Atrial natriuretic peptide and posterior pituitary neurohormone changes in patients with acute schizophrenia

Conclusion: The obtained data indicate that the AVP level was higher, but OXT and ANP levels were lower in the patients having acute schizophrenia. Specifically OXT is related with reduced disease severity and increased functionality

Primary Stability in Various Levels of Impacted Implants: An Ex Vivo

The aim of this study was to examine the primary stabilization of different vertically impacted bone implants. Implant stability was measured by resonance frequency analysis. Forty-five dental implants were used and divided into 3 groups. Group 1 was placed 4 mm (1/3 impacted), group 2 was placed 8 mm (2/3 impacted), and group 3 was placed 12 mm (fully impacted). Implant stability quotient values were measured on the longitudinal and transversal axis by 2 independent researchers. The fully impacted group showed the significantly highest value among the groups (P , .05). There were statistically varying implant-stability quotient values between researchers. None of the 1/3-impacted implants' value reached a 70 implant-stability quotient value

Effect of Hysteroscopic Surgery Before Frozen Embryo Transfer on Patients with Previous Implantation Failure

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the benefit of hysteroscopy (HS) before single frozen-thawed embryo transfer (sFET) on patients with previous implantation failure. Material and Methods: A total of 1352 infertile women with a previous implantation failure who underwent their first sFET treatment between January 2015 and December 2017 were included in this study. The patients were classified into two main groups in which HS was omitted (Group 1), and who underwent HS (Group 2). Furthermore, Group 2 was classified into two subgroups as patients without any intrauterine pathology (Group 2a), and those with intrauterine pathology (Group 2b). sFET was performed on all patients within 50 days of hysteroscopy. The major outcome measure was the clinical pregnancy rate. Results: The mean number of mature oocytes and fertilization rates were similar between groups. The clinical pregnancy rate was found to be 33.3% (n=70) in Group 1. Comparatively this rate was statistically significantly higher in patients in Group 2. The clinical pregnancy rate was 44.2% (n=378) in Group 2a, and 44.4% (n=127) in Group 2b (p=0.014). There was a significant difference between Group 1 and Group 2a (OR: 1.58, 95% CI: 1.15-2.17, p=0.004), and also Group 2b (OR: 1.59, 95% CI: 1.10-2.31, p=0.013). However, no significant difference was observed between Group 2a and Group 2b (p=0.896). Conclusion: Our findings demonstrate that HS surgery increases the probability of pregnancy rate at least by 1.58 times in patients having previous implantation failure when the hysteroscopic procedure is followed by sFET

Enhancing the Properties of Yttria-Stabilized Zirconia Composites with Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework-Derived Nanocarbons

Ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) reinforced with nanocarbon have attracted significant interest due to their potential to enhance mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties. Although the investigation of carbon-based materials such as graphene and carbon nanotubes as additives for advanced ceramics has been widespread, the utilization of metal–organic framework (MOF)-derived nanocarbons in CMCs remains largely unexplored. We extended our previous proof-of-concept investigations by demonstrating the effectiveness of a different type of MOF-derived carbon as a reinforcing phase in an alternative ceramic matrix. We employed spark plasma sintering (SPS) to consolidate yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) and zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF-67) powder blends at 1300 °C and a uniaxial pressure of 50 MPa. YSZ serves as the ceramic matrix, whereas ZIF-67 serves as the nanocarbon source. The composite exhibits a highly significant improvement in fracture toughness with an increase of up to 13% compared to that of the YSZ monolith. The formation of ZIF-derived nanocarbon interlayers is responsible for the observed enhancement in ductility, which can be attributed to their ability to facilitate energy dissipation during crack propagation and inhibit grain growth. Furthermore, the room-temperature electrical conductivity of the sintered samples demonstrates a substantial improvement, primarily due to the in situ formation of nanocarbon-based fillers, reaching an impressive 27 S/m with 10 wt % ZIF-67 content. Based on the results, it can be inferred that the incorporation of in situ MOF-derived nanocarbons into CMCs leads to a substantial improvement in both the mechanical and electrical properties

