Protein linking fatty acids and its genetic regulation in children having food allergy

Objective: Study the effect of the Ala54Thr FABP gene polymorphism on the produce of the intestinal FABP fraction in blood serum. urine and coprofiltrate in children having food allergies.Methods: The content of the FABP intestinal fraction in urine, feces, and blood serum was determined using ELISA method. The study of FABP genes polymorphism (G163A, Ala54Thr) was carried out using PCR method.Results: Statistically significant increase of the FABP level in blood serum, urine and feces in children with FA was detected in various biological fluids. The distribution of FABP2 alleles and genotypes obeyed the Hardy-Weinberg law (χ 2 = 0; p = 1,000) and did not significantly differ from the distribution of genotypes in children having FA andin the control sample (p = 0.638).Conclusions: The study did not reveal an association of the pathological genotype FABP G163A, (Ala54Thr) with the hyperproduction of the FABP intestinal fraction in children having FA, confirming the diagnostic significance of this marker increase during exacerbation of the disease.

Antalya İli Kumluca İlçesindeki Biber Yetiştirilen Seralarda Domates Lekeli Solgunluk Virüsü (Tomato spotted wilt tospovirus-TSWV)’ nün Yaygınlığı ve Konukçu Yabancı Ot Türlerinin Belirlenmesi

There are many viruses that infect pepper and limit its production. Among these viruses, Tomato spotted wilt tospovirus (TSWV) infects crops in 35 plant families that are economically important, including pepper. In the present study; totaly 156 leaf samples were collected, including 57 from pepper plants showing virus-like symptoms and 99 from weeds and/or plants other than peppers in and around the greenhouse, through surveys carried out in pepper greenhouses in Kumluca district of Antalya province, from September to December 2020. Then, the plant leaf samples were tested to determine TSWV infections by the Double Antibody Sandwich Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay (DAS-ELISA) method. According to result of the tests, it was determined that 55.76% of the tested leaf samples were infected with TSWV, while this rate was determined as 96.49% for pepper samples and 32.32% for other plant samples. During the survey studies, it was revealed that the leaf samples of 13 out of 31 weed and different plant species except pepper were infected with at least one of the viruses. In addition, pepper plants showing symptoms TSWV-like symptoms in pepper greenhouses were counted during the survey, and the prevalence of this virus disease was calculated on the basis of Kumluca district and neighborhoods. As a result of these calculations, the prevalences of TSWV; for Kumluca, Mavikent, Beykonak, Salur, Hacıveliler, Adrasan, Merkez, and Kavakköy were determined as 26.93%, 26.92%, 32.27%, 20.66%, 21.13%, 17.66%, 13%, and 25%, respectively.

Omentin-1 and diabetic foot

Introduction: Diabetic foot disease is an advanced complication of diabetes mellitus, which is associated with severe invalidization and high mortality rate among affected people. Many factors are involved in its pathogenesis but not all of them are fully elucidated. Objectives: Adipose tissue and its hormones – adipokines, are related to diabetic complications and metabolic disorders. Until now, there are limited data on their role in diabetic foot. The aim of this cross-sectional study is to determine the levels of the adipokine omentin-1 in people with and without diabetic foot disease and to look for its potential involvement in this complication. Methods: Eighty patients with type 2 diabetes and mean age of 60.8±10.5 years were included in this study. They were divided into two groups: with (n=36) and without (n=44) diabetic foot disease. Standard antrometric, clinical and laboratory tests were made. Body composition was analyzed by bioelectrical impedance based device. Serum omentin-1 was measured using ELISA method. Results: Levels of omentin-1 were significantly higher among people with diabetic foot disease (700.2±345.1 ng/ml), compared to the other group (560.2±176.7 ng/ml). This difference remained significant even after adjusting for potential confounders. In a regression model omentin-1 proved its predictive value for development of diabetic foot. Conclusion: Adipokines, and particularly omentin-1, might be included in the pathogenesis of diabetic foot disease.

