Frequency of uveitis and its associations with HLA B27 in ankylosing spondylitis patients

Aim: To investigate the prevalence of uveitis in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients and its relationship with HLA B27. Methods: The data of 95 patients with AS who admitted to Tokat Gaziosmanpaşa University Internal Medicine and Rehabilitation Outpatient Clinics between 2010 and 2019 were analyzed retrospectively. Demographic characteristics, HLA B27 positivity and detailed eye consultation notes of the patients were recorded. Results: Of the 95 patients, 65 (68%) were male and 30 (32%) were female. The mean age of the patients was 38.3 ± 11.6 years. The HLA B27 results of 10 patients could not be reached. 22% of the patients had at least one episode of uveitis attack. While 82% (70/85) of patients had HLA B27 positivity, this rate was 86% in (18/21) patients with uveitis. Conclusion: Uveitis is a disease that can cause permanent loss of vision. In our study, no significant difference was found between the presence of uveitis and the presence of HLA B27 in patients with AS and this finding needs to be supported by randomized studies

Relations that Show the Network Potential for Spatial Data Sharing

Physical and functional cooperation based on a certain hierarchy among public institutions, local governments, private sectors and all other industries that work with spatial data is a very important dynamic. This cooperation between organizations or individuals is actually built with unofficial networks that are not bound by predefined rules. By utilizing network analysis, a formal presentation of the existing collaborations and communication networks can be made.The questions that were asked to organizations during the research were selected to determine various issues such as their collaborations within the network, data exchange potential and awareness to understand the direction of the flow. This study provided an insight into the organizations that should be prioritized in any regulation and initiative on the spatial data infrastructure (SDI). Furthermore, it is proposed that organizations that are currently less active with spatial data can play a more active role with the quantitative and qualitative increase in e-applications

Activity Criteria in Behçet’s Disease

Behçet’s disease is a complex disease characterized by remission and activation periods of unknown duration. It has an unpredictable course. Behçet’s disease shows a heterogeneous pattern of organ involvement that occurs in recurrent episodes of acute inflammation throughout the course of the disease. Disease activity in Behçet’s disease is difficult to define because of its fluctuating course, lack of laboratory tests reflecting overall disease activity, absence of a standardized form to report the severity of Behcet’s disease manifestations and also trying to develop new diagnostic criteria. This led to the development of standardized disease activity index. To be useful, a measurement of disease activity must be valid, reliable, and simple enough to use in routine clinical practice. We will try to explain what the situation is in terms of Behçet’s disease activity index

Clinical biochemistry laboratory rejection rates due to various types of preanalytical errors

Introduction: Preanalytical errors, along the process from the beginning of test requests to the admissions of the specimens to the laboratory, cause the rejection of samples. The aim of this study was to better explain the reasons of rejected samples, regarding to their rates in certain test groups in our laboratory. Materials and methods: This preliminary study was designed on the rejected samples in one-year period, based on the rates and types of inappropriateness. Test requests and blood samples of clinical chemistry, immunoassay, hematology, glycated hemoglobin, coagulation and erythrocyte sedimentation rate test units were evaluated. Types of inappropriateness were evaluated as follows: improperly labelled samples, hemolysed, clotted specimen, insufficient volume of specimen and total request errors. Results: A total of 5,183,582 test requests from 1,035,743 blood collection tubes were considered. The total rejection rate was 0.65 %. The rejection rate of coagulation group was significantly higher (2.28%) than the other test groups (P < 0.001) including insufficient volume of specimen error rate as 1.38%. Rejection rates of hemolysis, clotted specimen and insufficient volume of sample error were found to be 8%, 24% and 34%, respectively. Total request errors, particularly, for unintelligible requests were 32% of the total for inpatients. Conclusions: The errors were especially attributable to unintelligible requests of inappropriate test requests, improperly labelled samples for inpatients and blood drawing errors especially due to insufficient volume of specimens in a coagulation test group. Further studies should be performed after corrective and preventive actions to detect a possible decrease in rejecting sample

Soluble CD40 ligand and prolactin levels in migraine patients during interictal period

The relationship of migraine with cardiovascular diseases has been clarified by many studies, and currently, migraine is suggested to be a systematic vasculopathy. Inflammation, thrombosis and impaired vascular reactivity are the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms of the vasculopathy. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the relationship between prolactin levels and subclinical atherosclerosis risk factors such as soluble CD40 ligand (sCD40L) and high-sensitivity CRP (hsCRP) in migraine patients during interictal period. Fifty female migraine patients and age-matched 25 female control cases were enrolled in the study. Migraine diagnosis was settled according to the ICHD-II diagnostic criteria. A questionnaire was completed about the existence of vascular risk factors. Serum samples were used to measure sCD40L, hsCRP and prolactin levels. No difference was found between the prolactin levels of the migraine patients and the controls. The sCD40L levels were significantly higher in migraine patients (p < 0.001). High-sensitivity CRP levels showed no difference between the groups. There was no correlation between prolactin, sCD40L, and hs-CRP levels in migraine patients. We consider that the migraine patients are prone to subclinical atherosclerosis, but this tendency is independent of prolactin levels

Genome-wide association study identifies variants in the MHC class I, IL10, and IL23R-IL12RB2 regions associated with Behcet's disease

Behcet's disease is a genetically complex disease of unknown etiology characterized by recurrent inflammatory attacks affecting the orogenital mucosa, eyes and skin. We performed a genome-wide association study with 311,459 SNPs in 1,215 individuals with Behcet's disease (cases) and 1,278 healthy controls from Turkey. We confirmed the known association of Behcet's disease with HLA-B*51 and identified a second, independent association within the MHC Class I region. We also identified an association at IL10 (rs1518111, P = 1.88 x 10(-8)). Using a meta-analysis with an additional five cohorts from Turkey, the Middle East, Europe and Asia, comprising a total of 2,430 cases and 2,660 controls, we identified associations at IL10 (rs1518111, P = 3.54 x 10(-18), odds ratio = 1.45, 95% CI 1.34-1.58) and the IL23R-IL12RB2 locus (rs924080, P = 6.69 x 10(-9), OR = 1.28, 95% CI 1.18-1.39). The disease-associated IL10 variant (the rs1518111 A allele) was associated with diminished mRNA expression and low protein production

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

The Solution of Initial Boundary Value Problem with Time and Space-Fractional Diffusion Equation via a Novel Inner Product

The main goal of this study is to find the solution of initial boundary value problem for the one-dimensional time and space-fractional diffusion equation which is a very intriguing topic for many researchers. With the aim of newly defined inner product, which is the main contribution of this study, the analytic solution of the boundary value problem is obtained. The time and space-fractional derivatives are defined in the Caputo sense which is more suitable than Riemann-Liouville sense. We apply the separation of variables method to reduce the problem to two separate fractional ODEs. The generalized solution is constructed/formed in the form of a Fourier series with respect to the eigenfunctions of a certain eigenvalue problem. In order to obtain the coefficients of the Fourier series for the solution, we define a new inner product which is the key point of study

Prison libraries in Turkey: The results of a national survey

The purpose of this study is two-fold: first, to examine the historical development of prison libraries in Turkey in the context of relevant legislation; and second, to determine the current state of prison library services in Turkey on the basis of the results of a survey which was conducted throughout the country between January and April 2011. There are regulations, without the force of law, which provide for the establishment, management, and control of libraries in correctional facilities and there is a uniform organizational structure countrywide. However, the 2011 survey showed that, in practice, prison libraries are unsuccessful in providing a professional service