Browsing by Author "Harman M."
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Item Leishmaniasis in Turkey: First clinical isolation of Leishmania major from 18 autochthonous cases of cutaneous leishmaniasis in four geographical regions(Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 2016) Özbilgin A.; Çulha G.; Uzun S.; Harman M.; Topal S.G.; Okudan F.; Zeyrek F.; Gündüz C.; Östan I.; Karakuş M.; Töz S.; Kurt Ö.; Akyar I.; Erat A.; Güngör D.; Kayabaşi Ç.; Çavuş I.; Bastien P.; Pratlong F.; Kocagöz T.; Özbel Y.Objective: To report isolation of Leishmania major strains obtained from 18 Turkish autochthonous cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) patients infected with L. major between 2011 and 2014. Methods: Initial diagnosis relied on microscopy and culture in enriched medium, prepared by adding specific amounts of liver extract, protein and lipid sources to NNN medium. Promastigotes were then transferred to RPMI medium including 10% of foetal calf serum for mass culture. Species-specific real-time PCR targeting ITS1 region of Leishmania spp. was performed using both lesion aspiration samples and cultured promastigotes. Two of 18 isolates were identified by isoenzyme analysis in the Leishmaniasis Reference Center in Montpellier, France. Each isolate was inoculated into the footpads of six mice to observe the pathogenicity of L. major. Developing lesions were observed, and the thickening of footpads was measured weekly. Results: Melting curve analyses of 18 isolates showed a peak concordant with L. major, and two of them were confirmed by isoenzyme analyses as L. major zymodeme MON103. In the mouse model, acute lesions seen on day 21 were accepted as an indication of heavy infection. Severe impairments were observed on all mouse footpads over 3 weeks, which even progressed to extremity amputation. Conclusion: Cutaneous leishmaniasis-causing L. major was recently identified in Adana province in southern Turkey, with PCR. Our study shows that such CL cases are not limited to Adana but currently present from western to Southeastern Anatolia, and along the Mediterranean coast. The role of small mammals, the main reservoirs of L. major in Anatolia, needs to be elucidated, as do the underlying factors that cause severe clinical manifestations in L. major infections in Turkey, contrary to the infections in neighbouring countries. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.Item Leishmaniasis in Turkey: Visceral and cutaneous leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania donovani in Turkey(Elsevier B.V., 2017) Özbilgin A.; Harman M.; Karakuş M.; Bart A.; Töz S.; Kurt Ö.; Çavuş İ.; Polat E.; Gündüz C.; Van Gool T.; Özbel Y.In Turkey, the main causative agents are Leishmania tropica (L. tropica) and Leishmania infantum (L. infantum) for cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) and L. infantum for visceral leishmaniasis (VL). In this study, we investigated leishmaniasis cases caused by L. donovani and established animal models for understanding its tropism in in vivo conditions. Clinical samples (lesion aspirations and bone marrow) obtained from CL/VL patients were investigated using parasitological (smear/NNN) and DNA-based techniques. For species identification, a real time ITS1-PCR was performed using isolates and results were confirmed by hsp70 PCR-N/sequencing and cpb gene PCR/sequencing in order to reveal Leishmania donovani and Leishmania infantum discrimination. Clinical materials from CL and VL patients were also inoculated into two experimental groups (Group CL and Group VL) of Balb/C mice intraperitoneally for creating clinical picture of Turkish L. donovani strains. After 45 days, the samples from visible sores of the skin were taken, and spleens and livers were removed. Measurements of the internal organs were done and touch preparations were prepared for checking the presence of amastigotes. The strains were isolated from all patients and amastigotes were seen in all smears of the patients, and then isolates were immediately stored in liquid nitrogen. In real time ITS1-PCR, the melting temperatures of all samples were out of range of L. infantum, L. tropica and L. major. Sequencing of hsp70 PCR-N showed that all isolates highly identical to previously submitted L. donovani sequences in GenBank, and cpb gene sequencing showed five isolates had longer cpbF allele, whereas one isolate contained a mixed sequence of both cpbF and cpbE. All mice in both experimental groups