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Objective: To investigate the symptoms of lung cancer in Turkey and to evaluate approaches to alleviate these symptoms.Subjects and Methods: This study included 1,245 lung cancer patients from 26 centers in Turkey. Demographic characteristics as well as information regarding the disease and treatments were obtained from medical records and patient interviews. Symptoms were evaluated using the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS) and were graded on a scale between 0 and 10 points. Data were compared using the χ2, Student t, and Mann-Whitney U tests. Potential predictors of symptoms were analyzed using logistic regression analysis.Results: The most common symptom was tiredness (n = 1,002; 82.1%), followed by dyspnea (n = 845; 69.3%), appetite loss (n = 801; 65.7%), pain (n = 798; 65.4%), drowsiness (n = 742; 60.8%), anxiety (n = 704; 57.7%), depression (n = 623; 51.1%), and nausea (n = 557; 45.5%). Of the 1,245 patients, 590 (48.4%) had difficulty in initiating or maintaining sleep. The symptoms were more severe in stages III and IV. Logistic regression analysis indicated a clear association between demographic characteristics and symptom distress, as well as between symptom distress (except nausea) and well-being. Overall, 804 (65.4%) patients used analgesics, 630 (51.5%) received treatment for dyspnea, 242 (19.8%) used enteral/parenteral nutrition, 132 (10.8%) used appetite stimulants, and 129 (10.6%) used anxiolytics/antidepressants. Of the 799 patients who received analgesics, 173 (21.7%) reported that their symptoms were under control, and also those on other various treatment modalities (dyspnea: 78/627 [12.4%], appetite stimulant: 25/132 [18.9%], and anxiolytics/antidepressants: 25/129 [19.4%]) reported that their symptoms were controlled.Conclusion: In this study, the symptoms progressed and became more severe in the advanced stages of lung cancer, and palliative treatment was insufficient in most of the patients in Turkey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Lung cancer is the most common type of cancer, accounting for 12.8% of cancer cases worldwide. As initially non-specific symptoms occur, it is difficult to diagnose in the early stages., Objective: Image processing techniques developed using machine learning methods have played a crucial role in the development of decision support systems. This study aimed to classify benign and malignant lung lesions with a deep learning approach and convolutional neural networks (CNNs)., Methods: The image dataset includes 4459 Computed tomography (CT) scans (benign, 2242; malignant, 2217). The research type was retrospective; the case-control analysis. A method based on GoogLeNet architecture, which is one of the deep learning approaches, was used to make maximum inference on images and minimize manual control., Results: The dataset used to develop the CNNs model is included in the training (3567) and testing (892) datasets. The model's highest accuracy rate in the training phase was estimated as 0.98. According to accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive values of testing data, the highest classification performance ratio was positive predictive value with 0.984., Conclusion: The deep learning methods are beneficial in the diagnosis and classification of lung cancer through computed tomography images.

Background: The pleura is a serous membrane that surrounds the lungs. The visceral surface secretes fluid into the serous cavity and the parietal surface ensures a regular absorption of this fluid. If this balance is disturbed, fluid accumulation occurs in the pleural space called "Pleural Effusion". Today, accurate diagnosis of pleural diseases is becoming more critical, as advances in treatment protocols have contributed positively to prognosis. Our aim is to perform computer-aided numerical analysis of Computed Tomography (CT) images from patients showing pleural effusion images on CT and to examine the prediction of malignant/benign distinction using deep learning by comparing with the cytology results., Methods: The authors classified 408 CT images from 64 patients whose etiology of pleural effusion was investigated using the deep learning method. 378 of the images were used for the training of the system; 15 malignant and 15 benign CT images, which were not included in the training group, were used as the test., Results: Among the 30 test images evaluated in the system; 14 of 15 malignant patients and 13 of 15 benign patients were estimated with correct diagnosis (PPD: 93.3%, NPD: 86.67%, Sensitivity: 87.5%, Specificity: 92.86%)., Conclusion: Advances in computer-aided diagnostic analysis of CT images and obtaining a pre-diagnosis of pleural fluid may reduce the need for interventional procedures by guiding physicians about which patients may have malignancies. Thus, it is cost and time-saving in patient management, allowing earlier diagnosis and treatment., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2023 HCFMUSP. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: Thiols are sulfhydryl-containing organic compounds that have an important role in preventing cellular oxidative stress. This study compares the blood oxidative stress marker levels in bronchiectasis cases during their stable periods with healthy controls., Materials and Methods: Seventy-seven patients (49 patients with stable bronchiectasis/28 healthy controls), followed up by the chest disease clinic, were included in the study. Peripheral blood thiol-disulfide parameters (NT: native thiol (-SH); TT: total thiol (-SH + SS); SS: disulfide (-SS); SS-SH: disulfide/native thiol index; SS-TT: disulphide/total thiol index; SH-TT: native thiol/total thiol index), and ischemia-modified albumin (IMA) levels were examined in the stable bronchiectasis group and the control group. Thiol-disulfide homeostasis was evaluated using a novel and automated assay. Findings and Result . Blood native thiol levels in patients with stable bronchiectasis were found to be significantly higher compared with healthy controls. A positive correlation between the total airway disease score and IMA levels was present. Our findings revealed that native thiol levels, which constitute a part of the antioxidant defense system, are increased in patients with stable bronchiectasis., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Songul Ozyurt et al.)

