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Curcumin plays a leading role as an epigenetic regulator in cancer. miR-15a-5p is a crucial non-coding RNA for breast cancer (BRCA) and various cancers due to its tumor suppressor role. In our study, we aimed to examine the curcumin/miR-15a-5p/target gene interaction in BRCA cells.

Introduction: This study investigates the relationship between serum TWEAK levels and the degree of vascular involvement in patients with stable angina pectoris, offering insights beyond conventional cardiovascular risk factors. Materials and Methods: This study involved 88 patients (33 women, 55 men) diagnosed with stable angina pectoris. Patients were classified based on angiographic findings. Comprehensive demographic and medical history data were collected, and morning blood samples were analyzed, focusing on TWEAK and IL-6 levels. To assess the severity of coronary artery lesions, a modified version of the Gensini scoring system was employed. Results: Analyses revealed no significant correlation between TWEAK levels and the severity of coronary artery disease. Although some variations in biochemical markers were observed based on gender and diabetic status, these differences did not exhibit a statistically significant relationship with the degree of vascular involvement. Conclusion: The findings indicate that serum TWEAK levels do not have a significant association with the severity of vascular involvement in patients with stable angina pectoris. These results highlight the limited efficacy of TWEAK as a sole biomarker in assessing the severity of coronary artery disease, emphasizing the complexity of its role.

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a common hematological cancer. Hence, it is important to conduct further studies investigating the molecular mechanisms in detail that contributes to myeloma genesis. In addition to genetic changes, epigenetic factors such as miRNAs may influence the expression of myeloma-related genes.

Abdisamad Mohamed Adan, Sevgi Özturk, Abdulkamil Abdullahi Adani, Mohamed Osman Omar Jeele Department of Internal Medicine, Mogadishu-Somali Turkish Training and Research Hospital, Mogadishu, SomaliaCorrespondence: Mohamed Osman Omar Jeele, Department of Internal Medicine, Mogadishu-Somali Turkish Training and Research Hospital, Mogadishu, Somalia, Tel +252 615775226, Email drjeele@gmail.comAbstract: Rhabdomyolysis is a life-threatening condition which is characterized by muscle injury and leakage of muscle contents into the systemic circulation. It has been known that hypothyroidism is associated with some degree of myalgia and muscle stiffness, but it can also be a cause of life-threatening rhabdomyolysis with end-organ damage. A combination of acute renal impairment due to rhabdomyolysis in patients with hypothyroidism, especially those who have no precipitating factors, is extremely rare. Here, we report a case of a 27-year-old male patient with severe hypothyroidism who presented to the emergency department with acute renal impairment due to rhabdomyolysis induced by severe hypothyroidism. The patient was admitted for 5 days and after levothyroxine 100 μg, intravenous fluid rehydration, input and output follow-up and close monitoring, the patient improved and was discharged in good condition.Keywords: rhabdomyolysis, hypothyroidism, acute renal injury, Somalia

The aim of this study is to investigate the equity phenomenon, which can be defined as an equal treatment for equal need irrespective of socio-economic status, in the utilization of health care services in Turkey (for out-patient and in-patient treatment services, separately) in the context of the behavioral model. We have used the “Health Surveys” obtained from the Turkish Statistical Institute for 2010, 2012 and 2014. The equity phenomenon and the determinants of the health care utilization are investigated by using the probit model. The findings indicate that the need variable has the largest marginal effect in magnitude for all types of health care. This implies that the health system structure in Turkey is based on need and, therefore, equity exists in the utilization of health care services. We have also found that health insurance has the second largest marginal effect after the need variable. This means that policy makers should focus on enabling factors, especially the coverage of health insurance and the level of income to increase health care utilization of the disadvantaged segments of the population.