became infected. Compared to controls, the length and width of both liver and spleen were significantly elevated (p < 0.001) in both groups of mice. However, the weight of the liver increased significantly in all mice whereas the weight of spleen increased only in VL group. Amastigotes were also seen in all touch preparations prepared from skin sores, spleen and liver. L. donovani strain was isolated from autocutaneous a VL patient first time in Turkey. Animal models using clinical samples were successfully established and important clinical differences of the isolated strains were observed. © 2017 Elsevier B.V.Item Infecting glial cells with antimony resistant Leishmania tropica: A new ex-vivo model; [Glia Hücrelerinin Antimona Dirençli Leishmania tropica ile Enfekte Edilmesi: Yeni Bir ex-vivo Modeli](Ankara Microbiology Society, 2018) Zorbozan O.; Harman M.; Evren V.; Erdoǧan M.A.; Kilavuz A.; Tunali V.; Çavuş I.; Yilmaz O.; Özbilgin A.; Turgay N.Leishmaniasis is a vector-borne zoonotic disease that shows different clinical features like cutaneous, mucocutaneous, visceral and viscerotropic forms. The protocols used in the treatment of leishmaniasis are toxic and have many limitations during administration. One of the limitations of treatment is the resistance against the protocols in practice. There is also a need to define new treatment options especially for resistant patients. Ex-vivo models using primary cell cultures may be a good source for evaluating new drug options in patients with antimony resistance, in addition to in-vitro and in-vivo studies. In this study, it was aimed to define a new ex-vivo culture model to evaluate treatment options in patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis who did not respond to treatment. In our experimental model of ex-vivo infection, Leishmania tropica promastigotes isolated from a case previously diagnosed with cutaneous leishmaniasis were used. The primary astroglial cell culture used for the ex-vivo model was prepared from 2-3 days old neonatal Sprague Dawley rat brains under sterile conditions by the modification McCarthy's method. The astroglia cells, which reached sufficient density, were infected with antimony resistant Ltropica promastigotes. After 24 hours of incubation, the supernatant on the cells were collected, the cell culture plate was dried at room temperature, then fixed with methyl alcohol and stained with Giemsa to search for Ltropica amastigotes. Amastigotes were intensely observed in glia cells in primary cell cultures infected with Ltropica promastigotes. No promastigotes were seen on Giemsa stained preparations of the precipitates prepared from the bottom sediment after the centrifugation of the liquid medium removed from the infected plates. In this study, promastigotes from a cutaneous leishmaniasis patient unable to respond to pentavalent antimony therapy were shown to infect rat glia cells and converted to amastigote form. This amastigote glial cell model, as far as we know, is the first model in the literature produced by Ltropica. The occurrence of Ltropica amastigote forms in glia cells may be indicative of the ability of Leishmania species to infect the central nervous system. The central nervous system may be an area for the Leishmania amastigotes to escape from the immune system in cases of leishmaniasis without a treatment response. Our study is important because it is the first study to show the infection of glia cells with L.tropica amastigotes. © 2018 Ankara Microbiology Society. All rights reserved.Item The diagnostic value of lesional skin smears performed by experienced specialist in cutaneous leishmaniasis and routine microbiology laboratory; [Kutanöz Leishmaniasiste Deneyimli Uzman ve Rutin Mikrobiyoloji Laboratuvarı Tarafından Yapılan Lezyonal Yaymaların Tanısal Değeri](Turkish Society of Hematology, 2019) An İ.; Harman M.; Çavuş İ.; Özbilgin A.Objective: Leishmaniasis is a common vector-borne infection affecting 12 million people in 98 countries. The most frequently used method in diagnosis is the microscopic investigation of the leishmania smears. The diagnostic value of this method varies according to the experience of the evaluator. In this prospective study, it was aimed to emphasize the importance of experience in the evaluation of lesional smears used in the diagnosis of cutaneous leishmaniasis. Methods: In this study, patients who were admitted to Dicle University Medical Faculty Hospital Dermatological and Venereal Diseases