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Vegetable production worldwide is heavily influenced by climate change. We aimed to determine the responses of some local tomato landraces from Mediterranean countries pre-selected as drought tolerant according to previous screening tests at an early stage. Three irrigation approaches were applied: Full irrigation (Ir-Full), Deficit 1 (Ir-Def1), and Deficit 2 (Ir-Def2) irrigation. Drought stress was simulated via controlled irrigation deficit, reducing the amount of water applied by 35% and 50% in Ir-Def1 and Ir-Def2, respectively. Plant growth, yield, some fruit physicochemical properties, water consumption, and water use efficiency were measured. The results revealed that water deficit adversely affected total and marketable yields, plant growth, and biomass while enhancing some specific quality parameters. Landrace responses varied across different levels of water deficit. Among the tested tomato landraces, ‘Valldemossa’, ‘Chondrokats’, and ‘TR62367’ exhibited strong yield performance, with up to 4 kg m−2 under water-limited conditions, whereas ‘Cherry-INRAE 1’, ‘Cherry-INRAE 3’, and ‘Cherry-INRAE 4’ excelled in fruit quality attributes, reaching up to 9.3% Brix, 14.07 mg 100 g−1 vitamin C, 7.77 mg GAE 100 g−1 total phenols, and 75.74 µmol TE g−1 antioxidant activity. The amount of water could be reduced by 35% without compromising yield or quality in the most drought-tolerant landraces.

Bu çalışmanın amacı, Ergene Nehri’nin Meriç Nehri ile birleştiği noktanın menbasında bulunan E01A012 – Yenicegörüce Akım Gözlem İstasyonu’nun (AGİ) alanı 10,508 m2 olan su toplama havzasındaki yağış-akış ilişkisinin A.B.D. Ordu Mühendisleri Birliği (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) tarafından geliştirilmiş olan HEC-HMS yazılımı kullanılarak belirlenmesidir. Bu çalışma TÜBİTAK tarafından desteklenen 115Y064 no’lu “Ergene Havzası Su Kalitesi Yönetimi İçin Kirletici Parmak İzine Bağlı Coğrafi Bilgi Sistemi Bazlı Karar Destek Sistemleri Geliştirmesi” başlıklı projenin bir parçası olarak gerçekleştirilmiştir. İlk olarak havza ve civarında ölçülmüş olan günlük yağış ve sıcaklık gibi meteorolojik veriler ile günlük akış verileri toplanmıştır. Ardından havzanın arazi kullanımı, hidrolojik toprak grupları ve sayısal yükseklik verileri gibi havza karakteristiklerini gösteren veriler toplanmış ve Coğrafi Bilgi Sistemi (CBS) ortamında derlenmiştir. CBS ortamında derlenmiş olan sayısal haritalar havzanın özelliklerinin belirlenmesi için WMS’e aktarılmıştır ve ardından havzaya ait HEC-HMS hidrolojik modeli kurulmuştur. Kurulan modelin, 1997-2002 arasındaki günlük veriler kullanılarak kalibrasyonu, 2003-2005 yılları arasındaki günlük veriler kullanılaraksa doğrulaması yapılmıştır. Kurulmuş olan hidrolojik modelin Yenicegörüce AGİ için Nash-Sutcliffe Etkinlik Katsayısı (NSE) kalibrasyon ve doğrulama aşamaları için sırasıyla 0.8 ve 0.75 olarak hesaplanmıştır. Yenicegörüce havzasının D01A008, E01A006 ve E01A012 AGİ’leri ile temsil edilen Hayrabolu, Lüleburgaz ve İnanlı alt-havzaları için de hidrolojik modeller kurulmuş ve kalibre edilmiştir. Model performansları NSE ve korelasyon gibi istatistiksel ölçütler kullanılarak değerlendirilmiştir.