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is a neoplasm characterized by excessive accumulation of B lymphocytes in the peripheral blood, bone marrow and lymph nodes. We assessed the expressions of 22 genes in the p53 pathway in 30 CLL patients and 15 healthy subjects by a RT2 Profiler PCR (polymerase chain reaction) Array technique and their relation to cytogenetic aberrations detected by fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH). Our Student’s t-test results indicated that ATM, ATR, BAX, CASP9, CDK4, CDKN2A, CHEK1, CHEK2, E2F3, MCL1, MDM2, MDM4, PCNA, RB1, P53 and BCL2 genes were statistically significant (p

Introduction: Sitosterolemia, defined as phytosterolemia, is a rare autosomal recessive disease characterized by elevated blood sterol levels. Our aim was to investigate serum plant sterols, methylmalonic acid, vitamin B12, oxidized-LDL and homocysteine levels in ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke patients and healthy subjects. Material and Methods: 50 healthy subjects (without a family history of coronary artery disease) and 89 patients hospitalized in the Selcuk University neurology clinic or intensive care unit with a diagnosis of stroke were included in this study. Serum plant sterols, homocysteine and methylmalonic acid, oxidized-LDL, total cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL-Cholesterol and vitamin B12 levels were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, liquid-chromatography tandem mass spectrometry, commercially available ELISA kit, spectrophotometry and chemiluminescence methods, respectively. Results: Urinary methylmalonic acid/creatinine ratio (p< 0.05), serum β-sitosterol levels and β-sitosterol/ cholesterol ratio were significantly higher (p

Background and objectives: To investigate the differences in the number of squamous epithelial cells carried to the spinal canal by three different types of spinal needle tip of the same size. Methods: Patients were allocated into three groups (Group I, Group II, Group III). Spinal anesthesia was administered to Group I (n = 50) using a 25G Quincke needle, to Group II (n = 50) using a 25G pencil point spinal needle, and to Group III (n = 50) using a non-cutting atraumatic needle with special bending. The first and third drops of cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) samples were taken from each patient and each drop was placed on a slide for cytological examination. Nucleated and non-nucleated squamous epithelial cells on the smear preparations were counted. Results: There was statistically significant difference between the groups in respect to the number of squamous epithelial cells in the first drop (p 0.05 for each group). Conclusions: In this study of different needle tips, it was seen that with atraumatic needle with special bending a significantly smaller number of cells were transported when compared to the Quincke tip needles, and with pencil point needles. Resumo: Justificativa e objetivo: Investigar as diferenças no número de células epiteliais escamosas transportadas para o canal medular por três tipos diferentes de pontas de agulhas espinhais do mesmo tamanho. Métodos: Os pacientes foram alocados em três grupos (Grupo I, Grupo II, Grupo III). Raquianestesia foi administrada aos pacientes do Grupo I (n = 50) com agulha Quincke de 25G, do Grupo II (n = 50) com agulha espinhal ponta de lápis de 25G e do Grupo III (n = 50) com agulha atraumática não cortante de curvatura especial. A primeira e terceira gotas de líquido cefalorraquidiano (LCR) foram colhidas de cada paciente para amostra e cada gota foi colocada em lâmina para exame citológico. As células epiteliais escamosas nucleadas e não nucleadas sobre as lâminas de esfregaço foram contadas. Resultados: Houve diferença estatisticamente significativa entre os grupos em relação ao número de células epiteliais escamosas na primeira gota (p 0,05, para cada grupo). Conclusões: Neste estudo de pontas de agulha diferentes, verificamos que com a agulha atraumática de curvatura especial o número de células transportadas foi significativamente menor, em comparação com as agulhas Quincke e ponta de lápis. Keywords: Spinal anesthesia, Cerebrospinal fluid, Spinal needles, Epithelial cells, Palavras-chave: Raquianestesia, Líquido cefalorraquidiano, Agulhas espinhais, Células epiteliais

