Giriş: Human papillomavirüs (HPV) servikal kanserin majör sebebidir. Servikal kanser kadınlar arasında dünya genelinde ikinci en sık görülen kanser olmakla birlikte, gelişmekte olan ülkelerde kansere bağlı ölümlerin önemli etkenlerinden biridir. Dünyada her yıl yaklaşık 500.000 yeni servikal kanser tanımlanmakta ve bunların yarısına yakınının ölümle sonuçlandığı tahmin edilmektedir. Servikal kanser taramasında yüksek riskli HPV DNA testi ve sitolojik tarama testinin birlikte kullanılmasıyla servikal prekanseröz lezyonların erken tanısı ve tedavisi sonucu servikal kanser büyük oranda önlenebilir bir hastalıktır. Servikal kansere karşı primer koruma sağlayan profilaktik HPV aşılarının 2006 yılından itibaren uygulanmaya başlanmasıyla servikal kanser sıklığı ve mortalitenin azalması amaçlanmıştır. HPV aşısının, yüksek risk (HR) HPV tiplerine karşı immünite gelişmesini sağlayarak prekanseröz lezyonlara karşı korunmada etkin olduğu ispatlanmış ve bu aşı birçok ülkede rutin aşı programına dahil edilmiştir. Bu çalışmada, anormal servikal sitolojili kadınlarda gerçek zamanlı polimeraz zincir reaksiyonu (PCR) testi kullanılarak HPV prevalansı ve genotiplerinin tespiti amaçlanmıştır.

Influenza virus infections are extremely important for human health due to the occurence of seasonal epidemics and pandemics worldwide. Influenza is associated with high morbidity and may result in serious complications such as life threatening viral or bacterial pneumonia. Especially, young children, older adults, patients with chronic diseases such as heart, lung, kidney, and diabetes and immunosuppressed people are at higher risk for complications and death from influenza virus infections. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of influenza type A and B virus infections and influenza A virus subtypes in hospitalized patients with respiratory tract infections by real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR, Sacace, Italy), conventional RT-PCR and direct immunofluorescence antibody (DFA, Argene SA, France) tests. Nasopharyngeal swab specimens were collected from a total of 476 patients with respiratory tract symptoms by using flocked swabs (Copan Diagnostics, Italy) between 1 April 2012 and 31 December 2013. Influenza A virus was detected in 20.5% (98/476) and influenza B virus in 3.3% (16/476) of the cases by real-time RT-PCR test. During the study period, 63.3% of 98 influenza virus isolates were found as influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 and 36.7% were influenza A(H3N2) subtypes. Influenza A (H1N1) pdm09 subtype was observed in 12 cases in January 2013 and influenza A(H3N2) subtype was observed in 11 cases in December 2013 as the highest values. When the real-time RT-PCR test was regarded as the reference test, the sensitivities of DFA test for influenza A and B and conventional RT-PCR test with WHO primers (M30F2/08 and M264R3/08) for influenza A were detected as 72.4%, 75%, 96% and the specificities were detected as 99.2%, 99.5% and 100%, respectively. In conclusion, influenza A virus infection was detected rather high with a rate of 20.5% in the study group. The monitoring of influenza virus types and subtypes is required for the evaluation of influenza vaccine strains and circulating influenza viruses and for the identification of subtypes with pandemic potential. Planning for appropriate antiviral therapy using real-time RT-PCR in the early diagnosis of influenza virus infections will significantly contribute to the management of the patient's treatment. Thus, unnecessary drug use will be prevented and controlled with effective treatment of the disease at the time of infection.

Giriş: Human papillomavirüs (HPV) servikal kanserin primer sebebidir. HPV ile birlikte Chlamydia trachomatis servikal intraepitelyal neoplazi gelişimi için potansiyel bir kofaktör olarak rol oynamaktadır. Ürogenital bölgede kommensal olarak bulunan Ureaplasma urealyticum'un ise ürogenital infeksiyonlara katkıda bulunduğu kabul edilmiştir. Bu çalışmanın amacı HPV pozitif ve HPV negatif kadınlarda C. trachomatis ve U. urealyticum koinfeksiyonlarının araştırılmasıdır.

