MicroRNA expression profile in patients with cystic echinococcosis and identification of possible cellular pathways.

Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is a neglected tropical disease, caused by metacestode (larval) form of the Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato (sl) in humans. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, stable, tissue-specific RNA molecules encoded by the genome that are not translated into proteins. Circulating miRNA expression profiles vary in health and disease. The aim of this study is to determine the altered cellular pathways in CE by comparing the miRNA profiles of controls and CE patients with active or inactive cysts. Following abdominal ultrasonography (US) examination, 20 patients diagnosed with active CE (CE1, CE2, CE3a and CE3b) or inactive CE (CE4 and CE5) and three healthy controls were included in the study. The expression profiles of 372 biologically relevant human miRNAs were investigated in serum samples from CE patients and healthy controls with miScript miRNA HC PCR Array. Compared with the control group, expression of 6 miRNAs (hsa-miR-4659a-5p, hsa-miR-4518, hsa-miR-3977, hsa-miR-4692, hsa-miR-181b-3p, hsa-miR-4491) and one miRNA (hsa-miR-4687-5p) were found to be downregulated in CE patients with active and inactive cysts, respectively (p < 0.05). For downregulated miRNAs in this study, predicted targets were found to be associated mainly with cell proliferation, apoptosis, cell-cell interactions and cell cycle regulation. Further studies in this direction may elucidate the pathogenesis of human CE and the relationship between CE and other pathologies.

Infections related to Granulicatella adiacens: Report of two cases and review of literature.

Infections due to nutritionally variant streptococci are diagnosed rarely due to difficulties encountered during identification and isolation. Mortality rate in these infections is high therefore appropriate supplemented media and reliable detection systems should be implemented to isolate these fastidious organisms. Here, we describe two cases of Granulicatella adiacens infections. All microbiologic identifications were made with MALDI-TOF Vitek MS (BioMerieux, France), and the results confirmed by 16S ribotyping.

Effect of antioxidants on the immune response of Helicobacter pylori.

Antioxidants are substances capable of inhibiting oxidation. In chronic diseases, inflammatory response cells produce oxygen free radicals. Oxygen free radicals cause DNA damage, and this may lead to gene modifications that might be carcinogenic. Chronic Helicobacter pylori infection causes the production of DNA-damaging free radicals. In recent years, various groups have studied the effects of antioxidants, especially on H. pylori-associated gastric cancer. In most of the studies, it has been shown that H. pylori infection does affect the level of antioxidants measured in the gastric juice, but there are also controversial results. Recent experimental studies, both in vivo and in vitro, have shown that vitamin C and astaxanthin, a carotenoid, are not only free radical scavengers but also show antimicrobial activity against H. pylori. It has been shown that astaxanthin changes the immune response to H. pylori by shifting the Th1 response towards a Th2 T-cell response. Very few experimental studies support the epidemiologic studies, and further studies are needed to describe the effect and the mechanism of antioxidants in the H. pylori immune response.

Helicobacter pylori infection and recurrent abdominal pain in Turkish children.

BACKGROUND: Helicobacter pylori infection is primarily acquired in childhood. However, the association between H. pylori infection and recurrent abdominal pain (RAP) remains unclear. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred and forty-one children with and 21 without RAP underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. At least five antral gastric biopsies were obtained from each patient and the presence of H. pylori infection was accepted when at least two out of four tests (histology, direct antral smear, culture, and rapid urease test) were positive. Patients with H. pylori infection underwent triple therapy with omeprazole, clarithromycin, and metronidazole. RESULTS: Eighty-five out of 141 (60.3%) patients with RAP were H. pylori positive whereas 5 out of 21 (20.8%) patients without RAP were (p =.0037). Symptoms were disappeared in 87% of children whose H. pylori infection was eradicated compared with 41% of those in whom the infection was not eradicated (p =.0035). CONCLUSIONS: It was concluded that children with RAP and H. pylori infection appear to benefit from eradication therapy in Turkey.

