Surk is a cheese produced by the addition of certain spices to the skim-milk cheese and it is known especially in the East Mediterranean region of Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, and the Middle East. Surk is ...also named as shanklish, shinklish, shankleesh, sorke, or sürke. In this study, the bacteria, and the yeasts in ripened surk cheeses obtained from the market were identified. 103 bacterial isolates and 40 yeast isolates were obtained from 27 surk samples. The LAB isolated from ripened surk cheese were Lactiplantibacillus plantarum, Companilactobacillus alimentarius, Ligilactobacillus acidipiscis. The non-LAB isolated from samples were Staphylococcus sciuri, Bacillus sp., Staphylococcus lentus, Bacillus pumilus, and Bacillus amyloliquefaciens. The yeasts identified were Debaryomyces hansenii, Candida zeylanoides, Yarrowia lipolytica, and Kluyveromyces lactis. The microbial diversity of surk shows that it may be a natural functional food. This is the first identification study about the bacterial and yeast diversity in ripened surk.
Microgreens can be contaminated by various preharvest sources including soilless substrate, plant nutrition solution, water and seeds. The aim of this study was to determine the transfer level of ...Salmonella, Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O157:H7, and Listeria monocytogenes to the edible part of various type of microgreens from plant nutrient solution-soaked perlite as soilless substrate or seeds. Ampicillin resistant 3-strain cocktails of Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7 and non-resistant L. monocytogenes were independently inoculated into plant nutrient solution-soaked perlite and seeds in low (102–103 CFU/g) and high (105–106 CFU/g) populations. Twenty types of microgreens were grown in inoculated perlite. The seed inoculation was performed on five types of microgreens. Correlations between pathogen transfer levels with seed characteristics and harvest time were assessed. Pathogen populations (1.6 ± 0.2 to 7.7 ± 0.1 log CFU/g) transferred to microgreens were dependent on type of pathogen and microgreen but not affected by contamination source and inoculation level. The level of pathogen transferred to microgreens had a moderate to high negative correlations (R2) with seed surface area (−0.551 to −0.781), seed weight (−0.735 to −0.818), and harvest time (−0.332 to −0.919) when grown in Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7 inoculated perlite. This study suggests a high risk of pathogen population transferring to microgreens in case of seed or soilless substrate contamination when pathogen growth or survival is supported in plant nutrient solution.
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•Pathogens were transferred to 20 types of microgreens regardless of inoculation level.•Transfer level depended on types of pathogens, microgreens, and contamination source.•Microgreens with epigeal seed germination had higher transfer than hypogeal types.•Seed surface area/weight and days to harvest correlated with pathogen transfer level.•Pathogen transferred to microgreens had negative correlation to seed size.
Schizophrenia (SZ) is a psychiatric disorder with complex genetic risk dictated by interactions between hundreds of risk variants. Epigenetic factors, such as histone posttranslational modifications ...(PTMs), have been shown to play critical roles in many neurodevelopmental processes, and when perturbed may also contribute to the precipitation of disease. Here, we apply an unbiased proteomics approach to evaluate combinatorial histone PTMs in human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived forebrain neurons from individuals with SZ. We observe hyperacetylation of H2A.Z and H4 in neurons derived from SZ cases, results that were confirmed in postmortem human brain. We demonstrate that the bromodomain and extraterminal (BET) protein, BRD4, is a bona fide 'reader' of H2A.Z acetylation, and further provide evidence that BET family protein inhibition ameliorates transcriptional abnormalities in patient-derived neurons. Thus, treatments aimed at alleviating BET protein interactions with hyperacetylated histones may aid in the prevention or treatment of SZ.
Fermented products such as yoghurt, pickles, and kefir are considered as sources of probiotic microorganism. However, it is known that bacteria specific to yoghurt are weak in terms of probiotic ...properties. For this reason, it is important to develop probiotic starter cultures that can be used in yoghurt production. In this study, genotypic identification and probiotic and technological properties of 198 isolates from 50 yoghurt samples were investigated. It was determined that 104 isolates were Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus and 94 were Streptococcus thermophilus. It was found that 20 of the 198 isolates were probiotic candidate. It was determined that none of the candidate probiotic isolates hydrolyzed arginine except L29 and produced gas from glucose. Nine of these had the exopolysaccharide production gene. It was determined that the highest acid‐producing isolates were S58 and L11. In addition, it was determined that all isolates grew at 45°C and 5.0 pH.
