In this study, it was aimed to evaluate colorimetric Quicolor ES agar for the rapid detection of methicillin resistance and to determine susceptibility and resistance breakpoint zone diameters for cefoxitin by using 51 methicillin susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) and 63 methicillin resistant S. aureus (MRSA) isolates. In the study, while oxacillin and cefoxitin results were obtained within 4-7 h (5.5 h in average) for MSSA isolates, the results of MRSA isolates were obtained within 5.5-9 h (6.6 h in average) for both antibiotics on QC ES agar. QC ES agar is an inexpensive medium for rapid detection (4-9 h) of methicillin resistance by disc diffusion method using oxacillin or cefoxitin. Additional studies for further evaluation of the efficiency of QC-ES agar in rapid determination of methicillin resistance in S. aureus may be beneficial.
Objective:This study aimed to determine significant liver fibrosis and cirrhosis with different FIB-4 cut-off points, and the need for liver biopsy (LB) by optimizing the initially established cut-off points of 1.45 and 3.25.Materials and methods:The study included 201 patients monoinfected with chronic HBV. METAVIR classification was used to determine the stage of fibrosis. ROC analysis and the Youden index were performed to define the optimum cut-off points.Results:A FIB-4 cut-off point of 1.45 and 1.62 generated Youden indexes of 0.51 and 0.55, the accuracy of 78.6% and 81.1% for significant liver fibrosis, respectively. The FIB-4 cut-off was set at 2.40 and 3.25 Youden indexes were 0.46 and 0.16, accuracies were 79.6% and 69.7% for significant liver fibrosis, respectively. A cut-off point of 1.45 and 1.62 for FIB-4 generated Youden indexes of 0.62 and 0.66, the accuracies of 81.6% and 84.1% for cirrhosis, while the FIB-4 cut-off point of 2.40 and 3.25 generated Youden indexes of 0.59 and 0.22, with the accuracies of 90% and 84.1% for cirrhosis, respectively.Conclusions:The FIB-4 cut-off points of 1.62 and 2.40 have higher accuracy and may decrease the need for LB 12% more than the initially established ones in HBV monoinfected patients.
Since December 2019, after the declaration of new cases regarding novel coronavirus disease, many variants have emerged as a consequence of the viral evolution. Though the SARS-CoV-2 variants have been studied for molecular basis, the clinical and pathologic disparities of them have been understood inadequately. The aim of this research was to figure out the differences between the SARS-CoV-2 Alpha (B1.1.7) variant and the classical Wuhan groups on the clinical basis and laboratory results of the COVID-19 patients who had positive PCR test.The study was done retrospectively inclusive of epidemiological, laboratory data and clinical symptoms of patients who were admitted to the emergency service between February 15 and March 15, 2021 and had positive COVID-19 PCR test results. Though there was no statistically significant difference in symptoms between SARS-CoV-2 Alpha variant and classical variant (Wuhan type) groups; C-reactive protein (CRP), lymphocyte and leukocyte counts were statistically significantly higher in the Wuhan type group; prothrombin time (PT), International Normalized Ratio (INR) and serum creatinine values were statistically significantly higher in the Alpha group. Studies such as ours that investigate both the clinical features and laboratory data of SARS-CoV-2 variants will close the knowledge gaps, so better decisions may be made by health policy makers. Additional studies in this area will increase the understanding of the topic.
AbstractGenitourinary tuberculosis (GUTB) is an extrapulmonary manifestation of tuberculosis seen in 1.2% of all cases of tuberculosis. The clinical case of a 54-year-old woman diagnosed with GUTB is presented. Cloudy urine, abdominal pain, and microscopic hematuria led us to investigate for Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Although cultures were negative, positive Ehrlich-Ziehl-Neelsen (EZN) staining and a positive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) revealed the diagnosis of M. tuberculosis complex (MTC), which was confirmed by treatment success. It has been shown that PCR is a reliable and rapid method for establishing or supporting the diagnosis of tuberculosis and can be used in a routine diagnostic algorithm when conventional methods fail to identify MTC.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.