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The objective of this study was to determine the intra- and intergenetic diversities of eight different goat populations in Turkey including Hair, Angora, Kilis, Yayladag, Shami, Honamli, Saanen, and Alpine. A total of 244 DNA samples were genotyped using 11 microsatellites loci. The genetic differentiation between breeds was considerable as a result of the statistically significant (P<0.001) pairwise FST values of each pair of breeds. Exceptionally, FST values calculated for Honamli and Hair breeds were statistically nonsignificant (P>0.05). Heterozygosity values ranged between 0.62 and 0.73. According to the structure and assignment test, Angora and Yayladag goats were assigned to the breed they belong to, while other breeds were assigned to two or more different groups. Because this study for the first time presented genetic data on the Yayladag goat, results of structure analysis and assigned test suggest that further analyses are needed using additional and different molecular markers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Asphalt has a highly complex structure and it contains several organic compounds including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and heterocyclic compounds. In this study, comet assay was used to detect the DNA damage in blood lymphocytes of 30 workers exposed to asphalt fumes and 30 nonexposed controls. This is the first report on Turkish asphalt workers’ investigated DNA damage using the alkaline single cell gel electrophoresis (SCGE). The DNA damage was evaluated by the percentage of DNA in the comet tail (% tail DNA) for each cell. According to our results, workers exposed to asphalt fumes had higher DNA damage than the control group (p < 0.01). The present study showed that asphalt fumes caused a significant increase in DNA damage and the comet assay is a suitable method for determining DNA damage in asphalt workers. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Objective: To determine whether there is a relationship between genetic polymorphisms of glutathione S-transferase zeta 1 (GSTZ1) and gastric cancer. The contribution of GSTZ1 genotypes to susceptibility to the risk of gastric cancer (GC) is still unclear. Methods: Using a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) method in an ethnic Turkish population, we examined the frequency of the GSTZ1 gene polymorphism in patients with GC patients (n = 73) and control individuals (n = 80). Results: For GSTZ1 A94G polymorphism, in the group of patients with the GC, the frequency of the GG genotype was quite a bit higher in comparison with that of the control group; however, this increase was not statistically significant. For the GSTZ1 A124G polymorphism, the GSTZ1 heterozygous genotype (AG) occurred more frequently in GC patients than in controls; however, it was not associated with risk of developing GC. We found no significant association between the A94G or A124G variants of the GSTZ1 gene and risk of gastric cancer. Conclusions: Our data indicate no association between GSTZ1 genotypes and risk of gastric cancer. Despite its marked decline in many industrialized countries, gastric cancer remains the most common cause of death by cancer in areas such as Japan, Turkey, and South America. Gastric cancer (GC) is a disease of complex etiology that involves intimately interconnected infectious, dietary, environmental, and genetic factors. Although it has been estimated that 67% of GCs could be prevented by implementing lifestyle changes, the fact that some individuals develop GC but others do not, despite exposure to similar potentially carcinogenic factors, suggests that genetic predisposition may also play an important role in the etiology of GC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Apigenin (4',5,7-trihydroxyfiavone) is one of the leading components supporting targeted treatment options. We explored the cytotoxic and apoptotic effects of various doses of apigenin administered alone and together with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)--a chemotherapeutic agent with high cytotoxicity--for different incubation periods, on morphologic, DNA, RNA (messenger RNA [mRNA]), and protein levels on the p53 mutant HT29 human colon adenocarcinoma cell line. Treatment with apigenin alone for a 72-hour incubation at 90-µM dose resulted in an apoptotic percentage of 24.92% (P = .001). A higher percentage (29.13%) was observed after treatment with the same dose of apigenin plus 5-FU for the same incubation period (P=.001). These results were confirmed as mRNA and protein expression levels of caspase-3 increased 2.567-fold and mRNA expression levels of caspase-8 increased 3.689-fold compared with the control group. On the other hand, mRNA expression levels of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and cyclin D1 (CCND1) decreased by 0.423-fold and 0.231-fold, respectively. To our knowledge this is the first study showing that treatment with apigenin alone results in cell cycle arrest through activation of caspase cascade and stimulation of apoptosis in HT29 cells. It also shows that use of apigenin plus 5-FU further increases this effect. This study draws attention to the probable clinical effectiveness of apigenin plus a chemotherapeutic agent with high cytotoxicity. It also highlights the induction of desirable apoptotic effects by targeting the caspase cascade pathway through administration of reduced doses for shorter incubation periods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study related to the impact of vancomycin minimal inhibition concentration (MIC) on outcome of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteremia. It informs about the isolation of 131 non-duplicate MRSA strains from hospital-acquired or healthcare-associated bloodstream infections of adult patients. It also highlights the role of bacterial factors such as clonal identity, Valentine Leukocidin and toxin for outcome of MRSA bacteremia.