Detection of Expenditure Trends in the Telecommunication Sector

In the telecommunication sector, particularly in the cellular phone service area, customer expenditures have been in the areas of voice, short messages, and internet usage, leading to a pattern of more or less regular monthly bills. Recently, telecommunication companies started to associate retail stores to their billed commercial activities, resulting in unusual variations in the monthly payment sequences of their customers. In the present work we propose a method for detecting retail expenditure in monthly bills. We then code the information of the discretized version into a binary hierarchical tree and we classify them as positive or negative with respect to complaint potential

Volume CXIV, Number 4, November 7, 1996

Objective: Turner syndrome (TS) is a chromosomal disorder caused by complete or partial X chromosome monosomy that manifests various clinical features depending on the karyotype and on the genetic background of affected girls. This study aimed to systematically investigate the key clinical features of TS in relationship to karyotype in a large pediatric Turkish patient population.Methods: Our retrospective study included 842 karyotype-proven TS patients aged 0-18 years who were evaluated in 35 different centers in Turkey in the years 2013-2014.Results: The most common karyotype was 45,X (50.7%), followed by 45,X/46,XX (10.8%), 46,X,i(Xq) (10.1%) and 45,X/46,X,i(Xq) (9.5%). Mean age at diagnosis was 10.2±4.4 years. The most common presenting complaints were short stature and delayed puberty. Among patients diagnosed before age one year, the ratio of karyotype 45,X was significantly higher than that of other karyotype groups. Cardiac defects (bicuspid aortic valve, coarctation of the aorta and aortic stenosis) were the most common congenital anomalies, occurring in 25% of the TS cases. This was followed by urinary system anomalies (horseshoe kidney, double collector duct system and renal rotation) detected in 16.3%. Hashimoto's thyroiditis was found in 11.1% of patients, gastrointestinal abnormalities in 8.9%, ear nose and throat problems in 22.6%, dermatologic problems in 21.8% and osteoporosis in 15.3%. Learning difficulties and/or psychosocial problems were encountered in 39.1%. Insulin resistance and impaired fasting glucose were detected in 3.4% and 2.2%, respectively. Dyslipidemia prevalence was 11.4%.Conclusion: This comprehensive study systematically evaluated the largest group of karyotype-proven TS girls to date. The karyotype distribution, congenital anomaly and comorbidity profile closely parallel that from other countries and support the need for close medical surveillance of these complex patients throughout their lifespa

Comparison of the Effects of Different Organ Preservation Surgeries on Voice Quality by Perceptual and Acoustic Methods

Objective: As a result of partial or total surgical removal of the larynx due to larynx cancer, there are several aspects of patient's life that are altered, such as the anatomical, physiological, psychological, and social aspects. One of the key elements that affect the quality of life of postoperative patients in organ-preserving surgeries is the vocal function

Evaluation of the corneal biomechanical properties and corneal thickness in patients with Graves' orbitopathy

Purpose To evaluate the corneal biomechanical properties and central corneal thickness in patients with Graves' orbitopathy (GO). Method A total of 132 eyes of 66 patients with GO and 108 eyes of 54 healthy subjects were enrolled. Eyes with GO were classified as high score clinical activity score (CAS, >= 3) (Group 1, n = 64) and low CAS score (< 3) (Group 2, n = 68). Corneal biomechanical parameters [corneal hysteresis (CH), corneal resistance factor (CRF)], Goldmann-correlated intraocular pressure (IOPg), and corneal-compensated IOP (IOPcc) levels were measured with Ocular Response Analyzer (ORA, Reichert Ophthalmic Instruments, Buffalo, NY) and compared between the groups. Results The mean CH values were found as 9.6 +/- 1 mmHg in Group 1, 10.2 +/- 0.9 mmHg in Group 2, and 11.4 +/- 1.7 mmHg in the Control Group (p < 0.001). In post hoc analysis the mean CH was significantly lower in Group 1 than Group 2 and Control Group (Group 1-Group 2, p < 0.001; Group 1-Control Group, p < 0.001). The mean CRF was found as 10.5 +/- 2.1 in Group 1, 10.4 +/- 2.2 in Group 2, and 10.43 ?+/- 2.0 in the Control group. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups in CRF measurements (p = 0.959). The mean IOPcc values were found as 17.1 +/- 3.6 mmHg in Group 1, 15.8 +/- 4.0 mmHg in Group 2 and 15.2 +/- 4.1 mmHg in the Control Group. The IOPcc and IOPg measurements between all groups were statistically significant (p = 0.009, p = 0.027, respectively). Conclusions Corneal biomechanical measurements were different in the GO patients with varying CAS scores compared to healthy individuals