Outpatient Clinic between January and December 2016 and who had lesions with suspicious cutaneous leishmaniasis were included. For all the cases, both in the routine microbiology laboratory and in the diagnosis and treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis, separate smears were performed by an experienced specialist and evaluated independently from each other. Results: In 70 of 98 cases studied, the diagnosis of cutaneous leishmaniasis was confirmed by laboratory evaluations. The rate of positivity was significantly higher in the smears analyzed by experienced specialist in the clinical and diagnosis of cutaneous leishmaniasis (95.7%) than in the smears analyzed by the routine microbiology laboratory (42.9%) (p<0.001). Conclusion: The data in our study showed that smears should be performed and evaluated by experienced specialists in the clinical and diagnosis of cutaneous leishmaniasis. © Telif Hakkı 2019 Türk Dermatoloji Derneği.Item The current clinical and geographical situation of cutaneous leishmaniasis based on species identification in Turkey(Elsevier B.V., 2019) Özbilgin A.; Töz S.; Harman M.; Günaştı Topal S.; Uzun S.; Okudan F.; Güngör D.; Erat A.; Ertabaklar H.; Ertuğ S.; Gündüz C.; Çavuş İ.; Karakuş M.; Östan Ural İ.; Ölgen M.K.; Kayabaşı Ç.; Kurt Ö.; Özbel Y.Leishmaniases are a group of vector-borne diseases caused by the members of Leishmania genus, and there are three main clinical forms of the infection as visceral, cutaneous, and mucocutaneous. Cutaneous leishmaniasis is a growing public health problem in Turkey due to increasing detection of autochthonous cases caused by L. major and L. donovani in some regions in addition to Syrian imported cases. For this reason, we aimed to evaluate the current epidemiological situation of CL in the view of causative agents and their geographical distribution throughout Turkey. The samples were collected from 356 CL patients admitted to different centers in 18 provinces between January 2013 and December 2016. Direct microscopy, culture (regular and enriched NNN) and molecular techniques (real-time ITS1 PCR and hsp70 PCR/sequencing) were performed. By molecular techniques, 299, 28, 19 and 10 isolates/clinical samples were identified as L. tropica, L. major, L. infantum and L. donovani, respectively. Most of the patients (65.73%) had one lesion usually on their face/head. Dry-nodular type lesions (n = 291) were mainly associated with L. tropica while L. major was mainly found related to wet-ulcerative ones. Leishmaniasis recidivans was also detected in 2.52% among 356 patients. L. tropica was detected as most widespread species causing CL in Turkey. L. infantum and L. major was also found in one third of the provinces. Enriched NNN culture was worked well for isolating the parasite and 346 isolates were successfully grown and stored in liquid nitrogen. The comparison of all diagnostic techniques showed that the parasitological positivity rate could increase if the combination of direct microscopy and real-time ITS1 PCR is used. Besides well-known anthroponotic L. tropica cases, the increasing detection of CL cases caused by zoonotic species, L. infantum and L. major, is one of the most important findings in the present study. In our opinion to ensure timely and accurate diagnosis, proper treatment and countrywide effective control of CL in Turkey a systematic approach is needed on the base of information about characteristics of lesions and patients and epidemiological features of the disease. © 2018 Elsevier B.V.Item Comparison of in vitro Resistance of Wild Leishmania İsolates, Which are Resistant to Pentavalent Antimonial Compounds, Against Drugs Used in the Treatment of Leishmaniasis; [Pentavalent Antimonial Bileşiklere Dirençli Vahşi Leishmania İzolatlarının Leishmaniasis Tedavisinde Kullanılan İlaçlara Karşı in vitro Dirençlerinin Karşılaştırılması](Galenos Publishing House, 2020) Özbilgin A.; Çavuş İ.; Kaya T.; Yıldırım A.; Harman M.Objective: Meglumine antimoniate (Glucantime®) and Sodium stibogluconate (Pentostam®) are used for the treatment of cutaneous leismaniasis in Turkey. There is a reported resistance to these drugs in recent years. The aim of the present study was to compare the in vitro sensitivities of resistant Leishmania isolates against Amphotericin B, Miltefosine, Meglumine Antimoniate, Paromomycin and Sodium Stibogluconate. Methods: Five Leishmania isolates of patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis, who showed no clinical