Bu çalışmanın amacı, Ergene Nehri’nin Meriç Nehri ile birleştiği noktanın menbasında bulunan E01A012 – Yenicegörüce Akım Gözlem İstasyonu’nun (AGİ) alanı 10,508 m2 olan su toplama havzasındaki yağış-akış ilişkisinin A.B.D. Ordu Mühendisleri Birliği (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) tarafından geliştirilmiş olan HEC-HMS yazılımı kullanılarak belirlenmesidir. Bu çalışma TÜBİTAK tarafından desteklenen 115Y064 no’lu “Ergene Havzası Su Kalitesi Yönetimi İçin Kirletici Parmak İzine Bağlı Coğrafi Bilgi Sistemi Bazlı Karar Destek Sistemleri Geliştirmesi” başlıklı projenin bir parçası olarak gerçekleştirilmiştir. İlk olarak havza ve civarında ölçülmüş olan günlük yağış ve sıcaklık gibi meteorolojik veriler ile günlük akış verileri toplanmıştır. Ardından havzanın arazi kullanımı, hidrolojik toprak grupları ve sayısal yükseklik verileri gibi havza karakteristiklerini gösteren veriler toplanmış ve Coğrafi Bilgi Sistemi (CBS) ortamında derlenmiştir. CBS ortamında derlenmiş olan sayısal haritalar havzanın özelliklerinin belirlenmesi için WMS’e aktarılmıştır ve ardından havzaya ait HEC-HMS hidrolojik modeli kurulmuştur. Kurulan modelin, 1997-2002 arasındaki günlük veriler kullanılarak kalibrasyonu, 2003-2005 yılları arasındaki günlük veriler kullanılaraksa doğrulaması yapılmıştır. Kurulmuş olan hidrolojik modelin Yenicegörüce AGİ için Nash-Sutcliffe Etkinlik Katsayısı (NSE) kalibrasyon ve doğrulama aşamaları için sırasıyla 0.8 ve 0.75 olarak hesaplanmıştır. Yenicegörüce havzasının D01A008, E01A006 ve E01A012 AGİ’leri ile temsil edilen Hayrabolu, Lüleburgaz ve İnanlı alt-havzaları için de hidrolojik modeller kurulmuş ve kalibre edilmiştir. Model performansları NSE ve korelasyon gibi istatistiksel ölçütler kullanılarak değerlendirilmiştir.

Dezenfektan aktif maddeleri kentsel ve endüstriyel atıksularda oldukça sık rastlanan kirleticilerdir. Bu kirleticilerin biyolojik sistemlerde giderimi oldukça zordur. Yüzeysel sularda da sıkça karşılaşılan bu kirleticiler hem doğal hayatı hem de insan sağlığını tehdit etmektedir. Bu çalışmanın amacı, atıksuda en çok karşılaşılan kirleticilerden biri olan benzalkonyum klorürlerin (BAK’ler) biyolojik sistemlerde en verimli şekilde giderimini sağlayacak koşulların belirlenmesidir. Bu amaçla, atıksudan izole edilmiş BAK gideren bir bakteri olan Pseudomanas sp. BIOMIG1’in farklı koşullarda BAK biyotransformasyon kinetiği belirlenmiştir. Elde edilen veriler ve Michaelis-Menten modeli kullanılarak, bu mikroorganizmanın BAK biotransformasyon kinetiği parametreleri hesaplanmış ve uygulanan koşulların kinetiğe etkisi belirlenmiştir. BIOMIG1, BAK’leri 1.4 mg/L-saat hızında giderebilmekte ve bu kirleticileri amonyak ve karbon dioksite dönüştürmektedir. Mililitrede yüz bin adet bakteri yoğunluğu gibi düşük bakteri yoğunluklarında bile BAK gecikmeli de olsa yüksek hızda giderilebilmektedir. BAK homologlarının biyotransformasyon hızı karşılaştırıldığında, 14 karbon alkil zincir uzunluğuna sahip BAK en hızlı, 16 karbonlu BAK ise en yavaş biyotransformasyon hızına sahiptir. BAK giderim hızının en yüksek olduğu sıcaklık 35°, bu sıcaklık üstündeki sıcaklıklarda BIOMIG1 yaşayamamaktadır. Dolayısıyla yüksek sıcaklıklarda BAK parçalanması ya benzildimetilamin birikmesiyle sonlanmış ya da hiç gerçekleşmemiştir. Bu çalışmanın sonuçları, özellikle BAK gibi mikrokirleticilerin arıtımını hedefleyen ileri arıtma sistemlerinin tasarlanması ve işletilmesinde faydalı olacaktır.