Objective: We sought to evaluate contractile function in single-ventricle patients before and after imposition of Fontan physiology., Methods: Single right ventricle (SRV; n = 38) and single left ventricle (SLV; n = 11) patients underwent cardiac magnetic resonance imaging pre and post Fontan operation. Global radial strain (GRS), global circumferential strain (GCS), and global longitudinal strain were measured along with ejection fraction (EF) and atrioventricular valve regurgitation (AVVR)., Results: Age at cardiac magnetic resonance imaging before the Fontan operation was 3.1 ± 1.3 years and after the Fontan procedure was 5.8 ± 2.7 years. There were no significant EF differences between SRV and SLV patients before and after the Fontan procedure, and EF did not deteriorate significantly after the Fontan operation. GRS was significantly lower for SRV patients than for SLV patients before (24.3% vs 32.1%; P = .048) and after (21.8% vs 29.7%; P = .045) the Fontan procedure. GRS and GCS of the SRV patients deteriorated significantly after the Fontan operation (GRS, P = .01; GCS, P = .009). Strains showed positive correlations before and after the Fontan operation with positive correlations among each strain. Within all patients, strains correlated positively with EF. Strains and EF negatively correlated with AVVR (GRS P = .03, r = -0.22; GCS P = .03, r = -0.23; EF P < .001, r = -0.37)., Conclusions: Strains were lower for SRV than for SLV patients before and after the Fontan operation and deteriorated after the Fontan operation. Our study suggests that strain measures might detect ventricular deterioration earlier than EF. Because strains before and after the Fontan operation were positively correlated, and negatively correlated with AVVR, the early institution of myocardial protective therapy including AVVR management, especially for SRV patients, might have benefit., (Copyright © 2021 The American Association for Thoracic Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To investigate whether age or other factors are determinants of distant metastasis in patients with lung cancer., Study Design: Observational study., Place and Duration of Study: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Recep Tayyip Erdogan University, Rize, Turkey between December, 2018 and February, 2019., Methodology: A total of 152 patients with lung cancer, who underwent positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) for staging, were included in this study. Patients were grouped according to age (>65 and <65 years) and distant metastasis status. Metastasis localisation of patients was evaluated by PET/CT. Univariate/multivariate regression analyses were performed to determine risk factors for distant metastasis., Results: No significant difference was found when the relation of distant metastasis with stage distribution was examined in both age groups. Distant metastasis rates were significantly higher in female patients than in male patients (p = 0.019) and in patients with small-cell lung carcinoma (SCLC)-adenocarcinoma than in those with other histopathological subtypes (p <0.001). Most of the patients in both groups had a stage 4 disease, and bone distant metastasis was the most common in both age groups. Univariate/multivariate analyses identified that female gender (p = 0.017/p = 0.003), SCLC subtype (p = 0.013/p = 0.008), T3/T4 tumour (p <0.001/p <0.001), and smoking history of >66 pack-years (p = 0.047/p = 0.047) were independent factors for the presence of distant metastasis., Conclusion: Although age is not a risk factor for distant metastasis in lung cancer, female gender, T3/4 tumour, SCLC subtype, and smoking history of >66 pack-years are high-risk factors. PET/CT is recommended as the first-choice imaging technique in patients with lung cancer indicated for distant metastasis scanning. Key Word: Lung cancer, PET/CT, Metastases, Histological subtype, T-stage.