Purpose: Haematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) recipients with iatrogenic immunosuppression are high-risk patients for viral infections. The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence of cytomegalovirus (CMV), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), and adenovirus (ADV) infections in HSCT recipients. Materials and Methods: We prospectively monitored 35 patients aged 0-17 years who had allogeneic (n=30) and autologous (n=5) HSCT by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction tests for CMV, EBV, and ADV. The monitoring was performed one week before HSCT and weekly for the first 100 days, once a month up to one year after HSCT. In addition, seropositivity for viruses was analysed by Enzyme-Linked Immuno Sorbent Assay a week before transplantation. Results: Before transplantation, all 35 (100%) patients who underwent HSCT were CMV IgG positive, 30 (85.7% - 95% CI: 74.1%-97.3%) HSCT recipients were found to be EBV IgG positive. CMV infection was found in 24 (80% - 95% CI: 65.7%-94.3%), ADV infection in 11 (36.7% - 95% CI: 19.4%-53.9%) and EBV infection in 8 (26.7% - 95% CI: 10.8%-42.5%) allogeneic HSCT patients. In this group, CMV DNA viral load in 8 (26.7%) patients, of which one (3.3%) coinfected with EBV DNA and one (3.3%) with ADV DNA, was higher than 1000 copies/mL which was required for pre-emptive treatment. Among 5 autologous HSCT recipients, CMV DNA was detected in 2 patients, EBV DNA in 5 and ADV DNA in 2. Pre-emptive treatment was given to 11 (%31.4 - 95% CI: 16%-46.8%; 6 CMV, 2 EBV, 1 ADV, 1 CMV-EBV and 1 CMV-ADV infection) of 35 patients. Thus, the development of viral disease was prevented in 7 (63.6% - 95% CI: 35.2%-92.1%). Of the total 35 patients, only 2 (5.7% - 95% CI: 0.0%-13.4%) died due to viral infection. Conclusion: Early diagnosis of viral infections by prospective monitoring of viral loads in HSCT patients would be effective in preventing morbidity and mortality by ensuring timely initiation of pre-emptive therapy.

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of Ferula elaeochytris (FE) at the prostatic and epididymal ends of rat vas deferens. Methods: The effects of cumulative concentrations of FE (10 μL; 31.25 mg/μL and 20 μL; 62.5 mg/μL) were investigated on prostatic and epididymal ends of rat vas deferens in the presence of prazosin (0.3 μM), suramin (100 μM), atropine (10 nM) and nitric oxide synthase inhibitor (L-NOARG; 100 μM). The muscle contractions were induced by electrical field stimulation (EFS; 4 Hz, 50 V, 0.15 ms). Calcium (3 and 6 mM) was added into the bath medium while electrical field stimulation (EFS) was in progress. Results: Ferula elaeochytris significantly inhibited the muscle contractions induced by electrical field stimulation (EFS) in a concentration-dependent manner. In the presence of prazosin or suramin, the contractile responses to EFS were significantly inhibited by FE at the prostatic and epididymal ends of vas deferens (p < 0.05). However, this inhibition was not affected by atropine and L- NOARG, suggesting that there is no direct interaction of FE with cholinergic and nitrergic responses. However, in the presence of prazosin or suramin, Ca2+ addition to the organ bath significantly reversed the inhibitory effect of FE at the prostatic and epididymal ends of vas deferens (p < 0.05). Conclusion: These results show an inhibitory effect for the extract of FE on neurogenic contractile activity of prostatic and epididymal ends of vas deferens. This effect of FE may be associated with Ca2+ channels. Keywords: Contractile activity; Electrical Field Stimulation (EFS); Ferula elaeochytris; Rat; Vas deferens