Objective. Schizophrenia is a pervasive neuropsychiatric disease of uncertain etiology. We aimed to investigate a possible association between Toxoplasma gondii infection and schizophrenia in this study. Method. We selected individuals... more
Objective. Schizophrenia is a pervasive neuropsychiatric disease of uncertain etiology. We aimed to investigate a possible association between Toxoplasma gondii infection and schizophrenia in this study. Method. We selected individuals with schizophrenia (n=88) and tested them with commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for anti-Toxoplasma IgG and IgM antibodies and compared these seropositivity rate to those of controls without psychiatric disease (n=88). Results. The rate of IgG antibody in the schizophrenia patients (47.7%) was higher than the control groups (20.4%) (P<0.001). We did not find any anti-Toxoplasma IgM seropositivity in both schizophrenia patients and control group. In schizophrenic patients with and without anti-Toxoplasma IgG groups statistical analysis did not reveal any correlation between demographic variables and Toxoplasma infection. Conclusion. Our findings supported previous studies indicate that T.gondii may play a role in etiopathogenesis in some cases of schizophrenia.
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Background Communal living situations such as nursing homes create a risk for the spread of hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus (HCV). The aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of hepatitis B virus and HCV in the... more
Background Communal living situations such as nursing homes create a risk for the spread of hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus (HCV). The aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of hepatitis B virus and HCV in the elderly living in 2 nursing homes in Ankara, Turkey. Methods A total of 227 persons (mean age, 76.11 ± 8.55 years) participated in this cross-sectional study. All individuals were investigated seroprevalence for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), anti-HBs immunoglobulin G (IgG), anti-hepatitis B core IgG, and anti-HCV IgG. Results Positive seroprevalence was 11.9% for HBsAg, 48.0% for anti-HBs IgG, 25.1% for anti-hepatitis B core IgG, and 2.5% for anti-HCV IgG. Hepatitis B surface antigen positivity was 12.4% in males and 11.5% in females ( P > 0.05); and the seroprevalence was 10.4% for those living in nursing homes for 1 year or less and 13.0% for those living in nursing homes for more than 1 year ( P > 0.05). Conclusions The fact that nearly half of those living in nursing homes had not encountered hepatitis B infection or had not received hepatitis B vaccination indicates the need for administering hepatitis B vaccines in this group.
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Blastocystis is an obligate anaerobic microbial eukaryote that frequently inhabits the gastrointestinal tract. Despite this prevalence, very little is known about the extent of its genetic diversity, pathogenicity, and interaction with... more
Blastocystis is an obligate anaerobic microbial eukaryote that frequently inhabits the gastrointestinal tract. Despite this prevalence, very little is known about the extent of its genetic diversity, pathogenicity, and interaction with the rest of the microbiome and its host. Although the organism is morphologically static, it has no less than 28 genetically distinct subtypes (STs). Reports on the pathogenicity of Blastocystis are conflicting. The association between Blastocystis and intestinal bacterial communities is being increasingly explored. Nonetheless, similar investigations extending to the metabolome are non-existent.Using established NMR metabolomics protocols in 149 faecal samples from individuals from South Korea (n = 38), Thailand (n = 44) and Turkey (n = 69), we have provided a snapshot of the core metabolic compounds present in human stools with (B+) and without (B−) Blastocystis. Samples included hosts with gastrointestinal symptoms and asymptomatics. A total of nin...
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... Funda DOĞRUMAN-AL * Gülcan ADIYAMAN ... 5. Dogruman-Al F, Simsek Z, Boorom K, Ekici E,Sahin M, Tuncer C, Kustimur S, Altinbas A: Comparison of methods ... Yakoob J, Jefri W, Jafri N, Islam M, Asim Beg M: In vitro susceptibility of... more
... Funda DOĞRUMAN-AL * Gülcan ADIYAMAN ... 5. Dogruman-Al F, Simsek Z, Boorom K, Ekici E,Sahin M, Tuncer C, Kustimur S, Altinbas A: Comparison of methods ... Yakoob J, Jefri W, Jafri N, Islam M, Asim Beg M: In vitro susceptibility of Blastocystis hominis isolated from patients ...
