The association of vertebrobasilar calcification with etiological subtypes, stroke recurrence and outcome in acute brainstem ischemic stroke

Arterial calcification (AC), a frequent finding on imaging studies, has been reported as a risk factor for ischemic stroke. However few studies have explored the association of AC with etiological subtypes and prognostic implications. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association of AC with demograhics, risk factors and etiological subtypes and to determine whether it predicts stroke recurrence and functional outcome in patients with acute brainstem ischemic stroke. We analyzed our database consisting of patients who were diagnosed as acute brainstem ischemic stroke admitted within 24hours of onset. Etiological classification of stroke was made based on The Trial of ORG in Acute Stroke Treatment (TOAST) Classification. AC in vertebral and basilar arteries were assessed from baseline brain CT. AC degree was categorized according to calcification along the circumference in the densest calcified segment of each vessel (0 point if no calcification in any of the CT slices, 1 point if calcification <50% of circumference and 2 points if calcification ≥50% of circumference). Three AC categories were defined according to the total AC score as follows: no AC (0 point), mild AC (1–2 points), severe AC (≥3 points). Recurrent stroke within the first 3 months of follow up and modified Rankin Score (mRS) at 3-month were reviewed. 42% of 188 patients had AC in at least of the vertebrobasilar arteries. Severe AC was related to age and the presence of diabetes mellitus and coronary artery disease. The prevalence of AC was significantly higher in large artery atherosclerosis subtype. The presence of AC was marginally associated with recurrent stroke but did not find to be related with functional outcome. Further studies with larger sample size are warranted to explore this topic

A simple alternative method for the purification of Citrus tristeza virus

A simple method for the purification of Citrus tristeza virus is described, based on virus extraction from liquid-nitrogen frozen midribs and cortical tissue of infected Mexican lime, precipitation with polyethylene glicol mol. wt 6000 (PEG 6000) column chromatography on Sephacryl S-300-HR columns, and concentration of viruscontaining fractions by PEG 6000, followed by low-speed (17,200 g) centrifugation. Virus preparations were satisfactorily clean, and were successfully used for the production of an antiserum which is now being evaluated

Assessing the applicability of transcript conformation polymorphism for differentiation among «Prunus nocrotic ringspot virus» isolates

The applicability of single and double-stranded transcript conformation polymorphism (TCP) for differentiation among Prunus necrotic ringspot virus (PNRSV) isolates was evaluated and compared with other molecular differentiation procedures. Single-stranded TCP was found to be suitable to differentiate closely related virus isolates. However, due to its high variability, it was not suitable for grouping virus isolates. Double-stranded TCP, on the other hand, enabled the division of virus isolates into major groups. Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) of the PCR products confirmed the grouping of the virus isolates but this technique was limited in its ability to detect a wide range of nucleotide modifications. Nucleotide sequence analysis was essential for the detection of strain-specific sequences but did not clearly identify most other minor modifications that are necessary for virus classification. The combination of all methods is therefore sometimes required for complete analysis

Migraine headaches among university students using id migraine test as a screening tool

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Migraine is a significant health problem, especially for the young people, due to its frequency and accompanying morbidity, causing disability and loss of performance. In this study, our aim was to determine the prevalence of migraine headaches among university students in Edirne, a Turkish city.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In this cross-sectional and descriptive study, study population was composed of students registered to Trakya University in the academic year of 2008-2009. Out of these, 3694 of them accepted to participate. Participants who had two or more headaches in the last 3 months formed the headache group. Afterwards, two preliminary questions were applied to the headache group and participants with at least one affirmative response were asked to perform the validated ID-Migraine™ test.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The mean age of 3694 students participated in the study was 19.23 ± 1.84 (17-39 years), with adolescents:adult ratio being 2.5:1. 1613 students (43.7%) did have at least two headaches in the last three months. Migraine-type headache was detected in 266 subjects (7.2%) based on the ID-Migraine™ test. Of the migraine group, 72 were male (27.1%) and 194 were female (72.9%). There was no significant difference in migraine prevalence between adolescent and adult age groups.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>With a prevalence similar to adults, primary care physicians should be aware of the probability of migraine headaches in university students in order to maintain a successful school performance.</p

Impact of opioid-free analgesia on pain severity and patient satisfaction after discharge from surgery: multispecialty, prospective cohort study in 25 countries

