Antimicrobial and antibiofilm activity of polyurethane/Hypericum perforatum extract (PHPE) composite.

Microbial accumulation in materials used in sectors such as medical, textile and food can lead to serious diseases, infections and uncontrollable problems. Many of the materials used in the above-mentioned industries have highly sensitive surfaces for microorganisms and cause colonization and biofilm formation. Colonization and biofilm formation threaten human health and they cause many diseases that result in death every year. Antimicrobial materials have an important role in combating pathogens. This article is about a new material with antibiofilm and antimicrobial properties combining polyurethane and Hypericum perforatum extract (PHPE) together. Antimicrobial effect of H. perforatum extract was determined against three clinical pathogens; C. albicans, E. coli and S. aureus. The highest antimicrobial activity of H. perforatum extract was found against S. aureus strain. Antibiofilm analysis results revealed that H. perforatum was also inhibited by the biofilm formation of S. aureus by 56.85%. The combination of polyurethane material and H. perforatum extract (PHPE) resulted in 92.85% decrease in S. aureus biofilm compared to control group. The reduction of S. aureus after H. perforatum incorporation was revealed by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) study. The results show that the polyurethane material combined with H. perforatum extract inhibits the formation of S. aureus biofilm.

Hepatitis C testing among adults born between 1945 and 1965 in Turkey: a multicentre study.

OBJECTIVE: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a major public health problem and affects large populations all over the world. Serum anti-HCV level is a valuable marker to determine HCV infection. Anti-HCV testing has been recommended for high-risk population. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention in the United States proposed a new high-risk population group - adults born between 1945-1965. Under this perspective, we designed a multicentre retrospective study to determine the seropositivity of anti-HCV among adults born between 1945 and 1965 and adults born after 1965 in Turkey. With the data collected, we aimed to determine whether there was a need for anti-HCV testing especially in people born between 1945 and 1965. METHODS: We requested data from ten different medical centres in ten different provinces. Each medical centre collected the anti-HCV test results of adult patients for five-year period between 2009 and 2014 from hospital records. RESULTS: A total of 974,449 anti-HCV test results were included in this study. When the seropositivity rates in the two groups of adults were compared, anti-HCV seropositivity rates were higher in nine medical centres out of ten. Anti-HCV seropositivity in adults born between 1945-1965 was significantly higher than in adults born after 1965 (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: We determined that the anti-HCV seropositivity rate is significantly higher in adults born between 1945-1965 compared to the younger adults as indicated in the literature. According to data from this study together with the WHO and CDC suggestions, we believe that it is appropriate to offer anti-HCV serology testing for people over 50 years of age since the anti- HCV seroprevalence in this age group is relatively high.

Evaluation of the protective effect of silibinin in rats with liver damage caused by itraconazole.

Itraconazole (ITZ) belongs to the triazole group of antifungals with potent keratinophilic and lipophilic features. Hepatotoxicity is one of its most remarkable features. Silibinin (SIL) is a plant used worldwide which is used in the treatment of many liver diseases and it is especially very well known for its hepatoprotective-cytoprotective effect. The aim of our study was to research the protective effect of SIL in ITZ-induced hepatotoxicity using biochemical and pathological tests. Liver enzymes and antioxidant enzyme activities were measured spectrophotometrically by using commercial kits. ALT and AST levels in ITZ group were significantly increased compared to the group, while the activities of GSH-Px and SOD had decreased (p < 0.05). When ITZ group was compared to ITZ + SIL group, AST, ALT, and levels of NO and MPO were significantly decreased, while the activities of GSH-Px and SOD were increased (p < 0.05). Histopathological evaluation showed that SIL significantly decreased periportal inflammation and parenchymal hepatocyte apoptosis in ITZ and ITZ + SIL groups (p < 0.05). Eventhough not statistically significant, partial improvement with the use of SIL has been detected (p > 0.05) in hepatocyte degeneration and multinuclear giant cell formation. According to the evaluation performed with comet assay method, ITZ leads to DNA damage, and the use of SIL significantly decreases DNA damage (p < 0.05). We have detected that the use of ITZ increases oxidative stress (MPO, NO), decreases antioxidant activity (SOD and GSH-Px), and leads to DNA damage and histopathological liver damage, whereas the use of SIL has a cytoprotective effect on the liver by increasing the antioxidant effect (SOD, GSH-Px) and by decreasing the oxidative stress (NO, MPO). ITZ causes the generation of ROS and leads to DNA damage and liver damage. SIL has a cytoprotective effect on the liver by increasing antioxidant enzyme activities, preventing the formation of ROS.

Serologic response to Epstein-Barr virus antigens in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: a controlled study.

Previous studies showed a link between systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection. We sought to determine the features of serologic response to EBV in SLE patients and whether this response differs from those of systemic sclerosis (SSc) and primary antiphospholipid syndrome (PAPS) patients as well as healthy individuals. Sera from 198 consecutive SLE patients have been tested to detect IgG antibodies to EA/D, EBNA-1, VCA P18 and for comparison, cytomegalovirus (CMV) using commercially available ELISA kits (Trinity Biotech, USA). Forty-six SSc patients and 38 PAPS patients were enrolled as diseased control groups and sixty-five individuals as healthy controls. Significantly more SLE (54%, P = 0.001, OR 5.77, 95% CI 2.8-11.6), SSc (41.3%, P = 0.005, OR 3.4, 95% CI 1.4-8.2) and PAPS sera (36.8%, P = 0.023, OR 2.86, 95% CI 1.14-7.22) reacted against EA/D than healthy controls (16.9%). The mean age of anti-EA/D-positive SLE patients was significantly higher, and their disease duration was longer compared to anti-EA/D-negative SLE patients (41 ± 14 vs. 33.8 ± 10.8 years, P < 0.001 and 100 ± 73 vs. 71 ± 62 months, P = 0.003). In SLE patients, EA/D reactivity was associated with Raynaud's phenomenon and the presence of any anti-ENA antibodies. Although it did not reach a statistical significance, anti-EBNA-1 reactivity was slightly lower in patients with SLE. The frequency of anti-CMV Ig G positivity was found significantly higher in SLE patients (100%) when compared to patients with SSc (95.7%), PAPS (94.7%) and healthy controls (95.4%) (P = 0.035, P = 0.025 and P = 0.015 respectively). Our results support the proposed link between EBV and SLE. The finding that SSc and PAPS patients also have increased frequency of anti-EA/D response has revealed that this immune interaction may not be unique to patients with SLE, and there may be a common mechanism involving EBV in these autoimmune diseases.