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Introduction: Endoscopic treatment of vesicoureteral refl ux (VUR) by subureteral injection of biocompatible polymers is an established treatment option for reflux. Dextranomer/hyaluronic acid copolymer(Dx/HA) has gained wide popularity... more
Introduction: Endoscopic treatment of vesicoureteral refl ux (VUR) by subureteral injection of biocompatible polymers is an established treatment option for reflux. Dextranomer/hyaluronic acid copolymer(Dx/HA) has gained wide popularity for treating VUR. We decided to investigate the antibacterial activity of Dx/HA and its interaction with antibiotics in in-vitro conditions. Materials and Methods: Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Proteus mirabilis suspensions were inoculated into Mueller-Hinton agar media and 30 μl of Dx/HA was inoculated in 5 mm diameter pits and the plates were incubated at 37°C for 24 hours. At the end of the incubation period, inhibition zones around the discs were measured. Expansion of the inhibition zones towards the pits which contained Dx/HA was considered as synergism. Dx/HA was inoculated into pits made in Mueller-Hinton agar medium without antibiotic discs but containing suspensions of bacteria. These media were incubat...
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Aim Candida albicans (C. albicans) has been widely associated with the etiology of denture-related stomatitis and has been found on soft denture lining materials. The aim of this study was to examine the surface roughness and adherence of... more
Aim Candida albicans (C. albicans) has been widely associated with the etiology of denture-related stomatitis and has been found on soft denture lining materials. The aim of this study was to examine the surface roughness and adherence of C. albicans to saliva coated and non-coated soft lining materials by subjecting them to an in vitro accelerated aging test. Methods and Materials Samples were prepared from three soft lining materials (Visco Gel, Ufi Gel P, Molloplast B). Surface roughness measurements and adhesion of C. albicans were examined before and after an aging process. The stimulated human whole saliva was used to assess its effect on adhesion. Results The aging process promotes the surface roughness of soft lining materials. The aging surface roughness of Visco Gel was significantly higher than Ufi Gel P and Molloplast B. No significant difference was observed between non-aged and uncoated materials, but aged and uncoated soft lining materials showed a greater adherence o...
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The hemolytic activity of Candida isolates with agar and microplate methods were investigated and compared efficiency of these methods to assess relationship between hyphal formation and hemolysis
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... Kist Hidatik Şüpheli Hastalarda Anti-Echinococcus IgG Seropozitifliğinin ELISA Yöntemiyle Belirlenmesi. Merve Aydın 1 , Gülcan Adıyaman 2 , Funda Doğruman-Al 3 , Semra Kuştimur 3 , Seçil Özkan 4. 1 ... belirlemişlerdir. Yazar ve ark.... more
... Kist Hidatik Şüpheli Hastalarda Anti-Echinococcus IgG Seropozitifliğinin ELISA Yöntemiyle Belirlenmesi. Merve Aydın 1 , Gülcan Adıyaman 2 , Funda Doğruman-Al 3 , Semra Kuştimur 3 , Seçil Özkan 4. 1 ... belirlemişlerdir. Yazar ve ark. ...
The aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of toxocariasis in adult asthmatics and to assess its relationship with risk factors. A total of 124 asthmatic and 60 control group subjects were included in the study. Of the... more
The aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of toxocariasis in adult asthmatics and to assess its relationship with risk factors. A total of 124 asthmatic and 60 control group subjects were included in the study. Of the asthmatic patients, 61 (49.2%) were atopic and 63 non-atopic (50.8%). The anti-Toxocara IgG (Toxocara IgG CELISA Cellabs, Australia) positivity rate for all asthmatic cases was 9.7%. There was no significant difference between the asthmatic cases and the control group regarding anti-Toxocara IgG positivity (P>0.05). When risk factors were analyzed, there was a statistically significant difference between the control group subjects and patients with non-atopic asthma and also between the atopic asthmatic patients and the patients with non-atopic asthma regarding pets being under veterinary control (P<0.05). The percentages of those who had their pets defecate indoors were 0, 15 and 8.6%, respectively, for the control subjects, patients with non-atopic asthma and those with atopic asthma. There was a statistically significant difference when the control group subjects were compared to the patients with atopic asthma (P<0.05).
