Exometabolomic analysis of susceptible and multi-drug resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Multidrug resistant (MDR) Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains have recently become one of the major public health concerns worldwide leading to difficulties in selecting appropriate antibiotic treatment. Thus, it is important to elucidate the characteristics of MDR isolates. Herein, we aimed to determine the unique exometabolome profile of P. aeruginosa clinical isolates in monocultures that comprise high resistance to multiple antibiotics, and compare the differential metabolite profiles obtained from susceptible isolates by using GC/MS. Our results showed that partial least square-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) score plot clearly discriminated the MDR and susceptible isolates indicating the altered exometabolite profiles, and highlighted the significantly enriched levels of trehalose and glutamic acid in MDR isolates. Expression of trehalose synthase (treS) was also 1·5-fold higher in MDR isolates, relatively to susceptible isolates. Overall, our study provides insights into the distinct footprints of MDR P. aeruginosa isolates in mono-culture.

THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN PRO AND ANTI-INFLAMMATORY MARKERS WITH THE COMPONENTS OF METABOLIC SYNDROME.

OBJECTIVES: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a cluster of metabolic abnormalities that is linked with increased circulating markers of oxidative stress and low-grade inflammation. The link between inflammation and MetS is not yet fully understood. We aim to evaluate the relationship between the levels of pro and anti-inflammatory markers such as apolipoprotein A1 (Apo-A1), apolipoprotein B (Apo-B), interleukin (IL) 6, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), fibrinogen and complement component 3 (C3) and adiponectin and MetS/MetS components. METHODS: This study was a case-control study conducted in an outpatient internal medicine clinic of the Ondokuz Mayis University Internal Medicine Department. A total of 108 subjects (59 female, 49 male) who were not under any dietary restrictions and older than 17 years were selected and divided into two groups (54 with MetS and 54 healthy controls). RESULTS: Increased levels of IL-6, C3 and Apo-B/Apo-A1 ratios and decreased levels of Apo-A1 and TNF-α (except in patients with hypertriglyceridemia) were detected in the MetS group. Apo-A1 and TNF-α exhibited decreased levels, and IL-6, fibrinogen, C3 and Apo-B levels and Apo-B/Apo-A1 ratios increased as higher numbers of MetS criteria were met in the total study group. CONCLUSIONS: We found that inflammatory marker levels were not affected by an increased number of MetS criteria met in the MetS group although these levels increased in the control group with higher numbers of MetS components. The presence of a high number of MetS components does not have an additive pro-inflammatory contribution for subjects already diagnosed with MetS.

Bullous skin reaction seen after extravasation of calcium gluconate.

Intravenous (IV) calcium is usually given to temporarily treat the effects of hyperkalaemia on muscle and heart. When extravasation of a calcium gluconate infusion occurs, there may be rapid and marked swelling and erythema, with signs of soft-tissue necrosis or infection, and ensuing extensive local calcification, called calcinosis cutis. We report a 26-year-old woman who was hospitalized for exacerbation of acute intermittent porphyria. She had a history of hypertension and chronic renal failure. On the second day of her hospitalization, she developed hyperpotassaemia (6.7 mEq/L potassium; normal range 3.5-5 mEq/L). She was given an IV infusion of 10 mL calcium gluconate into the left dorsal pedal vein. Bullous skin reactions occurred in the infusion area nearly 2 h after administration. The patient's leg was elevated and the lesions cleaned with 0.9% saline. By day 9 of hospitalization, the lesions had markedly regressed. Several drugs have been associated with dermoepidermal blistering as an adverse drug reaction, but there is only one existing report in the literature about this side-effect associated with calcium gluconate. Clinicians should be alert to the possibility of bullous skin reactions, which may be a predictor of extravasation and necrosis, when treating patients with IV calcium gluconate.

A comparison of different activated carbon performances on catalytic ozonation of a model azo reactive dye.

The objective of this study is to compare the performances of catalytic ozonation processes of two activated carbons prepared from olive stone (ACOS) and apricot stone (ACAS) with commercial ones (granular activated carbon-GAC and powder activated carbon-PAC) in degradation of reactive azo dye (Reactive Red 195). The optimum conditions (solution pH and amount of catalyst) were investigated by using absorbencies at 532, 220 and 280 nm wavelengths. Pore properties of the activated carbon (AC) such as BET surface area, pore volume, pore size distribution, and pore diameter were characterized by N(2) adsorption. The highest BET surface area carbon (1,275 m(2)/g) was obtained from ACOS with a particle size of 2.29 nm. After 2 min of catalytic ozonation, decolorization performances of ACOS and ACAS (90.4 and 91.3%, respectively) were better than that of GAC and PAC (84.6 and 81.2%, respectively). Experimental results showed that production of porous ACs with high surface area from olive and apricot stones is feasible in Turkey.

Roles of FGF19 in liver metabolism.

Fibroblast growth factor 19 (FGF19) is an ileum-derived postprandial enterokine that governs bile acid and nutrient metabolism. Synthesis of FGF19 is up-regulated by bile acids and, conversely, bile acid synthesis is down-regulated by FGF19. FGF19 also controls gallbladder volume. FGF19 has been shown to have profound effects on glucose and lipid metabolism. Recent studies have described FGF19 as a postprandial regulator of hepatic glucose and protein metabolism. Like insulin, FGF19 induces protein and glycogen synthesis and suppresses gluconeogenesis in liver. However, unlike insulin, FGF19 does not stimulate lipogenesis. A key difference between FGF19 and insulin lies in their use of different cellular signaling pathways. The beneficial effects of FGF19 on liver metabolism raise the question of whether FGF19 and its variants can be used as therapeutic agents in the treatment of diabetes.

