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Aim: In various experimental animal studies, it has been proven that solanine, a subtype of glycoalkaloids, is responsible for neural tube defects. However, there have not been any human studies yet in this area. Our aim is to investigate whether there are any connections between blood glycoalkaloid levels and anencephaly in humans., Methods: Blood and amniotic fluid samples were taken from patients diagnosed with fetal anencephaly during pregnancy. The samples from patients with normal pregnancies were taken as well and was compared to the patients with fetal anencephaly during pregnancy. We searched the levels of three glycoalkaloids: solanine, chaconine and solamargine in the collected samples., Results: Solanine, which is one of the glycoalkaloids, could not be detected in both serum and amniotic fluid in the anencephaly as well as the control groups. However, alpha-solamargine levels were observed to be significantly higher in the blood and amniotic fluid samples of the control group than in the study group (p = 0.04). Alpha-chaconine levels were also significantly higher in the control group (p < 0.001) as well., Conclusion: Based on our tests, we can conclude that no connections were found between blood solanine levels and anencephaly during pregnancy. Alpha-chaconine and alpha-solamargine levels were observed to be higher in blood and amniotic fluid in pregnancies without anencephaly. The relationship between glycoalkaloids and congenital anomalies needs to be further investigated in tissues other than blood., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Hyperuricemia during hypertension is associated with aberrant vascular functions and increased oxidative stress, which affects endothelial dysfunction. Nevertheless, the molecular mechanisms underlying the effects of uric acid on vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) through oxidative stress remain unclear. The aim of the present study was to investigate the dose- and time-dependent effects of uric acid on oxidative stress and p53 protein expression in VSMCs. VSMCs were incubated with various concentrations of uric acid (0-50 mg/dl) for different time periods (1-24 h). Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARs), protein carbonylation and nitric oxide (NO) levels were determined using appropriate assay kits. Superoxide anion release was detected using the Görlach method. Western blotting was performed to determine the protein expression levels of p53. The findings demonstrated that the application of uric acid led to an increase in protein carbonylation and superoxide anion levels while causing a decrease in NO levels. Conversely, no significant effect was observed on TBARS levels. Additionally, it was observed that high concentrations of uric acid suppressed p53 expression at 6, 12 and 24 h. The present study provided evidence that the influence of uric acid on oxidative stress was more closely associated with time than dose; however, not all effects observed were strictly time-dependent., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (Copyright: © 2024 Dogru et al.)

Aim: To evaluate the vaccine response and the effect of the booster dose on COVID-19 positivity in haemodialysis (HD) and peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients who received and did not receive BNT162b2 as a booster dose after two doses of CoronaVac., Methods: The study included 80 PD and 163 HD patients, who had been administered two doses of the CoronaVac. Antibody levels were measured on Days 42 and 90 after the first dose. Measurements were repeated on Day 181 after the first dose in the patients that received two vaccine doses and on Day 28 after the third dose in those that also received the booster dose. Antibody levels below 50 AU/mL were considered negative., Results: The seropositivity rate was similar in the HD and PD group on Days 42 and 90 (p = 0.212 and 0.720). All patients were seropositive in the booster group. The antibody level was lower in the patients that received CoronaVac as the booster compared to those administered BNT162b2 in HD and PD groups (p < 0.001 and 0.002). COVID-19 positivity was detected in 11 patients (7 = had not received the booster dose, 4 = had received third dose of CoronaVac). The multivariate analysis revealed that as age increased, COVID-19 positivity also increased (OR: 1.080, 95% CI: 1.017 - 1.146, p = 0.012), while booster dose administration decreased this positivity (OR: 0.113, 95% CI: 0.028 - 0.457, p = 0.002)., Conclusion: Our results may indicate the need for additional vaccination doses in patients with HD and PD. Our findings indicate a higher antibody response in dialysis patients with heterologous BNT162b2 as a booster dose after two doses of CoronaVac compared to homologous CoronaVac., (© 2024 Asian Pacific Society of Nephrology.)

