Merve Ayyıldız Akın

This study aimed to evaluate cyclophosphamide-induced toxicity in rats by assessing levels of catalase (CAT), nitric oxide (NO), total antioxidant status (TAS), total oxidant status (TOS), and oxidative stress index (OSI). A total of 18 female Wistar albino rats were divided into three groups, with six rats in each group. The groups established were: a healthy control group (C, n=6), an ovariectomized group (O, n=6), and a group that received a single intraperitoneal (IP) dose of 200 mg/kg cyclophosphamide following ovariectomy (O+CPA, n=6). At the end of the study (24 hours after cyclophosphamide administration), the rats were euthanized via cervical dislocation under anesthesia in accordance with ethical guidelines, and blood samples were collected. Biochemical measurements (Catalase, Nitric Oxide, Total Antioxidant, and Total Oxidant) were performed on the collected blood samples. Analysis of the TAS, TOS, and OSI results revealed that TAS levels decreased, while TOS and OSI levels increased in the O+CPA group. In the O+CPA group, CAT levels decreased, whereas NO levels increased significantly. In conclusion, it has been determined that cyclophosphamide administration increases oxidative stress and impairs antioxidant defense, as evidenced by decreases in TAS and CAT levels and increases in TOS, OSI, and NO levels.

Insecticide-treated nets (ITNs), particularly long-lasting insecticide-treated nets (LLINs), are important for malaria control; however, the rise of insecticide resistance, behavioral adaptations in mosquito vectors, and diminishing net durability may affect their efficacy. The objective of this systematic literature review and meta-analysis to synthesize recent epidemiological evidence (2021–2025) on the correlation between ITN/LLIN use and Plasmodium falciparum infection prevalence and to explore sources of heterogeneity across populations, settings, and type of nets. Searches across PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science yielded 3151 records, of which 10 met the inclusion criteria. Two separate meta-analyses were performed for crude and adjusted effect estimates using random-effects models. The crude-effects meta-analysis included six studies comprising 7466 participants and yielded a pooled odds ratio of 0.67 (95% CI: 0.42–1.07; p = 0.078), indicating no statistically significant association between ITN/LLIN use and P. falciparum infection. Significant heterogeneity was observed (I² = 79.8%), which was partially explained by population type (59.3%) and study design (36.1%). Subgroup analysis revealed comparable infection prevalence–based associations for ITNs (OR = 0.72) and LLINs (OR = 0.59) use. Assessment of publication bias indicated slight asymmetry; however, the trim-and-fill adjustment did not significantly change the conclusions. The adjusted-effects meta-analysis, comprising nine studies, yielded a non-significant pooled effect (aOR = 0.88; 95% CI: 0.42–1.86; p = 0.71) with substantial heterogeneity (I² = 88.7%). Meta-regression analyses indicated that effect estimates varied by population group and country, with statistically significant modifiers observed for children under five years (p = 0.0098) and for studies conducted in Uganda (p = 0.0378). The type of net contributed to variation between studies, with insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) exhibiting lower pooled odds than long-lasting insecticide-treated nets (LLINs) (p = 0.0415). Overall, this meta-analysis found no conclusive evidence of a statistically significant association between ITN/LLIN use and P. falciparum infection in contemporary epidemiological studies. The substantial heterogeneity across settings underscores the context-dependent nature of observed associations and highlights the need for integrated vector-control strategies and continued evaluation of net technologies under conditions of increasing resistance.

Pathogens that have developed resistance to antibiotics pose a threat to public health. The primary goal in preventing foodborne infections is to inhibit the growth of and, subsequently, eliminate antibiotic-resistant pathogens at every stage from production to consumption. Escherichia coli, which has acquired resistance to most known antibiotics, is frequently found in chicken meat. In many countries, due to unregulated antibiotic use in poultry farming, poor hygiene in slaughterhouses, or cross-contamination, extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing E. coli has been identified as the causative agent in poultry-associated food poisoning. The need for more effective antimicrobial agents against this pathogen, which is resistant to existing antibiotics, has led to increased attention being paid to postbiotics produced by lactic acid bacteria, particularly bacteriocins. This study aimed to determine the antimicrobial effects of postbiotics obtained from kefir-derived Lactiplantibacillus plantarum and Lactococcus lactis against ESBL-positive E. coli. To achieve this, E. coli strains were isolated from raw chicken meat samples collected from the market using culture-based methods, and their antimicrobial resistance profiles were determined using the disk diffusion method. The ESBL positivity of the isolates was assessed using the double-disk synergy test. The antimicrobial activities of the postbiotics against the identified ESBL-positive E. coli strains were tested using the macro-dilution method to determine minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) values. ESBL-positive E. coli was detected in 48% of raw chicken meat samples. The antimicrobial effects of postbiotics were examined by disk diffusion, and postbiotics produced by 18 Lb. plantarum strains and 20 Lc. lactis strains showed strong antimicrobial activity. Significant differences in the antimicrobial effects of postbiotics were observed between the two species. Lb. plantarum postbiotics exhibited both bacteriostatic (concentration 60%) and bactericidal (concentration 80%) effects on ESBL-positive E. coli strains, whereas Lc. lactis postbiotics showed only bacteriostatic effects (80% concentration). Postbiotics derived from probiotic bacteria offer promising effects against multidrug-resistant E. coli due to their heat resistance, activity across different pH values, strong antimicrobial effects, affordability, and ease of production.

