TurkeyThis study aimed to determine the prevalence of anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibodies in patients with neoplasia. One hundred and eight patients with neoplasia and 108 healthy controls were studied for the presence of anti-T. gondii antibodies using a micro ELISA and peroxidase-labelled anti-human IgG (rabbit) and IgM (goat). Anti-T. gondii IgG antibodies were detected in 68 (63 . 0 %) patients and in 21 (19 . 4 %) of the controls, which was a statistically significant difference. In addition, anti-T. gondii IgM antibodies were detected in seven (6 . 5 %) patients and in one (0 . 9 %) control. A high percentage of positivity for Toxoplasma antibodies in patients with neoplasia was detected. Therefore, parasitological surveys of this patient group should be periodically performed.

Iron overload is considered to be associated with various complications in patients who undergo both allogeneic (allo) and autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). A total of 23 alloHSCT recipients who started deferasirox treatment due to hyperferritinemia (ferritin ≥1,000 ng/mL) were analyzed retrospectively. The demographic characteristics, data about deferasirox treatment, and history of phlebotomy were obtained from the patients' files. The reduction in posttreatment ferritin levels was found statistically significant compared with pretreatment ferritin levels in both def+phlebotomy and def+nonphlebotomy groups (p = 0.025 and 0.017, respectively). The liver enzymes, especially ALT and bilirubins, were significantly reduced after the treatment (p < 0.05). The deferasirox treatment reduced pretreatment ferritin levels below the level of 1,000 ng/mL in a median period of 94 days, and these data were found to be statistically significant (p < 0.05). The median treatment duration time with deferasirox was 94 days (72-122). The most common adverse effects were nausea and vomiting, which occurred in three of the patients (13%). In conclusion, our data suggest that oral deferasirox treatment may be used as a safe and effective alternative method for reducing iron overload in alloHSCT recipients, whether combined with or without phlebotomy.

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The aim of this present study is to investigate the mucositis caused by methotrexate (MTX), as well as whether the application of royal jelly (RJ) has a protective effect on oxidative stress. This present study included six groups each consisted of 12 Wistar rats. Distilled water (po: peroral) was given to the 1 st group as placebo for 10 days and MTX (20 mg/kg, intraperitoneal: ip) on the 7 th day. The 2 nd group received RJ (50mg/kg, po) for 10 days and normal saline (NS) instead of MTX. RJ (50mg/kg) was given to the 3 rd group for 10 days and MTX on the 7 th day. The 4 th group received RJ (100 mg/kg, po) for 10 days and NS was given intraperitoneally. RJ (100mg/kg) was given to the 5 th group for 10 days and a single dose of MTX. Distilled water was given to the 6 th (control) group for 10 days and intraperitoneal NS on the 7 th day. Malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase were analyzed in blood samples on the 11 th day. Morphological and histopathological changes were examined in the intestinal tissue samples. Villus length and mucosal thickness, as well as the villus length/crypt ratio, were significantly decreased with MTX administration, and the semiquantitative histological evaluation (SQHE) score was measured high (p<0.001). In addition, a decrease in the antioxidant parameters and an increase in the MDA levels were identified. The villus length and SQHE were significantly different in the groups receiving RJ (p<0.001) as compared to the MTX group. Although RJ addition had no effect on the decreased mucosal thickness and villus/crypt ratio in MTX groups, it caused an improvement in the antioxidant levels and a remarkable decrease in MDA levels. Adding RJ has a decreasing effect on the MTX-induced intestinal damage and it has a suppressive effect on MTX-induced oxidative stress by means of increasing antioxidant enzyme activity and decreasing lipid peroxidation.

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