H. pylori vacA s1a, cagA, cagE genotypes have significant relations with the presence of DU and GC, and iceA1, babA2 with GC in Turkish patients with dyspepsia, whereas cagE and vacA s1a genotypes are independent predictors of DU, and babA2 and cagE genotypes are independent predictors of GC.

The relationship between chronic Chlamydophila (formerly Chlamydia) pneumoniae infection and lung carcinoma was investigated. A total of 123 patients who were smokers and diagnosed with lung carcinoma based on clinical and laboratory (radiological, cytological) findings were examined. Of these patients, 70 had small-cell, 28 squamous-cell and seven large-cell carcinomas, while 18 had adenocarcinoma. A total of 123 healthy persons matching patients in age, sex, duration of smoking and locality were chosen as controls. Blood samples (5 ml) were withdrawn at the time of diagnosis and 1 month later. The values between IgG > 512 and IgA > 40 were set as the criteria for chronic Chlamydophila pneumoniae infections. In male patients with lung carcinoma, Chlamydophila pneumoniae IgG antibody titres of > 512 and IgA antibody titres of > 40 were found at a higher rate than in the control group. This ratio was not significant for the female patients. In chronic Chlamydophila pneumoniae infections, Chlamydophila pneumoniae antibody titres with values IgG > 512 and IgA > 40 were found in a total of 62 (50·4 %) cases. Chronic Chlamydophila pneumoniae infections were seen statistically more often in male patients with carcinoma who were aged 55 years or younger. This study supports the idea that chronic Chlamydophila pneumoniae infection increases the risk of lung carcinoma.

Primary antibiotic resistance against H. pylori in Turkey shows differences between geographical regions and population densities. There is an increase in primary resistance rates to clarithromycin and metronidazole in different years. The data are not sufficient for tetracycline, amoxicillin, and levofloxacin. High clarithromycin resistance rates were mostly detected in overpopulated cities like Ankara (north), Izmir (west), Istanbul (west), and Bursa (west).

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the diagnostic values of serum procalcitonin (PCT) and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in infective endocarditis (IE) and to correlate them with the etiology of the disease and the prognosis of the patients. Methods: Fifty patients who were diagnosed as having IE based on Duke criteria (major and/or minor) were included in the study at the Istanbul University Cardiology Institute and Florence Nightingale Hospital. Forty patients with bacteremia (non-IE) and 50 healthy blood donors were also included in the study as the control group. During the 45 days of medical follow-up, in those patients who had a response to medical therapy based on the results of left ventricular function tests, transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) and culture, among other factors, PCT and CRP levels were measured in 5-cm³ blood samples obtained without anticoagulant when they were first admitted (day 0), as well as 24 h and 15, 30 and 45 days after admission. In the patients who had valve replacement, 5-cm³ blood samples without anticoagulant were similarly obtained on the day of admission, after 24 h and/or on the 15th day, and 1 day before and on the 2nd and 5th days after the operation. Results: In this study, a significant difference (p < 0.001) was found between the IE group and the healthy control group with respect to their serum PCT and CRP levels at the time of admission. No significant difference was found between IE and non-IE groups (p > 0.05). The sensitivity of PCT in comparison to CRP was found to be lower (84 vs. 100%); however, its specificity was determined to be higher (88 vs. 72%). The median values of serum PCT in the nonoperated and operated cases at the time of admission, after 24 h and on the 15th day were 3.71, 5.35 and 0.44, and 2.45, 4.28 and 4.22 ng/ml, respectively, and those of CRP were 9.30, 10.95 and 10.65, and 9.5, 10.9 and 10.2 mg/dl, respectively. The median values of serum PCT were found to be higher in cases with IE and non-IE related to gram-negative bacteria than those related to gram-positive bacteria (p < 0.02). This was found to be insignificant for CRP (p > 0.05). Conclusions: As a result, this study suggests that in the diagnosis of IE, it would be beneficial to use PCT, besides TEE, culture and other clinical criteria, for its high specificity and positive predictive value in comparison to CRP. This study also suggests that in determining the response to medical treatment in the follow-up period, PCT could be a more valuable parameter than CRP, as PCT has a high prognostic value and is a good indicator for valve replacement in addition to the major criteria. Furthermore, serum PCT levels may help the physician to decide on the antimicrobial therapy combination before obtaining the culture results, or in situations in which the agent could not be isolated yet.

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