Expression patterns of LncRNA-GAS5 and its target APOBEC3C gene through miR-103 in breast cancer patients.

Early diagnosis of breast cancer can increase the survivability of the patients and the patient's quality of life. There is growing evidence demonstrating the active role of LncRNA-GAS5 and miR-103 in cancer biology. APOBEC enzymes are important players in immunity and may contribute to carcinogenesis. Mutation and expression alteration in the APOBEC gene family was found to have a strong correlation with breast cancer risk. This study aimed to evaluate the expression level of lncRNA-GAS5 and its target APOBEC3C in women with breast cancer through expression evaluation of miR-103. Moreover, the interaction between lncRNA-GAS5 and miR-103 was studied. In the present study, forty paired tumor and normal samples classified based on breast cancer subtypes and clinical features of patients were analyzed using gene expression studies. Immunohistochemical analysis of the gene products was performed to classify tumors. The RNA samples were extracted from breast tissue. Real-time PCR was conducted for APOBEC3C and Lnc-RNA GAS5 expression. In addition, miR-103a miScript Primer Assay was utilized for the expression of miR-103-5p. It was revealed that the expression level of APOBEC3C and lncRNA-GAS5 were significantly down-regulated; however, the miRNA-103 expression level was significantly up-regulated. GAS5 expression was positively correlated with APOBEC3C expression and negatively correlated with miR-103 expression. In conclusion, we observed down-regulation of APOBEC3C and LncRNA-GAS5 and up-regulation of miRNA 103 in breast cancer patients. The expression of GAS5 may provide a new potential treatment target for breast cancer. To clarify the role of these molecules in the cellular signaling pathways, further studies are required.

Identification of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteria using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy and machine learning techniques.

To combat antibiotic resistance, it is extremely important to select the right antibiotic by performing rapid diagnosis of pathogens. Traditional techniques require complicated sample preparation and time-consuming processes which are not suitable for rapid diagnosis. To address this problem, we used surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy combined with machine learning techniques for rapid identification of methicillin-resistant and methicillin-sensitive Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus strains and Gram-negative Legionella pneumophila (control group). A total of 10 methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), 3 methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA) and 6 L. pneumophila isolates were used. The obtained spectra indicated high reproducibility and repeatability with a high signal to noise ratio. Principal component analysis (PCA), hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA), and various supervised classification algorithms were used to discriminate both S. aureus strains and L. pneumophila. Although there were no noteworthy differences between MRSA and MSSA spectra when viewed with the naked eye, some peak intensity ratios such as 732/958, 732/1333, and 732/1450 proved that there could be a significant indicator showing the difference between them. The k-nearest neighbors (kNN) classification algorithm showed superior classification performance with 97.8% accuracy among the traditional classifiers including support vector machine (SVM), decision tree (DT), and naïve Bayes (NB). Our results indicate that SERS combined with machine learning can be used for the detection of antibiotic-resistant and susceptible bacteria and this technique is a very promising tool for clinical applications.

Melatonin: is it an effective antioxidant for pulmonary contusion?

BACKGROUND: The goal of the present study was to evaluate the antioxidant effects of melatonin on pulmonary contusion (PC) caused by isolated blunt thoracic trauma (BTT) in an experimental rat model. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 49 rats were divided into three groups: control group (CG), trauma group (TG), and melatonin group (MG). PC was induced by isolated BTT for all the groups except the control group. Intraperitoneal melatonin was administered to the MG after trauma. Blood and tissue samples were collected from the groups. Malondialdehyde (MDA), total oxidant capacity and total antioxidant capacity (TAOC), arterial blood gas, and other biochemical parameters such as urea, creatinine, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and aspartate aminotransferase were measured. Lung tissue samples were collected for histopathology. RESULTS: On day 2, blood MDA and total oxidant capacity levels were lower, and TAOC levels were higher in the MG compared with the TG (P < 0.001). Blood pH, PO2, and PCO2 of the MG significantly improved on day 2 compared with the TG (P ≤ 0.001). Compared with the TG, histologic damage scores of the MG decreased on day 2 (P = 0.013). Urea, creatinine, ALT, and aspartate aminotransferase levels of the MG on day 2 were lower than TG parameters (P = 0.01, P = 0.02, P = 0.05, and P < 0.001, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings demonstrate that melatonin can improve the histopathology of PC and distant organs such as liver and kidney by diminishing oxidative stress. All these findings suggest that melatonin may be an effective new therapeutic agent for PC caused by BTT.

