Secondary prevention of coronary heart disease in elderly population of Turkey: A subgroup analysis of ELDERTURK study

Background: Secondary prevention plays an important role after acute coronary event due to high risk of adverse events in elderly. In present study we aimed to evaluate the lifestyle, management of risk factors and medical treatment for secondary protection in elderly patients with known coronary heart disease (CHD). Methods: ELDERTURK is a non-interventional, multi-centered, observational study, which included total of 5694 elderly patients ( > 65 years) from 50 centers in Turkey. In this study elderly patients from the ELDERTURK population with known CHD were evaluated for cardiovascular risk factors, comor- bidities and medication usage. Results: A total of 2976 (52.3% of study) out of 5694 patients included in the ELDERTURK study were evaluated. All had known CHD with a mean age of 73.4 ± 6.2 years and 60.3% were male. 13.0% of patients were smokers, 42.4% were overweight and 21.1% were obese. Only 23.6% of patients reported to do regular exercise, 73.4% had history of hypertension, 47.4% had dyslipidemia and 33.9% had diabetes mellitus. The rate of patients with systolic blood pressure > 140 mmHg were 31.1% and only 13.9% of patients had a recommended ≤ 70 mg/dL level of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Anti- platelet, statin, beta-blocker and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor/angiotensin receptor blocker usage was limited to 27.3%. Conclusions: The ELDERTURK study shows that many patients with CHD have a high prevalence of modifiable risk factors and unhealthy lifestyle. Apart from this, many patients are not receiving thera- peutic intervention and as a consequence most were not achieving the recommended goals.   

Comparison of the efficacy of once- and twice-daily colchicine dosage in pediatric patients with familial Mediterranean fever - a randomized controlled noninferiority trial

Background: In this study, we examined the efficacy and safety of a once-daily dosage schema of colchicine compared with a twice-daily dosage schema in pediatric patients with familial Mediterranean fever (FMF). Methods: In this 24-week, multicenter, randomized controlled noninferiority trial, pediatric patients newly diagnosed with FMF carrying a homozygous or compound heterozygous mutation and not receiving any treatment were included. Patients were randomly assigned using a block randomization method to receive treatment with a once- or twice-daily dosage. Clinical and laboratory characteristics and medication side effects were recorded and compared between groups. The study was carried out in compliance with Good Clinical Practice and the Consolidated Standards for Reporting of Trials (CONSORT) statement. Results: A total of 92 patients were selected, and 79 patients completed the study. There were 42 patients in the once-daily dosage group and 37 in the twice-daily dosage group. The results indicated that the once-daily dosage was not inferior to the twice-daily dosage regarding decrease in attack frequency and duration as well as improvement in clinical findings and Mor severity scores. Alterations in laboratory findings indicating inflammation, such as erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, and serum amyloid A, were similar in both groups. The rates of drug side effects were similar between the once- and twice-daily dosage groups, implying comparable safety of colchicine, with the exception of diarrhea, which was slightly higher in the once-daily dosage group. Conclusions: Using colchicine with either a once- or twice-daily dosage provides similar clinical and laboratory improvements. Considering both efficacy and safety, colchicine can be prescribed with a once-daily dosage. Trial Registration ID: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT02602028. Registered 5 November 2015

Autoantibodies against type I IFNs in patients with life-threatening COVID-19

Interindividual clinical variability in the course of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection is vast. We report that at least 101 of 987 patients with life-threatening coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia had neutralizing immunoglobulin G (IgG) autoantibodies (auto-Abs) against interferon-w (IFN-w) (13 patients), against the 13 types of IFN-a (36), or against both (52) at the onset of critical disease; a few also had auto-Abs against the other three type I IFNs. The auto-Abs neutralize the ability of the corresponding type I IFNs to block SARS-CoV-2 infection in vitro. These auto-Abs were not found in 663 individuals with asymptomatic or mild SARS-CoV-2 infection and were present in only 4 of 1227 healthy individuals. Patients with auto-Abs were aged 25 to 87 years and 95 of the 101 were men. A B cell autoimmune phenocopy of inborn errors of type I IFN immunity accounts for life-threatening COVID-19 pneumonia in at least 2.6% of women and 12.5% of men

Reserve Options Mechanism: The New Monetary Policy Tool of CBRT and Its Effect on Exchange Rate Volatility

Purpose – Reserve Options Mechanism (ROM) is a new policy tool of Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey (CBRT). In this study, it is aimed to examine the effect of the ROM on USD/TL exchange rate volatility. Design/methodology/approach – The effects of the ROM and the direct foreign exchange interventions and auctions of CBRT on the USD/TL exchange rate volatility are analyzed by applying GARCH (1,1) model and using the data for the period 09.30.2011-06.03.2016. Findings – It is found that the ROM significantly decreases the exchange rate volatility, which indicates the effectiveness of the ROM. The interventions of the CBRT also decrease the volatility but they do not play a significant role. Research limitations/implications – Although all available data for the ROM since the beginning of the mechanism are used, one of the limitations of the study is that the ROM and also the interventions of the CBRT are not the only explanatory variables for the USD/TL exchange rate volatility. However, the results imply that the ROM is an efficient policy tool and contributes to the financial stability. Originality/value – Since the ROM is introduced by CBRT recently, there are only a few empirical researches examining the effect of the ROM on exchange rate volatility. This study covers a longer and more recent time period than previous studies

Impact of socio-cultural and economic factors on vegetable consumption behaviours: case of Giresun province, Turkey

Many factors impact on food consumption behaviours. The aim of the study is to determine the impact of socio-demographic and ecological factors on vegetable consumption. A 14-question questionnaire was applied on a voluntary basis to 200 individuals who accepted to participate in the study. Their socio-demographic attributes and the vegetable consumption habits of their families were determined. Their average monthly budget for vegetables is 31.82±12.72. The two attributes of purchased vegetables with most demand are cleanliness (61.5%) and freshness (22%). The maximum price per 1 kg of vegetables, which individuals with an income of 301-450 can afford, is 0.96, but for individuals with an income of > 450, it is 1.25. It was observed that the amount of purchased vegetables increased with the increase in the budget allocated for vegetables

An analysis of the conformation and electronic structure of newly synthesized cryptand

1013-1015Using molecular mechanical methods (MM2, AMBER, OPLS), a conformational analysis of a newly synthesized cryptand is made and its stable conformations are determined. The electronic structures of the stable conformations are analysed by the AM1 method, and its donor-acceptor characteristics are investigated