Dezenfektan aktif maddeleri kentsel ve endüstriyel atıksularda oldukça sık rastlanan kirleticilerdir. Bu kirleticilerin biyolojik sistemlerde giderimi oldukça zordur. Yüzeysel sularda da sıkça karşılaşılan bu kirleticiler hem doğal hayatı hem de insan sağlığını tehdit etmektedir. Bu çalışmanın amacı, atıksuda en çok karşılaşılan kirleticilerden biri olan benzalkonyum klorürlerin (BAK’ler) biyolojik sistemlerde en verimli şekilde giderimini sağlayacak koşulların belirlenmesidir. Bu amaçla, atıksudan izole edilmiş BAK gideren bir bakteri olan Pseudomanas sp. BIOMIG1’in farklı koşullarda BAK biyotransformasyon kinetiği belirlenmiştir. Elde edilen veriler ve Michaelis-Menten modeli kullanılarak, bu mikroorganizmanın BAK biotransformasyon kinetiği parametreleri hesaplanmış ve uygulanan koşulların kinetiğe etkisi belirlenmiştir. BIOMIG1, BAK’leri 1.4 mg/L-saat hızında giderebilmekte ve bu kirleticileri amonyak ve karbon dioksite dönüştürmektedir. Mililitrede yüz bin adet bakteri yoğunluğu gibi düşük bakteri yoğunluklarında bile BAK gecikmeli de olsa yüksek hızda giderilebilmektedir. BAK homologlarının biyotransformasyon hızı karşılaştırıldığında, 14 karbon alkil zincir uzunluğuna sahip BAK en hızlı, 16 karbonlu BAK ise en yavaş biyotransformasyon hızına sahiptir. BAK giderim hızının en yüksek olduğu sıcaklık 35°, bu sıcaklık üstündeki sıcaklıklarda BIOMIG1 yaşayamamaktadır. Dolayısıyla yüksek sıcaklıklarda BAK parçalanması ya benzildimetilamin birikmesiyle sonlanmış ya da hiç gerçekleşmemiştir. Bu çalışmanın sonuçları, özellikle BAK gibi mikrokirleticilerin arıtımını hedefleyen ileri arıtma sistemlerinin tasarlanması ve işletilmesinde faydalı olacaktır.

Currently about 110,000 chemical substances are present in the European market. The fate of most of those chemicals in the environment is not known. However, biodegradability of those chemicals should be tested before they are registered to the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) System. Current protocols offered by The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) for testing the biodegradability of the chemicals are limited mainly due to they are low throughput and do not reflect real-world conditions. In OECD protocols, the biodegradability of a single chemical is tested. However, many chemicals coexist in the environment. In addition, experiments are set at a very high initial chemical concentration that is not expected in the environment. Both limitations are due to the lack of an analytical method which can measure multiple compounds simultaneously at very low concentrations. In this study, we coupled OECD 314 Simulation Tests to Assess the Biodegradability of Chemicals Discharged in Wastewater protocol with a powerful liquid chromatography mass spectrometry with scheduled multiple reaction monitoring and tested the biodegradability of 32 priority substances and chemicals with emerging concern. Only seven chemicals were degraded in the test within 28 days. The biodegradation half-lives of those degradable chemicals ranged between 0.6 to 18 days. Acetaminophen was degraded the fastest whereas biodegradation of sulfamethoxazole took longer than the rest of the biodegradable chemicals tested. The novel methodology described here can be applied to test biodegradability of different chemicals as a mixture and adopted as a standard protocol.

Objective. Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) is a rare disease characterized by microangiopathic hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenic purpura, neurologic abnormalities, fever, and renal insufficiency. The association or co-existence of thyrotoxicosis or antithyroid drugs with TTP has not been previously reported.

Nephrolithic non-functioning kidney and malakoplakia are major health problems. Kidney function cannot be fulfilled and also this leads to a high risk of development of urothelial neoplasm. We report herein a case of urothelial carcinoma concomitant with malakoplakia in non-functioning nephrolithic kidneys.

