Browsing by Author "Ozbakkaloglu B."
Now showing 1 - 16 of 16
Results Per Page
Sort Options
Item The role of virulent Helicobacter pylori strains in the etiopathogenesis of coronary artery disease; [Virulan Helicobacter pylori suslarinin koroner arter hastaligi etyopatogenezindeki rolu](1999) Yuceyar H.; Saruc M.; Arslan S.; Goksel G.; Ozbakkaloglu B.; Uyanik B.S.; Yigitoglu R.; Sengil A.Z.Epidemiological studies have shown a positive correlation between coronary artery disease (CAD) and gastric Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection. The possible mechanism by which H. pylori could increase the risk of CAD is chronic inflammation. More virulent H. pylori strains bearing the cytotoxin associated gene-A (CagA) can induce much more inflammation than CagA negative strains. The aim of our study was to assess the role of virulent H. pylori strains and inflammatory response in the pathogenesis of CAD. We studied 30 patients with CAD, age and sex being matched with 30 controls of similar social class. We determined the presence of H. pylori infection by rapid urease test, histology and serology (anti-H. pylori IgG). CagA status, serum tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), gastrin and fibrinogen levels were also studied. The presence of H. pylori infection was statistically equal in CAD group (93.3%) and controls (86.6%)(p = 0.705). Serum CagA titers were 28.13 ± 9.21 U and 18.32 ± 5.8 U in the CAD and control group respectively. Serum TNF-α levels were 15.21 ± 4.30 pg/ml in the CAD group and 5.36 ± 2.41 pg/ml in the control group. Serum CagA and TNF-α levels showed a significant difference between the two groups (p = 0.000). Patients with CAD had a higher prevalence of CagA-positive strains than controls (67.8% versus 42.3%; p = 0.021). The serum gastrin level was higher in CAD but there was no significant difference between two groups (p = 0.379). Fibrinogen levels of the CAD group were significantly higher than those of the control (370 ± 51 mg/ml and 247 ± 43 mg/ml, p = 0.001). Further more, numbers of occluded vessels in CAD patients were positively correlated with both cagA positivity and TNF-α levels. In conclusion, CagA bearing strains of H. pylori may increase the risk of CAD by inducing chronic inflammation and increasing the expression of cytokines and procoagulant substance.Item Prevalence of anti-HCV positivity in hemodialysis patients [4](2000) Sivrel Arisoy A.; Kursat S.; Gazi H.; Kurutepe S.; Ozbakkaloglu B.[No abstract available]Item The effect of CagA status on response to Helicobacter pylori eradication therapy in Western Turkey(Associacao Brasileira de Divulgacao Cientifica, 2001) Saruç M.; Goksel G.; Ozkaya S.; Guclu F.; Ozbakkaloglu B.; Yuceyar H.If cytotoxin-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-α 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-α levels were higher in the CagA-positive than in the CagA-negative 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.Item Does chronic exercise alter immune parameters in postmenopausal women?(2002) 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. VO2max 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.Item Effects of different disinfectants on decontamination of laryngoscopes(2003) Tekin I.; Arican I.; Akcali S.; Sanlidag T.; Ozbakkaloglu B.Guidelines for controlling possible contamination of laryngoscopes should be formulated with the benefit of relevant experimental data. In this study, the effects of five different disinfectants commonly used for the disinfection of laryngoscopes are evaluated. We formed 14 groups, with 10 blades in each. The first 7 groups were contaminated with hospital related meticillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), and the remaining 7 groups with hospital related multiple resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA). For the first group of blades, no disinfection procedure was carried out and, were assumed as a control group. Blades in remaining groups were rested for 10 minutes in containers containing 70% alcohol (II), 1/100 dilution of cetrimide (III), 1/100 dilution of chlorhexidine (IV), 1/10 dilution of chlorhexidine (V), 1/10 dilution of povidone iodine (VI), and 1/100 dilution of ammonium chloride (VII). Disinfectant used in a group was considered effective when growth was seen in 5 or less than 5 plates representing that group. All disenfectants tested were found effective on decontamination of laryngoscopes. Five different moderate level disinfectants, which are commonly used for the disinfection of laryngoscopes, have been found effective even on resistant hospital microorganisms like MRSA and P. aeruginosa. They may be the choices of the disinfectants, especially 1/10 dilution of chlorhexidine gluconate and 1/100 dilution of ammonium chloride.Item Serologic examinations of hepatitis, cytomegalovirus, and rubella in patients with Bell's palsy(2003) 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.Item The resistance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains to fluoroquinolone group of antibiotics(L.V. Prasad Eye Institute, 2004) Algun U.; Arisoy A.; Gunduz T.; Ozbakkaloglu B.Fluoroquinolones are antibiotics that are very effective against many gram negative microorganisms, including P. aeruginosa. However, resistance to these antibiotics has been reported in recent years as well. In this study, the sensivity of 136 