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Gokben Hizli Sayar, Eylem Ozten, Oguz Tan, Nevzat Tarhan Uskudar University, Neuropsychiatry Istanbul Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Istanbul, Turkey Purpose: The aim of the study reported here was to examine the safety and effectiveness of high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in elderly patients with depression. Patients and methods: Sixty-five depressed elderly patients received rTMS over their left prefrontal cortex for 6 days per week, from Monday to Saturday, for 3 weeks. The rTMS intensity was set at 100% of the motor threshold and 25 Hz stimulation with a duration of 2 seconds and was delivered 20 times at 30-second intervals. A full course comprised an average of 1000 magnetic pulses. Depression was rated using the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD) before and after treatment. Response was defined as a 50% reduction in HAMD score. Patients with HAMD scores < 8 were considered to be in remission. Results: The mean HAMD score for the study group decreased from 21.94 ± 5.12 before treatment to 11.28 ± 4.56 after rTMS (P < 0.001). Following the treatment period, 58.46% of the study group demonstrated significant mood improvement, as indexed by a reduction of more than 50% on the HAMD score. Nineteen of these 38 patients attained remission (HAMD score < 8), while 41.54% of all study patients achieved a partial response. None of the patients had a worsened HAMD score at the end of the treatment. Treatment was generally well tolerated and no serious adverse effects were reported. Conclusion: In this study, rTMS was found to be a safe, well-tolerated treatment, and a useful adjunctive treatment to medications in elderly treatment-resistant depressed patients. This study contributes to the existing evidence on the antidepressant effect of rTMS in the treatment of depression in patients over 60 years of age. Keywords: high-frequency repetitive TMS, rTMS, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale

This study aimed to perform an extensive characterization of a 74.75TeO2–0.25V2O5–(25 − x)B2O3-xNd2O3 glass system with (x = 0, 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 mol%) for radiation shielding properties. Linear and mass attenuation coefficients were determined using Phy-X PSD software and compared with the simulation using Monte Carlo software MCNPX (version 2.7.0). Half value layer, mean free path, tenth value layer, effective atomic number, exposure buildup factor, and energy absorption buildup factors of VTBNd0.0, VTBNd0.5, VTBNd1.0, and VTBNd1.5 glasses were determined, respectively. The results showed that boron (III) oxide and neodymium (III) oxide substitution has an obvious impact on the gamma ray attenuation properties of the studied glasses. It can be concluded that the VTBNd1.5 sample with the highest content of neodymium (III) oxide (1.5 mol%) is the superior sample for shielding of gamma radiation in the investigated energy range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Dentists, through inappropriate antibiotic prescription, may contribute to the global problem of antibiotic resistance (AR)., Objectives: Understanding dentists' antibiotic prescription patterns, source of knowledge, and the driving forces behind their prescription practices may be crucial for the effective implementation of the rational use of antibiotics (RUA) in dentistry., Material and Methods: Active members of the Turkish Dental Association were invited to participate in an electronic survey comprising questions focusing on their role, knowledge and perceptions regarding RUA, the perceived barriers to adapting RUA in daily dental work, and the actual antibiotic prescription practices. The potential impact of age, gender, professional experience, and the mode of dental practice was also evaluated. Dentists' prescription practices for periodontal disease/conditions were evaluated as well., Results: Based on 1,005 valid responses, there was consensus on the necessity of RUA (99.1%); however, its implementation was low. The main barriers were dentists' own safety concerns (74.4%), strong patients' demands (42.2%) and the fact that prescribing antibiotics became a professional habit (35.8%). Different educational background resulted in clear variances in everyday prescription practices., Conclusions: The implementation of RUA was not sufficient and the perceived barriers had an impact on daily prescribing habits. Support for dental professionals through the efficient dissemination of evidencebased clinical guidelines and decision-making aids is likely to require additional help from professional organizations in order to actively combat AR.

