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Objective: To evaluate upper extremity movement, pain intensity, and respiratory functions in preoperative and postoperative periods in patients undergoing thoracotomy sparing the serratus anterior muscle (TSSAM). Methods: Forty-three patients (25 male and 18 female) were included in this prospective observational cohort type study. In the preoperative period and on postoperative days 1, 2, 3, and 5, ipsilateral shoulder range of motion was evaluated by a goniometer, pain intensity was evaluated by a visual analog scale (VAS), and respiratory functions were evaluated by spirometry. Results: When compared with preoperative values, shoulder flexion and abduction angle, forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), and functional vital capacity (FVC) decreased on postoperative day 1, while VAS significantly increased (P .05). Conclusions: Patients undergoing the TSSAM had less upper extremity range of motion and respiratory functions and more pain intensity in the early postoperative period than in the preoperative period. It was observed that pain and flexion and abduction angles were negatively correlated on postoperative day 1. In the postoperative period, they should be taken into account in the design/development of rehabilitation programs.

While Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) affects the whole world, most affected group is geriatric individuals. There is a need for strategies for geriatric individuals returning to society and their social life. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of an 8-week home-based Pulmonary Rehabilitation program on quality of life, depression, anxiety and functional capacity in geriatric individuals with COVID-19. Twenty-five patients were included in this prospective study. Patients over 65 years of age with COVID-19 were evaluated. Physical capacity with the 6-minute walking test (6MWT), dyspnea status with the Medical Research Council Dyspnea Scale, quality of life with the Short Form-36 (SF-36), depression and anxiety with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale were evaluated. The mean age of the patients included in the study was 68.9 ± 6.4 years. 56% of the patients were men and 44% were women. When pre-treatment and post-treatment values were compared, a significant improvement was found in the 6MWT, dyspnea scores, SF-36 and all subgroups, anxiety and depression scores (p, Coronavirüs hastalığı-2019 (COVID-19) tüm dünyayı etkilerken en çok etkilenen grup geriatrik bireylerdir. Geriatrik bireylerin topluma ve sosyal yaşamlarına dönmeleri için bazı stratejilere ihtiyaç vardır. Bu çalışmanın amacı, COVID-19'lu geriatrik bireylerde 8 haftalık ev temelli Pulmoner Rehabilitasyon programının yaşam kalitesi, depresyon, anksiyete ve fonksiyonel kapasite üzerine etkisini araştırmaktır. Bu prospektif çalışmaya 25 hasta dahil edildi. COVID-19 geçirmiş 65 yaş üstü hastalar değerlendirildi. Fiziksel kapasite 6 dakikalık yürüme testi (6DYT) ile, dispne durumlar Medical Research Council Dispne Skalası ile, yaşam kalitesi Kısa Form-36 (KF-36) ile, depresyon ve anksiyete durumları ise Hastane Anksiyete ve Depresyon Ölçeği ile değerlendirildi. Çalışmaya dahil edilen hastaların ortalama yaşı 68.9 ± 6.4 idi. Hastaların% 56'sı erkek,% 44'ü kadındı. Tedavi öncesi ve tedavi sonrası değerler karşılaştırıldığında 6DYT, dispne skorları, SF-36, anksiyete ve depresyon skorlarında anlamlı iyileşme saptandı (p

