45% (34/75) of cirrhotic hepatitis B virus patients. hepatitis delta virus infection showed a three-fold increase in chronic hepatitis (p<0.01) and nine-fold increase in cirrhosis (p<0.001) compared to hepatitis delta virus carriers. Also, it was three times more frequent in cirrhosis (p<0.001) compared to chronic hepatitis. Chronic hepatitis delta virus infection was equally distributed between sexes in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection, whereas chronic hepatitis B virus infection alone was three times more frequent in males (p<0.001). Mean ages of hepatitis delta virus carriers, chronic hepatitis D and hepatitis delta virus cirrhosis patients were 30.7+/-8 (14-65), 36+/-13 (19-70) and 44 +/-16 (25-55), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The higher prevalence of hepatitis delta virus infection in more severe form of hepatitis B virus infection suggests that hepatitis delta virus infection increases the severity of chronic hepatitis B virus infection in the Van region. hepatitis delta virus infection remains a second major cause of chronic liver diseases in Eastern Turkey in spite of its decreasing prevalence in Western countries and in Western Turkey.

Effects of the Health Transformation Programme on tuberculosis burden in Turkey.

OBJECTIVE: The Fifty-ninth Turkish Government announced an emergency action plan and embarked on a comprehensive health reform named "Health Transformation Program" (HTP) in 2003. This study investigated the effects of HTP on tuberculosis (TB) burden from 2003 to 2010 in Turkey. DESIGN: TB incidence, prevalence, mortality and case detection rates, treatment success and direct observed treatment strategy (DOTS) applications rate, and contribution of these applications in the success of the TB war were retrospectively investigated. RESULTS: The annual decrease of incidence rate was 2.86 between 1995 and 2002, and 1.22 between and 2003 and 2010, (p < 0.05). The decrease of prevalence rate was 2.88 between 1995 and 2002 and 1.25 between 2003 and 2010 (p < 0.05). The annual declines in mortality were 0.44 between 1995 and 2002 and 0.22 between 2003 and 2010 (p < 0.005). The DOTS application rate increased from 0% in 2003 to 98% in 2010. After the HTP treatment success rate of TB at 85% of Turkey was firstly reached to 89% in 2005 and increased to 91% in 2007. Case detection rate of new pulmonary TB patients was 82% in 2005 and 81% in 2008 reaching the WHO target for the first time with HTP. CONCLUSION: A trend of reduced TB burden began in Turkey in 1997. As a result of the implementation of HTP beginning in 2003, the target treatment success and DOTS application rates were achieved and progress has continued even in the face of the recent worldwide economic crisis.

The effect of colchicine on the peritoneal membrane.

Peritoneal dialysis (PD) is a treatment modality for patients with renal failure. Peritoneal fibrosis is one of the most serious complications after long-term continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD). Histological studies in both humans and animals show that chronic peritoneal dialysis results in fibrosis of the peritoneal membrane. In our study, we investigated the effect of colchicine on peritoneal alterations induced by hypertonic PD solution in rats. Sprague-Dawley rats intraperitoneally received saline (control group) once daily, for 28 days, or 3.86% glucose (PDF group), or 3.86% glucose plus colchicine (colchicine group). Animals from each group were sacrificed after 28 days with anesthetized ketamine (60 mg/kg BW). For the PD fluid assessment, 1 h before the sacrifice of animals, 10 mL PD fluid of 2.27% glucose was given, and this fluid was obtained after the sacrifice. The levels of transforming endothelial growth factor beta (TGF-beta), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) and albumin were investigated both in the peritoneal dialysate and blood, and the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) were investigated only in peritoneal dialysate. The peritoneal membrane was evaluated histologically by light microscopy. When groups were compared in terms of body weight change, the colchicine group significantly lost weight compared to controls and PDF group (-4.7% + 4.5, 3.5% +/- 7.2, 3.0% +/- 1.3, respectively, p = 0.018). Also, the blood albumin level was significantly lower for these in the colchicine group compared to those in the PDF group (2.7 +/- 0.35 versus 3.2 +/- 0.3 g/dL, respectively, p = 0.048). The blood TGF-beta level was significantly lower in the control group, and no difference was observed between the PDF and colchicine groups (294.4 +/- 67.5 versus 787.4 +/- 237.4 versus 615.3 +/- 235.1 pg/mL, respectively, p = 0.004). The mesothelial thickness found in groups was as follows: control group 102 +/- 18.9 microm, PDF group 128.33 +/- 33.1 microm, colchicine group 117 +/- 35.6 microm (p = 0.34). In conclusion, a rat model for peritoneal dialysis associated peritoneal derangement without fibrosis could be induced. Colchicine could not prevent peritoneal derangement in this model.

Report of three children with leptospirosis in rural area of the east of Turkey.

Leptospirosis is a systemic infection usually producing fever with hepatorenal involvement, meningoencephalitis, and hemorrhage. In this article, we present three children between 10 and 13 years of age with leptospirosis. The purpose of this paper is to emphasize that leptospirosis is a problem in our country with farmers/cattle and that leptospirosis should be considered in certain ill children. The main symptoms were headache, fever, fatigue, abdominal pain and unconsciousness. Two patients had hepatic and renal involvement. The other had hepatic, pulmonary and probably pericardial involvement. In all children spirochetes were demonstrated in blood and urine smears by dark-field microscopy and they were also isolated from urine and blood cultures by using Flecher medium. All patients were treated with penicillin; however, one subsequently required additional antibiotics due to Klebsiella pneumoniae septicemia. While one patient was discharged in a good health, the others were taken to their home by parents without completing treatment. In conclusion, we would like to emphasize that leptospirosis is still a public health problem in our region (Eastern Turkey) in where the majority of population are farmers and raise domestic animals such as cattle in rural areas. Additionally, leptospirosis should be considered in children admitted with headache, unconsciousness, fever and abdominal pain.