PROTEIN-C AND ANTITHROMBIN-III IN CHILDREN WITH ACUTE-LEUKEMIA

In this study Protein C (PC) and antithrombin III (AT III) levels in childhood acute leukemia were investigated. The mean PC activity levels in 19 newly diagnosed cases of acute leukemia were significantly lower as compared with the normal controls (p < 0.05). A significant increase was found (p < 0.01) in the patients in remission. Prior to treatment 78.8 percent of patients had decreased PC activity levels, but all patients had normal PC activity during remission

Prevalence of Helicobacter pylori in Turkish children with celiac disease and its effect on clinical, histopathological, and laboratory parameters

Introduction: The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori (HP) in children with celiac disease (CD) and its relationship with clinical, histopathological, and laboratory parameters. Material and methods: Two hundred and fifty-six patients with serologically and histopathologically diagnosed CD at the Pediatric Gastroenterology Department, Turkey, from January 2012 to March 2017, were included in the study, as well as 1012 patients with dyspeptic complaints. Biopsies of the duodenum and antrum were taken; the existence of HP and the histological level of damage were studied. HP (+) and HP (-) cases were compared according to age, sex, noted complaints, and clinical and laboratory features. Results: Seventy (27.4%) CD patients and 270 (26.7%) patients with dyspeptic complaints were HP (+). The diagnostic age was higher in HP (+) cases, and diarrhea and abdominal distension were significantly higher. Although hemoglobin, ferritin, vitamin B12, and transferrin saturation were lower in HP (+) cases, the differences were not statistically significant. The serum folate level in the HP (+) group was significantly lower compared to the HP (-) group. Conclusions: The prevalence of HP was not increased in cases of CD. The CD was diagnosed later in HP (+) cases, distension and diarrhea complaints were more frequent, and folate deficiency was significant. © 2019 Termedia & Banach

Optimal Liver Acceptance for Risk-Sensitive Patients

The only therapy for patients with end-stage liver disease is transplantation. In order to be eligible for a cadaveric liver transplantation in the United States, a patient must join a waiting list maintained by the United Network for Organ Sharing System, which allocates livers using a complex priority system. When a liver offer is made, each patient must decide whether to accept the offer. Although several other models considered this decision-making process, they maximize life expectancy rather than expected utility, and hence do not apply to the vast majority of patients, who are risk-averse. We extend previous research by including patient risk preferences in our modeling approach. We formulate a risk-sensitive infinite-horizon Markov decision process in which the state is defined by the patient's health and the quality of the liver available for transplantation. Our model maximizes total expected utility for an exponential utility function, which provides good approximations for many other types of utility functions. We establish structural properties based on liver quality, health state, and patient's risk sensitivity, and we conduct numerical studies based on clinical data