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Aim: To present the characteristics of drug hypersensitivity reactions (DHRs) among taxane recipients with non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC), and to describe the results of rapid drug desensitization (RDD). Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study included 45 patients who were treated with taxane for NSCLC and were found to be hypersensitive to taxane. All patients were administered the standard 3-bag, 12-step RDD protocol following the development of DHR. RDD success was evaluated separately for each cycle, and successful RDD was defined as the completion of the cycle with application of 12 steps of the desensitization protocol and the absence of early and/or late reactions afterwards. Results: Among 45 patients hypersensitive to taxane 43 (95.6%) successfully received taxane cycles with desensitization. Failed RDD occurred in only 2 (4.4%) patients. The total number of desensitization cycles was 183, of which 181 (98.9%) were successful. The mean age of patients with successful desensitization was 59.42 ± 10.48 years and 37 (86.0%) of them were male. Conclusion: RDD is a reliable procedure that enables effective administration and completion of first-line taxane treatments in taxane-sensitive patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Exacerbation is an independent risk factor for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)-related morbidity and mortality. Despite optimal care, there may be risk factors that lead to difficulties in managing exacerbations that may be associated with prolongation of length of hospital stay (LOS). Methods: This is a multicenter prospective observational study of COPD patients hospitalized with exacerbations. Prolonged LOS was calculated according to the 50th percentile and defined as ≥ 9 days. Potentially predicting factors of LOS were stratified into 4 pillars as patient-related, disease and exacerbation-related, treatment-related and, hospital utility-related. These categories were systematically documented throughout the duration of the hospitalization. Results: A total of 434 patients, 361 males and 73 females, with a mean age of 69.2 ± 9.3 years, were included in the study. Variables of each pillar were tested with univariate analysis to identify potential risk factors for prolonged LOS. Subsequently significant factors excluding factors associated with hospital utility were tested with multivariate logistic regression analysis for detecting potential associated factors for difficult-to-manage COPD exacerbation. Biomass exposure, past history of non-invasive mechanical ventilation (NIMV), low bicarbonate levels at admission, antibiotic switching, need for theophylline, increasing oxygen requirement, need for in-hospital non-invasive mechanical ventilation, nutritional support and physiotherapy were found as defining factors. Conclusions: The DiMECO study can help to identify COPD exacerbators who are at risk for prolonged hospitalizations that may associate with difficult-to-manage COPD exacerbations. Difficult to manage COPD exacerbation may serve as a provocative framework, underscoring the necessity for a better understanding of the multifaceted approaches to the management of COPD exacerbations. This conceptualization warrants further investigation across diverse clinical settings to validate its applicability and efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Diabetes Mellitus is recognized as one of the most prevalent chronic diseases worldwide. The disruptions encountered in healthcare services during the pandemic period have significantly impacted the treatment and monitoring of these patients. While the concept of food literacy is relatively new, its potential impact on nutrition-related chronic diseases remains to be fully demonstrated. Objective : This study aimed to determine glycemic control of DM patients without physician supervision was affected by treatment adherence and food literacy during COVID-19. