Determining the aflatoxin M1 levels in breast milk.

OBJECTIVE: Mycotoxins are different toxic substances at relatively smaller molecular weight produced by some types of fungi. Aflatoxin is the most common type of mycotoxin easily reproducing in food stored for a long time in unsuitable conditions. This study determined the aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) levels in breast milk samples collected from mothers who gave birth in Kirsehir, Turkey. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 82 breast milk samples to be analyzed to determine the AFM1 levels were collected from voluntary breastfeeding mothers who gave birth in the Kirsehir Training and Research Hospital and who were randomly selected. The AFM1 levels were determined using the competitive ELISA kit. RESULTS: The AFM1 levels in the breast milk samples of mothers who did not consume milk were lower than those of other mothers. The AFM1 levels in the breast milk samples of mothers consuming fabrication milk were lower than mothers consuming homemade milk (p<0.01). Additionally, the AFM1 levels in the breast milk samples of mothers consuming homemade or self-made bread were lower (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This study found that the nutritional habits of breastfeeding mothers affected the AFM1 levels in breast milk.

A case of fever of unknown origin: necrotizing sarcoid granulomatosis.

Necrotizing sarcoid granulomatosis is a rare type of vasculitis; its etiology and pathogenesis are still unknown. The disease primarily affects the lungs, although extra-pulmonary involvement has been reported. The typical symptoms are cough, chest pain, dyspnea, and weight loss; high temperatures have been reported in rare cases. We present the case of a 65-year-old woman who was diagnosed with lymph node tuberculosis, for which she received treatment for six months. The patient experienced no improvement in her symptoms, which included fever, weakness and dyspnea. A re-evaluation of previously collected thoracoscopic biopsy material revealed compatibility with necrotizing sarcoid granulomatosis.

Medication prescribing practices in a child and adolescent psychiatry outpatient clinic.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate the medication prescribing practices for children who had attended a child and adolescent psychiatry outpatient clinic in Turkey. METHODS: A retrospective chart review of consecutive new patients admitted to a child and adolescent psychiatry outpatient clinic of university hospital within 6 months was performed. RESULTS: Male/female ratio of 822 charts examined was 1.75. Over activity and/or distractibility were the most common presenting complaints and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder was the most common disorder. Approximately one-fourth (24.0%) of children were prescribed psychotropic medications. Initiation time of psychotropic medication was one of the first two visits in 65% of the children who were prescribed medication. The most commonly prescribed medications were in descending order of prescribing frequency: selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, tricyclic antidepressants, atypical antipsychotics and psychostimulants. About 54.2% of depressed children were prescribed selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and 24.3% of children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder were prescribed psychostimulant treatment. Among children who used at least one psychotropic medication, the rate of co-prescription was 10.7%. CONCLUSION: It was found that the use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and methylphenidate in children has become widespread. The results of our study may be helpful in improving treatment services in child and adolescent psychiatry.

Comparative genomics of the lactic acid bacteria.

Lactic acid-producing bacteria are associated with various plant and animal niches and play a key role in the production of fermented foods and beverages. We report nine genome sequences representing the phylogenetic and functional diversity of these bacteria. The small genomes of lactic acid bacteria encode a broad repertoire of transporters for efficient carbon and nitrogen acquisition from the nutritionally rich environments they inhabit and reflect a limited range of biosynthetic capabilities that indicate both prototrophic and auxotrophic strains. Phylogenetic analyses, comparison of gene content across the group, and reconstruction of ancestral gene sets indicate a combination of extensive gene loss and key gene acquisitions via horizontal gene transfer during the coevolution of lactic acid bacteria with their habitats.

Ischemic preconditioning attenuates the lipid peroxidation and remote lung injury in the rat model of unilateral lower limb ischemia reperfusion.

BACKGROUND: Ischemia and reperfusion of the skeletal muscle tissue may cause remote lung injury. We aimed to evaluate the protective effect of ischemic preconditioning (IP) on the lung during unilateral lower limb ischemia reperfusion (IR). METHODS: Four groups of rats were used in this study: (i) the sham group (sham, n = 6) served as time controls, they remained anesthetized for the whole duration of the study; (ii) the ischemia and reperfusion group (IR, n = 10) underwent 4 h of left lower limb ischemia followed by 2 h of reperfusion; (iii) the ischemic preconditioning group (IP, n = 10), the left lower limbs of rats were exposed to three cycles of IP (10 min of ischemia followed by 10 min of reperfusion); and (iv) the ischemic preconditioning plus ischemia reperfusion group (IP/IR, n = 10) underwent IP followed by IR as in the IP and IR groups. Plasma and tissue samples were taken at the end of the study period for determination of lung tissue myeloperoxidase activity (MPO) and polymorphonuclear leukocyte count (PMNL), histological lung injury score and plasma thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) level. RESULTS: PMNL count and MPO activity in the lung tissue, and plasma TBARS level were higher in the IR group compared with other groups while there were no differences between the sham and the IP and between the sham and the IP/IR groups. Histological lung injury score was higher in the IR group than in the IP/IR and sham groups. The plasma TBARS level in the IP group was significantly lower than in the IP/IR group. CONCLUSION: IP pretreatment reduces lipid peroxidation and lung injury caused by lower limb IR.

Oral myiasis caused by hypoderma bovis larvae in a child: a case report.

Myiasis is the invasion of living tissue of humans and other mammals by the eggs or larvae of flies of the order of Diptera. It occurs mainly in the tropic, and is associated with inadequate public and personal hygiene. Oral myiasis in humans appears to be rare. This article records a case of oral myiasis caused by larvae of Hypoderma bovis. Two different pathologic soft tissue sockets were observed in the vestibular sulcus at the level of the both deciduous laterals along the deep upper lip tissues.

Fucose-specific adhesins on germ tubes of Candida albicans.

Lectin-like adhesins of hyphal-form Candida albicans were investigated by conventional fluorescence microscopy, fluorescence microscopy with image analysis, spectrofluorimetry and flow cytometry. Labelling was done with neoglycoprotein probes consisting of sugars (fucose, mannose, glucose, galactose, lactose) covalently linked to bovine serum albumin (BSA), which itself was labelled with fluorescein. The fucose probe bound to both the yeast and germ-tube portions of hyphal-form cells, not especially at the tip, but in the adjacent region of the germ-tube portion. Probes with the other sugars did not label the hyphal-form cells. Fucose-probe binding to the cells was optimal at pH 5.0 in citrate buffer, and was a time-dependent reaction requiring 30-60 min and reaching saturation concentration at 100 microg ml(-1). Each hyphal-form cell of C. albicans grown in 199 medium was calculated to have about 2 x 10(7) fucose probe-binding sites. There appeared to be no requirement for Ca2+ or Mg2+ in binding. Binding of the fucose probe to the hyphal-form cells was higher at 37 degrees C than at 22 degrees C or 4 degrees C. Fluorescence intensity of the fucose-labelled yeast forms was not increased over the hyphal-form cells. A germ-tube-deficient mutant when exposed to hyphal-form growth conditions for 2 h showed much less binding of the fucose probe than the wild-type which produced germ tubes. Confirmation of specificity and the need for a carrier molecule was obtained by showing that Fuc-BSA (without fluorescein) effectively inhibited the binding of the fucose probe, although L-fucose itself was inactive, as was Gal-BSA.