The effects and interactions of APOE and APH-1A polymorphisms in Alzheimer disease

Background/aim: Alzheimer disease (AD) is characterized by the accumulation of senile plaques composed of amyloid beta-peptide, which is derived from beta-amyloid precursor protein through degradation by beta-secretase and.-secretase complexes. One of the major components of gamma-secretase complex, anterior pharynx-defective-1 (APH-1), is responsible for the activity of the.-secretase complex. In this study, we searched for not only the most known common genetic risk factor, APOE, but also the APH-1a gene polymorphism in AD patients in a Turkish population. Materials and methods: In this study, 49 AD patients and 45 healthy controls were included. The genetic polymorphisms and allele frequencies of APOE and APH-1a were investigated. Patients were evaluated for behavioral, cognitive, and functional domains by detailed neurocognitive tests, and comparison between the above-mentioned polymorphisms and disease severity was made. Results: Although there was an increased tendency of the APO epsilon 4 allele in the AD group, no statistically significant difference was detected either in APOE or APH-1a polymorphisms, not suggesting a strong susceptibility to the development of AD. Conclusion: While searching for the pathogenesis of AD in order to develop novel diagnostic as well as therapeutic approaches, analysis of other genes with a possible role in AD is warranted

Effects of personality traits on severity of sepsis

Introduction: The aim of this study was to reveal the effect of the individual's lifestyle and personality traits on the disease process in patients with sepsis and to have clinical predictions about these patients

Clinical outcomes and independent risk factors for 90-day mortality in critically ill patients with respiratory failure infected with sars-cov-2: A multicenter study in turkish intensive care units

Background: There are limited data on the long-term outcomes of COVID-19 from different parts of the world. Aims: To determine risk factors of 90-day mortality in critically ill patients in Turkish intensive care units (ICUs), with respiratory failure. Study design: Retrospective, observational cohort. Methods: Patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 and who had been followed up in the ICUs with respiratory failure for more than 24 hours were included in the study. Their demographics, clinical characteristics, laboratory variables, treatment protocols, and survival data were recorded. Results: A total of 421 patients were included. The median age was 67 (IQR: 57-76) years, and 251 patients (59.6%) were men. The 90-day mortality rate was 55.1%. The factors independently associated with 90-day mortality were invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) (HR 4.09 [95% CI: [2.20-7.63], P 2 mmol/L (2.78 [1.93-4.01], P < .001), age ≥60 years (2.45 [1.48-4.06)], P < .001), cardiac arrhythmia during ICU stay (2.01 [1.27-3.20], P = .003), vasopressor treatment (1.94 [1.32-2.84], P = .001), positive fluid balance of ≥600 mL/day (1.68 [1.21-2.34], P = .002), PaO2 /FiO2 ratio of ≤150 mmHg (1.66 [1.18-2.32], P = .003), and ECOG score ≥1 (1.42 [1.00-2.02], P = .050). Conclusion: Long-term mortality was high in critically ill patients with COVID-19 hospitalized in intensive care units in Turkey. Invasive mechanical ventilation, lactate level, age, cardiac arrhythmia, vasopressor therapy, positive fluid balance, severe hypoxemia and ECOG score were the independent risk factors for 90-day mortality. Copyright@Author(s)