In the last decade, nerve tissue engineering has attracted much attention due to the incapability of self-regeneration. Nerve tissue regeneration is mainly based on scaffold induced nanofibrous structures using both bio and synthetic polymers. The produced nanofibrous scaffolds have to be similar to the natural extracellular matrix and should provide an appropriate environment for cells to attach onto. Nanofibrous scaffolds can support or regenerate cells of tissue. Electrospinning is an ideal method for producing the nanofibrous scaffolds. In this study, Bacterial cellulose (BC)/ Poly (ε-caprolactone) (PCL) blend nanofibrous scaffolds were successfully prepared by electrospinning for nerve tissue induced repair. The produced nanofibrous scaffolds contain well defined interconnected nanofiber networks with hollow micro/nanobeads. Firstly, in-vitro biocompatibilities of nanofibrous scaffolds were tested with L2929 murine fibroblasts and improved cell adhesion and proliferation was observed with polymer blends compared with PCL only. The primary cell culture was performed with dorsal root ganglia (DRG) cells on nanofibrous samples and the samples were found suitable for enhancing neural growth and neurite outgrowth. Based on these results, the BC/PCL (50:50 wt. %) nanofibrous scaffolds exhibited nerve-like branching and are excellent candidate for potential biomimetic applications in nerve tissue engineering regeneration.

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Background:The prognostic value of blood culture testing in the diagnosis of bacteremia is limited by contamination.Objectives:In this multicenter study, the aim was to evaluate the contamination rates of blood cultures as well as the parameters that affect the culture results.Materials and Methods:Sample collection practices and culture data obtained from 16 university/research hospitals were retrospectively evaluated. A total of 214,340 blood samples from 43,254 patients admitted to the centers in 2013 were included in this study. The blood culture results were evaluated based on the three phases of laboratory testing: the pre-analytic, the analytic, and the post-analytic phase.Results:Blood samples were obtained from the patients through either the peripheral venous route (64%) or an intravascular catheter (36%). Povidone-iodine (60%) or alcohol (40%) was applied to disinfect the skin. Of the 16 centers, 62.5% have no dedicated phlebotomy team, 68.7% employed a blood culture system, 86.7% conducted additional studies with pediatric bottles, and 43.7% with anaerobic bottles. One center maintained a blood culture quality control study. The average growth rate in the bottles of blood cultures during the defined period (1259 - 26,400/year) was 32.3%. Of the growing microorganisms, 67% were causative agents, while 33% were contaminants. The contamination rates of the centers ranged from 1% to 17%. The average growth time for the causative bacteria was 21.4 hours, while it was 36.3 hours for the contaminant bacteria. The most commonly isolated pathogens were Escherichia coli (22.45%) and coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) (20.11%). Further, the most frequently identified contaminant bacteria were CoNS (44.04%).Conclusions:The high contamination rates were remarkable in this study. We suggest that the hospitals’ staff should be better trained in blood sample collection and processing. Sterile glove usage, alcohol usage for disinfection, the presence of a phlebotomy team, and quality control studies may all contribute to decreasing the contamination rates. Health policy makers should therefore provide the necessary financial support to obtain the required materials and equipment.

Backround: The arginophilic proteins of nuclear organized regions (AgNOR), visualized with colloidal silver methods as black dots are known as AgNOR. To date, the relationship between AgNOR and cancer and inflammatory conditions has been investigated. However, there has been no report investigating the relationship between AgNOR and atopic dermatitis. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between atopic dermatitis and AgNOR in paediatric patients. Methods: Twenty-nine children with atopic dermatitis and 23 healthy children were included in the study. AgNOR test results were analysed prospectively. Results: The mean AgNOR number (40.19 ± 21.06) in the patient group was significantly higher than the control group (12.83 ± 10.40) (P < .001). Conclusions: This study investigated the association between AgNOR and atopic dermatitis for the first time in the literature. In the study, atopic dermatitis and AgNOR were found to be related. In the study, for the first time with the ROC analysis, AgNOR limit values with high sensitivity and specificity levels were determined in the diagnosis of atopic dermatitis.

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