Amaç: Bu çalışmanın amacı, Ankilozan Spondilit (AS) hastalarında D vitamin seviyesi ile Metabolik Sendrom (MetS) gelişimi arasındaki ilişkiyi ortaya koymaktır.Gereç ve Yöntem: Kesitsel tanımlayıcı tipteki bu çalışmaya 67 AS hastası dahil edildi. Sosyo-demografik veriler, bel çevresi ve sistolik kan basıncı değerlendirildi. Açlık kan şekeri, HDL kolesterol, Trigliserid ve Vitamin D değerleri kaydedildi. MetS teşhisi, Ulusal Kolesterol Eğitim Programının Yetişkin Tedavi Paneli'ne (NCEP / ATP III) gore yapılmıştır. Hastalık aktivitesi ve yaşam kalitesi değerlendirildi.Bulgular: Bu çalışmada AS hastalarında Vitamin D seviyeleri ile MetS arasında anlamlı negatif bir ilişki tespi tedildi. HDL seviyeleri ve Vitamin D seviyeleri MetS'li hastalarda anlamlı olarak daha düşüktü. Çoklu regresyon analizi, MetS'nin BMI, Trigliserit seviyesi, açlık glikozu ile pozitif olarak ilişkili olduğunu ve HDL kolesterol ve Vitamin D ile negatif olarak ilişkili olduğunu gösterdi.Sonuç: Bu çalışma, AS'li hastalarda MetS gelişiminde D vitamininin rolü olabileceğini göstermektedir. Bununla birlikte, ankilozan spondilitli hastalarda D vitamin ve metabolik sendrom arasındaki ilişkiyi açıklamak için daha fazla çalışmaya ihtiyaç vardır., Purpose: The purpose of this study is to reveal the relationship between the level of Vitamin D and the development of Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) in patients with Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS).Materials and Methods: 67 AS patients were included in this cross-sectional descriptive study. Socio-demographic data, waist circumference and systolic blood pressure were evaluated. Fasting blood glucose, HDL cholesterol, Triglyceride and Vitamin D values were recorded. Diagnosis of MetS was made according to National Cholesterol Education Program’s Adult Treatment Panel (NCEP/ATP III). Disease activity and quality of life were assessed.Results: In the present study, a significantly negative correlation was detected between Vitamin D levels and MetS in AS patients. HDL levels and Vitamin D levels were significantly lower in patients with MetS. Multiregression analysis showed that MetS was positively associated with BMI, Triglyceride level, fasting glucose and negatively associated with HDL cholesterol and Vitamin D. Conclusion: This study shows that vitamin D may have a role in the development of MetS in patients with AS. However, more studies are needed to explain the relationship between vitamin D and metabolic syndrome in patients with ankylosing spondylitis.

Objective: Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory disorder. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) can function as either oncogenes or tumor suppressor genes. Altered miRNA expression has been implicated in the pathogenesis of several diseases. Therefore, we aimed to explore the effects of miR-196a2T/C (rs11614913) variant profile on susceptibility to AS in a Turkish population.Materials and Methods: Blood samples were collected from 78 AS patients and 79 healthy controls. miR-196a2T/C variant was genotyped by PCR-RFLP. Odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (95%CI) were calculated using the chi(2) test.Results: The frequency of T/C and T/T genotypes of the miR196a2T/C were higher in AS patients compared to healthy controls (p=0.034 and p=0.028, respectively). The subjects carrying the miR-196a2T/C variant T/T genotype showed a 2.542-fold increased AS risk than the control group. However, no difference was observed in the allele frequencies of miR-196a2T/C between AS patients and the controls. It was found that C/C genotype of miR-196a2T/C variant was more frequent in AS patients with enthesitis than AS patients without enthesitis (p=0.042).Conclusion: The miR-196a2T/C variant represents a genetic risk factor for increased susceptibility to AS and is associated with enthesitis in the Turkish population. Amaç: Ankilozan spondilit (AS) kronik, enflamatuar bir hastalıktır. MikroRNA’lar (miRNA’,lar) onkogen veya tümör baskılayıcıgenler olarak fonksiyon yapabilirler. Çeşitli hastalıkların patogenezinde miRNA ekspresyonu’nun değişmesi bulunmaktadır.Bu nedenle, Türk toplumunda AS yatkınlığında miR-196a2T/C(rs11614913) varyant profilinin etkilerini araştırmayı amaçladık.Gereç ve Yöntem: 78 AS hastası ve 79 kontrolden kan örnekleritoplandı. miR-196a2T/C varyantı PCR-RFLP ile genotiplendi. χ2testi kullanılarak %95 güven aralığı ile Odds oranı (OR) hesaplandı.Bulgular: miR-196a2T/C T/C ve T/T genotipleri AS hastalarında sağlıklı kontrollere kıyasla daha yüksekti (sırasıyla, p=0.034and p=0.028). miR-196a2T/C varyant T/T genotipini taşıyankişiler kontrol grubundan 2,542 kat artmış AS riski gösterdiler.Ancak, miR-196a2T/C allele frekansları açısından AS hastalarıve kontroller arasında fark saptanmadı. miR-196a2T/C varyant C/C genotipinin entezitli AS hastalarında entezit bulunmayan AS hastalarından daha çok olduğu bulundu (p=0.042).Sonuç: miR-196a2T/C varyantı Türk toplumunda AS ve hastalığın entezit ile ilişkisine yatkınlık sağlayan genetik risk faktörü rolü göstermektedir.

