The presented study comprises the one-pot synthesis and the characterization of quercetin- and caffeic acid-functionalized chitosan-capped colloidal silver nanoparticles (Ch/Q- and Ch/CA-Ag NPs), and their antibacterial and anticancer activities. The formation of Ch/Q- and Ch/CA-Ag NPs has been confirmed by ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The characteristic surface plasmon resonance (SPR) absorption band has been found at 417 and 424 nm for Ch/Q- and Ch/CA-Ag NPs, respectively. The formation of a chitosan shell comprising quercetin and caffeic acid, which surround the colloidal core Ag NPs, was confirmed by UV–vis, and FTIR analyses, and monitored by TEM microscopy. The size of nanoparticles has been determined as 11.2 and 10.3 nm for Ch/Q- and Ch/CA-Ag, respectively. The anticancer activity of Ch/Q- and Ch/CA-Ag NPs has been evaluated against U-118 MG (human glioblastoma) and ARPE-19 (human retinal pigment epithelium) cells. Both NPs showed anticancer activity, but Ch/Q-Ag NPs seemed to be more effective on cancer cell lines (U-118 MG) in comparison to healthy ones (ARPE-19). Furthermore, the antibacterial activity of Ch/Q- and Ch/CA-Ag NPs against Gram-negative (P. aeruginosa and E. coli) and Gram-positive (S. aureus and S. epidermidis) bacteria was determined, and dose-dependent antibacterial effects were found.

SUMMARY OBJECTIVE This study aimed to determine the rates of IgG and IgM antibodies against cytomegalovirus, rubella, and Toxoplasma gondii (all of which may cause congenital infections) in women of childbearing age who were admitted to Bolu Abant İzzet Baysal University Training and Research Hospital. METHODS Between January 2015 and December 2017, Toxoplasma gondii, rubella, and cytomegalovirus IgM and IgG antibody levels were studied using the ELISA method (Architect i2000SR, Abbott, Germany) in patients aged 15 to 45 who attended the obstetrics and gynecology outpatient clinics. Toxoplasma gondii and cytomegalovirus IgG avidity levels were analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS A total of 13.470 tests were conducted in the laboratory. Seropositivity percentages of IgM antibodies were found to be 1.3%, 0.5%, and 1.6% for Toxoplasma (n = 3607), rubella (n = 3931), and cytomegalovirus (n = 3795), respectively. The seropositivity percentages of IgG antibodies were 22%, 94.2%, and 98.2% for Toxoplasma (n = 702), rubella (n = 693), and cytomegalovirus (n = 679), respectively. Primary infection (acute, recently acquired) was found in 7 (35%) patients with low Toxoplasma IgG avidity. One (3%) patient with low cytomegalovirus IgG avidity had a primary infection. CONCLUSION Toxoplasma gondii seronegativity was found to be high in the region. Therefore, screening women of childbearing age may be important for the prevention of congenital infections caused by Toxoplasma gondii.