This study was carried out with the participation of eight hospitals in Turkey to determine the frequency of Gram-negative bacteria isolated in intensive care units (ICU) and to compare their resistance rates to selected antibiotics. Aerobic Gram-negative bacteria isolated from ICUs during 1996 were studied. Antibiotic susceptibilities to imipenem, ceftazidime, ceftazidime-clavulanate, ceftriaxone, cefotaxime, cefepime, cefodizime, cefuroxime, piperacillin/tazobactam, amoxycillin-clavulanate, gentamicin, amikacin and ciprofloxacin were determined by Etest. A total of 748 isolates were obtained from 547 patients. The majority of organisms were isolated from the respiratory (38.8%) and urinary tracts (30.9%). Pseudomonas spp. were the most frequently isolated Gram-negative species (26.8%), followed by Klebsiella spp. (26.2%). Escherichia coli, Acinetobacter spp. and Enterobacter spp. were the other commonly isolated organisms. High resistance rates were observed for all antibiotics studied. Imipenem appeared to be the most active agent against the majority of isolates. Although resistance rates exceeded 50%, ciprofloxacin, cefepime and amikacin were found to be relatively effective. Extended-spectrum β0lactamase (ESBL) production appeared to be a major mechanism of resistance to β-lactam antibiotics. In contrast to ceftazidime-clavulanate, piperacillin/tazobactam showed poor activity against organisms thought to produce ESBL, suggesting the presence of an enzyme resistant to tazobactam action. This study has yielded high rates of resistance in aerobic Gram-negative isolates from ICUs in Turkey. High resistance rates to all the other antibacterials studied leave imipenem as the only reliable agent for the empirical treatment of ICU infections in Turkey. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Gulistan Bahat, 1 Serdar Ozkok, 1 Savaş Ozturk, 2 Mehmet Akif Karan 1 1Istanbul University, Istanbul Medical School, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Geriatrics, Istanbul, Turkey; 2Istanbul Haseki Training and Research Hospital, Department of Internal Medicine, Istanbul, TurkeyCorrespondence: Gulistan Bahat Tel +90 212 414 20 00 Ext. 31478Email gbahatozturk@yahoo.comWe have read the article by Huang et al with great interest. 1 Authors aimed to reveal the relationship between serum vitamin D levels and stroke-associated pneumonia (SAP). They measured the serum vitamin D levels of the acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients within 24 hrs of admission and divided them into three groups accordingly. Compared to the patients without SAP, patients with SAP had significantly lower vitamin D levels. The prevalence of SAP was higher in the vitamin D deficient group. In the logistic regression analysis, it was detected that vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency were independently associated with SAP. View the original paper by Huang and colleagues

In this paper, we obtain some sufficient criteria for the oscillation of the solutions of linear impulsive partial difference equations with continuous variables

Abstract A vertically aligned Pd nanowire array was successfully fabricated on an Au/Ti substrate using an anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) template by a direct voltage electrodeposition method at room temperature using diluted neutral electrolyte. The fabrication of Pd nanowires was controlled by analyzing the current–time transient during electrodeposition using potentiostat. The AAO template and the Pd nanowires were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) methods and X-Ray diffraction (XRD). It was observed that the Pd nanowire array was standing freely on an Au-coated Ti substrate after removing the AAO template in a relatively large area of about 5 cm2, approximately 50 nm in diameter and 2.5 μm in length with a high aspect ratio. The nucleation rate and the number of atoms in the critical nucleus were determined from the analysis of current transients. Pd nuclei density was calculated as 3.55 × 108 cm−2. Usage of diluted neutral electrolyte enables slower growing of Pd nanowires owing to increase in the electrodeposition potential and thus obtained Pd nanowires have higher crystallinity with lower dislocations. In fact, this high crystallinity of Pd nanowires provides them positive effect for sensor performances especially.

Supply chain management that considers the flow of raw materials, products and information has become a focal issue in modern manufacturing and service systems. Supply chain management requires effective use of assets and information that has far reaching implications beyond satisfaction of customer demand, flow of goods, services or capital. Aggregate planning, a fundamental decision model in supply chain management, refers to the determination of production, inventory, capacity and labor usage levels in the medium term. Traditionally standard mathematical programming formulation is used to devise the aggregate plan so as to minimize the total cost of operations. However, this formulation is purely an economic model that does not include sustainability considerations. In this study, we revise the standard aggregate planning formulation to account for additional environmental and social criteria to incorporate triple bottom line consideration of sustainability. We show how these additional criteria can be appended to traditional cost accounting in order to address sustainability in aggregate planning. We analyze the revised models and interpret the results on a case study from real life that would be insightful for decision makers.