recovery despite two consecutive meglumine antimoniate treatments, which were stored in the Parasite Bank in Manisa Celal Bayar University Medical Faculty were selected. They were genotyped with Real-Time PCR using specific primers and probes to ITS1 region. Drug resistance levels of each Leishmania isolate were analysed for Amphotericin B, Miltefosine, Meglumine Antimoniate, Paromomycin, and Sodium Stibogluconate at concentrations of 500, 250, 125, 50, 25 µg/mL with XTT method and hemocytometer. Results: It was observed that the resistant Leishmania tropica isolates showed no resistance to Amphotericin B, and were sensitive to Miltefosine, Sodium Stibogluconate, Paromomycin and Meglumin Antimonate, respectively. In addition, Leishmania tropica (MHOM/AZ/1974/SAF-K27) isolate of the control group could stay viable in none of the drug concentrations of five agents in the study. Conclusion: It was determined that none of the selected resistant L. tropica isolates showed resistance to Amphotericin B and that was also shown statistically (p<0.05). The results of this study are important in guiding clinicians and researchers who conduct studies on drugs and search for new drug molecules. © 2020 Turkish Society for Parasitology.Item Refugees at the Crossroads of Continents: A Molecular Approach for Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Among Refugees in Turkey(Springer, 2020) Özbilgin A.; Gencoglan G.; Tunali V.; Çavuş İ.; Yıldırım A.; Gündüz C.; Harman M.Purpose: Due to mass population movements driven by internal conflicts and wars, cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is becoming increasingly important in Turkey. This study is aimed at determining the clinical aspects, diagnosis and genotyping of CL patients coming to Turkey from abroad. Methods: In our study, the clinical materials obtained from the patients or sent for diagnostic purposes from other centers to our laboratory between years 2012 and 2016 were assessed retrospectively. In total, there were 38 patients from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, and Turkmenistan. Results: 29 (76%), 28 (73%) and 33 (87%) samples were positive by light microscopy, Novy-McNeal-Nicolle(NNN), and enriched medium, respectively. By ITS-1 gene region PCR, 31 (81%) of the cases were positive. 35 of the patients were tested positive by at least one of the diagnostic methods. By genotyping, 21 Leishmania tropica, 8 Leishmania major, 3 Leismania infantum, 2 Leishmania donovani, and 1 Leishmania aethopica were detected. Conclusion: This study is aimed at informing the clinicians working in the field for the import CL cases and recording the changing epidemiological features of CL in the region as well as discussing the possible focus for L. aethiopica infection which has not been shown in the region before. © 2019, Witold Stefański Institute of Parasitology, Polish Academy of Sciences.Item Contribution of "complete response to treatment" to survival in patients with unresectable metastatic colorectal cancer: A retrospective analysis(Public Library of Science, 2021) Bulut G.; Oytun M.G.; Almuradova E.; Harman M.; Uslu R.; Karabulut B.Background The aim of the study is to reveal the contribution of complete response (CR) to treatment to overall survival (OS) in patients with unresectable metastatic colorectal cancer. In addition, to evaluate progression-free survival (PFS) in patients who attained CR to treatment and to examine the clinicopathologic features of the patient group with CR. Methods This article is a retrospective chart review. Patients diagnosed with metastatic colorectal cancer were divided into two groups. The systemic treatment was compared with the patients who received a full response according to the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST1.1) and those who did not attain CR (progression partial response and stable response) in terms of both PFS and OS data, and the effect of attaining CR to treatment on prognosis was evaluated. Results A total of 222 patients were included in the study. 