Search

As part of our research, we have produced an overview of various aspects and challenges related to the ageing population. Ergonomics plays a crucial role in addressing the needs and challenges associated with an ageing workforce. As people age, their physical abilities and sensory functions tend to change, which can affect their comfort, safety and productivity in different work environments. A case study is presented that aims to test available new technologies, the Xsens suit and Process Simulate software, during a process of ergonomic workplace design that is also suitable for older people. Applying ergonomic principles to meet the needs of older workers can help maintain their well-being and keep them engaged in the workplace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Civil aviation is developing rapidly, and the number of domestic and international operations is increasing exponentially every year than the previous one. Airline companies with increased air traffic and the number of passengers increase the demand of new aircrafts. An aircraft needs not only fuel but also pilot and aeronautical information (charts, digital navigation information, flight plan, and etc.) to perform flight operation. One of the most important components in aeronautical information is the terminal chart. Authorized institution in every state is responsible to publish their terminal charts for certain periods. Although these charts are produced in accordance with ICAO's Annex 4 and Annex 15, cartographic representation and page layout differs in each state's publication. This situation makes difficult to read them by pilots. In this paper, standard instrument departure (SID) charts are analysed to produce by use of cutting-edge and competitive technologies instead of classical computer-aided drawing and vector based graphic applications that are currently used by main chart producers. The goal is to design efficient and commercial chart management system that is able to produce aeronautical charts with same cartographic representation for all states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Receptor-interacting protein kinase 1 (RIPK1) orchestrates the decision between cell survival and cell death in response to tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and other cytokines. Whereas the scaffolding function of RIPK1 is crucial to prevent TNF-induced apoptosis and necroptosis, its kinase activity is required for necroptosis and partially for apoptosis. Although TNF is a proinflammatory cytokine associated with β-cell loss in diabetes, the mechanism by which TNF induces β-cell demise remains unclear., Methods: Here, we dissected the contribution of RIPK1 scaffold versus kinase functions to β-cell death regulation using mice lacking RIPK1 specifically in β-cells (Ripk1 β-KO mice) or expressing a kinase-dead version of RIPK1 (Ripk1 D138N mice), respectively. These mice were challenged with streptozotocin, a model of autoimmune diabetes. Moreover, Ripk1 β-KO mice were further challenged with a high-fat diet to induce hyperglycemia. For mechanistic studies, pancreatic islets were subjected to various killing and sensitising agents., Results: Inhibition of RIPK1 kinase activity (Ripk1 D138N mice) did not affect the onset and progression of hyperglycemia in a type 1 diabetes model. Moreover, the absence of RIPK1 expression in β-cells did not affect normoglycemia under basal conditions or hyperglycemia under diabetic challenges. Ex vivo, primary pancreatic islets are not sensitised to TNF-induced apoptosis and necroptosis in the absence of RIPK1. Intriguingly, we found that pancreatic islets display high levels of the antiapoptotic cellular FLICE-inhibitory protein (cFLIP) and low levels of apoptosis (Caspase-8) and necroptosis (RIPK3) components. Cycloheximide treatment, which led to a reduction in cFLIP levels, rendered primary islets sensitive to TNF-induced cell death which was fully blocked by caspase inhibition., Conclusions: Unlike in many other cell types (e.g., epithelial, and immune), RIPK1 is not required for cell death regulation in β-cells under physiological conditions or diabetic challenges. Moreover, in vivo and in vitro evidence suggest that pancreatic β-cells do not undergo necroptosis but mainly caspase-dependent death in response to TNF. Last, our results show that β-cells have a distinct mode of regulation of TNF-cytotoxicity that is independent of RIPK1 and that may be highly dependent on cFLIP., 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 © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier GmbH.. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Based on the existing literature, omalizumab (OMZ) is considered a safe treatment modality in chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) during the coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) era., Objectives: The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of OMZ on CSU patients regarding COVID-19 infection., Methods: In this retrospective study, files of CSU patients using OMZ during the COVID-19 pandemic were reviewed in terms of demographic features, medical history including COVID-19 vaccination status, clinical characteristics, pretreatment laboratory parameters, duration, and dosing regimen of OMZ treatment. Patients with a history of COVID-19 infection while on OMZ therapy and patients without COVID-19 history were compared with respect to these parameters. The urticaria activations following COVID-19 infection or vaccination were also recorded., Results: Sixty-eight patients with CSU (female:male ratio = 1.8:1; mean age = 47.2 ± 15.1 years) continued to receive OMZ treatment. The median duration of OMZ treatment was 12 months (range: 6-60). Twelve patients (17.6%) were diagnosed with COVID-19 showing no exacerbation in urticaria. The duration of OMZ treatment was significantly higher in the group with COVID-19 infection history compared to patients with no history of COVID-19 (P = 0.01). Among 51 patients (75%) vaccinated against COVID-19, urticaria activation occurred in 4 patients without any recurrence following booster vaccinations., Conclusions: Considering the likelihood of increased COVID-19 infection risk in the setting of long-term OMZ in CSU patients, the duration of OMZ therapy might be kept at a minimum, or a temporary interruption of the treatment period might be preferred, particularly in high-risk patients regarding COVID-19.