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. A face-to-face survey was conducted among the patients who were admitted to the Internal Medicine outpatient clinic between April 2021 and October 2021 who had been ill with type 2 DM for more than one year, and whose medical follow-up was delayed by at least one year due to the pandemic. Results: A total of 154 patients 90 (58.4%) of whom were women, participated in our study. HbA1c in patients in 2020 ranged from 5.2 to 14.0 with a mean of 8.36 ± 2.00, whereas HbA1c in 2021 ranged from 5.6 to 14.3 with a mean of 8.38 ± 1.86. Minimal increase in HbA1c was observed in patients last year without a physician's check-ups, the difference was not significant. While the rate of change of HbA1c group in the good direction was higher in subjects with good food literacy (p = 0.011). The food literacy scores of patients whose HbA1c changed in the good direction (35.4 ± 4.3) were higher. Food literacy scores of patients with decreased HbA1c were significantly higher (33.0 ± 6.6). Conclusion: While the rate of change in the good direction in the HbA1c group was higher among participants with good food literacy, the rate of change in the poor direction in the HbA1c group was higher among participants with poor food literacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) that is the third leading cause of death in the world is one of the main economic burden. The cost is primarily due to COPD exacerbations and hospitalizations. We aimed to determine the factors associated with increasing costs in severe COPD exacerbation. MATERIAL AND METHODS: It was a multicenter and prospective observational recording study. 294 patients who severe COPD exacerbation were included in the study. An amount of more than 429.58 euros was accepted as increasing costs (IC). Factors associated with IC were determined by regression analysis. RESULTS: Mean age was 69.90 ± 9.79/years (minimum: 40 maximum: 95), mean costs were 594.9 ± 70.9 euros. About 83.7% of the patients were male, 24.1% (71) were active smokers, and 81% (238) had at least 1 comorbidity. Factors associated with IC in the regression analysis were delay of discharge (due to prolonged consultation), antibiotic use longer than 7 days, need to enteral/parenteral feeding, application of pulmonary rehabilitation (physiotherapy) at hospitalization, and refusal to be discharged. CONCLUSION: The increasing costs in severe COPD exacerbation depends not only treatment but also the patient's social status and hospital-related factors. We think that the cost of severe COPD exacerbation can be reduced by interventions on interchangeable factors such as patient's social status and hospital-related factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is currently the fourth leading cause of death in the world. Pulmonary rehabilitation is recommended for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of non-invasive ventilation, supplemental oxygen, and exercise training and supplemental oxygen during exercise training during pulmonary rehabilitation practice in comparison with only exercise training on lung functions, blood gases, lactate levels, respiratory muscle pressures, dyspnea, walking distances, quality of life, and depression in patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The main outcome measure is exercise capacity (6-minute walk test), and the secondary end-point included quality of life. RESULTS: Thirty-five patients (mean ± SD age, 65.4 ± 6.5 years) with a mean bronchodilator forced expiratory volume in the first second of expiration of 39.4 ± 7%, undergoing an 8-week outpatient pulmonary rehabilitation, were randomized to either non-invasive ventilation, supplemental oxygen, and exercise training, supplemental oxygen during exercise training, or exercise training groups. The improvements in respiratory muscle strength were higher in non-invasive ventilation, supplemental oxygen, and exercise training patients than the moderate improvements in the exercise training group. Both non-invasive ventilation, supplemental oxygen, and exercise training and supplemental oxygen during exercise training groups showed significant increases in the 6-minute walk test and incremental shuttle walk test. However, the increase in walking distance was better in non-invasive ventilation, supplemental oxygen, and exercise training group (69.8 ± 53.2 m in 6-minute walk test and 66.6 ± 65.2 m in incremental shuttle walk test, P = .001 and P = .005, respectively) compared to supplemental oxygen during exercise training group (42.5 + 55.5 m in 6-minute walk test and 53.5 + 70.2 m in incremental shuttle walk test, P = .01 each, respectively). The total St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire score was similar in all study groups after the intervention. Symptoms of depression significantly improved only in non-invasive ventilation, supplemental oxygen, and exercise training group (-2.8 + 2.8, P = .006). CONCLUSION: Non-invasive positive-pressure ventilation (NIPPV) added to supplemental oxygen during exercise training was associated with better physiological adaptations than other modalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Left ventricular non‐compaction cardiomyopathy (LVNC) is a poorly understood entity resulting in heart failure. Whether it is a distinct form of cardiomyopathy or an anatomical phenotype