The aim of this study was to determine the levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), catalase (CAT), and malondialdehyde (MDA) in the patients infected with Fasciola hepatica and establish whether these parameters differ among the patients with fascioliasis. The patient group consisted of 140 individuals with F. hepatica seropositive; the control group consisted of 140 healthy individuals who tested negative for this parasite and had no other diseases. The patient group consisted of individuals with no chronic diseases other than fascioliasis; in both the patient and the control groups, the subjects had no unhealthy habits such as smoking and alcohol consumption, etc. The blood samples taken to diagnose fascioliasis were evaluated by the ELISA method. The samples were studied according to the kit procedures for SOD, CAT, GPx and MDA markers. In this study, 43.6% of 140 individuals in the patient group infected with F. hepatica had CAT (p=0.001), 35% had GPx (p=0.001), 12.9% had SOD (p=0.002), 90.7% had MDA (p=0.001). There was found a statistically significant difference between the patient and the control group in terms of the positivity of these four parameters. As a result, a statistically significant relationship was found between the increase in the SOD, GPx, CAT, and MDA levels and fascioliasis. The high rate of MDA revealed that oxidative stress occurred in patients with fascioliasis, resulting in an increased activity of SOD, GPx, and CAT. Bu çalışmanın amacı, Fasciola hepatica ile enfekte hastalarda süperoksit dismutaz (SOD), glutatyon peroksidaz (GPx), katalaz (CAT) ve malondialdehit (MDA) düzeylerini belirlemek ve fascioliasisli hastalarda bu parametrelerde farklılık meydana gelip gelmediğini ortaya koymaktır. Hasta grubu, F. hepatica pozitif olan 140 hastadan; kontrol grubu ise bu parazit yönünden negatif bulunan ve başka herhangi bir hastalığı bulunmayan 140 sağlıklı kişiden oluşturuldu. Hasta grubuna fascioliasis dışında herhangi bir kronik hastalığı olmayan ve hem hasta hem de kontrol grubuna sigara, alkol kullanımı olmayan kişiler dahil edildi. Hastalarda fascioliasis pozitifliğini belirlemek için alınan kan örnekleri ELISA yöntemi ile çalışıldı. Serum SOD, CAT, GPx ve MDA düzeyleri ELISA yöntemi ile değerlendirildi. Bu çalışmada F. hepatica ile enfekte hasta grubundaki 140 kişinin %43,6’sında CAT (p=0,001), %35’inde GPx (p=0,001), %12,9’unda SOD (p=0,002) ve %90,7 MDA pozitifliği saptandı. Bu dört parametrenin pozitifliği açısından hasta ve kontrol grubu arasında istatistiksel olarak anlamlı fark bulundu (p=0,001). Sonuç olarak SOD, GPx, CAT ve MDA düzeyindeki artış ile fascioliasis arasında istatistik olarak anlamlı bir ilişki saptanmıştır. Çalışmamızda MDA’nın yüksek oranda saptanmış olması fascioliasisli hastalarda oksidatif stres oluştuğunu ve SOD, GPx ve CAT aktivitelerinde artış olduğunu ortaya koymuştur.

Myiasis cases are often encountered in humans, especially in tropical and subtropical regions. Urogenital myiasis is one of the facultative myiasis cases that may be seen in humans. Psychoda albipennis is an insect species that causes urogential myiasis in humans Adults of this species, belongs to the Psychodidae subfamily, lives especially in humid toilets and domestic bathrooms. This case, presented as urogenital myiasis caused by P. albipennis in a fifteen year old male. The person, who was a student, was living in the city center reported to have passed five-six larvae for three months. The patient had normal urinalysis, stool microscopy and urine culture. Larvae were examined under a microscope and were identified as fourth period larvae of P. albipennis. Therefore, it should not be forgotten that P. albipennis may be an agent in urogenital myiasis.

Leech therapy is a biotherapeutic approach that has been traditionally used for centuries and is currently being re-evaluated in modern medicine. The efficacy of this treatment is attributed to various bioactive compounds found in leech saliva, which exhibit anticoagulant, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anticancer properties. It has been demonstrated that leech saliva possesses the potential to modulate inflammatory processes and apoptotic mechanisms. In this study, the therapeutic potential of the saliva of Hirudo verbana was evaluated, and its biological and pharmacological effects were comprehensively investigated. The anticancer effects, antioxidant capacity, and anti-inflammatory activity of the crude leech saliva were assessed using human umbilical vein endothelial cells and epithelial ovarian cancer cells. The chemical composition of the saliva was analyzed using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, while the protein content was determined by the Bradford assay. Antioxidant activity was measured using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging assay, inflammatory effects were evaluated by Enzyme-Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay, and cell viability was determined using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay. The findings revealed that crude leech saliva had a minimal effect on healthy cells but showed a selective effect on the viability of ovarian cancer cells. At low concentrations (3.13%), 99.16% of healthy cells remained viable, whereas this rate decreased to 89.25% in cancer cells; at high concentrations (50%), cell viability in cancer cells declined to 63.02%. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis identified compounds such as gibberellic acid and 6-[(4-methoxyphenyl)methoxy]-4,4,5,7,8-pentamethyl-3H-chromen-2-one, which demonstrated high affinity for the antiapoptotic proteins Bcl-2 and Survivin in molecular docking analyses. In conclusion, the crude leech saliva was confirmed to possess anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anticancer properties. However, further biochemical and clinical research is needed to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of these biological effects in greater detail.

Bir üniversite hastanesi parazitoloji laboratuvarında belirlenen intestinal ve hepatik parazitler