Objective: Psoriasis patients may have been affected by COVID-19 differently than the normal population due to using different types of treatments, including immunosuppressive agents and biological therapies, the probability of lower effectiveness, and different side effects of the vaccines. This study aimed to evaluate the epidemiologic and clinical features of COVID-19 and the effect of the psoriasis treatment on it., Materials and Methods: Psoriasis patients followed up in our clinic between March 2020 and July 2022 were evaluated in terms of clinicodemographic characteristics, treatment methods, and COVID-19 vaccination status and compared regarding COVID-19 history., Results: A total of 110 patients (female:male ratio=1:1.2) with a mean age of 45.6±14.3 years were evaluated. Thirty patients (27.2%) developed COVID-19 during psoriasis treatment. Unvaccinated patients had COVID-19 (6/11, 55%) more frequently than vaccinated ones (24/99, 24%), but it was not statistically significant ( p =0.067). Although patients who received biological therapy were also more frequently infected with SARS-CoV-2 than patients who received other types of therapies (18/53 [34%] versus 12/57 [21%], respectively), the difference was again not statistically significant.A patient with hypertension using acitretin was hospitalized for pulmonary involvement because of COVID-19. No exacerbation of psoriasis was observed in patients who developed COVID-19, while psoriasis flares occurred following COVID-19 mRNA vaccination in two patients., Conclusion: Patients with psoriasis should get vaccinated against COVID-19, as vaccination prevents the disease and does not result in serious side effects. Although using biological agents for the treatment of psoriasis could be related to a higher risk of getting COVID-19, these agents do not increase the risk of severe COVID-19. Therefore, they may be beneficial in reducing the risk of both psoriasis exacerbations and severe COVID-19 due to the cytokine storm among patients using biological for psoriasis.However, large-scale and controlled studies are needed to support our conclusions., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology.)

Background: Closed reduction and percutaneous fixation are the most commonly used methods in the surgical treatment of supracondylar humerus fractures. The pin configuration changes stability and is still controversial. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between surgical duration and radiation dose/duration for different pinning fixations., Methods: A total of 48 patients with Gartland type 2, 3, and 4 supracondylar fractures of the humerus were randomized into two groups-2 lateral and 1 medial (2L1M) pin fixation ( n = 26) and 1 lateral 1 medial (1L1M) pin fixation ( n = 22). A primary assessment was performed regarding surgical duration, radiation duration, and radiation dose. A secondary assessment included clinical outcome, passive range of motion, radiographic measurements, Flynn's criteria, and complications., Results: There were 26 patients in the first group (2L1M) and 22 patients in the second group (1L1M). There was no statistical difference between the groups regarding age, sex, type of fracture, or Flynn's criteria. The overall mean surgical duration with 1L1M fixation (30.59 ± 8.72) was statistically lower ( p = 0.001) when compared to the 2L1M Kirschner wire K-wire fixation (40.61 ± 8.25). The mean radiation duration was 0.76 ± 0.33 s in the 1L1M K-wire fixation and 1.68 ± 0.55 s in the 2L1M K-wire fixation. The mean radiation dose of the 2L1M K-wire fixation (2.45 ± 1.15 mGy) was higher than that of the 1L1M K-wire fixation (0.55 ± 0.43 mGy) ( p = 0.000)., Conclusions: The current study shows that although there is no difference between the clinical and radiological outcomes, radiation dose exposure is significantly lower for the 1L1M fixation method.