We aimed to compare the effectiveness of DMARD (Disease Modifying Anti-Rheumatismal Drug) drugs and methotrexate combined anti-TNF (Tumor Necrosis Factor) treatment on disease activity criteria in preventing or controlling joint damage in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Seventy-five active RA patients followed for 24 weeks were included in the study. The demographic features, DAS28 (Disease Activity Score), VAS (Visual Analogue Scale), HAQ (Health Assessment Questionnaire) parameters and laboratory values were recorded from their files retrospectively. Patients were divided into two groups: 37 receiving anti-TNF (infliximab, etanercept, adalimumab) combined with methotrexate and 38 receiving DMARD (leflunomide+methotrexate, sulfasalacin+methotrexate, methotrexate only). The therapeutic efficacy was evaluated by American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 20, 50 and 70 criteria. The mean age of patients using combined anti-TNF drug and DMARD was 50.27±7.9 and 46.79±8.6, respectively. There was a statistically significant difference between the groups only in HAQ score before treatment. Pre- and post-treatment parameters showed a decrease in both groups, but this decrease was statistically significant in the group receiving combined anti-TNF treatment than the DMARD group. DAS28, VAS and HAQ values were statistically different between the two groups at the 6th month follow-up. ACR 20, 50 and 70 responses were 81, 54 and 22% in the group receiving anti-TNF drug combined with methotrexate; 44, 15 and 0% in the patients receiving DMARD (p, Bu çalışmada romatoid artrit (RA) tedavisinde eklem hasarının önlenmesi veya kontrol altına alınması yoluyla DMARD (Disease Modifying Anti-Rheumatismal Drug) grubu ilaçlar ve metotreksat ile kombine anti TNF (Tümör Nekroz Faktör) ilaç tedavisinin hastalık aktivite kriterlerine göre etkinliğini kıyasladık. Çalışmamıza 24 hafta süre ile takip edilmiş verileri eksiksiz 75 aktif RA hastası alındı. Hastaların demografik özellikleri, DAS28 (Disease Activity Score), VAS (Visual Analogue Scale), HAQ (Health Assessment Questionnaire) parametreleri ve laboratuar değerlendirmeleri retrospektif olarak dosyalarından kaydedildi. Hastalar metotreksatla kombine anti TNF (infliksimab, etanersept, adalimumab) alan 37 hasta; DMARD (leflunomid+metotreksat, sulfasalasin+metotreksat, sadece metotreksat) alan 38 hasta olmak üzere 2 ayrı grupta incelendi. Tedavi etkinliği ACR (American College of Rheumatology) 20, 50 ve 70 kriterleriyle hesaplandı. Kombine anti TNF ilaç ile DMARD kullanan hastaların yaş ortalaması sırasıyla 50.27±7.9 ve 46.79±8.6 olarak hesaplanmıştır. Gruplar arasında tedavi öncesinde bakılan parametrelerden sadece HAQ arasında istatistiksel olarak anlamlı farklılık saptanmıştır. Gruplar arasında bakılan tedavi öncesi ve sonrası parametreler her iki grupta azalma göstermektedir ancak bu azalma kombine anti TNF tedavisi alan grupta DMARD grubundan istatistiksel olarak daha anlamlı bulunmuştur. Her iki grup arasında 6. ay kontrollerinde bakılan DAS28, VAS ve HAQ değerlerinde istatistiksel olarak anlamlı farklılık saptanmıştır. ACR 20, 50 ve 70 cevapları metotreksat ile kombine anti TNF ilaç alan grupta sırasıyla %81, 54 ve 22 iken; DMARD alan grupta %44, 15 ve 0 olarak saptanmıştır (p

Buçalışmamızın birincil amacı; spastik serebral palsi (SP)’li hastalarda pasifgerme egzersizlerinin 10 metreyi yürüme zamanı üzerine etkisini araştırmaktır.İkincil amacı pasif germe egzersizlerin Modifiye Ashwort Skalası (MAS)’a görespastisiteye etkisini araştırmaktır. Çalışmaya SP tanısı konulmuş, yaşları 4ile 18 arasında değişen, Kaba Motor Fonksiyonel Sınıflama Sistemi (KMFSS)’yegöre, seviye I ve II olan 30 hasta (erkek:15, kadın:15, hemiparetik:17,diparetik:10, kuadriparetik:3) dahil edildi. Çalışmamızın süresi 2 aylık bir süreçten oluşmaktaydı.

