New Approach for Treatment-Resistant Depression

Depression is one of the major mental illnesses seen worldwide, which in some cases can result in suicide. Although different drugs and methods can be used for treatment, one-third of the patients show resistance to conventional treatments. Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) is defined as a condition where a patient shows a response rate of less than 25% to at least two adequate trials of antidepressants with distinct mechanisms of action. Research on the use of ketamine in such patients has been ongoing for more than 20 years. Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic mainly used for the induction and maintenance of anesthesia for animals and humans. Ketamine’s routine clinical usage for depression treatment is limited due to its dissociative effects, alterations in sensory perception, intravenous route of administration, and abuse potential. These limitations have prompted researchers to investigate the precise mechanisms of action behind ketamine’s antidepressant clinical responses in order to better understand its key targets. One of the primary elements behind ketamine’s quick and strong antidepressant response is thought to be a brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)-mediated mechanism. Ketamine may help repair the neurobiological alterations associated with depression by restoring BDNF levels while stimulating neuroplasticity. This chapter aims to provide an overview of the existing literature regarding the relationship between antidepressant treatment and BDNF levels in depression. Understanding these mechanisms may contribute to the development of more targeted and effective treatments for depression and related disorders

Kangal köpeklerinde normal intrarenal ve intrahepatik doppler parametrelerinin tespiti

Doppler ultrasonography is one of the tools that started to use recently in human and veterinary medicine for this purpose. Currently, there are many studies to investigate methods of earlier diagnosis of prognosis of renal and hepatic diseases. However there is stil no consensus among researchers about the normal values. To our knowledge no systematical research exits revealing the normal values of Kangal breed dogs. Our purpose in this research is to determine the normal renal and hepatic doppler values of Kangal breed. For this purpose, 30 Turkish Kangal dogs and 20 healty dogs from several breeds were included to the study. The mean value of renal resistive index (RI) and pulsative index (PI) were 0,65±0,04 and 1.13±0,05 for Turkish Kangal dogs; 0,64±0,08 and 1.12±0,05 for different breed dogs. For the hepatic RI and PI values 0,65±0,04 and, 1.16±0,03 for Turkish Kangal dogs; 0.63±0,04 and 1.15±0.04 for different breed dogs respectively. The hepatic and renal PI and RI values of Kangal dogs were found to be compatible with other breeds.Doppler ultrasonografi son zamanlarda insan hekimliği ve veteriner hekimlikte bu amaçla kullanılmaya başlanan araçlardan biridir. Halen, böbrek ve karaciğer hastalıklarının prognozunun erken teşhisi yöntemlerini araştıran birçok çalışma vardır. Ancak, araştırmacılar arasında normal değerler hakkında hala bir fikir birliği yoktur. Bildiğimiz kadarıyla Kangal cinsi köpeklerin normal değerlerini ortaya koyan hiçbir sistematik araştırma yapılmamıştır. Bu araştırmadaki amacımız Kangal ırkının normal böbrek ve karaciğer doppler değerlerini belirlemektir. Bu amaçla 30 Türk Kangal köpeği ve çeşitli ırklardan 20 sağlıklı köpek çalışmaya dahil edildi. Türk Kangal köpekleri için renal RI (rezistif indeks) ve PI (pulzatif indeks) ortalama değeri 0,65 ± 0,04 ve 1,13 ± 0,05; farklı cins köpekler için ise 0,64 ± 0,08 ve 1,12 ± 0,05 olarak belirlendi. Karaciğer için RI ve PI değerleri Türk kangal köpeklerinde 0,65±0,04 ve 1.16±0,03 olarak belirlenirken diğer köpeklerde ; 0.63±0,04 ve 1.15±0.04 olarak saptandı. Kangal köpeklerinin hepatik ve renal PI ve RI değerleri diğer ırklarla uyumlu bulundu

Evaluation of platelet count and platelet ındices in cats and dogs diagnosed with lymphoma