Pontocerebellar hypoplasia (PCH) constitutes a heterogeneous neurodegenerative/neurodevelopmental disorder of the pons and cerebellum with onset in the prenatal period. Our study aimed to present different clinical and radiological manifestations of our genetically diagnosed PCH patients., Method:  Six patients were enrolled in this study from September 2018 to March 2021. All the clinical radiological and genetic investigations were done at Cukurova University Medical School., Results: Five children were diagnosed genetically and categorized under one of the types of PCH (type 10,7,11). Homozygous mutations in CLP1 In PCH type 10, TOE1 in PCH type 7, and TBC1D23 in PCH type 11 were respectively detected. Pateint with PCH type 11 and female patient with PCH type 7 could walk and speak few words. Male patient with PCH type 7 had disorder of sex development., Conclusion: According to our study, PCH is a rare neurodegenerative disease, although some types are static as PCH11 male gender and PCH7 female gender. Some clinical features are specific to a definite type. PCH7 express disorders of sex development most apparent in 46 XY. Some ethnic groups could express distinct subtypes. PCH10 is seen in the Turkish population. Radiological imaging is beneficial in pre-diagnosis; all the patients had different pons and cerebellar hypoplasia degrees. Genetic testing like whole exome sequencing -next-generation sequencing is essential in setting the definite diagnosis and determining the type/subtype of PCH., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Introduction: The relationship between BDNF gene Val/Met polymorphism and clinical symptoms, attention and executive functions in patients with schizophrenia was investigated in this study. Also, BDNF Val66Met gene polymorphism was compared between patients and healthy controls. Thus, genetic factors that may affect both the etiology and cognitive functions in schizophrenia were evaluated., Methods: BDNF Val66Met gene polymorphism was investigated in 102 patients with schizophrenia and 98 healthy controls. Cognitive functions were evaluated by the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) and Stroop Test., Results: There was no difference in terms of the genotypic or allelic distribution of BDNF Val66Met polymorphism between patients and healthy controls. A significantly higher percentage of suicide attempts were found in the patients having Met allele (Val/Met and Met/Met). Met allele was associated with failure in focused attention and response inhibition in patients with schizophrenia., Conclusion: The presence of the Met allele could be associated with the risk of suicide attempts in patients with schizophrenia. Impairment in executive function areas such as focused attention and response inhibition appears to be related to the Met allele., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest: The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest., (Copyright: © 2022 Turkish Neuropsychiatric Society.)

Background:  The relationship between stasis dermatitis (SD), clinical factors, and heart failure (HF) outcomes in outpatients has not been previously assessed., Methods:  This observational cross-sectional study evaluated 324 patients admitted to the HF outpatient clinic. A total of 158 HF outpatients (100 males and 58 females) were enrolled in the study and were divided into two groups depending on whether they were diagnosed with SD within six months before attending the outpatient clinic. Forty-one patients (26 %) diagnosed with SD in the preceding six months were designated group 1, and 117 (74 %) not diagnosed were designated group 2., Results:  Diabetes mellitus (DM) (OR =5.473, p <0.001), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (OR =2.623, p =0.039), and increased systolic pulmonary artery pressure (SPAP) (OR =1.061, p =0.001) values were independently associated with SD in multivariate logistic regression analysis. During the follow-up of 12 ± 4 months, no significant difference was documented between group 1 and group 2 regarding the death ratio (17 % vs. 19 %, p =0.991). In the multivariate Cox proportional-hazards model with a stepwise forward method, the presence of SD diagnosis [hazard ratio (HR) =2.933, 95 % Confidence Interval (CI): 1.660-5.181, p <0.001] and coronary artery disease (CAD) (HR=2.492, 95%CI: 1.238-5.018, p= 0.011) remained independently associated with the risk of HF-related hospitalization., Conclusion: SD was found, for the first time, to be independently associated with DM, COPD, and increased SPAP values and determined as an independent predictor for HF-related hospitalization.HIPPOKRATIA 2022, 26 (1):13-18., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright 2022, Hippokratio General Hospital of Thessaloniki.)

