Lumbar dynamic stabilization with 2-stage surgery: early results

Background: Screw loosening, which is a major problem in dynamic systems, can be easily overcome with 2-stage surgery. In this article, the clinical and radiological results of patients undergoing dynamic stabilization with a Dynesys device in 2 stages are discussed. Methods: A total of 10 male and 13 female adult patients were included in this single-center retrospective study conducted between 2018 and 2021. The mean age of the patients was 65.6 years. All of the patients had pain complaints that affected their daily lives. Bone density T scores were determined with the dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry method before patients were admitted for surgery. In the first surgery, Dynesys system pedicle screws were inserted. After 6 months of osteointegration, Dynesys system spacers and elastic bandages were placed. Preoperative, early postoperative, and late postoperative visual analog pain scale (VAS) scores and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) scores were determined and statistically compared. Results: Patients were followed for an average of 30 months. Complications and recurrence were not observed. Neurological deficits were not observed after patients recovered from anesthesia. Significant improvement was observed in the ODI and VAS parameters in the preoperative (ODI: 66.2%, VAS: 7.8), early postoperative (ODI: 20.3%, VAS: 2.4), and late postoperative (ODI: 6.8% and VAS: 1.1) periods. Symptomatic improvement was seen in all patients. No screw breakage or loosening was detected by radiological evaluation in any of the patients during the 2-year follow-up period. Conclusions: In our experience, the insufficiency of the proximal and distal end screws is eliminated when 2 stages of dynamic system stabilizations are completed after osteointegration of the screws

New CagL amino acid polymorphism patterns of helicobacter pylori in peptic ulcer and non-ulcer dyspepsia

Background and Objectives: Helicobacter pylori infection is associated with chronic gastritis, ulcers, and gastric cancer. The H. pylori Type 4 secretion system (T4SS) translocates the CagA protein into host cells and plays an essential role in initiating gastric carcinogenesis. The CagL protein is a component of the T4SS. CagL amino acid polymorphisms are correlated with clinical outcomes. We aimed to study the association between CagL amino acid polymorphisms and peptic ulcer disease (PUD) and non-ulcer dyspepsia (NUD). Materials and Methods: A total of 99 patients (PUD, 46; NUD, 53) were enrolled and screened for H. pylori by qPCR from antrum biopsy samples. The amino acid polymorphisms of CagL were analyzed using DNA sequencing, followed by the MAFFT sequence alignment program to match the amino acid sequences. Results: Antrum biopsy samples from 70 out of 99 (70.7%) patients were found to be H. pylori DNA-positive. A positive band for cagL was detected in 42 out of 70 samples (PUD, 23; NUD, 19), and following this, these 42 samples were sequenced. In total, 27 different polymorphisms were determined. We determined three CagL amino acid polymorphism combinations, which were determined to be associated with PUD and NUD. Pattern 1 (K35/N122/V134/T175/R194/E210) was only detected in PUD patient samples and was related to a 1.35-fold risk (p = 0.02). Patterns 2 (V41/I134) and 3 (V41/K122/A171/I174) were found only in NUD patient samples and were linked to a 1.26-fold increased risk (p = 0.03). Conclusions: We observed three new patterns associated with PUD and NUD. Pattern 1 is related to PUD, and the other two patterns (Patterns 2 and 3) are related to NUD. The patterns that we identified include the remote polymorphisms of the CagL protein, which is a new approach. These patterns may help to understand the course of H. pylori infection.Istanbul Aydin University Scientific Research Projects Uni

Investigation of Cronobacter sakazakii (Enterobacter sakazakii) Presence in Cereal Infant Foods

C. sakazakii is an opportunistic pathogen that may cause serious infections. Infant formulas are frequently reported as the source of infections caused by C. sakazakii. In spite of all of the taken precautions, there are recently published studies related to the isolation of C. sakazakii in formula and small children foods. In this study, we aimed to investigate the presence of C. sakazakii in cereal based infant formulas and complementary foods sold in the markets of Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). We also aimed to determine the infection risk in these products. This research was carried out between May - December 2017 with the cereal-based continuing formulas and small child complementary foods of the brands offered for sale at T. R. N. C. In a total of 265 samples, including 36 varieties of cereal-based infant formula and 17 varieties of cereal-based infants and small children foods were analysed. Analysis of samples were carried out according to; ISO / TS 22964: 2006 method. C. sakazakii was not detected in any of the study samples. In conclusion, C. sakazakii was not detected in any of the cereal-based foods despite the reported detection of C. sakazakii in most of the microbiological analysis of baby foods in both the world and Turkey