Immunohistochemical and immunocytochemical findings associated with Marek’s disease virus in naturally infected laying hens

We compared immunohistochemical (IHC) staining of tissue sections of liver, kidney, spleen, lung, proventriculus, sciatic nerve, bursa of Fabricius, brain, heart, intestine and skin; immunocytochemical (ICC) staining of peripheral blood samples and touch preparations of liver, spleen and kidney of laying hens naturally infected with Marek’s disease (MD) virus. We used one hundred and fifty 5-17-week-old commercial hens. IHC and ICC staining were performed using polymer-based techniques. IHC staining exhibited mostly free immunopositive reactions in tumor cells and in the cytoplasm of the parenchymal cells of liver, kidney, spleen and bursa of Fabricius. In the sciatic nerve, severe reactions were observed in the cytoplasm of plasma and MD cells in the lymphoproliferative areas. Pronounced staining was found in the lymphoid cells in the medulla of intrafollicular regions in the bursa of Fabricius. Although immunostaining was observed in the liver and spleen touch preparations, there was no staining in the kidneys and peripheral blood cell samples. The presence of virus in the tissue and peripheral blood samples and in touch preparations was compared immunohistochemically and immunocytochemically. IHC and ICC techniques were helpful for diagnosis of MD. Peripheral blood samples are inappropriate for field conditions and natural infections.     

Foraminifera,Radiolaria and Conodont assemblages from the Early Mississipian (late Tournaisian)/Early Pennsylvanian (early Bashkirian) blocks within the Mersin Mélange,southern Turkey: Biochronological and paleogeographical implications

The Mersin Mélange, a sedimentary complex in southern Turkey, includes blocks of various origins within a Late Cretaceous matrix. Two blocks in the Mersin Mélange are herein recognized to be of Carboniferous age. One block (the Kozan Block) is composed of alternating chert and mudstone, and includes radiolarian and conodont assemblages revealing a late Tournaisian (Early Mississippian) age. The other (Keven-West Block) consists of platform carbonate containing abundant foraminifera indicating Bashkirian (Early Pennsylvanian) age. These dates are so far the oldest obtained from the blocks within the Mersin Mélange. A correlation of the lithostratigraphies of blocks in the Mersin Mélange with the coeval Tauride sequences indicates that they correspond to the successions in the Beysehir-Hoyran Nappes. In these nappes, the late Tournaisian is characterized by radiolarian rich chert and mudstone of an open marine environment, whereas the Bashkirian succession represents a shallow water environment with Foraminifera-bearing limestone. The Tournaisian deepening can be ascribed to the opening of a deep marginal basin to the north of the Tauride Platform and uplifting of the northern Tauride-Anatolide Platform margin during the Late Mississippian and Early Pennsylvanian.A shallowing upward sequence started in the Tournaisian with a pelagic sequence followed by platform carbonates of Bashkirian age in the Beysehir-Hoyran Nappes, and could be related to a major glaciation event during late Visean–Serpukhovian resulting in a sea-level drop and deposition of platform carbonates in the Bashkirian. Given the stratigraphic properties of northerly originated nappe packages (Cataloturan, Hadim and Bolkardag) and parautochthonous/autochthonous sequences in Taurides, sedimentation on the Tauride-Anatolide Platform mainly terminated after the Moscovian, except in the Hadim Nappe with sedimentation in a very shallow sea conditions until the end of the Permian. A depositional break corresponding to the Kasimovian–Wordian time interval in these sequences in the Tauride-Anatolide Platform could be related to the effects of both late Paleozoic Gondwanan glaciation and a possible mantle plume occurrence evidenced by the geochemistry of lavas in the Mersin Mélange causing major uplift in the Northern NeoTehys Ocean. However; at the center of the plume, pelagic sequences (e.g., ribbon chert and pelagic limestone) were deposited associated with these lavas due to a progressive developing rift system during the Permian, based on previous studies.     

Apolipoprotein E genotyping in Turkish myocardial infarction survivors and healthy controls

The apolipoprotein (Apo) E gene is known to be polymorphic. Three common alleles determine six phenotypes which can easily be detected by restriction fragment length polymorphism. We performed apo E genotyping in myocardial infarction survivors and healthy controls for the first time in the Turkish population. DNA was amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and the PCR product was digested with restriction enzymesHhaI to detect apo E2, E3, E4 and withTaqI to detect apo E1. Relative allele frequency for the patient group was found to be 0.91 for E3, 0.07 for E2, 0.02 for E4 and for the control group 0.875 for E3, 0.067 for E2, 0.058 for E4.     