Objective: Acute graft versus host disease (GVHD) occurs in 20-80 % of patients undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). Of these patients, 40 % will be resistant to steroids, which is the standard first-line approach. There is no standard second line treatment approach for patients with steroid refractory acute GVHD (SR-aGVHD). Alpha-1 antitrypsin is a protease inhibitor and has anti-inflammatory and immune regulatory properties. Here we report the outcomes and safety data of 17 patients treated with alpha-1 antitrypsin for SR-aGVHD., Material and Methods: Patients who received at least 2 lines of alpha-1 antitrypsin treatment for SR-aGVHD at five transplant centers in Türkiye were included in this retrospective study., Results: The median number of alpha-1 antitrypsin treatment line patients received was 4 (range, 2-5). The median time between alpha-1 antitrypsin administration and response was 65 days (range, 10-138 days). Overall response rate was 70.6 %. When the first- and second-month response rates were compared according to GVHD organ involvement, we found that the response rates were similar in skin, liver and gastrointestinal system involvement (p = 0.281 and p = 0.305, respectively). No grade 3-4 anemia, thrombocytopenia or neutropenia was observed after alpha-1 antitrypsin treatment. Two patients had cytomegalovirus infection and 1 patient had pneumonia. At a median follow-up of 7 months, overall survival was 70.6 % and median overall survival was not reached., Conclusion: In conclusion, alpha-1 antitrypsin is an effective and safe treatment option in patients with SR-aGVHD, with response rates of up to 70 % in patients with skin, liver and gastrointestinal system involvement. Larger studies are needed to establish a standard second and subsequent treatment approach in patients with SR-aGVHD., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background and Objectives: Following an allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (allo-HSCT), a primary cause of morbidity and mortality is still steroid-refractory acute graft-versus-host disease (SR-aGVHD). Recently, ruxolitinib, an oral inhibitor of JAK1 and JAK2, was approved for use in individuals suffering from SR-aGVHD. This study aimed to analyze the efficacy and toxicity of ruxolitinib in the real world., Material and Methods: In the present study, we investigated the effectiveness and toxicity of ruxolitinib in patients with SR-aGVHD using a multicenter retrospective analysis. We enrolled 23 patients between 2018 and 2024 who received ruxolitinib treatment for SR-aGVHD., Results: The first response was acheived in a median of 28 days (range, 12-150). The overall response rate (ORR) for ruxolitinib therapy was 43.5 % (10/23) after one month and 61 % (14/23) after two months, respectively. The median overall survival was 69 months. Reactivation of cytomegalovirus (26.1 %) and grade 3-4 anemia (30.4 %) were the two main side effects of ruxolitinib therapy. Seven patients (30.4 %) passed away following a follow-up of a median of six months (range 1-70). The reasons for death included sepsis (n = 2, 28.6 %), progression of aGVHD (n = 3, 42.8 %), and other reasons., Conclusion: Ruxolitinib has an ORR of 61 % for SR-aGVHD, making it a safe and effective therapy choice in real-world settings., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: In this study, we aimed to obtain real-life data on the use of antimyeloma agents, which significantly increase overall survival (OS) in multiple myeloma (MM) patients, in primary plasma cell leukemia (pPCL) patients with poor prognosis., Materials and Methods: Data from 53 patients who were diagnosed with pPCL between 2011 and 2020 and who used at least one proteasome inhibitor (PI) and/or immunomodulatory (IMID) agent were analyzed retrospectively. Depending on the year of the pPCL diagnosis, 20% leukocytes or ≥2x10 9 /L plasma cells in the peripheral blood was used as a diagnostic criterion., Results: The median age of the patients was 58 years and 23 (43.4%) patients were over 65 years of age. For first-line treatment, PI or IMID alone was used by 31 (58.5%) patients, and PI and IMID were used simultaneously by 15 (28.3%) patients. Additionally, 21 (39.6%) patients received transplantation and 13 (24.5%) patients received maintenance treatment. The median progression-free survival was 4 (range: 1-42) months. When patients whose primary disease was refractory to first-line therapy were excluded, the duration of treatment was 6.5 months. The median OS was 15 months with a median follow-up duration of 15 months. Only 7 (13.2%) of the patients were alive at the last follow-up visit. Those with higher β2-microglobulin levels and International Staging System stage 3 and non-transplant patients receiving first-line treatment had shorter OS (p=0.005, p=0.02, and p=0.008, respectively). The concomitant use of PIs and IMIDs, the addition of chemotherapy to induction therapy, and the response to induction therapy or maintenance therapy did not affect OS., Conclusion: In this study, as in previous similar studies, we could not see an increased survival trend in pPCL, which is observed in MM. New studies are needed for pPCL, which is likely to increase with new diagnostic criteria, based on current agents and information from MM., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest: No conflict of interest was declared by the authors., (©Copyright 2024 by Turkish Society of Hematology Turkish Journal of Hematology, Published by Galenos Publishing House.)

