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Elif Nur Yilmaz,1,2 Sadik Bay,1 Gurkan Ozturk,1,3 Mehmet Hikmet Ucisik1,4 1Regenerative and Restorative Medicine Research Center (REMER), Research Institute for Health Sciences and Technologies (SABITA), Istanbul Medipol University, Beykoz, Istanbul, Turkey; 2Graduate School of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Istanbul Medipol University, Beykoz, Istanbul, Turkey; 3Department of Physiology, International School of Medicine, Istanbul Medipol University, Beykoz, Istanbul, Turkey; 4Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Istanbul Medipol University, Beykoz, Istanbul, TurkeyCorrespondence: Mehmet Hikmet UcisikDepartment of Genetics and Bioengineering, Faculty of Engineering, Yeditepe University, 34755 Istanbul TurkeyTel +90 216 578 0000 - 3259Fax +90 216 578 0829Email m.h.ucisik@gmail.comPurpose: Curcumin, a polyphenol isolated from the rhizomes of turmeric, holds great potential as a neuroprotective agent in addition to its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant characteristics. The poor bioavailability and low stability of curcumin are the greatest barriers to its clinical use. This study aims to investigate the neuroprotective effect of curcumin on axonal injury, by delivering the lipophilic polyphenol to a primary hippocampal neuron culture by means of a lipid-based drug delivery system, named emulsomes.Methods: To study neuroregeneration ex vivo, an injury model was established through single-cell laser axotomy on hippocampal neurites. Upon treatment with curcumin-loaded emulsomes (CurcuEmulsomes), curcumin and CurcuEmulsome uptake into neurons was verified by three-dimensional Z-stack images acquired with confocal microscopy. Neuron survival after axonal injury was tracked by propidium iodide (PI) and Hoechst staining. Alterations in expression levels of physiological markers, such as anti-apoptotic marker Bcl2, apoptotic marker cleaved caspase 3, neuroprotective marker Wnt3a and the neuronal survival marker mTOR, were investigated by immunocytochemistry analyses.Results: The results indicated significant improvement in the survival rate of injured neurons upon CurcuEmulsome treatment. Bcl2 expression was significantly higher for injured neurons treated with curcumin or CurcuEmulsome. Reduction in caspase 3 expression was seen in both curcumin and CurcuEmulsome treatment, whereas there were no significant changes in Wnt3a and mTOR expression.Conclusion: The established laser-axotomy model was proven as a reliable methodology to study neurodegenerative models ex vivo. CurcuEmulsomes delivered curcumin to primary hippocampal neurons successfully. Treated with CurcuEmulsomes, injured hippocampal neurons benefit from the neuroprotective effects of curcumin, exhibiting a higher survival rate and increased anti-apoptotic marker levels.Keywords: curcumin, lipid-based nanodrug delivery, neurodegeneration, hippocampus, axon injury

Vitiligo is an acquired disease of unknown etiology. Several theories have been proposed to understand the pathogenesis. The role of oxidative stress has been getting more important in recent years. One of the primary antioxidant enzymes in vitiligo is the superoxide dismutase (SOD). The aim of this study is to investigate the polymorphisms of the SOD1 and SOD2 in Turkish vitiligo patients. One hundred one vitiligo patients and 99 healthy controls without family history of vitiligo were included into the study. The SOD1 35 A/C and SOD2 A16V (C/T) polymorphisms were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphim (PCR-RFLP). Vitiligo patients and control group of SOD1 35 A/C and SOD2 A16V (C/T) polymorphism allele frequencies were compared by using χ2 tests. The distribution of the SOD1 35 AA and AC genotypes were similar in vitiligo patients and control group. When the patient and the control groups were compared for the SOD2 Ala9Val (C/T) polymorphism, a significant difference was determined for the distribution of the genotypes [p = 0.047, odds ratio (OR) = 2.075, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) = 1.008-4.272]. The relative risk for development of vitiligo was found as a 2-fold increase in the TT genotype. The increase of TT homozygosity in the vitiligo cases creates the problem on the transfer of the enzyme to the mitochondria and thus, the SODs antioxidant effect may decrease in vitiligo but the polymorphism was not determined in all patients, so this study needs to be substantiated by other studies containing a higher number of patients.

