Search

OBJECTIVES: Chronic renal failure is among significant public health problems all over the world. Despite advances in diagnosis and treatment approaches, cardiovascular morbidity and mortality is still high in chronic renal failure patients on dialysis. The aim this study is to investigate the importance of arginine, asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) and nitric oxide (NO) levels in the pathophysiology of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in patients with dialysis treatment program. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 53 patients with chronic renal failure receiving hemodialysis treatment and 34 healthy persons were participated to the study. Arginine and ADMA levels were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) fluorescence detector. NO levels were assessed by a colorimetric method. Albumin, urea, creatinine levels was performed using the spectrophotometric method. RESULTS: Arginine levels were similar in dialysis patients when compared to the control group. Similarly NO levels did not show any difference between patient group and the control group. ADMA levels were found to be significantly high in dialysis patients compared to the control group (p < 0.005). Arginine/ADMA ratio was lower in the patient group compared to the control group (p < 0.001). Dialysis patients who have diagnosed coronary artery disease had low levels of albumin and creatinine. Arginine levels, ADMA levels and NO levels did not show any difference in the patients with coronary artery disease or not (p > 0.05). Arginine levels were significantly higher in men compared to women. Pearson correlation analysis showed that there was a correlation between NO and arginine levels. Arginine and Arginine/ADMA showed a positive correlation while ADMA and arginine/ADMA levels showed a negative correlation. CONCLUSIONS: As a result, our data showed that ADMA clearance was impaired in hemodialysis patients. Increase in ADMA levels may play a role in atherosclerosis dependent morbidity and mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effects of two different methyl jasmonate (MeJA) doses, applied 2 weeks ahead of estimated harvest date, on fruit weight loss (%), color, firmness, total soluble solids (TSS), total phenolic (TP), total antioxidant activity (TAA) and individual phenolic compounds of "Fortune" plum were investigated at harvest and during 4 weeks of cold storage. Application of MeJA significantly increased weight loss at the end of storage period. entire color characteristics decreased linearly in all treatments during the storage period. The highest fruit firmness value at the end of storage was obtained from 1,120 mg L-1 MeJA treatment. TP and TAA values increased linearly in all treatments during the storage period. The highest post-storage total phenolics and antioxidant values was observed in the 2,240 mg L-1 MeJA application. MeJA applications significantly increased the chlorogenic acid content during the storage (P < 0.05). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective:To assess the association between age-related macular degeneration and age-related hearing loss in Turkish subjects aged 50 years or older.Study design and setting:Prospective, case–control study within a tertiary university hospital.Subjects and methods:Fifty subjects with age-related macular degeneration and 43 healthy subjects underwent ophthalmological and otolaryngological examination. Statistical analyses were conducted for the poorer eye and ear, comparing age-related hearing loss and pure tone average in the macular degeneration group versus controls.Results:Median pure tone average was significantly poorer in the macular degeneration group (35 dBHL) compared with controls (23 dBHL). In the macular degeneration group, hearing loss was significantly greater in dry type (43 dBHL) than wet type (32 dBHL) cases. There was a significant difference between the prevalence of varying degrees of hearing loss in the macular degeneration versus control groups, being respectively: mild, 50 and 35 per cent; moderate, 20 and 5 per cent; and severe, 6 and 0 per cent. There was a weak, but significant correlation between each patient's visual acuity and pure tone average results (rs = −0.37, p < 0.001).Conclusion:Age-related hearing loss is more common in patients with age-related macular degeneration. Such patients should be questioned regarding hearing difficulty, and referred to an otolaryngologist if appropriate. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A 29-year-old woman with left pleural effusion and a mass in anterior mediastinum was admitted. Transthoracic needle aspiration from the mass revealed findings consistent with nodular sclerosis variety of Hodgkin's disease. The patient was in remission after six cycles of ABVD followed by mediastinal radiotherapy. Ten months later CT scan showed three hypodense masses in the right kidney. Ultrasound guided renal biopsy revealed diffuse large B cell lymphoma. Retrospective re-evaluation of the archival specimens of the mediastinal mass was also consistent with diffuse large B cell lymphoma. After induction chemotherapy (four cycles of DHAP) she underwent high dose chemotherapy (BEAM) and autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation. She is still in remission for 7 years after transplantation. In conclusion, renal involvement during advanced lymphoma is quite common but isolated renal relapse in NHL is a rare situation. Although renal infiltration generally shows a poor prognosis, long-term survival may be achieved with high dose chemotherapy and autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Treatment of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (MCRC) previously exposed to oxaliplatin-based regimen is challenging. Efficacy and toxicity of bevacizumab plus irinotecan-based regimens were assessed in the second-line treatment of MCRC patients.Patients and Methods: Forty patients with a median age of 53 years (range, 31-75) were retrospectively evaluated. Patients progressing or relapsing after treatment with oxaliplatin-based regimens were given bevacizumab 5 mg/kg every 2 weeks in combination with irinotecan-based regimens. All patients had previously received oxaliplatin either in the adjuvant setting (n = 8) or for metastatic disease (n = 32).Results: Three patients achieved a complete response (7.5%), 5 partial responses (12.5%) and 14 (35%) stable disease resulting in an overall response rate of 20%. Median progression-free survival was 6 months (95% CI, 4.0-8.0) with a median overall survival of 14 months (95% CI, 10.2-17.8). One-year survival rate was 55.9%. Grade 3-4 toxicities were as follows: neutropenia (n = 15, 37.5%), febrile neutropenia (n = 2, 5%), diarrhea (n = 11, 27.5%), nausea and vomiting (n = 3, 7.5%), gastrointestinal perforation (n = 2, 5%), and thromboembolism (n = 2, 5%).Conclusion: Bevacizumab plus irinotecan-based combination chemotherapy is an active and safe treatment option in patients failing oxaliplatin-based therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PurposeTo determine whether altered eating habits and periods, especially the pre-dawn meal, during Ramadan fasting have any significant effect on intraocular pressure (IOP), tear secretion, corneal and anterior chamber parameters.MethodsIOP, basal tear secretion (BTS), reflex tear secretion (RTS), and Pentacam measurements of 31 healthy volunteers were performed at 0800 and 1600 hours during Ramadan fasting and 1 month later during non-fasting period.ResultsComparison of measurements between fasting and non-fasting periods at 0800 hours revealed significantly higher values for IOP (P=0.005), RTS (P=0.006), and BTS (P=0.014) during fasting. Conversely at 1600 hours, IOP was significantly lower during fasting (P=0.013) and no statistically significant difference was noted for RTS and BTS. IOP showed a diurnal variation of 2.45 mmHg (P<0.001) and BTS showed a 3.06 mm decrease (P=0.04) during the fasting period. No significant differences could be found in the corneal and anterior chamber parameters during fasting and non-fasting periods.ConclusionsOur results revealed that fluid loading at the pre-dawn meal during Ramadan fasting might increase the IOP and tear secretion in the early morning period and these values decrease remarkably at the end of 12 h of fasting due to dehydration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study was done to evaluate the frequency and severity of mucositis in the early period of stem cell transplantation (SCT) and the relation of conditioning regimens with mucositis.Patients and Methods: Patients with hematologic or solid tumors who underwent conditioning regimen were asked to score mucositis severity daily from the first day to the tenth day of reinfusion. Patient-reported scoring was performed according to a five-grade scale (0: no symptom; 1: mild; 2: moderate; 3: severe; 4: very severe). Total mucositis score (TMS) was defined as the addition of daily mucositis scores for 10 days. A total of 68 SCT (58 autologous and 10 allogeneic) patients, 48 men (71%) and 20 women (29%) were included to the study. Median age of patients was 32.5 (range 15-78) years. The most frequent three diagnosis were non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (37%, n = 25), Hodgkin's lymphoma (12%, n = 8), and multiple myeloma (12%, n = 8). BEAM (n = 27), ICE (n = 17), melphelan 200 mg/m(2) (M200)(n = 8), and TBI+C (total body irradiation + cyclophosphamide) (n = 16) were used as conditioning regimens.Results: All of the patients experienced mucositis at any grade. TMS in the sixth day was higher than TMS in the first day (p < 0.05). TMS was not related to the diagnosis or gender (p > 0.05). TMS at ICE regimen in the first 5 days after transplantation was more severe than BEAM regimen. TMS at TBI+C regimen was higher than TMS at BEAM regimen from day 4 to day 10 (p < 0.05). The mean percentages of patients who scored severe or very severe mucositis in 10 days was 7.4% in BEAM, 8.9% in ICE, 12.5% in M200, and 31.2% in TBI+C groups.Conclusion: Patients experience mucositis frequently following conditioning regimen and SCT. The necessity and the timing of prophylaxis for mucositis change due to the type of conditioning regimens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

DNA topoisomerases are essential enzymes that regulate the conformational changes in DNA topology by catalyzing the concerted breakage and rejoining of DNA strands during normal cellular growth. During the past few years, there has been considerable pharmacological interest in these enzymes because the inhibitors of DNA topoisomerases represent a major class of anticancer drugs. In this study, we investigated the effects of the extracts, prepared from a number of Helichrysum taxa, on mammalian DNA topoisomerase I via in vitro supercoil relaxation assays using plasmid substrate, pBR322. Cytotoxic alkaloid, camptothecin, an inhibitor of eukaryotic topoisomerase I, was used as reference compound throughout the assays. Quantitative comparisons of the supercoiled and relaxed DNA band intensities on agarose gels suggested that the extracts from H. pallasii (Sprengel) Ledeb., H. armenium DC subsp. araxinum (Kirp.) Takht, and H. plicatum DC subsp. plicatum manifested a considerable inhibition on the enzyme in a dose-dependent manner. The inhibition of mammalian DNA topoisomerase I by Helichrysum extracts is a significant result because they can be potential sources of anticancer drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study determined color changes in a composite cured with various types of curing units after two years. A hybrid (Clearfil AP-X) composite was cured with a conventional halogen, a high intensity halogen, a plasma arc and a light emitting diode unit. The specimens were stored in light-proof boxes after the curing procedure to avoid further exposure to light and stored in 37°C in 100% humidity. Colorimetric values of the specimens immediately after curing and after two years were measured using a calorimeter. The CIE 1976 L*a*b color system was used to determine color differences. Differences from baseline were calculated as ΔE*ab. Data were analyzed with two-way analysis of variance (p<0.05). The AE*=b values varied significantly, depending on the curing unit used. The specimens cured with a plasma arc curing unit induced significantly higher color changes than any other specimen and the color differences were also visually appreciable by the non-skilled operator (ΔE*ab >2.5). The specimens cured with a high intensity halogen curing unit produced the lowest color change; however, there were no statistically significant differences among the color changes of specimens cured with conventional halogen, high intensity halogen and the light emitting diode wait, and the color changes were not clinically relevant (ΔE*bab <2.5). The results of this study suggest that composite materials undergo measurable changes due to curing unit exposure. The specimens cured with a plasma arc light showed the highest color changes as compared to specimens cured with other curing units. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to evaluatein vitrodentine permeability evaluation of 2-Hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA)-based desensitizing products using split-chamber model followingin vivoapplication in the dogs for three experimental time periods of 1 week, 1 month and 3 months. Buccal enamel of upper and lower canines of nine young dogs was removed and flat dentinal surface was obtained using a water-cooled diamond bur. The dentinal surface divided into four quarters, three experimental and a control. Health-Dent and Gluma Desensitizing agent and Single bond were applied to respective quarters of one tooth, according to manufacturers’ instructions. The last quarters were left as control without any applications. For the each experimental period, 10 dentine samples from each group including control were used to measure the hydraulic conductance values. The dentine discs were placed pulp-side down in a split-chamber device in which the plastic spacers containing the rubber 0 rings have a surface area of 1 mm2 and permeability was measured by fluid filtration. The data were expressed as hydraulic conductance (Lp). Differences in dentine permeability obtained for the desensitizing agents against the control were tested for statistical significance using Kruskal–Wallis one-wayanovaand Bonferroni-adjusted Mann–WhitneyU-tests. Differences in permeability in three time periods for each desensitizing agent were analysed using Friedman'sanovaand Wilcoxon signed rank tests. All desensitizing applications caused decreased Lp values compared with the control Lp value at the end of 1 week. In the 1-month samples, between the Lp values of Single bond and control, no statistical difference was found (P > 0·05). At the end of the 3-month period, the Gluma Desensitizing agent had the lowest the Lp value (P < 0·05). The result of this study is that the topical application of desensitizing agents led to decrease in dentine permeability in the dog model. The Gluma Desensitizing agent provide the more lasting tubule-occluding effect than the other material tested in this