Aim: Prediabetic patients have generalized microvascular dysfunction, which leads to end-organ damage, just like diabetes. Therefore, prediabetes is not just a mild elevation in blood sugar, and early detection and prevention of possible complications should be the main goal. Color Doppler imaging (CDI) provides morphologic and vascular information on various diseases. The Resistive Index (RI) is a widely used measure of resistance to arterial flow and is calculated from the CDI. CDI evaluation of vessels in the retrobulbar region may be the first sign of micro- and macrovascular complications., Method: Consecutively, 55 prediabetic patients and 33 healthy subjects were recruited for the study. Prediabetic patients were divided into three groups according to their fasting and postprandial blood glucose values. The groups included an impaired fasting glucose (IFG) group (n = 15), an impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) group (n = 13), and an IFG+IGT group (n = 27). The RI of the ophthalmic artery, posterior ciliary artery, and central retinal artery were measured in all patients., Results: The orbital artery, central retinal artery, and posterior cerebral artery mean RI of prediabetic patients (0.76 ± 0.06, 0.69 ± 0.03, and 0.69 ± 0.04, respectively) were significantly higher than those of the healthy group (0.66 ± 0.04, 0.63 ± 0.04, and 0.66 ± 0.04, respectively; p < 0.001; Student's t-test). The mean ophthalmic artery RI of the healthy, IFG, IGT, and IFG+IGT groups were 0.66 ± 0.39, 0.7 ± 0.27, 0.72 ± 0.29, and 0.82 ± 0.16, respectively, with a significant difference between the groups (p < 0.001, ANOVA). The mean central retinal artery RI of the healthy, IFG, IGT, and IFG+IGT groups were 0.63 ± 0.04, 0.66 ± 0.02, 0.7 ± 0.02, and 0.71 ± 0.02, respectively (p < 0.001, post-hoc Tukey). The mean posterior cerebral artery RI of the healthy, IFG, IGT, and IFG+IGT groups were 0.66 ± 0.04, 0.66 ± 0.04, 0.69 ± 0.03, and 0.71 ± 0.03, respectively, with a significant difference between the groups (p < 0.001 Fisher ANOVA)., Conclusion: Increased RI may be the first sign of developing retinopathy, as well as the first sign of microangiopathies occurring simultaneously in the coronary, cerebral, and renal vessels. Precautions to be taken during the prediabetic stage can prevent many possible complications., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Austria, part of Springer Nature.)

Polatuzumab vedotin (Pola) with bendamustine and rituximab (BR) is a promising option for patients with relapsed/refractory (R/R) diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). We analyzed the data of 71 R/R DLBCL patients who had been treated with Pola-BR in the named patient program from March 2018 to April 2021 from 32 centers in Turkey. All patients received up to six cycles of Pola 1.8 mg/kg, rituximab 375 mg/m 2 on day 1, and bendamustine 90 mg/m 2 on days 1-2 of each cycle. Median age at Pola-BR initiation was 55 (19-84). The overall response rate was 47.9%, including 32.4% CR rate when a median of 3 cycles was applied. With a median follow-up of 5 months, the median OS was 5 months. Grade 3-4 neutropenia and thrombocytopenia were the most common hematological toxicities. The real-world data from our cohort showed the Pola-BR is an effective option with a manageable toxicity profile., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

The prognosis is poor for relapsed or refractory (R/R) classical Hodgkin Lymphoma (cHL) patients. The brentuximab vedotin (Bv) and bendamustine (B) combination has been used as a preferable salvage regimen in R/R cHL patient trials. We retrospectively evaluated response rates, toxicities, and the survival in R/R cHL patients treated with the BvB combination. In a multi-centre real-life study, 61 R/R HL patients received intravenous doses of 1.8 mg/kg Bv on the first day plus 90 mg/m 2 B on the first and second days of a 21-day cycle as a second-line or beyond-salvage regimen. Patients' median age at BvB initiation was 33 (range: 18-76 years). BvB was given as median third-line treatment for a median of four cycles (range: 2-11). The overall and complete response rates were 82% and 68.9%, respectively. After BvB initiation, the median follow-up was 14 months, and one- and two-year overall survival rates were 85% and 72%, respectively. Grade 3/4 toxicities included neutropenia (24.6%), lymphopenia (40%), thrombocytopenia (13%), anaemia (13%), infusion reactions (8.2%), neuropathy (6.5%), and others. The BvB combination could be given as salvage regimen aiming a bridge to autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT), in patients relapse after ASCT or to transplant-ineligible patients with manageable toxicity profiles.