P. aeruginosa strains, isolated from various clinical materials, to fluoroquinolones has been investigated. The lowest resistance rate was in ciprofloxacin with 12.5%. The resistance rates of the others were as follows: norfloxacin 14.7%, levofloxacin 16.9%, ofloxacin 19.9% and pefloxacin 28.7%. The 88.2% of the resistant strains to all fluoroquinolones were originated from intensive care unit.Item Oropharyngeal carriage and penicillin resistance of Neisseria meningitidis in primary school children in Manisa, Turkey(Academy of Medicine Singapore, 2004) Gazi H.; Surucuoglu S.; Ozbakkaloglu B.; Alkcali S.; Ozkutuk N.; Degerli K.; Kurutepe S.Introduction: To determine the oropharyngeal carriage rates and serogroups of Neisseria meningitidis in primary school children in Manisa, Turkey as well as the prevalence and penicillin resistance of AC 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.Item Increasing antimicrobial resistance in Escherichia coli isolates from community-acquired urinary tract infections during 1998-2003 in Manisa, Turkey(National Institute of Health, 2005) 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.Item Serum hepatitis B DNA: Stability in relation to multiple freeze-thaw procedures(2005) 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 1 (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 scattergram analysis by determining the number of samples showing a ≥20% 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. © 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Item In vitro activity of ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin and levofloxacin against Myobacterium tuberculosis(King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, 2005) 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.Item E-test: An alternative method for susceptibility testing of Mycobacterium tuberculosis(2005) Akcali S.; Cicek C.; Surucuoglu S.; Ozbakkaloglu B.Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare the agar proportion method with the E-test method for susceptibility testing of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Materials and Methods: A total of 100 isolates were tested for isoniazid, rifampin, streptomycin and ethambutol susceptibility using an indirect-proportion method as well as the E-test method. Results: Categorical agreement between the methods was 100% for isoniazid, rifampin, streptomycin, and ethambutol. Conclusion: The E-test method appears to be an alternative method to agar proportion for testing the susceptibility of M. tuberculosis isolates to the first-line antituberculous agents. Copyright © 2005 S. Karger AG.Item Bacteriology of surgical wound infections in a tertiary care hospital in Turkey(2005) Surucuoglu S.; Gazi H.; Kurutepe S.; Ozkutuk N.; Ozbakkaloglu B.Objective: To determine the spectrum of the pathogens cultured from surgical wound infections and assess their antimicrobial drug resistances. Design: Laboratory-based retrospective study for the five year period. Setting: A four hundred bed, tertiary-care university hospital in Turkey. Results: Overall 621 pathogens were identified from January 1999 to January 2004. Of these isolates, 431 (69%) were gram-positive, 178 (29%) were gram-negative bacteria and also 12 (2%) were identified as Candida albicans. The most common organism was Staphylococcus aureus (50%), followed by Escherichia coli (8%), Streptococcus pyogenes (7%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (7%), coagulase-negative staphylococci (6%), Enterococcus faecalis (4%), Enterobacter spp. (4%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (3%), Acinetobacter spp. (3%), Proteus spp. (3%), group B. B-haemolytic streptococci (2%), Candida albicans (2%), and Citrobacter spp. (1%). The rate of resistance to methicillin in staphylococci and multidrug resistance in S. aureus were 31% and 12%, respectively. There was no increase in resistance to methicillin by years. Piperacillin/tazobactam, sefoperazone/ sulbactam, carbapenems, ofloxacin and amikacin were the most active agents against gram-negative isolates. The rates of extended spectrum beta-lactamase production in K. pneumoniae and E. coli strains were determined as 14%, and 6%, respectively. Conclusion: Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is emerging as a major pathogen in surgical wound infections. We concluded that antimicrobial treatment of surgical wound infections should include empiric coverage for MRSA. The surveillance of resistance in pathogens causing surgical wound infections is necessary to promote the appropriate therapeutic choices for these infections.Item The necessity of culture for the diagnosis of tinea pedis(Lippincott Williams and Wilkins, 2006) 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. Copyright © by the Southern Society for Clinical Investigation.Item Prevalence of GBV-C/hepatitis G virus viremia among chronic hepatitis B, chronic hepatitis C and hemodialysis patients in Turkey [2](King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, 2006) Akcali S.; Sanlidag T.; Ozbakkaloglu B.[No abstract available]Item Characterization of rpoB mutations by line probe assay in rifampicin-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis clinical isolates from the Aegean region in Turkey(National Institute of Health, 2007) 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 ΔS2-pattern (7.7%) and ΔS4-pattern (7.7%).