The incidence of serious infections caused by multidrug-resistant gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria has been increasing rapidly worldwide despite advances in antibacterial therapy in the last two decades. Among multidrug-resistant gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannii are of great importance, because they have emerged as primary nosocomial pathogens in hospital outbreaks. In this study, we investigated whether melatonin has antibacterial effects against these microorganisms in vitro. The minimum inhibitory concentration of melatonin was determined using a standard microdilution method at 24 and 48 hr. Melatonin inhibited microbial growth at both 24 and 48 hr; but results showed that melatonin had antibacterial effects against these microorganisms after 48 hr of incubation in lower doses [concentrations between 31.25 to 125 microg/mL (0.13-0.53 mM)]. Also, it was determined that melatonin has a more potent antimicrobial effect on gram-negative microorganism. Among possible mechanisms, it is concluded that melatonin showed antibacterial effects by reducing intracellular substrates.

This study aimed to determine the prevalence of dental caries in military recruits and to assess the relation of dental caries with socioeconomic and demographic factors, and sugar consumption behavior, and to generalize the findings for the young adult male population to draw a picture of dental health status of this population segment in Turkey. In this cross-sectional study conducted between August and October 2000 in a military basic training center in Turkey, 2,766 male recruits of the age of 20 were examined by dental specialists to determine their mean number of decayed, missing, or filled teeth (DMFT) scores and were administered a questionnaire for capturing their demographic characteristics and sugar consumption behavior. The mean DMFT score for the 20-year-old male population in Turkey was found to be 5.97. DMFT scores were weakly correlated with income level and urbanization. Sugar consumption was strongly correlated with DMFT scores. The mean number of teeth with fillings component was strongly correlated with income level, moderately with the subject's education, and weakly with the mother's education, father's education, and urbanization. DMFT scores for the young adult male population in Turkey were strongly associated with sugar consumption behavior, whereas they were weakly or not at all associated with demographic factors such as education level, income level, and urbanization.

This data suggest that the DiversiLab system may be a reasonable alternative to PFGE for investigation and control of S. Enteritidis outbreaks, since it is easy to use, rapid and does not require highly skilled operators.

The aim of this study was to determine how medical students use the computer and World Wide Web at a Turkish military medical school and to discuss characteristics related to this computer use. The study was conducted in 2003 in the Department of Public Health at the Gulhane Military Medical School in Ankara, Turkey. A survey developed by the authors was distributed to 508 students, after pretest. Responses were analyzed statistically by using a computer. Most of the students (86.4%) could access a computer and the Internet and all of the computers that were used by students had Internet connections, and a small group (8.9%) had owned their own computers. One-half of the students use notes provided by attending stuff and textbooks as assistant resources for their studies. The most common usage of computers was connecting to the Internet (91.9%), and the most common use of the Internet was e-mail communication (81.6%). The most preferred site category for daily visit was newspaper sites (62.8%). Approximately 44.1% of students visited medical sites when they were surfing. Also, there was a negative correlation between school performance and the time spent for computer and Internet use (-0.056 and -0.034, respectively). It was observed that medical students used the computer and Internet essentially for nonmedical purposes. To encourage students to use the computer and Internet for medical purposes, tutors should use the computer and Internet during their teaching activities, and software companies should produce assistant applications for medical students. Also, medical schools should build interactive World Wide Web sites, e-mail groups, discussion boards, and study areas for medical students.

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