Purpose: The primary outcome of this study is to compare the success rates of ONB techniques performed either with ultrasound guidance or with the blind technique. The second outcome is to compare the incidences of perioperative bleeding and the presence of recurrent tumors in the control cystoscopy performed in the 3rd postoperative month in both groups., Materials and Methods:  The study was conducted in the urology operating room of Mugla Sitki Kocman Training and Research Hospital between December 2019 and March 2023. A total of 122 patients were included in the study: 22 females with a mean age of 56.63 ± 12.99 years and 100 males with a mean age of 63.18 ± 8.00 years. In one group (group 1), ONB was performed under ultrasound guidance by the same anesthesiologist, and in another group (group 2), ONB was performed blindly based on anatomical signs by the same urologist., Results: Adductor muscle contraction was not observed in 53 patients (91.4%) in group 1 and in 49 patients (76.6%) in group 2 (p = 0.027)., Conclusion: The success rate of ONB was higher when using an ultrasound-guided technique than when using a blind technique.

Purpose: The present study aimed to investigate the value of calprotectin and other inflammatory parameters in patients with glaucoma and systemic diseases accompanying pseudoexfoliation syndrome (PEX-S)., Methods: This prospective study included 45 PEX-S patients and 45 non-PEX control patients. Patients were investigated for the presence of glaucoma, cardiovascular disease (CVD), ischemic brain disease (IBD), Alzheimer's disease, and neurosensory hearing loss (NSHL). After excluding diseases that may affect inflammatory parameters, a detailed biomicroscopic examination, and blood tests were performed for the patients., Results: Glaucoma, CVD, NVK, Alzheimer's disease, and NSHL were high in the PEX-S group ( P = 0.01, P = 0.01, P = 0.04, P = 0.04, and P = 0.03, respectively). Calprotectin, ferritin, neutrophil-to-platelet ratio, and lymphocyte-to-platelet ratio were found to be high in the PEX-S group ( P < 0.01, P = 0.04, P < 0.01, and P < 0.01, respectively). On evaluating the relationship between PEX-S and glaucoma and systemic diseases, it was found that elevated calprotectin increased the risk of glaucoma by 4.36 times and elevated neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) increased the risk of CVD by 3.23 times in PEX-S patients ( P = 0.02 and P = 0.03, respectively)., Conclusion: This study demonstrated the value of calprotectin elevation in detecting concomitant glaucoma in PEX-S patients and, in addition, the value of NLR elevation in detecting concomitant CVD., (Copyright © 2023 Copyright: © 2023 Indian Journal of Ophthalmology.)

Background: Immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN) is a common primary glomerulonephropathy. There is evidence that mesangial C3 deposition plays a role in the development of the disease. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of C3 deposition on the prognosis of IgAN patients., Method: The study included 1135 patients with biopsy-confirmed IgAN from the database of the Turkish Nephrology Association Glomerular Diseases Working Group (TSN-GOLD). Patients were excluded from the study if they were aged < 18 or > 75 years or if C3 staining had not been performed in the immunofluorescent analysis. C3 deposition was defined as an immunofluorescence intensity of C3 ≥ 2 + within the mesangium. The primary endpoints were the development of end-stage renal disease, a 30% decrease in glomerular filtration rate compared to the basal value or an elevation in proteinuria to a nephrotic level (3.5 gr/day)., Results: Mesangial C3 deposition was observed in 603 (53.1%) patients. No statistically significant difference was found at baseline between the groups with and without mesangial C3 deposition, as for age, sex, BMI, proteinuria level, or the presence of hypertension. In the follow-up period with a mean duration of 78 months, no significant difference was found between the two groups regarding the primary endpoints (p = 0.43). A significant correlation between C3 deposition and segmental glomerulosclerosis (S1) according to the Oxford MEST-C classification was found (p = 0.001)., Conclusion: Although a correlation was observed between mesangial C3 deposition and the S1 MEST-C classification, mesangial C3 deposition was not a prognostic factor in IgAN., (© 2023. The Author(s) under exclusive licence to Italian Society of Nephrology.)

