Detection of TT virus (TTV) by three frequently-used PCR methods targeting different regions of viral genome in children with cryptogenic hepatitis, chronic B hepatitis and hbs carriers.

This study was designed so that three sensitive and widely-used polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods for the detection of TT virus or Torque Teno virus (TTV) would be simultaneously applied to a large number of subjects to evaluate performances of the various PCR protocols with different genotype sensitivities. Sera were collected from 92 children admitted to Hacettepe University Ihsan Doğramaci Children's Hospital Pediatric Gastroenterology Unit (17 cryptogenic chronic hepatitis, 17 asymptomatic HBs carriers, 18 chronic HBV patients and 40 healthy children). TTV DNA was detected via nested N22, nested 3'-UTR and 5'-UTR PCRs for all samples.

[Investigation of anti-R7V antibodies in HIV-infected patients under highly active antiretroviral therapy].

R7V is a seven-aminoacid peptide epitope derived from cellular beta-2 microglobulin, present on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) virion surface in patients with HIV infection. Antibodies against R7V peptide have the property of neutralizing all strains of HIV, unrelated to genotype, phenotype, or geographical origin of the virus, even in the presence of anti-retroviral drug resistance. Patients that mount an anti-R7V antibody response have been shown to be slow or non-progressors and this epitope has been considered for vaccine and/or therapeutic uses.

[Detection and typing of human papilloma virus by polymerase chain reaction and hybridization assay in cervical samples with cytological abnormalities].

Certain mucosa-tropic human papillomavirus (HPV) types are associated with carcinoma of the uterine cervix or its precursor lesions. In addition to cytological screening, early diagnosis and treatment of cervical carcinoma rely on sensitive detection and typing of HPV isolates. In this study, HPV detection and typing were performed in the cervical samples of patients with abnormal cytological evaluation.

Testicular persistence of Parvovirus B19: evidence for preferential infection of germ cell tumors.

Human Parvovirus B19 has previously been implicated in the pathogenesis of testicular germ cell tumors, but this could not have been confirmed. This study was designed to investigate the testicular persistence of Parvovirus B19 and possible associations with germ cell tumors. Paraffin-embedded or fresh tissues from 36 germ cell tumors, 20 germ cell aplasias, 26 normal testicular tissues, 20 liver tissues, and 20 spleen tissues were evaluated by two different molecular assays: a nested PCR for Parvovirus B19 capsid genes and a commercial quantitative real-time PCR.

West Nile virus studies in the Sanliurfa Province of Turkey.

We attempted to isolate West Nile virus from mosquitoes collected in the field for the first time in Turkey. A total of 6,457 mosquito specimens from Culex pipiens Linnaeus, Ochlerotatus caspius (Pallas) and Aedes spp. species were included in this study.

[Human papilloma virus DNA in cervical samples with cytological abnormalities and typing of the virus].

Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infections and cervical carcinoma which is associated with certain types of the virus have been worldwide public health issue. Early diagnosis of HPV infections and the detection of viral genotypes are important for the successful treatment and prevention of cervical carcinoma. This study has been designed as a preliminary study to estimate HPV type distribution in cervical samples with cytologic abnormalities in our country.

Seroprevalence of West Nile virus and tick-borne encephalitis virus in southeastern Turkey: first evidence for tick-borne encephalitis virus infections.

West Nile virus (WNV) and tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) are among the medically important Flaviviruses that cause significant morbidity and mortality in humans. In this study, seroprevalence of WNV and TBEV in sera from two state medical hospitals from the southeastern part of Turkey was investigated. One hundred eighty-one serum samples were evaluated for WNV immunoglobulin G (IgG) by an indirect immunofluorescence test (IIFT) and for IgG antibodies against TBEV by a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit with enhanced sensitivity and specificity.

[The colorful clinical spectrum of cerebral toxoplasmosis in five HIV positive cases: what comes out of Pandora's box?].

In patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), the most common cause of focal intracranial lesion is Toxoplasma gondii infection. T. gondii encephalitis is an easily and effectively treatable disease, with promising outcomes.

Transfusion-transmitted virus prevalence in Turkish patients with thalassemia.

In hematology patients on chronic transfusion regimes, liver diseases are frequent, and mostly related to the agents transmitted by blood products and concominant iron deposition in liver. Besides hepatitis B (HBV) and C (HCV) viruses, new viral agents like hepatitis G virus (HGV) and TorqueTeno virus (TTV) are identified in these patients, although their association with any pathology or disease is not yet proved. In the present work, the authors studied the clinical importance of TTV in Turkish multitransfused patients with thalassemia.

[Detection of TT virus DNA by nested-PCR method in non A-E hepatitis cases].

TT virus (TTV) is the unique single stranded circular DNA virus, isolated from humans. Viral DNA is shown to be present not only in patients with hepatitis of unknown etiology but also in apparently healthy populations. TTV's role as a causative agent for non A-E hepatitis is widely questioned.

Cytotoxicity of eluates from a gamma-ray-polymerized poly(methyl methacrylate).

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the cytotoxicity of gamma-ray-polymerized poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA). A total of 32 disk-shaped PMMA specimens were polymerized by gamma-irradiation with 1 Mrad for 4 h (Group 1), 2 Mrad for 8 h (Group 2), 3 Mrad for 12 h (Group 3), and thermally polymerized (Group 4). Four- and 6-day eluates of the specimens were prepared in Eagle's Minimal Essential Medium (EMEM) without Fetal Calf Serum (FCS).