is a subject of discussion. The current diagnosis is based on morphologic findings by comparing the compacted to non‐compacted myocardium. The study aimed to compare demographic and prognostic variables of patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and LVNC. Emphasis was given to cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging analysis. Data on survival were also assessed. Methods and results: We retrospectively evaluated the characteristics and outcomes of 262 non‐ischaemic cardiomyopathy patients with LVNC and DCM phenotypes. Petersen's CMR criteria of non‐compacted to the compacted myocardial ratio 2.3 were used to diagnose LVNC. The primary endpoint was a composite endpoint of major adverse cardiovascular events comprising cardiovascular‐related death, left ventricular assisted device implantation, or heart transplantation. A total of 262 patients with CMR data were included in the study. One hundred fifty‐five patients who fulfilled CMR criteria were diagnosed as LVNC. CMR findings revealed that LVNC patients had higher left ventricular end‐diastolic (137.2 ± 51.6, 116.8 ± 44.6, P = 0.002) and systolic volume index (98.4 ± 49.5, 85.9 ± 42.7, P = 0.049). Cardiac haemodynamics, cardiac output (5.61 ± 2.03, 4.96 ± 1.83; P = 0.010), stroke volume (73.9 ± 28.8, 65.1 ± 25.1; P = 0.013), and cardiac index (2.85 ± 1.0, 2.37 ± 0.72; P < 0.0001), were higher in LVNC patients. Of all the 249 patients, 102 (40.9%) patients demonstrated late gadolinium enhancement (LGE). According to Petersen's criteria, the Kaplan–Meier survival outcome did not reveal significant differences (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.53, 95% confidence interval [CI]: [0.89–2.63], P = 0.11). The presence or pattern of LGE did not show significant importance for endpoint‐free survival. Most of the sub‐epicardial LGE pattern was found in LVNC patients (94.4%). When receiver operator characteristics analysis was applied to NC/C ratio to discriminate the primary endpoint, a higher NC/C ratio of 2.57 was associated with adverse events (HR: 1.90, 95% CI: [1.12–3.24], P = 0.016). Conclusions: Our study questions the criteria being used for the diagnosis of LVNC. Further evaluation of CMR variables and association of these findings with demographic variables and survival is mandatory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) diagnosis made by excluding identifiable causes of heart failure (HF) and occurs end of the pregnancy or during the postpartum period of five months. It presents a clinical HF spectrum with left ventricular systolic dysfunction. Background: The purpose of this study is to retrospectively evaluate the clinical characteristics, cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging features, and end‐points consisting of left ventricle recovery, left ventricular assist device implantation, heart transplantation, and all‐cause mortality. Method: Outpatient HF records between 2008 to 2021 were screened. Thirty‐seven patients were defined as PPCM. Twenty‐five patients had CMR evaluation at the time of diagnosis, and six patients were re‐evaluated with CMR. Results: The mean age was 30.5 ± 5.6 years, and the mean LVEF was 28.2% ± 6.7%. In 13(35.7%) patients, LVEF recovered during the follow‐up course. The median recovery time was 281(IQR [78–358]) days. LVEF on CMR was 35.3 ± 10.5, and three patients exhibited late gadolinium enhancement(LGE) patterns. Sub‐endocardial and mid‐wall uptake pattern types were detected. 18(75%) patients met the Petersen left ventricle non‐compaction cardiomyopathy(LVNC) criteria. Patients with NC/C ratio lower than 2.3 had lower LVEDVi and LVESVi (124.9 ± 35.4, 86.4 ± 7.5, p =.003; 86.8 ± 34.6, 52.6 ± 7.6, p =.006), respectively. The median follow‐up time was 2129 (IQR [911–2634]) days. The primary endpoint‐free 1‐year survival was 88.9% (event rate 11.1%), and 5‐year survival was 75.7% (event rate 24.3%). Conclusion: In a retrospective cohort of PPCM patients, 35.7% of patients' LVEF recovered, and the primary end‐point of free‐5‐year survival was 75%. Twenty‐five patients were assessed with CMR; three of four met the Petersen CMR‐derived LVNC at initial evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Osimertinib is an approved therapy for patients with a Thr790met (T790M) mutation diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) that progresses during epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR-TKI) therapy. However, in 7–13% of patients, drug-related side effects lead to discontinuation of osimertinib treatment. In such cases, osimertinib desensitization is a treatment option that can be considered. Case report: A 59-year-old female patient, who was followed