Research Interests: Microbiology, Epidemiology, Medical Microbiology, Asthma, Public Health, and 15 moreMedicine, Humans, Female, Animals, Male, Immunoglobulin E, Risk factors, Prevalence, Middle Aged, Adult, Public health systems and services research, Bronchial Asthma, Risk Factors, immunoglobulin G, and Case Control Studies
Research Interests: Microbiology, Medical Microbiology, Biology, Adolescent, Medicine, and 15 moreHumans, Child, Female, Animals, Male, Infant, Aged, Middle Aged, Genotype, Adult, Blastocystis, Feces, Age Factors, Asymptomatic, and Child preschool(Humans, Child, Female, Animals, Male, Infant, Aged, Middle Aged, Genotype, Adult, Blastocystis, Feces, Age Factors, Asymptomatic, and Child preschool)
(Humans, Child, Female, Animals, Male, Infant, Aged, Middle Aged, Genotype, Adult, Blastocystis, Feces, Age Factors, Asymptomatic, and Child preschool)
Objective: This study was performed to evaluate and compare the sensitivity of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting the 529 base pair (bp) gene and B1 gene to detect Toxoplasma gondii DNA. Material and Methods: A total of 49 mice... more
Objective: This study was performed to evaluate and compare the sensitivity of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting the 529 base pair (bp) gene and B1 gene to detect Toxoplasma gondii DNA. Material and Methods: A total of 49 mice (Mus domesticus domesticus) were divided ...
Background: This study compared diagnostic methods for identifying Blastocystis in stool samples, and evaluated the frequency of detection of Blastocystis in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel disease... more
Background: This study compared diagnostic methods for identifying Blastocystis in stool samples, and evaluated the frequency of detection of Blastocystis in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Results and Discussion: From a set of 105 stool specimens submitted for routine parasitological analysis, 30 were identified as positive for Blastocystis by the culture method. From that group of 30 positives, Lugol’s stain, trichrome staining, and an immunofluorescence assay identified 11, 15, and 26 samples as positive respectively. Using culture as a standard, the sensitivity of Lugol’s stain was 36.7%, trichrome staining was 50%, and the IFA stain was 86.7%. The specificity of Lugol’s stain was 91%, trichrome staining was 100%, and the IFA stain was 97.3%. In the group of 27 IBS and IBD patients, using all methods combined, we detected Blastocystis in 67 % (18/27) of the patients. Blastocystis was detected in 33 % (2/6) of IBD patients and 76...
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This study aimed to determine the changes in lymphocyte surface markers and cytokine profiles during a malarial infection in a mouse model of malaria. Mononuclear cells obtained from the spleens of the mice infected with Plasmodium... more
This study aimed to determine the changes in lymphocyte surface markers and cytokine profiles during a malarial infection in a mouse model of malaria. Mononuclear cells obtained from the spleens of the mice infected with Plasmodium berghei (P. berghei) were stained with anti-mouse CD3, anti-mouse CD4, anti-mouse CD8, anti-mouse CD19, anti-mouse CD152, anti-mouse pan natural killer (NK), anti-mouse CD80 monoclonal antibodies and expression of surface markers was evaluated by flow cytometry. In the serum samples of the mice, the levels of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), interferon gamma (IFN-gamma), transforming growth factor-1beta (TGF-1beta), and interleukin (IL)-4, IL-10, and IL-12 cytokines were determined by ELISA method. The expressions of all the surface markers of lymphocyte evaluated were statistically significantly lower in the infected mice than in the healthy control mice (p < 0.05). However, except for the level of TGF-1beta, the levels of all the other cytoki...
Research Interests: Flow Cytometry, Medical Microbiology, Malaria, Cytokines, Natural Killer cells, and 15 moreMice, Animals, Male, Host-parasite interactions, Mouse Model, Tumor necrosis factor-alpha, Interleukins, Transforming Growth Factor Beta, Monoclonal Antibody, Lymphocytes, Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay, Control Group, Plasmodium berghei, Interferon gamma, and Transforming Growth Factor
We report a case of human ocular onchocerciasis by zoonotic Onchocerca lupi presenting as nodular scleritis. Molecular analyses were used to confirm diagnosis at species level. In addition to few existing reports of human infection by O.... more
We report a case of human ocular onchocerciasis by zoonotic Onchocerca lupi presenting as nodular scleritis. Molecular analyses were used to confirm diagnosis at species level. In addition to few existing reports of human infection by O. lupi in Turkey, this case further suggests that the pathogen might be more common than previously reported, thus requiring further attention and investigations.
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... Funda DOĞRUMAN-AL * Gülcan ADIYAMAN ... 5. Dogruman-Al F, Simsek Z, Boorom K, Ekici E,Sahin M, Tuncer C, Kustimur S, Altinbas A: Comparison of methods ... Yakoob J, Jefri W, Jafri N, Islam M, Asim Beg M: In vitro susceptibility of... more
... Funda DOĞRUMAN-AL * Gülcan ADIYAMAN ... 5. Dogruman-Al F, Simsek Z, Boorom K, Ekici E,Sahin M, Tuncer C, Kustimur S, Altinbas A: Comparison of methods ... Yakoob J, Jefri W, Jafri N, Islam M, Asim Beg M: In vitro susceptibility of Blastocystis hominis isolated from patients ...
