Browsing by Author "Ozbakkaloglu, B"

Now showing 1 - 11 of 11
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    In vitro activity of ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin and levofloxacin against Mycobacterium tuberculosis
    Akcali, S; Surucuoglu, S; Cicek, C; Ozbakkaloglu, B
    BACKGROUND:The increasing incidence of drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis necessitates therapeutic alternatives. The fluoroquinolones fulfill most of the criteria for an ideal class of antimycobacterial drugs. The aim of the present study was to determine to in vitro activities of ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin, and levofloxacin against M. tuberculosis strains. METHODS: Susceptibility to four antituberculous drugs used in first-line treatment of tuberculosis was tested in 100 strains isolated from clinical samples. Nineteen strains (19%) were resistant to at least one of the four antituberculous drugs and 13 were multidrug resistant. The in vitro antimycobacterial activity of ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin, and levofloxacin was then determined against 100 M. tuberculosis strains using standard agar proportion dilution method. RESULTS: Ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin, and levofloxacin were active against all tested strains of M. tuberculosis in vitro. CONCLUSIONS: Ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin, and levofloxacin have relatively potent in vitro activity against M. tuberculosis. Further in vivo studies are needed to determine the role of these compounds in the treatment of tuberculosis, but use should be limited to special circumstances rather than first-line treatment.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Characterization of rpoB mutations by line probe assay in rifampicin-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis clinical isolates from the Aegean region in Turkey
    Ozkutuk, N; Gazi, H; Surucuoglu, S; Gunduz, A; Ozbakkaloglu, B
    The nature and frequency of mutations in the rpoB gene of rifampicin (RIF)-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis clinical isolates vary considerably according to the geographical location, and very little information is available regarding specific mutational patterns in our country. The main objective of this study was to determine the frequency of mutations in the hypervariable region of the rpoB gene in RIF-resistant M. tuberculosis isolates recovered from tuberculosis patients in our region by using the INNO-LiPA Rif. TB kit and to evaluate the performance of the kit for the detection of RIF-resistance. Mutations associated with RIF resistance were studied by line probe assay (LiPA) in 65 RIF-resistant and 56 RIF-susceptible M. tuberculosis strains isolated from different patients in the Aegean region of Turkey. The LiPA identified all susceptible strains (100%) as RIF-sensitive and 63 of 65 (96.9%) phenotypically documented RIF-resistant M. tuberculosis isolates as RIF-resistant, with specific detection of mutation in 44 (67.7%) isolates, whilst 2 strains were identified as RIF-susceptible. The R5-pattern (Ser-531-Leu mutation) was the most frequently observed (35 of 65, 53.8%), followed by the Delta S2-pattern (7.7%) and Delta S4-pattern (7.7%).
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Does chronic exercise alter immune parameters in postmenopausal women?
    Karadeniz, G; Buyukyazi, G; Gunduz, T; Kutlu, N; Ozbakkaloglu, B
    The aim of this study was to determine the effect of chronic exercise on immune functions. Eighteen postmenopausal women were included in the study: nine were undertaking chronic exercise (exercise group) and the other nine were sedentary (control group). The exercise group had been training for 7.2 h per week for 19.9 years, The subjects were chosen among postmenopausal women to eliminate any effects of menstrual cycle on the immune system. The subjects were paired and reported to the Human Performance Laboratory twice a week between 8:00 and 10:00 a.m. In the first visit, body composition and aerobic capacity were measured. In the second visit, their blood samples were drawn and screened immediately. VO(2)max was significantly higher in the exercise group. The leukocyte and lymphocyte subset data comparions demonstrated no significant difference between the exercise group and the control group. Only IgA was significantly higher in the exercise group than in the control group (p = 0.005). The results of this investigation indicate that chronic exercise training does not significantly alter concentrations of T and B lymphocytes or T lymphocyte subsets. However, a significant increase in IgA levels may occur, leading to changes in immune response.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Serum hepatitis B DNA: stability in relation to multiple freeze-thaw procedures
