Cardiac heterogeneity in patients with chronic urticaria; A perusal of P wave and QT dispersions

Data on how the heart is affected in Chronic Urticaria (CU), a common annoying chronic dermatological disease, is quite limited. The electrocardiographic parameters; P wave dispersion (PWD) and QT dispersion (QTD) have been consistently reported to be predictive for cardiac arrhythmias and morbidity. We aimed to detect asymptomatic cardiovascular involvement in terms of predisposition to arrhythmias in chronic urticaria. This cross-sectional study included 128 individuals: 64 with CU and 64 healthy controls. 12-lead surface electrocardiogram and Doppler echocardiography were performed on patients and controls. All of the cardiologic parameters such as P wave, PWD, QTD and corrected QTD (QTDc) parameters were obtained from ECG measurements. Maximum P wave duration and PWD were found to be higher in CU patients than controls (P= 0.035 and P [Med-Science 2022; 11(2.000): 574-80

Is Diet Quality Associated with Early Childhood Caries in Preschool Children? A Descriptive Study

Limited evidence about the role of diet quality, an important component of nutritional status, in the etiology of dental caries has been reported. The aim of this study was to examine the association between diet and dental caries in children by using the dietary intake data, anthropometrical measurements and dental examination. A total of 395 children (52.7% boys and 42.8% girls) who were 36-71 months of age (mean age 58.7 +/- 8.6 months) and attended one of the eleven preschools within a district of Ankara participated in this descriptive study. Dental examinations were performed in the schools under day-light by a pediatric dentist; decayed, missing and filled teeth as well as surfaces were recorded. Data related to socio-demographic characteristics and 24-hour dietary recall of children were gathered via a structured, pretested questionnaire which was conducted by the research dietitian. The Healthy Eating Index-2010 (HEI-2010) and Mediterranean Diet Quality Index for children and adolescents (KIDMED) were used to assess dietary intake. Anthropometric measurements including weight, height, upper arm circumference and head circumference were taken by the same researcher. The percentage of Early Childhood Caries (ECC) was increased by age (p0.05). Although children who had bad KIDMED scores had slightly higher mean values of decayed missing and filled teeth (dmft) (5.39 +/- 4.6) and decayed missing and filled surface (dmfs) (8.45 +/- 8.69), compared to the scores of children with good or medium KIDMED scores, the differences were not statistically significant (p>0.05). On the contrary to the KIDMED findings, the mean value of tooth decay was significantly higher among children with bad HEI-2010 score (4.2 +/- 4.3) compared to children with medium HEI-2010 score (2.47 +/- 2.9) (p=0.043). It is concluded that a healthy eating pattern and high diet quality is essential for the prevention of early childhood caries in preschool children. Further studies are required to develop dietary strategies for the prevention of dental caries.WoSScopu

Prevalence and predictors of gestational diabetes mellitus: a nationwide multicentre prospective study

Cetinkaya, Esra/0000-0003-2415-1236; Taskiran, Bengur/0000-0003-4842-450X; MELEKOGLU, RAUF/0000-0001-7113-6691; pekkolay, zafer/0000-0002-5323-2257; Ozer, Alev/0000-0002-0934-0226; kilinc, faruk/0000-0002-0198-2558; Aygun, Elif Ganime/0000-0003-3737-7250; KARAKILIC, ERSEN/0000-0003-3590-2656; Aydin, Hasan/0000-0003-4246-0681WOS: 000457530200011PubMed: 30402933Aim Prevalence rates of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) show considerable variation among different countries and regions of the world. The primary aim of this study was to determine the nationwide prevalence and predictors of GDM in Turkey. Methods We conducted prospective nationwide screening among pregnant women. Between August 2016 and November 2017, a total of 2643 pregnant women from 51 centres in 12 different regions were enrolled. A two-step screening method and Carpenter and Coustan criteria were used in the diagnosis of GDM. Clinical and biochemical data were obtained using electronic database software. Results The national prevalence of GDM was found to be 16.2% [95% confidence intervals (CI) 15.0% to 17.4%] without a significant difference between urban and rural regions. Women with GDM were older (mean age: 32 +/- 5 vs. 28 +/- 5 years, P < 0.001) and heavier (mean BMI: 27.2 +/- 5.1 vs. 24.7 +/- 4.7 kg/m(2), P < 0.001) than their counterparts without GDM. The prevalence of GDM tended to increase with age (< 25 years, 6.9%; 26-35 years, 15.6%; and 36-45 years, 32.7%; P < 0.001). Maternal age, maternal BMI, history of previous GDM and family history of diabetes mellitus were independent predictors of developing GDM (P < 0.05 for all). Low-risk women (age < 25 years, BMI < 25 kg/m(2), no family history of diabetes) comprised 10.7% of the total population and the prevalence of GDM in these women was 4.5% (95% CI 2.4% to 7.8%). Conclusion The results of this nationwide study indicate that GDM is very common, affecting one in seven pregnancies in Turkey. Implementation of international guidelines on screening and management of this public health problem is required