Wolters Kluwer Health may email you for journal alerts and information, but is committed to maintaining your privacy and will not share your personal information without your express consent. For more information, please refer to our... more
Wolters Kluwer Health may email you for journal alerts and information, but is committed to maintaining your privacy and will not share your personal information without your express consent. For more information, please refer to our Privacy Policy. ... Skip Navigation Links Home > August ...
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A. Ozdemir, A. Yozgat, K. Isgin-Atici, E. Avci, B.D. Yildiz, A. Gundogdu, U. Nalbantoglu, T. Turhan, F. Dogruman-Al and Z. Buyuktuncer Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Hacettepe University, Ankara,... more
A. Ozdemir, A. Yozgat, K. Isgin-Atici, E. Avci, B.D. Yildiz, A. Gundogdu, U. Nalbantoglu, T. Turhan, F. Dogruman-Al and Z. Buyuktuncer Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey, Department of Gastroenterology, Ankara Numune Research and Education Hospital, Ankara, Turkey, Department of Gastroenterology, School of Medicine, Ufuk University, Ankara, Turkey, Department of Gastroenterology, Medicana Hospital, Konya, Turkey, Department of General Surgery, Ankara Numune Research and Education Hospital, Ankara, Turkey, Department of Microbiology and Clinical Microbiology, School of Medicine, Erciyes University, Kayseri, Turkey, Genome and Stem Cell Center, Erciyes University, Kayseri, Turkey, Department of Computer Engineering, School of Engineering, Erciyes University, Kayseri, Turkey, Department of Biochemistry, Ankara Numune Research and Education Hospital, Ankara, Turkey and Department of Medical Microbiology, School of Medicine, Gazi University, Ankara, Turkey
Introduction The clinical significance of Blastocystis sp. and Dientamoeba fragilis in patients with gastrointestinal symptoms is a controversial issue. Since the pathogenicity of these protists has not been fully elucidated, testing for... more
Introduction The clinical significance of Blastocystis sp. and Dientamoeba fragilis in patients with gastrointestinal symptoms is a controversial issue. Since the pathogenicity of these protists has not been fully elucidated, testing for these organisms is not routinely pursued by most laboratories and clinicians. Thus, the prevalence of these organisms and the subtypes of Blastocystis sp. in human patients in Turkey are not well characterized. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of Blastocystis sp. and D. fragilis in the diarrheic stool samples of immunodeficient and immunocompetent patients using conventional and molecular methods and to identify Blastocystis sp. subtypes using next generation sequencing. Material and methods Individual stool specimens were collected from 245 immunodeficient and 193 immunocompetent diarrheic patients between March 2017 and December 2019 at the Gazi University Training and Research Hospital in Ankara, Turkey. Samples were screened for Blas...
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This epidemiological study assesses the occurrence of enteric parasites in 4303 patients attended at two public hospitals in Ankara (Turkey) during 2018–2019. Microscopy was used as a screening test. Giardia duodenalis was also identified... more
This epidemiological study assesses the occurrence of enteric parasites in 4303 patients attended at two public hospitals in Ankara (Turkey) during 2018–2019. Microscopy was used as a screening test. Giardia duodenalis was also identified using a commercial ELISA for the detection of parasite-specific coproantigens. Giardia-positive samples by microscopy/ELISA were confirmed by real-time PCR and characterized using a multilocus genotyping scheme. Blastocystis sp. was genotyped in a sample subset. Blastocystis sp. (11.1%, 95% CI 11.4‒14.8%) and G. duodenalis (1.56%, 95% CI 1.22‒1.96) were the most prevalent pathogens found. Cryptosporidium spp., Entamoeba histolytica and intestinal helminths were only sporadically (<0.5%) found. For G. duodenalis, sequence (n = 30) analyses revealed the presence of sub-assemblages AII (23.3%), discordant AII/AIII (23.3%) and mixed AII + AIII (6.7%) within assemblage A, and BIII (10.0%), BIV (3.3%) and discordant BIII/BIV (23.3%) within assemblage ...