    Sanlidag, T; Akcali, S; Ozbakkaloglu, B
    Quantitation of hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA is often performed in specimens that have been frozen and thawed more than once. It is important to establish whether viral load measurements are affected by repeated freeze-thaw cycles. The effect of multiple freeze-thaw cycles on HBV DNA quantitation was carried out by testing serum specimens subjected to I (baseline) to 10 cycles with the appropriate Digene Hybrid Capture System. Five HBV DNA-positive samples were selected at random from sera with concentrations ranging from 7 pg/ml to 3529 pg/ml and they were frozen and thawed up to 10 cycles and then tested for changes in HBV DNA levels. Negative control and positive standards were tested in triplicate; and all specimens were tested in duplicate. The stability of HBV DNA in serum was evaluated by scattergrarn analysis by determining the number of samples showing a greater than or equal to20% change in HBV DNA levels after freeze-thaw cycles. With the exception of one sample (7 pg/ml) 10 cycles of freezing and thawing did not change significantly the HBV DNA quantity in any of the samples tested. The results showed that the quantity of HBV DNA in four of five serum specimens subjected up to 10 freeze-thaw cycles was stable. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    The effect of CagA status on response to Helicobacter pylori eradication therapy in Western Turkey
    Saruç, M; Goksel, G; Ozkaya, S; Guclu, F; Ozbakkaloglu, B; Yuceyar, H
    If cyto toxin-associated gene A (CagA) status affects the response rates of therapy, then it may be possible to predict Helicobacter pylori eradication rates. We aimed to evaluate the response to eradication treatment of H. pylori infection in CagA-positive and CagA-negative patients. A total of 184 patients (93 males, 91 females, mean age 42.6 +/- 12.8 years) with H. pylori-positive chronic gastritis were studied. Subjects underwent a gastroscopy and biopsy specimens were taken from the gastric antrum, body, and fundus. Before the eradication therapy was given all patients were tested for CagA, TNF-alpha and gastrin levels. They were then prescribed lansoprazole (30 mg bid), clarithromycin (500 mg bid), and amoxicillin (1.0 mg bid) for one week. On the 8th week a second endoscopy was performed and further biopsy specimens were obtained from the same sites as in the initial endoscopy. One hundred and twenty-seven patients (69.1%) were found to be CagA positive and 57 patients (30.9%) were CagA negative. The total eradication rate was 82.6%. In the CagA-positive group this rate was 87.4%, and in the CagA-negative group it was 71.9% (P = 0.019). TNF-alpha levels were higher in the CagA-positive than in the Cag-A-riegative group (P = 0.001). However, gastrin levels were not different between groups (P = 0.421). Our findings revealed that CagA-negative status might be a risk factor for failure of H. pylori triple therapies. The CagA pathogenicity island gives a growth advantage to H. pylori strains and has been associated with an increase in the inflammatory response at the gastric mucosal level. These properties could make CagA-positive H. pylori strains more susceptible to antibiotics.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Increasing antimicrobial resistance in Escherichia coli isolates from community-acquired urinary tract infections during 1998-2003 in Manisa, Turkey
    Kurutepe, S; Surucuoglu, S; Sezgin, C; Gazi, H; Gulay, M; Ozbakkaloglu, B
    Urinary tract infections are among the most common infections with an increasing resistance to antimicrobials. The aim of this study was to determine the change in antimicrobial susceptibility of Escherichia coli isolates from patients with community-acquired urinary tract infection (UTI) for the years 1998 through 2003 and to suggest that the current empirical antibiotic therapy used for these patients is inappropriate. During the study period, 7,335 community urine samples of which 1,203 (16.4%) grew bacterial isolates were analyzed. Among the total of 1,203 isolates, 880 (73.2%) were E. coli. The range of resistance of E. coli to ampicillin was 47.8 to 64.6% and that to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole was 37.1 to 44.6% during the study period. The susceptibility pattern of E. coli to nitrofurantoin and cefuroxime did not vary significantly over the 6-year period. There was a significant increase in the susceptibility of E. coli to ciprofloxacin (11.3 - 26.7%), amoxicillin-clavulanate (18.4 - 29.2%) and gentamicin (7.0 - 25.6%) (P < 0.05). Empirical initial treatment with ampicillin and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole was thus inadequate in approximately half of UTI cases in our region.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    The necessity of culture for the diagnosis of tinea pedis
