Resit Mistik

Cerebrospinal fluid interleukin-1 beta/interleukin-1 receptor antagonist balance and tumor necrosis factor-alpha concentrations in tuberculous, viral and acute bacterial meningitis.

The levels of interleukin-1 beta, IL-1 receptor antagonist and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) were analyzed in 19 cases of tuberculous, 14 cases of viral, and 22 cases of acute bacterial meningitis, and in 18 control subjects. 20 patients (91%) with acute bacterial and 8 (42%) with tuberculous meningitis had detectable amounts of TNF-alpha in the initial cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) sample (mean 1044 +/- 131 pg/ml, range 95-1950, and mean 61 +/- 23 pg/ml, range 25-300, respectively), whereas TNF-alpha was not detectable in any of the patients with viral meningitis, or in any of the control subjects. IL-1 beta levels were 767 +/- 110 pg/ml (185-2000) in acute bacterial, 345 +/- 63 pg/ml (50-670) in tuberculous, 257 +/- 70 pg/ml (20-700) in viral meningitis, and 37 +/- 4 pg/ml (10-68) in control subjects. Il-1 receptor antagonist concentrations were significantly elevated in all meningitis groups, without significant differences between the groups. Il-1 receptor antagonist levels were 2487 +/- 62 pg/ml (2250-2950) in acute bacterial, 2216 +/- 82 pg/ml (1350-2550) in tuberculous and 1985 +/- 92 pg/ml (650-2500) in viral meningitis, and 154 +/- 26 pg/ml (20-245) in control CSF samples. A positive correlation was found between TNF and IL-1 beta levels (p < 0.01), and TNF levels and conscious state (p < 0.05). The ratio of concentrations of IL-1 receptor antagonist to IL-1 beta was 3.2 in acute bacterial meningitis, 6.9 in tuberculous meningitis and 8.3 in viral meningitis.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Antiviral therapy in neonatal cholestatic cytomegalovirus hepatitis

BackgroundNeonatal hepatitis refers to a heterogeneous group of disorders, caused by many factors including cytomegalovirus infection, revealing similar morphologic changes in the liver of an infant less than 3 months of age. Approximately 40% of cholestasis in infants is due to neonatal hepatitis. It may cause latent or acute cholestatic or chronic hepatitis, including cirrhosis in immunocompetant infant.MethodsTwelve infants diagnosed with neonatal cytomegalovirus hepatitis in the last one year were included in the study. Group 1 consisted of seven babies treated with ganciclovir for 21 days. Group 2 included five cases who did not receive antiviral treatment. Physical examination, biochemical, serologic and virologic tests were done for both groups at the time of diagnosis and in the third month.ResultsInitial levels of total bilirubin, aminotransferases, gamma glutamyl transpeptidase, and alkaline phosphatase revealed a significant decrease after the treatment in Group 1 (p < 0.05) when compared with Group 2. This study revealed that ganciclovir treatment is a safe and effective in cases with cholestatic hepatitis. Similarly, all the patients in the treatment group had evidence of improvement serologically and virologically, while the comparison group did not reveal any significant change(p < 0.01).ConclusionThe clinical spectrum of perinatal infection varies from an asymptomatic infection or a mild disease to a severe systemic involvement, including central nervous system. The treatment in the early period of infection improved serologic markers and cholestatic parameters significantly. Further studies will lead us to clarify the efficacy of ganciclovir treatment in the early period of cytomegalovirus hepatitis, and the preventive role of anti-viral therapy on progressive liver disease due to cholestasis and hepatitis in neonatal cytomegalovirus infection.

Protease Inhibitors Drug Resistance Mutations in Turkish Patients with Chronic Hepatitis C

