Purpose
The purpose of this study is to investigate anatomic and morphologic features of inner and outer retinal layers in patients recovered from COVID-19 with Spectral Domain Optical Coherence ...Tomography (SD-OCT), whether correlate with any symptoms during disease process.
Methods
32 patients recovered from COVID-19 and age- and gender-matched 36 healthy controls were included in this cross-sectional study. Ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer, macular and peripapiller retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL), inner nuclear layer (INL), outer nuclear layer (ONL), outer plexiform layer (OPL) and the outer retinal hyperreflective bands including external limiting membrane (ELM), ellipsoid zone (EZ) and interdigitation zone (IZ) were examined with SD-OCT. The differences of each retinal layers thickness among subgroup analysis of ocular pain and headache were also compared.
Results
Macular RNFL of inner and outer nasal and outer inferior quadrants were thinner in COVID-19 patients compared to healthy control group (
p
= 0.046,
p
= 0.014 and
p
= 0.016, respectively). Thinning in outer superior quadrant of GCIPL and INL quadrants were detected in patients with headache (
p
= 0.026 and
p
= 0.01). Superonasal and inferotemporal sectors of pRNFL were thinner in patients with ocular pain compared to patients without ocular pain (
p
= 0.024 and
p
= 0.015). Integrity of EZ, ELM and IZ was evaluated as continuous line and protected on each OCT scans.
Conclusion
The study demonstrated convincing evidence that SARS-CoV-2 can affect the inner and outer retinal layers, with subclinical localized alterations, particularly in patients with headache and ocular pain symptoms during COVID-19 period.
In this study, identification of 207 Candida isolates, previously isolated from mastitic bovine quarter milk samples at the level of genus, was made using API 20 C AUX system. The most frequently ...isolated species were Candida krusei (34.8%), followed by Candida rugosa (16.4%), Candida kefyr (12.6%), Candida albicans (10.1%), and Candida tropicalis (9.2%). Less common isolates were Candida zeylanoides (5.8%), Candida parapsilosis (4.3%), Candida guilliermondii (3.4%), Candida famata (1.9%), and Candida glabrata (1.5%). Additionally, in vitro hemolytic activity of all Candida strains were also examined in the present study. C. krusei (72 isolates), C. kefyr (26), C. albicans (21), C. tropicalis (19), C. zeylanoides (12), and C. glabrata (3) demonstrated both alpha and beta hemolysis at 48-h postinoculation. Only alpha hemolysis was detected in C. rugosa (34), C. guilliermondii (7), and C. famata (4), while C. parapsilosis (9) did not show any hemolytic activity after incubation for 72 h. Statistically significant difference (P < 0.001) was determined between the beta-hemolytic activities of Candida strains. The hemolytic activities of C. zeylanoides, C. albicans and C. kefyr were higher than other strains. This is the first study to describe variable hemolysis types exhibited by different Candida strains isolated from bovine mastitic milk in Turkey.
Purpose
The aim of this study is to investigate short-term and long-term effects of coronovirus 19 disease (COVID-19) at inner and outer retinal layers of patients recovered from COVID-19 with ...Spectral Domain Optical Coherence Tomography (SD-OCT) and compare these to healthy subjects.
Methods
Twenty-seven patients recovered from COVID-19, and age- and gender-matched 27 healthy controls were included in this study. Macular and peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL), ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (GCIPL), inner nuclear layer (INL), outer plexiform layer (OPL) and outer nuclear layer (ONL) were analyzed with SD-OCT 1 month (V
1
visit) and 12 months (V
2
visit) after negative result of reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction test.
Results
Macular RNFL thickness in outer ring was thinner at V
1
and V
2
visits than healthy control (
p
= 0.049 and
p
= 0.005). Central and inferonasal quadrants of peripapillary RNFL thicknesses were reduced at V
1
and V
2
visits compared to controls (
p
= 0.001 and
p
= 0.024 for V
1
visit;
p
= 0.001 and
p
= 0.006 for V
2
visit). Thinning in ONL thickness in inner ring was observed at V
1
and V
2
visits than healthy subjects (
p
= 0.006 and
p
= 0.001).