Background: Liver surgeries are treatment modalities that require careful pre- and postoperative follow-up for both the surgeon and the patient. Infections are the leading causes of morbidity and mortality after liver transplantation. Infections are the most frequent cause of death between 30 and 180 days after liver transplantation. We aimed to investigate the effect of the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocol on the prevention of infections in liver transplant patients. Patients and Methods: The study included patients who underwent liver transplantation in Ataturk University Organ Transplantation Center between 2017 and 2022. Two patient groups with and without ERAS were formed. Blood and urine cultures were collected retrospectively, and those with positive blood cultures for bacteremia were recorded as infection development. The development of infection between the two groups was statistically compared. Also, all patients' length of intensive care stay, length of hospital stay, and duration of antibiotic use were recorded. These parameters were compared between both groups. Results: There was a statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of infection development (p: 0.01). There was a statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of duration of antibiotic use and length of hospital stay (Mann–Whitney U test; p: 0.00, p: 0.04, respectively). There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of length of intensive care stay. Conclusion: We concluded that the introduction of an ERAS protocol was associated with fewer infections, thus shortening the duration of antibiotic therapy and length of hospital stay, although the standardization of the protocols is difficult, especially in liver transplants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Psoriasis is a widespread chronic inflammatory skin disease; enthesitis is inflammation of the tendon, ligament, and joint capsule insertion, prevalent in patients with psoriatic arthritis. Objectives: The aim of the study to evaluate the utility of the Madrid Sonography Enthesitis Index scoring system for accurate detection of subclinical enthesitis in patients with Psoriasis compared with healthy controls. Another objective was to assess increase in enthesis area and Psoriatic arthritis incidence, in a prospective 1-year follow-up. Method: Patients aged ≥18 years who were diagnosed with Psoriasis, without musculoskeletal complaints, and who did not have any clinical sign and/or symptom of enthesitis and synovitis were included in the study. The patients and healthy controls were evaluated with ultrasonography. Ultrasonography evaluation consisted of the detection of gray-scale enthesitis and power Doppler signal in the enthesis areas. The Madrid Sonography Enthesitis Index scoring system was used to quantify the extent of the sonographic enthesis abnormalities. Results: The mean MASEI score, structure, thickness, erosion, and calcification were significantly higher in the Psoriasis group than in the control group. The mean MASEI score, structure, erosion, and calcification measurements were significantly higher at the last examination when compared to the first examination. The triceps was the most commonly affected tendon in both groups. Conclusion: Ultrasonography is an important tool for diagnosis and follow-up of subclinical enthesitis in patients with psoriasis. Regardless of disease duration and severity, patients should be screened using ultrasonography at yearly intervals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Millions of people worldwide are forced to migrate to another country and nurses are the key professional for providing necessary health care to this population. Providing nursing care to refugees or immigrants requires diverse transcultural professional competencies based on standardized guidelines. Objectives: This study was aimed to examine the bibliographic characteristics of quantitative studies conducted on refugees in the nursing field. Methods: The data were obtained from articles scanned in the Web of Science Core Collection database. The 1672 articles that were published between 1980-and 2023 and met the inclusion criteria were analyzed using VOSviewer and Microsoft 365 Excel software. The PRISMA 2020 Checklist was used for reporting. Results: Most publications were made in 2020. The United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, and Australia have the highest number of publications, citations, and international cooperation. Additionally, "mental health" is one of the most used keywords in the studies. Conclusions: The findings show the importance of empowering nurses working in this field, especially in determining the needs related to mental health services for refugees. The increased migration rates and the growing need for refugee health care highlighted the importance of investment in nursing research within this field. Nurses and researchers should aim to establish partnerships and share best practices with the leading countries. Furthermore, nurses require specialized training to competently evaluate and provide nursing care and mental health services to this vulnerable population. Policymakers must prioritize international collaboration, equitable healthcare, and the integration of mental health services within healthcare systems to improve refugee health and reduce barriers between them and health services. Disclosure of Interest: None Declared [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]