Introduction: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is one of the most common causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The disease is characterized by progressive airway inflammation, which not only affects the airways but also has systemic effects that are associated with comorbidities. Although comorbid conditions such as hypertension and coronary artery disease are very well-known in COPD patients, diseases of the thyroid gland have not been sufficiently studied. Therefore, thyroid diseases are not considered among the comorbid conditions of COPD. The purpose of this study was to determine the thyroid gland disease (TGD) prevalence in COPD and associated factors. Materials and Method . The study included 309 (297 (96%) male) patients. The patients were subjected to spirometry and thyroid function tests (TFT) in the stable period. The thyroid gland disease they were diagnosed with was recorded after face-to-face meetings and examining their files., Results: The mean age of the patients who were included in the study was 65.9 ± 9.8 (40-90). Thyroid disease was determined in 68 (22%) individuals. There were hypothyroidism in 7 (2%), euthyroidism in 45 (15%), and hyperthyroidism in 16 (%5) patients. No relationship was found between the severity of airflow limitation and the prevalence of TGD., Conclusion: Thyroid abnormalities are commonly observed in COPD. The most frequently encountered TGDs are euthyroid multinodular goiter, euthyroid sick syndrome (ESS), and toxic multinodular goiter., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflict of interest to declare., (Copyright © 2021 Aziz Gumus et al.)

Objective: The aim of study is to investigate whether hematological inflammatory biomarkers could be useful to detect patients with lung cancer., Methods: The contribution of hematological biomarkers to the diagnosis of lung cancer and prediction of TNM was examined., Results: NLR, PLR, MPV values were found to be higher in patients with lung cancer (all p  < .001). NLR and PLR were found to be high, MPV was found to be lower in disease of advanced stage ( p  < .001)., Conclusions: This study found that NLR, PLR and MPV values were significantly higher in patients with lung cancer.

It is difficult to distinguish coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) from other viral respiratory tract infections owing to the similarities in clinical and radiological findings. This study aims to determine the clinical importance of platelet count and platelet indices in the differentiation of COVID-19 from influenza and the value of these parameters in the differential diagnosis of COVID-19. The medical records of the patients and the electronic patient monitoring system were retrospectively analyzed. Demographic characteristics, admission symptoms, laboratory findings, radiological involvement, comorbidities, and mortality of the patients were recorded. Forty-three patients diagnosed with influenza and 54 diagnosed with COVID-19 were included in the study. The average age of the COVID-19 patients was lower than that of the influenza patients (influenza: 60.5 years, COVID-19: 52.4 years; pp = 0.024),.024), and the male gender was predominant in the COVID-19 group (influenza: 42%, COVID-19: 56%). According to laboratory findings, the mean platelet volume (MPV) and MPV/platelet ratio were statistically significantly lower, whereas the eosinophil count and platelet distribution width levels were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in the COVID-19 group. It was found that the most common symptom in both groups was dyspnea and that the symptom was more prevalent among influenza patients. In the diagnosis of COVID-19, the platelet count and platelet indices are easily accessible, inexpensive, and important parameters in terms of differential diagnosis and can help in the differentiation of COVID-19 from influenza during seasonal outbreaks of the latter., (© 2020 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Introduction and Objective: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic had exhibited negative effects on patients with a nicotine use disorder because of social stress situations. The objective of this study is to investigate the changes that occurred in the smoking habits of the patients who applied to our smoking cessation clinic because of the COVID-19 outbreak's effect (coronaphobia) on their mental health., Method: In this study, we included the patients who applied to our smoking cessation clinic between January 1 and June 30, 2020. We conducted telephonic and face-to-face interviews with the patients during the outbreak, and inquired about the changes in their smoking habits., Results: In total, 114 volunteers (mean age: 41.2 years [min-max: 18-82 years], M/F: 70/44 [61.4/38.6%]) who registered in the smoking cessation clinic of Chest Diseases Clinic were included in the study. The number of people with and without coronaphobia was 64 (56.1%) and 50 (43.9%), respectively. The analyses of the changes in smoking behaviors because of coronaphobia demonstrated that people with coronaphobia exhibited a significantly higher decrease or cessation of smoking as compared to no change in smoking behavior or increase in the number of cigarettes ( p : .006)., Conclusions: Success in smoking cessation can be increased with the accurate analyses of the anxiety effects caused by coronaphobia after COVID-19 outbreak on the desire of smoking cessation. This resolution depends on the solution-oriented strategies that will increase the awareness of physicians and patients, a close follow-up of patients with tools such as telemedicine, and a quick determination of their needs.

