Hepatitis: Ustaçelebi S

Demiryürek D, Bayramoğlu A, Ustaçelebi S. · Department of Anatomy, Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey. · Anat Rec. · Pubmed #12209557 links to  free full text

Abstract: Cadavers remain a principal teaching tool for anatomists and medical educators teaching gross anatomy. Infectious pathogens in cadavers that present particular risks include Mycobacterium tuberculosis, hepatitis B and C, the AIDS virus HIV, and prions that cause transmissible spongiform encephalopathies such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) and Gerstmann-Straussler-Scheinker syndrome (GSS). It is often claimed that fixatives are effective in inactivation of these agents. Unfortunately cadavers, even though they are fixed, may still pose infection hazards to those who handle them. Specific safety precautions are necessary to avoid accidental disease transmission from cadavers before and during dissection and to decontaminate the local environment afterward. In this brief review, we describe the infectious pathogens that can be detected in cadavers and suggest safety guidelines for the protection of all who handle cadavers against infectious hazards.

Ergünay K, Gürakan F, Usta Y, Yüce A, Karabulut HO, Ustaçelebi S. · Department of Clinical Microbiology, Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey. · Turk J Pediatr. · Pubmed #19102046 No free full text.

Abstract: This study was designed so that three sensitive and widely-used polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods for the detection of TT virus or Torque Teno virus (TTV) would be simultaneously applied to a large number of subjects to evaluate performances of the various PCR protocols with different genotype sensitivities. Sera were collected from 92 children admitted to Hacettepe University Ihsan Doğramaci Children's Hospital Pediatric Gastroenterology Unit (17 cryptogenic chronic hepatitis, 17 asymptomatic HBs carriers, 18 chronic HBV patients and 40 healthy children). TTV DNA was detected via nested N22, nested 3'-UTR and 5'-UTR PCRs for all samples. Differences in TTV D N A detection prevalences were n o t statistically significantbetween the study groups with all TTV DNA and liver enzyme levels. A significant agreement between PCR methods that target UTR was observed. TTV detection rate increased with age, suggesting a non-parenteral, environmental exposure to the virus for the study population.

Ozyürek E, Ergünay K, Kuskonmaz B, Unal S, Cetin M, Ustaçelebi S, Gürgey A, Gümrük F. · Department of Paediatrics, Section of Hematology, Hacettepe University, Medical School, Ankara, Turkey. · Pediatr Hematol Oncol. · Pubmed #16621777 No free full text.

Abstract: In hematology patients on chronic transfusion regimes, liver diseases are frequent, and mostly related to the agents transmitted by blood products and concominant iron deposition in liver. Besides hepatitis B (HBV) and C (HCV) viruses, new viral agents like hepatitis G virus (HGV) and TorqueTeno virus (TTV) are identified in these patients, although their association with any pathology or disease is not yet proved. In the present work, the authors studied the clinical importance of TTV in Turkish multitransfused patients with thalassemia. Forty-six healthy and 57 thalassemic patients were enrolled in the study. TTV was detected in serum samples by 3'-UTR nested PCR. Transaminase and ferritin levels, hepatitis B and C virus markers and number of transfusions were interpreted for possible association with TTV infection. As a result, TTV was detected in 63% of the thalassemia and 54% of the control patients. Prevalence of TTV infection, clinical features, laboratory data, and annual transfusion numbers of TTV-positive and -negative patients were not observed to be statistically significant. In conclusion, in Turkish patients with thalassemia, TTV infection cannot be considered as a risk factor for liver disease.

Ergünay K, Ustaçelebi S, Bayraktar Y, Günalp A. · Bu çalişma Hacettepe Universitesi Araştirma Fonu tarafindan ile desteklenmiştir. · Mikrobiyol Bul. · Pubmed #15900837 No free full text.

Abstract: TT virus (TTV) is the unique single stranded circular DNA virus, isolated from humans. Viral DNA is shown to be present not only in patients with hepatitis of unknown etiology but also in apparently healthy populations. TTV's role as a causative agent for non A-E hepatitis is widely questioned. In this study, 23 non A-E hepatitis patients (mean age: 46.8 yrs), 21 chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients (mean age: 41.0 yrs), 28 chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients (mean age: 48.1yrs) have been investigated, together with 90 healthy blood donors (mean age: 33.4 yrs), for the presence of TTV-DNA by nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Two sets of primers targeting different regions (N22 and NCR) of the viral genome were combined to enhance the detection sensitivity. TTV-DNA was detected in 10 (43.5%) of non A-E hepatitis, 10 (35.7%) of CHC, 4 (19.1%) of CHB patients, and 16 of studied 52 (30.8%) blood donors, by N22-PCR. Viral DNA positivity rates by using NCR-PCR were found as follows for the groups respectively; 65.2% (15/23), 50% (14/28), 42.9% (9/21) and 57.8% (52/90). The differences of TTV-DNA positivity rates between study groups were found statistically insignificant, when data from each set of primer were compared (p>0.05). However, the positivity rate of non A-E hepatitis group (91.3%) was significantly higher than CHC (64.2%), CHB (47.6%), and control (57.8%) groups, when the detection sensitivities of both sets were combined (p=0.002 and p=0.046, respectively). The study also revealed that the prevalence of TTV might be underestimated if appropriate molecular methods were not employed. DNA sequencing and genotyping are required to establish TTV's role as a causative agent of non A-E hepatitis and to identify certain genotypes that might have a role in the pathogenesis of hepatitis.

Anlar B, Pinar A, Yaşar Anlar F, Engin D, Ustaçelebi S, Kocagöz T, Us D, Akduman D, Yalaz K. · Department of Pediatric Neurology, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey. · J Infect. · Pubmed #12099745 No free full text.

Abstract: OBJECTIVES: The pathogenesis of subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE), and particularly, the cause of measles virus (MV) reactivation following a latent period after primary measles infection is unknown. The hypothesis of other viruses contributing to the pathogenesis of SSPE by affecting the in vivo state of MV was investigated. METHODS: We examined the cerebrospinal fluid of SSPE patients (n=43) for DNA or RNA and antibodies against HSV type 1 and 2, EBV, CMV, VZV, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, JC virus, human herpesvirus (HHV)-6, HHV-7, HHV-8, HTLV-1, and HTLV-2. We compared the findings with those of patients with other neurological disorders (n=39). RESULTS: CMV DNA and HSV type 1 IgG were found more frequently in SSPE patients. Other positive results were at similar incidence in SSPE and control groups. The clinical features of SSPE cases with and without positive viral tests did not differ from each other. CONCLUSION: These data do not support a specific role for these agents in SSPE, but imply that the passage of some viruses to the CNS and local antibody synthesis may be facilitated by inflammation. The persistence or reactivation of MV in SSPE may be related to other factors pertaining to the host or environment.