Investigation of SCCmec types using the real time PCR method in cefoxitin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolates.

BACKGROUND: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is an important pathogen that can cause many community and hospital-acquired infections. This study was conducted to investigate the SCCmec gene types responsible for methicillin resistance in MRSA isolates isolated from hospitalised patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: MRSA isolates isolated from samples sent from various clinics to Gaziantep University Hospital Microbiology Laboratory between March 2021-January 2022 were included in the study. Bacteria were identified using by VITEK 2 automated system. Cefoxitin (FOX) resistance was determined by the disc diffusion method according to EUCAST standards. Cefoxitin resistance was confirmed by the Penicillin Binding Protein 2' latex agglutination test. Types of mecA, mecC, coa, nuc, Panton Valentin Leukocidin (PVL), ccrC2, class A mec, SCCmec types in isolates detected as MRSA were investigated by real-time PCR. RESULTS: In this study, 116 isolates meeting the study criteria were examined. By detecting the nuc and coa genes in all isolates by PCR, the phenotypic identification of S.aureus was confirmed. While the mecA gene was detected in all MRSA isolates, no mecC gene was detected in any isolates. Detected SCCmec types were as follows; SCCmec Type 1 (2.6%), Type II (28.4%), Type III (12.9%), Type IVa (11.2%), Type IVb (3.4%), Type IVc (3.4%), Type IVg (12.1%), Type V (0.9%), Type VII (4.3%), Type VIII (18.1%), Type IX (0.9%), Type XII (1.7%). On the other hand, SCCmec Type VI, X, XI and XIII were not found in any isolate. It was determined that four of the MRSA isolates (3.4%) carried the PVL gene that two (50%) of these were found in SCCmec Type VIII. CONCLUSION: Monitoring of FOX resistance is an effective and safe method for determination of MRSA isolates. The change in the mec gene causes resistance, which should be monitored regularly with molecular methods. Our study is the first study in Turkey.

Interleukin-6 And Interleukin-10 Polymorphisms In Chronic Lymphoid Leukemia Patients.

OBJECTIVE: A major part of the cytokines secreted from the immune system are interleukins (IL) and their main role is to stimulate the immune system cells. Therefore the genotypic effects of IL-6 and IL-10 on the immune system in CLL were investigated in the study. METHOD: For this purpose 100 patients diagnosed with CLL and 70 healthy individuals with no cancer history were included in the study. Polymorphisms at IL10 and IL 6 promoter regions (1082 A\G and 819 C\T) and IL6 (174 G\C) polymorphisms were analyzed with RT-PCR. Genotype and allele frequencies were directly calculated. RESULT: In 100 CLL patients, 45 wild type AA, 40 AG and 15 mutant type GG genotypes were found for the IL 10 1082 A\G region. Genotypic distribution of IL10 819 C\T region was determined as CC, BT and TT genotypes in 37, 50 and 13 patients, respectively. In IL 6 174 G\C region, GG, GC and CC genotypes were determined in 62, 30 and 8 patients, respectively. There is no statistically significant difference between the CLL patients and control groups in terms of IL10 1082 A\G, 819 C\T and IL 6 174 G/C regions (p> 0.05). As a result of the allele frequency calculation of the IL 10 1082 region, the values obtained were A (0.65), G (0.35) for the patient group and (0.61) and G (0.31) for the control group. 819 region allele frequencies were C (0.57) and T (0.33) in the patient group and C (0.48) and T (0.32) in the control group. The IL6 174 region was calculated as G (0.82), C (0.28) in the patient group and G (0.63), C (0.23) in the control group. Given the number of patients within the limits of this study, IL 10 and IL 6 genotype frequencies do not seem to be statistically related to CLL patients. CONCLUSION: Mutant alleles of all interleukin SNPs were determined at a higher frequency in the patient group as compared to the control group. Therefore, a potential correlation between the SNPs of these interleukins and CLL can be determined in future studies with a higher number of samples.