up with the diagnosis of stage 4 NSCLC, was consulted to the allergy clinic because of urticaria. The patient developed urticaria plaques 20 h after the third dose of osimertinib tablet. Management & outcome: With the diagnosis of osimertinib-induced urticaria, desensitization was planned for the patient. Treatment was started with a dose of 0.1 mg/day osimertinib. The procedure was completed in approximately 50 days, and a dose of 80 mg/day was reached with antihistamine suppression. Discussion: Here, a successful osimertinib desensitization in a patient with a history of osimertinib-related type 1 allergic reaction is reported. Osimertinib desensitization is a treatment option that should be considered in cases where treatment has to be ceased due to drug-related side effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/aim: Our aim is to determine the caregiver burden of chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD) patient's caregivers, and to determine whether there is a workday loss. Materials and methods: 252 COPD patients and their caregivers were included. Disease information of the patients were recorded and a questionnaire was applied. Socio-demographic characteristics of the caregivers were recorded and a questionnaire consisting of 24 questions including COPD disease, treatment and loss of working days, and the Zarit Scale were used. Results: 128(50.8%) of the patients according to GOLD were group-D, 97(38.5%) of the patient's relatives were working, 62(24.7%) were not able to go to work for 1-14 days, and 125(57.1%) spent outside the home from 1-14 nights, because those accompanied to patients. In univariate analysis were detected modified medical research council (mMRC) (p < 0.001), CAT (p < 0.001), the number of comorbidities of patients (p = 0.027), forced expiratory volume in 1 FEV1cc (p = 0.009), FEV1% (p < 0.001), the presence of long term oxygen therapy (LTOT), and the number of comorbidities of the patient's relatives (p = 0.06) increased the care load. In multiple linear regression analysis, age (p = 0.03), COPD assessment test (CAT) score (p = 0.001), FEV1% (<0.068) and the number of comorbidities of patients (p = 0.01) and the number of comorbidities of caregivers (p = 0.003) increased the caregiving burden. Conclusion: In COPD increases caregiving burden. This burden is greater in symptomatic patients and when comorbidities are present. Psychosocial and legal regulations should be investigated and solutions should be produced for the caregivers of COPD patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an important public health problem that manifests with exacerbations and causes serious mortality and morbidity in both developed and developing countries. COPD exacerbations usually present to emergency departments, where these patients are diagnosed and treated. Therefore, the Emergency Medicine Association of Turkey and the Turkish Thoracic Society jointly wanted to implement a guideline that evaluates the management of COPD exacerbations according to the current literature and provides evidence-based recommendations. In the management of COPD exacerbations, we aim to support the decision-making process of clinicians dealing with these patients in the emergency setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Management & Economics Research is the property of Journal of Management & Economics Research and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Objectives: This study aims to compare the effects of pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) in patients with mild-to-moderate and severe-to-very severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Patients and methods: Between January 2005 and December 2010, a total of 76 patients with mild-to-moderate (Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease [GOLD] Stages I+II, n=33, mean age 66.0±8.6 years) and severe-to-very severe (GOLD Stages III+IV, n=43, mean age 63.5±8.8 years) COPD completed an eight-week outpatient PR program. Incremental and endurance shuttle walk tests (ISWT, ESWT), St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ), Chronic Respiratory Questionnaire (CRQ), and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale were assessed before and after PR. Changes after the intervention were compared between two groups. Results: There were significant improvements in the ISWT and median 60 m [(-150)-(400)] in mild-to-moderate group and 70 m [(0)-(270)] in severe-to-very severe group (both, p<0.001). The ESWT time improved in both groups, 122s [(-279)-(665)] (p=0.002) and 61s [(-180)- (878)] (p<0.001), respectively. Significant effects were observed in all domains of the SGRQ except the impact score in mild-to-moderate patients. There were significant improvements in all domains except the symptoms score in severe-to-very severe patients. Using the CRQ, a significant improvement was shown in all domains of CRQ except the dyspnea score of mild-to-moderate patients. Anxiety and depression scores decreased after PR in both groups (p<0.05). According to changes in outcomes, there was no difference in any parameters between two groups. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that patients with mild-to-moderate COPD benefit from PR comparably to patients with severe-tovery- severe COPD. Although patients with mild-to-moderate COPD are not usually symptomatic, our findings suggest that they should be included in PR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study compared the efficacy and safety of warfarin in specialized international normalized ratio (INR) outpatient clinic (INR-C) and in general cardiology outpatient clinic (General-C). Methods: Herein, 381 consecutive patients with a regular follow-up at INR-C (n=233) or General-C (n=148) for at least 1 year were retrospectively included. While INR-C patients were followed by a single experienced trained nurse, General-C patients were followed by a different cardiologist who worked in a rotational principle every month. During controls, demographic characteristics, INR levels, bleeding events, ischemic stroke, and transient ischemic attacks in the last 1 year were recorded. Primary endpoint was defined as the evaluation of the combined major bleeding and ischemic event, and secondary endpoint was defined as the evaluation of them separately. Results: The mean age of the patients was 62±12.86 and 43.8% were male. Mean time in therapeutic range (TTR) level was statistically higher in INR-C than that in General-C (68.8%±15.88 and 51.6%±23.04, respectively; p<0.001). Primary outcomes were significantly higher in General-C than that in INR-C [13.5% (20) and 6.4% (15); respectively, p=0.020]. Overall, major bleeding was observed in 25 patients (6.5%) and (2.6%) ischemic event was observed in 10 patients. In General-C patients, both major bleeding (8.8% vs. 5.2%; p=0.163) and the ischemic event (4.7% vs. 1.3%; p=0.051) were more, and no statistically significant differences were detected between the two clinics. Conclusion: The findings of our study demonstrate that patients followed in INR-C had higher TTR levels and lower bleeding and ischemic events rates that those followed in General-C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we define the generalized strong Drazin inverse in a general ring and investigate this class of inverses. Thus, recent results on the strong Drazin invertible and generalized strong Drazin invertible elements are extended to a more general setting. In particular, we show that is generalized strong Drazin invertible in a general ring if and only if there exists an idempotent such that and is quasinilpotent in . We also prove that if is generalized Drazin invertible in for some , so are , , . This partially answer to a question posed by Mosić. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Polytechnic is the property of Journal of Polytechnic and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Since the Global Initiative for Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) published its first guidelines on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in 2001, much has changed till 2017. Previous versions of GOLD guidelines mentioned the forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1)-based approach for staging and treatment modalities. Since 2011, a composite multi-dimensional approach has been introduced to cover various aspects of the disease. Unfortunately, this approach was not found to be correlated with mortality as well as the FEV1-based approach, despite the fact that it was better for estimating exacerbation rates. Although this assessment tool has been considered as a big step in personalized medicine, the system was rather complex to use in daily practice. In 2017, GOLD introduced a major revision in many aspects of the disease. This mainly includes a revised assessment tool and treatment algorithm. This new ABCD algorithm has excluded spirometry for guiding pharmacological therapy. Treatment recommendations are mainly based on symptoms and exacerbation rates. Escalation and de-escalation strategies have been proposed for the first time. The spirometric measurement has only been retained to confirm the diagnosis and lead to nonpharmacological therapies. In this report, the Turkish Thoracic Society COPD assembly aimed to summarize and give an insight to the Turkish interpretation of GOLD 2017. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An associative ring with identity is called quasipolar provided that for each a ∈ R there exists an idempotent p ∈ R such that p ∈ comm²(a), a + p ∈ U(R) and ap ∈ Rqnil. In this article, we introduce the notion of quasipolar general rings (with or without identity). Some properties of quasipolar general rings are investigated. We prove that a general ring I is quasipolar if and only if every element a ∈ I can be written in the form a = s + q where s is strongly regular, s ∈ comm²(a), q is quasinilpotent, and sq = qs = 0. It is shown that every ideal of a quasipolar general ring is quasipolar. Particularly, we show that R is pseudopolar if and only if R is strongly π-rad clean and quasipolar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A left ventricular aneurysm (LVA) is most commonly the result of myocardial infarction, usually involving the anterior wall. A left ventricular pseudoaneurysm (LVPSA) or false aneurysm forms when cardiac rupture is contained by adherent pericardium or scar tissue. The accurate diagnosis, although difficult to establish, is an important one to make because these aneurysms are prone to rupture. In this article, we report a challenging case of a cardiac aneurysm a year after a coronary bypass operation which could not be definitively diagnosed despite of imaging with different techniques including echocardiography, coronary angiography, left ventriculography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The patient underwent a second cardiac surgery, the aneurysm was resected, the mitral valve was replaced and the defect in the ventricular wall was repaired. Because of the combined diagnostic capabilities like detailed and functional pathoanatomy and aneurysmal wall characterization, MRI seems to have multiple advantages in differential diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of International Journal of Turkish Literature, Culture, Education is the property of International Journal of Turkish, Literature, Culture, Education and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

A ring R is uniquely (strongly) clean provided that for any a ∈ R there exists a unique idempotent e ∈ R (e ∈ comm(a)) such that a - e ∈ U(R). We prove, in this note, that a ring R is uniquely clean and uniquely bleached if and only if R is abelian, Tn (R) is uniquely strongly clean for all n ≥ 1, i.e. every n x n triangular matrix over R is uniquely strongly clean, if and only if R is abelian, and Tn(R) is uniquely strongly clean for some n ≥ 1. In the commutative case, more explicit results are obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the world. Research conducted over the past decade has contributed much to our current knowledge of the pathogenesis and treatment of COPD. Additionally, an evolving literature has recently accumulated information about the management of COPD and also about exacerbations. This article reviews a concise summary on the updates in COPD including 1) new pathogenic mechanisms and therapeutic targets, 2) management of patients in Group B, C and D according to GOLD 2014 report; 3) prevention and management of exacerbation; 4) monitoring of natural history; and 5) essential but usually forgotten parts of the management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we call a ring R δr-clean if every element is the sum of an idempotent and an element in δ(RR) where δ(RR) is the intersection of all essential maximal right ideals of R. If this representation is unique (and the elements commute) for every element we call the ring uniquely (strongly) δr-clean. Various basic characterizations and properties of these rings are proved, and many extensions are investigated and many examples are given. In particular, we see that the class of δr-clean rings lies between the class of uniquely clean rings and the class of exchange rings, and the class of uniquely strongly δr-clean rings is a subclass of the class of uniquely strongly clean rings. We prove that R is δr-clean if and only if R/δr(RR) is Boolean and R/Soc(RR) is clean where Soc(RR) is the right socle of R. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Turkish Journal of Geriatrics / Türk Geriatri Dergisi is the property of Turkish Geriatrics Society and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background and Objectives The present case-control study aimed to evaluate comparatively the salivary and serum levels of matrix metalloproteinases ( MMP)-8 and- 13 and tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase-1 ( TIMP-1) in patients with mild chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ( COPD) and non- COPD controls. Material and Methods Clinical periodontal measurements were recorded before any periodontal intervention in 36 patients with mild COPD and 20 non- COPD controls admitted to Ege University Department of Chest Diseases COPD outpatient clinic (İzmir, Turkey). Salivary and serum levels of MMP-8, MMP-13, and TIMP-1 were determined by immunofluorometric assay ( IFMA) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay ( ELISA). Data were analyzed with non-parametric statistical tests. Results Patients with COPD were significantly older than the control group ( p < 0.05). The COPD group showed significantly higher serum levels of MMP-8 IFMA, MMP-8/ TIMP-1 IFMA than the control group ( p < 0.005). By ELISA, serum MMP-8, MMP-8/ TIMP-1, TIMP-1, and MMP-13 levels were similar in both groups ( p > 0.05). Salivary MMP-8, MMP-13, and TIMP-1 levels were similar in both groups ( p > 0.05). Conclusions The present findings suggest that immunodetection of MMP-8 is dependent on the selected techniques and even with mild COPD some systemic inflammatory markers such as MMP-8 tend to increase. However, the present clinical periodontal and biochemical findings do not provide support for the previously proposed interaction between COPD and periodontal diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences is the property of Scientific and Technical Research Council of Turkey and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Anatolian Journal of Cardiology / Anadolu Kardiyoloji Dergisi is the property of KARE Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Anatolian Journal of Cardiology / Anadolu Kardiyoloji Dergisi is the property of KARE Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Aim. Diastolic dysfunction (DD) results in increased cardiovascular risk in hypertensives. We studied the performance of N-terminal probrain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) in detecting DD. Materials and methods. 241 hypertensive patients admitted to cardiology polyclinics were included in this study. They were grouped according to the presence of DD. Group 1: Essential hypertensive patients without DD ( n= 119); group 2: essential hypertensive patients with DD ( n= 122). All underwent trans-thoracic echocardiography for the evaluation of transvalvular flow, morphology, left ventricular wall motion abnormalities and ejection fraction. NT-proBNP levels were measured by an electrochemiluminescence immunoassay. Results. The systolic blood pressure (BP) (mean±SD) was 140±12 mmHg in group 1 and 144±16 mmHg in group 2 ( p=0.049), the diastolic BP (mean±SD) was 88±10 mmHg in group 1 and 90±14 mmHg in group 2 ( p=0.043). The median (1st–3rd quartile) NT-proBNP level in group 2 was significantly higher than group 1 [121.05 (61.03–207.66) and 31.17 (17.07–54.09) pg/ml, respectively ( p<0.001)]. In the receiver operating characteristics analysis, the area under the curve was 0.862 (95% CI 0.816–0.908). At the cut-off of 45 pg/ml, sensitivity was 86.9%, specificity was 62.4%, and at the cut-off 65 pg/ml, sensitivity was 74.6%, specificity was 83.8%. Conclusion. Plasma NT-proBNP levels may be useful for identifying patients with DD and it is conceivable to use a cut-off level 65 pg/ml as a “rule in” test. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Turkish Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation / Turkiye Fiziksel Tip ve Rehabilitasyon Dergisi is the property of Turkish Society of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Turkish Journal of Rheumatology is the property of Turkish League Against Rheumatism / Turkiye Romatizma Arastirma ve Savas Dernegi and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Turkish Journal of Rheumatology is the property of Turkish League Against Rheumatism / Turkiye Romatizma Arastirma ve Savas Dernegi and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Anatolian Journal of Cardiology / Anadolu Kardiyoloji Dergisi is the property of KARE Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

A 76 year old woman was admitted to cardiology clinic with a history of dyspnoea on exertion and palpitation over a period of several months. Irregular cardiac rhythm, augmented pulmonary component of second heart sound, and mild apical systolic murmur were detected at physical examination. Her blood pressure was 140/80 mm Hg with a pulse of 74 beats/minute. Iron deficiency anemia was detected on blood test analyses. Electrocardiography showed atrial fibrillation with normal ventricular response. Chest x ray revealed an increased cardiothoracic index and a dome shaped air level within the heart silhouette. There was no evidence of ventricular dysfunction or pericardial effusion on transthoracic echocardiographic examination.