    Ecemis, T; Degerli, K; Aktas, E; Teker, A; Ozbakkaloglu, B
    Background. This study examined the consistency between the clinical diagnosis of tinea pedis and the results of direct fungal examination, prepared with 10% potassium hydroxide, and culture. Methods: 2427 patients clinically diagnosed with tinea pedis who presented to the mycology laboratory were reviewed retrospectively for the outcomes of direct fungal examination and culture. Results: Direct examination was positive in 54.3% and culture was positive in 36.6% of the cases. The sensitivity and specificity of direct microscopy were 95.7% and 69.6%, respectively Conclusions: The clinical diagnosis of tinea pedis can be misleading, since it features lesions that can also be present in some other skin diseases and direct microscopy may be insufficient to confirm the diagnosis. Therefore, we suggest using culture for a definitive diagnosis.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Oropharyngeal carriage and penicillin resistance of Neisseria meningitidis in primary school children in Manisa, Turkey
    Gazi, H; Surucuoglu, S; Ozbakkaloglu, B; Akcali, S; Ozkutuk, N; Degerli, K; Kurutepe, S
    Introduction: To determine the oropharyngeal carriage rates and serogroups of Neisseria meningitidis in primary schoolchildren in Manisa, Turkey as well as the prevalence and penicillin resistance of N. meningitidis. Materials and Methods: Throat swabs obtained from 1128 children were cultured and recovered organisms were tested by disk diffusion method and the E-test for antimicrobial susceptibilities. Results: The carriage rate of N. meningitidis in our region was 6.2% (71 strains) and the serogroups identified were serogroups A (28.1%), B (22.5%), C (35.2%), D (2.8%) and W-135 (11.2%). Penicillin resistance was found in 16 strains (22.5%), while beta-lactamase activity was found in none. Conclusions: The carriage rate of N. meningitidis and serogroups are similar to the rates reported in other countries. Continued surveillance of meningococci for antimicrobial resistance will allow early detection of changes in susceptibility patterns that might affect recommendations for chemoprophylaxis as well as for treatment.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Prevalence of anti-HCV positivity in hemodialysis patients
    Arisoy, AS; Kursat, S; Gazi, H; Kurutepe, S; Ozbakkaloglu, B
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Serologic examinations of hepatitis, cytomegalovirus, and rubella in patients with Bell's palsy
    Unlu, Z; Aslan, A; Ozbakkaloglu, B; Tunger, O; Surucuoglu, S
    Objective: The aim of this retrospective case review was to investigate serologic evidence of cytomegalovirus, rubella virus, and hepatitis A, B, and C viruses in patients with Bell's palsy. Design: A total of 24 patients with idiopathic facial paralysis, without a history of trauma, any evidence of a tumor on high-resolution computed tomographic imaging, or any otologic disease, and 33 healthy individuals as a control group were included in this study. Facial paralysis of the patient was evaluated with the House-Brackmann grading scale. Specific immunoglobulin G and M titers were determined for cytomegalovirus, rubella, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: Serologic positivity for hepatitis B was found in 15 of 21 Bell's palsy patients, compared with 32.1% in the control group. The difference was statistically significant. There was no difference in the prevalence of serologic positivity for cytomegalovirus, hepatitis A, and rubella between the patient and control groups. In one Bell's palsy patient, serologic evidence of recent cytomegalovirus infection was indicated by changes in antibody titers between samples taken on presentation and on the 16th day. There was no serologic evidence of hepatitis C in either Bell's palsy patients or the control group. Conclusion: There seems to be an association between hepatitis B and idiopathic facial paralysis. In addition, cytomegalovirus might contribute to the development of Bell's palsy in some ceases with Bell's palsy. Further studies are required to confirm these data.