Comparison of platelet volume indices in acute coronary syndrome

Aim: To compare the parameters showing the platelet volume index in unstable angina pectoris (USAP), non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (non-STEMI) and ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Methods: The platelet volume indices of 94 USAP, 161 non-STEMI and 86 STEMI cases with a total of 341 patients (245 men, 96 women) were compared. The patients between March 2015 and October 2018 who admitted to Bolu Abant İzzet Baysal University Hospital with the diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome were compared using platelet distribution width (PDW), PDW to platelet ratio (PPR), mean platelet volume (MPV), MPV to platelet ratio (MPR). Results: No significant difference was found between the 3 groups in terms of PDW (p = 0.26), PPR (p = 0.87), MPV (p = 0.41) and MPR (p = 0.78) values. Conclusion: In our study, there was no statistically significant difference between the types of acute coronary syndrome and platelet volume indices

Comparison of eosinophil counts in patients with acute pulmonary embolism: Could it be a predictor factor?

Aim: To investigate whether there is a relationship between both massive and sub-massive pulmonary embolism (PE) and eosinophil counts in order to evaluate it as a predictor factor. Methods: This retrospective study included 108 patients (64 sub-massive and 44 massive) who received both tomographic and clinical diagnoses of pulmonary embolism, and 75 subjects served as controls. Hemogram parameters were compared between patients with massive and sub-massive pulmonary embolism and those of control groups.Results: In terms of white blood cell and eosinophil counts, the lowest value was evident in the massive PE group whereas the control group had the highest value. The eosinophil counts increased significantly one week after the treatment when compared to those at the presentation with PE (0.112 (0.003-0.853) vs. (0.144 (0.011-0.914), p=0.01). Spearman correlation test showed a significant positive correlation between right ventricular dysfunction or elevated cardiac troponin level and massive PE (r=0.54, p <0.001), whereas a negative correlation was detected between eosinophil count and the presence of massive PE (r=-0.36, p<0.001). Conclusion: The results of our study suggest that lower eosinophil counts may lead a physician to suggest a higher probability of acute massive pulmonary embolism rather than sub-massive pulmonary embolism. However, further randomized studies are required to confirm these findings

Laryngeal involvement in patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis

The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of laryngeal tuberculosis (LT) among patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis. A total of 319 patients under treatment for pulmonary tuberculosis were subjected to laryngoscopy. Five patients (1.5%) with LT were identified. Odynophagia was the most common complaint, followed by alteration in voice. The larynx returned to its normal appearance in 3-8months (average 18weeks) by antituberculous medication. Physicians dealing with pulmonary tuberculosis should keep in mind that symptoms of laryngeal involvement may be minor, and laryngoscopy should always be performed when laryngeal involvement is suspected in order to isolate highly infectious patients. Response to antituberculous medication is usually late in LT and diagnosis by "wait and watch” policy will cause a significant delay in the diagnosis of a possible larynx carcinom

Evaluation of electrocardiographic ventricular repolarization parameters in stable coronary artery disease

Aim: To examine the relationship between the SYNTAX score (SS) and cardiac repolarization parameters such as cQTd and Tp-e values, and Tp-e/QT, Tp-e/JT, Tp-e/QTc, and Tp-e/JTc ratios in patients who have stable angina pectoris. Methods: 12-lead resting electrocardiograms (ECGs) and SS of 160 patients (51 female and 109 male) undergoing coronary angiography with the pre-diagnosis of stable angina pectoris were evaluated. Patients with a SS below 22 were classified as Group 1 (low-SYNTAX), and those above 22 (high-SYNTAX) as Group 2. Forty-four patients with normal coronary angiography were included in Group 3. Results: Mean age of the patients was 62.4±9.1 years. The heart rate, QRS, QT, cQT and JT durations between the groups were similar. In addition, relatively recent ventricular repolarization indices such as Tp-e interval and Tp-e/QT, Tp-e/JT, Tp-e/QTc, and Tp-e/JTc ratios were also not substantially different between groups. Conclusion: Several surface ECG predictors of ventricular arrhythmias, including QTd, JT and Tp-e intervals and their ratios to QT and JT, are not significantly correlated with SYNTAX score-assessed CAD severity in patients with stable angina pectoris

Epicardial adipose tissue and pericoronary fat thickness measured with 64-multidetector computed tomography: potential predictors of the severity of coronary artery disease

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between pericoronary fat and the severity and extent of atherosclerosis, quantified using 64-multidetector computed tomography, in patients with suspected coronary artery disease. METHODS: The study population consisted of 131 patients who were clinically referred for noninvasive multislice computed tomography coronary angiography for the evaluation of coronary artery disease. Patients were classified as follows: no atherosclerosis, Group 1; nonobstructive atherosclerosis (luminal narrowin

Machine-Knitted Seamless Pneumatic Actuators for Soft Robotics: Design, Fabrication, and Characterization

Computerized machine knitting offers an attractive fabrication technology for incorporating wearable assistive devices into garments. In this work, we utilized, for the first time, whole-garment knitting techniques to manufacture a seamless fully knitted pneumatic bending actuator, which represents an advancement to existing cut-and-sew manufacturing techniques. Various machine knitting parameters were investigated to create anisotropic actuator structures, which exhibited a range of bending and extension motions when pressurized with air. The functionality of the actuator was demonstrated through integration into an assistive glove for hand grip action. The achieved curvature range when pressurizing the actuators up to 150 kPa was sufficient to grasp objects down to 3 cm in diameter and up to 125 g in weight. This manufacturing technique is rapid and scalable, paving the way for mass-production of customizable soft robotics wearables

Canonical Wnt signaling is antagonized by noncanonical Wnt5a in hepatocellular carcinoma cells

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>β-catenin mutations that constitutively activate the canonical Wnt signaling have been observed in a subset of hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs). These mutations are associated with chromosomal stability, low histological grade, low tumor invasion and better patient survival. We hypothesized that canonical Wnt signaling is selectively activated in well-differentiated, but repressed in poorly differentiated HCCs. To this aim, we characterized differentiation status of HCC cell lines and compared their expression status of Wnt pathway genes, and explored their activity of canonical Wnt signaling.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We classified human HCC cell lines into "well-differentiated" and "poorly differentiated" subtypes, based on the expression of hepatocyte lineage, epithelial and mesenchymal markers. Poorly differentiated cell lines lost epithelial and hepatocyte lineage markers, and overexpressed mesenchymal markers. Also, they were highly motile and invasive. We compared the expression of 45 Wnt pathway genes between two subtypes. TCF1 and TCF4 factors, and LRP5 and LRP6 co-receptors were ubiquitously expressed. Likewise, six Frizzled receptors, and canonical Wnt3 ligand were expressed in both subtypes. In contrast, canonical ligand Wnt8b and noncanonical ligands Wnt4, Wnt5a, Wnt5b and Wnt7b were expressed selectively in well- and poorly differentiated cell lines, respectively. Canonical Wnt signaling activity, as tested by a TCF reporter assay was detected in 80% of well-differentiated, contrary to 14% of poorly differentiated cell lines. TCF activity generated by ectopic mutant β-catenin was weak in poorly differentiated SNU449 cell line, suggesting a repressive mechanism. We tested Wnt5a as a candidate antagonist. It strongly inhibited canonical Wnt signaling that is activated by mutant β-catenin in HCC cell lines.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Differential expression of Wnt ligands in HCC cells is associated with selective activation of canonical Wnt signaling in well-differentiated, and its repression in poorly differentiated cell lines. One potential mechanism of repression involved Wnt5a, acting as an antagonist of canonical Wnt signaling. Our observations support the hypothesis that Wnt pathway is selectively activated or repressed depending on differentiation status of HCC cells. We propose that canonical and noncanonical Wnt pathways have complementary roles in HCC, where the canonical signaling contributes to tumor initiation, and noncanonical signaling to tumor progression.</p

Higher serum lipids and oxidative stress in patients with normal tension glaucoma, but not pseudoexfoliative glaucoma

This study entailed a cross-examination of oxidant/antioxidant balance, high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-linked paraoxonase 1 (PON1) phenotypes, and levels of serum routine lipids among patients with normal tension glaucoma (NTG) or pseudoexfoliative glaucoma (PEXG) compared with healthy control groups. We aimed to investigate the links between oxidative stress (OS), HDL-related antioxidant enzyme activities and dyslipidemia in distinct subtypes of glaucoma. The study included 32 patients with NTG, 31 patients with PEXG, and 40 control subjects. Levels of PON1 and arylesterase enzymatic activity, total oxidant status (TOS), and total antioxidant status were measured by spectrophotometry and OS indexes (OSI) were calculated. The phenotype distribution of PON1 was determined using the dual substrate method. Blood serum levels of HDL, low-density lipoprotein, total cholesterol (TC), and triglyceride (TG) were measured. The TOS and OSI values in the NTG group were significantly higher compared with the other groups (both p < 0.01). The phenotype distribution found in the glaucoma and control groups were NTG: QQ, 59.4%; QR, 37.5%; RR, 3.1%; PEXG: QQ, 45.1%; QR, 48.4%; RR, 6.5%; and in the control group: QQ, 42.5%; QR, 50.0%; RR, 7.5%. Serum TC levels were significantly higher than the control in both NTG and PEXG groups, whereas TG was significantly higher in NTG only (p < 0.01 and p < 0.02, respectively). Hyperlipidemia, OS and variations in phenotype distribution of PON1 may play a role in the pathogenesis of different types of glaucoma

Climate–ecosystem modelling made easy: The Land Sites Platform

Dynamic Global Vegetation Models (DGVMs) provide a state-of-the-art process-based approach to study the complex interplay between vegetation and its physical environment. For example, they help to predict how terrestrial plants interact with climate, soils, disturbance and competition for resources. We argue that there is untapped potential for the use of DGVMs in ecological and ecophysiological research. One fundamental barrier to realize this potential is that many researchers with relevant expertize (ecology, plant physiology, soil science, etc.) lack access to the technical resources or awareness of the research potential of DGVMs. Here we present the Land Sites Platform (LSP): new software that facilitates single-site simulations with the Functionally Assembled Terrestrial Ecosystem Simulator, an advanced DGVM coupled with the Community Land Model. The LSP includes a Graphical User Interface and an Application Programming Interface, which improve the user experience and lower the technical thresholds for installing these model architectures and setting up model experiments. The software is distributed via version-controlled containers; researchers and students can run simulations directly on their personal computers or servers, with relatively low hardware requirements, and on different operating systems. Version 1.0 of the LSP supports site-level simulations. We provide input data for 20 established geo-ecological observation sites in Norway and workflows to add generic sites from public global datasets. The LSP makes standard model experiments with default data easily achievable (e.g., for educational or introductory purposes) while retaining flexibility for more advanced scientific uses. We further provide tools to visualize the model input and output, including simple examples to relate predictions to local observations. The LSP improves access to land surface and DGVM modelling as a building block of community cyberinfrastructure that may inspire new avenues for mechanistic ecosystem research across disciplines.publishedVersio