Background: Balancing opioid stewardship and the need for adequate analgesia following discharge after surgery is challenging. This study aimed to compare the outcomes for patients discharged with opioid versus opioid-free analgesia after common surgical procedures.Methods: This international, multicentre, prospective cohort study collected data from patients undergoing common acute and elective general surgical, urological, gynaecological, and orthopaedic procedures. The primary outcomes were patient-reported time in severe pain measured on a numerical analogue scale from 0 to 100% and patient-reported satisfaction with pain relief during the first week following discharge. Data were collected by in-hospital chart review and patient telephone interview 1 week after discharge.Results: The study recruited 4273 patients from 144 centres in 25 countries; 1311 patients (30.7%) were prescribed opioid analgesia at discharge. Patients reported being in severe pain for 10 (i.q.r. 1-30)% of the first week after discharge and rated satisfaction with analgesia as 90 (i.q.r. 80-100) of 100. After adjustment for confounders, opioid analgesia on discharge was independently associated with increased pain severity (risk ratio 1.52, 95% c.i. 1.31 to 1.76; P &lt; 0.001) and re-presentation to healthcare providers owing to side-effects of medication (OR 2.38, 95% c.i. 1.36 to 4.17; P = 0.004), but not with satisfaction with analgesia (beta coefficient 0.92, 95% c.i. -1.52 to 3.36; P = 0.468) compared with opioid-free analgesia. Although opioid prescribing varied greatly between high-income and low- and middle-income countries, patient-reported outcomes did not.Conclusion: Opioid analgesia prescription on surgical discharge is associated with a higher risk of re-presentation owing to side-effects of medication and increased patient-reported pain, but not with changes in patient-reported satisfaction. Opioid-free discharge analgesia should be adopted routinely

Kronik helicobacter pilori enfeksiyonunda nötrofil lenfosit oranı artmıştır ve başarılı eradikasyon sonrası normale döner

Amaç: Nötrofil lenfosit oranı birçok hastalıkla ilişkisi gösterilmiş ucuz bir belirteçtir. Biz de bu çalışmada kronik Helicobacter pylori enfeksiyonu olan hastalarda nötrofil lenfosit oranını araştırmayı planladık. Gereç ve Yöntem: Kronik Helicobacter pylori enfeksiyonu olan 286 hasta ve 130 Helicobacter pilori (-) kontrol grubuna ait klinik ve laboratuar verileri retrospektif olarak analiz edildi. Bulgular: Ortalama nötrofil lenfosit oranı Helicobacter pylori () grupta 1,980,76 ve Helicobacter pylori (-) grupta 1,640,44 olup aradaki fark istatistiksel olarak anlamlıydı (p0,001). Ortalama lökosit ve nötrofil sayıları, Helicobacter pylori () grupta sırasıyla 7,281,55/?L ve 4,271,17 /?L ve Helicobacter pylori (-) grupta sırasıyla 6,901,38 /?L ve 3,821,04 /?L olarak saptanmış olup her iki grup arasındaki fark gerek ortalama lökosit sayısı açısından (p0,011) gerek se ortalama nötrofil sayısı açısından (p0,001) anlamlı bulundu. Her iki grup arasında ortalama lenfosit sayısı, hemoglobin, hematokrit, RDW, trombosit sayısı, MPV, PDW açısından fark yoktu. 253 hastaya Helicobacter pylori eradikasyon tedavisi verilmişti. 76 hastada tedavi sonrası hematolojik veriler mevcuttu. Bu hastaların 45'inde (%59,2) eradikasyon tedavisinin başarılı olduğu (grup 1), 31 hastada (%40,8) ise eradikasyonun başarısız olduğu görüldü. Grup 1 için tedavi öncesi ve sonrası ortalama nötrofil lenfosit oranlarının 1,990,75 ve 1.700.60 olduğu ve aradaki farkın istatistiksel olarak anlamlı olduğu (p0,004), grup 2 için ise tedavi öncesi ve sonrası ortalama nötrofil lenfosit oranlarının 1,930,59 ve 1.760.56 olduğu ve aradaki farkın istatistiksel olarak anlamlı olmadığı görüldü. Sonuç: Kronik Helicobacter pylori enfeksiyonunda nötrofil lenfosit oranı artmıştır. Başarılı eradikasyon tedavisi sonrası artmış nötrofil lenfosit oranı normale döner.Aim: Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is a useful, low cost marker and it was studied in several diseases. This study was conducted to investigate NLR in chronic Helicobacter pylori infection. Materials and Methods: Clinic and laboratory data of 286 patients with chronic Helicobacter pylori infection and 130 Helicobacter pylori negative controls were analyzed retrospectively. Results: Mean neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio was higher in Helicobacter pylori () group than Helicobacter pylori (-) controls (1.98±0.76 vs. 1.64±0.44, p>0.001 respectively) Mean white blood cell and neutrophil counts were also significantly higher in Helicobacter pylori () group than Helicobacter pylori (-) controls (7.28±1.55/?L vs. 6.90±1.38 /?L, p0.011 and 4.27±1.17 /?L vs. 3.82±1.04 /?L, p>0.001 respectively). Lymphocyte count, Hb, Hct, RDW, Plt, MPV, PDW were similar in both groups. 253 patients (88.5%) were given Helicobacter pylori eradication regimen. Post-treatment data were available in 76 (26.6%) patients. Helicobacter pylori, eradication treatment was successful in 45 (59.2%) patients (Group 1) and unsuccessful in 31 (40.8%) patients (Group 2). In group 1, mean pretreatment and post-treatment NLR were 1.99±0.75 and 1.70±0.60 respectively and difference was statistically significant (p0,004). In group 2 mean pretreatment and post-treatment NLR were 1.93±0.59 and 1.76±0.56 respectively but the difference was not statistically significant (p0.11). Conclusion: NLR is increased in chronic H.pylori infection and returns to normal after successful H.pylori eradication treatmen