Bu araştırmada, lenfoma teşhisi konulan kedi ve köpeklerdeki trombosit sayısı ve trombosit indekslerinin değerlendirilmesi amaçlanmıştır. Kedi ve köpeklerde çok fazla rastlanılan malign bir tümör olan lenfoma, daha sık olarak orta yaş ve üzerindeki kedi ve köpeklerde görülmektedir. Diyagnostik amaçla, tam kan sayımı, serum biyokimya profili, idrar analizi ve bazı biyobelirteçlerin yanında ultrasonografi, radyografı ve ileri görüntüleme tekniklerinden faydalanılmaktadır. Lenfomalı kedi ve köpeklerin tam kan sayımında non-rejeneratif anemi, trombositopeni ve lökosit değişkenlikleriyle karşılaşılabilmektedir. Son yıllarda beşeri hekimlik ve veteriner hekimliği alanlarında, trombosit indekslerinin farklı hastalıklar üzerindeki yansımaları yeni çalışmalara konu olmuştur. Bu doğrultuda, lenfomalı kedi ve köpeklerde PLT(Trombosit), MPV (Ortalama trombosit hacmi-fl), PDW (Trombosit dağılım genişliği) ve PCT (Trombositokrit-%)’in incelenmesi amacıyla yürütülen çalışmaya 13 lenfomalı kedi, 20 sağlıklı kedi, 33 lenfomalı köpek ve 20 sağlıklı köpek dahil edilmiştir. Hastaların lenfoma teşhisi, sitolojik ve histopatolojik incelemelerle doğrulanmıştır. Hemogram verilerinden elde edilen istatistiki değerlendirmelere göre, hasta kedilerde RBC (Eritrosit-m/mm3), HGB (Hemoglobin-g/dL), HCT (Hematokrit-%) ve MCHC (Ortalama Eritrosit Hemoglobin Konsantrasyonu) değerlerinin sağlıklı kedilere göre anlamlı düzeyde düşük (P≤0.01), MPV (Ortalama trombosit hacmi-fl), değerinin ise yüksek (P<0.05) olduğu tespit edilmiştir. Hasta köpeklerde RBC, HGB, HCT değerlerinin sağlıklı köpeklere göre düşük (P<0.05), WBC (P≤0.01) ve PDW (P<0.05) değerlerinin ise yüksek olduğu belirlenmiştir. Lenfomalı kedi ve köpekler üzerinde yapılan bu çalışmada, trombosit indekslerinin bir kısmında meydana gelen değişimlerin tedavi yönetimi ve prognoz için anlamlı olabileceği düşünülmektedir. Konuyla ilgili daha fazla çalışmanın yapılmasının veteriner hekimlik alanına katkıda bulunacağı kanısına varılmıştır.In this study, it was aimed to evaluate the platelet count and platelet indices in cats and dogs diagnosed with lymphoma. Lymphoma, a malignant tumor that is very common in cats and dogs, is more common in middle-aged and older cats and dogs. For diagnostic purposes, complete blood count, serum biochemistry profile, urine analysis and some biomarkers as well as ultrasonography, radiography and advanced imaging techniques are used. Non-regenerative anemia, thrombocytopenia and leukocyte variability can be encountered in the complete blood count of cats and dogs with lymphoma. In recent years, the reflections of platelet indices on different diseases have been the subject of new studies in the fields of human medicine and veterinary medicine. In this direction, 13 cats with lymphoma, 20 healthy cats, 33 dogs with lymphoma and 20 healthy dogs were included in the study, which was conducted to examine PLT (Thrombocyte), MPV (Mean platelet volume-fl), PDW (Platelet distribution width) and PCT (Thrombocytocrit-%) of cats and dogs with lymphoma. The lymphoma diagnosis of the patients was confirmed by cytological and histopathological examinations. According to the statistical evaluations obtained from the hemogram data, it was determined that the RBC (Red blood cell-m/mm3), HGB (Hemoglobin-g/dL), HCT (Hematocrit-%) and MCHC (Mean platelet volume-fl) values were significantly lower (P≤0.01) and the MPV value was higher (P<0.05) in sick cats compared to healthy cats. It was determined that RBC, HGB, HCT values were lower (P<0.05), WBC (P≤0.01) and PDW (P<0.05) values were higher in sick dogs compared to healthy dogs. In this study conducted on cats and dogs with lymphoma, it is thought that changes in some of the platelet indices may be significant for treatment management and prognosis. It has been concluded that further studies on the subject will contribute to the field of veterinary medicine. Keywords: Lymphoma, platelet, platelet indices, thrombocytopeni