Improved determination of quinolones in milk at their MRL levels using LC-UV, LC-FD, LC-MS and LC-MS/MS and validation in line with regulation 2002/657/EC.

This paper reports the multi-residue determination of quinolones included in the European Union regulations (marbofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, danofloxacin, enrofloxacin and flumequine) in bovine milk, using liquid chromatography with ultraviolet (LC-UV), fluorescence (LC-FD), mass spectrometry (LC-MS) and tandem mass spectrometry detection (LC-MS/MS). The methods were validated, in line with EU requirements (Commission Decision 2002/657/EC). Linearity, decision limit (CCalpha), detection capability (CCbeta), detection limit (LOD), quantification limits (LOQ), recoveries, precision, selectivity and stability were determined and adequate results were obtained. Recoveries higher than 80% were obtained for all quinolones. The methods developed were used to quantify enrofloxacin and its main metabolite, ciprofloxacin, in milk from animals treated with enrofloxacin.

Determination of lornoxicam in pharmaceutical preparations by zero and first order derivative UV spectrophotometric methods.

Zero and first order derivative UV spectrophotometric methods were developed for the analysis of lornoxicam (LOR). The solutions of the standards and pharmaceutical samples were prepared in 0.05 N NaOH. Absorbances of LOR were measured at 376 nm for the zero order by measuring height of peak from zero and at 281 and 302 nm for the first order derivative spectrophotometric method by measuring peak to peak height. The linearity ranges were found to be 0.5-35 microg/mL for the zero order and 0.2-75 microg/mL for the first order derivative UV spectrophotometric method. The methods were validated and applied to the determination of LOR in pharmaceutical preparations (tablet and injectable, both containing 8 mg LOR). It was concluded that the methods developed were accurate, sensitive, precise, robust, rugged and useful for the quality control of LOR in pharmaceutical preparations.

Analysis of diflunisal by electrochemical methods.

A new differential pulse polarographic (DPP) and differential pulse adsorptive stripping voltammetric (DPAdSV) methods for the electrochemical behavior and quantitative determination of diflunisal were described. In these voltammetric methods, the peak potential of diflunisal was found as -0.31 V (vs. Ag/AgCI) with selected Britton--Robinson buffer (BR, pH 7.8) as a supporting electrolyte. The variation of the peak current with the concentration of diflunisal were linear in the 9.0--40.0 and 4.0--30.0 microg ml(-1) concentration ranges for DPP and DPAdSV methods, respectively. The limits of detection (LOD) were found as 5.0 and 0.1 microg ml(-1) for DPP and DPAdSV methods, respectively. The developed methods were validated by evaluation of the validation parameters. The characteristics of the peak current of diflunisal were examined in detail and the results proved that the peak current has an adsorption characteristic. The developed methods were proposed for rapid determination of diflunisal in commercial tablets. The recovery studies showed that developed assays had a good accuracy and precision with mean recoveries 99.92 and 100.02% and mean variation coefficients 0.29 and 0.24% in DPP and DPAdSV methods, respectively.

Clinical effects of diflunisal and paracetamol in impacted mandibular third molar surgery.

A double-blind, randomized, cross-over study to compare diflunisal and paracetamol for postoperative pain, swelling and trismus relief following impacted mandibular third molar surgery was designed. 25 patients received one of the drugs at one visit and the alternative at the other visit. First doses were given two hours preoperatively and continued twice daily for five days. The study was carried out to determine the effect of preoperatively used diflunisal on postoperative pain after surgical removal of the third molars as compared to paracetamol used in a similar manner. The degree of impaction, pain, swelling and mouth opening were assessed by standardized methods and possible adverse effects were also recorded separately. Statistical analysis was carried out by "Student's t test". (p < 0.01 statistically significant).

Serum calcium levels in various lung diseases.

Calcium levels were determined in sera of patients suffering from various lung diseases. Healthy volunteers served as controls. Significant differences were found between the serum calcium levels of patients with active lung tuberculosis and those of controls (P less than 0.01). After treatment, serum calcium levels decrease to normal values in these patients. It was also found that there were significant differences in serum calcium levels of patients with primary lung carcinoma (P less than 0.01) and of patients with metastatic lung carcinoma as compared to controls (P less than 0.01). On the other hand, normal serum calcium levels were found in patients with pulmonary diseases with or without an infection. In conclusion, it seems likely that a combination of mechanisms plays a role in the pathogenesis of hypercalcaemia in pulmonary tuberculosis and primary and metastatic lung carcinoma.

The quantitative investigation of infrared laser effects on the levels of copper and zinc in various tissues.

In order to study the effects of infrared laser irradiation on biological systems, the levels of copper and zinc in various irradiated tissues have been investigated. The zinc level in the muscle of the irradiated group increased (P less than 0.001) compared with the control group while in submandibular glands its level decreased (P less than 0.001). The copper levels in these two types of tissues decreased significantly (P less than 0.001). In irradiated skin, both copper and zinc levels increased compared with the control group (P less than 0.005). Quantitative determination of the trace elements copper and zinc indicated the necessity for more detailed studies of the effect of infrared laser irradiation at the cellular level.