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Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a serious neuropsychiatric sequela emerging in the advanced stages of cirrhosis. The gut microbiota plays an important role in the development of HE. The aim of the study was to analyze the dynamic interplay... more
Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a serious neuropsychiatric sequela emerging in the advanced stages of cirrhosis. The gut microbiota plays an important role in the development of HE. The aim of the study was to analyze the dynamic interplay between microbiota and Blastocystis in cirrhotic patients with or without encephalopathy. The study was designed as cross-sectional study. A total of 37 patients from the Ankara city, admitted to the University Hospital within a 6-month period prior to enrolment into the study were included in the study. After the regular health checks, clinical histories, clinical examinations, and Psychometric HE Score (PHES) points, patients' MELD and CTP scores were recorded. The fecal microbiota configurations were characterized by targeting hypervariable regions V3 and V4 of the 16S rRNA gene using Illumina MiSeq System. Blastocystis spp. were detected in 21.6% (n = 8) of all cirrhotic patients. When those were analyzed by subgroups, four of them were sub...
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Blastocystis spp. is the most common enteric protist found in human feces. The pathogenic role of Blastocystis remains controversial and it has been suggested that the symptomatology of Blastocystis is associated with its subtypes (ST).... more
Blastocystis spp. is the most common enteric protist found in human feces. The pathogenic role of Blastocystis remains controversial and it has been suggested that the symptomatology of Blastocystis is associated with its subtypes (ST). However, only few studies have investigated the relationship between the symptomatology and subtypes of Blastocystis in children. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of Blastocystis in children aged 3 to 13years with or without gastrointestinal complaints and determine the distribution of the subtypes of Blastocystis. A total of 303 stool samples obtained from symptomatic (n=84) and asymptomatic (n=219) children were included in the study. The presence of Blastocystis was investigated using native-lugol examination, trichrome staining and real-time PCR method. Using the real-time PCR method, 115 samples were found positive for Blastocystis. Subtyping was successfully performed on 46 samples using sequenced-tagged site (STS) primers and PCR. The remaining 69 samples could not be subtyped. The most frequently detected subtype was ST3 (43.4%) followed by ST1 (26.1%), ST4 (10.9%) and ST2 (8.7%). The mixed subtypes were identified in five samples (10.9%) as; ST1+ST3 (n=3), ST1+ST2 (n=1) and ST2+ST3 (n=1). None of the samples had ST5, ST6 or ST7. No statistically significant difference was found between the symptomatic and asymptomatic groups in terms of the Blastocystis positivity and the distribution of subtypes (p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;0.05). To our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the subtype distribution of Blastocystis in children in Turkey and the results are in agreement with the related data available in Turkey.
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To investigate the involvement of systemic oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of murine cerebral malaria, mice were infected with the
This study aimed to determine the changes in lymphocyte surface markers and cytokine profiles during a malarial infection in a mouse model of malaria. Mononuclear cells obtained from the spleens of the mice infected with Plasmodium... more
This study aimed to determine the changes in lymphocyte surface markers and cytokine profiles during a malarial infection in a mouse model of malaria. Mononuclear cells obtained from the spleens of the mice infected with Plasmodium berghei (P. berghei) were stained with anti-mouse CD3, anti-mouse CD4, anti-mouse CD8, anti-mouse CD19, anti-mouse CD152, anti-mouse pan natural killer (NK), anti-mouse CD80 monoclonal antibodies and expression of surface markers was evaluated by flow cytometry. In the serum samples of the mice, the levels of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), interferon gamma (IFN-gamma), transforming growth factor-1beta (TGF-1beta), and interleukin (IL)-4, IL-10, and IL-12 cytokines were determined by ELISA method. The expressions of all the surface markers of lymphocyte evaluated were statistically significantly lower in the infected mice than in the healthy control mice (p < 0.05). However, except for the level of TGF-1beta, the levels of all the other cytoki...