Aims: This study aimed to develop a new intelligent diagnostic approach using an artificial neural network (ANN). Moreover, we investigated whether the learning-method-guided quantitative analysis approach adequately described mediastinal lymphadenopathies on endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) images., Methods: In total, 345 lymph nodes (LNs) from 345 EBUS images were used as source input datasets for the application group. The group consisted of 300 and 45 textural patterns as input and output variables, respectively. The input and output datasets were processed using MATLAB. All these datasets were utilized for the training and testing of the ANN., Results: The best diagnostic accuracy was 82% of that obtained from the textural patterns of the LNs pattern (89% sensitivity, 72% specificity, and 78.2% area under the curve). The negative predictive values were 81% compared to the corresponding positive predictive values of 83%. Due to the application group's pattern-based evaluation, the LN pattern was statistically significant ( p  = .002)., Conclusions: The proposed intelligent approach could be useful in making diagnoses. Further development is required to improve the diagnostic accuracy of the visual interpretation.

Introduction: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a chronic inflammatory disease showing acute exacerbations during its course. Comorbidities often accompany. Non-thyroidal illness syndrome (NTIS) occurs because of the functional impairment in the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis in severe critical cases. The objective of the current study is to determine the prevalence of NTIS among hospitalised patients due to acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) and to reveal the factors affecting thyroid functions., Materials and Methods: A total of 132 patients hospitalised for AECOPD were enroled. Arterial blood gas samples at room air and venous blood samples for thyroid function tests were obtained within 24 hours following hospitalisation., Results: The mean age was 69.3 ± 9.6 years with male predominance (M/F:130/2). The prevalence of NTIS was 55%. Subgroups of NTIS cases were analysed. Low TSH levels were the most common pathology (55%). Patients with NTIS had significantly lower PaO 2 and SaO 2 levels compared with those without NTIS (P = 0.045 and P = 0.022, respectively). In addition, a positive correlation was found between PaO 2 and free thyroxine (fT4) (P < 0.001, r = 0.313). A statistically significant negative correlation between PaCO 2 and fT4 was found (P < 0.001, r = -0.393). And a statistically significant negative correlation between PaCO 2 and free triiodothyronine (fT3) values were found (P = 0.040, r = -0.183)., Conclusion: NTIS is a very common condition during AECOPD. We believe that hypoxemia causing functional impairment in the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis is the main mechanism in NTIS development and hypercapnia disrupts freeT3 and freeT4 production and secretion., (© 2020 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Scientists from all over the world have been intensively working to discover different aspects of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) since the first cluster of cases was reported in China. Herein, we aimed to investigate unclear issues related to transmission and pathogenesis of disease as well as accuracy of diagnostic tests and treatment modalities. A literature search on PubMed, Ovid, and EMBASE databases was conducted, and articles pertinent to identified search terms were extracted. A snow-ball search strategy was followed in order to retrieve additional relevant articles. It was reported that viral spread may occur during the asymptomatic phase of infection, and viral load was suggested to be a useful marker to assess disease severity. In contrast to immune response against viral infections, cytotoxic T lymphocytes decline in SARS-CoV-2 infection, which can be partially explained by direct invasion of T lymphocytes or apoptosis activated by SARS-CoV-2. Dysregulation of the urokinase pathway, cleavage of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein by FXa and FIIa, and consumption coagulopathy were the proposed mechanisms of the coagulation dysfunction in COVID-19. False-negative rates of reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction varied between 3% and 41% across studies. The probability of the positive test was proposed to decrease with the number of days past from symptom onset. Safety issues related to infection spread limit the use of high flow nasal oxygen (HFNO) and continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) in hypoxic patients. Further studies are required to elucidate the challenging issues, thus enhancing the management of COVID-19 patients., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (©Copyright 2020 by the Atatürk University School of Medicine - Available online at www.eurasianjmed.com.)