COVID-19: vaccination vs. hospitalization

Objective Vaccination is the most efficient way to control the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, but vaccination rates remain below the target level in most countries. This multicenter study aimed to evaluate the vaccination status of hospitalized patients and compare two different booster vaccine protocols. Setting Inoculation in Turkey began in mid-January 2021. Sinovac was the only available vaccine until April 2021, when BioNTech was added. At the beginning of July 2021, the government offered a third booster dose to healthcare workers and people aged > 50 years who had received the two doses of Sinovac. Of the participants who received a booster, most chose BioNTech as the third dose. Methods We collected data from 25 hospitals in 16 cities. Patients hospitalized between August 1 and 10, 2021, were included and categorized into eight groups according to their vaccination status. Results We identified 1401 patients, of which 529 (37.7%) were admitted to intensive care units. Nearly half (47.8%) of the patients were not vaccinated, and those with two doses of Sinovac formed the second largest group (32.9%). Hospitalizations were lower in the group which received 2 doses of Sinovac and a booster dose of BioNTech than in the group which received 3 doses of Sinovac. Conclusion Effective vaccinations decreased COVID-19-related hospitalizations. The efficacy after two doses of Sinovac may decrease over time; however, it may be enhanced by adding a booster dose. Moreover, unvaccinated patients may be persuaded to undergo vaccination

COVID-19 Disease in Presenting to the Pediatric Emergency Department: A Multicenter Study of 8886 Cases.

Background: The aim was to evaluate the epidemiological, clinical, laboratory, and radiologic data of children with SARS-CoV-2 positivity by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) together with treatment strategies and clinical out-comes and to evaluate cases of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) in this population.Methods: This was a multicenter retrospective observational cohort study performed in the pediatric emergency departments of 19 tertiary hospitals. From March 11, 2020, to May 31, 2021, children who were diagnosed with confirmed nasopharyngeal/tracheal specimen SARS-CoV-2 PCR positivity or positivity for serum-specific anti-bodies against SARS-CoV-2 were included. Demographics, presence of chronic illness, symptoms, history of con-tact with SARS-CoV-2 PCR-positive individuals, laboratory and radiologic investigations, clinical severity, hospital admissions, and prognosis were recorded.Results: A total of 8886 cases were included. While 8799 (99.0%) cases resulted in a diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 with PCR positivity, 87 (1.0%) patients were diagnosed with MIS-C. Among SARS-CoV-2 PCR-positive patients, 51.0% were male and 8.5% had chronic illnesses. The median age was 11.6 years (IQR: 5.0-15.4) and 737 (8.4%) patients were aged <1 year. Of the patients, 15.5% were asymptomatic. The most common symptoms were fever (48.5%) and cough (30.7%) for all age groups. There was a decrease in the rate of fever as age increased (p < 0.001); the most common age group for this symptom was <1 year with the rate of 69.6%. There was known contact with a SARS-CoV-2 PCR-positive individual in 67.3% of the cases, with household contacts in 71.3% of those cases. In terms of clinical severity, 83 (0.9%) patients were in the severe-critical group. There was hospital admission in 1269 (14.4%) cases, with 106 (1.2%) of those patients being admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). Among patients with MIS-C, 60.9% were male and the median age was 6.4 years (IQR: 3.9-10.4). Twelve (13.7%) patients presented with shock. There was hospital admission in 89.7% of these cases, with 29.9% of the patients with MIS-C being admitted to the PICU.Conclusion: Most SARS-CoV-2 PCR-positive patients presented with a mild clinical course. Although rare, MIS-C emerges as a serious consequence with frequent PICU admission. Further understanding of the characteristics of COVID-19 disease could provide insights and guide the development of therapeutic strategies for target groups.(c) 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved