Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Radical Prostatectomy: A Turkish Multicenter Study

Objective: The present study examines the effects of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic on radical prostatectomy performed as part of localized prostate cancer treatment in Turkey. Material and methods: A retrospective analysis was made of the data of 176 patients from 8 centers in Turkey who underwent radical prostatectomy due to localized prostate cancer over the 2 years spanning March 1, 2019, to February 28, 2021. Within this timeframe, March 1, 2019, to February 28, 2020, was denoted the 1-year pre-coronavirus disease 2019 period, while March 1, 2020, to February 28, 2021, was denoted the 1-year coronavirus disease 2019 period. An analysis was made of whether there was a difference in the number of radical prostatectomies performed for prostate cancer, the time from biopsy to operation, and the biopsy and radical prostatectomy pathology between the 2 periods. Results: It was found that the number of radical prostatectomies performed for localized prostate cancer during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic was statistically and highly significantly fewer than in the pre-coronavirus disease 2019 period (P < .001). The patients diagnosed with Gleason 3 + 3 (low risk) prostate cancer were statistically significantly fewer in number in the coronavirus disease 2019 period (P < .001). The pathological Gleason score was upgrading than the biopsy Gleason score in all patients who underwent in both periods (P < .001). When the periods were compared, the pathological involvement determined by lymph node dissection performed during radical prostatectomy was found to be decreased in the coronavirus disease 2019 period, although the difference was not statistically significant (P = .051). Conclusion: As with many diseases, the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer have been adversely affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. © 2022, AVES. All rights reserved

Mortality from gastrointestinal congenital anomalies at 264 hospitals in 74 low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries: a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study

Summary Background Congenital anomalies are the fifth leading cause of mortality in children younger than 5 years globally. Many gastrointestinal congenital anomalies are fatal without timely access to neonatal surgical care, but few studies have been done on these conditions in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). We compared outcomes of the seven most common gastrointestinal congenital anomalies in low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries globally, and identified factors associated with mortality. Methods We did a multicentre, international prospective cohort study of patients younger than 16 years, presenting to hospital for the first time with oesophageal atresia, congenital diaphragmatic hernia, intestinal atresia, gastroschisis, exomphalos, anorectal malformation, and Hirschsprung’s disease. Recruitment was of consecutive patients for a minimum of 1 month between October, 2018, and April, 2019. We collected data on patient demographics, clinical status, interventions, and outcomes using the REDCap platform. Patients were followed up for 30 days after primary intervention, or 30 days after admission if they did not receive an intervention. The primary outcome was all-cause, in-hospital mortality for all conditions combined and each condition individually, stratified by country income status. We did a complete case analysis. Findings We included 3849 patients with 3975 study conditions (560 with oesophageal atresia, 448 with congenital diaphragmatic hernia, 681 with intestinal atresia, 453 with gastroschisis, 325 with exomphalos, 991 with anorectal malformation, and 517 with Hirschsprung’s disease) from 264 hospitals (89 in high-income countries, 166 in middleincome countries, and nine in low-income countries) in 74 countries. Of the 3849 patients, 2231 (58·0%) were male. Median gestational age at birth was 38 weeks (IQR 36–39) and median bodyweight at presentation was 2·8 kg (2·3–3·3). Mortality among all patients was 37 (39·8%) of 93 in low-income countries, 583 (20·4%) of 2860 in middle-income countries, and 50 (5·6%) of 896 in high-income countries (p<0·0001 between all country income groups). Gastroschisis had the greatest difference in mortality between country income strata (nine [90·0%] of ten in lowincome countries, 97 [31·9%] of 304 in middle-income countries, and two [1·4%] of 139 in high-income countries; p≤0·0001 between all country income groups). Factors significantly associated with higher mortality for all patients combined included country income status (low-income vs high-income countries, risk ratio 2·78 [95% CI 1·88–4·11], p<0·0001; middle-income vs high-income countries, 2·11 [1·59–2·79], p<0·0001), sepsis at presentation (1·20 [1·04–1·40], p=0·016), higher American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score at primary intervention (ASA 4–5 vs ASA 1–2, 1·82 [1·40–2·35], p<0·0001; ASA 3 vs ASA 1–2, 1·58, [1·30–1·92], p<0·0001]), surgical safety checklist not used (1·39 [1·02–1·90], p=0·035), and ventilation or parenteral nutrition unavailable when needed (ventilation 1·96, [1·41–2·71], p=0·0001; parenteral nutrition 1·35, [1·05–1·74], p=0·018). Administration of parenteral nutrition (0·61, [0·47–0·79], p=0·0002) and use of a peripherally inserted central catheter (0·65 [0·50–0·86], p=0·0024) or percutaneous central line (0·69 [0·48–1·00], p=0·049) were associated with lower mortality. Interpretation Unacceptable differences in mortality exist for gastrointestinal congenital anomalies between lowincome, middle-income, and high-income countries. Improving access to quality neonatal surgical care in LMICs will be vital to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3.2 of ending preventable deaths in neonates and children younger than 5 years by 2030