Detection of Grapevine Fanleaf Virus Using Serological and Biological Assays

Abstract: The production of grapevine is important agricultural sector in Turkey. But, the production is lower than the other Mediterranean countries. One of the main reasons of low yield is many viruses ’ diseases. The nepoviruse diseases are responsible for significant losses in vineyards. Grapevine fanleaf virus (GFLV) is the most important deadly virus among them. It is transmitted by graft and vector nematodes. It has not been studied enough about this virus in our country. There is not enough detailed research on this virus in our country. In this study, the maintenance of GFLV in vineyards and their occurrence areas were determined in Adana and Mersin provinces by serological and biological assays. Out of total 384 grapevine samples, 63 plants (16.4%) were found to be infected with GFLV by double-antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (DAS-ELISA). In addition to this, as herbaceous indicator plants; Nicotiana benthamiana Domin., N. tabacum L., N. rustia L., Chenopodium amaranthicolor Coste et Reyn., C. quinoa Wild., Cucumis sativus L., and Gomprena globosa L. were used in biological assays. But chlorotic local lesions were observed only on Nicotiana benthamiana Domin. among weedy indicator plants by mechanical transmission

Turunçgil tristeza virüs (CTV) ırklarına spesific monoklonal antibadi'lerin üretilmesi ve CTV ırklarının tanılanmasında kullanılması

CTV kolon kromatografi ve sukroz density gradient santrifügasyon yöntemleri kullanılarak saHaşlmlmışlır. Farelerin bağışıklanmasmdu ve monoklonal antibody ile ilgili scrolojik çalışmalarda, daha saf virüs elde edildiğinden kolon kromatografi yönteminden elde edilen preparasyonlar kullanılmıştır. UV absorbsiyon spektrumu oranı(260/280) 1.20 saplanmıştır. SDS-PAGE sonucunda CTV kılıf proteinlerinin moleküler ağırlıkları yaklaşık olarak 26 ve 27 000 kDa bulunmuştur. Ayrıca, CTV izolatları ELISA, İSEM ve slot-blolling yöntemleri kullanılarak saptanmıştır. Füzyon sonunda, CTV spesifik monoklonal antikor üreten bir hibril hücre haltı (IG8) elde edilmiştir. IG8, PTA-I ELISA leslinde İğdır, Serdengeçti ve Kıbrıs, izolatları ile reaksiyon vermiş, DAS- ELISA leslinde ise, Serdengeçti i/olalı reaksiyon vermem i şii r.CTV was purified by column chromalography and sucrose density gradient cenlrifugation methods. However, more concentrated virus particles were obtained by column chromatography. The absorption spectrum at 260/280 ratio and virus yield were 1.20 and 454 mg/ml respectively. Two bands were observed in SDS- PAGE and the molecular weight of CTV coat proteins was defined as 26 and 27 ± 1000 kDa. CTV was detected by ELISA lest, ISEM and slot-blolting. Al the end of fusions, a hybrid cell clone (1G8) was obtained for CTV specific anlibody. 1G8 was reacted lo the Igdir, Serdengecti and Cyprus isolates of CTV with PTA-I ELISA. However, 1G8 did not react to Ihe Serdengecti isolate with DAS-I ELISA