Background: In this study, we aimed to evaluate whether waterpipe smoking can be associated with the transmission of Helicobacter pylori infection or not., Materials and Methods: Between March 2018 and April 2019, 445 patients aged over 18 years old who were admitted to outpatient clinics with dyspeptic complaints were recruited for the study. Patients are divided into two groups - Group 1 is H. pylori -positive patients and Group 2 is negative. Waterpipe smoking, smoking, age, gender, and educational status were compared among groups., Results: Two hundred and sixty-one women (58%) and 184 men (42%), totally 445 patients, tested for H. pylori infection. Seventy-nine of 261 (30%) women and 60 of 184 (32%) men had H. pylori positive. One hundred and sixty-two of 445 (36%) patients were smoking cigarette and 66 of 445 (14%) patients were using waterpipe tobacco. Waterpipe smoking individuals were found to be associated with the H. pylori positivity ( P < 0.001); whereas, age, gender, educational level, and smoking were not found to be statistically significant (all P > 0.05). In binary logistic regression analysis, waterpipe tobacco smoking was found to be the only independent predictor of H. pylori infection ( P < 0.001, odds ratio = 5.51, confidence interval: 3.158-9.617)., Conclusion: Waterpipe smoking seems to be an important risk factor for H. pylori infection and may be one of the reasons of high prevalence of H. pylori infection., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2022 Journal of Research in Medical Sciences.)

SARS-CoV-2 attaches to the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE-2) receptor on human cells. The virus causes hypercytokinemia, capillary leak, pulmonary edema, acute respiratory distress syndrome, acute cardiac injury, and leads to death. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are ACE-2 negative cells; therefore, can escape from SARS-CoV-2. MSCs prevent hypercytokinemia and help the resolution of the pulmonary edema and other damages occurred during the course of COVID-19. In addition, MSCs enhance the regeneration of the lung and other tissues affected by SARS-CoV-2. The case series reported beneficial effect of MSCs in COVID-19 treatment. However, there are some concerns about the safety of MSCs, particularly referring to the increased risk of disseminated intravascular coagulation, and thromboembolism due to the expression of TF/CD142. Prospective, randomized, large scale studies are needed to reveal the optimum dose, administration way, time, efficacy, and safety of MSCs in the COVID-19 treatment., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: This study aims to assess the frequency and factors relevant to metabolic syndrome in workers employed in the collection and disposal of solid waste sector., Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in the major solid waste collecting and disposal company named İSTAÇ AŞ (İstanbul Environmental Protection and Waste Processing Corporation) in Istanbul, Turkey. All 715 male employees of the company were included in the study without sampling. The study was completed with 619 subjects. Since it was a small group, female workers were not taken into account in the study. Metabolic syndrome frequency was investigated according to the NCEP-ATP III criteria including the levels of systolic and diastolic blood pressure, waist perimeter, HDL, triglyceride, fasting blood glucose values., Results: Metabolic syndrome was present in 40.9% of participating employees. Metabolic syndrome was more common in those working in the excavation field (54.0%), such as caterpillar operators (56.5%), and less common in employees working in administrative offices, such as office staff or managers, who were under 35 years old and who had been working for less than 10 years (p < 0.05). Employees working in work stations other than administrative offices had a 2.60 times higher risk compared to those working in administrative offices., Conclusions: Metabolic syndrome may be related to work station, job, age and period worked by the subjects.