202 of 222 patients could be evaluated in terms of complete response. All data from their files were tabulated and analyzed retrospectively. The mean age of diagnosis of the study group was 60.13 ± 12.52 years. The total number of patients who attained CR to treatment was 31 (15.3%); 171 (84.6%) patients did not attain CR. Patients who had a CR had longer median PFS times than patients who did not have a CR (15.2 vs. 7.4 months, P<0.001). Patients who had CR had longer median survival times than patients who did not have a CR (39.2 vs. 16.9 months, P<0.001). In subgroup patients who underwent primary surgery, the number of patients who attained CR was statistically higher compared with the number of patients who did not attain CR (p<0.001). Complete response was less common in the presence of liver metastasis and bone metastasis (p = 0.041 and p = 0.046, respectively), had a negative prognostic effect. In other words, 89.1% of patients with liver metastasis, 100.0% of patients with bone metastasis, and 88.7% of those who died did not have a CR to the treatment. According to multivariate analysis, CR to treatment, primary surgery, first-line chemotherapy (combination compared with fluoropyrimidine), and no bone metastasis were found to be predictors for OS. Conclusion Providing CR with systemic treatment in patients with unresectable metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) contributes to prognosis. The primary resection in our secondary acquisitions from the study, the number of metastatic regions and the combination therapy regimens also contributed to the prognosis. © 2021 Bulut et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.Item A multicentre prospective analysis of the incidence of pemphigoid diseases in Turkey(John Wiley and Sons Inc, 2021) Durdu M.; Bozca B.C.; Enli S.; Yazıcı Özgen Z.; Yaylı S.; Aktan Ş.; Mutlu D.; Erturan I.; Ayvaz Çelik H.H.; Melikoğlu M.; Pala E.; Gürsel Ürün Y.; Harman M.; Şavk E.; Işık S.; Duygulu Ş.; İmren I.G.; Fettahlıoğlu Karaman B.; Kaya Erdoğan H.; Kılıç A.; Özçelik S.; Inan K.; Yılmaz M.A.; Şanlı H.E.; Kalay Yıldızhan İ.; Mülayim M.K.; Çiçek D.; Demir B.; Yasak Güner R.; Baykal Selçuk L.; Gündüz K.; Daye M.; Borlu M.; Solak E.O.; Dizman D.; Güneş B.; Ozkur E.; Polat M.; Eskiocak A.H.; Uzun S.Background: The differentiation between the pemphigoid diseases is essential for treatment and prognosis. In Turkey, data on the incidence of these diseases are insufficient. Our aim in this study is to determine the incidence, demographics and clinical characteristics associated with diseases of the pemphigoid group. Methods: We prospectively analysed 295 patients with pemphigoid who visited dermatology clinics of tertiary referral hospitals in 12 different regions of Turkey within a year. The diagnosis was based on clinical, histopathological, direct immunofluorescence (DIF) and serological (multivariant enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay [ELISA], indirect immunofluorescence and mosaic-based BIOCHIP) examinations. Clinical and demographic findings, aetiological factors and concomitant diseases observed in the patients were recorded. Results: A total of 295 (female/male ratio: 1.7/1) patients with pemphigoid were diagnosed in 1-year period. The overall incidence rate of pemphigoid diseases was found to be 3.55 cases per million-years. The ratio of pemphigoid group diseases to pemphigus group diseases was 1.6. The most common pemphigoid type was bullous pemphigoid (BP, 93.2%). The others were epidermolysis bullosa acquisita (3.1%), pemphigoid gestationis (2.4%), linear IgA disease (1%) and mucous membrane pemphigoid (0.3%). The most common (26.8%) possible trigger of the bullous pemphigoid was gliptin derivative drugs. The most common concomitant diseases with pemphigoid were cardiovascular (27.8%) and neurological diseases (23.7%). Conclusions: This study showed that the increased frequency of bullous pemphigoid reversed the pemphigoid/pemphigus ratio in Turkey. Further studies are warranted regarding the reasons for this increase. © 2021 The Australasian College of DermatologistsItem Evaluating the Glucantime Concentration for the ex vivo Glial Cell Model of Antimony-resistant Leishmania tropica Amastigotes; [Antimon Dirençli Leishmania tropica Amastigotlarının ex vivo Glial Hücre Modeli için Glukantim Konsantrasyonunun Değerlendirilmesi](Galenos Publishing House, 2021) Zorbozan O.; Evren V.; Harman M.; Özbilgin A.; Yılmaz Ö.A.; Turgay N.Objective: Because the protocols used in the treatment of leishmaniasis can be toxic and have many limitations, such as the development of resistance against such protocols, new treatment options are needed, especially against resistant patients. Ex vivo models may be a good source for evaluating new drug options for patients with antimony-resistant parasites. This study aimed to evaluate the Glucantime concentration for our ex vivo glial cell amastigote model we had