Detection of Chlamydia pneumoniae and Helicobacter pylori DNA in human atherosclerotic plaques by PCR.

Chlamydia pneumoniae and Helicobacter pylori can cause persistent infections of the respiratory and gastrointestinal tract, respectively. It has been suggested that persistent infection of arteries with these bacteria can contribute to the development of atherosclerosis. The aims of this study were to determine the presence of C. pneumoniae and H. pylori DNA in atherosclerotic plaque samples by PCR and to evaluate the correlation between clinical status and DNA positivity of these bacteria. Eighty-five consecutive patients (mean age, 59 +/- 10; 75 male, 10 female) undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting, carotid endarterectomy, and surgery of the abdominal aorta for atherosclerotic obstructive lesions were included in the study. Forty-six endarterectomy specimens from the atherosclerotic lesions and 39 specimens from healthy regions of the ascending aorta, which were accepted as the control group, were excised. The presence of microorganism DNA in endarterectomy specimens was assessed by PCR. C. pneumoniae DNA was found in 12 (26%) of 46 endarterectomy specimens and none of the healthy vascular-wall specimens (P < 0.001), while H. pylori DNA was found in 17 (37%) of 46 endarterectomy specimens and none of the controls (P < 0.001). Either C. pneumoniae or H. pylori DNA was positive in 23 (50%) of 46 patients and none of the controls (P < 0. 001). Six of the atherosclerotic lesions showed coexistence of both of the microorganism DNAs. The presence of C. pneumoniae and H. pylori DNA in a considerable number of atherosclerotic plaques but their absence in healthy vascular wall supports the idea that they may have a role in the development of atherosclerosis, especially in countries where infection is prevalent and where conventional risk factors fail to explain the high prevalence of atherosclerotic vascular disease.

Vacuolating cytotoxic activity of 40 Helicobacter pylori strains isolated from Turkish patients.

In this study we examined the in vitro vacuolating cytotoxic activity of Helicobacter pylori, which is a gram-negative microaerophilic curved bacterium and a causative agent of gastritis, peptic ulcer and gastric ulcer. A vacuolating cytotoxin assay was performed to assess the vacuolating activity of 40 strains (20 gastritis, 11 gastric ulcer, and 9 duodenal ulcer), which were obtained from patients undergoing upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. The Vero cell line was used in the cytotoxic assay. Of the 40 isolates, 24 (12 gastritis, 6 gastric ulcer, 6 duodenal ulcer) were cytotoxic for the Vero cell line at 1:4 and 1:8 dilutions. Thus, vacuolating cytotoxin of H. pylori affects the Vero cell line, but it seems there is no correlation between the positivity of the strains and the risk of any particular H. pylori disease.

Quantitative culture of Helicobacter pylori from gastric juice: the potential for transmission.

The transmission of Helicobacter pylori may occur by spread of organisms from gastric juice which has been introduced into the mouth by gastro-oesophageal reflux. The aim of this study was to quantify the load of H. pylori present in gastric juice available for transmission. Gastric antral biopsy and gastric juice samples were collected from 108 adult dyspeptic patients undergoing routine upper gastroscopy and the presence of H. pylori was determined. In all, 54 (50%) of 108 patients gave positive results in the gastric antral biopsy rapid urease test and for H. pylori histology. The gastric juice of 40 (37%) of patients gave positive results for the urease A gene by PCR assay; 34 (31%) of patients were positive by these three tests and H. pylori was cultured from the gastric juice of 13 (38%) of these patients. The median count of H. pylori in gastric juice was 1.75 x 10(1) cfu/ml. Viable organisms in gastric juice may lead to transmission of H. pylori when refluxed or vomited into the mouth.

The effect of Helicobacter pylori on neutrophil chemotaxis is independent of cagA.