Tr en Amaç: Yara yeri enfeksiyonları, hastane kaynaklı enfeksiyonlar arasında ilk üç sırada yer almaktadır. Yara enfeksiyonlarının tedavisi sırasında kültür ve antibiyogram duyarlılıklarının yapılması, tedavinin başarısını arttıracağı gibi uygunsuz antibiyotik kullanımını engelleyerek, etken olan bakterilerde direnç gelişimini de önleyecektir. Çalışmamızda, 2016-2018 yılları arasında polikliniklere ayaktan başvuran ya da servislerde yatarak tedavi gören hastaların yara yeri örneklerinden izole ettiğimiz mikroorganizmaların dağılımı ve antibiyotik duyarlılıkları belirlenerek, ampirik tedavi seçeneklerine yol gösterici olması amaçlandı. Gereç ve Yöntemler: Hastanemiz mikrobiyoloji laboratuvarına gönderilmiş olan, toplam 315 yara yeri örneği retrospektif olarak incelendi. Etken olarak kabul edilen mikroorganizmaların tür düzeyinde tanımlanmaları ve antimikrobiyal duyarlılıkları araştırıldı. Bulgular: İzole edilen mikroorganizmaların %46.4’ünü (n=146) Gram pozitif koklar, %53’ünü (n=167) Gram negatif bakteriler ve %0.6’sını (n=2) mantarlar (Candida albicans) oluşturdu. S. aureus %21 oranında en sık, Koagülaz Negatif Stafilokok %16 oranında ikinci sıklıkta, E. coli %15 oranında üçüncü sıklıkta görülen bakteri oldu (p<0.001). Gram pozitif bakterilerde, direnç durumuna bakıldığında, S. aureus suşlarının %16.7’sinin metisiline dirençli olduğu görüldü. Enterokoklar dahil Gram pozitif bakterilerde glikopeptid direncine rastlanmadı. E. coli ve K. pneumoniae suşlarında GSBL oranı (%43.8; %48.5) diğer Gram negatif bakterilere oranla daha yüksek bulundu (p=0.493). En yüksek antibiyotik direnç oranı %70.8 ile ampisiline, en az direnç oranı %2 ile imipeneme karşı görüldü. Sonuç: Yara enfeksiyonlarının sık etkenlerinden olan S. aureus ve E. coli’nin çalışmamızda, başta gastrointestinal karsinomu olan hastalarda olmak üzere oldukça yüksek oranda saptanması nedeniyle ampirik tedavide bu etkenlerin antibiyotik duyarlılıklarının göz önünde bulundurulması gerektiği düşünülmüştür. Aim: Wound location infections are among the first three of hospital-acquired infections. During the treatment of wound infections, culture and antibiogram sensitivities will increase the success of the treatment and prevent the use of the wrong antibiotics and prevent the development of resistance in the bacteria. In our study, between the years 2016-2018 outpatient and inpatient wound distribution of microorganisms isolated from samples from patients we determined the rate and antibiotic susceptibilities were meant to be guiding the empirical treatment options. Material and Methods: A total of 315 wound sites were examined retrospectively in our microbiology laboratory. Descriptive microorganisms were determined at species level and antimicrobial susceptibility tests were investigated. Results: Of the isolated microorganisms, 46.4% (n=146) were Gram positive cocci, 53% (n=167) were Gram negative bacteria and 0.6% (n=2) were fungi (Candida albicans). S. aureus was the second most frequent coagulase negative staphylococcus (16%), E. coli was the third most common (15%) (p<0.001). In the case of Gram positive bacteria, 16.7% of S. aureus strains were resistant to methicillin. There was no glycopeptide resistance in Gram positive bacteria including enterococci. The ESBL ratio in E. coli and K. pneumoniae strains (43.8%, 48.5%) was higher than the other Gram negative bacteria (p=0.493). The highest antibiotic resistance rate was found to be against ampicillin with 70.8% and to imipenem with a minimum resistance rate of 2%. Conclusion: In our study, S. aureus and E. coli, which are frequent agents of wound infections, were considered to be quite high in patients with gastrointestinal carcinoma. Therefore, it was thought that the antibiotic susceptibility of these agents should be considered in empirical treatment.

Background: Anti-HCV antibody level screening is used in the diagnosis of HCV. However, a positive (S/Co > 1) result in the anti-HCV test does not always reflect true positivity. Antibody level results of S/Co ratio > 1 have to be validated through HCV RNA. In this study, we aimed to compare the signal-to-cutoff ratios of patients with positive (> 1) HCV antibody levels with the results of HCV RNA by PCR. Methods: In total, 17,021 samples were tested for anti HCV between January 2017 and December 2019. HCV antibody (anti HCV) was performed with a fully automated chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay (CMIA, Abbot (R), Architect System). Real Time PCR test (Anatolia Geneworks HCV, Turkey) was used as nucleic acid amplification method. Results: Of the 17,021 patients, 16,706 (98.15%) tested negative and 315 (1.85%) tested positive in the anti-HCV assay. An additional HCV RNA test was requested for these 315 patients with positive anti-HCV assay results (S/Co >= 1) of which 23.81% (75/315) were positive for HCV RNA in serum, with a median (IQR): 5.43 log(10) IU/mL (4.75 - 6.01 log(10) IU/mL). Patients who tested positive for HCV RNA had significantly higher S/Co values compared to patients who tested negative (median (IQR): 13.38 (12.30 - 14.57) vs. 1.79 (1.34 - 1.79), p < 0.001). Conclusions: When S/Co ratios of patients who tested anti-HCV positive and HCV RNA positive were evaluated, it was assumed that high S/Co values were more relevant to true positivity. It was also concluded that low S/Co ratios needed to be verified through PCR.