defined in previous work. Methods: We prepared the astroglial cell culture from brains of 2 to 3 day old neonatal Sprague-Dawley rats under sterile conditions by modifying McCarthy’s method. Four plates of cells were infected with antimony-resistant Leishmania tropica promastigotes. After 24 h of incubation, we added Glucantime to 3 plates with different concentrations. After 72 h, we removed the supernatant and then dried, fixed, and stained the plates with Giemsa to count the amastigotes in the glial cells. Results: We observed the amastigotes in glial cells in the control flask. Glial cells were ruined in flasks, which include 75 µg/ mL and 37.5 µg/mL Glucantime. The number of amastigotes per 100 glial cells was 116 for the flask with 7.5 µg/mL Glucantime concentration, while 487 for the control flask. Conclusion: We found that while high concentrations of Glucantime were toxic for glial cells, 7.5 µg/mL Glucantime concentration managed to reduce the number of Leishmania tropica amastigotes in glial cells. © 2021 Turkish Society for Parasitology-Available online at www.turkiyeparazitolderg.orgItem Determination of antimony resistance mechanism of leishmania tropica causing cutaneous leishmaniasis in Turkey; [Türkiye’de kutanöz leyşmanyazis etkeni leishmania tropica’da antimon direnç mekanizmasının belirlenmesi](Ankara Microbiology Society, 2021) Özbilgin A.; Zeyrek F.Y.; Güray M.Z.; Çulha G.; Akyar I.; Harman M.; Özbel Y.; Ertabaklar H.; Çavuş İ.; Gündüz C.World Health Organization reported that approximately one billion people are at risk in endemic areas, one million cases of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) and approximately 300,000 cases of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) were reported per year in the last five years. The number of deaths due to VL is reported to be approximately 20,000 per year. Approximately 2500 cases/year have been reported as CL, caused by Leishmania tropica and Leishmania infantum, in Turkey. The significant increase observed in many cities mainly in the provinces of Mediterranean and Aegean regions in cases and foci in recent years, suggests that there may be an increase in this infections in the following years as well. In Turkey, the causative agent of CL is L.tropica and meglumine antimoniate is used in the treatment of CL. We aimed to determine antimony resistance genes specific for L.tropica by comparing the gene and protein expressions of antimony-resistant and non-resistant L.tropica strains. L.tropica isolates obtained from 3 CL patients without antimonate resistance from Aegean, Mediterranean and Southeastern regions of Turkey were provided to transform into 3 resistant isolates against meglumine antimony in the laboratory conditions. Gene expression alterations by microarray method; protein profiles by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2D-PAGE) and relevant proteins by MALDI-TOF/TOF MS of these isolates were accomplished and compared. L.tropica isolates from 10 CL patients who did not respond to antimony therapy were analyzed for resistance to antimonial compounds and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was performed to detect the expression of genes responsible for resistance development. Moreover, differences in protein expression levels in isolates with and without antimony resistance were determined by comparing protein profiles and identification of proteins with different expression levels was carried out. Enolase, elongation factor-2, heat shock protein 70, tripanthione reductase, protein kinase C and metallo-peptidase proteins have been shown to play roles in L.tropica isolates developing resistance to antimonial compounds and similar expression changes have also been demonstrated in naturally resistant isolates from patients. In conclusion, it was revealed that L.tropica strains in our country may gain resistance to meglumine antimoniate in a short time. It is foreseen that if the patients living in our country or entering the country are treated inadequately and incompletely, there may be new, resistant leishmaniasis foci that may increase the number of resistant strains and cases rapidly. © 2020 Ankara Microbiology Society. All rights reserved.Item Overcoming the Challenge; In Vivo Efficacy of Miltefosine for Chronic Cutaneous Leishmaniasis(Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH, 2021) Tunalı V.; Harman M.; Çavuş İ.; Gündüz C.; Özbilgin A.; Turgay N.Background: Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (CL) is the most common form of leishmaniasis. CL can be divided into two major groups: acute CL (ACL) and chronic CL (CCL). The aim of this study is to compare the efficacy of miltefosin and pentavalent antimony compounds in vivo with the CCL patient samples. Materials: Three study groups were formed, each consisting of five male Mus musculus (Balb/C) mice. In this model, promastigotes from the culture of a CCL patient were utilized. 