Objective: We investigated the effect of intravenous levosimendan on QT dispersion compared with intravenous dobutamine in patients with acute decompensated heart failure., Methods: This prospective cohort study included 38 patients who were admitted with acute decompensated heart failure (New York Heart Association functional class III-IV). Twenty-five patients (11 men, 14 women; mean age 70.5 ± 11.13 years) were treated with levosimendan infusion and 13 patients (5 men, 8 women; mean age 71.08 ± 6.86 years) were treated with dobutamine infusion. Intravenous levosimendan was administered with an initial bolus dose of 12 μg/kg for 10 min, followed by a continuous infusion of 0.1 μg/kg/min for 1 hour and 0.1 μg/kg/min 23 hours. Intravenous dobutamine was administered with a continuous dose of 10 μg/kg /min for 24 hours. Transthoracic echocardiography was performed and electrocardiograms were obtained before and after drug infusions. QTc dispersion was defined as the difference between the maximum and the minimum QT intervals and the value was corrected for heart rate. Chi-square test, Wilcoxon test and Mann-Whitney U tests were used for data analysis., Results: No significant differences were found before and after treatment of both levosimendan and dobutamine with respect to minimum QT intervals, maximum QT and QT dispersions. (Pretreatment and 24th hour values of levosimendan group were; 0.43 ± 0.04 s, 0.44 ± 0.04s; 0.49 ± 0.05s, 0.50 ± 0.05s; 0.06 ± 0.03s, 0.06 ± 0.03s; in dobutamine group values are - 0.39 ± 0.05 s, 0.41 ± 0.05s; 0.45 ± 0.05s, 0.48 ± 0.05s; 0.06 ± 0.04s, 0.06 ± 0.04s, respectively) (p>0.05). No side effects related to drugs were seen during follow-up in all two treatment groups., Conclusion: Our results suggest that, therapeutic doses of levosimendan infusion do not have a significant effect on QT parameters - the predictors of arrhythmias-, in patients with decompensated heart failure when compared with dobutamine infusion.

Objective: The aim of our study was to evaluate the effects of two different statins and a statin/ezetimibe combination on high sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP) values, which were given at high doses in the early period of acute coronary syndromes., Methods: A total of 150 patients with non-ST elevation myocardial infarction and unstable angina pectoris were enrolled to our prospective, randomized, single-blind study. Patients were divided into three groups by block randomization method. One group received 20 mg/day atorvastatin, one group received 10 mg/day rosuvastatin and the other group received 10 mg/day ezetimibe/simvastatin combination therapy, which was initiated within the first 24 hours of admission. Follow-up duration was 2 months . Biochemical investigations and hsCRP levels (by nephelometric method) were performed with 138 patients evaluated at baseline, 10th and 60th days of therapy. Decreases of hsCRP levels were analyzed with one-way MANOVA and repeated measures of ANOVA methods. Post-hoc Tukey HSD test was performed for finding the different group, when the difference was detected between the groups., Results: Tenth day hsCRP levels in ezetimibe/simvastatin group was significantly lower than the other groups (p<0.001). Further, after 60 days of follow-up a significant reduction was seen in hsCRP levels in ezetimib/simvastatin group (in ezetimibe/simvastatin group the mean hsCRP was reduced from 38.4±15.0 mg/L to 2.4±1.3 mg/L, in atorvastatin group the mean hsCRP was reduced from 27.3±11.7 mg/L to 4.1±2.4 mg/L and in rosuvastatin group the mean hsCRP was reduced from 22.0±6.9 mg/L to 3.6±1.7 mg/L (F (1.1, 148.2) = 746.9, p<0.01 and the difference between drugs; F (2.2, 148.2) = 32.1, p<0.01). No side effects related to drugs were seen during follow-up in all three treatment groups., Conclusion: This study showed that ezetimibe/simvastatin 10 mg/day combination treatment was superior to atorvastatin 20 mg/day and rosuvastatin 10 mg/day treatment in reducing the inflammatory markers when high dose statins was started in the early period of unstable angina and non ST elevation myocardial infarction.

Drug resistance patterns of shigella strains were investigated in a prospective manner in Etimesgut district during a period of 1 year. Thirty strains shigella were isolated, belonged to three subgroups with preponderance of Sh. flexneri (70%), followed by Sh. sonnei (27%) and Sh. boydii (3%). The resistance was highest with streptomycin (80%), followed by trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMZ) (53%) and ampicillin (43%). Only three strains (10%) were sensitive to all eight antibiotics tested. Sixteen (53%) were resistant to three or more antibiotics. The data showed an increase in resistance to the commonly used antimicrobial agents--namely IMP-SMZ and ampicillin. IMP-SMZ is no longer the drug of choice in severe shigellosis, at least in this region of Turkey.