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Aim: The increasing body of evidence influences the possible association of Chlamydia pneumoniae infection with pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. The influence of coronary artery surgery on the disease activity is unclear. We aimed to determine the seroprevalence of C. pneumoniae before and after the coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery. Methodology: One hundred and seventy eight patients diagnosed with coronary artery disease undergoing surgery were involved in the study. C. pneumoniae IgG and IgM seroprevalence were examined using ELISA method both the day before and 30 days after the surgery. Results: IgG and IgM seroprevalence for C. pneumoniae were found to be 63.45% and 2.8% before the surgery. While there was significant increase on IgG (69.66%, p=0.001), increase was not significant on IgM values (4.49%, p= 0.250). Conclusion: Our study showed that CABG surgery induced activation of chronic C. pneumoniae infection with surgical stress-induced immunological changes. Other possible factors, such as blood transfusion, are likely to be involved in this activation. Antimicrobial therapy during the operative period should be considered in patients who are serologically positive for C. pneumoniae after an operation.

WOS: 000246178800007 PubMed: 17021670 Behcet's disease is a systemic vasculitic syndrome with unknown etiology. The aim of the present study was to compare the Helicobacter pylori seropositivity and cytotoxin associated gene-A status in patients with Behcet's disease. Ninety-one patients with Behcet's disease and 83 age- and sex-matched persons with or without any gastrointestinal complaints were included in the study. Demographic characteristics and H. pylori IgG, IgM, and cytotoxin-associated gene-A IgG status of the Behcet's disease and the control groups were analyzed. The influence of eradication therapy on clinical findings was also determined. The prevalence of H. pylori IgG seropositivity was slightly but not significantly higher in patients with Behcet's disease compared to the controls [72 (79.1%) vs 56 (67.5%), (p=0.082)]. The prevalence of cytotoxin-associated gene A positivity was significantly higher in Behcet's disease compared to the controls [59 (64.8.%) vs 32 (38.5%), respectively, (p=0.002)]. Eradication of H. pylori has significantly decreased clinical manifestations such as oral and genital ulceration, arthritis/arthralgia, and cutaneous findings of Bahcet's disease. Our study indicates that H. pylori may be involved in the pathogenesis of Behcet's disease or disease activity might be enhanced due to induced inflammation or altered immunity.

Hydatid disease, though known to occur in most organs and areas of the body, is extremely rare in skeletal muscle. In this article the authors present a case of a primary muscular hydatid cyst, originating from the adductor muscle group, causing obstruction of the femoral artery and vein.