Objective: Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory disorder. Micro RNAs (miRNAs) can function as either oncogenes or tumor suppressor genes. Altered miRNA expression has been implicated in the pathogenesis of several diseases. Therefore, we aimed to explore the effects of miR-196a2T/C (rs11614913) variant profile on susceptibility to AS in a Turkish population. Materials and Methods: Blood samples were collected from 78 AS patients and 79 healthy controls. miR-196a2T/C variant was genotyped by PCR-RFLP. Odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (95%CI) were calculated using the χ2 test. Results: The frequency of T/C and T/T genotypes of the miR196a2T/C were higher in AS patients compared to healthy controls (p=0.034 and p=0.028, respectively). The subjects carrying the miR-196a2T/C variant T/T genotype showed a 2.542-fold increased AS risk than the control group. However, no difference was observed in the allele frequencies of miR-196a2T/C between AS patients and the controls. It was found that C/C genotype of miR-196a2T/C variant was more frequent in AS patients with enthesitis than AS patients without enthesitis (p=0.042). Conclusion: The miR-196a2T/C variant represents a genetic risk factor for increased susceptibility to AS and is associated with enthesitis in the Turkish population., Amaç: Ankilozan spondilit (AS) kronik, enflamatuar bir hastalıktır. MikroRNA’lar (miRNAlar) onkogen veya tümör baskılayıcı genler olarak fonksiyon yapabilirler. Çeşitli hastalıkların patogenezinde miRNA ekspresyonunun değişmesi bulunmaktadır. Bu nedenle, Türk toplumunda AS yatkınlığında miR-196a2T/C (rs11614913) varyant profilinin etkilerini araştırmayı amaçladık. Gereç ve Yöntem: 78 AS hastası ve 79 kontrolden kan örnekleri toplandı. miR-196a2T/C varyantı PCR-RFLP ile genotiplendi. χ2 testi kullanılarak %95 güven aralığı ile Odds oranı (OR) hesaplandı. Bulgular: miR-196a2T/C T/C ve T/T genotipleri AS hastalarında sağlıklı kontrollere kıyasla daha yüksekti (sırasıyla, p=0.034 and p=0.028). miR-196a2T/C varyant T/T genotipini taşıyan kişiler kontrol grubundan 2,542 kat artmış AS riski gösterdiler. Ancak, miR-196a2T/C allele frekansları açısından AS hastaları ve kontroller arasında fark saptanmadı. miR-196a2T/C varyant C/C genotipinin entezitli AS hastalarında entezit bulunmayan AS hastalarından daha çok olduğu bulundu (p=0.042). Sonuç: miR-196a2T/C varyantı Türk toplumunda AS ve hastalığın entezit ile ilişkisine yatkınlık sağlayan genetik risk faktörü rolü göstermektedir.

WOS: 000435672000003, PubMed ID: 30207568, Objectives: This study aims to estimate the prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and spondyloarthritis (SpA) in Turkey using the same telephone questionnaire developed for screening RA and SpA in France and used in Serbia and Lithuania. Material and methods: The study was performed in two steps. In step I, the French questionnaire was translated into Turkish and validated through a group of 200 patients (80 males, 120 females; mean age 44.0 +/- 13.1 years; range, 19 to 75 years) followed up at the rheumatology departments of University Hospitals in Antalya and Ankara. In step II, the validated Turkish questionnaire was administered face-to-face to randomly selected 4,012 subjects (1,670 males, 2,342 females; mean age 41.5 +/- 16.8 years; range, 16 to 97 years) by trained general practitioners across the country, in 25 provinces for case detection. The subjects who were suspected of having RA or SpA in accordance with the questionnaire were invited to the nearest university hospital for rheumatologic examination in order to confirm the diagnosis. Results: In step II, a total of 25 subjects (2 males, 23 females) were diagnosed as RA. The standardized RA prevalence for the general population of Turkey was calculated as 0.56% (95% confidence interval [CI]; 0.33-0.79), 0.10% (95% CI; -0.05-0.25) for males and 0.89% (95% CI; 0.51-1.27) for females. A total of 18 subjects (3 males, 15 females) were diagnosed as SpA. The standardized SpA prevalence for the general population of Turkey was 0.46% (95% CI; 0.25-0.67), 0.17% (95% CI; -0.03-0.37) for males and 0.65% (95% CI; 0.32-0.98) for females. The prevalence of RA was highest in the Northern region (2.00%) and the prevalence of SpA was highest in the Central region (1.49%). Conclusion: The prevalences of RA and SpA in Turkey are close to each other and there are significant inter-regional variations in prevalences of both RA and SpA., Sanofi Health Products Company, Turkey, This survey was supported with an unconditional Grant to Turkish League Against Rheumatism from Sanofi Health Products Company (former Aventis), Turkey. The secretary expenses was covered by EULAR Standing Committee on Epidemiology and Health Services Research.

