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Aim: The differentiation of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) from other gastrointestinal diseases in pediatric patients is highly important and the definitive diagnosis of IBD is established by endoscopic examination. The use of non-invasive methods (clinical symptoms and laboratory tests) allows for the early and accurate referral of patients from first step health centers to advanced health centers. We aimed to investigate the effectiveness of fecal calprotectin (FC) in the differentiation of IBD from other gastrointestinal diseases in children. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study included patients who had undergone FC testing and colonoscopy. The demographic characteristics, alarm symptoms (AS), and abnormal laboratory findings (ALF) were recorded for each patient. A negative calprotectin result was considered to be less than 50 µg/g, and a second cut-off value for FC was accepted as 150 µg/g. Definitive diagnosis was established by colonoscopy in each patient. Results: The study included 88 consecutive patients (mean age, 10.2±6.1 years; 51.1% female). Of these, 20 (22.7%) patients were diagnosed with IBD. No significant difference was found between IBD and non-IBD patients with regard to the presence of AS except for involuntary weight loss (p<0.001). The prevalence of increased C-reactive protein and hypoalbuminemia was significantly higher in the IBD patients (p=0.002 and p=0.026, respectively). FC>50 µg/g [80.0 vs 39.7%, p=0.044, odds ratio (OR): 6.07, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.83 to 23.42] and >150 µg/g (60.0 vs 16.2%, p=0.002, OR: 7.78, 95% CI 1.83 to 20.14) was significantly higher in the IBD patients compared to the non-IBD patients. AS combined with ALF and FC>150 µg/g had the highest specificity (95.12%). Conclusion: Although primary care clinicians often use AS and laboratory parameters in the differentiation of IBD from non-IBD diseases, FC was found to have a relatively higher diagnostic value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Academic Research in Medicine is the property of Galenos Yayinevi Tic. LTD. STI 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: This study aims to evaluate the effects of alpha lipoic acid (ALA), which is a strong antioxidant, on endometriosis (EMS). Methods: Thirty sexually-mature, female Wistar albino rats weighing 180-220 grams were separated into three groups: sham (n=10), EMS (n=10) and EMS + ALA (n=10). Blood samples were taken from the rats and were centrifuged and stored at -80 °C before forming the experimental EMS model. ALA at a dose of 50 mg/kg was orally administered to EMS + ALA group. At the end of this procedure, blood samples were taken again and were centrifuged and stored at -80 °C. Plasma total antioxidant status (TAS), plasma total oxidant status, oxidative stress (OS) index and cancer antigen 125 were studied from these samples. Results: There were no differences between the groups in terms of baseline results. According to the second blood test results, all parameters in the sham group and all parameters other than plasma TAS in EMS + ALA group were statistically different than in EMS group (p<0.05). Considering the 1st and 15th day changes in the parameters of the groups, it was observed that ALA had positive effects. Conclusion: ALA reduces OS in EMS; thus, may have a positive effect on the severity and stage of the illness and reduce recurrence after treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Our aim with this study is to present the surgical approach of our clinic, the characteristics of the tumor, clinical presentation and long-term follow-up results with the literature in the cases of spontaneous mesenteric fibromatosis. Material and Methods: The data collected from 8 cases of patients, who had underwent surgery because of sporadic mesenteric fibromatosis at Necmettin Erbakan University Medical School's Department of General Surgery between January 2005 and December 2014, were retrospectively evaluated. Results: The mean age of the patients was 46.7±19.9. Four (50%) of the patients were taken into emergency surgery having been diagnosed with ileus, 2 (25%) patients were ascertained to have mesenteric mass upon complaints of obscure abdominal pain, 1 (12.5%) patient underwent surgery on the detection of a mass in the meso of the small intestines during a surgical procedure performed by urologists because of a benign cause and in 1 (12.5%) patient's case, the pathology results of the piece, which was removed after a surgical procedure performed because of a mass that might have been originated from the distal pancreas, was reported to be mesenteric fibromatosis. Only 1 (12.5%) patient had recurrence and necessitated re-operation following an average of 33.5±34.5 months of