BACKGROUND Drug resistance development is an expected problem during treatment with protease inhibitors (PIs), this is largely due to the fact that Pls are low-genetic barrier drugs. Resistance-associated variants (RAVs) however may also occur naturally, and prior to treatment with Pls, the clinical impact of this basal resistance remains unknown. In Turkey, there is yet to be an investigation into the hepatitis C (HCV) drug associated resistance to oral antivirals. MATERIALS AND METHODS 178 antiviral-naïve patients infected with HCV genotype 1 were selected from 27 clinical centers of various geographical regions in Turkey and included in the current study. The basal NS3 Pls resistance mutations of these patients were analyzed. RESULTS In 33 (18.5%) of the patients included in the study, at least one mutation pattern that can cause drug resistance was identified. The most frequently detected mutation pattern was T54S while R109K was the second most frequently detected. Following a more general examination of the patients studied, telaprevir (TVR) resistance in 27 patients (15.2%), boceprevir (BOC) resistance in 26 (14.6%) patients, simeprevir (SMV) resistance in 11 (6.2%) patients and faldaprevir resistance in 13 (7.3%) patients were detected. Our investigation also revealed that rebound developed in the presence of a Q80K mutation and amongst two V55A mutations following treatment with TVR, while no response to treatment was detected in a patient with a R55K mutation. CONCLUSION We are of the opinion that drug resistance analyses can be beneficial and necessary in revealing which variants are responsible for pre-treatment natural resistance and which mutations are responsible for the viral breakthrough that may develop during the treatment.

The Outcome of Antifungal Prophylaxis with Posaconazole in Patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia: A Single Center Study

Objective: Invasive fungal infections (IFIs) are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality among neutropenic patients undergoing chemotherapy for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and stem cell transplantation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the real-life impact of posaconazole prophylaxis. Materials and Methods: Eighty-four adult patients were included with AML under remission induction chemotherapy and posaconazole prophylaxis. The 34 patients in the control group did not receive primary antifungal prophylaxis. The period between June 2006 and January 2009, when antifungal prophylaxis was not administered (control group), was retrospectively compared to the period between December 2010 and May 2012 when primary oral posaconazole prophylaxis was administered in similar conditions (posaconazole group) according to the use of antifungal agents for treatment, breakthrough infections, galactomannan performance, and the necessity for performing bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) procedures. Results: The two groups were compared according to the use of antifungal agents; progression to a different antifungal agent was found in 34/34 patients (100%) in the control group and in 9/84 patients (11%) in the posaconazole group (p<0.001). There were four breakthrough IFIs (4/84, 4.8%) in the posaconazole group and 34 IFIs in the control group (p<0.001). In addition, 15/34 patients (44%) in the control group required BAL compared to 11/84 patients (13%) in the posaconazole group (p<0.001). Posaconazole treatment was discontinued within 7-14 days in 7/84 patients (8.3%) due to poor oral compliance related to mucositis after chemotherapy. Conclusion: Posaconazole appears to be effective and well-tolerated protection against IFIs for AML patients.

Cerebral Toxoplasmosis as the Presenting Manifestation of HIV/AIDS

HIV infeksiyonunun seyri sırasında fırsatçı infeksiyonlar sık olarak görülür. Toksoplazmoz AIDS hastalarında ensefalite neden olan ve intraserebral kitle lezyonu yapabilen fırsatçı bir infeksiyondur. Bu yazıda önceden sağlıklı 41 yaşında bir erkek hastada ortaya çıkan ve ilk kez serebral toksoplazmoza bağlı denge bozukluğuyla kendini gösteren bir HIV/AIDS olgusu sunulmuştur. Klimik Dergisi 2011; 24(1): 62-4.

Akdeniz Benekli Ateşi: 16 Olgunun Retrospektif İncelenmesi

Amac: Rickettsia conorii’nin neden oldugu Akdeniz benekli atesi (ABA), Akdeniz ulkelerinde akut, endemik, zoonotik bir enfeksiyon hastaligidir. Bu hastalik ulkemiz icin endemik oldugundan sunmayi amacladik. Hastalar ve Yontemler: Bu calismada, 1987-2007 yillari arasinda riketsiyoz tanisi alan 16 olgu (4 kadin, 12 erkek; ort. yas 38.9±13.0; dagilim 18-64) retrospektif olarak incelendi. Akdeniz benekli atesi tanisi epidemiyolojik ozellikleri, indirekt floresan antikor testi (IFA), hastalarin klinik bulgulari ve doksisiklin tedavisine verdikleri yanita gore kondu. Bulgular: Olgularin tumunde ates yuksekligi, makulopapuler dokuntu tespit edildi. On uc (%81.3) olguda avuc ici ve ayak tabaninda dokuntu; sekiz olguda (%50) eskar tespit edildi. Tedaviye yanit 2±0.9 gunde gelisti ve tum olgularda tedaviye yanit alindi. Sonuc: Ilkbahar, yaz ve sonbahar aylarinda, ates, makulopapuler dokuntu, bas agrisi ve/ veya kas-eklem agrisi yakinmalariyla basvuran olgularda ayirici tanida mutlaka ABA dusunulmelidir.