GİRİŞ ve AMAÇ: Bu çalışmanın amacı romatoid artrit hastalarında tümör nekrozis alfa geni (TNF-α) promotor polimorfizmi ile hastalık aktivitesi, klinik parametreler ve değişik tedavilere yanıt arasında ilişkiyi belirlemektir.YÖNTEM ve GEREÇLER: Çalışmamızda DMARD veya anti-TNF tedavisi alan 65 aktif romatoid artrit hastası ve 70 romatolojik hastalığı olmayan kontrol grubunda -308, -238,-857 içeren TNF-α'nın tek nukleotid polimorfizmi PCR-RFLP yöntemi kullanılarak analiz edildi. Tedaviye klinik yanıt hastalık aktivite skoru, görsel analog ölçek ve sağlık değerlendirme anketi kullanılarak başlangıçta ve 6 aylık tedavi sonrasında değerlendirildi.BULGULAR: Romatoid artrit hastalarında TNF-857 CC genotipinin anlamlı olarak fazla olduğu saptandı. Altı aylık tedavi sonunda grupların VAS; HAQ ve hastalık aktivite skorlarında iyileşme benzer bulundu. Buna rağmen hastalık aktivite skorlarında iyileşme TNF grubundaki hastalarda -308 GG genotipi olanlarda -308 AG genotipi olanlara göre daha iyiydi.TARTIŞMA ve SONUÇ: Romatoid artrit hastalarında TNF-857 CC genotipinin hastalığı yatkınlık sağlayabileceği; aynı zamanda -308 genotinideki polimorfizmin tedaviye yanıtta bir rolü olabilir. Romatoid artrit hastalarında TNF-α polimorfizmi ve hastalığa yatkınlık ve tedaviye yanıtın belirlenmesinde ileri çalışmalara gereksinim vardır., INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to explore the association between promotor polymorphisms in tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) gene and disease activity, clinical parameters and response to different treatments in rheumatoid arthritis patients.METHODS: We analyzed single nucleotide polymorphisms (-308, -238 and -857) in TNF-α gene in 65 patients with active RA who were treated with DMARD or anti-TNF therapy and in 70 control ones who had no rheumatologic problems. TNF-α genotyping were performed by the PCR-RFLP method. Clinical responses were compared by using disease activity score, VAS and health assessment questionnaire at baseline and after 6 months of treatment. RESULTS: A significant positive association was observed at TNF-857 CC genotype in RA patients (p=0.046). At the six months the mean VAS, HAQ and DAS 28 improvement was not significant among groups. Improvement in DAS score was significantly better in -308 GG genotype than -308 AG genotype in anti-TNF subgroup. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that TNF-857 CC genotype may be associated with susceptibility to disease and polymorphism in TNF-308 genotype may have an effect in response to therapy. Further studies should be warranted to establish TNF-α polymorphisms and susceptibility and response to treatment inrheumatoid arthritis patients.

Objective: We aimed to present epidemiological and clinical data on spinal cord injury (SCI) patients who were rehabilitated at our hospital to define etiological factors and high risk groups.Methods: Data on 174 SCI patients rehabilitated between January 2009 and October 2014 in our hospital were retrospectively evaluated. Patient age, sex, etiology of injury, injury level (cervical, thoracic, lumbar), total number of rehabilitation sessions, spinal operation status, functional groups according to the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) Scale were recorded.Results: In total, 105 of the patients were male and 69 were female. The mean age of patients was 36.61 ± 16.16 years. Traffic accidents were the most common cause of injury (n=45, 25.9%), followed by falls from height (n=39, 22.4%). The most common injury was thoracic spine injury (n=95, 54.6%), followed by lumbar spine injuries (n=48, 27.6%). Traffic accidents were significant mechanism for thoracic spine injuries (p=0.007). Ineffective neurosurgery had a significant relation with lumbar spine injuries (p, Amaç: Bu çalışmada, hastanemizde rehabilite edilmiş spinal kord yaralanmalı hastaların epidemiyolojik ve klinik verilerinin sunulması, etiyolojik faktörlerin ve yüksek riskli grupların tanımlanması amaçlandı.Yöntemler: Ocak 2009 ile Ekim 2014 arasında hastanemizde rehabilitasyon hizmeti almış olan 174 hastanın verileri retrospektif olarak incelendi. Yaş, cinsiyet, yaralanma etiyolojisi, yaralanma seviyesi (servikal, torakal, lomber), toplam uygulanan rehabilitasyon seans sayısı, spinal cerrahi alıp almadığı, American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) evrelemesine göre fonksiyonel grubu kaydedildi.Bulgular: Hastaların 105’i erkek, 69’u kadındı. Hastaların ortalama yaşı 36,61 ± 16,16 yıl olarak bulundu. Trafik kazaları en sık yaralanma nedeniydi (n=45, %25,9), bunu yüksekten düşmeler takip ediyordu ( n=39, % 22,4). En sık torakal spinal yaralanmalar gözlendi (n=95, % 54,6). Lomber bölge ikinci sık yaralanma seviyesiydi (n=48, % 27,6). Trafik kazalarına bağlı yaralanmalarda torakal seviye daha sıktı (p=0,007). Başarısız sinir cerrahisi lomber spinal yaralanmalar ile anlamlı derecede ilişkiliydi (p

Aim: The aim of this study was to determine whether upper extremity musculoskeletal disorders are more prevalent in intense computer users and the relation between cumulative hours of computer use and symptoms. Materials and Methods: The study group included 100 bank workers, who worked more than 6 h per day for at least 2 years on a video display unit and were recruited through convenience sampling. Sixty-five age and sex matched healthy subjects who worked not more than 2 h on computer keyboards for office work constituted the control group. Results: There were no significant differences between groups when the age and sex of the participants were considered. The results suggest a high prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders of the upper extremities among intensive computer users. The differences were statistically significant except in neck range of motion and left cubital tunnel syndrome. As the time spent on video display unit increased, there is a tendency in occurrence of symptoms, but only in carpal tunnel syndrome the relation is significant. Conclusions: The findings showed that cumulative computer use time increased the risk of musculoskeletal disorders in the upper extremities. As the duration of job increased, the risk for carpal tunnel syndrome significantly increased. Further studies with the inclusion of a larger number of cases and potential risk factors would help clarify the role of variables in the aetiology of work-related neck and upper limb disorders.

Aim: We aimed to assess vitamin-D receptor (VDR) gene polymorphism in postmenopausal osteoporotic Turkish women as well as the impact of this on diagnosis, treatment and quality of life. Materials and Methods: Seventy postmenopausal osteoporotic women and 71 postmenopausal healthy women constituted the disease and control groups, respectively. Genomic DNA was extracted from blood of all participants and analyzed for the TaqI gene polymorphism of the VDR gene. The osteoporotic group was taking calcitonin, alendronate, calcitriol and elementary calcium, while the control group was taking only vitamin D and calcium. Quality of life of patients was measured by Nottingham Health Profile (NHP). Bone mineral density (BMD) was measured using DEXA method. Results: Genotype distribution of disease and control subjects, respectively, were as follows: TT (28.6%; 42.3%), Tt (62.8%; 40.8%), and tt (8.6%; 16.9%). Tt genotype was significantly higher in the study group (P < 0.005). There were no significant differences between the distribution of TT and tt genotypes between groups. However, BMD scores were significantly higher in the subjects with active T allele. There were also significant differences in before and after treatment NHP scores (p:0.001). Conclusions: Frequency of Tt variant was found higher in the disease group. The NHP score was significantly lower after treatment. Presence of T allele leads to higher BMD values than observed with t allele. The genetic variations with respect to polymorphism of the VDR gene may be important in determining the diagnosis, treatment outcome and quality of life in osteoporosis.

