The prognostic value of arterial stiffness in systolic heart failure

Background: Increased arterial stiffness is an indicator of mortality. This study consists of an 18-month follow-up of the mortality in advanced heart failure patients with increased arterial stiffness.Methods: The study followed up 98 patients with a diagnosis of heart failure in NYHA class III and IV (76 males, 22 females and mean age of 60 ± 12 years) with a left ventricular ejection fraction ≤ 35% as determined by the Simpson method. Augmentation index (Aix) and pulse wave propagation velocity (PWV) parameters were used as indicators of arterial stiffness. Aix and PWV values were measured by arteriography.Results: 36 patients died. Both Aix and PWV were powerful determinants of mortality, independent of other prognostic variables (p = 0.013, OR: 0.805; p = 0.025, OR: 0.853). A cutoff value for Aix of –14.33 gave 91.2%, 80.3% sensitivity and specificity. A cutoff value for PWVof 11.06 gave 82.4%, 65.4% sensitivity and specificity mortality was predicted. Left ventricular ejection fraction (p = 0.008, OR: 0.859) and B-type natriuretic peptide (p = 0.01, OR: 0.833) was the other independent determinant of mortality. A significant difference was found inboth Aix and PWV between the compensated measurements and decompensated heart failure measurements made in 70 patients (p = 0.035, p = 0.048).Conclusions: Measurement of arterial stiffness is a convenient, inexpensive and reliable method for predicting mortality in patients with advanced heart failure

An evaluation of clinical, radiological and three-dimensional dental tomography findings in ectodermal dysplasia cases

Background:This study aimed to review the results related to head and jaw disorders in cases of ectodermal dysplasia. The evaluation of ectodermal dysplasia cases was made by clincal examination and examination of the jaw and facial areas radiologically and on cone-beam 3-dimensional dental tomography (CBCT) images. Material and Methods: In the 36 cases evaluated in the study, typical clinical findings of pure hypohidrotic ectodermal displasia (HED) were seen, such as missing teeth, dry skin, hair and nail disorders. CBCT images were obtained from 12 of the 36 cases, aged 1.5- 45 years, and orthodontic analyses were made on these images. Results: The clinical and radiological evaluations determined, hypodontia or oligodontia, breathing problems, sweating problems, a history of fever, sparse hair, saddle nose, skin peeling, hypopigmentation, hyperpigmentation, finger and nail deformities, conical teeth anomalies, abnormal tooth root formation, tooth resorption in the root, gingivitis, history of epilepsy, absent lachrymal canals and vision problems in the cases which included to the study. Conclusions: Ectodermal dysplasia cases have a particular place in dentistry and require a professional, multi- disciplinary approach in respect of the chewing function, orthognathic problems, growth, oral and dental health. It has been understood that with data obtained from modern technologies such as three-dimensional dental tomography and the treatments applied, the quality of life of these cases can be improved

Temperature distribution study in resistance spot welding

199-202This paper presents effect of sheet thickness and current density on cooling speed and temperature distribution in resistance spot welding. Thicker sheets have higher temperatures in weld zones. Temperatures are higher in sheets having various thicknesses under higher weld current. Weld current is more effective than material thickness on cooling rate and temperature distribution

Chemical Composition, Antioxidant, Antimicrobial Activities of the Essential Oil of Salvia hypargeia Fisch & Mey.

The aim of this study was to investigate the chemical composition, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of the essential oil of Salvia hypargeia from Turkey. According to the results of GC-EIMS analysis, the major compounds of the oil were determined as alpha-pinene (15.9 %), beta-pinene (22.3 %), pulegone (13.5 %) and beta-ylangene (17.8 %). Essential oil could not show radical scavenging effect in DPPH system. On the other hand, inhibition capacity of the essential oil against linoleic acid oxidation was measured as 21.0 %. In the case of antimicrobial activity, the most sensitive microorganism was B. subtilis which has the lowest MIC value (35.80 mu g/ml). This is followed by S. aureus and C. diphteriae (8.45 and 14.20 mu g/ml, respectively)

Prevalence of carbapenemases in Enterobacterales from urine specimens in an university hospital in Istanbul, Turkey

We aimed to investigate the prevalence of carbapenemases in Enterobacterales strains isolated from urine specimens between July 2019 and July 2020. CIM and modified CIM tests were applied as well as detection of blaOXA-48, blaNDM, blaVIM, blaKPC and blaIMP genes was performed by multiplex PCR. One hundred fifty of 3,242 Enterobacterales strains were found to be carbapenem resistant and 46 were included in the study. Forty five (98%) of the 46 strains included in the study were Klebsiella spp. and one (2%) of them was Escherichia coli. Susceptibility to ceftazidime-avibactam, amikacin and gentamicin was 97%, 11% and 9%, respectively. Forty three (94%) isolates were found positive at 2 and 4 h with CIM test. Forty four (97%) strains were found positive at 4 h and 43 (94%) strains were found positive at 2 h with modified CIM test. While blaOXA-48, blaNDM and blaOXA-48 with blaNDM association were found in Klebsiella spp. isolates in 55%, 27% and 11%, respectively, blaVIM, blaKPC, blaIMP were not found. Only blaOXA-48 and blaNDM-1 were detected in the E. coli strain. None of the investigated genes were detected in three Klebsiella strains but with whole genome analysis the combination of blaOXA-534, blaCMY-99 and blaKPC-3 was found in the first strain, blaOXA-370 in the second strain and no resistance gene was found in the third strain. Ceftazidime-avibactam was found to be active against 97% of strains, and the most common resistance genes were blaOXA-48 and blaNDM-1. Previously undetected resistance genes have been identified in our country

Is undernutrition a problem among Turkish school children?: Which factors have an influence on it?

Undernutrition is a frequent manifestation and an important health problem. The aim of this study was to analyse the variables of nutritional status among primary school children and to determine the risk factors associated with it

Intrapericardial instillation of recombinant tissue plasminogen activator: A case report

On the 43rd day after open heart surgery, pericardial effusion developed in a patient and resulted in cardiac tamponade. Since the drainage could not be obtained by subxiphoid window technique due to location of fluid and presence of fibrinous adherence and a thrombus in pericardial space, transcatheter intrapericardial recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) was instilled in the patient. Thus, the intrapericardial fibrinous adherence and the thrombus disappeared, and the effusion was drained efficiently

CHD7 mutations in patients with anosmic or normosmic idiopathic hypogonadotropic hypogonadism

WOS: 000485922401023

Prevalence and correlates of erectile dysfunction in Turkey: A population-based study

Objectives: Epidemiologic data indicate that erectile dysfunction (ED) is a significant problem among men worldwide. However, data do not exist for Turkish men. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence and sociodemographic, medical, and lifestyle correlates of ED in Turkey