Unlike traditional time-series methods, the ATA analysis method developed in recent years dynamically adjusts the smoothing parameters according to the sample size. In this study, it was aimed to estimate the export and import values of live animal and livestock products for the next five years (2024-2028) using the ATA method, which is one of the time series analyses, by using the previous years’ (2014-2023) values of Türkiye. The study material consisted of export and import values (in dollars) of the "live animals,” "meat/meat products", "milk/milk products+eggs" and "fish and other seafood" categories in Türkiye between 2014 and 2023. The study data were obtained from the records of the Turkish Statistical Institute according to the aforementioned categories in four annual quarters (1st quarter: January, February, March, 2nd quarter: April, May, June, 3rd quarter: July, August, and September, 4th quarter: October, November, December) are presented. ATA method, which is a simple, highly accurate, and automatic forecasting method, was used for data modeling. According to the study findings, it was estimated that the import values of "live animals", "meat/meat products", "milk/milk products+eggs" and "fish and other seafood" may be a total of $1.3 billion, $171 million, $156 million and $299 million, respectively, whereas the export value of the same products may reach $113 million, $1.2 billion, $866 million and $2 billion, respectively in 2028. In conclusion, the ATA analysis method can be used to reveal a perspective in the coming years in terms of foreign trade in the livestock sector, but it should be updated constantly. It has been concluded that such studies can guide policymakers in the country in developing necessary strategies in foreign trade for the future.

In this study, it was aimed to determine the economic activities of sheep farming enterprises in Kars province, Turkey by Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). For this purpose, data obtained from face-to-face surveys conducted on 99 sheep farming enterprises in Kars Province were used. In the DEA applied to determine the economic efficiency of sheep enterprises, the Charnes Cooper Rhodes (CCR) was used according to the input-oriented scale. According to the study findings, the average age of the owners of the enterprises, all of whom were male, was 46 years, and their experience was average 9 years. It was determined that the majority of the farm owners (76.8%) were primary and secondary school graduates. It was determined that 67.7% of the enterprises were farming only Akkaraman, 3% were farming only Morkaraman, and 29.3% were farming both of the breeds. According to the DEA results used to determine the economic efficiency of enterprises, 41 enterprises (41.4%) were determined to be effective and 58 (58.6%) were determined to be inefficient. Consequently, it was concluded that inefficient enterprises need to reduce their input costs to become economically effective. In addition, it has been considered that it is very important for enterprises to make progress in the stages of obtaining, processing, branding and marketing high value-added products (milk/dairy products and meat/meat products, wool) from sheep farming to increase their income and profitability. Keywords: Data envelopment, Economic efficiency, Kars, Sheep farming.

This study was performed to determine the effects of dietary supplementation of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens FD777 (BA) and Macleaya cordata extract (MCE) on the performance, morbidity and mortality rates, body measurements, immunity, rumen parameters, antioxidant parameters, microbiome level, and profitability of calves during the pre-weaning period. In the study, 51 calves were divided into three groups as one control and two treatment groups considering their age (1 day old), gender (nine females and eight males in each group), and birth weight (37.7 ± 0.4 kg). The calves in the control group (CON) were fed milk without supplements whereas the first treatment group (BA) was fed milk containing 10 mL/day/head of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens FD777 and the second treatment group (MCE) was fed milk containing 2 g/day/head of MCE. As a result, supplementing BA and MCE to calf milk had no significant effect on body weight (BW), dry matter intake (DMI), feed efficiency (FE), morbidity and mortality rates, rumen pH, IgG, IgA, and IgM values, and gastrointestinal microbiota (p > 0.05). On the other hand, it was determined that body weight gain (BWG), body length, body depth, rump width, withers height change, rump height change, rump width change, and serum GSH level increased significantly in the BA group compared to the control group (p < 0.05). According to the partial budget analysis, despite the additional cost of supplementing BA to the calf milk, no calf deaths and lower disease were observed in this group, unlike the other groups, resulting in a lowest calf rearing cost and highest profit. In calves receiving MCE, withers height, rump height, body length, rump width, body depth, chest circumference change, withers height change, rump height change, and rump width change values increased significantly compared with the control group (p < 0.05). In conclusion, the results obtained not only reveal the positive effects of BA and MCE on calves during the pre-weaning period, but also encourage the necessity of investigating their effects on the long-term performance of animals and farm economies.

This study was performed to determine the economic activity and profitability of veterinary practices operating in Kars province by using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). In this study, the 2023 data of 53.6% of veterinary practices operating in Kars province were obtained through a face-to-face survey. In the DEA applied to determine the economic efficiency of practices, input-oriented constant returns to scale (CCR) technique were used According to the study findings, 6.7% of the veterinarians participating in the survey were female, 93.3% were male, and 46.6% were aged between 25 and 29 years. It was observed that all the veterinarians participating in the research had been practicing their professional activities since the date of graduation, and the majority (73.3%) had 3-12 years of experience (graduate date 2011-2020). It was determined that 10% of the veterinarians participating in the survey received postgraduate education (master's degree with thesis and PhD). It was found that 30% of veterinarians opened a practice after working in a practice. According to the DEA results for economic efficiency, it was determined that 90% of the practices were active. As a result, when veterinary practices were evaluated in terms of efficiency, it was understood that rent, maintenance-repair, general administrative costs, and other costs must be reduced in order to make economically ineffective veterinary practices to effective.