Theory of Mind in Schizophrenia and Asperger's Syndrome: Relationship with Negative Symptoms.

Objective: Although previous studies have shown that the theory of mind (ToM) ability is impaired in Asperger's Syndrome (AS) and in schizophrenia, few controlled studies compared the ToM performance between the two disorders. Besides, the relationship between the degree of ToM impairment and symptom dimensions is unclear, and presence of ToM impairment in remitted patients with schizophrenia is controversial. Here, we tested the hypothesis that schizophrenia patients with prominent negative symptoms were closer to AS patients and different than schizophrenia patients without prominent negative symptoms and healthy controls in terms of ToM functioning.

[Investigation of bactericidal effect and nitric oxide responses of Caco-2 epithelial cells and THP-1 macrophage cells against Streptococcus pyogenes and Escherichia coli].

Epithelial cells and macrophages contribute to innate immune responses by cell to cell interactions and releasing proinflammatory mediators. In this study, we aimed to illuminate the underlying mechanisms of contribution of macrophages and epithelial cells in the struggle against pathogens. Therefore, Streptococcus pyogenes and Escherichia coli activated Caco-2 cells and THP-1 macrophage-like cells were investigated for their bactericidal activities and nitric oxide (NO) production when they were alone, in contact with eachother and when their contact was blocked by continuing exposure of soluble mediators.

Histopathological and electrophysiological study of CO(2), Er:YAG, and CO (2) + Er:YAG laser effect on peripheral nerve.

Background: The purpose of this study was to investigate the morphological, histopathological, and electrophysiological changes of peripheral nerve after CO(2) (carbon dioxide), Er:YAG (erbium:yttrium aluminum garnet), and CO(2) + Er:YAG laser irradiation. There have been no comparative reports on CO(2), Er:YAG, and CO(2) + Er:YAG laser effects on peripheral nerve.

Methods: Thirty Wistar albino rats were randomly assigned to three groups.

[Three-dimensional quantitative gait analysis].

Gait analysis is one of the essential steps of clinical examination in musculoskeletal medicine. Gait can be measured by various qualitative and quantitative techniques. In this article, the advantages and limitations of three-dimensional quantitative gait analysis will be discussed.

[Comparison of the ability to fertilize females by Hyalomma anatolicum anatolicum males irradiated with gamma radiation from caesium 137 with non-irradiated males].

In this study, Hyalomma anatolicum anatolicum male ticks were subjected to gamma radiation with a dose of 10 Gy emitted by a gamma-ray source of Caesium 137. Female ticks were divided into 3 groups and placed in rabbit ears to feed. In the first group, the females fed with normal and irradiated males, in the second group females fed only with irradiated males and in last group females fed with normal males.

[Molecular characteristics of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from blood cultures between 2002-2005 in Ankara University Hospital].

This study was conducted to investigate the antimicrobial susceptibility, Panton Valentine leucocidine (PVL) and toxin (enterotoxin A-J, staphylococcal toxic shock toxin) genes, agr types, staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) types and pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) profiles of a total of 100 non-duplicate methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bloodstream isolates collected between 2002-2005 at Ankara University Ibn-i Sina Hospital. Antimicrobial susceptibilities were investigated by a semi-automated system (miniAPI, BioMerieux, France); PVL, mecA and toxin (sea, seb, sec, sed, see, seg, seh, sei, sej, tst) genes by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and SCCmec and agr typing were performed by multiplex PCR. While all isolates were susceptible to vancomycine, aminoglycoside and tetracycline resistance was determined in 91%, ciprofloxacine in 93%, rifampin in 92%, erythromycine in 79% and trimethoprim-sulphametoxazole in 8% of the isolates.

[A babesiosis case in February in Ankara].

Bovine babesiosis is a widespread disease occurring throughout tropical and subtropical regions and causes serious economical losses. Transmitted by ticks, Babesia species attract attention as the cause of disease and parallel the seasonal activity of ticks, in spring-summer months when temperatures increase. Ticks, that transmit the disease, belong to the Ixodidae family (pasture ticks-hard ticks) and affect cattle that go out to pasture during the warm season.