The Difference of Urinary Neutrophil Gelatinase-Associated Lipocalin Level between Liver Cirrhosis Patients with and without Hepatorenal Syndrome

Objective: To determine differences of urinary Neutrophil Gelatinase-Associated Lipocalin level in liver cirrhosis patients with or without Hepatorenal Syndrome (HRS). Methods: This study was conducted on 46 liver cirrhosis patients (20 patients without hepatorenal syndrome, 26 patients with hepatorenal syndrome). Diagnosis of HRS was based on International Ascites Club criteria. Urinary NGAL was examined using ELISA method. Data analysis was performed with p<0,05 stated as statistically significant. Result: This study showed more HRS cases was found in male than female, with an average age of 53,95 years old for hepatic cirrhosis without HRS, and 57,35 with HRS. The most common cause of this study is Hepatitis B virus, and the highest grade of severity is in Child Pugh-C. The average urinary NGAL level in liver cirrhosis with HRS is 59,39 ± 58,98 ng/ml and 130,78 ± 45,14 ng/ml in liver cirrhosis without HRS. Conclusion: There was a significant higher urinary NGAL level in liver cirrhosis with HRS (p = 0.000), with the cut-off of urinary NGAL to differentiate cirrhosis patients with and without HRS was 95,115 ng/ml. Keywords: NGAL, HRS, hepatorenal syndrome, neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin.

Investigation of the Prevalence of Brucella Diagnosis in Serum and Milk in Cattle

Background: Brucellosis is an infectious disease that affects both cattle and humans. Because brucellosis causes economic losses, serovalance studies are important in terms of eradication. Its diagnosis is integral to the design and implementation of preventive and management strategies for both cattle and humans. Various serological tests are commonly used in diagnostic processes. Methods:This study was carried out in cattle farms located in Ankara, Çankırı, Kırşehir, Kayseri, Çorum, Yozgat, Kırıkkale, Nevşehir provinces in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey between January-2018 and December-2020. Bovines included in the study, simple random sampling method and 320 bovine blood serum and milk samples that were reported not to have Brucella vaccine were used. RBPT, SAT, CFT, I-ELISA tests were performed in the blood serum samples included in the study and I-Elisa, MRT tests were performed in the milk samples. Result: The tests revealed that an average of 35.4% of the cattle had the bacteria while 64.5% of the raw milk samples were infected with brucellosis. The findings demonstrated the need to implement better strategies for managing and preventing brucellosis among animals, including vaccination. As a result, indirect ELISA (I-ELISA) method is considered as a useful, reliable, fast tool in the detection of Brucella from in milk and serum samples. However, it I-ELISA method can be used as a support for conventional tests in the initial isolation of waste materials and that its simultaneous use in field screening tests can be good diagnostic performance.

Determination of the Antioxidant Parameters of Commonly Available Black Pine (Pinus Nigra J.f. Arnold)

The antioxidant parameters of black pine (Pinus nigra J.F. Arnold) needles samples collected from different areas in the province of Diyarbakır, Turkey were studied. Black pine needles samples were collected from three different locations (Egil, Kosuyolu, and Diyarbakır industrial area) in the province of Diyarbakır in summer and winter seasons. The activity of enzymatic antioxidants such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPX), glutathione S-transferase (GST) and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels of the samples were determined by ELISA method. Results showed that SOD enzyme activities of the samples collected in summer from Kosuyolu and the industrial area decreased compared to the control group, but increased in the samples collected in winter from the same areas. When compared to the control group, it was observed that the MDA levels of the samples collected from Kosuyolu and the industrial area increased. Bangladesh J. Bot. 50(4): 1021-1028, 2021 (December)`

Investigation of Beta-Lactam and Tetracycline Group Antibiotic Residues in Bovine Liver, Kidney and Muscle Tissue

In this study, beta-lactam and tetracycline antibiotic residues were investigated in cattle liver, kidney and muscle samples. For this purpose, a total of 75 bovine tissue samples (each of 25 from liver, kidney, muscle) taken from 25 cattle slaughtered in a local slaughterhouse in Sivas were used as materials. ELISA method was applied in the analysis and it was studied with commercial test kits. According to the results of the analysis; beta-lactam and tetracycline residues were detected in all bovine tissue samples. Beta-lactam level was determined between 0.75-1.07 ppb (mean 0.94 ± 0.01) in liver samples, 0.67-1.05 ppb (mean 0.81 ± 0.01) in kidney samples and 0.70-2.57 ppb (mean 0.97 ± 0.07) in muscle samples. Tetracycline level was detected in the range of 4.48-8.50 ppb (mean 6.14 ± 0.17) in liver samples, 1.73-6.39 ppb (mean 4.90 ± 0.24) in kidney samples and 3.31-7.45 ppb (mean 5.67 ± 0.25) in muscle samples. The residue levels determined in the examples complied with the legal limits reported in the European Commission and the Turkish Food Codex Communiqué.