100 μL L. tropica promastigote suspension with a density of 108 promastigotes/ml were injected into the hint-right footpad of each experimental animal intradermally. Footpads of the mice were measured every two weeks until 24th week. From the 13th week, miltefosin 50 mg/kg/day was administered orally using gavage for 21 days, Meglumin antimoniate (MA) was administered by intramuscular (IM) injection daily for 21 days at 50 mg/kg/day and saline was administered IM for 21 days for the miltefosine, MA and control group, respectively. Results: The footpad measurements of the miltefosine group were lower than the control group statistically. Between the MA group and the miltefosine group and MA group and the control group, there was no statistically significant difference. Giemsa stained slides revealed amastigotes in one, two and all of the slides for the miltefosine, MA and control group, respectively. Molecular tests were performed with the Rotor-Gene device and L. tropica consistent peaks were obtained in one of the miltefosine group, four in the MA group and all mice in the control group. Conclusions: Demonstration of both clinical and laboratory improvement in four of the five experimental animals provides strong evidence that miltefosine is an effective drug in the treatment of CCL. In the literature, no clinical or laboratory studies using miltefosine have been performed with CCL patients only. © 2020, Witold Stefański Institute of Parasitology, Polish Academy of Sciences.Item Investigation of in vitro Efficacy of Miltefosine on Chronic Cutaneous Leishmaniasis; [Kronik Kutanöz Leishmaniasis’te Miltefosin Etkinliğinin in vitro Olarak Araştırılması](Galenos Publishing House, 2022) Tunalı V.; Harman M.; Çavuş İ.; Zorbozan O.; Özbilgin A.; Turgay N.Objective: Leishmaniasis is the second deadliest parasitic disease in the World Health Organisation’s list of neglected diseases, following malaria. Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is the most common form of the disease and it is one of the few communicable diseases with increasing incidence rates owing to factors like armed conflicts and climate change. CL can be divided into two major groups: Acute CL (ACL) and chronic CL (CCL). The aim of this study was to compare the in vitro efficacy of miltefosine and pentavalent antimony compounds in the CCL patient samples. Methods: Five isolates previously isolated from 5 CCL patients were included in this study. Genotyping is performed using internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS 1) gene region real-time PCR. In vitro drug efficacy tests were applied to determine their activity against meglumine antimoniate (MA) and miltefosine. Serial dilutions (512, 256, 128, 64, 32, 16, 8 and 4 µg/mL) prepared from MA and miltefosine were prepared in 96-well flat-bottom cell culture plates and incubated at 24 °C for 48 hours. The efficacy of the drug on Leishmania spp. promastigotes after 24 and 48 hours was evaluated by hemocytometer slide and XTT cell viability test. Results: All of the samples were genotyped as L. tropica. Evaluation of 24 and 48 hours showed, 128 µg/mL and 256 µg/mL and 32 µg/mL and 64 µg/ mL concentrations of miltefosine and MA were enough to kill all the promastigotes respectively. The results of the hemocytometer slide and XTT were consistent. Conclusion: There are no studies investigating the in vitro efficacy of miltefosine with the CCL patient group. To overcome the treatment challenges experienced in this special patient group, more studies are needed. According to our results, it is concluded that miltefosine is efficient for the treatment of CCL and further clinical studies with miltefosine will reveal valuable data. © 2022 Turkish Society for Parasitology.Item Evaluation of abdominal computed tomography findings in patients with COVID-19: a multicenter study(Galenos Publishing House, 2023) Onur M.R.; Özbay Y.; İdilman İ.; Karaosmanoğlu A.D.; Ramadan S.U.; Barlık F.; Aydın S.; Odaman H.; Altay C.; Akın I.B.; Dicle O.; Appak Ö.; Gülpınar B.; Erden A.; Kula S.; Çoruh A.G.; Öz D.K.; Kul M.; Uzun Ç.; Karavaş E.; Levent A.; Artaş H.; Eryeşil H.; Solmaz O.; Kaygusuz T.