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of osteopenia and osteoporosis in adult patients with celiac disease (CD) at diagnosis and/or in the follow-up after a gluten-free diet (GFD)., Methods: Adult patients diagnosed with CD were retrospectively screened through follow-up records and computer databases. Patients assessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) at diagnosis and/or in the follow-up after a GFD were included in the study., Results: One hundred patients who underwent a DEXA scan at least once after diagnosis or after being on a GFD were included in the study. The mean age of the patients at diagnosis was 34.61 ± 10.3 years, and 84% of the patients (n = 84) were female. At the time of diagnosis (n = 46), the prevalence of osteopenia and osteoporosis was 67.3% and 15.2%, respectively, at the lumbar spine, and 43.4% and 10.8%, respectively, at the femur. After a GFD (n = 78), the prevalence of osteopenia and osteoporosis was 61.5% and 8.9%, respectively, at the lumbar spine, and 37.1% and 2.5%, respectively, at the femur., Conclusion: The prevalence of CD patients with low bone mineral density (BMD) is high after diagnosis and in the follow-up after a GFD. It is important for all patients with CD to undergo a DEXA scan to determine the follow-up and/or treatment characteristics.

Objective: Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a disease with chronic relapses. Risk factors of craving, which is thought to be one of the predictors of relapse, have been studied for a long time. The DRD4 gene is located on chromosome 11p and has a 48-base pair variable number of tandem repeat (VNTR) polymorphisms in the 3rd exon. This study aimed to investigate if a relationship existed between craving and DRD4 VNTR polymorphism and to determine the predictors of craving., Methods: A total of 125 patients with AUD were included in the study. The sociodemographic data form, the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (MAST), the Obsessive Compulsive Drinking Scale (OCDS), and the Penn Alcohol Craving Scale (PACS) were applied to the patients. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to determine the DRD4 VNTR variant of all participants in the peripheral blood sample., Results: In the 4R/4R homozygous group, it was found that the age at first alcohol use was higher and the scores of the OCDS on the seventh day were lower, but this relationship could not be demonstrated in further statistical analyses. In the stepwise linear regression model, the age at first alcohol use, MAST score, duration of AUD, and delirium tremens history were found to be the predictors of craving., Conclusion: DRD4 VNTR polymorphism does not play a role as a predictor of craving. A decrease in age at first alcohol use, an increase in the MAST score, and the presence of delirium tremens were found to be the predictors of craving among the participants of this study., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest: The authors have no conflict of interest to declare., (© Copyright 2021 authors.)

Background: Demodex mites are highly found in the skin of patients with rosacea. The diagnosis of Demodex can be made by standardized skin surface biopsy. Dermoscopy is a tool used in the noninvasive diagnosis of various dermatological diseases., Objectives: To determine whether dermoscopic features of demodicosis are associated with the result of standardized skin surface biopsy in patients with rosacea and to compare dermoscopic features of rosacea in Demodex -positive and negative samples and Demodex type., Methods: A total of 30 patients (7 male, 23 female) were included in the study. Dermoscopic examination was performed on both the clinically most severely affected areas and adjacent healthy skin. The skin surface biopsy sample was taken from the same place from where the dermoscopic image was taken., Results: A total of 83 (lesion n = 60, non-lesion n = 23) areas were evaluated. Demodex was detected in 60.2% (n = 50) of the samples. Half of these samples revealed only Demodex folliculorum , and the remaining half revealed D folliculorum and Demodex brevis. Of the Demodex -positive samples, 88% had Demodex tails (P =0.001) and 68% Demodex follicular openings (P = 0.002) on dermoscopy. In D folliculorum + D brevis -positive samples, the rate of scale and pustule was higher than D folliculorum- positive samples (P = 0.017 and P = 0032, respectively)., Conclusions: The sensitivity and specificity of Demodex tail are higher than Demodex follicular opening and scale and pustule detection with dermoscopy and may indicate the coexistence of both D folliculorum and D brevis., Competing Interests: Competing interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose., (©2021 Serarslan et al.)

