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Aim: Salivary alpha (a)-amylase enzyme is a biomarker used to measure sympathetic nervous system activity. This study aimed to establish three existing methods for measuring salivary a-amylase enzyme activity in the laboratory and to compare these methods in terms of their usability. Materials and Methods: a-amylase enzyme activity can be measured in ready-made kits by three methods: Starch-Iodine, 2-chloro-4-nitrophenyl maltotrioside (CNPG3) and dinitrosalicylic acid (DNS) methods. In this context, standard curves were created in the laboratory for manual study of these methods and their advantages and disadvantages were presented. The usability of these methods was tested. Results: The starch-iodine and CNPG3 methods were successfully established. However, although a standard curve was successfully established for the DNS method, this assay was not suitable for the studies as the samples were not readable and had many disadvantages. The test sensitivities and working ranges were appropriate for the starch-iodine and CNPG3 tests, requiring 4,000-fold dilution for the starch-iodine test and 5-fold dilution for the CNPG3 test. A weak but statistically significant positive correlation was observed between the two tests (R2=0.048 for linear regression; p

Objective: Peripatellar fat pads are extrasynovial intracapsular fat tissues. Suprapatellar, perifemoral, and infrapatellar (Hoffa fat pad) fat pads are included in the peripatellar fat pad. This study aimed to describe the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) signs of suprapatellar fat pad impingement syndrome, describe their prevalence and pattern, and look into the relationship between their MRI and clinical signs. Methods: Two radiologists retrospectively analyzed 5,700 patients’ knee MRI data between December 2010 and December 2015. We documented the MRI findings that were associated with suprapatellar fad pad impingement syndrome. The correlations between age, osteoarthritis, chondromalacia, and the patellofemoral joint were evaluated using Pearson’s correlations. Results: In our study group, the prevalence of suprapatellar fat pad impingement was 5.3%. Of the patients 52% were men and 48% were women. Patients who were admitted to the clinic complained of non-specific pain in 80.3% of patients. Twenty-seven patients (8.9%) presented with isolated suprapatellar impingement syndrome; 185 (60.9%) showed an increase in intra-articular fluid; 4 (1.3%) had synovitis findings; 17 (5.6%) had medial collateral ligament tears; 107 (35.2%) had quadriceps femoris tendinitis; 8 (2.6%) had patellar tendinitis; 80 (26.3%) had a medial meniscus tear; 23 (7.6%) had Baker’s cyst; and 30 (9.9%) had soft-tissue edema. Medial meniscus degeneration was observed in 51 (16.8%) patients, Hoffa edema was observed in 31 (10.2%) patients, and anterior cruciate ligament tears in 3 (1%) patients. There were positive correlations between age and osteoarthritis (r=0.4660, p

Background: In our research, we examined how the induction of long-term potentiation (LTP) in the hippocampus of hypothyroid rats afects the mRNA levels of several proteins involved with neurodegeneration, including Gsk3, Cdk5, Akt1, Mapt, P35 (Anxa), Capn1, Bace1, and Psen2. Methods: Wistar-albino rats, consisting of 12 males, were used in the research, and they were separated into 2 groups: control (n=6) and hypothyroidism (n=6). To induce hypothyroidism, propylthiouracil was added to drinking water at a dosage of 20 mg/kg/day. The test stimulus intensity was calculated, basal recordings were acquired, and LTP was induced by administering 100 Hz high-frequency stimulation (HFS) for 1 second with a 5-minute delay when the rats were aged 60 days. The population spike (PS) amplitude and excitatory postsynaptic potential (EPSP) slope were measured in the granule cell layer of the dentate gyrus. Using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, the mRNA levels of neurodegenerative genes were assessed in induced hippocampal tissues after the LTP protocol. The free T4 levels in plasma were measured using a plate reader with the commercial ELISA kit. Results: Following HFS, LTP was solely induced in the EPSP slope and PS amplitude in the control group. The impaired LTP response of the hypothyroidism group was accompanied by an increase in Akt1-mRNA expression and a decrease in Gsk3ß expression, whereas the value genes’ mRNA expression levels did not difer significantly from those of the control group. Conclusion: The hypothyroidism-related LTP impairment could be caused by a reduction in PI3K/AKT signaling. Further investigation of this path is required to elucidate the pathophysiology of impaired synaptic plasticity in hypothyroidism.

Levoatriocardinal vein (LACV) is characterized by an abnormal connection between pulmonary and systemic venous return. This extremely rare cardiac malformation is usually associated with left-sided obstructive lesions including mitral atresia, hypoplastic left-heart syndrome, and abnormal pulmonary venous connection. Patients may have low systemic cardiac output and pulmonary venous obstruction symptoms. In this manuscript, we report a case with LACV and normal pulmonary venous return with absence of any intracardiac pathology. LACV was demonstrated with echocardiography, angiography, and computed tomography. Surgical correction was made successfully.

The article presents a case study of a child who was taken to the emergency center for cardiac operation. The patient had enlarged left ventricular dimension and severe diminished systolic function. He undergone heart catheterization for hemodynamic study. It was decided that the patient was inoperable as he had irreversible pulmonary hypertension and severe left ventricular dysfunction.