follow-up. Conclusion: The fundamental principle in the treatment of this clinically aggressive tumor with a high recurrence rate, although it has the pathological characteristics of a benign tumor, is wide surgical resection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Turkish Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology is the property of Galenos Yayinevi Tic. LTD. STI 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: We aimed to analyze the prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) in Turkish infants. For this purpose; we checked to see whether a previous questionnaire form (QF) may be used or not. We aimed to develop and validate a new questionnaire. Materials and Methods: The study consisted of 3 groups of primary caregivers of infants with GERD, healthy infants and infants living in Menderes district. Previous QF for refkux were modified and checked in terms of utility; however it was concluded that it is not proper for GERD diagnosis. A new QF was created and reliability, sensitivity, specificity and validity were assessed. Results: Test-retest and inter-rater reliability of the new questionnaire was 0.77 and 0.75, respectively. Cronbach coefficient α for internal consistency was 0.78. Sensitivity and specificity (reflux score ⩾5) was 88% and 94%, respectively. Construct validity was studied with pH study and significant (p=0.046) but weak (r=0.21) correlation was found. GERD prevalence was found to be 14%. Mean age of the infants with GERD was significantly younger than those without GERD (p=0.0001). Duration of breastfeeding and exclusively breastfeeding was significantly low in infants with GERD (p=0.04 and p=0.015, respectively). Conclusion: We developed and validated a new GERD QF to be used for Turkish infants. This form may be used in outpatient clinics for the assessment of GERD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: In this paper, we aimed to present our surgical approach to ten patients who underwent surgery for primary colonic lymphoma and the features and clinical presentations of the tumors. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the data of ten patients who underwent surgery in our clinic for primary colorectal lymphoma between January 2006 and December 2012. Results: The median age of the patients at the time of diagnosis was 66 (50-84) years. The most frequent presenting complaints were abdominal pain and change in bowel habits. The most frequent physical examination fndings were abdominal distention and widespread tenderness. Three patients underwent emergency surgery subsequent to acute abdomen diagnosis. During the surgery, it was observed that one patient had ileocecal invagination, one patient had a mass that caused cecal perforation, and one other had an obstructive mass in the sigmoid colon. The most common localizations were the cecum (60%), sigmoid colon (30%), and the rectum (10%), respectively. The most frequent type was B-cell lymphoma (n=8). Conclusion: Primary colonic lymphoma is a rare condition. It is still yet uncertain whether surgery or chemotherapy should be advised frst. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Gulhane Medical Journal is the property of Galenos Yayinevi Tic. LTD. STI 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 Gazi Medical Journal is the property of Galenos Yayinevi Tic. LTD. STI 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 Gulhane Medical Journal is the property of Galenos Yayinevi Tic. LTD. STI 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: In this study we aimed to compare the sensitivity of blue-light fundus autofluorescence (FAF) and near-infrared autofluorescence (NI-AF) imaging for determining the progression rates of macular lesions in dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Materials and Methods: The study was designed retrospectively and included patients diagnosed with intermediate and advanced stage dry AMD. Best corrected visual acuities and FAF and NI-AF images were recorded in 46 eyes of 33 patients. Lesion borders were drawn manually on the images using Heidelberg Eye Explorer software and lesion areas were calculated using Microsoft Excel software. BCVA and lesion areas were compared with each other. Results: Patients' mean follow-up time was 30.98±13.30 months. The lesion area progression rates were 0.85±0.93 mm²/y in FAF and 0.93±1.01 mm²/y in NI-AF, showing statistically significant correlation with each other (r = 0.883; p<0.01). Both imaging methods are moderately correlated with visual acuity impairment (r = 0.362; p<0.05 and r = 0.311; p<0.05, respectively). In addition, larger lesions showed higher progression rates than smaller ones in both imaging methods. Conclusion: NI-AF imaging is as important and effective as FAF imaging for follow-up of dry AMD patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]