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Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate otoacoustic emissions (OAEs) in young children with autism compared with those in an age-matched control group., Materials and Methods: Thirty-eight children with autism aged 3-6 years and 27 typically developing (normally developing) control subjects participated in this study. All the participants had normal hearing and middle-ear function. Auditory brainstem responses were used to determine the hearing status in the autism group. Transient-evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAEs) and distortion-product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) were measured in the two groups., Results: The TEOAE response level was higher in the autism group. Analysis of the DPOAE response showed that the mean emission levels at 1.5, 2 , 3, and 6 kHz and signal/noise ratios at 2, 4, 6, and 8 kHz were higher in the autism group (p<0.05). The greatest between-group differences were observed in the DPOAE signal levels at 2, 3, and 6 kHz (p=0.000). No statistically significant difference was found between the noise levels in the autism and control groups (p>0.05)., Conclusion: The emission responses in the autism group were higher than those in the control group. The increase in DPOAEs at high frequencies may be related to the higher outer cell activation in the autism group. Further studies with larger sample sizes comprising younger children are needed to confirm the result and investigate the possible association between the increased OAEs and auditory sensitivity reported in autism.

Objective: The aim of this study was to obtain norm values for a young adult Turkish group and to investigate the differences between female and male subjects in terms of wideband tympanometry., Materials and Methods: One hundred ten young adult volunteers (mean±SD: 21.1±1.9 years) participated in this study. The measurements of wideband tympanometry were performed at octave frequencies between 226 Hz and 8000 Hz using Titan version 3.1. The stimulus level was set at 100 dB peSPL., Results: A cross-sectional study design was used. In total, 218 ears were tested. A significant relationship was found between gender and absorbance values for the frequency band from 3100 Hz to 6900 Hz. The difference between the middle ear resonance frequency and ear canal volume (ECV) of the male and female subjects was also found to be significant. The difference in ECV may result from the difference in body size between the male and female subjects because there was a significant relationship among ECV and the height and weight., Conclusion: According to these results, it can be concluded that using separate norms for males and females may increase test specificity and sensitivity for the diagnosis of disorders, such as ossicular discontinuity and tympanic membrane perforations, affecting the high-frequency region.

Background/aims: Cancer is a consequence of the disruption of cellular regulation. Epigenetic is one of the reasons of this disruption. Epigenetic factors play a role in the carcinogenesis by affecting proto-oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes and it is one of the most popular research areas in recent years. DNA methylation, which is an epigenetic mechanism, occurs in the early stages of tumorigenesis. Promoter methylation which causes the silence of tumor suppressor genes have been studied extensively in various tumor types. The aim of this study was to investigate promoter methylation of certain tumor suppressor genes, Cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 2A (p16) and Adenomatous polyposis coli (APC), which take part in gastrointestinal tumorigenesis., Materials and Methods: To detect the promoter methylation of p16 and APC genes, tissue samples from 20 gastrointestinal cancer patients and peripheral blood samples from 15 healthy individuals were collected for Methylation-Specific Polymerase Chain Reaction (MSP) analysis., Results: According to the statistical analysis, in tumor tissue, positive methylation ratio of p16 and APC genes was found respectively 30% (6/20) and 50% (10/20). The difference of promoter methylation of these genes between tumor tissues and control group was significantly observed (p=0.02 and 0.001, respectively). An alteration of promoter methylation of APC gene according to tumor localization was found (p=0.007), but there was no significant difference observed in p16., Conclusion: In our study, promoter methylation which was considered to be occurred as an early event in gastrointestinal carcinogenesis was observed in p16 and APC genes.

Background/aims: Helicobacter pylori eradication rates with standard triple regimens are worsening, and alternative treatments are urgently needed in some populations. The present study aimed to compare the efficacy of bismuth-based quadruple and concomitant regimens., Methods: Consecutive Helicobacter pylori-positive patients with non-ulcer dyspepsia were randomized to receive one of two regimens: (i) bismuth subsalicylate 300 mg q.i.d., esomeprazole 40 mg b.i.d., tetracycline 500 mg q.i.d., and amoxicillin 1 g b.i.d. (bismuth group) or (ii) esomeprazole 40 mg b.i.d., tetracycline 500 mg q.i.d., amoxicillin 1 g b.i.d., and metronidazole 500 mg t.i.d. (concomitant group) for 14 days. Gastroscopy and 14C-urea breath test were performed before enrollment, and urea breath test was repeated six weeks after the treatment., Results: A total of 200 patients were randomized, and 180 of them completed the protocols. The intention-to-treat and per-protocol eradication rates were 79% (95% confidence interval 71-87) and 89.7% (95% confidence interval 83-95) in the bismuth group and 74% (95% confidence interval 68-81) and 80.4% (95% confidence interval 72-87) in the concomitant group. The bismuth regimen achieved a slightly better eradication rate compared to the concomitant group in both per-protocol and intention-to-treat analysis, but results were not statistically significant (p>0.05). Ten patients (6 in bismuth, 4 in concomitant groups) dropped out of the study because of side effects., Conclusions: The quadruple regimens with or without bismuth achieved moderate eradication rates as a first-line eradication option of Helicobacter pylori in our population, in which a bismuth-based regimen seems more appropriate. The compliance and side effects are important issues affecting the success of these regimens.

Background/aims: Because of the increasing resistance to clarithromycin and metronidazole, the most frequently used antibiotics in the first-line therapy of Helicobacter pylori eradication, new therapeutic alternatives are needed. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of 7- and 14-day triple therapy including lansoprazole, levofloxacin and amoxicillin for Helicobacter pylori eradication as a first-line therapy., Methods: Ninety-one non-ulcer dyspeptic patients infected with Helicobacter pylori as diagnosed by both histology and a rapid urease test were included in this study. Patients were randomized to receive either 7- (Group 1; 51 patients) or 14-day (Group 2; 40 patients) therapy with lansoprazole (30 mg b.i.d.), plus levofloxacin (500 mg o.i.d.) and amoxicillin (1000 mg b.i.d.) and they were followed for six weeks. Eradication was assessed by 14C-urea breath test four weeks after completing the treatment protocols., Results: In Group 1, 41 patients completed the treatment and the eradication rate was 34.15%. In group 2, 36 patients completed the treatment and the eradication rate was 72.2% (p= 0.001 vs group 1)., Conclusions: Triple therapy with lansoprazole, levofloxacin and amoxicillin for 14 days was effective for Helicobacter pylori eradication, but 7-day therapy with the same protocol had a lower and unacceptable cure rate and should not be used.