Prevalence, determinants, and fibrosis risk stratification of metabolic-associated fatty liver disease in a Turkish primary care setting: A retrospective study.

Background and Aim: Metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is a condition that frequently goes unnoticed as it typically remains asymptomatic until progressing to an advanced stage. As a result, it is essential to implement opportunistic screening initiatives within family medicine practices to accurately identify and refer selected at-risk patients to specialized care. This study aims to investigate the prevalence of MAFLD and advanced hepatic fibrosis among primary care patients in Turkiye by utilizing non-invasive tests. Materials and Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data from February 1, 2022, to April 14, 2023, at a Family Medicine Outpatient Clinic. The Hepatic Steatosis Index (HSI) was used to identify fatty liver cases, followed by established MAFLD criteria for diagnosis. Patients were then categorized based on advanced fibrosis risk using the fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) index. Results: Among the 450 patients who sought primary care during the study period (286 women and 164 men; mean age: 48.2±13.7 years), 295 (65.6%) were diagnosed with MAFLD using HSI values and established criteria. Diabetes mellitus emerged as the sole independent predictor of MAFLD. FIB-4 values classified 242 (82%) and 53 (18%) patients with MAFLD at low and intermediate risk of advanced fibrosis, respectively, with none at high risk. Conclusion: MAFLD exhibits a notable prevalence among Turkish patients who presented at a Family Medicine Outpatient Clinic. Given the growing impact of metabolic diseases, primary care providers and non-liver specialists should actively participate in MAFLD screening programs.

The Psychometric Properties of the Turkish Version of Individual Workload Perception Scale for Medical and Surgical Nurses.

Purpose: This study is aimed to analyze the validity and reliability of the Individual Workload Perception Scale in Turkish (IWPSTR). Methods: Exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), reliability analysis, test-retest, and descriptive statistics were used to analyze data. The sample group of the study consisted of 569 medical and surgical clinic nurses working in hospitals. Results: The content validity index was .983. The factor loadings of the IWPSTR were between .359 and .875, the variance accounted for in this study was 62.86%. Cronbach's alpha value was found to be .923 for the IWPSTR, and between .721 and .937 for its subscales. Test-retest reliability correlation was found .826. Conclusions: It was concluded that the Turkish version of IWPSTR, which includes 29 items and 5 subscales, could also be applied to nurses in Turkey.

Effects of Day and Night Shifts on Stress, Anxiety, Quality of Life, and Oxidative Stress Parameters in Nurses.

AIM: This study aimed to determine the effects of day and night shift work on stress, anxiety, quality of life, and oxidative stress parameters in nurses. METHOD: This was a descriptive, cross-sectional study. The study was conducted between October 2014 and January 2015. The study sample included 60 nurses working in a university hospital who met the inclusion criteria (n=60). A questionnaire was used to evaluate stress, quality of life, satisfaction with life, and anxiety sensitivity, and blood samples were obtained. In blood samples, total oxidant status and total antioxidant status, cortisol, epinephrine, and norepinephrine levels were measured. Descriptive statistics, t test, analysis of variance, and correlation analysis were performed for statistical analyses. RESULTS: These results revealed that the nurses employed in surgical clinics had a lower quality of life and higher anxiety sensitivity as compared to those employed in other clinics. In addition, significant relationships were detected between total oxidant status, total antioxidant status and cortisol levels and stress, quality of life, satisfaction with life, and anxiety sensitivity. TOS and TAS, epinephrine, norepinephrine, and cortisol levels; stress, quality of life, satisfaction with life, and anxiety sensitivity were similar between the nurses working daytime and in shifts. CONCLUSION: As the stress level and anxiety sensitivity of the nurses increased, the total oxidant levels and cortisol levels increasedm and in contrast, the quality of life and overall satisfaction with life decreased.

Determination of the interaction between the receptor binding domain of 2019-nCoV spike protein, TMPRSS2, cathepsin B and cathepsin L, and glycosidic and aglycon forms of some flavonols.

