Diagnostic Value of The Ischemia Modified Albumin and Pentraxin 3 In Pediatric Appendicitis: A Meta Analysis

Objective: In this meta-analysis, we aimed to review the diagnostic value of pentraxin 3 (PTX3) and ischemia-modified albumin (IMA) biomarkers in pediatric appendicitis. Method: Studies focusing on the value of PTX3 and IMA in the diagnosis of appendicitis were searched related to the PubMed database. Only randomized prospective clinical trials were included in this study. Results: After the screening, 6 articles based on the diagnostic value of IMA in appendicitis and 5 articles on the diagnostic value of PTX3 were reviewed. A total of 5 studies were included. The data of the 385 patients were reviewed. Sensitivity of PTX3 was 73-92% and specificity 88-100%, while IMA sensitivity was 89-96.7% and specificity was 26-99.7% in acute appendicitis. Conclusion: Although the results of the present study indicate that PTX3 and IMA can be shown as biomarkers in the differential diagnosis of acute abdomen, further study is needed to determine the cut-off value

Bioaccessibility of terebinth (Pistacia terebinthus L.) coffee polyphenols: Influence of milk, sugar and sweetener addition

In this study, terebinth coffee formulations were prepared with whole or skimmed milk with or without sugar/ sweetener in order to study the matrix effect on the bioaccessibility of terebinth polyphenols. Quercetin glycosides and catechin were the major flavonoids identified in the terebinth formulations, whereas gallic, protocatechuic, syringic and ellagic acids were determined as the non-flavonoid compounds. The in vitro gastrointestinal digestion model results revealed that addition of whole milk to terebinth coffee increased the total bioaccessible flavonoids significantly (45%) (p < 0.05), whereas skim milk addition did not result in any significant change. Furthermore, antioxidant capacity results measured with CUPRAC assay showed that addition of milk alone or together with sugar/sweetener increases the bioaccessibility of terebinth coffee antioxidants (36-70%) (p < 0.05). Overall, terebinth coffee + whole milk + sugar formulation was found to contain the highest amount of bioaccessible flavonoid and non-flavonoid compounds (42.71-47.07 mg/100 g)

Natural diversity in health related phytochemicals in Turkish tomatoes

BACKGROUND: Tomatoes are important fruits in the Mediterranean diet and are considered to reduce the risk of different human diseases due to their antioxidative powers. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the present study was to investigate the biodiversity within a set of 50 tomato fruit accessions collected across Turkey concerning their antioxidant capacities and the levels of potential health-beneficial compounds including phenolic compounds, carotenoids, ascorbic acid and tocopherols. METHODS: All accessions were simultaneously grown in an open experimental field in 2017 and ripe fruits were harvested for analysis. Antioxidant capacities of both hydrophilic and lipophilic extracts were determined using spectrophotometric assays after which individual antioxidants were identified by HPLC using an on-line antioxidant detection system. Phenolic acids, flavonoids, carotenoids and vitamins C and E were quantified using HPLC. RESULTS: The results indicated that there is a wide diversity within this small collection with respect to their hydrophilic and lipophilic antioxidants. CONCLUSION: Hydrophilic antioxidant capacity of the tomatoes was generally related to chlorogenic acid and Vitamin C levels, while lipophilic antioxidants were correlated to all-trans lycopene.Istanbul Technical University 4135

Effect of drying treatments on the global metabolome and health-related compounds in tomatoes

Drying fruits and vegetables is a long-established preservation method, and for tomatoes, in most cases sundrying is preferred. Semi-drying is relatively a new application aimed to preserve better the original tomato properties. We have assessed the effects of different drying methods on the phytochemical variation in tomato products using untargeted metabolomics and targeted analyses of key compounds. An LC-MS approach enabled the relative quantification of 890 mostly semi-polar secondary metabolites and GC–MS analysis in the relative quantification of 270 polar, mostly primary metabolites. Metabolite profiles of sun-dried and oven-dried samples were clearly distinct and temperature-dependent. Both treatments caused drastic changes in lycopene and vitamins with losses up to > 99% compared to freeze-dried controls. Semi-drying had less impact on these compounds. In vitro bioaccessibility analyses of total phenolic compounds and antioxidants in a gastrointestinal digestion protocol revealed the highest recovery rates in semi-dried fruits. Semi-drying is a better way of preserving tomato phytochemicals, based on both composition and bioaccessibility results