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the bond strength between CAD/CAM materials and a resin cement using hydroxyapatite coating as a surface treatment method. Different surface treatments (Control, no treatment-C; Sandblasting-SB; Hydrofluoric acid etching-HF; applying tooth desensitizer-TeM; applying topical crème-ToM, HAp coating with Pulse Laser Deposition technique-PLD) were applied to three different CAD/CAM materials (LAVA Ultimate, VITA Enamic, and Cerec Blocs). After surface treatments, a universal adhesive (Single Bond Universal, 3M ESPE) was applied and adhesive resin (Rely X Ultimate, 3M ESPE) were cemented on each material surface using plastic tubes (4 mm in diameter). The shear bond strength values were measured using a universal testing machine. Scanning electron microscope analysis were performed to evaluate failure modes and effects of surface treatments. Obtained data were statistically analyzed using two-way ANOVA and Tukey's post hoc test (p = 0.05). The bond strength of PLD groups were significantly higher than other groups in resin-ceramics (p < 0.05). In Cerec Blocs, HF resulted significantly higher bond strength than other groups (p < 0.05). SEM analysis of surface treatment methods (except TeM and ToM) revealed an increase in surface alterations compared to control groups. Failure modes were dominantly adhesive in groups C, TeM, and ToM, whereas mostly mix or cohesive failures were observed in PLD, HF, and SB. Hydroxyapatite coating with PLD technique exhibited promising bond strength results for CAD/CAM resin-ceramics. HAp coating can be used as a replacement for hydrofluoric acid etching and sandblasting in CAD/CAM resin-ceramic materials to obtain better bond strength values.

Background: Sarcoidosis is a multisystem granulomatous disorder of unknown etiology. There are no data on the indications for specific tests or optimal frequency for monitoring of the disease activity in sarcoidosis., Methods: Complete blood counts, demographics and pulmonary function data from sarcoidosis patients evaluated between 2006 and 2012 were collated retrospectively. During follow-up, the latest red cell distribution width (RDW) values of the patients were recorded. The prognosis and diagnosis of sarcoidosis was based on according to the guideline. Sarcoidosis progression was classified as follows: remission, stable disease and progreesive disease., Results: The diagnosis was based on histopathological findings in 93 out of 138 (67.4%) patients. In our cohort, the baseline mean RDW levels were 14.1% ± 1.2. The RDW distribution by stage was as follows: stage I: 14.0% (± 1.6), II: 14.2% (± 1.5), III: 13.8% (± 0.9) and IV: 15.8% (± 2.0). In patients with stage IV, baseline and follow-up values of RDW were found to be significantly higher than the other stages. While the mean baseline RDW was 14.8 (± 1.4) in the progressive disease, upon follow-up, the mean RDW had increased to 16.5% (± 1.4) (P = 0.021), No difference was found between the baseline and follow-up levels of RDW in the regressive and stable groups., Conclusions: Serial RDW levels may be beneficial marker to predict progression of sarcoidosis., (© 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Right ventricular (RV) dysfunction may occur in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). Tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) and strain and strain rate analysis are new echocardiographic tools that can quantitate RV function. This study aimed to compare the RV function between healthy CF patients and non-CF patients to determine whether differences exist. Healthy CF children and age-matched non-CF children were enrolled in the study. In this study, TDI analysis of the RV free wall was performed at the level of the tricuspid valve annulus. Two-dimensional speckle echocardiography was used to measure global strain and strain rates in a six-segment model of the RV. Independent t tests were used to compare the groups. The study enrolled 18 CF patients (age, 7.7 ± 2.0 years) and 15 non-CF patients (age, 6.4 ± 2.5 years). The age difference was not significant. The forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV(1)) for the CF patients was 91 ± 15 %. The systolic annular velocity by TDI was significantly lower in the CF group. The RV strain values in the CF group were significantly lower in four of the six segments (RV free-wall base, RV free-wall mid, RV septal apex, and RV septal mid). The global strain value, the systolic strain rate, and the early diastolic strain rate were significantly lower in the CF group. Decreased systolic and diastolic RV properties were present in young healthy CF patients. Further studies with longitudinal follow-up evaluation are needed to determine the significance of these findings for the pediatric CF population.

Mutations in the ganglioside-induced differentiation-associated protein 1 gene (GDAP1) cause Charcot-Marie-Tooth type 2 (CMT2), a severe autosomal recessive form of neuropathy associated with axonal phenotypes. It has been screened in this study for the presence of mutations in the coding region of GDAP1, which maps to chromosome 8q21, in a family with CMT2. To date, 29 mutations in the GDAP1 have been reported in patients of different ethnic origins. Here, we report a novel missense mutation (c.836A>G), and two polymorphisms: a silent variant (c.102G>C), and a 5'-splice site mutation (IVS5+24C>T) in GDPA1 gene identified in a five generation Turkish family with autosomal recessive CMT2.

Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease is a clinically and genetically heterogeneous group of inherited peripheral motor and sensory neuropathies characterized by distal muscle weakness atrophy predominantly in the lower extremities, diminished or absent deep tendon reflexes, distal sensory loss and skeletal deformities. Mode of inheritance could be either autosomal dominant, autosomal recessive, or X-linked. The autosomal-recessive subgroup of CMT (AR-CMT) neuropathies is heterogeneous as well. To date, nine demyelinating loci have been implicated in CMT4 and seven genes have been identified. It has been screened in this study for the presence of mutations in the coding region of GDAP1 and genetic linkage analyses of CMT4B1, CMT4B2, CMT4C, CMT4D, CMT4E, and CMT4F loci were tested in a Turkish family presenting recessively inherited form of CMT disease characterized by severe motor weakness. We did not find any mutations in GDAP1 and genetic linkage excluded for the six demyelinating genes loci (CMT4B1, CMT4B2, CMT4C, CMT4D, CMT4E, and CMT4F). Our findings indicate that another locus may be associated with AR-CMT disease.

Background: Tissue Doppler echocardiography (TDE) has been applied to the children age group; however, myocardial tissue velocities of neonates have been reported by few researchers., Methods: Myocardial velocities along the longitudinal axis of the left ventricle were measured in two groups: 50 term neonates within 5 days after birth and 54 healthy children by TDE. Sample volumes were placed in mitral lateral annulus (MLA), mitral medial annulus (MMA), and in the basal and middle parts of the left ventricular lateral wall (LVLW) and interventricular septum (IVS)., Results: The highest myocardial velocities were obtained from MLA. In all segments, the mean systolic velocity (Sw) was found significantly lower than the mean early diastolic (Ew) and atrial systolic velocities (Aw) (P < 0.0001). The mean Aw was the dominant component in the MMA and were significantly higher than Ew (P < 0.001). The mean Ew/Aw in the MMA and MLA increased significantly while replacing the Doppler beam from base to apex. TDE indexes of neonates, except Aw obtained from MLA and MMA, were significantly lower than that of children group (P < 0.0001 and P < 0.0001, respectively). The mean E/Ew ratio of the left ventricle in neonates was found to be significantly higher than that found in children group (P < 0.0001)., Conclusion: In neonates, the diastolic and systolic myocardial velocities of the left ventricle were significantly lower than those measured in the children group. Decreased myocardial tissue values of neonates might be reflecting the immaturity of neonatal myocardium.

Isoniazid (INH) still remains a first-line drug both for treatment and prophylaxis of tuberculosis, but various organs toxicity frequently develops in patients receiving this drug. We aimed to investigate possible toxic effects of INH on rat red blood cells (RBCs), and to elucidate whether Caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) prevents a possible toxic effect of INH. Experimental groups were designed as follows: control group, INH group, INH + CAPE group. Compared with the control, the INH caused a significant increase in superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, and a decrease in glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and catalase (CAT), which are recently used to monitor the development and extent of damage due to oxidative stresses. CAPE administration to INH group ameliorated above changes due to INH.

Aim: To examine the effects of melatonin treatment on lipid peroxidation (LPO) and the activities of antioxidant enzymes in the testicular tissue of streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats., Methods: Twenty-six male rats were randomly divided into three groups as follows: group I, control, non-diabetic rats (n = 9); group II, STZ-induced, untreated diabetic rats (n = 8); group III, STZ-induced, melatonin-treated (dose of 10 mg/kg . day) diabetic rats (n = 9). Following 8-week melatonin treatment, all rats were anaesthetized and then were killed to remove testes from the scrotum., Results: As compared to group I, in rat testicular tissues of group II , increased levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) (P < 0.01) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) (P < 0.01) as well as decreased levels of catalase (CAT) (P < 0.01) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) (P > 0.05) were found. In contrast, as compared to group II, in rat testicular tissues of group III, levels of MDA decreased (but this decrease was not significant, P > 0.05) and SOD (P < 0.01) as well as CAT (P < 0.05) increased. GSH-Px was not influenced by any of the treatment. Melatonin did not significantly affect the elevated glucose concentration of diabetic group. At the end of the study, there was no significant difference between the melatonin-treated group and the untreated group by means of body and testicular weight., Conclusion: Diabetes mellitus increases oxidative stress and melatonin inhibits lipid peroxidation and might regulate the activities of antioxidant enzymes of diabetic rat testes.

