Does Fundus Fluorescein Angiography Procedure Affect Ocular Pulse Amplitude?

Purpose. This study examines the effects of fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA) procedure on ocular pulse amplitude (OPA) and intraocular pressure (IOP). Materials and Methods. Sixty eyes of 30 nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy patients (15 males, 15 females) were included in this cross-sectional case series. IOP and OPA were measured with the Pascal dynamic contour tonometer before and after 5 minutes of intravenous fluorescein dye injection. Results. Pre-FFA mean OPA value was  mmHg and post-FFA mean OPA value was  mmHg (). Pre-FFA mean IOP value was  mmHg and post-FFA mean IOP value was  mmHg (). Conclusion. Although both mean OPA and IOP values were decreased after FFA procedure, the difference was not statistically significant. This clinical trial is registered with Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry number ACTRN12613000433707

Publication trends in pars plana vitrectomy in the last decade

Purpose: The aim of this study was to demonstrate the publication trends in the area of pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) in the last ten years. Materials and Methods: All of the PPV related research articles, case reports, letters, reviews and meeting abstracts published between January 2009 and December 2018 indexed on the Web of Science Core Collection were evaluated. A bibliometric filter was used to capture publications about PPV by using the key words 'pars plana vitrectomy', 'retina surgery' and 'vitreous surgery' in the 'topic' selection mode. Publication years, topics, document types, authors, languages, country origins, institutions, citations and journals of the published documents were evaluated. Results: A total of 4877 publications was evaluated in this bibliometric study. The total publication counts about PPV had been increased from the year 2009 (368 documents) to 2018 (607 documents). The mostly encountered topics were PPV combined with an anterior segment procedure (670 documents, 13.7%), rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (393 documents, 8.1%), and macular hole (388 documents, 8.0%). The most published document type were research articles and case reports (4029 documents, 82.6%). University of London was the most productive institution (131 documents, 2.7%). The journal that published the most about PPV was 'Retina' (615 documents, 12.6%). The average citation count per PPV document was 7.9. Conclusions: In the area of PPV related publications, the most encountered topics were PPV combined with an anterior segment procedure and rhegmatogenous retinal detachment surgery in the last decade. © 2020 Gazi Eye Foundation. All rights reserved

The Effect of Glutamine Supplementation on Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Outcome in Children: A Case-Control Study

HSCT associated morbidity and mortality is usually attributed to high-dose chemotherapy/radiotherapy regimens used for conditioning. Glutamine (Gln), a conditionally essential amino acid during severe catabolic states, has been shown to have favorable effects in patients with malignancies and in those undergoing HSCT. However, controversy exists regarding its routine use. Studies in children investigating gln supplementation are very limited. In the present study, including 21 gln-supplemented and 20 control pediatric patients, gln supplementation was shown to reduce the duration of fever and decrease the incidence of SOS during the HSCT course. In addition, a decrease in drug-related toxicity and a trend toward reduced incidence of severe mucositis were observed.Wo

Children's only profession: Playing with toys

The concepts of games and toys have a very important role in children's lives. It contributes to the development of cognitive, motor, psychosocial, emotional, and linguistic skills. It also plays a key role in raising self-confident, creative, and happy children. Therefore, attention should be paid to the concepts of games and toys, which are so important for the child to be a part of society as a healthy individual at every stage of his development. On the other hand, providing playgrounds where children can play comfortably and safely are essential in reducing the risk of accidents related to toys. All health-care components, especially pediatricians and family physicians, should take an active role in ensuring that these play processes, which are the most beautiful parts of childhood, are healthy and safe

Effect of accelerated aging on the bonding performance of fluoridated adhesive resins

Cetin, Ali Riza/0000-0002-6552-2788; SENGUN, Abdulkadir/0000-0002-6053-160XWOS: 000333442400015PubMed: 24492118The purpose of this study was to investigate the dentin bond durability of a one-step, fluoride-containing, glass ionomer-based adhesive system, Reactmer Bond (RB), and that of a two-step, fluoride-containing, self-etch adhesive system, Clearfil Protect Bond (CPB). Enamel was removed from the occlusal surfaces of teeth, and flat dentin surfaces were entirely covered with a composite resin following the application of an adhesive material (n=10). After specimens were sectioned into rectangular sticks of 0.87 +/- 0.03 mm(2), the sticks were randomly assigned into two accelerated aging time period groups: 1 week or 1 year. Microtensile bond strengths were determined. Bond strength of RB increased significantly after 1 year (1 week=27.80 +/- 10.57 MPa versus 1 year=36.93 +/- 14.38 MPa) (p0.05). Both fluoride-containing adhesives seemed to demonstrate reliable bonding performance after 1 year of accelerated aging in water

