Gilaburu (Viburnum opulus L.) is an important fruit that has been studied in recent years due to its phytochemicals and health benefits. In this study, traditionally produced vinegar made from gilaburu fruit (C-GV) was evaluated. Vinegar with higher levels of bioactive components optimized by response surface methodology (RSM) was also produced using ultrasound (UT-GV). The maximum optimization result for the bioactive components was achieved at 14 min and 61.2 amplitude. The effectiveness of thermal pasteurization (P-GV) on gilaburu vinegar was evaluated. An increase was detected for every organic acid with ultrasound treatment. In the UT-GV and C-GV samples, arabinose was present, which is useful for stimulating the immune system. Gilaburu vinegar samples contained 29–31 volatile compounds. The smallest amount of volatile compounds was found in P-GV (1280.9 µg/kg), and the largest amounts of volatile compounds were found in C-GV (1566.9 µg/kg) and UT-GV (1244.10 µg/kg). In the UT-GV sample, Fe was increased, but Ca, K, Mg, and Mn were decreased. A total of 15 polyphenols were detected in C-GV, P-GV, and UT-GV samples, and gallic acid was the most common. A total of 17 free amino acids were detected in gilaburu vinegar samples. Ultrasound provided enrichment in total phenolic compounds and total free amino acids. All three vinegar samples had good antimicrobial activity against pathogens. The efficacy of C-GV, P-GV, and UT-GV samples against colon and stomach cancer was determined, but there were no significant differences between them. As a result, ultrasound treatment is notable due to its antimicrobial and anticancer activity, especially for the enrichment of phenolic compounds and amino acids in gilaburu vinegar.

This study aimed to investigate the seropositivity of CoronaVac-SinoVac vaccination in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) risk factors and comorbidities. Immunoglobulin (IgG) antibody responses were examined on the 21st day after the second dose of CoronaVac-SinoVac 6 μg vaccine on the 28th day. SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibody levels were measured by using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method in vaccinated health care workers (n=134) (Group I), vaccinated polymerase chain reaction (PCR) (+) who had coronavirus-19 (COVID-19) disease (n=21) (Group II), and unvaccinated PCR (+) (n=28) (Group III) participants. Subgroups were formed in Group I according to the presence of COVID-19 risk factors and comorbidities (diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, and asthma/allergy) and demographic data. Seropositivity rates were 95.5, 100, and 89.3% for Groups I, II, and III, respectively. IgG antibody levels were found significantly higher in the group between the ages of 20-30 in group I compared to those aged 31-50 and over 50 (both p<0.01). It was found significantly higher in normal-weight individuals than in the overweight and obese group (both p<0.01). IgG antibody levels were found significantly lower in people with cardiovascular disease and diabetes mellitus compared with those who did not (p<0.05 and p<0.001, respectively). There was a negative correlation between IgG antibody response values and body mass index and age in Group I (r= -0.336, p<0.001 and r= -0.307, p<0.001, respectively). IgG antibody values decrease with age and with increasing body mass index. The presence of comorbidities (i.e., diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease) decreased COVID-19 IgG antibody values.

Objectives: “Nosocomial infections” or “healthcare-associated infections” are a significant public health problem around the world. This study aimed to assess the rate of laboratory-confirmed healthcare-associated infections, frequency of nosocomial pathogens, and the antimicrobial resistance patterns of bacterial isolates in a University Hospital. Methods: A retrospective evaluation of healthcare-associated infections in a University Hospital, between the years 2015 and 2019 in Tekirdag, Turkey. Results: During the 5 years, the incidence densities of healthcare-associated infections in intensive care units and clinics were 10.31 and 1.70/1000 patient-days, respectively. The rates of ventilator-associated pneumonia, central line–associated bloodstream infections, and catheter-associated urinary tract infections in intensive care units were 11.57, 4.02, and 1.99 per 1000 device-days, respectively. The most common healthcare-associated infections according to the primary sites were bloodstream infections (55.3%) and pneumonia (20.4%). 67.5% of the isolated microorganisms as nosocomial agents were Gram-negative bacteria, 24.9% of Gram-positive bacteria, and 7.6% of Candida. The most frequently isolated causative agents were Escherichia coli (16.7%) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (15.7%). The rate of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase production among E. coli isolates was 51.1%. Carbapenem resistance was 29.8% among isolates of P. aeruginosa, 95.1% among isolates of Acinetobacter baumannii, and 18.2% among isolates of Klebsiella pneumoniae. Colistin resistance was 2.4% among isolates of A. baumannii. Vancomycin resistance was 5.3% among isolates of Enterococci. Conclusion: Our study results demonstrate that healthcare-associated infections are predominantly originated by intensive care units. The microorganisms isolated from intensive care units are highly resistant to many antimicrobial agents. The rising incidence of multidrug-resistant microorganisms indicates that more interventions are urgently needed to reduce healthcare-associated infections in our intensive care units.