[In vitro cultivation of Echinococcus granulosus].

Hydatidosis is a zoonotic disease that is caused by larva of Echinococcus species. It affects animals and humans and is very important from the aspect of health and economy. There have been many studies concerning the biology, physiology and biochemistry of Echinococcus granulosus which is responsible for hydatidosis in both humans and animals in Turkey.

[Comparison of different primers used for the genotyping of Candida albicans clinical isolates by randomly amplified polymorphic DNA method].

Candida albicans causes severe infections with high mortality rates especially in immunocompromised patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) method and compare the discriminatory powers (DP) of different primers used for genotyping Candida albicans isolates. A total of 109 C.

[Chondral and osteochondral fractures].

The incidence of traumatic chondral and osteochondral fractures and their role in the development of joint degeneration are not fully elucidated. While assessing traumatic knee injuries, one important criterion for the diagnosis of chondral fractures is to remember the possibility of a chondral or osteochondral fracture. Symptoms in osteochondral fractures are more obvious and cause severe pain and difficulty in movement of knee with hemarthrosis.

[A novel Salmonella Typhimurium plasmid, pAnkS: an example for plasmid evolution in antibiotic resistance].

In this study, a plasmid, carrying ampicillin resistance (ampR) gene, isolated from a clinical isolate of Salmonella enterica serotype Typhimurium presenting ACSSuT (ampicilin, chloramphenicol, streptomycin, sulphonamide, tetracycline) resistance phenotype, was defined. The length of complete sequence of this plasmid was 8271 base pairs (bp), and it was named as pAnkS owing to its isolation place (plasmid-Ankara- Salmonella). The plasmid was analyzed for potential reading frames and structural features indicative of transposons and transposon relics.

[In vitro activity of tigecycline against multiple resistant Acinetobacter baumannii and carbapenem resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates].

In order to detect the in vitro activity of tigecycline against multiple resistant gram-negative bacilli isolated in our hospital, tigecycline susceptibilities of clinical isolates of multiple and/or panresistant 100 Acinetobacter baumannii isolates, and 38 carbapenem resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (17 of which were panresistant), obtained between January 2005 and August 2007, were evaluated by using E-test (AB Biodisc, Sweden). Carbapenem resistance rate was found to be 59% for A.baumannii, using Vitek2 Compact System (Bio-Merieux, France) which is present in our laboratory for routine use.

Biotechnology and stem cell research: a glance into the future.

The present review addresses the issues related to innovative contributions in biotechnology and their potential role in stem cell research at present and in the future. We can expect that future developments and applications in biotechnological sciences and industry will effect the direction of emerging cellular therapies. The use of these advances may offer a unique opportunity to investigate the mechanisms related to the journey from embryonic cells or bone-marrow derived stem/progenitor cells to cardiomyocytes or endothelial cells and the molecular regulators of cell differentiation.

[Urogenital myiasis caused by Psychoda albipennis in a woman].

We report the case of urogenital myiasis caused by Psychoda albipennis in a 50-year-old female patient who had a urinary bladder surgery at Osmangazi University, Faculty of Medicine. After the surgery she returned to the hospital claiming that she had seen small, white colored, active particles in her urine. The examination of the material revealed the presence of 3 larvae, which were identified as the fourth stage of the moth fly Psychoda albipennis.

[Investigation of Listeria monocytogenes serotype O antibodies in maternal and cord sera and the evaluation of risk factors for listeriosis in pregnant women].

Listeria monocytogenes may lead to intrauterine infections which can be treated if diagnosed promptly. However, there is not a rapid routine screening test with high specificity and sensitivity for the diagnosis of listeriosis during pregnancy. We investigated the presence of different L.

Hominoid phalanges from the middle Miocene site of Paşalar, Turkey.

Eleven proximal and ten intermediate partial or complete hominoid phalanges have been recovered from the middle Miocene site of Paşalar in Turkey. Based on species representation at Paşalar, it is likely that most or all of the phalanges belong to Griphopithecus alpani rather than Kenyapithecus kizili, but both species may be represented. All of the complete or nearly complete phalanges appear to be manual, so comparisons to extant and other fossil primate species were limited to manual phalanges.