Objective: To evaluate whether abdominal hot water pack application improves gastrointestinal motility following gynecological oncology surgery., Methods: The study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04833699). (https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04833699?cond=NCT04833699&draw=2&rank=1). In this randomized controlled trial, participants were randomly assigned (1:1) to the hot water pack group (standardized enhanced recovery protocols plus rubber water bag with a fluffy cover filled with boiled tap water [80°C] and placed on the abdomen at 3, 6, 9, and 12 h postoperatively for 30 min each time) or the control group (standardized enhanced recovery protocols). A subumbilical or supraumbilical vertical midline incision was made to perform staging surgery procedures, including hysterectomy, salpingo-oophorectomy with retroperitoneal lymphadenectomy. The primary outcome was the time to first passage of flatus from the end of the staging procedure., Results: In total, 121 women were randomized to the control (n = 62) or hot water pack (n = 59) group. The use of an abdominal hot water pack significantly reduced the mean time to passing first flatus (25.2 ± 3.6 vs. 30.6 ± 3.9 h; hazard ratio [HR] = 4.4; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.8-7.1; P < 0.0001), mean time to first bowel movements (28.4 ± 4.0 vs. 34.4 ± 4.5 h; HR = 4.9; 95% CI: 3.0-7.9; P < 0.0001), mean time to first defecation (33.4 ± 4.9 vs. 41.0 ± 7.6 h; HR = 4.3; 95% CI: 2.1-6.8; P < 0.0001), and mean time to tolerating solid diet (2.1 ± 0.6 vs. 2.8 ± 1.0 days; HR = 4.4; 95% CI: 2.2-8.7; P < 0.0001) compared to the control group. The postoperative ileus incidence was significantly lower in the hot water pack group (3.4%) than the control group (16.1%) (P = 0.01)., Conclusion: Abdominal hot water pack application improved gastrointestinal function recovery in women following surgical staging procedures for gynecological malignancy., (© 2023 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics.)

Introduction: We aimed to evaluate 304 premenopausal women admitted to our clinic for oligomenorrhoea, and to screen for Cushing's syndrome (CS) in this population., Material and Methods: The study included 304 premenopausal women referred to our clinic for oligomenorrhoea. Anthropometric measurements and Ferriman-Gallwey score were evaluated, and thyroid hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), total testosterone, prolactin, dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEA-S), and 17-hydroxyprogesterone (17-OHP) levels were measured in all patients. If basal 17-OHP was > 2 ng/mL, we evaluated adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)-stimulated 17-OHP levels. CS was screened by 1 mg-dexamethasone suppression test, and if the cortisol value was > 1.8 μg/dL, we performed additional confirmatory tests, and if necessary, pituitary magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and inferior petrosal sinus sampling (IPSS) were performed., Results: The most common cause of oligomenorrhoea was polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) that was detected in 81.57% of cases, followed by hyperprolactinemia at 7.23% and hypothalamic anovulation at 5.26%. The prevalence of premature ovarian failure (POF) was 1.6%, and non-classical congenital adrenal hyperplasia (NCAH) was 1.97%. CS was detected in 7 (2.30%) patients. All the patients with CS were found to have Cushing's disease (CD). Although 3 patients with CD had classical signs and symptoms, 4 had none. Patients with CD had similar total testosterone values to those in the PCOS and NCAH groups, but they had significantly higher DHEA-S compared to both groups (CD vs. PCOS, p = 0.001 and CD vs. NCAH, p = 0.030)., Conclusions: We found higher prevalence of CS in patients with oligomenorrhoea even in the absence of clinical signs. Therefore, we suggest routine screening for CS during the evaluation of patients with oligomenorrhoea and/or PCOS. The likelihood of CS is greater in patients with high androgen, especially DHEA-S levels.

Background: The purpose of the current study was to investigate the forward head posture (FHP), thoracic kyphosis and their relationships between individuals with migraine and healthy controls using the DIERS Formetric 4D motion imaging system., Methods: In this observational case-control study, a total of 39 migraine patients and 44 healthy subjects were enrolled. FHP and thoracic kyphosis were assessed by using the 4D Formetric DIERS system. The visual analogue scale (VAS) and Neck Disability Index (NDI) was used to evaluate neck pain and neck disability. Headache status were evaluated through Migraine Disability Assessment (MIDAS) and Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) questionnaires., Results: The fleche cervicale (57.72 ± 13.72 mm vs. 40.00 ± 4.75 mm; p < 0.001) and kyphotic angle (57.39 ± 8.76° vs. 38.21 ± 5.67°; p < 0.001) were significantly higher in patients with migraine compared to control group. When NDI categories were compared, the migraine group showed significantly increase in the number of patients with moderate or severe disability (p < 0.001). A positive correlation was found between fleche cervicale and thoracic kyphosis (r = 0.71, p < 0.001)., Conclusions: This study revealed that patients with migraine exhibited a greater FHP and thoracic kyphosis compared to the control group. A 3-dimensional objective measurement may be a reliable diagnostic tool to evaluate posture analysis in clinical practice in the future., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)