Background: We aimed to establish the prevalence of interatrial septal openings (IASOs) in newborns, to define their natural course during the first year of life, and to find the predictor factors for their spontaneous closure., Methods: One thousand and seventy two newborns were examined with echocardiography in early postnatal period. The length of interatrial septum (IASL) and IASO diameter were measured, and the "IASO/IASL" ratio was calculated for each case. According to the IASO diameter, study population was divided into 4 groups as Group 1 (< 3 mm), Group 2 (> or = 3-5 mm), Group 3 (> or = 5-7 mm) and Group 4 (> or = 7 mm)., Results: The overall prevalence of IASOs was 78.6% (83.3% in preterms (105 of 126) and 78.1% in full-terms (738 of 946)). The mean diameter of IASOs was 3.1+/-1.1 mm. The overall spontaneous closure rate of IASOs at the end of the first year of life was 96.1% (99.3% in Group 1, 94.8% in Group 2, 64.8% in Group 3 and 50.0% in Group 4). The spontaneous closure was earlier in Group 1 compared to other groups (p=0.011). There were positive correlations between the closure time and the diameter of IASOs, and closure time and "IASO/IASL" (p<0.001 and p<0.001 respectively). The most important factors affecting the spontaneous closure time were the initial diameter of IASO and the "IASO/IASL" ratio (p<0.001 and p=0.029 respectively). When the "IASO/IASL" ratio is < or = 33.3%, its sensitivity and specificity in predicting the spontaneous closure at the end of the first year were 99.1% and 88.2% respectively., Conclusions: The prevalence of IASOs in newborns and spontaneous closure rate of the IASOs with a diameter of less than 5 mm are very high. In addition to the initial diameter of IASO, the "IASO/IASL" ratio is also an important predictor for spontaneous closure.

Isoniazid (INH) has neurotoxic effects such as seizure, poor concentration, subtle reduction in memory, anxiety, depression and psychosis. INH-induced toxic effects are thought to be through increased oxidative stress, and these effects have been shown to be prevented by antioxidant therapies in various organs. Increased oxidative stress may be playing a role in these neurotoxic effects. N-methyl D-aspartat receptors (NMDA) are a member of the ionotropic group of glutamate receptors. These receptors are involved in a wide variety of processes in the central nervous system including synaptogenesis, synaptic plasticity, memory and learning. Erdosteine is a potent antioxidant and mucolytic agent. We aimed to investigate adverse effects of INH on rat hippocampal NMDAR receptors, and to elucidate whether erdosteine prevents possible adverse effects of INH. In the present study, compared to control group, NMDAR2A (NR2A) receptors were significantly decreased and malondialdehyde (MDA), end product of lipid peroxidation, production was significantly increased in INH-treated group. On the other hand, administration of erdosteine to INH-treated group significantly increased NR2A receptors and decreased MDA production. In conclusion, decreasing NR2A receptors in hippocampus and increasing lipid peroxidation correlates with the degree of oxidative effects of INH and erdosteine protects above effect of INH on NR2A receptors and membrane damage due to lipid peroxidation by its antioxidant properties.

Objectives: The risk for cardiovascular disease is significantly high in diabetes mellitus. Experimental evidence suggests that oxidative stress plays a dominant role in the pathogenesis of diabetes mellitus. Caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE), an active component of propolis, has several biological and pharmacological properties, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-carcinogenic, antiviral, and immunomodulatory activities. In light of the antioxidant ability of CAPE, the effects of CAPE on the antioxidative status of cardiac tissue were investigated in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats., Design and Methods: Twenty-six rats were randomly divided into three groups: group I, control, nondiabetic rats (n = 9); group II, STZ-induced, untreated diabetic rats (n = 7); and group III, STZ-induced, CAPE-treated diabetic rats (n = 10). In groups II and III, diabetes developed 3 days after intraperitoneal (ip) administration of a single 35 mg kg(-1) dose of STZ. Thereafter, while the rats in group II received no treatment, the rats in group III began to receive a 10 mumol kg(-1) ip dose of CAPE per day. After 8 weeks, the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) in the cardiac tissues of all groups were analyzed., Results: In untreated diabetic rats, MDA markedly increased in the cardiac tissue compared with the control rats (P < 0.05). However, MDA levels were reduced to the control level by CAPE. The activities of SOD and CAT in the untreated diabetic group and the CAPE-treated diabetic group were higher than those of the control group (P < 0.05). Rats in the CAPE-treated diabetic group had reduced activities of SOD and CAT in comparison with the rats in the untreated diabetic group (P < 0.05). There were no significant differences in the activity of GSH-Px between the rats in the untreated diabetic group and the control group. However, the activity of GSH-Px was increased in CAPE-treated diabetic rats compared with the control and untreated diabetic rats (P < 0.05)., Conclusion: These results reveal that diabetes mellitus increases oxidative stress in cardiac tissue and CAPE has an ameliorating effect on the oxidative stress via its antioxidant property.

