FACTORS AFFECTING QUALITY OF LIFE AFTER BYPASS GRAFTING IN CRITICAL LEG ISCHEMIA

Objective: The aim of the study was to investigate health-related quality of life (QOL) an the impact of demographic factors after bypass grafting (BG) in patients with critical limb ischemia (CLI)

AGE OF MENARCHE AND AFFECTING FACTORS IN FAITH DISTRICT OF ISTANBUL CITY

Objective: Menarche is an indicator of general health and living conditions in a society and deviations in its timing due to several factors may lead to future health problems. Our aim was to find the mean menarcheal age and affecting factors in a selected group of students in Istanbul

Association of blood lead levels with demographic, reproductive and employment related factors in Turkish women

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to compare the blood lead levels in employed and unemployed women and associate the difference with sociodemographic and reproductive factors

Blunted nocturnal fall in blood pressure in isolated clinical hypertension

Objective: The aim of the study is to assess the relation between diurnal blood pressure variations and target organ damage in isolated clinical hypertension (ICH)

Relation of Biochemical Parameters with Flow-mediated Dilatation in Patients with Metabolic Syndrome

Background: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is one of the high cardiovascular (CV) situations. Endothelial dysfunction, which is a common finding in patients with MetS, is related with increased CV risk. In patients with MetS, the effect of the major CV risk factors, not included in the MetS definition, on endothelial dysfunction is not well known. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of major CV risk factors such as gender, smoking, family history, and biochemical parameters on endothelial dysfunction in patients with MetS. Methods: The study was performed between December 2010 and August 2014. Atotal of 55 patients(15 females and 40 males) with MetS and 81 healthy controls (37 females and 44 males) with a body mass index <25 kg/m2 were enrolled in the study. Endothelial dysfunction was measured by flow-mediated dilatation (FMD), oxidative stress parameters; high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL), endothelial nitric oxide synthase (e-NOS), nitric oxide, and cell adhesion markers; von Willebrand factor, and e-selectin. Platelet aggregation (endothelial adenosine diphosphate), total platelet count, and mean platelet volume were additionally analyzed and demographic parameters were explored. Student’s t-test, Mann-Whitney U-test, and Chi-square test were used to analyze the results. Results: The fasting blood glucose (z = 3.52, P = 0.001), hs-CRP (z = 3.23, P = 0.004), ox-LDL(z = 2.62, P = 0.013), and e-NOS (z = 2.22, P = 0.026) levels and cardiac risk score (z = 5.23, P < 0.001) were significantly higher in patients with MetS compared with the control group. Smoking was correlated with decreased FMD ( χ2 = 9.26, P = 0.002) in MetS patients but not in the control group. Conclusions: Increased ox-LDL, hs-CRP, and e-NOS are likely to be a result of oxidative stress, a condition in which an imbalance occurs between the production and inactivation of reactive nitrogen and oxygen species. In addition, in patients with MetS, smoking is independently related to endothelial dysfunctio

ENDOTHELIAL DYSFUNCTION MARKERS IN LOW CARDIOVASCULAR RISK INDIVIDUALS: COMPARISON OF MALES AND FEMALES

Background: Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) account for approximately 50% of the total deaths in Turkey. Most of them are related with atherosclerotic coronary heart disease. Predictive value of endothelial dysfunction markers related with the earliest stage of atherosclerosis has been getting more attention. We hypothesized that differences in endothelial dysfunction biochemical markers among genders would aid to capture proatherogenic activity that was not diagnosed by conventional risk assessment scoring systems

Ezetimibe Therapy and Its Influence on Oxidative Stress and Fibrinolytic Activity

Objective: The effect of ezetimibe on blood lipids, oxidative stress, and fibrinolytic activity in hyperlipidemic patients was investigated after three months of therapy

Prevalence and characteristics of restless legs syndrome (RLS) in the elderly and the relation of serum ferritin levels with disease severity: Hospital-based study from Istanbul, Turkey

The RLS is an underdiagnosed condition, characterized by unpleasant sensations in the legs. Pathophysiological mechanisms may include iron deficiency as reflected by low serum ferritin levels and dopaminergic system dysfunction. The purpose of our study was to investigate the prevalence and characteristics of RLS in the elderly and the relation of serum ferritin levels with disease severity. Ambulatory 1012 (621 women, 391 men, mean age: 73.51 +/- 7.12 years) consecutive patients above 65 years who admitted to our clinic for any reason were evaluated according to the International RLS Study Group (IRLSSG) criteria: 103 patients (74 women, 29 men, mean age: 72.43 +/- 6.31) (10.18%) had RLS diagnosis. Only 9 of them had known RLS. The duration of symptoms was 4.80 +/- 4.65 years and 27 patients (26.2%) had positive family history. The average of serum ferritin levels was 39.13 +/- 23.74 ng/ml and 71 patients (68.9%) had serum ferritin levels <= 50 ng/ml. The disease severity was evaluated with IRLSSG rating scale. Patients were classified as severe-very severe group (n = 49) and mild-moderate group (n = 54). The ferritin levels of severe-very severe disease group were lower than those of mild-moderate disease group (26.01 +/- 15.82 ng/ml versus 49.87 +/- 23.24 ng/ml, p < 0.001). Our data show that RLS is very common in the elderly and the disease is more severe in patients with lower ferritin levels. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved