Role of cytological characteristics of benign thyroid nodules on effectiveness of their treatment with levothyroxine

Introduction: Levothyroxine (LT4) therapy has been used for the treatment of euthyroid nodular goiter, but there are controversial results about its usefulness. We aimed to evaluate the possible role of benign nodules’ cytological characteristics in response to LT4 therapy. Material and methods: In total, 93 patients with 128 nodules were included in the study; 74 of the nodules were treated with LT4 (group 1), and 54 of them had no medication (group 2). The subgroups consisted of adenomatous nodules, colloid nodules and cystic nodules. Results: In group 1, mean thyroid volume and mean nodule volume were reduced significantly (p = 0.002 and p = 0.022, respectively) with low-normal level thyrotropin (TSH) suppression (between 0.3 mIU/ml and 1.0 mIU/ml), while there were no significant changes in group 2. When we evaluated changes of the initial and last nodule volumes in cytological subgroups, only colloid nodules in group 1 had significant reduction (p = 0.040) and the others had no significant changes. By omitting the colloid nodules, when the other nodules were revaluated, there were no significant changes in either group. Conclusions: On the basis of these results, obtained from a large sample of Anatolian patients, it is possible that LT4 therapy leads to significant reductions of both thyroid volume and nodule size in colloid nodules, but not in other kinds of benign nodules

A content analysis of food advertising on Turkish television

The aim of this study was to conduct a comprehensive content analysis of Television (TV) food advertising and compare various food advertisements on free-to-air Turkish national TV channels by broadcast time (duration) and frequency over the period of aweek (19-25 April 2012). TV food advertisements were the unit of content analysis in this study. Each advertisement identified as promoting a food product was analysed for content; non-food advertisements were not analysed, although they were counted as a proportion of the advertisements aired. We recorded all programmes for 4 h each per day (7 p.m.-11 p.m.), totalling 84 h. Five types of food-related advertisements were identified (basic foods, junk foods, meat products, beverages and fast food), and six types of non-food advertisements. The Student t-test and ANOVA were used to compare the mean broadcast time of all prime time advertising for the two groups. The mean broadcast times for prime time, non-food advertisements showed a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05). This difference is related to the prime time period 7 p.m.-8p.m. being considered dinner time for most Turkish families. Additionally, the number and broadcast times of beverage advertisements increased during this time period, while the broadcast time per beverage advertisement decreased (ratio = 20.8 s per ads). As a result, TV food advertising increased not only during dinner time but also in overall broadcast time (per advertisement). These findings may be useful for explaining how advertising can negatively influence food choices, thereby increasing public awareness of the need for health messages targeting obesity

Comparison of carbon monoxide poisonings originated from coal stove and natural gas and the evaluation of Neutrophil/Lymphocyte ratio

Objective: The aim of our study is to present the epidemiologic, clinical, laboratory and prognosis differences between the coal stove origin poisoning and natural gas leakages. We also aimed to investigate relationship between the severity of clinical picture, prognosis, complications develop in CO poisoning with neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) at the initial admission. Methods: All the acute carbon monoxide cases who applied to Ankara Training and Research Hospital Emergency Medicine Clinic between October 2009 and April 2010 were included to this prospective study. CO poisoning diagnosis was made by the history of CO poisoning with carboxyl hemoglobin (COHb) concentration is over 10%. 100 patients were included to our study. Results: Of the patients, 55(55%) were poisoned from the coal-stove and 45(45%) from natural gas leakage. The mean COHb level of the natural gas group was significantly high (p=0.01). The mean value of GCS of the natural gas group was significantly lower (p=0.018). The number of patients with indication for HBO therapy were 17 and 6 in the natural gas group and coal-stove group, respectively, being significantly higher in the natural gas group(p=0.001). There was no statistically significant relationship between the value of NLR and values of COHb, troponin, and GCS (p=0.872, p=0.470, and p=0.896, respectively). Conclusions: Carbon monoxide poisoning from natural gas leakage is more toxic than that from the coal-stove. There is no relationship between NLR at the time of presentation and the severity of clinical findings, prognosis and complications

Thyrotoxic hypokalemic periodic paralysis in a Caucasian population: Not too much, not too low - Three new case reports and meta-analysis of 38 Turkish cases

Kocer, Abdulkadir/0000-0003-2866-555XWOS: 000251617800183

Kömür sobası ve doğal gaz kaynaklı karbonmonoksit zehirlenmelerinin karşılaştırılması ve Nötrofil/Lenfosit oranının değerlendirilmesi

Amaç: Bizim çalışmamızdaki amacımız ülkemizde karbonmo- noksit (CO) zehirlenmesinin en sık nedeni olan kömür sobasın- dan kaynaklanan zehirlenmeler ile doğal gaz kaçaklarının yol açtığı zehirlenmeler arasındaki epidemiyolojik, klinik, laboratu- ar ve prognoz farklılıklarını ortaya koymaktır. Ayrıca CO zehir- lenmelerinde oluşan klinik tablonun şiddeti, prognozu, kompli- kasyonları ile başvuru sırasındaki nötrofil/lenfosit oranı ( NLO ) arasındaki ilişkiyi incelemeyi amaçladık. Yöntemler: Bu prospektif çalışmaya Ankara Eğitim ve Araş- tırma Hastanesi Acil Tıp Kliniğine 2009 Ekim 2010 Nisan tarihleri arasında başvuran akut karbonmonoksit zehirlenmesi olgularının tümü alındı. CO zehirlenmesi tanısı, anemnezinde CO zehirlenmesine neden olabilecek öykünün olması ile birlikte karboksihemoglobin (COHb) konsantrasyonunun % 10nun üs- tünde olması şeklinde konuldu. Çalışmamıza toplam 100 hasta dahil edildi. Bulgular: 55 (%55) hasta kömür sobasıyla zehirlenirken, 45 (%45) hasta doğal gaz kaynaklı zehirlenmişti. Doğal gazdan zehirlenen grubun ortalama COHb düzeyi anlamlı bir şekilde daha yüksekti (p0,01). Doğal gaz grubunun ortalama Glas- kow koma skoru (GKS) değeri anlamlı bir şekilde daha düşüktü (p0,018). Doğal gazdan zehirlenen grupta 17 hastanın HBO (hiperbarik oksi jen) tedavisi ihtiyacı olurken, kömür sobasından zehirlenen grupta ise sadece 6 hastanın HBO tedavisi ihtiyacı oldu. Doğal gazdan zehirlenen grupta kömür sobasından ze- hirlenen gruba göre anlamlı bir şekilde HBO tedavisi ihtiyacı daha fazlaydı. (p0,001) NLO ile COHb oranı, troponin ve GKS değerleri arasında istatistiki olarak anlamlı bir ilişki bulunmadı (Sırasıyla; p0,872, p0,470, p0,896). Sonuç: Doğal gaz kaynaklı CO zehirlenmeleri kömür sobası zehirlenmelerine göre daha toksik olabilmektedir. CO zehirlen- melerinde oluşan klinik tablonun şiddeti, prognozu, komplikas- yonları ile başvuru sırasındaki NLO arasında her hangi bir ilişki yoktur.Objective: The aim of our study is to present the epi- demiologic, clinical, laboratory and prognosis differences between the coal stove origin poisoning and natural gas leakages. We also aimed to investigate relationship be- tween the severity of clinical picture, prognosis, complica- tions develop in CO poisoning with neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) at the initial admission. Methods: All the acute carbon monoxide cases who ap- plied to Ankara Training and Research Hospital Emergen- cy Medicine Clinic between October 2009 and April 2010 were included to this prospective study. CO poisoning diagnosis was made by the history of CO poisoning with carboxyl hemoglobin (COHb) concentration is over 10%. 100 patients were included to our study. Results: Of the patients, 55(55%) were poisoned from the coal-stove and 45(45%) from natural gas leakage. The mean COHb level of the natural gas group was sig- nificantly high (p0.01). The mean value of GCS of the natural gas group was significantly lower (p0.018). The number of patients with indication for HBO therapy were 17 and 6 in the natural gas group and coal-stove group, respectively, being significantly higher in the natural gas group(p0.001). There was no statistically significant re- lationship between the value of NLR and values of COHb, troponin, and GCS (p0.872, p0.470, and p0.896, re- spectively). Conclusions: Carbon monoxide poisoning from natural gas leakage is more toxic than that from the coal-stove. There is no relationship between NLR at the time of pre- sentation and the severity of clinical findings, prognosis and complication