Tuning the Center of Gravity of 3D Printed Artifacts

In this study, we propose an Algorithms-Aided Design (AAD) approach to shift the center of gravity of 3D printed artifacts to a predefined location by creating a heterogeneous internal structure utilizing the same type of material. When the conventional design and fabrication pipeline of 3D printers and additive manufacturing machinery is employed, information about the interior of the artifacts is lost during the conversion of the design files to the STL file format. This de facto file standard only stores the boundary information of the objects. Even though the designed artifact has heterogeneous interior in the Computer Aided Design (CAD) software, after the conversion it becomes a homogeneous solid. Our method does not require an STL file, since we are using a query-based approach in which the built-in algorithm communicates with CAD software to acquire the necessary information about the design for manufacturing. According to the proposed pipeline, the designed artifact in CAD software is first decomposed into voxels having predefined sizes with AAD add-on software. Then, the desired center of gravity and the amount of extra material available are entered by the user and this additional material is distributed to the voxels by our developed algorithm so that the center of gravity of the final artifact is at the predefined location. At the end of the design process, filling percentages of some voxels is altered which made the structure internally heterogeneous. Then the final structure is directly sliced and the trajectories are converted to G-codes. Using the generated file, artifacts are printed on a desktop FFF printer. With the developed algorithm, we can modify the coordinates of the center of gravity of any shape by adjusting their interior structures and fabricate them on FFF printers. (C) 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V

Effect of Moringa oleifera on serum YKL-40 level: In vivo rat periodontitis model

WOS:000964388000001Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease that destroys the bones and soft tissues that support the tooth as a result of inflammatory reactions. YKL-40 is an inflammatory marker associated with inflammation and is also associated with periodontal diseases. Moringa oleifera (MO) is a plant rich in high nutritional values, minerals, vitamins, and other essential phytochemicals. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of MO administration on serum YKL-40 levels in an experimental periodontitis model. In the study, a total number of 24 female Wistar albino rats, which were 4-5 months old with a body weight of 275 ± 25 g, were used. Animals were divided into three groups. 1st group: Control (n = 8), 2nd group: periodontitis group (PG) (n = 8), 3rd group: Periodontitis group (PG + MO) with an additional 200 mg/kg/4 weeks MO (n = 8). In the PG and PG + MO were formed experimental periodontitis model. Compared to the PG, the decrease in the interleukin-6 (IL-6) and YKL-40 values in the PG + MO (p < 0.05, p < 0.05) was found to be significant in terms of statistical evaluation. As a result, MO decreased YKL-40 levels in the experimental periodontitis model. Although further research is needed, drugs containing MO can be used in the treatment of periodontal diseases. © 2023 the author(s), published by De Gruyter

The role of biochemical regulation on the adaptation of gypsophile and gypsovag species

WOS: 000452565100002There are two groups of plant species that spread in gypsiferous soils. While gypsophytes only grow on gypsi-ferous soils, gypsovags can grow on both gypsum and non-gypsum soil. Adaptation of plants to gypsum soils requires biochemical arrangements in addition to proper morphological and physiological characteristics. In this study, three gypsophyte species and on-gypsum and non-gypsum speciments of three gypsovag species were examined for antioxidant capacities. The average phenolic substance contents were 126.5, 30.5 and 37.6 mu g g(-1)W in gypsophile, on-gypsum and in non-gypsum gypsovag species respectively. Gypsophyte, Thymus leucos-tomus var. gypsaceus species was identified as having seven different phenolic compounds and the highest phenolic substance content. However, phenolic substance compositions of gypsophyte and gypsovag plant species do not have common properties and show specific differences for each species. The total antioxidant capacity and carotenoid levels of gypsophyte were found to be quite high even though there was no significant difference between the chlorophyll values of the plant groups under investigation. Differences in car/chl and aox/chl ratios of gypsophiles and gypsovag species suggest that antioxidant compounds have a role in the adaptation of these plants. On the other hand, the values observed in on-gypsum and non-gypsum gypsovag species should be assessed as having no specific role in the formation of oxidative stress in gypsum soils

A mixture of St. John's wort and sea buckthorn oils regresses endometriotic implants and affects the levels of inflammatory mediators in peritoneal fluid of the rat: A surgically induced endometriosis model.

Sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.) and St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum L.) are used as an emmenagog and for the treatment of other gynecological disorders including uterus inflammation and endometriosis. The aim of the present study is to investigate the potential of a mixture of sea buckthorn and St. John's wort oils (HrHp oil) in the treatment of endometriosis