Conclusion
Subclinical localized changes in macular and peripapillary RNFL and outer nuclear layer were demonstrated in early and 12-months follow-up after COVID-19 recovery.
•Retinal vein occlusion (RVO) is one of the most common retinal vascular disorders, and macular edema (ME) accompanies most RVO cases.•Blood-derived inflammation markers, including the systemic ...inflammation index (SII) and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), have been reported as novel tools for assessing inflammation status in RVO.•Serous retinal detachment (SRD) in ME secondary to RVO has been proven to be a consequence of inflammation. Therefore, SRD is also denominated as an optical coherence tomography (OCT) inflammation biomarker in ME secondary to RVO in clinical practice.•The inflammatory process in ME secondary to RVO is well described. Nevertheless, the systemic inflammation status in ME secondary to RVO with SRD has not been reported.•We evaluated the relationship between systemic inflammation markers and serous retinal detachment, an OCT inflammation biomarker in ME secondary to RVO.
To assess blood-derived inflammatory markers in macular edema (ME) secondary to retinal vein occlusion (RVO) with and without serous retinal detachment (SRD).
Treatment-naive patients with ME secondary to RVO were divided into two groups according to the existence of SRD in optical coherence tomography (OCT) images; group 1 consisted of 60 patients with SRD, and group 2 consisted of 60 patients without SRD. Age and gender-matched 60 patients formed group 3 as healthy controls. Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and systemic inflammation index (SII) were calculated from blood samples to assess the differences in the levels of blood-derived inflammatory markers and the presence of SRD.
The PLR, NLR, and SII values were higher in groups 1 and 2 than in group 3 (p<0.05, each comparison). The NLR and SII values were also significantly elevated in group 1 compared to group 2 (p = 0.000 and p = 0.000, respectively). The optimal cutoff value to estimate SRD in patients with ME secondary to RVO for NLR was 2.08 with 66.7% sensitivity and 65% specificity; for SII was 530.93 with 68.3% sensitivity and specificity.
SII is a reliable and cost-effective tool for predicting SRD, an inflammatory OCT biomarker in ME secondary to RVO.
The aim of the present study was to isolate Enterococcus species from mastitis in cows, investigate the vancomycin resistance genes in the isolated species using PCR, and determine the antibiotic ...resistance of VRE strains to some antibiotics commonly used in Turkey. A total of 512 mammary quarter milk samples from 150 lactating cows were used. Following phenotypic typing by a commercial identification kit, multiplex PCR was applied to the strains using species specific primers. The Enterococcus isolation rate was found to be 13.9% (n=71). The most frequently isolated species was E. faecalis (n=40, 56.3%), followed by E. faecium (n=16, 22.5%), E. solitarius (n=6, 8.5%), E. durans (n=5, 7.1%) and E. hirae (n=4, 5.6%). Of 71 Enterococcus strains, 19 (26.7%) were determined to be VRE. While a total of five vanA (7%), 10 vanB (14%) and 12 vanC2/C3 (16.9%) genes were detected in the strains, none of the strains harbored the vanC1 gene. The vancomycin resistance gene was not found in any E. solitarius strain. While all of the VR 19 strains were phenotypically resistant to vancomycin and fusidic acid, high resistance rates were also determined in the strains to streptomycin (84.2%), erythromycin (73.7%), tetracycline (68.4%), penicillin G (68.4%), gentamicin (68.4%), lincomycin (57.9%), cephalothin (52.6%) and kanamycin (52.6%). Consequently, it was thought the VRE positive mastitic milk samples may comprise a potential risk for public health. To our knowledge, this is the first study showing the presence of VRE in milk with mastitis by PCR in Afyonkarahisar.