4 Yıllık endoskopik retrograd kolanjiyopankreatografi vakalarımızın retrospektif değerlendirilmesi

Amaç: Endoskopik retrograd kolanjiyopankreatografi (ERCP), pankreatikobiliyer hastalıkların tanı ve tedavisinde altın standart yöntemdir. Biz bu çalışmada son 4 yıllık ERCP deneyimimizi gözden geçirmeyi amaçladık.Gereç ve yöntem: Necmettin Erbakan Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Gastroenteroloji Kliniğinde son 4 yılda ERCP yapılan hastalar çalışma kapsamına alındı. Veriler hastane arşiv sisteminden retrospektif olarak elde edildi.Bulgular: 1155 hastaya toplam 1471 ERCP işlemi yapılmıştı. Hastaların 664'ü kadın ve 491'i erkek ve ortalama yaş 60,2 yaş idi (10-97 years). En sık ERCP endikasyonu hiperbilirubinemi ve serum ALP ve GGT düzeylerinde artış idi (703 patients, %47,8). 1250 hastada (%85) standart sfinkterotomla kanülasyon başarılı olurken 217 (%14,8) hastaya iğne uçlu sfinkterotomla önkesi yapılmış ve bu hastaların 104'ü (%7) önkesi sonrası kanüle edilebilmişlerdi. Total kanülasyon başarısı %92,0 idi. 152 hastada ERCP ile ilişkili komplikasyonlar saptandı. En sık komplikasyon 113 hastada (%7,7) saptanan post-ERCP pankreatit idi. İğne uçlu sfinkterotomla önkesi yapılan hastalarda post-ERCP pankreatit gelişme sıklığı belirgin olarak yüksekti (%17,1). 1 hasta şiddetli post-ERCP pankreatit ve buna bağlı multiorgan yetmezliği nedeniyle öldü. ERCP ile ilişkili kanama 5 (%0,3) ve perforasyon 3 (%0,2) hastada saptandı.Sonuç: ERCP çeşitli pankreatikobiliyer hastalıkların tedavisinde hala altın standart yerini korumaktadır. İnvaziv olması nedeniyle ERCP'nin tanı için kullanılmaması ve terapötik amaçla kullanılmasının uygun olacağı kanaatindeyiz.Introduction: Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is the gold standart technique for the diagnosis and treatment of pancreaticobiliary diseases. In this study we aimed to evaluate our ERCP experience of the last four years.Material and Methods: Patients to whom ERCP is performed in the Gastroenterology Clinic of Necmettin Erbakan University Faculty of Medicine in the last 4 years were included in the study. Data were collected retrospectively from the medical records of the hospital archive system.Results: 1471 ERCP procedures were performed to 1155 patients. 664 patients were female (%57,5) and 491 were male with a mean age of 60,2 years (10-97 years). The most common indication for ERCP was hyperbilirubinemia and elevation of serum ALP and GGT levels (703 patients, 47,8% ). Selective cannulation with standard sphincterotome was achieved in 1250 patients (85,0%). Precut sphincterotomy with needle knife sphincterotome was performed in 217 patients (14,8%) and in 104 patients (7,0%) cannulation was successfull. Total cannulation success was 92%. In 152 patients (10,3%) ERCP related complications were detected.The most frequent complication was post-ERCP pancreatitis (113 patients, 7,7%). Post ERCP pancreatitis rate was significantly higher among patients to whom precut needle knife sphincterotomy was performed (17,1%). 1 patient died due to multiorgan failure associated with postERCP pancreatitis. ERCP related bleeding and perforation were detected in 5 (0,3%) and 3 (0,2%) patients respectively.Conclusions: ERCP is still the gold standard method for the treatment of various pancreaticobiliary diseases. Due to its invasive nature it shouldn't be performed for diagnostic purposes and reserved for therapeutic interventions