Introduction: Parkinson disease is the world's second most prevalent neurological disease. In this disease, intracytoplasmic neuronal inclusions are observed in enteric neurons in the gastrointestinal tract, and the composition of the intestinal microbiome is altered. These changes correlate with the motor phenotype. A systematic review was conducted to determine the effect of using probiotics in Parkinson disease., Methods: Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, ScienceDirect, and Ovıd-LWW were searched until April 2021. A total of 27395 records were found according to inclusion and exclusion criteria with the following outcomes: Parkinson disease rating, oxidative stress, and gastrointestinal system markers. Data search, article selection, and data extraction assessments were performed according to the PRISMA (preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses) guidelines. The Jadad scale was used to rate the evidence's quality., Results: Our study information was gathered from 5 randomized controlled trials involving 350 individuals with Parkinson disease receiving probiotic supplements. Parkinson disease rating and non-motor symptoms test were performed in the samples. Also, oxidative stress (glutathione, malondialdehyde) and gastrointestinal system symptoms (bowel opening frequency, gut transit time, complete bowel movement, spontaneous bowel movements) were evaluated during 4-12 weeks of using probiotics in these patients., Conclusion: While all high-quality studies demonstrate improvement in disease symptoms of the patients, currently sufficient data are not available to recommend the use of probiotics for people with Parkinson disease in clinical practice., (Copyright© 2024 Iranian Neuroscience Society.)

Background: Eating disorders have become increasingly prevalent over the years; the age at which they appear has decreased, and they can lead to serious illness or death. Therefore, the number of studies on the matter has increased. Eating disorders like anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN) are affected by many factors including mental illnesses that can have serious physical and psychological consequences. Accordingly, the present study aimed to compare the clinical and metabolic features of patients with AN and BN and identify potential biomarkers for distinguishing between the two disorders., Methods: Clinical data of 41 participants who sought treatment for eating disorders between 2012 and 2022, including 29 AN patients and 12 BN patients, were obtained from NPIstanbul Brain Hospital in Istanbul, Turkey. The study included the clinical variables of both outpatient and inpatient treatments. Principal component analysis (PCA) was utilized to gain insights into differentiating AN and BN patients based on clinical characteristics, while machine learning techniques were applied to identify eating disorders., Findings: The study found that thyroid hormone levels in patients with AN and BN were influenced by non-thyroidal illness syndrome (NTIS), which could be attributed to various factors, including psychiatric disorders, substance abuse, and medication use. Lipid profile comparisons revealed higher triglyceride levels in the BN group ( P <0.05), indicating increased triglyceride synthesis and storage as an energy source. Liver function tests showed lower levels of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) in BN patients ( P <0.05), while higher prolactin levels ( P <0.05) suggested an altered hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis. Imbalances in minerals such as calcium and magnesium ( P <0.05) were observed in individuals with eating disorders. PCA effectively differentiated AN and BN patients based on clinical features, and the Naïve Bayes (NB) model showed promising results in identifying eating disorders., Conclusion: The findings of the study provide important insights into AN and BN patients' clinical features and may help guide future research and treatment strategies for these conditions., Competing Interests: Competing Interests The authors have no conflict of interest to declare., (© 2023 Kerman University of Medical Sciences.)