Infective agents in fixed human cadavers: a brief review and suggested guidelines.

Cadavers remain a principal teaching tool for anatomists and medical educators teaching gross anatomy. Infectious pathogens in cadavers that present particular risks include Mycobacterium tuberculosis, hepatitis B and C, the AIDS virus HIV, and prions that cause transmissible spongiform encephalopathies such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) and Gerstmann-Straussler-Scheinker syndrome (GSS). It is often claimed that fixatives are effective in inactivation of these agents.

Viral studies in the cerebrospinal fluid in subacute sclerosing panencephalitis.

Objectives: The pathogenesis of subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE), and particularly, the cause of measles virus (MV) reactivation following a latent period after primary measles infection is unknown. The hypothesis of other viruses contributing to the pathogenesis of SSPE by affecting the in vivo state of MV was investigated.

Methods: We examined the cerebrospinal fluid of SSPE patients (n=43) for DNA or RNA and antibodies against HSV type 1 and 2, EBV, CMV, VZV, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, JC virus, human herpesvirus (HHV)-6, HHV-7, HHV-8, HTLV-1, and HTLV-2.

Anti-Kp 90 IgA antibodies in the diagnosis of active tuberculosis.

Background: Accurate diagnosis of active tuberculosis (TB) has been difficult historically, yet a great demand persists for a rapid and reliable diagnostic method. Detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis anti-Kp 90 IgA antibodies is one of the more novel techniques.

Study Objectives: To evaluate the diagnostic value of a recently developed enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test, which detects IgA antibodies against M tuberculosis Kp 90 antigen, and to compare the results with conventional diagnosis and the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method.

New naphthyloxyalkyl beta-diketone and 3,5-dimethylisoxazole derivatives as potential antiviral agents.

Ten new compounds having 3-[(2-naphthyloxy)alkyl]-2,4-pentanedione and 4-[(2-naphthyloxy)alkyl]-3,5-dimethylisoxazole structures were synthesized and their cytotoxicities and antiviral activities investigated. 3-[6-(2-Naphthyloxy)hexyl]-2,4-pentandione possessing inhibitory activity on the replication of both adenovirus type 5 and poliovirus type 1 at 20 micrograms/ml was the most active compound in the series.

The distribution of hepatitis C virus genotypes in Turkish patients.

The distribution of hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotypes was investigated in 89 HCV-infected Turkish patients. Blood samples were collected from haemodialysis patients (n = 45), chronic liver disease (CLD) patients (n = 38), acute non-A, non-B (NANB) hepatitis patients (n = 2) and blood donors (n = 4). HCV RNA sequences were amplified in the 5' non-coding region and were typed by restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis.

Epidermoid carcinoma-cell culture supernatant's inhibition of monocyte chemotaxis: evidence for a tumour-mediated effect.

Epidermoid carcinoma-cell culture supernatants obtained from three laryngeal-epidermoid carcinoma patients were tested in the monocyte suspensions of 13 stage I and stage II (TNM) head and neck epidermoid-carcinoma patients and seven healthy controls for its chemotactic inhibitor activity in vitro with a modified Boyden chamber method. Using 2% casein as the chemoattractant, mean values of monocyte chemotaxis and random migration were found to be decreased in the patient group compared to the controls in a simultaneous assay recorded by the "leading front" method. Simultaneous experiments performed with the supernatant revealed a nearly double-fold increase in random migration and depressed chemotaxis in both groups.

[Detection of BK virus activation in renal and bone marrow transplantation patients using serological and virological methods].

In this study, 10 renal and bone marrow transplant recipients' sera samples taken before and after transplantation and urine samples taken after transplantation were investigated for evidence of reactivation of BK virus, a human polyoma virus. BK virus reactivation was detected in 4 transplant patients serologically by hemagglutination inhibition, ELISA-IgG and ELISA-IgM tests. However we did not succeed to isolate BK virus in Vero cell lines from any urine samples.

The role of viruses and Mycoplasma pneumoniae in lower respiratory tract infections in childhood.

Acute lower respiratory tract infections are one of the major causes of childhood morbidity and mortality in developing countries. This study was undertaken at Hacettepe University Children's Hospital to determine the role of viruses and Mycoplasma pneumoniae in respiratory tract infections in children. Eighty-three patients with lower respiratory tract infections were selected at random from among the children admitted to the hospital for evaluation of respiratory symptoms.

Intraventricular interferon and oral inosiplex in the treatment of subacute sclerosing panencephalitis.

We treated 22 patients with subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) with intraventricular alpha-interferon (IFN) and inosiplex PO and followed them for 2 to 54 months. Three deaths occurred. Clinical improvement, demonstrated by decreasing scores on the Neurological Disability Index, occurred in 11/22 (50%); five patients became stable, and the progression rate of the disease decreased in three.

[New vaccines].

In this article, schedule for active immunization of normal infants and children in the routine strategy have been reviewed and some of the new vaccines were defined.

[New human polyomavirus: comparison of hemagglutination inhibition, ELISA and complement fixation tests for BK virus serology].

In this study, 110 sera samples taken from healthy persons were tested for BK virus antibodies by using hemagglutination inhibition (HI), ELISA and complement fixation (CF) tests to detect the sensitivity, specificity and agreement of these tests. The results of each individual test was compared with others for sensitivity and specificity. Specificity found to be 96% when HI and CF tests were compared.