model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluated the temperature rise in two different adhesive (Clearfil SE Bond [CSEB] and EBS-Multi [EBSM] and composite systems (Clearfil AP-X [CAPX,] Pertac II [PII] by the same manufacturer when illuminated by four different light sources: Light-emitting diode (LED), Plasma arc curing (PAC), high intensity quartz tungsten halogen (QTH). Forty dentin disks were prepared from extracted premolars. These dentin disks were placed in apparatus developed to measure temperature rise. Temperature rise during photopolymerization of adhesive resin and resin composite was then measured. The mean values of temperature increases for adhesive and resin composites did not differ significantly (p=0.769). The highest temperature rise was observed during photopolymerization of EBSM with PAC (5.16°C) and HQTH (4.28°C), respectively. Temperature rise values produced by QTH (1.27°C - 2.83°C for adhesive resin; 1.86°C - 2.85°C for resin composite) for both adhesive and resin composites were significantly lower than those induced by PAC and HQTH (p<0.05). However, these values were significantly higher than those produced by LED (1.16°C - 2.08°C for adhesive resin; 1.13°C - 2.59°C for resin composite). Light sources with high energy output (PAC and HQTH) caused significantly higher temperature rise than sources with low energy output (QTH and LED). However, in this study no temperature rises beneath 1-mm dentin disk exceed the critical 5.6°C value for pulpal health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this prospective study, the effects of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) and granulocyte–macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) on immunological reconstitution after autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT) were investigated for 6 months. Thirty-five patients received G-CSF 5 μg/kg per day and 26 patients received GM-CSF SC 5 μg/kg per day from day 1 to leukocyte engraftment (>1000 per mm[sup 3]). Peripheral blood samples were obtained on 14, 28, 100, and 180 days after transplantation for immunological evaluation. CD3+, CD4+, CD8+, CD19+, and CD56+ cells were analysed by flow cytometry. Immunoglobulin levels (IgG, IgA, and IgM) and complement levels (C3c and C4) were measured by nephelometry. Both G-CSF and GM-CSF groups were comparable with respect to age, sex, the period from diagnosis to transplantation, total nucleated cells infused, the number of CD34+ cells, conditioning regimens (TBI and non-TBI), and post-transplant infection. CD3+ and CD8+ cells on day 14 following autologous PBSCT+ G-CSFwere significantly higher than following autologous PBSCT+ GM-CSF (p = 0.008 and p = 0.021, respectively). The number of CD4 cells and the CD4/CD8 ratio were not different at several time points between the two groups. CD19+, CD56+ cells and immunoglobulin levels showed a faster recovery pattern in the autologous PBSCT + G-CSF group. The effect of G-CSF on immune reconstitution after autologous PBSCT is more prominent than that of GM-CSF. The possible role of haematopoietic growth factor on immune recovery and its clinical importance should be investigated in further studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main goals of the clinical use of tumor markers are to evaluate the adequacy of the treatment, monitor recurrence and follow up response to the treatment applied. For this purpose a baseline level for the commonly used tumor marker must be known at the time of initial diagnosis, before any therapy, in order to compare with the tumor marker levels which will be obtained after the treatment and during the clinical follow-up. The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation, if there is any, of the baseline levels of CA15-3, CEA and prolactin (PRL) in patients with breast cancer with the most commonly used prognostic factors, i) the presence of distant metastasis, ii) the presence of axillary lymphatic invasion, iii) the number of invaded axillary lymph nodes, iv) tumor size and v) stage of the disease, for breast cancer. Baseline serum CA15-3, CEA and PRL levels of 172 patients with breast masses were determined prior to biopsy. The sensitivity and specificity of baseline CA15-3, CEA and PRL were; 23.2% and 95.3%, 17.41% and 83.7%, 5.8% and 97.6%, respectively. At least one of the three tumor markers was high in 36% (31/86) of the breast cancer patients. Baseline CA15-3 levels were frequently higher than CEA in patients with bone metastasis (60% vs. 20%) and axillary lymphatic invasion (31.8% vs. 25%), and showed a better correlation with the stage of disease. Baseline tumor marker levels showed no statistically significant correlation with either the number of invaded axillary lymph nodes or tumor size. In conclusion, sensitivities and negative predictive values for baseline CA15-3, CEA and PRL were not satisfactory for primary diagnosis of breast cancer. Correlation of baseline CA15-3 was found superior to CEA and PRL in terms of stage of disease, presence of axillary invasion and distant metastasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]