Rationale: Alcohol and substance use disorders are types of brain diseases that have psychological components which damage many life areas of the affected individual. Since investigating alcohol use alone is insufficient in the diagnostic evaluation process, self-awareness and the individual's long-term psychological well-being are important in the treatment process. Primary prevention is used for preventing disease in healthy people, whereas secondary prevention is used for early diagnosis of people at risk. Tertiary prevention is important to prevent the recurrence of the disease. Since substance use disorders are a chronic problems, a new need has emerged for tertiary protection in rehabilitation standards., Methodology: In this study, we aimed to develop two scales that can provide ideas about rehabilitation standards by determining the awareness of individuals with or without alcohol and substance use disorders. By so, experts in the field can have information about the risk status of their patients in the follow-up process of rehabilitation, with the data obtained from the harm perception and result awareness dimensions in the scales. The sample consisted of 1134 participants, 41 of whom had substance use disorders., Results: Among the two scales developed in the study, the Uskudar Result Awareness Scale (USRAS) consisting of 25 items and 6 factors explained 58.4% of the total variance. The Uskudar Harm Perception Scale (USHPS), consisting of 36 items and 10 factors, explained 56.3% of the total variance. Confirmatory factor analysis of the two scales resulted in acceptable goodness-of-fit values. ( X 2 / df < 3; RMSEA < 0.08; NFI > 0.90; NNFI > 0.95; CFI > 0.95; GFI > 0.90; AGFI > 0.85)., Discussion: Comparisons showed that the resulting awareness of the non-SUD group was moderate (X = 3.81), whereas the SUD group had a low result awareness (X = 3.20); the effect size of the difference between the two groups was found to be high (d = 1.45; >0.8). On the other hand, the harm perception of the non-SUD group was found in the low-risk group (X = 3.78); the harm perception of the SUD group was found in the moderate-risk group (X = 3.43). According to Cohen's d calculations, the effect size of the difference between the two groups is high (d = 1.43; >0.8). It was concluded that both of the scales are valid and safe. They can be included in the treatment process and future studies.

Background: Physicians follow-up a symptom-based approach in the diagnosis of psychiatric diseases. According to this approach, a process based on internationally valid diagnostic tools such as The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) or International Classification of Diseases (ICD), patient reports and the observation and experience of the physician is monitored. As in other fields of medicine, the search for biomarkers that can be used in processes related to diseases continues in psychiatry and various researches are carried out in this field., Objectives: Within the scope of this study, a dataset containing electroencephalogram (EEG) measurements of individuals diagnosed with different psychiatric diseases were analyzed by machine learning methods and the diseases were differentiated/classified with the models obtained. Thus, it was investigated whether EEG data could be a biomarker for psychiatric diseases., Materials and Methods: In the dataset analyzed within the scope of the study, for 550 patients (81 bipolar disorder, 95 attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder - ADHD, 67 depression, 34 obsessive compulsive disorder - OCD, 75 opioid, 146 posttraumatic stress disorder - PTSD, 52 schizophrenia) and 84 healthy individuals, there are 634 samples (rows), 77 variables (columns) in total. 76 of the variables consist of absolute power values belonging to 4 frequency bands (alpha, beta, delta, theta) collected from 19 different electrodes. 80 % of the dataset was used for training the models and 20 % of the data was used for testing the performance of the models. The 5-fold cross validation (CV) method, which repeats 3 times in the training dataset, was used and with this method, the hyperparameters used in the models were also optimized. Different models have been established with the selected hyperparameters and the performance of these models has been tested with the test dataset. C5.0, random forest (RF), support vector machine (SVM) and artificial neural networks (ANN) were used to build the models., Results: Within the scope of the study, the absolute power values obtained from EEG measurements performed using 19 electrodes were analyzed by machine learning methods. It was concluded that classification between disease groups was feasible with a high accuracy (C5.0-0.841, SVM&#95;radial - 0.841, RF - 0.762). It was observed that ADHD, depression and schizophrenia diseases can be differentiated better (F-score = 1, balanced accuracy = 1) once the results were evaluated on a class category basis according to the F- measure and balanced accuracy values., Discussion and Conclusion: Through the medium of the analyzes made within the scope of this study, it was investigated whether EEG data could be used as a biomarker for the detection and diagnosis of psychiatric diseases. The findings obtained from this study revealed that by using EEG data as a biomarker, it can be highly predicted whether a person has a psychiatric disease or not. Once evaluated with broad strokes, it is feasible to assert that it is possible to analyze whether the person who consults a physician with a complaint is ranked among the psychiatric disease class with EEG measurement. When trying to differentiate between numerous and diverse disease categories, it may be claimed that some diseases (ADHD, depression, schizophrenia) can be distinguished better by coming to the fore on a model basis. Considering the findings, it is anticipated that the analyzes obtained as a result of this study will contribute to the studies to be conducted using machine learning in the field of psychiatry., 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 © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The development of genetic modification techniques has led to a new era in cancer treatments that have been limited to conventional treatments such as chemotherapy. intensive efforts are being performed to develop cancer-targeted therapies to avoid the elimination of non-cancerous cells. One of the most promising approaches is genetically modified CAR-T cell therapy. The high central memory T cell (Tcm) and stem cell-like memory T cell (Tscm) ratios in the CAR-T cell population increase the effectiveness of immunotherapy. Therefore, it is important to increase the populations of CAR-expressing Tcm and Tscm cells to ensure that CAR-T cells remain long-term and have cytotoxic (anti-tumor) efficacy. In this study, we aimed to improve CAR-T cell therapy's time-dependent efficacy and stability, increasing the survival time and reducing the probability of cancer cell growth. To increase the sub-population of Tcm and Tscm in CAR-T cells, we investigated the production of a long-term stable and efficient cytotoxic CAR-T cell by modifications in the cell activation-dependent production using Phytohemagglutinin (PHA). PHA, a lectin that binds to the membranes of T cells and increases metabolic activity and cell division, is studied to increase the Tcm and Tscm population. Although it is known that PHA significantly increases Tcm cells, B-lymphocyte antigen CD19-specific CAR-T cell expansion, its anti-cancer and memory capacity has not yet been tested compared with aCD3/aCD28-amplified CAR-T cells. Two different types of CARs (aCD19 scFv CD8-(CD28 or 4-1BB)-CD3z-EGFRt)-expressing T cells were generated and their immunogenic phenotype, exhausted phenotype, Tcm-Tscm populations, and cytotoxic activities were determined in this study. The proportion of T cell memory phenotype in the CAR-T cell populations generated by PHA was observed to be higher than that of aCD3/aCD28-amplified CAR-T cells with similar and higher proliferation capacity. Here, we show that PHA provides long-term and efficient CAR-T cell production, suggesting a potential alternative to aCD3/aCD28-amplified CAR-T cells.