Novelty impact statement
Yoghurt is one of the most important fermented products, which is a cultural heritage. For this reason, it is vital to determine the starter and probiotic properties of isolates from yoghurt and bring them into production. This study is one of the comprehensive studies that includes isolation from yoghurt and examining the technological and probiotic properties of isolated bacteria. It is important to reveal these characteristics of isolates in terms of technology and public health.
Introduction
Our study’s purpose was to investigate the viewpoints of cancer patients who had not yet been vaccinated. Cancer patients usually cannot get every vaccine because their immunity is low. ...For this reason, we aimed to detect their anxiety and curiosity for new vaccines for a new disease.
Methods
The goal of this descriptive cross-sectional study was to investigate cancer patients’ perceptions of COVID vaccination. Over 18 years of age who have not yet been vaccinated for COVID-19 and who agreed to participate were included in the study. We applied three questionnaires between May and June 2021, one of them was prepared by us; the other two questionnaires were The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) form and Anxiety Sensitivity index to a total of 497 participants. Chi-square, Spearmen correlation test, and multivariable multinomial logistic regression tests were used when comparing.
Results
Our participants’ ages were between 21 and 88, with a mean age of 61.38 (SD = 11.68), 48.6% (
n
= 251) of the participants were female. We discovered that 79.1% (
n
= 408) of respondents were not afraid of getting the COVID-19 vaccine. 27.7% (
n
= 143) of these patients were concerned about the COVID-19 vaccine’s adverse effects, and 24.2% (
n
= 125) were afraid of its side effects with their treatments. 91.1% (
n
= 470) of the patients did not know which vaccine they would have and the type of the vaccine. Since the anxiety level is generally higher in women, anxiety scores were also higher in cancers seen in women, such as breast and ovarian cancer. Of course, in parallel with this, anxiety scores were lower in prostate cancers. Special patient groups should not be neglected during this vaccine season, and their concerns should be addressed. When a new vaccine is found, it can have long-term effects, which should not be ignored.
In this study, kefir grains and kefir produced from contaminated grains were investigated in terms of food safety. For this aim, traditional kefir grains were collected from distinct parts of Turkey, ...and their pathogenicity was examined. Typical and non-typical colonies were isolated on Violet Red Bile Agar and identified for the first time at species level. Antibiotic resistance and hemolytic activity of the isolates were also determined. Coliform and pathogenic bacteria was found in 19 out of 30 kefir grains tested (63.33%). Although Hafnia paralvei was the predominant group, Klebsiella oxytoca, Citrobacter freundii, Serratia liquefaciens, and Escherichia coli were also identified among the 27 strains as the pathogenic bacteria. It was found that the bacterial count of kefir produced from two kefir grains containing pathogenic bacteria was 8.44 log CFU/mL and 8.20 log CFU/mL at the end of the 10th day. All isolates were sensitive to ciprofloxacin, nalidixic acid, meropenem, and ertapenem but resistant to ampicillin and vancomycin. Furthermore, all strains were found to be β-hemolytic in that study. As a result, it was determined that traditionally produced kefir can be risky in terms of food safety due to contaminated kefir grains and this risk continues throughout consumption.
Accurate chromosome segregation during mitosis and meiosis depends on shugoshin proteins that prevent precocious dissociation of cohesin from centromeres. Shugoshins associate with PP2A, which is ...thought to dephosphorylate cohesin and thereby prevent cleavage by separase during meiosis I. A crystal structure of a complex between a fragment of human Sgo1 and an AB′C PP2A holoenzyme reveals that Sgo1 forms a homodimeric parallel coiled coil that docks simultaneously onto PP2A's C and B′ subunits. Sgo1 homodimerization is a prerequisite for PP2A binding. While hSgo1 interacts only with the AB′C holoenzymes, its relative, Sgo2, interacts with all PP2A forms and may thus lead to dephosphorylation of distinct substrates. Mutant shugoshin proteins defective in the binding of PP2A cannot protect centromeric cohesin from separase during meiosis I or support the spindle assembly checkpoint in yeast. Finally, we provide evidence that PP2A's recruitment to chromosomes may be sufficient to protect cohesin from separase in mammalian oocytes.
