The acute and long term effects of acupuncture on heart rate variability

236-239In a recent study, the possible effect of acupuncture in modulating heart rate variability (HRV) in both healthy and non-healthy subjects were reported, while previous review reported that acupuncture did not have any convincing effect on HRV in healthy subjects. We aimed to reinvestigate the possible helpful effect of acupuncture on HRV parameters and to test the possible differences between acute and long term (20 minutes) acupuncture applications. Twenty nine female subjects were participated in this study. For the acupuncture therapy, HT 7 acupuncture point (shen men) was selected. Acupuncture needle was placed for 1 minute in acute acupuncture application and 20 minutes in long term acupuncture. The recording ECG (HRV) was applied before and after acute and long term acupuncture therapies. Almost all HRV parameters increased after the acute acupuncture and some HRV parameters after the long term acupuncture compared to before therapy in healthy persons. There were no differences between acute and long term applications. These results indicate that acupuncture might be cardio protective and might restore sympathovagal imbalances by stimulating the peripheral nervous system. Also, the long term acupuncture application is not essential for the cardio protective effect

SCREENING OF WHEAT GERM PLASM FOR RESISTANCE TO MICRODOCHIUM NIVALE UNDER FIELD CONDITIONS

Pink snow mold, caused by Microdochium nivale, is a serious disease of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum) in the Northern Hemisphere. A field study with artificial inoculation was conducted using 38 winter wheat cultivars during the 2002-2003 at Erzurum, Turkey. Significant differences were detected among cultivars for reaction and yield components to the M. nivale. The most resistant winter wheat cultivars were Harmankaya and Pehlivan, and the most susceptible ones were Aytin-97, Kirgiz-95 and Bayraktar. Yield components decreased significantly in inoculated plants. Pink snow mold resulted in decreased number of spikes per m(2), the grain yield and the plant height of 71.1, 67.3 and 13.2% respectively

The Potential Beneficial Effects Of Hand And Foot Bathing On Vital Signs In Women With Caesarean Section

Purpose: Hand-foot bathing therapy is a simple technique to induce sensations of comfort and relaxation. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of hand and foot bathing therapy on vital signs in women following caesarean section. Methods: Participants were sixty women with caesarean section. They divided to two groups: (1) study group (n=30, median age=26.67 years, SD=2.04); and, (2) control group (n=30, median age=27.75 years, SD=1.09). Vital signs were measured for 5 minutes before and for 30 minutes after the hand and foot bathing therapy. Results: Pain score, systolic and diastolic blood pressures and heart and breath rates decreased after hand and foot bathing therapy. Differences between before and after therapy were statistically significantly. Conclusions: These results indicate that hand and foot bathing therapy might be helpful to restore the vital signs in post-operative patients by decreasing anxiety and psychological stress

Soluble TNF-Like weak inducer of apoptosis as a new marker in preeclampsia: A pilot clinical study

WOS: 000371089200001PubMed ID: 26989294Introduction. All findings of preeclampsia appear as the clinical consequences of diffuse endothelial dysfunction. Soluble tumor necrosis factor-like weak inducer of apoptosis (sTWEAK) was recently introduced as a TNF related cytokine in various inflammatory and noninflammatory disorders. sTWEAK was found to be related to endothelial dysfunction in patients with chronic kidney disease. In our study we aimed to compare sTWEAK levels in women with preeclampsia to corresponding levels in a healthy pregnant control group. Materials and Methods. The study was undertaken with 33 patients with preeclampsia and 33 normal pregnant women. The concentration of sTWEAK in serum was calculated with an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit. Results. Serum creatinine, uric acid, LDH levels, and uPCR were significantly higher in the patient group compared to the control group. sTWEAK levels were significantly lower in preeclamptic patients (332 +/- 144 pg/mL) than in control subjects (412 +/- 166 pg/mL) (p = 0.04). Discussion. Our study demonstrates that sTWEAK is decreased in patients with preeclampsia compared to healthy pregnant women. There is a need for further studies to identify the role of sTWEAK in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia and to determine whether it can be regarded as a predictor of the development of preeclampsia

Soluble TNF-Like Weak Inducer of Apoptosis as a New Marker in Preeclampsia: A Pilot Clinical Study

Introduction. All findings of preeclampsia appear as the clinical consequences of diffuse endothelial dysfunction. Soluble tumor necrosis factor-like weak inducer of apoptosis (sTWEAK) was recently introduced as a TNF related cytokine in various inflammatory and noninflammatory disorders. sTWEAK was found to be related to endothelial dysfunction in patients with chronic kidney disease. In our study we aimed to compare sTWEAK levels in women with preeclampsia to corresponding levels in a healthy pregnant control group. Materials and Methods. The study was undertaken with 33 patients with preeclampsia and 33 normal pregnant women. The concentration of sTWEAK in serum was calculated with an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit. Results. Serum creatinine, uric acid, LDH levels, and uPCR were significantly higher in the patient group compared to the control group. sTWEAK levels were significantly lower in preeclamptic patients (332 +/- 144 pg/mL) than in control subjects (412 +/- 166 pg/mL) (p = 0.04). Discussion. Our study demonstrates that sTWEAK is decreased in patients with preeclampsia compared to healthy pregnant women. There is a need for further studies to identify the role of sTWEAK in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia and to determine whether it can be regarded as a predictor of the development of preeclampsia

Stepwise Approach in Asthma Revisited 2023: Expert Panel Opinion of Turkish Guideline of Asthma Diagnosis and Management Group

Introduction of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) has been the cornerstone of the long-term management of asthma. ICSs either alone or in combination with long-acting beta-2 agonists have been shown to be associated with favorable asthma outcomes. However, asthma con-trol is still reported to be below expectations all around the world. Research in the last decades focusing on the use of ICS/formoterol both as maintenance and as needed (maintenance and reliever therapy approach) showed improved asthma outcomes. As a result of recent developments, Turkish Asthma Guidelines group aimed to revise asthma treatment recommendations. In general, we recommend physicians to consider the risk factors for poor asthma outcomes, patients’ compliance and expectations and then to determine “a personalized treatment plan.” Importantly, the use of short-acting beta-2 agonists alone as a symptom reliever in asthma patients not using regular ICS is no longer recommended. In stepwise treatment approach, we primarily recommend to use ICS-based controllers and initiate ICS as soon as possible. We define 2 different treatment tracks in stepwise approaches as maintenance and reliever therapy or fixed-dose therapy and equally recommend each track depending on the patient’s risks as well as decision of physicians in a personalized manner. For both tracks, a strong recommendation was made in favor of using add-on treatments before initiating phenotype-specific treatment in step 5. A strong recommendation was also made in favor of using biologic agents and/or aspirin treatment after desensitization in severe asthma when indicated