•Familial mediterranean fever (FMF) is a multisystemic disease with attacks and attack-free periods. The autoinflammatory nature of the disease and the proinflammatory cytokines released in both ...periods lead to vascular changes.•Most of the blood supply of the retina is accounted for by choroidal vessels. Choroidal high oxygen content and blood flow makes choroid more vulnerable to systemic inflammatory conditions.•Choroidal vascular index (CVI) is a novel parameter for quantitavely evaluating the vascular status of the choroid, as described by Agrawal et al.•Blood-derived inflammation markers are novel tools for assessing inflammation status; these markers are also easily accessible and cheap.•Choroidal thickness in the FMF disease is controversial and is not yet clearly understood. Therefore, we evaluated the vascular status of the choroid in FMF patients with the CVI by a more reliable optical coherence tomography parameter and the relation between CVI and blood-derived inflammation markers for the first time in the literature.
This study aimed to evaluate choroidal vascular status by the choroidal vascularity index (CVI) in adult patients with familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) in remission period.
86 patients diagnosed with FMF and 54 healthy controls were recruited in this study. Retinal, ganglion cell complex and peripapillary retinal nerve fibre layer thicknesses were obtained using Spectralis domain-optical coherence (SD-OCT) tomography. Choroid images were obtained with the enhanced depth imaging mode of SD-OCT, and binarization was applied to the images using ImageJ software. CVI was described as the proportion of the luminal area to the total choroidal area. Blood-derived inflammation markers were calculated by the complete blood count.
The subfoveal choroidal thickness and nasal and temporal directions from fovea centralis at 500 μm, 1000 μm and 1500 μm were reduced in patients with FMF in comparison to healthy controls (p<0.001, each comparison). CVI was significantly decreased in patients with FMF compared to controls (62.28±2.2 and 64.79±4.3, p<0.001).
We concluded that the choroidal vasculature structure may be affected prior to retinal changes in patients with FMF.
The aim of this study was to determine the species of dermatophytes isolated from dogs and cats and their prevalence in the two big provinces of Western Turkey. A total of 362 animals (198 dogs and ...164 cats) with skin lesions (alopecia and desquamation) were examined from March 2006 to February 2008. Of the 362 samples examined, 52 (14.4%) were positive for fungal elements by direct microscopic examination, and 70 (19.3%) were culture positive for dermatophytes. The isolation rates of dermatophyte species from dogs and cats were 18.7% and 20.1%, respectively.
Microsporum canis (57.1%) was the most common species isolated from dogs and cats. The prevalence of
Trichophyton mentagrophytes was five-fold greater in dogs than in cats (odds ratio
=
5.226; CI
=
1.152–23.696). No association was detected between prevalence of infection and provinces, and also sex of dogs and cats. The only risk factor found to be significantly associated with infection was age. Dogs and cats younger than one year of age showed a statistically significant higher prevalence of dermatophytes than other age groups (
P
<
0.05). The isolation rate of dermatophytes was relatively high in the spring and winter for dogs, and in the spring, summer and autumn for cats. However, the association of season and prevalence was found not to be significant.