Objective
Lutetium-177 (Lu
177
) prostate-specific membrane antigen (Lu
177
PSMA) is a novel targeted treatment for patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). The purpose ...of the study was to determine the molecular volumetric Gallium-68 (Ga
68
) PSMA PET/CT parameters that can predict patients who will respond to treatment.
Methods
These single-center retrospective data were obtained from metastatic CRPC patients receiving intravenous 6.0–8.5 GBq Lu
177
PSMA treatment every 6–8 weeks for a maximum of 3–8 cycles, with baseline Ga
68
PSMA PET/CT scan, clinical data, and information on treatment responses. All lesions were divided into two groups according to the increase and decrease in PSMA expression levels of 600 bone lesions and 85 lymph nodes that were compatible with metastasis of 23 patients after the treatment. The primary endpoint of our study was the evaluation of the relation between the baseline SUVmax, PSMA TV, TL PSMA values, and the treatment response of the two groups. The threshold values were determined for the parameters that had significant relations. In the present study, the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) response and treatment-induced toxicities were also evaluated as the secondary endpoint.
Results
It was found that SUVmax, PSMA TV, and TL PSMA values in bone metastases showed significant differences between the groups with decreased and increased PSMA expression levels after the treatment. The AUC value for SUVmax was significant (AUC = 0.677;
p
< 0.001). The cutoff value was > 10.50 (sensitivity = 91.8%, Specificity = 41.5%) for SUVmax, > 1.50 cm
3
(sensitivity = 49.1%, specificity = 70%) for PSMA TV and > 8.50 g (sensitivity = %60.9, specificity = %72.2) for TL PSMA. The median SUVmax value before the treatment in all metastatic lymph nodes was found to be 7.1 (5.4–12.4), and the median SUVmax after the treatment was 2.5 (1.6–12.1) (
p
< 0.001).
Conclusion
It was shown in the present study that Lu
177
PSMA treatment response may be higher in CRPC patients with metastatic bone lesion with high baseline PSMA expression level, and better treatment response may be achieved in patients with lymph node metastases than in bone metastases.
The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of spray application of chlorinated water before harvest on the population of Salmonella enterica Typhimurium and Escherichia coli O157:H7 on ...radish microgreens. The transfer of abiotic surrogate to radish microgreens was also evaluated to track possible pathogen contamination spread by inoculating seed and growth media. During growth, microgreens inoculated with strains of pathogens were sprayed with chlorinated water at three different concentrations (0.50, 1.00, and 2.00 ± 0.05 ppm free chlorine). Spray application of chlorinated water was performed on microgreens once (day 9), twice (day 8 and 9), three (day 7, 8, and 9), and four times (day 6, 7, 8, and 9). Microgreens were harvested 12 hr after the last application of chlorinated water. Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7 populations were reduced with the increase in chlorine concentration. Chlorinated water reduced Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7 populations up to 1.1 log CFU/g (p < .05) and 0.9 log CFU/g (p > .05), respectively. Images taken under UV illumination provided the visualization of abiotic surrogate spread on cotyledon and upper hypocotyl (all edible parts) of radish microgreen plants regardless of seed or growth media inoculation. Scanning Electron Microscopy showed the presence of abiotic surrogate and generic E. coli on microgreen leaves. Spray application of chlorinated water during microgreen growth may help to reduce microbial load but cannot be used as the only control measure.
Pre‐harvest factors as contaminated irrigation water and growth media may cause transfer of pathogens on microgreens. Post‐harvest treatments of microgreens to reduce pathogen populations are not preferred due to fragile structure of immature seedlings. This study demonstrates the potential use of chlorinated water before harvest to reduce population of pathogens while eliminating adverse effect of post‐harvest safety treatments. However, this study also shows that spray application of chlorinated water before harvest cannot be used as only control measure due to vast contamination spread of microorganisms simulated with abiotic surrogate.
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