Differential Influence of Pueraria lobata Root Extract and Its Main Isoflavones on Ghrelin Levels in Alcohol-Treated Rats

The study was carried out on alcohol-preferring male Wistar rats. The following drugs were repeatedly (28×) administered: acamprosate (500 mg/kg, p.o.), naltrexone (0.1 mg/kg, i.p), and Pueraria lobata (kudzu) root extract (KU) (500 mg/kg, p.o.) and its isoflavones: daidzin (40 mg/kg, p.o.) and puerarin (150 mg/kg, p.o.). Their effects on a voluntary alcohol intake were assessed. KU and alcohol were also given for 9 days in an experiment on alcohol tolerance development. Finally, total and active ghrelin levels in peripheral blood serum were measured by ELISA method. Acamprosate, naltrexone, daidzin, and puerarin, reducing the alcohol intake, caused an increase in both forms of ghrelin levels. On the contrary, though KU inhibited the alcohol intake and alcohol tolerance development, it reduced ghrelin levels in alcohol-preferring rats. The changes of ghrelin concentration could play a role as an indicator of the currently used drugs. The other effect on the KU-induced shift in ghrelin levels in the presence of alcohol requires further detailed study.

The Differences of Lipoprotein-Associated Phospholipase A2, Apolipoprotein B and Low Density Lipoprotein In Obese and Lean Men

ABSTRACT Background: An increase in fat accumulation in obesity has been suggested to link with an increase in inflammation. This inflammation may be associated with an elevated of Lipoprotein-Associated Phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2), Apolipoprotein B (Apo B), and Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL), thereby associated with the risk of atherosclerosis.Objective: To investigate the differences between Lp-PLA2, Apo B, and LDL levels in obese and lean men.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 74 men (obese and lean) at the Faculty of Medicine, Diponegoro University, Indonesia, in 2020. The concentration of LDL was measured using the homogenous enzymatic colourimetric method, whereas the levels of Lp-PLA2 and Apo B were determined using the ELISA method. Data were analyzed using an Independent t-test, setting statistical significance at p <0.05.Results: This study showed that Lp-PLA2 levels were significantly different between obese and lean men (p = 0.039). Furthermore, LDL levels were also significantly different between obese and lean men (p = 0.002). However, we did not find any differences in Apo B between obese and lean men (p = 0.640).Conclusion: Lp-PLA2 and LDL levels were slightly higher in obese compared to lean men, but no difference of Apo B.

Relative Rates of Gluten Digestion by Nine Commercial Dietary Digestive Supplements

Endopeptidases containing supplements may digest gluten and reduce the impact on celiac and gluten-sensitive subjects who inadvertently consume gluten. We investigated the relative rate of disappearance of coeliac relevant epitopes in extracts of nine commercial supplements, using two competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs)—Ridascreen (detects QQPFP, QQQFP, LQPFP, and QLPFP) and Gluten-Tec (detects Glia-α20 and PFRPQQPYPQ). All epitopes are destroyed by cleavage after P and Q amino acids. Rates at pH 3.5 and pH 7.0 were measured. These experiments were designed to measure relative rates of epitope digestion not to mimic in vivo digestion. The supplements were: 1 GluteGuard, 2 GlutenBlock, 3 GliadinX, 4 GlutnGo, 5 GlutenRescue, 6 Eat E-Z Gluten+, 7 Glutenease, 8 Glutezyme, and 9 Gluten Digest. The mean initial rate and half-lives of epitope digestion were deduced and extrapolated to rates at the recommended dose of one supplement in a fasting stomach volume. At pH 7, supplement 1 was the fastest acting of the supplements, with Ridascreen ELISA, more than twice as fast as the next fastest supplements, 5, 6, 7, and 8. Supplements 2, 3, and 4 showed little activity at pH 7.0. Supplement 1 was also the fastest acting at pH 7 with Gluten-Tec ELISA, more than three times the rate for supplements 2 and 3, with supplements 4–9 showing minimal activity. At pH 3.5, supplement 1 acted more than five times as fast as the next fastest supplements, 2 and 3, when measured by Ridascreen, but supplements 2 and 3 were over two times faster than supplement 1 when measured by Gluten-Tec. Supplements 4–9 demonstrated minimal activity at pH 3.5 with either ELISA. Supplement 1 most rapidly digested the key immuno-reactive gluten epitopes identified by the R5 antibody in the Codex-approved competitive Ridascreen ELISA method and associated with the pathology of celiac disease.