Ö.; Faraşat M.; Kale A.B.; Düzgün F.; Pekindil G.; Apaydın F.D.; Duce M.N.; Balcı Y.; Esen K.; Kahraman A.S.; Karaca L.; Özdemir Z.M.; Kahraman B.; Tosun M.; Nural M.S.; Çamlıdağ İ.; Onar M.A.; Ballı K.; Güler E.; Harman M.; Elmas N.Z.; Öztürk C.; Güngör Ö.; Herek D.; Yağcı A.B.; Erol C.; Şeker M.; İşlek İ.; Can Y.; Aslan S.; Bilgili M.Y.K.; Göncüoğlu A.; Keleş H.; Bekin Sarıkaya P.Z.; Bakır B.; Dağoğlu Kartal M.G.; Durak G.; Oğuzdoğan G.Y.; Alper F.; Yalçın A.; Gürel S.; Alan B.; Gündoğdu E.; Aydın N.; Cansu A.; Kuş C.C.; Tuncer E.O.; Pişkin F.C.; Çolakoğlu Er H.; Değirmenci B.; Özmen M.N.; Kantarcı M.; Karçaaltıncaba M.PURPOSE To evaluate the frequency of abdominal computed tomography (CT) findings in patients with coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) and interrogate the relationship between abdominal CT findings and patient demographic features, clinical findings, and laboratory test results as well as the CT atherosclerosis score in the abdominal aorta. METHODS This study was designed as a multicenter retrospective study. The abdominal CT findings of 1.181 patients with positive abdominal symptoms from 26 tertiary medical centers with a positive polymerase chain-reaction test for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 were reviewed. The frequency of ischemic and non-ischemic CT findings as well as the association between CT findings, clinical features, and abdominal aortic calcific atherosclerosis score (AA-CAS) were recorded. RESULTS Ischemic and non-ischemic abdominal CT findings were detected in 240 (20.3%) and 328 (27.7%) patients, respectively. In 147 patients (12.4%), intra-abdominal malignancy was present. The most frequent ischemic abdominal CT findings were bowel wall thickening (n = 120; 10.2%) and perivascular infiltration (n = 40; 3.4%). As for non-ischemic findings, colitis (n = 91; 7.7%) and small bowel inflammation (n = 73; 6.2%) constituted the most frequent disease processes. The duration of hospital stay was found to be higher in patients with abdominal CT findings than in patients without any positive findings (13.8 ± 13 vs. 10.4 ± 12.8 days, P < 0.001). The frequency of abdominal CT findings was significantly higher in patients who did not survive the infection than in patients who were discharged after recovery (41.7% vs. 27.4%, P < 0.001). Increased AA-CAS was found to be associated with a higher risk of ischemic conditions in abdominal CT examinations. CONCLUSION Abdominal symptoms in patients with COVID-19 are usually associated with positive CT findings. The presence of ischemic findings on CT correlates with poor COVID-19 outcomes. A high AA-CAS is associated with abdominal ischemic findings in patients with COVID-19. © 2023, Galenos Publishing House. All rights reserved.Item Investigation of Malaria, Leishmaniasis, and Scabies Risk after Earthquakes and Recommendations for Prevention; [Depremlerin Ardından Sıtma, Leishmaniasis ve Uyuz Riskinin İncelenmesi ve Korunma Önerileri](Galenos Publishing House, 2023) Tunalı V.; Harman M.; Özbilgin A.This study examines the risk of malaria, leishmaniasis, and scabies following earthquakes in southeastern Türkiye. The focus is on the impact on the local population and Syrian immigrants. Recommendations for prevention include vector control measures such as indoor residual spraying and distribution of insecticidal nets. Surveillance and early detection through rapid diagnostic tests and active case finding are important. Public awareness campaigns and community engagement are crucial for promoting protective measures. Strengthening healthcare infrastructure, providing essential supplies, and capacity building is essential. For leishmaniasis, early detection and treatment, vector control, health education, and community engagement are vital. Scabies outbreaks affect the socioeconomically depressed local population and Syrian immigrants. Early detection, treatment, contact tracing, health education, hygiene promotion, and improved living conditions are necessary. Implementing these interventions and strategies can effectively prevent, control, and manage these diseases. Tailoring approaches to the specific context and needs of affected communities is crucial. By addressing these challenges, we can protect the health and well-being of the affected population. © Telif hakkı 2023 Türkiye Parazitoloji Derneği-Makale.