Objectives: Immune enhancers are attracting attention day by day. Besides, during the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, there has been an increasing demand for immune enhancers. Pharmacists are seen as trustable providers of complementary and alternative medicines, dietary and herbal supplements, immune-enhancers, and so on. This study aims to prioritization criteria that affect community pharmacists' recommending behavior regarding immune enhancers., Materials and Methods: This paper adopts the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to rank different criteria substantial for affecting community pharmacists' recommending behavior regarding immune enhancers. In this direction, firstly seven criteria were identified through literature review and views of pharmacists who have community pharmacy experiences. These are; (i) ease of access, (ii) selling price, (iii) package, (iv) content (appropriateness to patient health status), (v) expectation of patient, (vi) quality, and (vii) trust in the manufacturer. Then, a questionnaire including criteria was prepared and delivered to community pharmacists. The data obtained from 93 participants were transferred to the Super Decisions software. The hierarchical structure of the AHP was established and pair-wise comparisons were made., Results: This study showed that the most important criterion was the ease of access (28%). Secondly, pharmacists give importance to the content of the product, while advising immune-enhancers (22%). Besides, it was determined that the least important criterion was the package of the product (4%)., Conclusion: This study will contribute to the literature by facilitating the process of assessing factors that pharmacists pay attention to while recommending immune-enhancing products. Additionally, the present study results will shed light on firms producing such products, to shape their supply chain management strategies, especially for marketing and sales., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest: No conflict of interest was declared by the authors., (©Turk J Pharm Sci, Published by Galenos Publishing House.)