The aim of the present study was to investigate whether epidural administration of a xylazine-lidocaine combination accompanied by xylazine sedation would provide satisfactory analgesia for some surgical procedures on 10 calves admitted to the Department of Veterinary Surgery, University of Kafkas with perineal urolithiasis (n:2), rectovaginal fistula (n:1), atresia ani (n:2), omphalophlebitis (n:2), omphaloarteritis (n:1) and umbilical hernia (n:2). Following intramuscular injection of xylazine at a dose of 0.05 mg/kg for sedation, xylazine-lidocaine combination (0.2 mg/kg lidocaine + 0.02 mg/kg xylazine + 5 ml 0.9% NaCl) was administrated into the lumbosacral (L6-S1), sacrococcygeal (S5-Co1) or intercoccygeal (Co1-Co2) space. Heart rate, respiratory rate and rectal temperature were recorded prior to and during analgesia at 5, 10, 15, 30 and 60 minutes. Furthermore, depth and duration of analgesia were evaluated during surgical intervention. The study revealed that the combination of epidural xylazine-lidocaine with xylazine sedation was highly satisfactory for surgery of the lower urinary tract and the perineal region, but it was less so for surgery of the umbilical area.

In recent years, digital image forgery detection has become one of the hardest studying area for researchers investigations in the field of information security and image processing. Image forgery detection methods can be divided into two extensive groups such as Active methods and Passive (Blind) methods. Active methods have been used data hiding techniques like watermarking and digital signatures. Passive forensic methods (or Blind) use image statistics or they investigate the attributes of the image to determine the forgeries. Passive detection techniques are also split into three branches; image splicing, image retouching, copy-move. Such image forgery detection methods are focus of this paper.

Aim: It is aimed to evaluate the knowledge of Pre-Hospital Emergency Health Services (PHEMS) staff about the treat and release criteria in hypoglycemia cases and their attitudes in the decision-making processes related to hospitalization., Materials and Methods: The sample of this descriptive cross-sectional study consisted of 714 paramedics working in PHEMS in Turkey. A survey developed in Microsoft Forms, which includes various features such as age, gender, years of professional experience, developed in line with the literature, and questions covering treat and release in hypoglycemia cases and absolute hospital transport criteria, was used in the collection of data. Participants who agreed to participate in the study answered the online survey., Findings: Of the 714 participants, 402 (56.30%) were female and 312 (43.70%) were male. 598 (83.75%) of the participants, who had a dilemma regarding the transfer of hypoglycemia cases that became stable after treatment to the hospital, decide to transfer the patient to the emergency room. 706 (98.88%) reported that the presence of another emergency that needs intervention in addition to hypoglycemia was decisive in the decision to transfer to the absolute hospital, and 586 (82.07%) reported that the patient's who did not return to his normal mental state after emergency medical intervention was decisive in the treatment and release decision., Conclusion: PHEMS employees have high knowledge and awareness related to treat and release criteria in hypoglycemia cases with which they have high experience. PHEMS employee, who has a dilemma related to making a treat and release decision, decides to transfer to the hospital with a high rate. PHEMS systems should define the treat and release protocols for hypoglycemia cases more clearly in order to use emergency services and health resources effectively., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Turkey plays an important role in the international trade of apricots as it has the largest production rate in the world. Since the sulphurisation process is allowed to be used for different products, the effect of residual sulphur and its compounds (which can be found in products as pesticide residues or additive residues) on the positive detection of carbon disulphide (CS 2 ) still creates a big challenge in international trade. Therefore, the main objective of the present study was to investigate the effects of residues of sulphur or sulphur compounds on dithiocarbamate analysis methods based on CS 2 measurement. In this study, apricots were chosen since they contain sulphur residues as a result of the sulphurisation process. Sulphur dioxide and dithiocarbamate analyses were conducted on dried apricots prepared with the sulphurisation process (SA) and without the sulphurisation process (NSA); analysis was by two different accredited laboratories. No of pesticide was applied to either SA or NSA samples. Although some of the NSA samples had 2 and 0.061 ± 0.021 mg/kg dithiocarbamate were detected for NSA samples. On the other hand, for the SA sample group, 927-2915 mg/kg of SO 2 and 0.265-0.825 mg/kg of dithiocarbamate were detected. Furthermore, a strong correlation between residual sulphur and dithiocarbamate values was observed. This study showed that the analysis method based on CS 2 measurement may lead to false positive results for dithiocarbamates when residues of sulphur or sulphur compounds are found in products as pesticide or additive residues. Therefore, residual sulphur compounds as a result of the sulphurisation process (which is not considered during the evaluation of products) must be taken into account during the evaluation of products for dithiocarbamates.