Objectives As a result of developed generalized inflammation, the main prognostic factor determining morbidity and mortality in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients is acute respiratory distress syndrome. The purpose of our study was to define (1) the laboratory tests that will contribute to the diagnosis and follow-up of COVID-19 patients, (2) the differences between the laboratory-confirmed (LC), unconfirmed (LUC), and control (C) groups, and (3) the variation between groups of acute-phase reactants and biomarkers that can be used as an indicator of disease severity and inflammation.Materials and Methods A total of 102 patients undergoing treatment with COVID-19 interim guidelines were evaluated. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test was positive in 56 (LC), classified as mild or severe, and negative in 46 (LUC) patients. In addition, 30 healthy subjects (C) with negative RT-PCR tests were also evaluated.All statistical analyses were performed with the SPSS 22.0 program and the p-values for significant findings were less than 0.05. Parametric/nonparametric distribution was determined by performing the Kolmogorov–Smirnov test for all groups. Student's t-test was used for variables with parametric distribution and the Mann–Whitney U-test for variables with the nonparametric distribution. A cut-off level for biomarkers was determined using the ROC (receiver operator characteristic) curve.Results In the LC group, platelet, platecrit, mean platelet volume, platelet diameter width, white blood cell, lymphocyte, eosinophil, neutrophil, immature granulocyte, immature lymphocyte, immature monocyte, large immune cell, and atypical lymphocyte counts among the complete blood count parameters of mature and immature cell counts showed a significant difference according to the C and LUC groups. C-reactive protein, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio, and C-reactive protein-to-albumin ratio (CAR) indices were significantly elevated in LC patients and were significantly higher in patients classified as severe compared to mild. When CAR optimal cutoff was determined as 0.475, area under the curve was 0.934, sensitivity was 90.91%, specificity was 86.21%, positive predictive value was 92.59%, and negative predictive value was 83.33%. The diagnostic accuracy for CAR was 89.29%.Conclusion The CAR index with the highest diagnostic value and the highest predictability could be the most useful biomarker in the diagnosis and evaluation of disease severity in COVID-19 patients.

Onion (Allium cepa L.) juice is an important product used in gastronomy and food formulations. The first objective of this study was to optimize the content of bioactive compounds in purple onion juice (POJ) after the thermosonication process using response surface methodology (RSM) and artificial neural network (ANN) application models. Second, the anticancer, antibacterial, antihypertensive, and antidiabetic effects of POJ obtained after thermal pasteurization (P-POJ) or thermosonication (TS-POJ) were investigated after obtaining the ANN and RSM analysis reports. The optimization process for TS-POJ was carried out at 44 °C, for 13 min, with a 68% amplitude. The findings demonstrated that the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition level was greater in TS-POJ samples than in the untreated control (C-POJ) sample (p > 0.05). C-POJ, TS-POJ, and P-POJ exhibited the inhibition of cell proliferation in vitro in a dose-dependent manner in lung (A549), cervical (HeLa), and colon cancer cells following 24 h incubation. Thermosonication or thermal pasteurization did not markedly affect the cell proliferation of the examined cancer cells compared to the untreated control group. While no antibacterial effect was observed with low concentrations of samples, they showed an antibacterial effect at pure concentrations (100%). The thermosonication treatment for processing purple onion juice was successful in this study’s results.

An increase in the counts of the Demodex mites that exist in the microbiota of healthy individuals may lead to some dermatological diseases. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of Demodex spp. among patients diagnosed with acne vulgaris, rosacea, perioral dermatitis, seborrheic dermatitis, eczema, and pityriasis folliculorum and the relationship between the demographic and clinical data of such patients and Demodex. This study included 144 patients (70 with acne vulgaris, 6 with pityriasis folliculorum, 15 with seborrheic dermatitis, 39 with rosacea, 8 with eczema, and 6 with perioral dermatitis) and 73 healthy subjects. We evaluated Demodex positivity using the standard superficial skin biopsy method in all groups. The presence of more than five Demodex mites per square centimeter was considered positive at the diagnosis. Of the 144 patients included in the study, 107 (74.3%) were female, and 37 (25.7%) were male, while 40 (54.8%) of the 73 healthy subjects were female, and 33 (45.2%) were male. Twenty-one patients (14.5%) and five of the healthy subjects (6.8%) tested positive for Demodex. We found that Demodex positivity rates in the rosacea and acne vulgaris groups were higher than in the control group. However, this level was not statistically significant (p>0.05). We found the highest positivity rate among the patient groups in the pityriasis folliculorum (4/6, 66.7%), rosacea (8/39, 20.5%), and perioral dermatitis (1/6, 16.7%) groups. Lastly, we found no statistically significant relationship between the demographic and clinical characteristics of the groups and Demodex positivity (p>0.05). The present study is the only study that investigated Demodex positivity in six different dermatological diseases. Based on the results, we believe that investigating Demodex spp. positivity in dermatological diseases such as acne vulgaris, rosacea, and pityriasis folliculorum would be beneficial for early diagnosis and treatment.