The evaluation of serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels in pregnant women with hyperemesis gravidarum

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which is considered a cause of conditions such as depression and eating disorders, and hyperemesis gravidarum (HG). Material and methods: This study was conducted as a prospective study at Ankara Ataturk Training and Research Hospital in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. The study included 73 pregnant women with singleton pregnancies (32 pregnant women with HG and 41 pregnant women without hyperemesis). Serum BDNF levels were compared between the two groups. Results: The mean age of the study group was 27.3 ± 3.5 years and the body mass index (BMI) was 22.4 ± 2.7 kg/m2. There is no statistically significant difference between the study group and the control group in terms of demographic data (p > 0.05). The pregnant women with HG were found to have significantly higher serum BDNF levels compared to the control group (349.1 ± 94.6 pg/mL vs 292. 3± 86.01, p = 0.009) Conclusions: Serum BDNF levels that are low in psychiatric disorders such as depression or anxiety were found as high in pregnant women with HG

Essential thrombocythemia with Mpl W515 K mutation in a child presenting with Budd-Chiari syndrome

WOS: 000369892400016PubMed ID: 25970554Essential thrombocythemia (ET) is an extremely rare childhood disorder characterised by clonal expansion of megakaryocytic lineage in bone marrow, leading to a persistent increase in the number of circulating thrombocytes and thus increased risk for thrombotic and haemorrhagic events. The molecular mechanisms of ET are not fully understood. Most children with ET have the JAK2 V617F somatic mutation; however, another mutation, involving a W to L or K substitution at Mpl codon 515, was reported in a small proportion of adult ET patients that is extremely rare in children. Herein, we describe a Mpl W515K somatic mutation in a paediatric case of ET who presented with Budd-Chiari syndrome. No paediatric patient harbouring a Mpl W515K mutation has been previously reported

Can distal radius or vertebra fractures due to low-energy trauma be a harbinger of a hip fracture?

Objectives: This study aims to investigate whether or not low-energy distal radius or vertebra fractures are harbingers of hip fracture. Patients and methods: A total of 142 patients had surgical treatment due to hip fracture in our clinic between February 2013 and January 2017. The patients had lowenergy fractures before hip fracture, and they received either medical treatment for osteoporosis or not before hip fracture developed. Results: Of 142 patients, 32 had distal radius, humeral neck, ankle, vertebra fractures and 15 had a second hip fracture. The patient , , were determined to have most frequently a distal radius and vertebra fracture before hip fracture The treatment of osteoporosis was determined to be neglected in 58\% of 47 patients in total who had a fracture previously. Conclusion: Distal radius and vertebra fractures are the harbingers of a potential hip fracture. Physicians, especially orthopedists, who face with these fractures should be careful in terms of osteoporosis

What is the importance of canal-to-diaphysis ratio on osteoporosis-related hip fractures?

Objectives: This study aims to investigate whether the ratio of the canal-to-diaphysis in femoral subtrochanteric region is helpful in determining risk before hip fracture. Patients and methods: The study group consisted of 116 patients with osteoporotic hip fractures (26 males, 90 females; mean age 77.8 years; range, 61 to 89 years) and the control group consisted of 56 subjects (11 males, 45 females; mean age 75.3 years; range, 60 to 83 years). The canal-to-diaphysis ratio of patients in the study group was measured on plain radiographs. The results of the affected side and intact side were compared. To ensure the interobserver reliability of the measurements and to minimize technical errors, the assessments were performed twice (two weeks apart) by two different orthopedic surgeons. Results: The canal-to-diaphysis ratio was significantly increased in patients with hip fracture compared with the intact side of same patient (p<0.001) and control subjects (p<0.001). According to the results of the receiver operating characteristic analysis, canal-to-diaphysis ratio had a diagnostic value in predicting hip fracture in osteoporosis patients, and the limit value was approximately 0.53 (sensitivity: 81\%, specificity: 86\%). An index of 0.53 represents a risk of intertrochanteric hip fracture of 89\%. Conclusion: This method can be easily applied by all physicians as X-ray device is readily accessible with low cost. The risk of hip fracture should be determined, osteoporosis should be evaluated, and treatment should be started in patients with high risk to take the necessary precautions before the fracture develops

Clinical and radiologic features and their relationships with neurofunctional scores in patients with acute cerebellar infarct

Background: Cerebellar infarct is a rare condition with very nonspecific clinical features. The aim of this study was to assess the full spectrum of the clinical characteristics, neuroimaging findings and neurofunctional analyses of cerebellar infarction, and the relationship between them. Materials and Methods: Data were collected from 59 patients admitted to our department during an 8-year period. We retrospectively analyzed the relationship between demographic characteristics, clinical symptomatology, etiological factors, functional condition, vascular distribution, frequency of subcortical white matter lesions (WMLs), and concomitant lesion outside the cerebellum in patients with acute cerebellar infarct (ACI) at time of admission. Results: The mean age in our series was 65.2 years, with most being male (57.6%). The posterior inferior cerebellar (PICA) artery was the most commonly affected territory at 62.7%. There was concomitant lesion outside the cerebellum in 45.7%. The main etiology in PICA was cardioembolism. While mean National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale on admission was 2.08 ± 1.67 in study group, modified Rankin Scale (mRS) on admission was detected to be mRS1 (n: 44, 74.5%) and mRS2 (n: 12, 20.3%) most frequently. Fourteen (35%) patients were detected to be in Fazekas stage 0; 11 (27.5%) patients in Fazekas stage 1; 6 (15%) patients in Fazekas stage 2; and 9 (22.5%) patients in Fazekas stage 3. Conclusion: Cerebellar infarct is very heterogeneous. The other cerebral area infarcts which accompany ACI negatively affect neurologic functional scores. Although it is difficult to detect the relationship between WMLs and neurologic functional severity, timely detection of risk factors and their modulation may be associated with prevention and treatability of WMLs, and this may be one of the important points for prevention of stroke-related disability

