Purification and Characterization of the Bacteriocin Thuricin Bn1 Produced by Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki Bn1 Isolated from a Hazelnut Pest

( Ugras Serpil ),( Kazim Sezen ),( Hatice Kati ),( Zihni Demirbag ) 한국미생물 · 생명공학회 2013 Journal of microbiology and biotechnology Vol.23 No.2

A novel bioactive molecule produced by Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki Bn1 (Bt-Bn1), isolated from a common pest of hazelnut, Balaninus nucum L. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), was determined, purified, and characterized in this study. The Bt-Bn1 strain was investigated for antibacterial activity with an agar spot assay and well diffusion assay against B. cereus, B. weinhenstephenensis, L. monocytogenes, P. savastanoi, P. syringae, P. lemoignei, and many other B. thuringiensis strains. The production of bioactive molecule was determined at the early logarithmic phase in the growth cycle of strain Bt-Bn1 and its production continued until the beginning of the stationary phase. The mode of action of this molecule displayed bacteriocidal or bacteriolytic effect depending on the concentration. The bioactive molecule was purified 78-fold from the bacteria supernatant with ammonium sulfate precipitation, dialysis, ultrafiltration, gel filtration chromatography, and HPLC, respectively. The molecular mass of this molecule was estimated via SDS-PAGE and confirmed by the ESI-TOFMS as 3,139 Da. The bioactive molecule was also determined to be a heat-stable, pH-stable (range 6-8), and proteinase K sensitive antibacterial peptide, similar to bacteriocins. Based on all characteristics determined in this study, the purified bacteriocin was named as thuricin Bn1 because of the similarities to the previously identified thuricin-like bacteriocin produced by the various B. thuringiensis strains. Plasmid elution studies showed that gene responsible for the production of thuricin Bn1 is located on the chromosome of Bt-Bn1. Therefore, it is a novel bacteriocin and the first recorded one produced by an insect originated bacterium. It has potential usage for the control of many different pathogenic and spoilage bacteria in the food industry, agriculture, and various other areas.

Implementation of a Non-Linear Adaptive Filter Based Sag Detection Method for Dynamic Voltage Restorers under Unbalanced Fault Conditions

M. Ugras Cuma,Ahmet Teke,M. Emin Meral,K. Cagatay Bayindir,Mehmet Tumay 전력전자학회 2013 JOURNAL OF POWER ELECTRONICS Vol.13 No.2

The most common power quality problems in distribution systems are related to unbalanced voltage sags. Voltage sags must be detected quickly and corrected in a minimum amount of time. One of the most widely used methods for sag detection is based on the d-q transformation. This method has the disadvantage of missing the detection of unbalanced faults, because this method uses a voltage sag level signal obtained from the average of 3 phases for sag detection. In this paper, an adaptive filter sag detection method is proposed for Dynamic Voltage Restorers (DVR) under unbalanced fault conditions. The proposed DVR controller is able to detect balanced, unbalanced and single phase voltage sags. A novel reference voltage generation method is also presented. To validate the proposed control methods, a 3-phase DSP controlling a DVR prototype with a power rating of 1.5-kVA has been developed. Finally, experimental results are presented to verify the performance of the proposed control methods.

Implementation of a Non-Linear Adaptive Filter Based Sag Detection Method for Dynamic Voltage Restorers under Unbalanced Fault Conditions

Cuma, M. Ugras,Teke, Ahmet,Meral, M. Emin,Bayindir, K. Cagatay,Tumay, Mehmet The Korean Institute of Power Electronics 2013 JOURNAL OF POWER ELECTRONICS Vol.13 No.2

The most common power quality problems in distribution systems are related to unbalanced voltage sags. Voltage sags must be detected quickly and corrected in a minimum amount of time. One of the most widely used methods for sag detection is based on the d-q transformation. This method has the disadvantage of missing the detection of unbalanced faults, because this method uses a voltage sag level signal obtained from the average of 3 phases for sag detection. In this paper, an adaptive filter sag detection method is proposed for Dynamic Voltage Restorers (DVR) under unbalanced fault conditions. The proposed DVR controller is able to detect balanced, unbalanced and single phase voltage sags. A novel reference voltage generation method is also presented. To validate the proposed control methods, a 3-phase DSP controlling a DVR prototype with a power rating of 1.5-kVA has been developed. Finally, experimental results are presented to verify the performance of the proposed control methods.