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2) is a rapidly spreading disease with a high mortality. In this research, the interactions between specific flavonols and the 2019-nCoV receptor binding domain (RBD), transmembrane protease, serine 2 (TMPRSS2), and cathepsins (CatB and CatL) were analyzed. According to the relative binding capacity index (RBCI) calculated based on the free energy of binding and calculated inhibition constants, it was determined that robinin (ROB) and gossypetin (GOS) were the most effective flavonols on all targets. While the binding free energy of ROB with the spike glycoprotein RBD, TMPRSS2, CatB, and CatL were -5.02, -7.57, -10.10, and -6.11 kcal/mol, the values for GOS were -4.67, -5.24, -8.31, and -6.76, respectively. Furthermore, both compounds maintained their stability for at least 170 ns on respective targets in molecular dynamics simulations. The molecular mechanics Poisson-Boltzmann surface area (MM/PBSA) calculations also corroborated these data. Considering Lipinski's rule of five, ROB and GOS exhibited 3 (MW>500, N or O>10, NH or OH>5), and 1 (NH or OH>5) violations, respectively. Neither ROB nor GOS showed AMES toxicity or hepatotoxicity. The LD50 of these compounds in rats were 2.482 and 2.527 mol/kg, respectively. Therefore, we conclude that these compounds could be considered as alternative therapeutic agents in the treatment of COVID-19. However, the possible inhibitory effects of these compounds on cytochromes (CYPs) should be verified by in vitro or in vivo tests and their adverse effects on cellular energy metabolism should be minimized by performing molecular modifications if necessary.

Drug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteria detection by combining surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) and deep learning techniques.

Over the past year, the world's attention has focused on combating COVID-19 disease, but the other threat waiting at the door-antimicrobial resistance should not be forgotten. Although making the diagnosis rapidly and accurately is crucial in preventing antibiotic resistance development, bacterial identification techniques include some challenging processes. To address this challenge, we proposed a deep neural network (DNN) that can discriminate antibiotic-resistant bacteria using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). Stacked autoencoder (SAE)-based DNN was used for the rapid identification of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA) bacteria using a label-free SERS technique. The performance of the DNN was compared with traditional classifiers. Since the SERS technique provides high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) data, some subtle differences were found between MRSA and MSSA in relative band intensities. SAE-based DNN can learn features from raw data and classify them with an accuracy of 97.66%. Moreover, the model discriminates bacteria with an area under curve (AUC) of 0.99. Compared to traditional classifiers, SAE-based DNN was found superior in accuracy and AUC values. The obtained results are also supported by statistical analysis. These results demonstrate that deep learning has great potential to characterize and detect antibiotic-resistant bacteria by using SERS spectral data.

CDC 25A gene 263C/T, -350C/T, and -51C/G polymorphisms in breast carcinoma.

The family of cell division cycle 25 (CDC25) phosphatase is one of the important regulators of the cell cycle progression. In mammalian cells, three isoforms have been identified: CDC25A, CDC25B, and CDC25C. CDC25A is required to enter S time, and the overexpression of this phosphatase accelerates the entrance to S time. CDC25A overexpression could render tumor cells less sensitive to DNA replication checkpoints, thereby contributing to their genomic instability. We aimed to investigate, for the first time, the frequency of human CDC25A gene SNPs in metastatic and non-metastatic breast cancer. Total number of 281 eligible patients with histologically confirmed incident of breast cancer and 137 cancer-free controls were included. The detection of CDC25A gene polymorphisms was achieved with real-time polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism techniques. We found that the 263C/T polymorphism was significantly associated with breast cancer and risk of metastasis. The -350C/T polymorphism in the promoter region of CDC25A gene was found to associate with neither breast cancer nor metastasis. The other promoter polymorphism -51C/G in the CDC25A gene associated with breast cancer but not associated with metastasis. These data suggest that 263C/T and -51C/G polymorphisms of CDC25A gene could be candidate markers for earlier diagnosis and targets for breast cancer therapy.

Relationship between smartphone addiction and meaning and purpose of life in students of health sciences.