Background: Mastitis, which is inflammation of the mammary gland, is among the most important diseases in dairy herds resulting in reductions of milk yield and milk quality. Although several groups ...of microorganisms have been reported as etiological agents of mastitis, Staphylococci are the most frequently isolated bacteria from bovine mastitic milk samples. The aim of this study was to isolate the Staphylococcus species from bovine mastitis, investigate the mecA ve pvl genes in isolated species by PCR and determine the antibiotic resistance of methicillin resistant strains to some antibiotics commonly used in veterinary field.Materials, Methods & Results: In the present study, 972 half-udder milk samples (n = 757 CMT positive, n = 215 CMT negative) were used from 251 lactating cows from 34 different enterprises located center town and villages of Ödemiş, İzmir. Ten microliters of each milk sample was inoculated onto Columbia blood agar, containing 7% of sheep blood and incubated under aerobic conditions for 24-48 h at 37°C. The certain identification of Staphylococcus isolates was achieved using Crystal™ Identification Systems Gram-Positive ID kit. Bacterial DNAs were extracted from all strains using boiling method and strains were screened for the presence of 16S rDNA, mecA and pvl genes by PCR. The antimicrobial resistance of MRS species was determined by using disc diffusion method. A total of 182 (18.72%) Staphylococcus strains were isolated from 972 half-udder milk samples. Of 182 Staphylococcus strains, 137 (75.27%) and 45 (24.73%) were detected as CPS and CNS, respectively. Among the 11 different Staphylococcus species, S. intermedius (42.30%) was the most common species isolated, followed by S. aureus (32.97%) and S. saprophyticus (10.99%). The mecA positivity was found in only 4 (2.2%) S. intermedius strains, while pvl toxin gene was determined in none of the strains. Four MR S. intermedius strains were resistant to oxacillin and cefoxitin. The resistance was also found to erythromycin (50%), rifampicin (25%), gentamicin (25%), tetracycline (25%) and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (25%) in the isolates.Discussion: In this study, S. intermedius had the highest isolation rate and this finding was considered remarkable. Generally, in mastitis diagnostics all CPS isolates are classified as S. aureus. In our study, the certain identification of all CPS may explain the high isolation rate of S. intermedius. The sampling method may also be the reason of higher isolation rate for S. intermedius in accordance with the most common ones causing mastitis. All of mecA positive strains were S. intermedius and this was the another remarkable finding of our study. Because similar result was seen in only one study from Korea, while the investigation finding related to MR S. intermedius was not determined in Turkey. However, the mecA positivity found in our study was lower than the other author’s isolation rate. The difference between the sample size, geographical variations and diversity in strains may be the causes of this discrepancy. It was investigated pvl toxin gene in 182 Staphylococcus strains by PCR and found this gene in none of strains. According to this finding, it was considered that pvl gene may have not an efficient role in the pathogenesis of mastitis in terms of sampled animals and sampling area. Antibiotic resistance of 4 MR S. intermedius strains against various antibiotics commonly used in Turkey was investigated. Of methicillin resistant strains, 2, 1 and 1 were resistant to 3, 6 and 5 antibiotics, respectively. It was considered that geographical differences, number of tested isolates and diversity in MR strains may be effective on the antibiotic resistance levels. This is the first study showing the presence of mecA gene in S. intermedius strains isolated from bovine mastitic milk samples in Turkey.
Abstract Objective: Pseudotumor cerebri (PTC) is diagnosed at increasing rates probably due to the increase in obesity prevalence all over the world and awareness about the disease. Our aim in this ...study was to evaluate the PTC clinical picture and etiological factors in children at the present time. Method: The records of 53 patients with 32 females, who were diagnosed with PTC in a child neurology department between the years of 2005 and 2012 were retrospectively analyzed. Results: The mean age at presentation was 10.9 years (3–17 years) and approximately half of patients were aged of 11 years or less. While more than half of prepubertal patients were male, girls rate reaches 74% at puberty. An etiological factor such as venous sinus thrombosis, infections, anemia, steroid discontinuation, drugs, slit ventricle syndrome and minor head injury causing the PTC was identified in 43% of the patients. The mean duration of treatment was 6.4 months (3–24 months) and the mean follow-up duration 16.5 months (3–52 months). Visual field constriction was moderate in only two pubertal and obese female patients and mild in four patients. Conclusions: PTC is seen in prepubertal children as often as in puberty. An etiological factor causing PTC is present in about half the patients in childhood. The main etiological factors of the disease currently consist of cranial venous thrombosis, infections, anemia and drugs. Malnutrition, renutrition and related vitamin deficiencies or excesses commonly seen previously have become less important in PTC etiology. PTC is a disease that requires long-term treatment and follow-up but the prognosis is good in patients who are diagnosed early, receive appropriate treatment and show good compliance with the treatment.
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