Research Interests: Flow Cytometry, Medical Microbiology, Malaria, Cytokines, Natural Killer cells, and 15 moreMice, Animals, Male, Host-parasite interactions, Mouse Model, Tumor necrosis factor-alpha, Interleukins, Transforming Growth Factor Beta, Monoclonal Antibody, Lymphocytes, Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay, Control Group, Plasmodium berghei, Interferon gamma, and Transforming Growth Factor
Detection of Blastocystis is routinely performed by microscopy, culture, and formyl-ether (ethyl acetate) concentration technique (FECT). Yet, these methods require special skilled personnel, are time consuming, and often involve... more
Detection of Blastocystis is routinely performed by microscopy, culture, and formyl-ether (ethyl acetate) concentration technique (FECT). Yet, these methods require special skilled personnel, are time consuming, and often involve processing that may cause misdiagnosis. The aim of this work is to demonstrate the usefulness of a newly introduced ELISA test for the detection of Blastocystis antigens in stool samples (CoproELISA(TM) Blastocystis, Savyon Diagnostics) as a proper alternative to currently used methods, especially microscopy. A cohort of 179 fresh/frozen clinical stool samples was tested by the ELISA test, and results were compared to consensus methods comprised of microscopic examination of Lugol&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39;s iodine staining, culture, and immunofluorescence assay (IFA). The new ELISA test was able to detect fewer than 10(3) cells, recognized subtypes 1, 2, 3, and 5 (comprising &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;95 % of human Blastocystis infections), and exhibited similar reactivity when comparing formalin-preserved samples to fresh/frozen samples. The test demonstrated 92 % sensitivity, 87 % specificity, and 89 % accuracy when culture, and IFA or microscopy consensus results were taken as reference. When the consensus was comprised of culture and IFA, the test demonstrated sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of 82, 86, and 84 %, respectively. In contrast, the sensitivity of Lugol staining microscopy was only 18 %. This work presents a unique ELISA test that provides an alternative to the use of microscopy, currently most widely used method. The test enables high-throughput screening and diagnosis of Blastocystis, adaptation to automatic procedures.
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Intermittent and mild persistent asthma are defined according to symptom frequency and spirometry and treated differently. To our knowledge, there is no study comparing airway inflammation between intermittent and mild persistent... more
Intermittent and mild persistent asthma are defined according to symptom frequency and spirometry and treated differently. To our knowledge, there is no study comparing airway inflammation between intermittent and mild persistent asthmatic children. Children aged 7-16 years, referred to our pediatric allergy clinic for recurrent respiratory complaints underwent a detailed clinical history and spirometry with reversibility. None of the subjects had been using regular anti-inflammatory treatment. After a 2-week run-in period during which asthma symptoms were recorded, exhaled NO measurement, bronchial provocation test with adenosine monophosphate and methacholine and sputum induction were performed. Data of patients with intermittent and mild persistent asthma and a control group were compared. Thirty intermittent, 26 mild persistent asthmatic children, and 21 control subjects were studied. Sputum was obtained from 19 of intermittent asthmatics (63.3%), 18 of mild persistent asthmatics (69.2%), and 13 of control subjects (61.9%). Eosinophil count and exhaled nitric oxide were not different between asthmatic groups. Neutrophil count of children with mild persistent asthma was higher than the intermittent asthmatic group (P = 0.003). Geometric mean of PC20 methacoline values were not different between groups (P = 0.058). Geometric mean of PC20 AMP was lower among patients with mild persistent asthma (P = 0.102). Eosinophilic airway inflammation and direct BHR may not be significantly different in intermittent asthmatic children from their peers with mild persistent disease. Neutrophilic airway inflammation and BHR to an indirect stimuli are more pronounced in the mild persistent group.
Research Interests: Inflammation, Asthma, Adolescent, Humans, Child, and 13 moreNitric oxide, Female, Male, Pediatric Pulmonology, Neutrophils, Eosinophils, Spirometry, Biological markers, Sputum, bronchial hyperreactivity (BHR), Case Control Studies, Severity of Illness Index, and Paediatrics and reproductive medicine
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Objective. Schizophrenia is a pervasive neuropsychiatric disease of uncertain etiology. We aimed to investigate a possible association between Toxoplasma gondii infection and schizophrenia in this study. Method. We selected individuals... more
Objective. Schizophrenia is a pervasive neuropsychiatric disease of uncertain etiology. We aimed to investigate a possible association between Toxoplasma gondii infection and schizophrenia in this study. Method. We selected individuals with schizophrenia (n=88) and tested them with commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for anti-Toxoplasma IgG and IgM antibodies and compared these seropositivity rate to those of controls without psychiatric disease (n=88). Results. The rate of IgG antibody in the schizophrenia patients (47.7%) was higher than the control groups (20.4%) (P&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;0.001). We did not find any anti-Toxoplasma IgM seropositivity in both schizophrenia patients and control group. In schizophrenic patients with and without anti-Toxoplasma IgG groups statistical analysis did not reveal any correlation between demographic variables and Toxoplasma infection. Conclusion. Our findings supported previous studies indicate that T.gondii may play a role in etiopathogenesis in some cases of schizophrenia.
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To investigate which cytokines are produced after acute infection of mice with Toxoplasma gondii (T. Gondii) RH strain.