WOS: 000187959500003, PubMed: 14703602, The aim of our study was to evaluate the upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract side effect profile in 759 female patients that had taken alendronate (10 mg/day), for at least 6 months, for the treatment of osteoporosis, in relation to the safety of alendronate and the compliance of patients to its absorption rules. This study was a multicentered retrospective, clinical, non-placebo controlled, study of 759 female subjects carried out at 26 centres in 6 different regions of Turkey. The mean age of our patients was 62.6 +/- 8.6, with 51.2% in the age range 60 to 69 years. 158 patients (20.8%) were considered to have upper GI tract complaints with nausea as the most often encountered symptom. Of the subjects with upper GI tract complaints, 20% reported discontinued drug use, and 30% reported the requirement of an additional drug in order to abolish their complaints. Approximately 537 (71%) of the patients stated they had been given written information about the administration of the drug, and at least 93 patients (12%) and 73 patients (18.4%) acknowledged non compliance with the safety and absorption rules, respectively. In our study, no significant difference was found between the adherence to the safety measures and upper GI tract complaints (p>0.05), but that upper GI tract complaints were higher in patients taking additional medication to alendronate (p

52 ÖZET Renal osteodistrofi KBY'nin iyi bilinen bir komplikasyonudur. Bu grup hastaların non invaziv olarak değerlendirilmesinde dolaşımdaki iPTH, BGP, 62 m, Ca, AF, P seviyeleri ve BMD ölçümlerinin yardımcı olduğunu düşündük. Çalışmamıza 34 KBY tanısı almış olgu alındı. (Bunlardan 17'si HD, 8'i SAPD programında ve 9 olgumuzda ayaktan izleniyordu). Olgularımızın 18'i kadın 16'sı erkek, yaşlan 21-68 arsında olup, ortalama değer 45.7±12.8 olarak alındı.. Primer böbrek veya kemik hastalığı olamayan hastalarımızdan 17'si kontrol grubu olarak alındı. Bu grupta 10 kadın 7 erkek bulunuyordu. Yaşlan 3 1-65 arasında ve ortalama değer 41.5 ±8 olarak alındı.. Olgu grubunun serum P, AF, fi2 m, BGP, CT, İPTH, AST ve Hct değerleri kontrol grubundan anlamlı olarak farklı bulunmuştur.. Olguların BMD değerlerinin kontrollere göre düşük olduğu gözlenmiş, ancak aradaki farkın anlamlı olmadığı saptanmıştır.. Magnifıye el grafıleri değerlendirildiğinde olguların %70'inde osteopeni, %61'inde subperiosteal rezorbsiyon saptanmıştır.. Osteopeni ve yüksek iPTH (>20üpg/mJ) ile, veya ostepeni ve BMD değerleri birlikte değerlendirildiğinde RO tanısı ile ilgili olarak sensitiviteyi %91 bulduk. Benzer değerlendirmeler yüksek İPTH ve BGP arasında yapılırsa sensitivite ve spesifite sırası ile %76, %H4 olarak bulunur.. 53 SUMMARY Renal osteodystrophy is a well-recognized complication of chronic renal failure (CRF). We found that circulating levels of iPTH, BGP, B2 m, Ca, AP, P and BMD to be the most helpful of the non-invasive investigations performed in this group of patients. Magnified X- ray films of the hands were taken for radiological investigation. We studied 34 patients (17 HD, 8 CAPD, 9 Non-dialysis), 18 female, 16 male aged 21-68 years (mean: 45.7 ± 12.8). We served 17 patients that have never had any primer kidney or bone disease as controls. In this grup, there were 10 females, 7 males and aged 31- 65 mean.5±8).. Serum P, AP,fi2 m, BGP, CT, iPTH, AST and Hct levels significantly differ from those of the control group.. Despite the patients ' BMD values were lower than that of control group; the difference was not siignificant. We evaluated the magnified X- ray and found %70 osteopenia, %61 subperiosteal resorptions in the patients group.. When we evalueted osteopenia and high level iPTH (> 200pg/mJ) or osteopenia and BMD together; the sensitivity for diagnosis of RO was found to be %91. When the evaluation was made between high level iPTH and BGP, the sensitivity and specifty were found as % 76, %84 respectively. 61