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Maslinic acid (2α,3β-dihydroxyolean-12-en-28-oic acid) is a naturally occurring pentacyclic triterpenic compound. Maslinic acid is gradually gaining attention as an excellent pharmacologically active product because of its premium biological properties. In this review we will focus on chemopreventive properties of Maslinic acid against different cancers. Seemingly, available data is limited and we have yet to unravel how Maslinic acid therapeutically targeted oncogenic cell signal transduction cascades in different cancers. Moreover, there are visible knowledge gaps about the ability of Maslinic acid to modulate oncogenic and tumor suppressor microRNAs in various cancers.

The goal of our study was to characterize the proportions and seasonal prevalence of Escherichia coli (E. coli) O157:H7, Listeria spp. and Salmonella spp. in fermented sausages, sosis and salami. A total of 192 samples consisting of sausage (n=96), sosis (n=48) and salami (n=48) purchased from different butcher shops and markets in the Elazig Province of eastern Turkey for one year duration were processed and tested by culture and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the presence of E. coli O157:H7, Listeria spp. and Salmonella spp. L. innocua was found to be the most predominant Listeria spp. in fermented sausages and sosis whereas, L. monocytogenes (1.04%) and Salmonella spp. (1.04%) were detected at much lower prevalence in fermented sausage. No L. monocytogenes and Salmonella spp. were determined in salami samples. In addition, no Salmonella spp. was detected in sosis samples. L. welshimeri (12.5%) was observed most frequently on salami samples. No E. coli O157:H7 was isolated in any samples of fermented sausage, sosis and salami. Seasonal prevalence of Listeria spp. in fermented sausages, sosis and salami was highest in July, with no L. monocytogenes and Salmonella spp. being isolated during autumn, winter and spring months of the year. Although the proportion of L. monocytogenes in fermented sausages and sosis is much lower in the current study, the presence of L. monocytogenes in these samples in the Elazig Province of eastern Turkey could still present a major public health threat.

Interdisciplinary research has revolutionized the field of medicine and we have witnessed exponential increase in the high-impact research in past few decades. However, the road to this burgeoning research field is obstacle-ridden because of intratumor heterogeneity, loss of apoptosis and dysregulation of spatio-temporally controlled signaling pathways. Ground-breaking findings obtained through genetic, genomic and proteomic studies have considerably improved our concepts related to the complexity of protein network and excitingly, discovery of miRNAs has added another layer of intricacy to quantitatively regulated gene networks. In this review, we chronicle the milestone achievements and discuss how Pterostilbenes effectively regulated different cellular pathways. We have provided detailed mechanistic insights related to regulation of JAK-STAT signaling, Notch pathway, Wnt mediated intracellular signaling by pterostilbene. Underlying mechanisms about regulation of PI3K/AKT and MAPK pathways by pterostilbene in different cancers. Regulation of Metastasis-associated protein 1 (MTA1) proteins and Human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) in cancer cells by pterostilbene. Pterostilbene has also been reported to modulate the expression of various oncogenic and tumor suppressor microRNAs in cancer cells. Better and sharper comprehension of the concepts associated with the modes of action of pterostilbene in different cancers will be useful in identification of cancers which can be efficiently targeted by pterostilbene.

A total of 154 samples of marine (n=51) and freshwater fish (n=103) were obtained from fish markets in Elazig Province of eastern Turkey. These samples were tested for Campylobacter, Listeria and Salmonella using culturing and biochemical methods. Campylobacter failed to be detected in any freshwater or marine fish samples. Listeria was detected in 22 and 14 of gill and skin samples from freshwater fish, respectively. L. innocua was isolated at a higher prevalence (14.6%) than L. ivanovii (5.8%) and L. monocytogenes (1%) from the gill samples of freshwater fish. In skin samples, L. innocua was detected at higher prevalence (9.7%) than L. ivanovii (2.9%) and L. welshimeri (1%). However, two (1.9%) of the intestine samples of freshwater fish were found to be positive for L. innocua. In addition, L. monocytogenes isolate yielded a positive band by PCR. Listeria murrayi was the most commonly isolated species with a prevalence of 9.8% and 5.9% from the skin and gill samples of marine fish, respectively. However, the lowest prevalence of L. innocua was found (3.9%) from skin samples of marine fish only, but none of the intestine samples of marine fish were tested positive for Listeria spp. L. monocytogenes was not isolated in any marine fish samples. • The results indicate that fish can carry a pathogenic Listeria species. However, Campylobacter and Salmonella were not detected in marine fish samples suggests that fish pose no or little risk to the human population in Elazig Province in eastern Turkey.

Down syndrome is a chromosome abnormality with specific clinical symptoms and mental retardation caused by trisomy of chromosome 21. There is evidence that oxygen free radicals play an important role in the pathophysiology of many neuropsychiatric disorders. Although, it has not been investigated yet, several recent studies proposed that nitric oxide related to oxidative stress and arginase may have a pathophysiological role in mental retardation. The purpose of this study was to determine plasma nitric oxide levels and erythrocyte arginase activities in patients with Down syndrome and in healthy children. Plasma nitric oxide levels and erythrocyte arginase activity were measured in 20 patients with Down syndrome (median age: 15.6 +/- 7.5) and 20 age-matched healthy subjects (median age: 16.2 +/- 7.4). Significant differences were found between erythrocyte arginase activity of the patients with Down syndrome (35.2 +/- 2.7 U/g hemoglobin (Hb)) and those of healthy children (43.5 +/- 2.9 U/g Hb), (P < 0.05). But we have not found any statistical difference between persons with Down syndrome and control group for nitric oxide (P > 0.05). It was concluded that the level of erythrocyte arginase activity could be considered as a useful marker for assessing the level of mental retardation in children with Down syndrome.