Objectives: QEEG reflects neuronal activity directly rather than using indirect parameters, such as blood deoxygenation and glucose utilization, as in fMRI and PET. The correlation between QEEG spectral power density and Symptom Check List-90-R may help identify biomarkers pertaining to brain function, associated with affective disorder symptoms. This study aims at determining whether there is a relation between QEEG spectral power density and Symptom Check List-90-R symptom scores in affective disorders., Methods: This study evaluates 363 patients who were referred for the initial application and diagnosed with affective disorders according to DSM-V, with QEEG and Scl-90-R. Spectral power density was calculated for the 18 electrodes representing brain regions., Results: Somatization scores were found to be correlated with Pz and O1 theta, O1 and O2 high beta. Whereas FP1 delta activities were correlated with anxiety, F3, F4, and Pz theta were correlated with obsession scores. Interpersonal sensitivity scores were found to be correlated with F4 delta, P3, T5, P4, T6 alpha and T5, and T6 theta activities. While depression scores were correlated with P3 and T4 delta, as well as T4 theta, there was a correlation between anger and F4, as well as T4 alpha and F8 high beta activities. Paranoia scores are correlated with FP1, F7, T6 and F8 theta, T5 and F8 delta, and O2 high beta activities., Conclusions: According to our results, anxiety, obsession, interpersonal sensitivity, depression, anger, and paranoia are related to some spectral powers of QEEG. Delta-beta coupling seems to be a neural biomarker for affective dysregulation., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Kesebir, Yosmaoglu and Tarhan.)

Objectives: Colleague solidarity, which emphasizes trust, independent thinking skills, and sharing, enables the problems encountered in the health service delivery to be dealt with effectively. This study aims to identify the current situation regarding colleague solidarity among pharmacists, which is also included in Turkey's pharmacy legislation., Materials and Methods: "Colleague Solidarity Scale Among Nurses" was used in this study conducted with the questionnaire technique. The scale comprises of 23 items and was scored using a 5-point Likert scale. In addition, there were three demographic questions and six questions to get information from participants related to collegial solidarity in the questionnaire., Results: As a result of the exploratory factor analysis (Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin: 0.837), three factors reported 51.029% of the total variance. The t-test indicated a significant difference between gender groups only in the negative opinions about solidarity (NOS) factor (p=0.000). Females exhibited more negative thoughts about solidarity. The ANOVA showed a significant difference in the academic solidarity (AS) factor (p=0.007) among the participants' works in community pharmacies and universities. Pharmacists working in universities had higher means in the AS factor. Moreover, the number of working years made significant differences in the emotional solidarity factor (p=0.000) and NOS factor (p=0.002). Additionally, it was found that the average responses in all factors of the participants who thought that they supported their colleagues in need and that solidarity with their colleagues increased significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic period (p<0.05)., Conclusion: The findings suggest that colleague solidarity among pharmacists should be addressed profoundly as an element specified in legislation and education processes. It is crucial to determine the level of colleague solidarity and improve it using this scale for different practice areas in pharmacy.

Objective: To evaluate immunohistochemical (IHC) staining of decorin and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) of ovarian and endometrial tissues in patients with and without endometriosis.  Study Design: Descriptive study., Place and Duration of Study: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, ZeynepKamil Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey, between Istanbul, TurkeyJanuary 2018 and June 2019., Methodology: Thirty patients, who underwent total abdominal hysterectomy (TAH) + bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (BSO)/unilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (USO) and were in the proliferative phase of menstrual cycle,were included. The study population consisted of 20 patients (patient group) with an endometriomaand the control group consisted of 10 patients who were operated for benign gynecological pathologies.The ovarian and endometrial tissue specimens were collected from the archives. IHC staining was performed using decorin and VEGF., Results: Decorin analysis showed a significantly higher intensity of staining in both endometrial and ovarian tissues in control group than patient group. Patients with endometriosis had a lower intensity of staining of decorin and a higher intensity of staining of VEGF compared to control group. There was a negative, statistically significant concordance between VEGF and decorin staining of endometrial tissues of both groups (concordance rate -0.560, p=0.001). Therewas a negative, statistically significant concordance between VEGF and decorin staining of ovarian tissues of both groups (concordance rate -0.564, p<0.001)., Conclusion: Angiogenesis plays a critical role in endometriosisand interaction between decorin and VEGF,which suggests that decorin may be a promising molecule for the treatment of endometriosis. Key Words: Decorin, Endometriosis, Immunohistochemical staining, Vascular endothelial Growth factor.