Evaluation of Platelet Indices and Complete Blood Count in Canine Mammary Tumors

Background: Malignant mammary tumors in humans and bitches cause hematological disorders such as anemia, erythrocytosis, thrombocytosis, hyperproteinemia, and leucopenia. Novel studies have been conducted on the predictive and prognostic values of platelet (PLT) indices in human breast cancer (HBC). However, there is little information about the alterations in hematological parameters in canine mammary tumors (CMTs). The aims of this study were to evaluate the platelet indices and complete blood count (CBC) parameters in bitches with and without mammary tumor and to assess the above mentioned parameters with regard to histological tumor types and grades.Materials, Methods & Results: A total of 71 bitches were enrolled in this study. The bitches in the study group were divided into 2 groups which consisted of malignant epithelial mammary tumors (group EMT; n = 43) and malignant mixed mammary tumors (group MMT; n = 12). Control group (group C) consisted of clinically and gynaecologically healthy 16 bitches. Blood samples were obtained to perform the CBC and PLT indices analysis. Histopathological examinations were carried out under a light microscope. Histological tumor types and malignancy grades were classified. The bitches with mammary tumor showed significantly increased PLT values and decreased hematocrit (HCT), hemoglobin (HGB) and mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) values versus the healthy ones, regardless of the tumor type. However, in comparisons with the group C, mean platelet volume (MPV) and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) values were different only in the group MMT, while plateletcrit (PCT) and mean corpuscular volume (MCV) values were different only in the group EMT. Also white blood cell (WBC), PLT and PCT values were higher than the referenced laboratory ranges in grade 3 tumors. In the presented study, MPV was considerably correlated with PLT, platelet distribution width (PDW) and PCT. Also, PCT and PLT had high sensitivity and specificity to distinct EMT and MMT from the healthy bitches.Discussion: Microcytic and hypochromic anemia occurs due to the decrease in the amount of HGB. Levels of MCV, MCH, and MCHC in the HBC group were reported to be significantly lower than in humans without breast cancer. Although anemia did not occur in EMT and MMT groups, obtained significances in the HCT, HGB, MCV, MCH, and MCHC levels between the bitches with and without mammary tumor were in line with the previous reports. In this study, WBC levels in grade 3 tumors were significantly higher than grade1 tumors (P < 0.05). Whereas levels of WBC in grade 1 and grade 2 tumors were in referenced laboratory ranges, it was higher in grade 3. Increased level of WBC in grade 3 was supposed to be due to the rise in malignancy as previously reported. Thrombocytosis was detected in 48.83% and 41.66% of the bitches in EMT and MMT groups, respectively. The higher percentage of CMTs with thrombocytosis in this study might be due to the difference in referenced upper limit of PLT in previous studies. The elapsed time between tumor formation and clinical presentation could be another influencing factor. Although PLT and PCT values were not significant according to the histological grading in this study, both parameters were found to be higher in grade 3 than the normal reference values. Further studies conducted with higher populations may lead the differences in these parameters to significance. With the support of further studies, alterations in the above mentioned parameters in bitches may contribute in the diagnosis process, management of treatment and may constitute an easy way to have an idea about the prognosis of mammary tumors