Objective: We hypothesize that apigenin may inhibit some cellular process of sepsis-induced spleen injury and simultaneously improve inflammation and oxidative stress. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the potential protective effects of apigenin in a polymicrobial sepsis rat model of by cecal ligation and puncture. Materials and methods: 64 female Wistar albino rats were divided into 8 groups. The pro-inflammatory (tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-6, and interleukin-1-beta) and anti-inflammatory (tumor growth factor-beta and interleukin-10) cytokine levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. CD3, CD68, and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) positivity rates were detected by immunohistochemical methods. Oxidative stress parameters were measured by tissue biochemistry. Results: Sepsis caused a significant increase in TNF-alpha, IL-1-beta, IL-6, and TGF-beta levels whereas it reduced IL-10 level. Additionally, it led to an increase in CD3, CD68, and NF-κB positivity rates as well as oxidative stress parameters levels. However, apigenin inhibited the inflammation process, increased the IL-10 level and normalized the oxidative stress parameters. Discussion and conclusion: Pretreatment with apigenin results in a significant reduction in the amount of inflammatory cells. The beneficial effect of apigenin on spleen injury also involved inhibition of NF-κB pathway, suppression of proinflammatory cytokines, and induction of anti-inflammatory cytokine production. Additionally, it led to a decrease in oxidative stress in spleen tissue. Taking everything into account, apigenin may be an alternative therapeutic option for prevention of sepsis-induced organ.

In this study, it was aimed to determine the antibody responses after the two doses of inactivated severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) vaccinations in people who were above 65 years old and to evaluate the factors affecting this response. A total of 235 participants aged 65 years and older were included. Blood samples were taken and data about age, gender, comorbid diseases, and presence of side effects after vaccination were noted. Anti‐SARS‐CoV‐2 QuantiVac ELISA (IgG) test kit (catalogue number: EI‐2606‐9601‐10‐G, Euroimmun) was used. The mean age was 70.38 ± 4.76. Approximately 120 of 235 participants had at least one comorbid disease. The mean levels of anti‐SARS‐CoV‐2 IgG antibody after 4 weeks from the first and second doses of vaccine were 37.70 ± 57.08 IU/ml, and 194.61 ± 174.88 IU/ml, respectively. Additionally, 134 of 235 participants (57.02%) had under 25.6 IU/ml antibody level (negative) after 4 weeks from the first vaccine dose while this rate was 11.48% (n = 27) after 4 weeks from the second vaccine dose. The 19 (70.4%) participants who had under had 25.6 IU/ml antibody level after 4 weeks from the first dose of vaccine had at least one comorbid disease including diabetes mellitus, and 8 (29.6%) participants had no comorbid disease (F = 2.352, p = 0.006). Lower rates of antibody response were detected in participants aged 65 years and older and those with comorbidities both in our study and similar studies in the current literature. Further studies should evaluate whether the low antibody titers are really associated with age and comorbidities or not. Finally, prospective studies are needed to determine how long the immunity provided by SARS‐CoV‐2 vaccines will continue.

Background: The ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid‐19) pandemic has been rapidly spreading throughout the world with confirmed case numbers already exceeding 75 million. Although nasopharyngeal swabs are the most commonly utilized samples for based severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) RNA detection, collecting these specimens requires healthcare workers and necessitates the use of personal protective equipment as it presents a nosocomial transmission risk. We aimed to assess the diagnostic value of saliva samples in mildly symptomatic and asymptomatic patients with confirmed Covid‐19.Methods: We performed a cohort study to validate the use of saliva for SARS‐CoV‐2 detection in mildly symptomatic and asymptomatic patients with a confirmed diagnosis of Covid‐19. Saliva samples of the patients were analyzed by reverse‐transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR).Results: In May 2020, 28 asymptomatic and 25 mildly symptomatic patients were enrolled in the study. The median age was 37 years (range 4–70). None of the patients had a fever on presentation. Among 53 patients with SARS‐CoV‐2 detected in the nasopharyngeal sample, the real‐time RT‐PCR was positive in the saliva specimens in 48 (90.56%) patients. The mean cycle threshold (CT) values for nasopharyngeal and saliva specimens (27.80 ± 3.44 and 30.64 ± 2.83, respectively) were significantly correlated between the two sample types (p = .016). The mean CT values of nasopharyngeal and saliva samples in mildly symptomatic and asymptomatic patients (27.18 ± 3.53 and 30.24 ± 3.29 vs. 28.36 ± 3.31 and 30.98 ± 2.39, respectively) were not significantly different (p = .236 and p = .733, respectively).Conclusions: Saliva specimens can be considered as a reliable and less resource‐intensive alternative to nasopharyngeal specimens for screening asymptomatic SARS‐CoV‐2 infections.

Helicobacter pylori infection is usually acquired in early childhood and it can persist throughout life without antibiotic treatment. This study aimed to compare the accuracy of the noninvasive H. pylori Stool Antigen Test-applied on the stool samples with the invasive gold standart Rapid Urease Test-applied on the gastric biopy samples of patients with upper gastrointestinal complaints. After endoscopy, biopsy and stool specimens were taken in 122 patients. The infection was detected with rapid urease test which is accepted as gold standart test. Rapid, one-step H. pylori card test was applied to all patients stool specimens. In this study 106 of the 122 patients (86.8%) were positive for H. pylori infection, while 16 of the 122 patients (13.2%) were negative. H. pylori card test was negative in 13 of the 16 patients and was positive in 98 of the 106. The sensitivity, specifity, positive and negative predictive values were 92.45%, 81.25%, 97.02%, and 61.90%, respectively. H. pylori card test is rapid, easy, noninvasive and inexpensive methods for detection H. pylori infection. This test showed high sensitivity and specificity. Additionally, it may be a good alternative to invasive tests for the detection of H. pylori infections especially in children.