In the current study, promising glass composites based on vanadium pentoxide (V 2 O 5 )-doped zinc borate (ZnB) were investigated in terms of their nuclear-radiation-shielding dynamics. The mass and linear attenuation coefficient, half-value layer, mean free path, tenth-value layer, effective atomic number, exposure-buildup factor, and energy-absorption-buildup factor were deeply simulated by using MCNPX code, Phy-X PSD code, and WinXcom to study the validation of ZBV1, ZBV2, ZBV3, and ZBV4 based on (100-x)(0.6ZnO-0.4B 2 O 3 )(x)(V 2 O 5 ) (x = 1, 2, 3, 4 mol%) samples against ionizing radiation. The results showed that attenuation competencies of the studied glasses slightly changed while increasing the V 2 O 5 content from 1 mol% to 4 mol%. The domination of ZnO concentration in the composition compared to B 2 O 3 makes ZnO substitution with V 2 O 5 more dominant, leading to a decrease in density. Since density has a significant role in the attenuation of gamma rays, a negative effect was observed. It can be concluded that the aforementioned substitution can negatively affect the shielding competencies of studied glasses.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate whether differentiation of delta-beta cross frequency coupling (CFC) in bipolar II depressive episode with mixed features and consecutive remission was observed., Methods: 8 patient diagnosed bipolar disorder type II, depressive episode with mixed features according to DSM-V, were examined during the current episode, at baseline and end of the third week of lamotrigine use. Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) and Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ) were applied to each case at the baseline and end of the third week and QEEG was performed. Temperament was evaluated with TEMPS-A., Results: dPAC-DB and AAC-DB were significantly higher in FP2 at the end of 3rd weeks of lamotrigine use. A linear relationship was found between F3 dPAC-DB and MDQ scores, before and after treatment. P3 dPAC-DB was correlated with HDRS scores initially only. Cyclothymic temperament scores was found related with dPAC-DB and AAC-DB in F4., Conclusion: In bipolar disorder, delta-beta CFC was first investigated in this study. CFCs may have a neural projection of the physiopathology of bipolar disorder. At the point we reached in this study, we can show it as both state and trait.

Background: Young maternal age is variously defined in studies of its effect on obstetrics and perinatal outcomes. Also, pregnancy has been reported as the leading cause of death in adolescent girls in low- and middle-income countries., Aims: The aim of the study was to evaluate whether young maternal age was associated with an increased risk of obstetrics and perinatal adverse outcomes., Study Design: Case-control study., Methods: This case-control study was derived from a database of the medical records between January 2008 and December 2012. In the present study, 1374 teenage pregnancy and 1294 adult pregnancy cases were included. After restriction of analyses to singleton primiparous women, 1282 teenage pregnancy and 735 adult pregnancy cases were analyzed. Maternal age was separated into three groups: 15 and less, 16-19, and 20-34 years. Adjusted odds ratios (ORs) were derived through logistic regression models for the potential confounding factors., Results: Adolescents aged 15 years and younger had higher risks of preterm delivery, early preterm delivery, intrauterine fetal death and neonatal death compared with women aged 20 to 34 years after adjustment for confounding factors. In addition, both groups of adolescents had higher risks for anemia and episiotomy and lower risk of cesarean delivery. The rates of preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, chronic diseases, intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) were higher in the adult group., Conclusion: Younger maternal age was correlated with increased risks of preterm delivery, fetal and neonatal death and anemia.