Objectives: This study aims to evaluate the mid-term clinical, functional, radiological, and socioeconomic outcomes of calcaneus fractures treated with open reduction-internal fixation (ORIF) versus minimally invasive percutaneous fixation (MIPF)., Patients and Methods: A total of 48 patients (34 males, 14 females; mean age: 44.05 years; range, 19 to 64 years) who underwent either ORIF or MIPF for calcaneus fractures between January 2010 and January 2016 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into two groups as the ORIF group (n=36) and MIPF group (n=12). The American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society (AOFAS) score, Maryland Foot Score (MFS), and the Short Form-36 (SF-36) scores were assessed for the clinical assessment. The mean duration of operation, mean length of hospitalization, pedobarographic gait analysis, the incidence of contralateral knee pain, increased shoe size, and change of profession due to significant heel pain were also evaluated. The Böhler's angle, Gissane angle, and calcaneal varus were measured for radiological assessment., Results: There was a significant difference in the mean operation time (p=0.001) and length of hospitalization (p=0.001) between the two groups. There was no significant difference between the pre- and postoperative third-year Böhler's and Gissane angles (p=0.05, p=0.07, p=0.09, respectively). There were no significant differences between the postoperative first-, second-, and third-year AOFAS, MFS, and SF-36 scores (p=0.57, p=0.55 p=0.85, p=0.64, p=0.21, p=0.51, p=0.20, p=0.15, p=0.22, respectively). Thirteen patients in the ORIF group and five patients in the MIPF group changed their job due to significant heel pain. The increased shoe size was correlated with the residual calcaneal varus (p=0.001)., Conclusion: Both methods have pros and cons in the treatment of calcaneal fractures. Although MIPF is more advantageous in terms of operation duration and length of hospitalization, more favorable radiological results can be obtained with ORIF. Calcaneal varus should be corrected to prevent the increased shoe size and contralateral knee pain.

Immature dendritic cells (IDc), 'dexosomes', are promising natural nanomaterials for cancer diagnose and therapy. Dexosomes were isolated purely from small-scale-up production by using t25-cell-culture flasks. Total RNA was measured as 1.43 ± 0.33 ng/10 6 cell. Despite the fact that they possessed a surface that is highly abundant in protein, this did not become a significant effect on the DOX loading amount. Ultrasonication was used for doxorubicin (DOX) loading into the IDc dexosomes. In accordance with the literature, three candidate DOX formulations were designed as IC50 values; dExoIII, 1.8 µg/mL, dExoII, 1.2 µg/mL, and dExoI, 0.6 µg/mL, respectively. Formulations were evaluated by MTT test against highly metastatic A549 (CCL-185; ATTC) cell line. Confocal images of unloaded (naïve) were obtained by CellMask TM membrane staining before DOX loading. Although, dexosome membranes were highly durable subsequent to ultrasonication, it was observed that dexosomes could not be stable above 70 °C during the SEM-image analyses. dExoIII displayed sustained release profile. It was found that dynamic light scattering (DLS) and nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA) results were in good agreement with each other. Zeta potentials of loaded dexosomes have approximately between -15 to -20 mV; and, their sizes are 150 nm even after ultrasonication. IDcJAWSII dexosomes can be able to be utilized as the "BioNanoMaterial" after DOX loading via ultrasonication technique.