Is it possible that the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis could start with subchondral trabecular bone loss like osteoporosis?

Objectives: This study aims to investigate the role of subchondral trabecular bone thickness in the mechanism of knee osteoarthritis and the correlation of osteoarthritis and osteoporosis pathogenesis. Patients and methods: The study included 62 patients (9 males, 53 females, mean age 66.7 years; range, 50 to 84 years) with osteoarthritk All radiographs were evaluated according to Kellgren and Lawrence classification. The bone mineral density of the patients was measured and bone samples were collected from all patients included in the study during the surgical procedure and investigated pathologically. Results: Osteoarthritis grade and trabecular bone thickness were correlated with each other. Trabecular thickness rate was higher in patients with severe osteoarthritis, whereas trabecular thickness rate was statistically significantly lower than the mean in patients with mild osteoarthritis (p=0.045). Conclusion: Trabecular thickness rate was significantly lower in the mild grade of osteoarthritis compared to the severe grade. As the level of osteoarthritis increased, the number of patients with osteoporosis decreased

The effect of silymarin on hepatic regeneration after partial hepatectomy: Is silymarin effective in hepatic regeneration?

Aim: Silymarin from Silybum marianum was found to reduce liver injury. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of silymarin on hepatic regeneration in partially hepatectomized rats. Methods: Thirty Wistar-Albino rats were divided into 3 groups of 10 animals as sham, control and experimental groups. In the sham group (n=10) abdominal incision was closed after laparotomy. In the control group (n=10), the rats underwent 70% hepatectomy after laparotomy. In the experimental group (n=10) after partial 70% hepatectomy, silymarin (200 mg/kg/d) were given to rats for 10 days. Rats in three groups were sacrificed on 10 days. Aspartate (AST) and alanine transaminase (ALT), gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT), ALP, LDH and total bilirubin levels were measured using intracardiac blood samples. Tissue malondialdehyde (MDA) and tissue glutathion (GSH) and Superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels were measured. To reveal the increase in the mass of the remnant liver tissue in the control and experimental groups relative weight of the liver was calculated. Histopathological analysis of the liver was performed using a semi-quantitative scoring system. Results: A statistically significant difference among three groups was not shown for AST and ALT levels. A statistically significant difference was found between the groups as for total bilirubin and gamma glutamyl transferase levels. Increases in relative liver weights were seen with time in Groups 2 and 3. A statistically significant difference was not found for tissue malondialdehyde, Glutathion and Superoxide dismutase levels between hepatectomy and hepatectomy + silymarin groups. On liver tissue sections of the rats in the hepatectomy + silymarin group, increased regeneration and lipid peroxidation were observed accompanied by decreased antioxidant response. Conclusion: It has been observed that silymarin with many established functions such as antiproliferative, anti-inflammatory and energy antioxidant effects, does not contributed to proliferative regeneration of the liver-which has very important metabolic functions-after partial hepatectomy; instead it will decrease serum levels of transaminases. © 2015, Int J Clin Exp Med.All rights reserved

Novel plasminogen gene mutations in Turkish patients with type I plasminogen deficiency

The plasminogen (Plg) protein is the inactive proenzyme form of plasmin that dissolves fibrin thrombi by a process called fibrinolysis. It has been shown that homozygous or compound-heterozygous deficiency of this protein is a major cause of a rare inflammatory disease affecting mainly mucous membranes found in different body sites. In this study, five individual Turkish patients and nine Turkish families with type 1 Plg deficiency were investigated for PLG gene mutations. All of the coding regions of the PLG gene mutations were screened for mutations using denaturing high-pressure liquid chromatography (DHPLC). Samples showing a different DHPLC profile were subjected to DNA sequencing analysis. Here, we described five novel mutations namely, Cys49Ter, +1 IVS6 G>A, Gly218Val, Tyr283Cys, and Gly703Asp. Previously identified five nonsynonymous (Lys38Glu, Glu180Lys, Gly420Asp, Asp453Asn, Pro763Ser), five synonymous (330 C>T, 582 C>T, 771 T>C, 1083 A>G, 2286 T>G), and a 3' untranslated region (3' UTR) mutation (c.*45 A>G) were also reported in this present study. In this study, we have identified a total of eight mutations, five of which are novel. The mutations/polymorphisms identified in eight of the patients do not explain the disease phenotype. These cases probably carry other pathological mutations (homozygous or compound heterozygous) that cannot be detected by DHPLC. Copyright (C) 2016 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved