Electrical Resistivity of Fly Ash Blended Cement Paste at Hardening Stage

In this study, the effects of fly ash on the electrical resistivity of hardening (setting) cement paste were investigated. Different combinations of water/binder ratio and binder dosage levels were prepared for the mixtures. The fly ash was used in the mixtures by replacing the cement in ratio of 0 %, 10 %, 20 % and 30 % by weight. The measurements were done at room temperature. The relation between electrical resistivity and hydration time with and without electric current application was investigated. The results obtained indicate the influence of fly ash content and water to binder ratio on the electrical resistivity of all the pastes under investigation. As a result, electric current application can be used on the cement paste with high volume fly ash in order to accelerate curing period

Neck Masses: Retrospective Analysis of 420 Cases

To investigate the diagnostic distribution of the neck masses who surgically treated in our clinic and also discuss the clinical presentation and histological finding of these pathologies.Between 1992-2004, 420 patients (152 females, 268 males) with neck masses (aged between 3 to 77 years, mean 35.7) who diagnosed and treated at the Dicle University Hospital, Diyarbakir, were reviewed noting age, sex, clinical presentation and histological finding. Of the 420 patients, 189 (45%) classified as inflammatory masses, 187 (44.5%) as neoplastic neck masses, and 44 (10.4) as congenital neck masses. The mean age was 29.21±16.32 in patients with inflammatory neck masses, 12.44±4.618 in congenital neck masses. In the neoplastic neck masses group the mean age was 36.5±11.66 in benign lesions, however, it was 48.44±20.14 in malignant lesions.In our study, inflammatory lesions were the most common pathologies in the etiology of the neck masses. This finding is consistent with some studies in our country previously reported; however, in this group the incidence of some diseases seems to be different. Especially the high incidence of tuberculosis suggests the similar reports which the increase of this disease has been observed

A rare cause of globus pallidus and dentate nucleus hyperintensity in childhood: MBOAT mutation

Mutations in mammalian membrane-bound O-acyltransferase domain-containing (MBOAT) 7 gene are a rare cause for intellectual disability, developmental delay, autistic findings, epilepsy, truncal hypotonia with appendicular hypertonia, and below-average head sizes. Pathogenic variants in MBOAT7 gene show these nonspecific clinical features that are seen in many other neurometabolic diseases. Therefore, specific neuroimaging findings can be valuable key factors for differential diagnosis. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings of T2 hyperintensity in bilateral globus pallidi and dentate nuclei are seen in a few neurometabolic diseases with similar clinical features of developmental delay and hypotonia, as in our cases. While evaluating the patients with similar phenotypes and specific MRI findings, MBOAT7 deficiency should be kept in mind. Here, we identified two brothers who had a novel homozygous variant in MBOAT7 gene and aimed to raise awareness about this newly described disease

The impact of COVID-19 pandemic and quarantine process a center in Turkey on anxiety levels of pediatric patients with epilepsy

Introduction: In this study, we aimed to compare the levels of state and trait anxiety in pediatric patients with epilepsy and healthy controls during the COVID-19 outbreak in Turkey. Materials and Methods: In this study, the state (STAI-I) and trait (STAI-II) anxiety scales were applied to patients between the ages of 10-17 years that had been followed due to epilepsy and were in quarantine. Anxiety status and potential risk factors were compared with healthy age and gender-matched control group. Results: This study included 40 epilepsy patients and 40 controls. Among the patients in the epilepsy group 92.5% had moderate and 7.5% had severe anxiety (mean value of STAI-I and STAI-II were 40.3±4.8 and 40.9±10.5, respectively). There was no significant difference between epilepsy and controls groups in terms of mean STAI-I and STAI-II scale scores (p=0.756, 0.914). When the state anxiety scores were categorized as low, moderate, and high anxiety levels, moderate-to-high state anxiety was detected in the epilepsy group, and moderate-to-low state anxiety in the control group. The state anxiety level was found to be high in patients with high seizure frequency (p=0.045). No significant relationship was found between state and trait anxiety scale scores and factors such as epilepsy duration, quarantine duration, seizure type, drug resistance, and type of antiepileptics. Conclusion: In situations that commonly affect community health, clinicians should focus also on the mental health of epileptic patients. Therefore, we believe that mental health support should be provided to pediatric patients with epilepsy

Assessment of Bone Conduction Thresholds After Surgical Treatment in Patients with Labyrinthine Fistula

Objective: This study aimed to analyze the bone conduction thresholds before and after surgery in chronic otitis media patients with cholesteatoma who had labyrinthine fistula and whose cholesteatoma matrix had been completely cleaned.Methods: The study was performed between 2013 to 2017 with 23 chronic otitis media patients who had labyrinthine fistula with cholesteatoma and who were operated at the Department of Otorhinolaryngology of Dicle University School of Medicine. Patients were assessed by anamnesis and examination and when necessary, by temporal computerized tomography and diffusion magnetic resonance imaging. Bone conduction thresholds at frequencies of 500, 1000, 2000, and 4000 Hz were determined by audiometric examination and they were compared before and after surgery.Results: Of the 23 patients, 12 were female and 11 were male; their age range was 10–55 (26.04±14.13) years. In the post-operative period, it was possible to conduct audiological follow-up on 20 patients. In these follow-ups, 16 patients showed no change in bone conduction thresholds, two patients showed worsening, and two showed improvement. When pre- and post-operative bone conduction thresholds at each frequency were compared separately, no significant difference was found (p=0.937). No statistically significant difference was found between the pre- and post-operative means at the four frequencies (p=0.712).Conclusion: In this study, we found that to reduce complications relating to cholesteatoma, it might be necessary to completely remove the matrix especially in the case of type 1 and 2 labyrinthine fistulas

Evaluation of Gender Difference in Pediatrıc Trauma Patients Admitted to The Emergency Department

Aim:A significant proportion of pediatric trauma patients admitted to the emergency department are injured by preventable causes. Accidental injuries are the most common causes of deaths in childhood. The purpose of this study was to analyze the demographic features of the parents and the gender difference of the cases in pediatric patients with trauma admitted to the emergency department (ED).Materials and Methods:Over a 1-year period (April 2015 through May 2016), a total of 502 consecutive paediatric patients who presented to our tertiary-care university hospital ED with symptoms of trauma of various causes (falling from a height, injury, burni traffic accident and physical abuse assault) were enrolled in this prospective clinical study.Results:In this study, the boy to girl gender ratio was found to be 1.52 (p = 0.868). The mean ages were 7.74 ± 4.97 in boys and 7.67 ± 5.25 in girls. 17.2% of the boys and 21.1% of the girls were detected fracture on direct radiographs (p=0.306). Upper extremity fractures were encountered more frequently than other fractures. The frequency of falling from a height was the first among all cases of trauma with the rate of 69.3%, 42.4% of which occurred in boys and 26.9% in girls (p=0.559). The rates of upper extremity injuries were 19.9% for boys and 15.7% for girls (p=0.126). The rates of head injuries were 22.5% for boys and 12% for girls (p=0.177). When the type of injury was evaluated, the rate of contusion was 60%, 36.3% of which occurred in boys and 23.7% in girls (p=0.952). When the parents of the pediatric trauma patients were classified according to their educational status, the largest group consisted of primary school graduated parents with rates of 41.4% for mothers (p=0.080) and 37.3% for fathers (p=0.008). 46.0% of the pediatric trauma patients were the first children of their families, 27.3% of which were boys and 18.7% were girls (p=0.657).Conclusion:We emphasized the importance of raising awareness about the issue at the individual and community-based level and the necessity of increasing the protective measures for indoor and outdoor accidents in order to be able to create a safe environment so that the pediatric trauma patients can be reduced in our country and in the world

Analysis of 36 patients underwent cochlear implantation surgery

Objectives: The aim of this study was to analyze the etiology,surgical methods and complications of the patientswho underwent cochlear implantation (CI) for bilateralsensorineural hearing loss.Materials and methods: Between October 2010 andFebruary 2012, 36 patients who underwent CI were retrospectivelyanalyzed in terms of age, sex, etiology of hearingloss, surgical approach and complications.Results: The age range of patients was 1-52 years [15female (% 41.7), 21 male (% 58.3]. Thirty-three of thepatients (average age 4.2±1.8) were in pediatric agegroup, remaining three patients (29, 45, 51 years old)were adult. All of pediatric patients were diagnosed ascongenital hearing loss (31 patients idiopathic, 1 Goldenharsyndrome, 1 ectodermal dysplasia). Adult patientswere operated due to hearing loss secondary to bilateraltemporal bone fracture, chronic otitis media surgery, andmeningitis. Thirty-four patients operated via a mastoidectomy-posterior tympanotomy and extended round windowapproach. One patient operated via a suprameatal approach.One patient was operated using two-stage procedure.Three patients had a perilymph gusher. No majoror minor complications occurred in patients. We operatedthe selected patients as a beginner cochlear implant center.Conclusion: Despite limited number of our study group,it can be concluded that cochlear implantaiton is an effectivetreatment for adults and children with profoundbilateral sensorineural deafness. It was found as a safelow morbidity technique with low complication rates in thepresented patients

Evaluation of patients with fibrotic interstitial lung disease: Preliminary results from the Turk-UIP study

OBJECTIVE: Differential diagnosis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is important among fibrotic interstitial lung diseases (ILD). This study aimed to evaluate the rate of IPF in patients with fibrotic ILD and to determine the clinical-laboratory features of patients with and without IPF that would provide the differential diagnosis of IPF. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study included the patients with the usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP) pattern or possible UIP pattern on thorax high-resolution computed tomography, and/or UIP pattern, probable UIP or possible UIP pattern at lung biopsy according to the 2011 ATS/ERSARS/ALAT guidelines. Demographics and clinical and radiological data of the patients were recorded. All data recorded by researchers was evaluated by radiology and the clinical decision board. RESULTS: A total of 336 patients (253 men, 83 women, age 65.8 +/- 9.0 years) were evaluated. Of the patients with sufficient data for diag-nosis (n=300), the diagnosis was IPF in 121 (40.3%), unclassified idiopathic interstitial pneumonia in 50 (16.7%), combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema (CPFE) in 40 (13.3%), and lung involvement of connective tissue disease (CTD) in 16 (5.3%). When 29 patients with definite IPF features were added to the patients with CPFE, the total number of IPF patients reached 150 (50%). Rate of male sex (p<0.001), smoking history (p<0.001), and the presence of clubbing (p=0.001) were significantly high in patients with IPE None of the women <50 years and none of the men <50 years of age without a smoking history were diagnosed with IPE Presence of at least 1 of the symptoms suggestive of CTD, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and antinuclear antibody (FANA) positivity rates were significantly higher in the non-IPF group (p<0.001, p=0.029, p=0.009, respectively). CONCLUSION: The rate of IPF among patients with fibrotic ILD was 50%. In the differential diagnosis of IPF, sex, smoking habits, and the presence of clubbing are important. The presence of symptoms related to CTD, ESR elevation, and EANA positivity reduce the likelihood of IPF

Diagnosis and Results of Surgical Treatment in Parotid Gland Masses

Objective: We aimed to evaluate clinical presentations, histopathological diagnosis, surgical treatment modalities and complications of patients operated for a parotid gland mass. Methods: Medical records of 115 patients who operated for a parotid gland mass between 2007 and 2016 years evaluated retrospectively. Results: 65 (56.5%) of these patients were male and 50 (43.5%) were female. The mean age of the patients was 44.97. Tumor was located right sided in 72, left sided in 41 and bilateral in two patients. In 95 patients superficial parotidectomy, in 17 patients total parotidectomy, in two patients enucleation and in one patient radical parotidec­tomy were used as surgical procedure. Histopathological diagnosis was benign in 94 patients, malign in 13 patients and non-neoplastic in 8 patients. For benign tumors the most common histopathology was pleomorphic adeno­ma in 61 (64.8%) patients, and the second was Whartin tumor in 23 (24.4%) patients. The other benign tumors were seen in 11 patients. Adenoid cystic carcinoma was seen the most common malign tumor. In six patients with malign tumors neck dissection was performed simultane­ously with parotidectomy. Complication ratio was 12.2% (14 patient) and facial paresis was the most common complication. Conclusion: Surgery is the treatment of parotid tumors. Superficial parotidectomy is the most used surgical pro­cedure and has low complication rate. Histopathological diagnosis is important for the type of treatment modal­ity. Neck dissection should be added to treatment when necessary

Relationship between Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio and Prognosis in Patients with Deep Neck Space Infection

Objective: The aim of this study was to demonstrate if there is any relation between the neutrophil-to-lym­phocyte ratio and prognosis in patients with deep neck space infections Methods: One hundred eight patients who were interned and treated due to deep neck infection in department of otolaryngology between January 2010 and January 2015 were analyzed. Demographics, clini­cal data, complications and treatment results of patients were evaluated. Pediatric patients between the age of 0 and 14, the patients who had only peritonsillary abscess, infection secondary to trauma were excluded from study. During follow-up and treatment duration the patients with deep neck infections were divided into two groups ac­cording to whether they had any complication (group 1) or not (group 2). Results: Fourteen (13%) patients with deep neck in­fections had life-threatening complications whereas 94 (87%) did not have any complication during follow-up and treatment duration. The mean neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio in patients with complications was significantly high­er than the patients without any complications (p0.05). Conclusion: This study showed that the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio can be used as a cheap, easily obtained and predictive prognostic factor in patients with deep neck infections