The purposes of this study were to determine whether moderately physically active (MPA) and highly physically active (HPA) male ( n = 96, age = 22.5 ± 1.7 years) and female ( n = 85, age = 21.3 ± 1.6 years) young adults differed in their anthropometric obesity indices (AOIs), body fat percentage (BF%), and muscular strength, and also to examine the associations between physical activity level (PAL) and the abovementioned variables. Participants were measured for body height and weight, BF%, waist and hip circumferences, and maximal isometric grip strength. According to their PAL, estimated by the short version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire, they were assigned to MPA and HPA subgroups. Regardless of gender, results indicated that participants in the MPA groups had significantly higher values of body weight, waist and hip circumference, BF%, and BMI than participants in the HPA groups. No significant differences were found between physical activity groups in terms of grip strength. The AOIs and BF% were found to be significantly and negatively correlated with the PAL in both genders. In conclusion, the findings of the study suggest that high habitual physical activity is associated with lower adiposity markers. However, the differences in the hand grip strength of the contrasting activity groups were negligible.

Introduction: This study was aimed to create a set of photographs including human faces with neutral expression and different levels of attractiveness that can be utilized scientifically by different disciplines and for different scopes., Methods: In total, 186 students (120 females, 66 males) volunteered to be photographed in passport style with a neutral expression. In these pictures there was no make-up, earring, or piercing. These photographs were evaluated by the participants for the neutrality and attractiveness. The secondary sex characteristics of the faces were also assessed., Results: Symmetrical faces were created by taking the mirror image of the right and left sides of the faces because sufficient number of photographs could not be obtained at the first stage. According to the evaluations of these photographs by the participants, 26 attractive (13 females, 13 males) and 26 average (13 females, 13 male) faces were selected for the final set., Conclusion: Finally, a set of 52 photographs representing human faces with neutral expression with different levels of attractiveness is developed. According to the measurement of the secondary sexual characteristics, attractive and average faces differ in terms of the width of the eyes, the nasal area, and the length of the chin. Thus, a scientific-based FaceSet including different levels of the attractiveness has been available for the use by those concerned., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest: The authors declared that there was no conflict of interest.

Study Design: Single-center, retrospective cohort study., Purpose: We aimed to evaluate and compare the clinical outcomes in patients who underwent palliative posterior instrumentation (PPI) versus those who underwent corpectomy with cage reconstruction (CCR) for thoracolumbar pathological fracture., Overview of Literature: The requirement for anterior support after corpectomy has been emphasized in the treatment of pathological fractures of the vertebrae. However, for patients with a relatively short life expectancy, anterior reconstruction may not be required and posterior instrumentation alone may provide adequate stabilization., Methods: A total of 43 patients with metastases of the thoracolumbar spine underwent surgery in the department of orthopaedic and traumatology of Istanbul University Faculty of Medicine from 2003 to 2016. Surgical outcomes were assessed on the basis of survival status, pre- and postoperative pain, complication rate, and operation time., Results: PPI was performed for 22 patients and CCR was performed for 21 patients. In the PPI group, the follow-up period of the five surviving patients was 32 months. The remaining 17 patients died with a mean survival duration of 12.3 months postoperatively. In the CCR group, the five surviving patients were followed up for an average of 14.1 months. The remaining 16 patients died with a mean survival duration of 18.7 months postoperatively. No statistically significant difference (p=0.812) was noted in the survival duration. The Visual Analog Scale scores of the patients were significantly reduced after both procedures, with no significant difference noted on the basis of the type of surgical intervention (p>0.05). The complication rate in the CCR group (33.3%) was higher compared with that in the PPI group (22.7%); however, this difference was not noted to be statistically significant (p=0.379). The average operation time in the PPI group (149 minutes) was significantly shorter (p=0.04) than that in the CCR group (192 minutes)., Conclusions: The PPI technique can decompress the tumor for functional improvement and can stabilize the spinal structure to provide pain relief.