The longitudinal evolution of post-COVID-19 outcomes among hemodialysis patients in Turkey

Introduction: Hemodialysis (HD) patients have increased risk for short-term adverse outcomes of COVID-19. However, complications and survival at the post-COVID-19 period have not been published extensively.Methods: We conducted a national, multicenter observational study that included adult maintenance HD patients recovered from confirmed COVID-19. A control HD group without COVID-19 was selected from patients in the same center. We investigated the characteristics and outcomes in the follow-up of HD patients and compare them with the non-COVID-19 group.Results: A total of 1223 patients (635 patients in COVID-19 group, 588 patients in non-COVID-19 group) from 47 centers were included in the study. The patients' baseline and HD characteristics were almost similar. The 28th-day mortality and mortality between 28th day and 90th day were higher in the COVID-19 group than non-COVID-19 group (19 [3.0%] patients vs. none [0%]; 15 [2.4%] patients vs. 4 [0.7%] patients, respectively). The presence of respiratory symptoms, rehospitalization, need for home oxygen therapy, lower respiratory tract infection, and arteriovenous (AV) fistula thrombosis was significantly higher in the COVID-19 group in both the first 28 days and between 28 and 90 days. In the multivariable analysis, age (odds ratio [OR] [95% CI]: 1.029 [1.004-1.056]), group (COVID-19 group vs. non-COVID-19 group) (OR [95% CI]: 7.258 [2.538-20.751]), and vascular access type (tunneled catheter/AV fistula) (OR [95% CI]: 2.512 [1.249-5.051]) were found as independent parameters related to 90-day mortality.Conclusion: In the post-COVID-19 period, maintenance HD patients who have had COVID-19 have increased rehospitalization, respiratory problems, vascular access problems, and high mortality compared with the non-COVID-19 HD patients

The longitudinal evolution of post–COVID-19 outcomes among hemodialysis patients: A nationwide multicentre controlled study

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Haemodialysis (HD) patients are at increased risk for adverse short-term consequences of COVID-19. In this study, we investigated the characteristics of chronic HD patients in the post-COVID-19 period and compared them with the control group. METHOD: We conducted a national multicentre observational study involving adult chronic HD patients recovering from COVID-19. The control HD group was selected from patients with similar characteristics who did not have COVID-19 in the same center. SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR negative patients and patients in the active period of COVID-19 were not included. RESULTS: A total of 1223 patients (635 COVID-19 groups, 588 control groups) were included in the study from the data collected from 47 centres between 21 April 2021 and 11 June 2021. The patients' baseline demographics, comorbidities, medications, HD characteristics and basic laboratory tests were quite similar between the groups (Table 1). 28th-day mortality and between 28th day and 90th day mortality were higher in the COVID-19 group than in the control group [19 (3.0%) patients and 0 (0%) patients;15 (2.4%) patients and 4 (0.7%) patients, respectively]. Presence of respiratory symptoms, rehospitalization, need for home oxygen therapy, lower respiratory tract infection and A-V fistula thrombosis were significantly higher in the COVID-19 group in the first 28 days of illness and between 28 and 90 days. Mortality was significantly associated with preexisting COVID-19, age, current smoking, use of tunneled HD catheter, persistence of respiratory symptoms, rehospitalization, need for home oxygen support, presence of lower respiratory tract infection within 28 days and persistence of respiratory symptoms. CONCLUSION: In the post-COVID-19 period, mortality, rehospitalization, respiratory problems and vascular access problems are higher in maintenance HD patients who have had COVID-19 compared to control HD patients. (Table Presented)