Introduction: The inflammatory process has been reported to be associated with aortic dissection (AD) from the development to the prognosis. The aim of the study was to investigate a relationship between the neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and in-hospital outcomes in patients with acute aortic dissection (AAD) who underwent surgical repair., Methods: One hundred and eighty-four patients who were admitted with the diagnosis of type A AAD who underwent surgical repair at two large tertiary hospitals. According to their NLR, 91 patients had high NLR (>6.0) and 93 patients had low NLR (⩽6.0)., Results: The frequency of major bleeding, hospital-related infection, multi-organ dysfunction and mortality in hospital were higher in the high NLR group compared to the low NLR group. NLR, WBC count and operation duration were found to be independent predictors for in-hospital mortality., Conclusions: The novel inflammatory marker NLR may be used to predict worse outcomes and hospital mortality in patients with AAD treated by surgical repair.

The organogenesis of the digestive system was described in the Amazonian pimelodid catfish species Pseudoplatystoma punctifer from hatching (3.5 mm total length, TL) to 41 days post-fertilization (dpf) (58.1 mm TL) reared at 28°C. Newly hatched larvae showed a simple digestive tract, which appeared as a straight undifferentiated and unfolded tube lined by a single layer of columnar epithelial cells (future enterocytes). During the endogenous feeding period, comprised between 20 and 96 h post-fertilization (3.5 to 6.1 mm TL), the larval digestive system experienced a fast transformation with the almost complete development and differentiation of most of digestive organs (buccopahrynx, oesophagus, intestine, liver and exocrine pancreas). Yolk reserves were not completely depleted at the onset of exogenous feeding (4 dpf, 6.1 mm TL), and a period of mixed nutrition was observed up to 6 to 7 dpf (6.8 to 7.3 mm TL) when yolk was definitively exhausted. The stomach was the organ that latest achieved its complete differentiation, characterized by the development of abundant gastric glands in the fundic stomach between 10 and 15 dpf (10.9 to 15.8 mm TL) and the formation of the pyloric sphincter at the junction of the pyloric stomach and the anterior intestine at 15 dpf (15.8 mm TL). The above-mentioned morphological and histological features observed suggested the achievement of a digestive system characteristic of P. punctifer juveniles and adults. The ontogeny of the digestive system in P. punctifer followed the same general pattern as in most Siluriform species so far, although some species-specific differences in the timing of differentiation of several digestive structures were noted, which might be related to different reproductive guilds, egg and larval size or even different larval rearing practices. According to present findings on the histological development of the digestive system in P. punctifer, some recommendations regarding the rearing practices of this species are also provided in order to improve the actual larval rearing techniques of this fast-growing Neotropical catfish species.

The objective of this study was to adapt the Women's Health Questionnaire (WHQ) to women who speak Turkish and are from the Turkish culture, and to assess the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the scale. A convenience sample of women undergoing the menopausal transition or in the postmenopausal period was recruited at one primary health care center in Erzurum, Turkey. The researchers selected consecutive women who applied to the center for health care services. Three hundred sixty-six women were asked to participate in the study and to complete the WHQ during their appointment at the health care center in 2010. In the assessment of construct validity, nine factors were identified: depressed mood; menstrual symptoms; somatic symptoms; anxiety/fears; attractiveness; sexual behaviour; vasomotor symptoms; memory; and sleep problems. The nine factors explained 56.5% of the total variance. The overall internal reliability coefficient of this scale was 0.80. Evidence of the validity, reliability, and acceptability of the questionnaire was provided in this study. The Turkish version of the questionnaire is easy to understand and allows evaluation of women's quality of life for various purposes.