Objective: The combination of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), a non-pharmacological form of therapy for treating major depressive disorder (MDD), and electroencephalogram (EEG) is a valuable tool for investigating the functional connectivity in the brain. This study aims to explore whether pre-treating frontal quantitative EEG (QEEG) cordance is associated with response to rTMS treatment among MDD patients by using an artificial intelligence approach, artificial neural network (ANN)., Methods: The artificial neural network using pre-treatment cordance of frontal QEEG classification was carried out to identify responder or non-responder to rTMS treatment among 55 MDD subjects. The classification performance was evaluated using k-fold cross-validation., Results: The ANN classification identified responders to rTMS treatment with a sensitivity of 93.33%, and its overall accuracy reached to 89.09%. Area under Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) value for responder detection using 6, 8 and 10 fold cross validation were 0.917, 0.823 and 0.894 respectively., Conclusion: Potential utility of ANN approach method can be used as a clinical tool in administering rTMS therapy to a targeted group of subjects suffering from MDD. This methodology is more potentially useful to the clinician as prediction is possible using EEG data collected before this treatment process is initiated. It is worth using feature selection algorithms to raise the sensitivity and accuracy values.

Objective: Many applications such as biomedical signals require selecting a subset of the input features in order to represent the whole set of features. A feature selection algorithm has recently been proposed as a new approach for feature subset selection., Methods: Feature selection process using ant colony optimization (ACO) for 6 channel pre-treatment electroencephalogram (EEG) data from theta and delta frequency bands is combined with back propagation neural network (BPNN) classification method for 147 major depressive disorder (MDD) subjects., Results: BPNN classified R subjects with 91.83% overall accuracy and 95.55% subjects detection sensitivity. Area under ROC curve (AUC) value after feature selection increased from 0.8531 to 0.911. The features selected by the optimization algorithm were Fp1, Fp2, F7, F8, F3 for theta frequency band and eliminated 7 features from 12 to 5 feature subset., Conclusion: ACO feature selection algorithm improves the classification accuracy of BPNN. Using other feature selection algorithms or classifiers to compare the performance for each approach is important to underline the validity and versatility of the designed combination.

Epiploic appendagitis, which is an uncommon cause of acute abdomen, is a benign self-limiting inflammatory process of epiploic appendices. It has primary and secondary types. Computed tomography findings of the primary type are specific but are demonstrated rarely. Herein, we present pre- and post-treatment computed tomography findings of two cases who admitted to the emergency clinic with acute abdominal pain and were diagnosed to have epiploic appendagitis. Follow-up computed tomography features correlated well with clinical improvement.

Background/aims: Imaging is important after liver transplantation to determine possible complications. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the spiral CT findings in auxiliary heterotopic partial liver transplant recipients and to determine the incidence of these complications with spiral CT imaging., Methods: Twenty-one patients had auxiliary heterotopic partial liver transplantation at our institution during a two-year period. There were 16 males and five females with an age range of 4-58 years. All graft livers were transplanted to the right subhepatic space. Spiral CT was performed at least once after transplantation in twenty of the patients in order to evaluate vascular structures and determine possible complications. The 5mm and/or 8 mm thick sections were obtained through the abdomen before and after IV-contrast at the portal phase. Spiral CT findings were compared with ultrasonography (n=15), digital subtraction angiography (n=8), percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography (n=3) and laparotomy findings (n=2)., Results: Complications were detected in fourteen of the twenty-one patients. Spiral CT detected a total of 19/23 (83%) vascular complications in this study. All biliary complications (100%), 13/16 (81%) parenchymal changes and 14/14 (100%) different forms of fluid collections were also detected by spiral CT. In three patients with focal lesions, the infarcts were detected only by CT. It was not able to detect hepatic artery stenosis and one of the pseudoaneurysms of the hepatic artery., Conclusions: It is suggested that SCT in particular should be used in the evaluation of biliary complications, fluid collections and parenchymal changes of graft liver. It could be used in combination with other non-invasive imaging methods for evaluation of vascular structures.