Acute effects of isoinertial resistance application on sprint, vertical and horizontal jump performance

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate of the acute effects of isoinertial resistance application on sprint, vertical and horizontal jump performance. Material: Volunteered 32 male students were divided into randomized experimental group and control group. Before and after 4-repetition maximal back squat with (for experimental group) or without isoinertial resistance application (for control group), 30 m sprint, vertical squat and countermovement jump tests with both legs, dominant leg, and non-dominant leg, standing broad jump and standing broad countermovement jump tests with both legs were assessed. Wilcoxon t test for pre- and post-test differences within the group, and Mann Whitney U test for pre- and post-test differences between the groups were used. Results: There were no significant differences within the group and between the groups for 30m both legs sprint parameters except pre-test mean stride length between the groups (Z=-2.27; p<0.02). Control group had a significant difference between pre- and post-test dominant leg vertical force (Z=-2.07; p<0.05). There were significant group differences in pre-test non-dominant leg countermovement jump (Z=-2.13; p<0.05), pre- and post-test non-dominant leg stride length (Z=-1.99 and Z=-2.28; p˂0.05, respectively). Conclusions: As a result of the effect of acute isoinertial resistance application to stride length especially to non-dominant stride length it is concluded that long-term isoinertial resistance training can support sprint performance with tolerating stride length imbalance between dominant leg and non-dominant leg

Diagnostic accuracy of procalcitonin in critically ill immunocompromised patients

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Recognizing infection is crucial in immunocompromised patients with organ dysfunction. Our objective was to assess the diagnostic accuracy of procalcitonin (PCT) in critically ill immunocompromised patients.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This prospective, observational study included patients with suspected sepsis. Patients were classified into one of three diagnostic groups: no infection, bacterial sepsis, and nonbacterial sepsis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We included 119 patients with a median age of 54 years (interquartile range [IQR], 42-68 years). The general severity (SAPSII) and organ dysfunction (LOD) scores on day 1 were 45 (35-62.7) and 4 (2-6), respectively, and overall hospital mortality was 32.8%. Causes of immunodepression were hematological disorders (64 patients, 53.8%), HIV infection (31 patients, 26%), and solid cancers (26 patients, 21.8%). Bacterial sepsis was diagnosed in 58 patients and nonbacterial infections in nine patients (7.6%); 52 patients (43.7%) had no infection. PCT concentrations on the first ICU day were higher in the group with bacterial sepsis (4.42 [1.60-22.14] vs. 0.26 [0.09-1.26] ng/ml in patients without bacterial infection, <it>P </it>< 0.0001). PCT concentrations on day 1 that were > 0.5 ng/ml had 100% sensitivity but only 63% specificity for diagnosing bacterial sepsis. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was 0.851 (0.78-0.92). In multivariate analyses, PCT concentrations > 0.5 ng/ml on day 1 independently predicted bacterial sepsis (odds ratio, 8.6; 95% confidence interval, 2.53-29.3; <it>P </it>= 0.0006). PCT concentrations were not significantly correlated with hospital mortality.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Despite limited specificity in critically ill immunocompromised patients, PCT concentrations may help to rule out bacterial infection.</p

Towards improving the safety and diagnostic yield of stereotactic biopsy in a single centre

Background: Previously, we reported on our single centre results regarding the diagnostic yield of stereotactic needle biopsies of brain lesions. The yield then (1996-2006) was 89.4%. In the present study, we review and evaluate our experience with intraoperative frozen-section histopathologic diagnosis on-demand in order to improve the diagnostic yield. Methods:

Age- and region-specific hepatitis B prevalence in Turkey estimated using generalized linear mixed models: a systematic review

Toy M, Önder FO, Wörmann T, et al. Age- and region-specific hepatitis B prevalence in Turkey estimated using generalized linear mixed models: a systematic review. BMC infectious diseases. 2011;11(1): 337.BACKGROUND: To provide a clear picture of the current hepatitis B situation, the authors performed a systematic review to estimate the age- and region-specific prevalence of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) in Turkey. METHODS: A total of 339 studies with original data on the prevalence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) in Turkey and published between 1999 and 2009 were identified through a search of electronic databases, by reviewing citations, and by writing to authors. After a critical assessment, the authors included 129 studies, divided into categories: 'age-specific'; 'region-specific'; and 'specific population group'. To account for the differences among the studies, a generalized linear mixed model was used to estimate the overall prevalence across all age groups and regions. For specific population groups, the authors calculated the weighted mean prevalence. RESULTS: The estimated overall population prevalence was 4.57, 95% confidence interval (CI): 3.58, 5.76, and the estimated total number of CHB cases was about 3.3 million. The outcomes of the age-specific groups varied from 2.84, (95% CI: 2.60, 3.10) for the 0-14-year olds to 6.36 (95% CI: 5.83, 6.90) in the 25-34-year-old group. CONCLUSION: There are large age-group and regional differences in CHB prevalence in Turkey, where CHB remains a serious health problem

A case of acanthosis nigricans as a paraneoplastic syndrome with squamous cell lung cancer

Yusuf Karakas,1 Ece Esin,1 Sahin Lacin,1 Koray Ceyhan,2 Aylin Okcu Heper,2 Suayib Yalcin1 1Medical Oncology Department, Hacettepe University Cancer Institute, 2Department of Medical Pathology, Ankara University School of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey Abstract: A 55-year-old man presented with oral mucosal ulcers, blackening of both hands, and hyperpigmentation on axillary, anal, and inguinal regions for the last 3&nbsp;months, which were all progressive. The patient was referred to the oncology department with the diagnosis of acanthosis nigricans for investigation of an underlying malignancy. He was a smoker. A computed tomography scan of thorax revealed enlarged mediastinal lymphadenopathies and a lesion on the left upper lobe. Fine-needle aspiration biopsy of the mediastinal lesion was consistent with squamous cell carcinoma, and biopsies of the skin and oral mucosal lesion also further confirmed the diagnosis of acanthosis nigricans. After docetaxel and cisplatin chemotherapy, a significant improvement in his skin and mucosal lesions was observed with almost complete resolution of the pulmonary lesion and the mediastinal lymph nodes. Keywords: acanthosis nigricans, squamous cell lung cancer, paraneoplastic syndrom

Çocukluk Çağının Fibroblastik ve Miyofibroblastik Tümörleri: Çok Merkezli Bir Dokümantasyon Çalışması ve Literatürün Gözden Geçirilmesi

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Multiple intracranial abscesses due to Cryptococcus neoformans: an unusual clinical feature in an immunocompetent patient and a short review of reported cases

We present a case of multiple intracranial abscesses caused by Cryptococcus neoformans in a patient who presented with no symptoms of immunodeficiency