Objective: The aim of our study was determine whether aortic knob width (AKW) is associated with the development of atrial fibrillation (AF) after isolated coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG)., Methods: In this retrospective observational cohort study, we evaluated 135 patients without hemodynamically significant valvular problems. AKW was measured on chest X-ray by digital system. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to find independent associates of postoperative AF (POAF). The diagnostic value of AKW was assessed using ROC analysis., Results: POAF occurred in 43 (31.8%) of all patients. The age, AKW, left atrial (LA) diameter and C-reactive protein (CRP) were significantly higher in patients with POAF than without POAF (67.2 ± 8.6 vs 61.3 ± 9.8 years, p=0.004; 45.6 ± 5.8 vs 36.1 ± 3.8 mm, p<0.001; 37.9 ± 3.5 vs 35.8 ± 3.1mm, p=0.002 and 10.6 ± 8.5 vs 5.6 ± 6.5 mg/L, p=0.001 respectively). Multiple logistic regression analysis demonstrated that AKW, LA diameter and CRP were independently associated with POAF (OR=4.527, 95% CI=1.315 -15.588, p=0.017; OR=2.834, 95% CI=1.091-7.360, p=0.032 and OR=1.300, 95% CI=1.038-1.628, p=0.022 respectively). ROC analysis has demonstrated that aortic knob of 36.5 mm constitutes the cut-off value for the occurrence of POAF with 84.4% sensitivity and 64.6% specificity (AUC=0.84, 95% CI=0.75-0.94, p<0.001)., Conclusion: We have demonstrated a significant association between the AKW and AF development after isolated CABG. PA chest radiography is a cheap and readily available clinical tool and it can be examined easily by every cardiovascular surgeons.

Introduction: A relationship between atrial conduction time and hypertension was shown in previous studies. Increased atrial electromechanical intervals used to predict atrial fibrillation by measured tissue Doppler imaging (TDI). So we aimed to search if there was any association between the non-dipping status and atrial electromechanical intervals in pre-hypertensive patients., Methods: Forty-one non-dipper and 33 dipper pre-hypertensive subjects enrolled in the study. Systolic and diastolic blood pressures were measured with a mercury sphygmomanometer. Twenty-four hours blood pressure was measured with cuff-oscillometric method. All patients were evaluated by transthoracic echocardiography. Using tissue Doppler imaging (TDI), atrial electromechanical coupling (PA) was measured from the lateral mitral annulus (PA lateral), septal mitral annulus (PA septum) and right ventricular tricuspid annulus (PA tricuspid)., Results: Systolic and diastolic blood pressures were significantly higher in subjects with non-dipper phenomenon than dipper ones at night. Twenty-four hours average systolic and diastolic blood pressures were higher in non-dipper pre-hypertensive subjects, but this elevation was not significant. Left and right intraatrial (PA lateral-PA septum and PA septum-PA tricuspid) and interatrial (PA lateral-PA tricuspid) electromechanical coupling intervals were measured significantly higher in non-dipper pre-hypertensive patients (31.3 ± 3.9 versus 24.1 ± 2.3, p = 0.001; 19.5 ± 4.3 versus 13.8 ± 2.1, p = 0.001; and 11.4 ± 2.8 versus 8.8 ± 1.5, p = 0.001). Also, interatrial electromechanical delay was negatively correlated with dipping levels., Conclusion: This study showed that prolonged atrial electromechanical intervals were related non-dipper pattern in pre-hypertensive patients. Prolonged electromechanical intervals may be an early sign of subclinical atrial dysfunction and arrhythmias' in non-dipper pre-hypertensive patients.

Background: Metal alloys utilized in the management of jaw fractures may exert genotoxic effects. Our purpose was to compare the genotoxicity of intermaxillary fixation devices containing nickel and chromium to that of titanium miniplates utilized in treatment of jaw fractures through the analysis of sister chromatid exchange., Methods: In this prospective study, in a total of 28 non-smoker patients (10 females, 18 males; mean age 33.43±10.76; range 15 to 60 years) with jaw fractures, 14 were treated with intermaxillary fixation by administration of nickel-chromium wire and arch bar and 14 with titanium miniplates to investigate the genotoxicity of different metal alloys. The outcome variable was the frequency of sister chromatide exchange in peripheral lymphoctyes, determined through the analysis of venous blood samples obtained preoperatively and 4 to 6 weeks postoperatively., Results: The frequency of the average sister chromatid exchange was found to be significantly higher in patients treated with the nickel-chromium intermaxillary fixation devices than those treated by titanium miniplates (1.29±0.29 vs. 0.46±0.39, p<0.001)., Conclusion: Although titanium miniplate osteosynthesis is an invasive technique in comparison with the nickel-chromium-containing intermaxillary fixation devices, titanium seems to exert less genotoxic effect than the nickel-chromium alloy. However, this finding should be supported in clinical studies with a larger sampling size.

