Diagnosis of leishmaniasis in immunosuppressed patients may be a serious challenge for physicians because of the major clinical and laboratory differences with immunocompetent patients. In immunosuppressed patients, the disease is characterized usually by disseminated visceral involvement, atypical cutaneous lesions and persistent negativity of diagnostic tests. Here, we report an eight-yr-old liver transplant recipient with concomitant cutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis in whom the cutaneous lesion led to the diagnosis of systemic involvement.

Introduction: Bovine parainfluenza virus-3 (BPIV3) and bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV) are the cause of respiratory disease in cattle worldwide. With other pathogens, they cause bovine respiratory disease complex (BRDC) in ruminants. The aim of the study was the detection and molecular characterisation of BPIV3 and BRSV from nasal swabs and lung samples of cows in and around the Erzurum region of eastern Turkey. Material and Methods: In total, 155 samples were collected. Of animals used in the study 92 were males and 63 females. The age of the animals was between 9 months and 5 years, mean 1.4 years. Most males were in the fattening period and being raised in open sheds; females were in the lactating period and kept in free stall barns. All samples were tested for the presence of viral genes using RT-PCR. Gene-specific primers in a molecular method (RT-PCR) identified BRSV (fusion gene) and BPIV3 (matrix gene) strains at the genus level. Results: RNA from BRSV and BPIV3 was detected in two (1.29%) and three (1.93%) samples, respectively, one of each of which was sequenced and the sequences were aligned with reference virus strains. Phylogenetic analyses clustered the strains in genotype C/BPIV3 and subgroup III/BRSV. Conclusion: The results indicate that BRSV and BPIV3 contribute to bovine respiratory disease cases in Turkey. This is the first report on their detection and molecular characterisation in ruminants in Turkey.

Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is endemic in Turkey, and since 2004 many cases have been reported from different regions of Turkey. There are limited data about the seroprevalence of the disease in household members of patients or persons sharing the same environment. We evaluated seroprevalence of CCHF in the immediate neighbourhood and in household members of patients living in the same environment as confirmed cases of CCHF in an endemic area of Turkey. A total of 625 healthy subjects [mean (s.d.) age: 42·3 (18·4) years, 58·7% females] without a past history of CCHF infection included in this case-control, retrospective study were evaluated in terms of sociodemographic characteristics, risk factors for CCHF via a study questionnaire, while serum analysis for CCHF virus (CCHFV) IgG antibodies was performed by ELISA. Anti-CCHFV IgG antibodies were positive in 85 (13·6%) participants. None of the seropositive individuals had a history of symptomatic infection. Regression analysis revealed that animal husbandry [odds ratio (OR) 1·84, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1·09-3·11], contact with animals (OR 2·31, 95% CI 1·08-5·10), contact with ticks (OR 3·45, 95% CI 1·87-6·46), removing ticks from animals by hand (OR 2·48, 95% CI 1·48-4·18) and living in a rural area (OR 4·05, 95% CI 1·65-10·56) were associated with increased odds of having IgG seropositivity, while being a household member of a patient with prior CCHF infection had no influence on seropositivity rates. This result also supports the idea that CCHF is not transmitted person-to-person by the airborne route.

Canine adenoviruses are agents responsible for two different infections in Canidae. While canine adenovirus type 1 (CAV-1) causes contagious hepatitis (HCC) in dogs, canine adenovirus type 2 (CAV-2) is responsible for infectious laryngotracheitis (ILT). CAV-2, especially in the respiratory tract, leads to an infection that can result in death in young and cohabitant animals. In public housing such as shelters, in addition to opportunistic infections, a disorder defined as canine infectious respiratory disease (CIRD) may also occur frequently. In this study, 155 nasal swabs were collected from dogs in two shelters where cases of respiratory system infections were closely monitored. These samples were tested for CAV-2 using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with primers designed for the CAV E3 (Early) gene. Positive amplicons were subjected to DNA sequencing. CAV-2 nucleic acids were present in 2.5% (4/155) of the test samples. The phylogenetic assessment of the amplicon sequences revealed a 97.7%-98.9% similarity in the local viruses. The partial sequence analyses of the E3 gene of CAV-2 showed that Turkish and Chinese strains have differences in 9 amino acids. These differences redounded on phylogenetic analyses, and the virus which was considered as a single group, is now subdivided into two subgroups. One subgroup comprises American-European isolates and the other one consists of Turkish and Chinese isolates, so this subdivision can be classified into at least two subgroups, designated China-Turkey and America-Europe. To our knowledge, this is the first study that has examined the possible role of CAV-2 in respiratory system infections in dogs in Turkey, to provide novel and updated information regarding CAV-2.

Aims and Scope Eurasian Journal of Medicine (Eurasian J Med) is an international, scientific, open access periodical published by independent, unbiased, and triple-blinded peer-review principles. The journal is the official publication of Atatürk University School of Medicine and published triannually in February, June, and October. The publication language of the journal is English. The aim of the Eurasian Journal of Medicine is to publish original research papers of the highest scientific and clinical value in all medical fields. The Eurasian J Med also includes reviews, editorial short notes and letters to the editor that either as a comment related to recently published articles in our journal or as a case report. The target audience of the journal includes researchers, physicians and healthcare professionals who are interested or working in in all medical disciplines.

Purpose: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common form of arrhythmia. AF leads to electrical remodelling and fibrosis of the atria; however, the mechanism(s) remain poorly understood. Galectin-3 is a potential mediator of cardiac fibrosis. The present study aimed to examine the relationship between serum galectin-3 levels and paroxysmal AF.Methods: Forty-six patients with paroxysmal AF and preserved left ventricular systolic function, and 38 age-and gender-matched control subjects, were involved in the study. Serum galectin-3 levels were analyzed with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).Results: Serum galectin-3 levels (median 1.38 ng/mL; 1.21 ng/mL-1.87 ng/mL; p< 0.001) were significantly elevated in patients with paroxysmal AF compared with the control. Left atrial diameter was significantly higher in patients with paroxysmal AF (41.2±3.0 mm vs. 39.6±3.3 mm). Left atrial diameter was found to be significantly correlated with serum galectin-3 levels in patients with paroxysmal AF (r= 0.378, p= 0.001).Conclusion: Serum galectin-3 levels are significantly elevated and significantly correlated with left atrial diameter in patients with paroxysmal AF.SUPPLEMENT

The patency of a sequential vein conduit is generally superior than that of an individual one, especially for poor runoff coronary vessels, provided that the most distally located anastomosis is performed on a good coronary artery in terms of quality and diameter. Using a minimal length of SVG is another advantage. However, failure of a single sequential conduit jeopardizes all of the anastomoses along that graft segment. Besides, being technically more demanding, technical expertise in performing a sequential anastomosis is probably among the important predictors of patency.

No abstract