Background. Bacterial, viral, and parasitic transmission is a common issue involving items that are used in crowded places and are touched. In this study, it was aimed to identify the types of bacteria on models used in anatomy laboratories and the types of bacteria that contaminate students’ hands. Methods. Swab samples were taken from 30 models used in the laboratory and from the dominant hands of 94 students prior to and after contact with the models and were examined in the microbiology laboratory. Results. Five types of bacteria were isolated from the anatomy models: coagulase-negative staphylococcus, staphylococcus aureus, bacillus spp., enterococcus spp., and escherichia coli. Coagulase-negative staphylococcus, staphylococcus aureus, and bacillus spp. were isolated from the hands of the students before the contact, and additionally, enterococcus spp. were isolated after the contact. The hands were not found to be contaminated with escherichia coli originating from the models, whereas enterococcus spp. were found to be transmitted to the hands after the contact. Conclusion. The necessity of washing hands before and after working on the models and the necessity of occasionally disinfecting the models have emerged.

Amaç: Son yıllarda geniş spektrumlu antibiyotiklerin yaygın kullanımı nedeniyle çoklu ilaca dirençli bakterilerde meydana gelen artışlar dünya çapında acil bir sorun haline gelmiştir. Bu çalışmada kan kültürü örneklerinden izole edilen Gram negatif bakterilerin antimikrobiyal direnç paternlerinin saptanarak ampirik tedavi ve antibiyotik kullanım politikalarına katkıda bulunulması amaçlanmıştır. Gereç ve Yöntemler: Laboratuvarımıza Haziran 2018-Haziran 2021 tarihleri arasında gönderilen kan kültüründen izole edilen 495 Gram negatif bakteri izolatı retrospektif olarak incelenmiştir. Bakterilerin identifikasyonu için konvansiyonel yöntemler ve tam otomatize cihaz (VITEK2, bioMerieux, Fransa) kullanılmıştır. Tiplendirme sonrasında izolatların antibiyotik duyarlılık testleri, VITEK2 sistemi ile yapılmış, EUCAST (European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing) kriterlerine göre yorumlanmıştır. Bulgular: Gram negatif izolatlar, sıklıkla yoğun bakım servislerinden izole edilmiştir (%39). Gram negatif bakteriyemilerde saptanan etkenler sıklık sırasına göre; Escherichia coli %33,9, Klebsiella pneumoniae %19,1, Acinetobacter spp. %18,5, Pseudomonas spp. %10,3 ve Enterobacter spp. %4,6 bulunmuştur. E.coli’ de daha az direnç karbapenemlere (meropenem %0, imipenem %2,9 ve ertapenem %3,7) , tigesikline %1,8, ve amikasine karşı %2 saptanmıştır. Enterobacterales izolatlarında daha az direnç oranları sırasıyla karbapenemlere (%6,8-14,5) amikasine (%10,6) ve tigesikline (%15,9) karşı bulunmuştur. Pseudomonas spp.’de daha az direnç amikasine (%11,8) ve karbapenemlere (%13,7-22,7) karşı saptanmıştır. Sonuç: Karbapenemler, amikasin ve tigesiklin dışındaki bazı antibiyotiklere direnç oranlarının yüksek oranda saptanması, hastalara ampirik antibiyotik tedavinin dikkatli şekilde uygulanması gerektiğini göstermektedir. Bu sonuçların hastanemizde akılcı antibiyotik kullanımına ve ampirik tedavi seçimine katkı sağlayacağı kanaatindeyiz.