A nationwide multicentre study in Turkey for establishing reference intervals of haematological parameters with novel use of a panel of whole blood

IntroductionA nationwide multicentre study was conducted to establish well-defined reference intervals (RIs) of haematological parameters for the Turkish population in consideration of sources of variation in reference values (RVs). Materials and methodsK2-EDTA whole blood samples (total of 3363) were collected from 12 laboratories. Sera were also collected for measurements of iron, UIBC, TIBC, and ferritin for use in the latent abnormal values exclusion (LAVE) method. The blood samples were analysed within 2 hours in each laboratory using Cell Dyn and Ruby (Abbott), LH780 (Beckman Coulter), or XT-2000i (Sysmex). A panel of freshly prepared blood from 40 healthy volunteers was measured in common to assess any analyser-dependent bias in the measurements. The SD ratio (SDR) based on ANOVA was used to judge the need for partitioning RVs. RIs were computed by the parametric method with/without applying the LAVE method. ResultsAnalyser-dependent bias was found for basophils (Bas), MCHC, RDW and MPV from the panel test results and thus those RIs were derived for each manufacturer. RIs were determined from all volunteers’ results for WBC, neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocytes, eosinophils, MCV, MCH and platelets. Gender-specific RIs were required for RBC, haemoglobin, haematocrit, iron, UIBC and ferritin. Region-specific RIs were required for RBC, haemoglobin, haematocrit, UIBC, and TIBC. ConclusionsWith the novel use of a freshly prepared blood panel, manufacturer-specific RIs’ were derived for Bas, Bas%, MCHC, RDW and MPV. Regional differences in RIs were observed among the 7 regions of Turkey, which may be attributed to nutritional or environmental factors, including altitude

Effects of the 810-nm diode laser on hair and on the biophysical properties of skin

Introduction : Laser therapy is clinically effective in hair removal; however, despite the development of various strategies, laser procedures still present a risk of adverse effects due to the overheating of the skin. Objective : To investigate the effects of 810-nm diode laser treatment on hair and on the biophysical properties of skin by using various non-invasive techniques on various parameters, including hair analysis, surface color changes, integrity of skin barrier, sebum production rate and pH level. Methods : In this randomized, right-left comparison study, 35 women with axillary hair received single-session diode laser therapy. Hair analysis and biophysical properties of the skin were assessed before treatment and at weeks 2, 4 and 6 after the therapy. Results : Hair density and thicknesses statistically significantly decreased after the first post-treatment evaluation. Regarding comparison of the biophysical properties of the skin, there was no statistically significant difference in the assessments, except for the increase determined during the second week in the erythema index in the laser-treated areas. Conclusion : The findings of this study showed that the diode laser can perform a significant reduction in the hair amount without significant epidermal damage, at least for a short period

Relationship Between Serum Agouti-Related Peptide Levels and Metabolic Syndrome in Euthymic Bipolar Patients

Introduction: Agouti-Related Peptide (AgRP) is expressed primarily in the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus, stimulates appetite and decreases metabolism and energy expenditure. The aim of our study is to evaluate the relationship between serum Agouti-Related Peptide (AgRP) levels and metabolic syndrome in euthymic bipolar patients Methods: Forty euthymic bipolar patients who used only mood stabilizer for at least three months and 40 healthy volunteers as control group were included in the study. We measured fasting blood glucose levels and serum levels of AgRP, total cholesterol, triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) of all participants. The main outcome measure was the difference between patients and control groups in terms of metabolic syndrome frequency and the relationship between serum AgRP level and metabolic syndrome is also investigated. Results: The metabolic syndrome was significantly more common in euthymic bipolar patients than in control group (p=0.039). Additionally, levels of blood glucose and triglyceride were significantly higher in the patient group than in the control group (p=0.006 and 0.01 respectively). Serum AgRP levels did not differ between the patient and control groups (p=0.35). Also, in euthymic bipolar patients, there was no significant difference in serum AgRP levels between patients with metabolic syndrome and those without (p=0.754). Conclusion: We found significantly higher frequency of metabolic syndrome in euthymic bipolar patients than in the control group. However, there was no significant difference in the levels of serum AgRP between bipolar patients with and without metabolic syndrome in either study groups.This study was supported financially from Scientific Research Project (BAP Proje no: 2016-TIP-034) of Ege University Medical School.Scientific Research Project (BAP Proje) of Ege University Medical School [2016-TIP-034

Geothermal resource assessment of the Gediz Graben utilizing TOPSIS methodology

The Gediz Graben possesses the second highest geothermal power generation potential in Western Anatolia, Turkey. In this study, the geothermal resource potential of the Gediz Graben has been assessed by following an ideal point methodology. For this purpose, nine criteria layers were introduced into a GIS environment, namely, distance to faults and fault density, distance to cap rock units, hot springs and graben center, Gutenberg-Richter b-value map, night-time surface temperature, NDVI and slope. Each layer was weighted by using the pairwise comparison method. Then, an ideal point methodology, namely, Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to the Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) was used to rank the geothermal favorability of the Gediz Graben from most favorable to least favorable. In order to assess the success of the geothermal favorability map, a comparison of the favorability classes with the known producing well data revealed that 76% of the wells fell within the highest two favorability classes where none of the wells were located in the least two favorable classes