Background: We aimed to investigate the possible association between Mn-SOD polymorphism in the mitochondrial targeting sequence and asthma., Methods: Alanine or valine polymorphism in the signal peptide of Mn-SOD gene was evaluated using a primer pair to amplify a 107-bp fragment followed by digestion with NgoM IV., Results: No significant difference in genotype frequencies was found between patients and controls., Conclusion: These results suggest no major modifying role for the Mn-SOD gene polymorphism in patients with asthma.

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a mycotoxin produced by different fungi. The most pronounced adverse effect of OTA is hepatonephrotoxicity. Melatonin (MEL) has an antioxidant effect and has free-radical scavenger properties. The effects of OTA on heart and lung tissue and possible ameliorating effects of MEL were investigated in rats. Twenty-four rats were allocated to three groups (each with eight rats): control; OTA-treated group (OTA dose 289 microg kg(-1) per day); and OTA + MEL-treated group (MEL dose 10 mg kg(-1) per day). After 30 days of treatment, the histopathological changes in the heart and lung of all groups were examined. Compared with the control rats, myocardial tissue of rats treated with OTA showed extensive cytoplasmic vacuole formation, necrosis of the myocytes, dissolution of the nucleus, clumped fibres, fibrillolysis, swollen myocardial fibres, small haemorrhagic areas and hyperaemic vessels (P <0.05). In addition, lungs of rats treated with OTA showed alveolar congestion, alveolar cell hyperplasia, prominent alveolar septal vessels, variable intensity loss of alveolar architecture, intraparenchymal inflammatory infiltration, intraparenchymal hyperaemic vessels, respiratory epithelial proliferation, perivascular and peribronchial inflammation, pneumonic infiltration, distorted appearance of lung parenchyma and emphysematous areas (P <0.05). In comparison with the OTA groups, the ameliorating effects of MEL in the lung damage parameters were on alveolar cell hyperplasia, prominent alveolar septal vessels, variable intensity loss of alveolar architecture, intraparenchymal inflammatory infiltration, perivascular inflammatory inflammation, distorted appearance of lung parenchyma and focal emphysematous areas in lung (P <0.05). Melatonin also significantly reduced myocardial damage in most of the parameters: extensive cytoplasmic vacuole formation, necrosis of the myocytes, clumped fibres, fibrillolysis, small haemorrhagic areas and hypaeremic vessels in heart (P <0.05). On the other hand, MEL did not lower the degree of damage in lung and heart to the level of the control rats, except for the parameters of the interstitial oedema and small haemorrhagic areas only in myocardial tissue. Histopathological findings showed that OTA induced damage in heart and lung and MEL treatment significantly reduced the degree of damage.

The aim of this study was to examine the effect of caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) on lipid peroxidation (LPO) and the activities of antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) in the liver of streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Twenty-seven rats were randomly divided into three groups: group I, control non-diabetic rats (n = 9); group II, STZ-induced, untreated diabetic rats (n = 8); group III, STZ-induced, CAPE-treated diabetic rats (n = 10), which were intraperitoneally injected with CAPE (10 microM kg(-1) day(-1)) after 3 days followed by STZ treatment. The liver was excised after 8 weeks of CAPE treatment, the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and the activities of SOD, CAT, and GSH-Px in the hepatic tissues of all groups were analyzed. In the untreated diabetic rats, MDA markedly increased in the hepatic tissue compared with the control rats (p < 0.0001). However, MDA levels were reduced to the control level by CAPE. The activities of SOD, CAT, and GSH-Px in the untreated diabetic group were higher than that in the control group (p < 0.0001). The activities of SOD and GSH-Px in the CAPE-treated diabetic group were higher than that in the control group (respectively, p < 0.0001, p < 0.035). There were no significant differences in the activity of CAT between the rats of CAPE-treated diabetic and control groups. Rats in the CAPE-treated diabetic group had reduced activities of SOD and CAT in comparison with the rats of untreated diabetic group (p < 0.0001). There were no significant differences in the activity of GSH-Px between the rats of untreated diabetic and CAPE-treated groups. It is likely that STZ-induced diabetes caused liver damage. In addition, LPO may be one of the molecular mechanisms involved in STZ-induced diabetic damage. CAPE can reduce LPO caused by STZ-induced diabetes.