Monoallelic and Biallelic Variants in EMC1 Identified in Individuals with Global Developmental Delay,Hypotonia, Scoliosis,and Cerebellar Atrophy

The paradigm of a single gene associated with one specific phenotype and mode of inheritance has been repeatedly challenged. Genotype-phenotype correlations can often be traced to different mutation types, localization of the variants in distinct protein domains, or the trigger of or escape from nonsense-mediated decay. Using whole-exome sequencing, we identified homozygous variants in EMC1 that segregated with a phenotype of developmental delay, hypotonia, scoliosis, and cerebellar atrophy in three families. In addition, a de novo heterozygous EMC1 variant was seen in an individual with a similar clinical and MRI imaging phenotype. EMC1 encodes a member of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-membrane protein complex (EMC), an evolutionarily conserved complex that has been proposed to have multiple roles in ER-associated degradation, ER-mitochondria tethering, and proper assembly of multi-pass transmembrane proteins. Perturbations of protein folding and organelle crosstalk have been implicated in neurodegenerative processes including cerebellar atrophy. We propose EMC1 as a gene in which either biallelic or monoallelic variants might lead to a syndrome including intellectual disability and preferential degeneration of the cerebellum.     

Bladder cancer diagnosis from bladder wash by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy as a novel test for tumor recurrence

This study proposes Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy as a more sensitive, rapid, non‐destructive and operator‐independent analytical diagnostic method for bladder cancer recurrence from bladder wash than other routinely used urine cytology and cystoscopy methods. A total of 136 patients were recruited. FTIR spectroscopic experiments were carried out as a blind study, the classification results of which were then compared with those of cytology and cystoscopy. Firstly, 71 samples (n = 37; bladder cancer and n = 34; control) were studied with transmittance FTIR spectroscopy. After achieving successful differentiation of the groups, to develop a more rapid diagnostic tool and check the reproducibility of the results, the work was continued with different samples (n = 65 as n = 44; bladder cancer and n = 21; control), using the reflection mode (ATR) of FTIR spectroscopy by a different operator. The results revealed significant alterations in moleculer content in the cancer group. Based on the spectral differences, using transmittance FTIR spectroscopy coupled with chemometrics, the diseased group was successfully differentiated from the control. When only carcinoma group was taken into consideration a sensitivity value of 100% was achieved. Similar results were also obtained by ATR‐FTIR spectroscopy. This study shows the power of infrared spectroscopy in the diagnosis of bladder cancer.

     

Poly(hydroxyethyl methacrylate) based affinity cryogel for plasmid DNA purification

The aim of this study is to prepare supermacroporous pseudospecific cryogel which can be used for the purification of plasmid DNA (pDNA) from bacterial lysate. N-methacryloyl-(l)-histidine methyl ester (MAH) was chosen as the pseudospecific ligand and/or comonomer. Poly(hydroxyethyl methacrylate-N-methacryloyl-(l)-histidine methyl ester) [PHEMAH] cryogel was produced by free radical polymerization initiated by N,N,N',N'-tetramethylene diamine (TEMED) and ammonium persulfate (APS) pair in an ice bath. Compared with the PHEMA cryogel (50 μg/g polymer), the pDNA adsorption capacity of the PHEMAH cryogel (13,350 μg/g polymer) was improved significantly due to the MAH incorporation into the polymeric matrix. The amount of pDNA bound onto the PHEMAH cryogel disks first increased and then reached a saturation value (i.e., 13,350μg/g) at around 300 μg/ml pDNA concentration. pDNA adsorption amount decreased from 1137 μg/g to 160 μg/g with the increasing NaCl concentration. The maximum pDNA adsorption was achieved at 25 °C. The overall recovery of pDNA was calculated as 90%. The PHEMAH cryogel could be used 3 times without decreasing the pDNA adsorption capacity significantly. The results indicate that the PHEMAH cryogel disks promise high selectivity for pDNA.     

Effects of Rumex patientia L. extract on some drug-metabolizing enzymes in rat liver

The effect of aqueous extract from the roots of Rumex patientia L. (Polygonaceae) (D-1), a traditional Turkish medicine used as a laxative and cholagogue, on drug-metabolizing enzymes, such as cytochrome P4502E1, NADPH cytochrome c reductase, NADH cytochrome b5 reductase and glutathione-S-transferase (GST); and serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) were studied in male Wistar albino rat liver. A significant increase was observed in cytochrome P4502E1 and GST activities, but not in NADPH-cytochrome c reductase and NADH-cytochrome b5 reductase activities. Serum AST and ALT activities were found within the normal laboratory range values. The results demonstrated that the aqueous extract of R. patientia triggers induction of cytochrome P4502E1 in liver and cytosolic GST activity.     

Acantholimon doganii sp. nov. (Plumbaginaceae) with persistent circinnate leaf bases, from Turkey

The new species Acantholimon doganii Y. Bağcı, Doğu & Akaydın is described and illustrated. Diagnostic morphological characteristics in closely related species are discussed and the conservation status of the new species is analysed. A revised key to the Turkish Acantholimon species with persistent circinnate leaf basis is also provided.