Determination of Patient Learning Needs after Thyroidectomy

Temiz, Zeynep,Ozturk, Didem,Ugras, Gulay Altun,Oztekin, Seher Deniz,Sengul, Emel Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2016 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.17 No.3

The purpose of this study was to determine discharge learning needs of patients undergoing thyroidectomy. The population of this descriptive study consisted of patients undergoing thyroidectomy in the Endocrine Surgery Unit of a university hospital between February and December 2013. The study included 251 patients who were discharged after thyroidectomy. Data obtained using the data collection form and the Patient Leaning Needs Scale (PLNS) were analyzed by frequency, mean, standard deviation, Kruskal Wallis and student-t tests. The mean age of the patients was $47.91{\pm}13.05$ and 76.1% were females. The PLNS total mean score was $208.38{\pm}34.91$, with the maximum score of $39.23{\pm}6.80$ on the subscale of treatment and complications and the minimum score of $19.45{\pm}4.70$ on the subscale of feelings related to condition. It was found that the PLNS total score of the patients was not influenced by age, gender, marital status (p>0.05). This study demonstrated that patients had high learning needs after thyroidectomy.

Acinar Cell Cystadenoma (Acinar Cystic Transformation) of the Pancreas: the Radiologic-Pathologic Features

Mehmet Gumus,Serdar Ugras,Oktay Algin,Haldun Gundogdu 대한영상의학회 2011 Korean Journal of Radiology Vol.12 No.1

Acinar cystic transformation of the pancreas is also known as acinar cell cystadenoma (ACC), and this is an extremely rare benign lesion that was fi rst described in April 2002. We report here on a case of a previously asymptomatic patient with pancreatic ACC and this was diagnosed by computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). To the best of our knowledge, there is no previous report concerning the CT or MRI features of ACC in the medical literature. We present here the CT, MRI and pathological fi ndings of pancreatic ACC.

Lack of any Prognostic Relationship between Adiponectin Receptor (Adipo R1/R2) Expression for Early/Advanced Stage Gastric Cancer

Ayyildiz, Talat,Dolar, Enver,Ugras, Nesrin,Dizdar, Oguzhan Sitki,Adim, Saduman Balaban,Yerci, Omer Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.11

Introduction: Adiponectin (ApN) is a complement C1q-related protein, mainly secreted from adipose tissue, that signals through ApN receptor1 (Adipo-R1) and ApN receptor 2 (Adipo-R2). Low serum ApN concentrations are associated with obesity-related malignancies. However, there are very few studies on any prognostic role of ApN receptors in gastric cancer. Objectives: The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between AdipoR1/R2 expression and early/advanced stage gastric cancer in terms of clinicopathologic characteristics and survival. Materials and Methods: Eighteen patients with early and 39 with advanced stage gastric cancer who underwent surgical gastric resection were included in this study. Results: Adipo-R1 expression was low in 2 of the 18 patients with early stage gastric cancer (11.1%), while 4 had low Adipo-R2 expression (22.2%). In those with advanced stage gastric cancer, 7 of 39 had low Adipo-R1 expression (17.9%) and 16 had low Adipo-R2 expression (41%). Adipo-R2 expression was significantly higher (p=0.011) in moderately differentiated tumors when compared to well-differentiated tumors. While there was nearly a statistically significant relationship between TNM stage (T, tumor size; N, regional lymph node; M, whether distant metastases exist) and Adipo-R2 expression (p=0.054), there was no relationship between Adipo-R1/-R2 expression with tumor stage and survival. Conclusion: Adipo-R1/-R2 expression has no prognostic significance of in early/advanced stage gastric cancer.