Association of serum lipid levels with diabetic retinopathy

AIM: To assess the association between serum lipids and diabetic retinopathy (DR). METHODS: Sixty-one diabetic patients without retinopathy(NDR), 55 diabetic patients with non-proliferative retinopathy(NPDR) and 75 diabetic patients with proliferative retinopathy (PDR) according to ETDRS grading scale were enrolled in this study. Total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein (HDL), low density lipoprotein (LDL), very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) and triglyceride values were compared between the groups. RESULTS: The groups were well-balanced in terms of age and gender (P=0.071, P=0.265 respectively). The mean HbA1c values were significantly lower in NDR group than the NPDR and PDR groups (P=0.004, P=0.009 respectively). Mean total cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL, HDL and VLDL levels were not significantly different between the groups (P=0.693, P=0.774, P=0.644, P=0.910 and P=0.967 respectively, one way ANOVA). Mean total cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL, HDL and VLDL levels were not significantly different between the patients with ME and patients without ME (P=0.622, P=0.113, P=0.955, P=0.735 and P=0.490 respectively, t-test). The mean blood glucose significantly correlated with total cholesterol (r=0.173, P=0.017) and LDL (r=0.190, P=0.008). The mean HbA1c significantly correlated with total cholesterol (r=0.158, P=0.030) and triglyceride (r=0.148, P=0.042).CONCLUSION: Serum lipid levels were not significantly associated with the severity of DR or existence of ME despite the significant correlation between the mean blood glucose, HbA1c and total cholesterol

Impact of Nebulized Sildenafil on Lung Histology in a Murine Model of Chronic Asthma

Objective: Sildenafil, which is used for the treatment of erectile dysfunction, has been shown to inhibit inflammation in an animal model of asthma. We aimed to determine the impact of nebulized sildenafil on lung histology in a murine model of chronic asthma. Material and Methods: Forty-two BALB/c mice were divided into six groups; A, B, C, D, E, and the control group. All groups except controls were sensitized and challenged with ovalbumin. Then, mice in Group A received nebulized saline. Nebulized sildenafil citrate was administered to Group B, C, and D at concentrations of 0.035 mg/ml, 0.07 mg/ml, and 0.105 mg/ml respectively, and nebulized budesonide was administered at a concentration of 0.25 mg/ml to Group E for 15 minutes once a day, for a week. Animals were sacrificed 24 hours after the last inhalational exposure and the airway samples were evaluated histologically by light and electron microscopy. Results: All the histologic parameters of asthma in Group B were significantly ameliorated when compared to the ones in Group A. In Groups C and D, all the parameters except thicknesses of subepithelial smooth muscle layers were significantly improved when compared to Group A. Thicknesses of basement membrane, subepithelial smooth muscle, and epithelium were significantly smaller in Group B than Group E. Thicknesses of basement membrane and subepithelial smooth muscle were significantly smaller in Group C than Group E. Thickness of subepithelial smooth muscle was significantly smaller in Group D than Group E. Conclusion: The responses regarding improvement in asthma pathology were found better with all doses of nebulized sildenafil than placebo and even nebulized steroid

EFFICACY OF SULPHASALAZINE ON LUNG HISTOPATHOLOGY IN A MURINE MODEL OF CHRONIC ASTHMA

Sulphasalazine is a specific inhibitor of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kappa B) which plays a key role in asthma. To determine the impact of sulphasalazine in. the treatment of chronic asthma, BALB/c mice were sensitized and challenged with ovalbumin. Mice With experimentally induced asthma in group I received saline, group II sulphasalazine 200 mg/kg, group III sulphasalazine 300 mg/kg, and group IV dexamethasone 1 mg/kg intraperitoneally once a day in the last 7 days of the challenge period. Histological findings of the airways were evaluated by light and electron microscopies. Dexamethasone and sulphasalazine in both doses significantly improved all airway histopathologic parameters of asthma except numbers of goblet cells. Both doses of sulphasalazine improved thicknesses of basement membrane better than dexamethasone. Dexamethasone reduced the number of mast cells better than sulphasalazine (200 mg/kg). Further studies are needed to evaluate the efficacy of sulphasalazine in the treatment of asthma

Aromatase cytochrome P450 enzyme expression in human pituitary

Aromatase (P450AROM) converts testosterone to estrogen. This conversion could be important in normal physiology and estradiol-induced tumorigenesis in human pituitary. The objective of this study was to examine the expression of P450AROM in normal human pituitary and determine the gender difference. We examined aromatase expression in 19 normal human pituitary glands [13 males, 6 females, median age: 30 years (interquartile ranges, IQR: 23-63)] obtained from autopsy. We demonstrated aromatase gene expression levels by quantitative RT-PCR and aromatase protein with immunohistochemical staining in normal male and female human pituitary. Although median relative expression level of aromatase mRNA of male individuals [median Delta Ct = 42.6 (IQR: 7.6-93.9)] was higher than the female individuals [median Delta Ct = 3.9 (IQR:0-44.8)], we could not determine a significant gender difference in aromatase mRNA levels (p = 0.2). The difference between the aromatase protein density by immunohistochemistry was not significant between genders (p = 0.78). The aromatase levels were also not correlated with the age of the study subjects (p = 0.42 r = -0.21). The results indicate that aromatase enzyme is present in human pituitary. The amount and the density of the enzyme show a large variance among different individuals. Although higher mRNA expression was observed in male pituitary compared to female pituitary, there was no statistically significant difference for gender or age