Effects of moxifloxacin exposure on the conjunctival flora and antibiotic resistance profile following repeated intravitreal injections

AIM: To evaluate the effects of moxifloxacin exposure on the conjunctival flora and antibiotic resistance profile following repeated intravitreal injections

Evaluation of the efficiency of serum biotinidase activity as a newborn screening test in Turkey

Objectives: Biotinidase Deficiency (BD) is an autosomal recessive metabolic disorder. However, the relationship between genotype and biochemical phenotype has not been completely elucidated yet. But still, some mutations are accepted to be associated with profound or partial deficiency. We aimed to evaluate the results of biochemical enzyme activity in accordance with the presence of genetic mutations and investigate the correlation between genotype and biochemical phenotype together in the study

Does the corticotropin-releasing hormone system play a role in the pathogenesis of lichen planus?

Introduction: Lichen planus (LP) is a chronic inflammatory disease, where the psychogenic factors seem to play an important role in the pathogenesis. Aim: To determine the expression of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) receptor type 1 (CRH-R1) in LP. Material and methods: Thirty-two LP patients and 17 age/gender-matched controls were included in the study. Detailed information about the disease and body surface area (BSA) covered by the lesions was recorded. Immunohistochemically, the expression of CRH-R1 was stained in the lesional skin of patients with LP and in the control group. Results: The comparison of CRH-R1 expression showed a statistically significant difference between LP patients and the controls (p < 0.05). Additionally, we did not observe any correlation between BSA and staining intensity in LP patients. Conclusions: Our study showed an increase in CRH-R1 expression in LP lesions. These results support the participation of the cutaneous CRH/CRH-R1 system in the pathogenesis of LP skin lesions

The Effect of Oral Contraceptive Pills on the Macula, the Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer, and Choroidal Thickness

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of oral contraceptive pills (OCP) on the macula, the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL), and choroidal thickness (CT)

The Investigation of HCV RNA in Tear Fluid and Aqueous Humor in Patients with Anti-HCV Antibody Positive Who Underwent Cataract Surgery

Purpose: To obtain aqueous humor and tear fluid samples during cataract surgery of the hepatitis C virus (HCV)-antibody-positive patients in order to analyze them for HCV RNA and compare these measurements with serum HCV RNA levels

Repurposing bioactive aporphine alkaloids as efflux pump inhibitors

Extrusion of drugs or drug-like compounds through bacterial efflux pumps is a serious health issue that leads to loss in drug efficacy. Combinatorial therapies of low-efficacy drugs with efflux pump inhibitors may help to restore the activities of such drugs. In this quest, natural products are attractive molecules, since in addition to their wide range of bioactivities they may inhibit efflux pumps. The current work repurposed the bioactive alkaloid roemerine as a potential efflux pump inhibitor. In Bacillus subtilis, both Bmr and BmrA, belonging to the major facilitator and the ATP-binding cassette superfamilies, respectively, were found to be inhibited by roemerine. Scanning electron microscopy and RNA-Seq analyses showed that it potentiated the effect of berberine. Growth rates and checkerboard assays confirmed the synergy of roemerine and berberine and that roemerine prevented berberine efflux by inhibiting Bmr. Transport assays with inverted membrane vesicles prepared from Escherichia cob overexpressing BmrA showed that increasing roemerine concentration decreased the transport of doxorubicin, the BmrA substrate, confirming that roemerine may also be considered as an inhibitor of BmrA. Thus, these findings suggest that conjugation of roemerine to substrates of efflux pumps, Bmr and BmrA, may help to potentiate the activity of their drug substrates