Adipo-R1 and Adipo-R2 Expression in Colorectal Adenomas and Carcinomas

Ayyildiz, Talat,Dolar, Enver,Ugras, Nesrin,Eminler, Ahmet Tarik,Erturk, Banu,Adim, Saduman Balaban,Yerci, Omer Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2015 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.16 No.1

Background: Human adiponectin (ApN), a 30 kDa glycoprotein of 244-amino acids which is predominantly produced by adipocytes, exerts its effects via two receptors, namely adiponectin receptor-1 (adipo-R1) and adiponectin receptor-2 (adipo-R2) with differential binding affinity to globular adiponectin. Adiponectin receptor expression has been studied in several cancer tissues. However, there are no studies of colorectal adenomas which are considered to be precursors for colorectal carcinoma (CRC). Objectives: In the present study, the expression of adipo-R1 and adipo-R2 was investigated immunohistochemically in colorectal adenomas and colorectal carcinoma tissues in an attempt to determine associations with these tumors. Materials and Methods: The study enrolled 50 CRC patients with tumor resection and 82 patients who were diagnosed with adenomatous polyps, classified as negative for neoplasia, low-grade dysplasia (L-GD) or high- grade dysplasia (H-GD). Results: Expression of both adipo-R1 and adipo-R2 was found to be significantly lower in the CRCs than in colorectal adenomas (tubular and tubulovillous, p=0.009 and p<0.001, respectively). Adipo-R1 and adipo-R2 expression was also significantly lower in the CRC group when compared with the groups of patients with low grade dysplasia, high-grade dysplasia or no neoplasia (p=0.012 and p<0.001, respectively). In addition, it was observed that adipo-R2 expression was generally positive in the non-neoplastic group irrespective of the adipo-R2 expression. In the L-GD, H-GD and CRC groups, the adipo-R2 result was positive whenever adipo-R1 result was positive but some patients with negative adipo-R1 had positive adipo-R2 (p<0.001, p=0.004, p<0.001, respectively). Conclusions: This study indicated that ApN may play a role in the progression of colorectal adenomatous polyps to carcinoma through actions on adipo-R1 and adipo-R2 receptors.

Somatostatin Receptor 2 and 5 Expressions in Gastroenteropancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors in Turkey

Yerci, Omer,Sehitoglu, Ibrahim,Ugras, Nesrin,Cubukcu, Erdem,Yuce, Suleyman,Bedir, Recep,Cure, Erkan Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2015 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.16 No.10

Background: Gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GNs) are slow growing and although their incidence has increased in recent years, they are relatively rarely seen. Somatostatin analogues are used in the treatment of GNs that express somatostatin receptor (SR). We aimed to investigate the expression of SR2 and SR5 in GNs. Materials and Methods: In this study the expression of SR2 and SR5 was investigated immunohistochemically in 49 cases (26 males, 23 females) diagnosed and graded with GN according to the World Health Organization classification 2010. Results: The percentage of SR2 staining was 91.0% in grade 1, 82.8% in grade 2 and 100% in grade 3. On the other hand, the percentage of SR5 staining was 81.8% % in grade 1, 60.0% in grade 2 and 0% in grade 3. According to the tumor localization, the percentages of SR2 expression were as follows: pancreas 85.7%, stomach 100%, small bowel 70%, appendix 85.7% and rectum 100%. The percentages of SR5 expression were: pancreas 61,9%, stomach 37.5%, small bowel 70%, appendix 71.5% and rectum 66.6%. There was a significant negative correlation between ki67 percentage and SR5 expression (r=-0.341, p=0.016). Conclusions: In this study, GNs were found to highly express SR2 and SR5. Although the expression of SR2 and SR5 changed according to tumor localization, the expression of SR2 was higher than the expression of SR5 in GN. There was a significant negative correlation between ki67 and SR5. Accordingly, SR5 may be a prognostic indicator of GN.