PURPOSE: In this study was aimed to examine the relationship between smartphone addiction (SA) and meaning and purpose of life (MPL) of university students. DESIGN AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study consisted of 677 students studying in students of Health Sciences. The data were collected by a questionnaire included the smartphone addiction scale-short form and the meaning and purpose in life scale. FINDINGS: A significant and negative correlation was found between SA and the MPL levels. PRACTICE IMPLACITIONS: Individual coping programs with SA should be handle within the scope of school health nursing. Also these programs should include activities to help students find meaning and purpose in their lives.

Comparison of Body Temperature, Normothermia, and Extubation Times of Patients Heated with Forced Air Warming Method Based on Whether Patients Underwent On-Pump or Off-Pump Coronary Artery Bypass Graft.

AIM: This study aimed to compare the body temperature, normothermia, and extubation times of patients heated with forced air warming method based on whether they underwent on-pump or off-pump coronary artery bypass graft. METHOD: This quasi-experimental study comprised 109 patients who underwent coronary artery bypass graft operation in the cardiovascular surgery department of a university hospital and a private hospital in Afyonkarahisar. Patients were divided into the following two groups: group 1 comprised 65 patients who underwent on-pump coronary artery bypass graft and group 2 comprised 44 patients who underwent off-pump coronary artery bypass graft. All patients included in the study were heated with forced air warming method. Preoperative and postoperative data were collected using the Patient Identification Form and the Patient Tracking Form, consisting of 16 items in total. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences 18.0 software. RESULTS: Even though the preoperative body temperature, postoperative first body temperature, second hour body temperature, and extubation time did not exhibit a significant difference depending on the operating method, a significant difference was observed regarding the first, third, fourth, and fifth hour body temperatures and time to reach normothermia based on the operating method (p<0.05). Notably, the off-pump group's body temperatures in the first, third, fourth, and fifth hours were higher compared with the on-pump group. Furthermore, the off-pump group reached normothermia (145.22±72.54 minutes) earlier or faster compared with the on-pump group (206.84±89.30 minutes). The body temperatures, extubation times, and normothermia were not observed to exhibit significant differences based on the gender (p>0.05). A statistically significant relation was not observed between the patient's body temperature and their age (p>0.05). However, a low but positive and significant (p<0.05) correlation was observed between the extubation times (r=0.197) and age, as well as time to reach normothermia (r=0.237) and age. CONCLUSION: This study concluded that forced air warming method is an effective technique to minimize the time to regain normothermia among patients who underwent the on- and off-pump coronary artery bypass graft.

Molecular identification of Leishmania spp. isolates causes cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) in Sanliurfa Province, Turkey, where CL is highly endemic.

Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is an important public health problem in Turkey. CL has been most frequently seen in Sanliurfa. There is an expectation of increase in the population of leishmaniasis cases with the influence of Syrian refugees arriving in Turkey. In this study we aimed to diagnosis of CL and identifying of parasite from Leishmania isolates by using ITS 1 PCR RFLP. Samples were collected from 135 CL patients in Sanliurfa. After the specimens were inoculated in medium NNN, the ones which were cultures positive were cultivated in RPMI 1640 followed by PCR-RFLP. Genomic DNA was extracted phenol-chloroform procedure. Samples were examined by using ITS 1 PCR followed by RFLP analysis. Our results indicated that two species, L. tropica (132 samples) and L. major (3 samples), are responsible for cutaneous leishmaniasis in Sanliurfa. Our study is the first scientific study in which it is reported molecular analyses of cutaneous leishmaniasis cases caused by L. major in Sanliurfa in Southestern Anatolia Region. Because CL cases caused by L.major are detected in our study, it is considered that genotyping is important for diagnosis of Leishmania and following change of epidemiology.

Correction to: Molecular identification of Leishmania spp. isolates causes cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) in Sanliurfa Province, Turkey, where CL is highly endemic.

In published article (Molecular Identification of Leishmania spp. Isolates Causes Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (CL) in Sanliurfa Province, Turkey, Where CL is Highly Endemic) Table 1 titled "The pH values of yogurts collected from villages in Turkey" doesn't belong to this article.