Interproximal wear facets and tooth associations in the Paşalar hominoid sample.

Interproximal wear facets were examined on hominoid teeth from the middle Miocene site at Paşalar, Turkey. The aim was to find matches between adjacent premolar and molar teeth from single individuals that were collected in the field as isolated teeth and use them to reconstruct tooth rows. These were then used to investigate: (1) the wear gradient on the molar teeth; (2) the dispersal of teeth from single mandibles and maxillae; (3) the size ratios among the molars; and (4) the number of individuals represented by the hominoid sample.

Pancreatic changes in patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis: MR cholangiopancreatography and MRI findings.

Purpose: To evaluate the possible pancreatic changes and their frequencies in patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) on MR cholangiopancreatography (MRCP), and conventional abdominal MRI.

Materials And Methods: Patient group consisted of 29 PSC (13 male, 16 female) cases, whereas cohort 1 consisted of 12 female patients with primary biliary cirrhosis, and cohort 2 consisted of 17 patients (6 male, 11 female) with non-immune chronic liver disease. Two radiologists retrospectively evaluated the MR examinations paying special attention to the pancreatic size (atrophy or enlargement), T1- and T2-signal intensity of the pancreas, focal pancreatic lesion, capsule-like rim, peripancreatic edema or fluid, fascial thickening, and pancreatic ducts (dilatation or narrowing).

[Use of aspirin in patients taking angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors].

Aspirin and angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors both have beneficial effects on prognosis in patients with cardiovascular disease. For this reason, they are usually prescribed together. Some of the beneficial effects of ACE inhibitors are thought to be due to reduced degradation of bradykinin.

[Aspirin in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention].

Prophylactic use of aspirin at doses between 75 to 162 mg/d is a class I indication for all patients with stable coronary artery disease unless there is a contraindication. However, some studies suggest that long-term treatment with low dose aspirin is associated with a progressive reduction in platelet sensitivity to this drug. Given that percutaneous coronary stent implantation causes vascular injury with a subsequent activation of platelets and proinflammatory cytokines, some investigators suggest that higher aspirin doses should be considered for patients undergoing stent implantation.

[Alternative control approaches for helminth infections].

The prevention strategies for parasite diseases implemented today depended on the medicine treatments. Furthermore it causes many problems about medicines and increasing economic costs. This situation gets it more reasonable to control parasites with alternative methods.

[Mupirocin resistance in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from wound infections].

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has emerged as an important pathogen in community-acquired and nosocomial infections. The unique bactericidal action of mupirocin makes it one of the few antibiotics still effective against MRSA. The purpose of this study was to investigate the mupirocin resistance in MRSA strains isolated from wound infections of in- and out-patients of two distinct hospitals located in Ankara and Istanbul.

[Detection of Babesia caballi (Nuttall, 1910) and Theileria equi (Syn. Babesia equi , Laveran, 1901) by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in show and sport horses in the region of Ankara].

The aim of this study was to compare the diagnosis of Babesia caballi and Theileria equi by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and microscopic examination of blood specimens collected from show and sport horses in the region of Ankara in 2004. The blood specimens were collected from randomly selected 200 show and sport horses in the region of Ankara during the tick season as well as before and after the tick season for PCR testing. At the same time, Giemsa stained peripheral blood smears were examined for the presence of Babesia spp.

[The importance of gamma irradiations with caesium-137 for Hyalomma anatolicum anatolicum (Metastigmata, Ixodidae) control].

In this study, male ticks belonging to the Hyalomma anatolicum anatolicum species were subjected to gamma radiation doses of 5, 10, 15, 20 and 50 Gy, emitted by a gamma-ray source of Caesium 137. In females that fed with these male ticks, proportional to the increase in radiation dose, the period of feeding was found to shorten. A decrease was demonstrated in the number of engorged female ticks, engorgement weights, number of laying ticks and number of eggs.