Kaya Ö, Yoldaş T, Karademir S, Örün UA, Sarı E. A pediatric case of Ortner`s syndrome caused by heritable pulmonary arterial hypertension and review of the literature. Turk J Pediatr 2019; 61: 963-966. An 11-year-old male, who complained of hoarseness and fatigue on effort presented to our institution for evaluation. Left vocal cord paralysis and severe pulmonary hypertension was diagnosed. The patient had an enlarged pulmonary artery due to pulmonary hypertension which was responsible for compression to left vocal cord paralysis causing hoarseness. Ortner`s syndrome or cardiovocal syndrome is known as hoarseness due to left vocal cord paralysis secondary to cardiac pathologies. Although hoarseness of voice is frequently encountered in the otorhinolaryngology clinics, pulmonary hypertension related hoarseness is an unusual presentation in childhood.

Study Design: Retrospective analysis of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis., Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the influence of distinct distal fusion levels on spinopelvic parameters in patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) who underwent posterior instrumentation and fusion surgery., Overview of Literature: The distal fusion level selection in treatment of AIS is the one of milestone to effect on surgical outcome. Most of the paper focused on the coronal deformity correction and balance. The literature have lack of knowledge about spinopelvic changing after surgical treatment and the relation with distal fusion level. We evaluate the spinopelvic and pelvic parameter alteration after fusion surgery in treatment of AIS., Methods: A total of 100 patients with AIS (88 females and 12 males) were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were assigned into the following three groups according to the distal fusion level: lumbar 2 (L2), lumbar 3 (L3), and lumbar 4 (L4). Using a lateral plane radiograph of the whole spine, spinopelvic angular parameters such as thoracic kyphosis (TK), lumbar lordosis (LL), pelvic incidence (PI), sacral slope (SS), and pelvic tilt (PT) were radiologically assessed., Results: The mean age was 15±2.4 years, and the mean follow-up period was 24.27±11.69 months. Regarding the lowest instrumented vertebra, patients were categorized as follows: 30 patients in L2 (group 1), 40 patients in L3 (group 2), and 30 patients in L4 (group 3). TK decreased from 36.60±13.30 degrees preoperatively to 26.00±7.3 degrees postoperatively in each group ( p =0.001). LL decreased from 52.8±9.4 degrees preoperatively to 44.30±7.50 degrees postoperatively ( p =0.001). Although PI showed no difference preoperatively among the groups, it was statistically higher postoperatively in group 3 than in the other groups ( p <0.05). In addition, in group 2, PI decreased from 50.60±8.74 degrees preoperatively to 48.00±6.84 degrees postoperatively ( p =0.027). SS decreased from 35.20±6.40 degrees preoperatively to 33.40±5.80 degrees postoperatively ( p =0.08, p >0.05). However, mean SS was significantly higher in group 3 ( p =0.042, p <0.05). PT decreased from 15.50±7.90 degrees preoperatively to 15.2±7.10 degrees postoperatively. The positive relationship (28.5%) between LL and PI measurements was statistically significant ( r =0.285; p =0.004, p <0.01). Furthermore, the positive relationship (36.5%) between LL and SS measurements was statistically significant ( r =0.365; p =0.001, p <0.01)., Conclusions: When the distal instrumentation level in AIS surgery is below L3, a significant change in PT and SS (pelvic parameters) is anticipated., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest: No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Y-box binding protein 1 (YB-1) is an RNA and DNA binding factor with potential prognostic cancer. To evaluate the clinical impact of YB-1, a tissue microarray with 11,152 prostate cancers was analysed by immunohistochemistry. Cytoplasmic and nuclear staining was separately analysed. Cytoplasmic YB-1 was absent or weak in normal epithelium but seen in 86,3% of carcinomas. Cytoplasmic staining was weak, moderate, and strong in 29.6%, 43.7% and 13.0% of tumours and was accompanied by nuclear YB-1 staining in 32.1% of cases. Particularly nuclear staining was strongly linked to poor patient prognosis (p < 0.0001). YB-1 protein was more abundant in ERG positive (95.1%) than in ERG negative cancers (80.4%; p < 0.0001), but any prognostic impact of YB-1 staining was limited to the ERG-negative subset. Similarly, significant associations with pT stage and Gleason grade (p < 0.0001 each) were driven by the ERG negative subset. The significant association of YB-1 protein detection with deletions of PTEN, 5q21 and 6q15 fits well in the protein's role as an inhibitor of DNA damage dependent cell cycle arrest, a role that is likely to induce genomic instability. In summary, the data show, that the prognostic impact of YB-1 expression is limited to ERG negative prostate cancers.