Sixteen Helicobacter pylori strains were studied in order to determine their neutrophil chemotactic activity and the association with the presence cagA gene. Neutrophil chemotactic activity was detected by a modified Boyden chamber method and the results were expressed in terms of chemotactic index (CI). The presence of cagA was determined by PCR. Of the 16 strains, eight were cagA+ and eight were cagA-. All of the isolated strains showed chemotactic activity. The mean value of CI of the patient group was significantly higher than the negative control (P < 0.01). The mean value of CI of zymosan-activated serum (P < 0.05) and the reference strain H. pylori NCTC 11637 (HP11637) (P < 0.01) was significantly higher than the patient group's mean value of CI. There were no statistical significance in the CI between cagA+ and cagA- strains (P > 0.05). It is concluded that H. pylori attracts neutrophils by chemotaxis, however, there is no association with cagA.

Cryptosporidiosis in immunocompromised patients in a Turkish university hospital.

The prevalence of Cryptosporidiosis in 18 immunosuppressed diarrheic patients was evaluated by examination of fecal samples by direct staining (Modified Kinyoun and Giemsa), direct and indirect immunofluorescence methods. Forty patients (10 nondiarrheic immunosuppressed, 10 nondiarrheic immunocompetent, and 20 diarrheic immunocompetent) were included in the study as the control group. 11 of 18 samples were positive for cryptosporidial oocysts by at least one of the methods. Oocysts were detected in all (n = 7) of the AIDS patients. This high frequency was attributed to a probable nosocomial infection. None of the samples from control subjects were found positive for Cryptosporidium. Our results indicate that Cryptosporidial oocysts should be detected particularly in immunosuppressed patients with diarrhea. Modified Kinyoun staining method is practical and reliable for this purpose. Immunofluorescence staining methods can be applied for confirmation of the results.

Cryptosporidium parvum prevalence in a group of Turkish children.

Stool samples from two hundred children with diarrhea and from 50 healthy children were examined, by modified Kinyoun's acid-fast staining (MAF), Giemsa staining and direct (DFA) and indirect immunofluorescence antibody (IFA) methods, in order to determine cryptosporidiosis prevalence under the age of 12 and to detect the most efficient identifying method for use in our country. Cryptosporidium oocysts were detected in seven (3.5%) of the cases. None of the samples from the control subjects was found to be positive for Cryptosporidium. Our results indicate that Cryptosporidial oocysts should be detected in children with diarrhea. Modified Kinyoun staining method is practical and reliable for this purpose. Immunofluorescence staining methods can be applied for conformation of the results, if available.

[In vitro susceptibility of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli to quinolone antibiotics]. / Campylobacter jejuni ve Campylobacter coli'nin quinolone grubu antibiyotiklere in vitro duyarliliklari.

In this study, in vitro susceptibilities of 24 campylobacter strains isolated from fecal samples were tested for quinolone antibiotics. 13 of the strains were identified as C. jejuni and 11 of them were C. coli. Antibiotics which were included in this study were ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin, pefloxacin and fleroxacin. Antibiotic susceptibility tests were performed on Mueller-Hinton agar (supplemented with 5% sheep blood) using the agar dilution method. Results showed that quinolone antibiotics are very active against Campylobacter species. There was not any marked difference between the susceptibility patterns of C. jejuni and C. coli.

[The identification and comparison of gram-negative Enterobacteriaceae and non-fermentative bacteria by the conventional manual method and the Quantum II microbiology system]. / Gram-negatif enterobakterilerin ve non-fermentatif bakterilerin klasik manuel yöntem ve Quantum II Mikrobiyoloji sistemi ile tanimlanarak karsilastirilmasi.

In this study a total of 1065 clinically isolated enteric and non-fermentative bacteria were tested and compared with a commercially manufactured "Quantum II Microbiology System", and the conventional manual biochemical tests. We are able to say that, "Quantum II Microbiology System" will be very useful in clinical laboratories due to making an identification in a very short time and in species level when an attentive study is made.