The evaluation of simulation maket in nursing education and the determination of learning style of students.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to detect the overall evaluation of nursing students toward simulation makets throughout the practice education and to reveal their learning styles in relation to certain individual features. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The data were collected via questionnaires including students' evaluation toward simulation makets and "Kolb learning styles inventory." Participants included 103 male and female nursing students in Turkey. For the analysis, percentage, means, standard deviation, t-test, and ANOVA were utilized. RESULTS: 71% of the students stated that the laboratory was suitable for the skill education but 53.4% uttered the duration of the practice was not enough. Students were found to have different learning styles (28.2% assimilating, 27.2% convergent, 26.2% accommodating, and 18.4% divergent). CONCLUSION: The results demonstrated that the duration of the laboratory practice and the number of the makets should be increased during the education of students with different learning styles.

The evaluation of simulation market in nursing education and the determination of learning style of students.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to detect the overall evaluation of nursing students toward simulation markets throughout the practice education and to reveal their learning styles in relation to certain individual features. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The data were collected via questionnaires including students' evaluation toward simulation markets and "Kolb learning styles inventory." Participants included 103 male and female nursing students in Turkey. For the analysis, percentage, means, standard deviation, t-test, and ANOVA were utilized. RESULTS: 71% of the students stated that the laboratory was suitable for the skill education but 53.4% uttered the duration of the practice was not enough. Students were found to have different learning styles (28.2% assimilating, 27.2% convergent, 26.2% accommodating, and 18.4% divergent). CONCLUSION: The results demonstrated that the duration of the laboratory practice and the number of the markets should be increased during the education of students with different learning styles.

The Relationship Between Sociodemographic Characteristics, Work Conditions, and Level of "Mobbing" of Health Workers in Primary Health Care.

Mobbing is a type of violence which occurs in workplaces and is classified under the community violence subgroup of interpersonal violence. The aim of this study is to examine health care workers who work in primary health care in the city of Mugla and to determine whether there is a relationship between sociodemographic characteristics, work conditions, and their level of mobbing. A cross-sectional analysis has been conducted in which 130 primary health care workers were selected. Of the 130, 119 health workers participated, yielding a response rate of 91.5%; 83.2% of health workers are female, 42.9% are midwives, 27.7% are nurses, and 14.3% are doctors. In all, 31.1% of health workers have faced with "mobbing" in the last 1 year, and the frequency of experiencing "mobbing" of those 48.6% of them is 1 to 3 times per year. A total of 70.3% of those who apply "mobbing" are senior health workers, and 91.9% are female. The frequency of encountering with "mobbing" was found significantly in married health workers, in those 16 years and above according to examined total working time, in those who have psychosocial reactions, and in those who have counterproductive behaviors. It has been discovered that primary health care workers have high prevalence of "mobbing" exposure. To avoid "mobbing" at workplace, authorities and responsibilities of all employees have to be clearly determined.

Identification by using MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry of lactic acid bacteria isolated from non-commercial yogurts in southern Anatolia, Turkey.

Yogurt is a dairy product obtained by bacterial fermentation of milk. Commercial yogurts are produced using standard starters while, in the production of non-commercial yogurt, the microbiota is quite different since yogurts are used as starter for years. To determine the final characteristics of the fermented product it is necessary to know the biochemical properties of the starter cultures, such as acidity, aroma and flavor. This can only be achieved by identifying and characterizing the bacteria in starter cultures. In our study, 208 non-commercial yogurt samples were collected from 9 different locations in Anatolia, southern Turkey. Their pH and lactic acid bacteria profiles were analyzed. Isolated bacteria were identified by MALDI-TOF MS (matrix-assisted laser sesorption-ionization time-of-flight, mass spectrometry), which is a fast and reliable method for identification of bacterial isolates compared to classical laboratory methods. In this study, 41% of the isolates were identified by using this method, which is 99.9% and 34.0% confidence. The isolates contained two genera (Enterococcus and Lactobacillus) and four species. Afterwards, the four lactic acid bacteria were characterized physiologically and biochemically and we found that they differed from lactic acid bacteria used in commercial yogurt production. [Int Microbiol 20(1): 25-30 (2017)].