Genotypes other than genotype 1 are quite rare; these are possibly acquired in other countries. Turkish patients with chronic hepatitis C still represent a rather homogenous group with genotypic diversity encountered rarely.

Background: Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) have been implicated in the pathogenesis of arterial aneurysms through increased proteolysis of extracellular matrix proteins. Increased proteolysis due to elevated matrix degrading enzyme activity in the arterial wall may act as a susceptibility factor for the development of coronary aneurysms. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between MMPs and presence of coronary aneurysms.

Girifl ve Amaç: Bu çal›flman›n amac›, bölgemizde, hepatit C virüsü infeksiyonunun olas› bulafl›m yollar›n›n ve yak›n dönemde hepatit C virüsü genotiplerinin da¤›l›m›n›n belirlenmesidir. Gereç ve Yöntem: Hepatit C virüsü risklerinin belirlenmesi amac› ile Ege Üniversitesi Hastanesi T›bbi Mikrobiyoloji Laboratuvar›na, 2005-2010

HDV genotyping was successfully performed by direct sequencing of the amplicons obtained from routine HDV-RNA screening PCR tests. All of the HDV isolates from the chronic delta hepatitis patients included in this study were found to be genotype I.

The diagnostic value of Brucella IgM/IgG flow assays was evaluated in comparison with serum agglutination and 2-mercaptoethanol tests by testing a selection of serum samples submitted to the laboratory because of clinical suspicion of brucellosis. All 39 admission and 11 follow-up samples that agglutinated in the serum agglutination test tested positive in the flow assay, whereas all 20 serum agglutination negative samples with clinical suspicion of brucellosis, 23 control samples from healthy individuals and 20 control samples from cases with chronic hepatitis tested negative in the flow assay. The Brucella IgM and IgG flow assays were slightly more sensitive than the agglutination tests in discriminating between specific IgM and IgG antibodies. The Brucella IgM and IgG flow assays are easy-to-perform and quick assays that can be used for the diagnosis of brucellosis. The flow assays are very useful, especially in rural settings where brucellosis is widespread and where well-equipped laboratories to perform the laboratory tests are not readily available.

Poor results obtained by different vaccination programs suggest the need for alternative strategies to prevent the disease.

Hepatit C virusu (HCV), yüksek kronikleşme oranı, ciddi karaciğer hastalıklarına neden olması, kesin bir tedavi ve etkin bir aşısının olmaması gibi nedenlerden dolayı tüm dünyada ciddi bir sağlık sorunudur. HCV genomu yüksek derecede değişkenlik göstermekte olup, filogenetik olarak HCV'nin en az altı majör genotipi ve birçok alt tipinin bulunduğu bilinmektedir. HCV genotip dağılımı coğrafi ve epidemiyolojik farklılık göstermektedir. Doz ve tedavi süresi farklı genotipler için değişken olabileceğinden, tedavi öncesinde genotiplerin belirlenmesi klinik açıdan önemlidir. Bu çalışmada, hastanemizde izlenen kronik hepatit C'li hastalarda HCV genotiplerinin belirlenmesi amaçlanmıştır. Çalışmaya, Antalya Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesi Mikrobiyoloji Laboratuvarına, 01 Ocak 2011-30 Haziran 2013 tarihleri arasında, farklı servislerden gönderilen anti-HCV ve HCV-RNA pozitif toplam 148 kronik hepatit C'li hasta (67 kadın, 81 erkek; yaş ortalaması: 50.5 ± 10.8, yaş aralığı: 17-73 yıl) dahil edilmiştir. Hastaların epidemiyolojik verileri ve HCV genotip çalışmaları retrospektif olarak değerlendirilmiştir. Viral genotipler gerçek zamanlı polimeraz zincir reaksiyonu (Rt-PCR) yöntemiyle (Abbott Molecular Diagnostic, ABD) belirlenmiştir. Bu yöntemle her örnek, 6 genotip (Gt) ve alt tip 1a ve 1b için test edilmiştir. Hastaların 119 (%80.4)'unda Gt-1 saptanmış; bunların %15.9 (19/119)'u 1a, %75.6 (90/119)'sı 1b olarak tiplendirilmiştir. Gt-2,-3 ve-4 prevalans oranları sırasıyla %3.4 (n= 5), %11.5 (n= 17) ve %2 (n= 3) olarak bulunmuş; Gt-6'ya ise rastlanmamıştır. Rt-PCR yöntemiyle çalışılan hastaların 4 (%2.7)'ünde karışık tip tespit edilmiş; bu

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) release in response to platelet-activating factor (PAF) induction in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) carriers. Methods: Subjects were grouped into three subgroups. The mean age was 37 ± 10 years. Group A (n = 15), group B (n = 10) and group C (n = 9) subjects were HBV serology-negative, had natural immunity after recovery from an acute HBV infection, and were chronic HBV carriers, respectively. Results: Compared with group A, PBMCs from naturally immune subjects and chronic HBV carriers produced significantly higher amounts of TNF-α and IL-6 in response to PAF. In chronic HBV carriers, TNF-α (1,633.3 ± 793.7) and IL-6 (2,533.3 ± 466.3) production was statistically lower than TNF-α (2,630.0 ± 727.3) and IL-6 (3,870.0 ± 728.4) obtained from naturally immune subjects to HBV. Conclusion: Differences of TNF-α levels between chronic HBV carriers and naturally immune subjects suggest that TNF-α may be a critical mediator of HBV clearance.