Background/aim: QF-PCR has been used for more than 20 years. It is based on investigation of polymorphic short tandem repeats (STRs) and is widely used for prenatal rapid aneuploidy detection., Materials and Methods: We report retrospectively our prenatal diagnosis results between January 2012 and May 2014 in Tepecik Training and Research Hospital Genetic Diagnostic Center. Prenatal diagnosis was recommended in 6800 high-risk pregnancies and 2883 patients agreed to invasive diagnosis. Chromosome analysis and QF-PCR were performed in all patients., Results: Normal results were reported in 2711 cases by fetal karyotyping and in 2706 cases by QF-PCR. Anomaly detection rates were similar for the two methods (5.09% for karyotyping and 4.02% for QF-PCR)., Conclusion: QF-PCR is a fast and reliable prenatal diagnosis method in all indication groups and may be preferred as the sole prenatal investigation in patients without fetal ultrasonographic findings.

In this study, isolated hepatocytes of pearl mullet (Alburnus tarichi) were exposed to bisphenol A (BPA) at concentrations of 25, 50, 100, and 200 μM for 24 h. Moreover, an in vitro antioxidant concentration of vitamin C (50 μM) was administrated to the culture medium along with the BPA exposures. Next, the antioxidant defense system parameters were analyzed. According to the results, the highest concentration of BPA (200 μM) proved to be severely toxic for the cells. The increased activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione-S-transferase (GST), the fluctuated activities of glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and the decreased content of reduced glutathione (GSH) were compared to the control group after the BPA exposures. Vitamin C co-administration was found to cause further increases in the SOD, GPx, and GST activities in some of the experimental groups and vitamin C could not restore the GSH content. Malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were observed to be unaffected in all exposure groups. These results show that BPA causes alterations in the antioxidant defenses of the isolated fish hepatocytes. In addition, vitamin C co-administration along with BPA was found to be non-protective against BPA-induced oxidative stress, consequently, aggravated a negative BPA impact.

The management of nonunion and limb length discrepancy has remained a constant challenge in hemophilic patients. In this study, we aimed to present the treatment of femur infected nonunion and limb length discrepancy in a twenty-seven-year-old patient with hemophilia type A. A 27-year-old male patient with hemophilia type A referred to our institution for the treatment of right femur infected nonunion and 10 cm shortness of the femur. Resection of the nonunion site and bone-to-bone fixation with autologous bone grafting were performed. Compression to the pseudoarthrosis site and distraction from new osteotomy site were applied with the unilateral external fixator. Union was achieved, and 6 cm lengthening was obtained according to the initial length. Patient was followed up for 7 years. After this treatment, the patient is able to walk with full weight bearing on the affected extremity with 4 cm shortening which is compensated by the heel lift. The results of this case indicate that limb lengthening and treatment of nonunion with the external fixation could be reliable and effective method for hemophilic patients.

Objectives: To measure the rate of Demodex folliculorum mite infestation in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and to investigate if it was related to blood glucose control., Methods: Patients with type 2 diabetes were classified according to their glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA(1c)) level into two groups: a well controlled blood glucose group (HbA(1c) ≤ 7%) and a poorly controlled blood glucose group (HbA(1c) > 7%). A standardized skin surface biopsy method was used to determine if the patients had D. folliculorum infestation (>5 mites/cm² of skin)., Results: A total of 69 patients (38 female) were enrolled in the study. Seventeen (24.6%) patients had D. folliculorum infestation. There were no significant differences in age, sex or body mass index between patients with and without D. folliculorum infestations. A significantly higher proportion of patients with poor blood glucose control had D. folliculorum infestation compared with patients with well controlled blood glucose., Conclusions: These current findings suggest that poor blood glucose regulation increases the susceptibility to D. folliculorum mite infestation in patients with type 2 diabetes.