Association of Adiponectin Receptor (Adipo-R1/-R2) Expression and Colorectal Cancer

Ayyildiz, Talat,Dolar, Enver,Ugras, Nesrin,Adim, Saduman Balaban,Yerci, Omer Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.21

Introduction: Human adiponectin (ApN) is a 30 kDa glycoprotein of 244-amino acids which is extensively produced by adipocytes. ApN acts via two receptors, namely adiponectin receptor-1 (Adipo-R1) and adiponectin receptor-2 (Adipo-R2). Studies have shown the presence of Adipo-R1 and Adipo-R2 expression immunohistochemically in human colorectal cancers (CRCs). However, only a few studies exist which investigated effects of adiponectin receptor expression on CRC characteristics. Objectives: In the present study, we aimed to explore Adipo-R1/-R2 expression in human colorectal cancers and any association with clinicopathological characteristics and survival. Materials and Methods: The study enrolled 58 colorectal cancer patients with tumor resection and a control group of 30 subjects with normal colon mucosa. Results: Positivity for Adipo-R1/-R2 expression was significantly more common in the control group in comparison to the patient group (both p<0.001). There was no significant association between Adipo-R1/-R2 expression and clinicopathological characteristics including age, sex tumor location, pTNM stage, Duke's stage, metastasis, histological differentiation, perineural invasion, venous invasion sex, lymphatic invasion, cancer-related mortality, tumor size and recurrence. Adipo- R1/-R2 positivity was also not significantly linked to progression-free or overall survival [p values (0.871, 0.758) and (0.274, 0.232), respectively]. Conclusions: Although significantly reduced Adipo-R1/-R2 expression was found in colorectal cancer patients, it had no influence on survival.

Prognostic Significance of Human Epidermal Receptor (HER)-3 Immunohistochemical Expression in Patients with Metastatic Breast Cancer

Olmez, Omer Fatih,Evrensel, Turkkan,Cubukcu, Erdem,Ugras, Nesrin,Avci, Nilufer,Canhoroz, Mustafa,Deligonul, Adem,Hartavi, Mustafa,Olmez, Fatma,Cubukcu, Sinem,Tolunay, Sahsine,Kurt, Ender,Kanat, Ozkan Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2013 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.14 No.7

Background: Previous reports have shown that human epidermal receptor (HER)-3 overexpression may be associated with poor prognosis in patients with breast cancer, but results have been conflicting. In this study, we sought to investigate the prognostic significance of HER-3 immunohistochemical expression in patients with metastatic breast cancer. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed HER-3 immunohistochemical expression profiles in 45 paraffin-embedded specimens from patients who had been treated between 1996 and 2006 in the Department of Oncology of the Uludag University School of Medicine, Bursa, Turkey. Membranous or cytoplasmic dominant expression patterns of HER-3 were analyzed using the Rajkumar score and a cytoplasmic 4-point scoring system, respectively. Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) served as the main outcome measures. Results: The median PFS in the study participants was 9 months (interquartile range: 4.5-13 months), whereas the median OS was 20 months (interquartile range: 7.5-28 months). Categorization of the patient population according to HER-3 positive immunohistochemical expression did not reveal any statistically significant difference in terms of both PFS (p=0.70) and OS (p=0.81). The results of multivariable Cox regression analysis indicated that tumor size was the only independent predictor of PFS, whereas estrogen and progesterone receptor status was independently associated with OS. Conclusions: HER-3 immunohistochemical expression did not correlate with outcomes in Turkish patients with metastatic breast cancer. Although our results suggest that HER-3 expression in cancer specimens is not of prognostic significance, further prospective studies are warranted to confirm these results.