Background: Landmine injuries cause extensive soft and bony tissue loss of the weight-bearing areas, particularly the heel. Reconstruction of these injuries is challenging, and there are no studies that report long-term functional results., Objective: To determine the quality of life and long-term functionality of patients who had heel reconstruction with free muscle flap after landmine injuries., Design: A case-control study., Participants: Nine male patients who had heel reconstruction with free muscle flap. Ten male volunteers without any gait disorder were included in the study as the control group., Methods and Interventions: Functional ambulation scale, visual analog scale, energy expenditure index, 6-minute walking test, 10-m walking test, and Short Form 36 were performed to determine the quality of life and functionality of the participants., Results: There were no statistically significant differences between the 2 groups in terms of functional ambulation scale, energy expenditure index, 6-minute walking test, and 10-m walking test. Regarding Short Form 36 scores, all subgroup values were lower in the reconstruction group, whereas only those of general health, vitality, and physical-emotional role limitation subgroups showed statistical significance. Mean visual analog scale scores were found to be statistically different between the groups (P < .05). Mean Freiburg Ankle scores showed moderate functionality., Conclusion: Despite the associated physical and emotional trauma, combat-injured veterans with heel reconstruction after landmine injuries had adequate and functional ambulation at long-term follow-up. Early rehabilitation and close cooperation between surgeons and rehabilitation physicians during the care of these patients will enhance patient outcomes., (Copyright © 2013 American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: It is well known that inflammation plays a key role in both initiation and propagation of acute coronary syndrome (ACS). White blood cell (WBC) and its subtypes are an indicator of inflammation in patients with ACS. We aimed to evaluate the WBC and its subtypes in patients aged <45 year with acute coronary syndromes., Study Design: We retrospectively analyzed WBC and its subtypes (including neutrophil and lymphocyte) in 84 patients (<45 year) who were admitted to the emergency department for chest pain suggestive of ACS (44 unstable angina pectoris, 40 non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction [NSTEMI]), and 40 healthy controls., Results: Hypertension, diabetes mellitus, smoking, and family history were significantly higher in NSTE-ACS patients. Also, LDL levels was significantly higher and HDL levels was significantly lower in NSTE-ACS patients (p=0.041 and p=0.009). The difference in percent of lymphocytes between the groups was significant (p=0.048). N/L ratio was significantly different between all groups and between the NSTEMI and USAP (p<0.001 and p=0.041). Our results demonstrated that hypertension, percent of neutrophils, and N/L ratio was a significant independent predictor of NSTE-ACS (Beta=0.251, 95% CI=0.002-0.523, p=0.048; beta=0.561, 95% CI=0.008-0.137, p=0.028 and beta=0.260, 95% CI=0.042-0.438, p=0.018, respectively)., Conclusion: N/L was found to be elevated in young patients with NSTE-ACS compared with control group. The inflammation assessed using WBC and its subtypes may be more important in young NSTE-ACS patients.

Objectives: It has been shown that the neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (N/L ratio) is associated with cardiovascular events and mortality. In this study, we investigated the N/L ratio in patients with coronary artery ectasia (CAE)., Study Design: Fifty patients diagnosed with CAE using coronary angiography were included in the study (29 male, 21 female; mean age, 51.1±7.1 years). The control group consisted of 28 patients who had normal coronary arteries as determined by coronary angiography (16 male, 12 female; mean age, 49.5±9.4 years). Basal characteristics were recorded. The number of ectatic segments was noted. Hematologic parameters were measured and the N/L ratio was calculated., Results: The N/L ratio was significantly higher in the CAE group compared with control group (median [25-75% percentile] 2.2 [1.6-3.0] vs. 1.8 [1.4-2.0], p=0.014, respectively). The Spearman correlation analysis demonstrated that the N/L ratio positively correlated with number of ectatic segments (r=0.35; p<0.002). Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed an independent relationship between CAE and the N/L ratio (odds ratio 2.674, 95% confidence interval 1.184-6.039, p=0.018)., Conclusion: The N/L ratio is higher in patients with CAE. This ratio is related to presence and severity of CAE.