The Role of Adipocytokines in Colon Cancer and Adenomas

Background: Metabolic changes resulting from obesity, insulin insensitivity, and imbalances in hormones such as adiponectin, leptin, resistin, apelin and visfatin, which are derived from white adipose tissue-derived hormone, are directly linked to both colon cancer (CC) and inflammatory bowel diseases increasing tissue-derived risk. We conducted this study to evaluate the relationship between the circulating concentrations of adiponectin, leptin, resistin, apelin and visfatin and colon adenoma and CC. Methods: Our study included 90 participants aged >18 years who were divided into three groups: colon cancer, adenoma and control. The serum concentrations of the investigated adipohormones were measured with ELISA in 30 patients with colon adenoma, 30 with CC and 30 controls with no colon pathology. Results: Demographic, anthropometric, metabolic and hormonal parameters were also recorded. The group means were compared by using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Dual comparisons between groups were analyzed with the Tukey test. Pearson correlation coefficient was used to determine the relation between continuous variables. Adiponectin and leptin levels in patients with adenomas (p<0.000; p<0.000, respectively) and CC (p<0.000; p<0.000, respectively) were lower than in controls. Apelin level in patients with CC (p<0.000; p<0.000, respectively) was lower than in patients with adenomas and in controls. Resistin and visfatin levels in patients with CC (p<0.000; p<0.000, respectively) were higher than in patients with adenomas and in controls. Conclusions: We have concluded that adiponectin, leptin, resistin, apelin and visfatin levels may play an important role in colon carcinogenesis. We also assume that adiponectin and leptin may be associated with the risk of colon adenoma

Are Mean Platelet Volume and Neutrophil-to- Lymphocyte Ratio Valuable in The Early Detection of System Involvements in Henoch-Schönlein Purpura?

Aim:Henoch-Schönlein purpura (HSP) is the most common type of vasculitis in childhood, and severe complications due to intestinal and renal involvement can be observed. In this study, it was planned to investigate the value of mean platelet volume (MPV) and neutrophil-tolymphocyte ratio (NLR) in early detection of system involvement in HSP.Methods:A total of 119 patients diagnosed with HSP and 75 healthy controls were included in the study. Data on age, gender and physical examination as well as complete blood count, complete urine examination and faecal occult blood test were obtained from the files of the patients.Results:Gastrointestinal system (GIS) involvement was detected in 41 patients (34.45%), renal involvement in 35 patients (29.41%) and arthritis was detected in 21 patients (17.65%). It was determined that the mean hemoglobin (p=0.02) and MPV values (p=0.0001) o were significantly lower and the mean leukocyte (p=0.0001), platelet (p=0.0001), neutrophil (p=0.0001) count and NLR value (p=0.0001) were significantly higher in patients than in controls. No statistically significant difference was observed in the MPV and NLR values between patients with and without GIS involvement, renal involvement and arthritis.Conclusion:It is thought that MPV and NLR cannot be used as laboratory parameters in the early detection of system involvement in HSP

Are Mean Platelet Volume and Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio Related with Hepatosteatosis in Obese Children?

Objective: Obesity is an important health problem, which affects children and adolescents and is highly prevalent throughout the world. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is fattening that occurs due to non-alcohol causes, and it is associated with obesity in most of the cases. We investigated the relation of mean platelet volume (MPV) and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) to hepatosteatosis in obese children in our study.Material and Methods: 104 obese children aged between 4-16 years, who were determined to have a body mass index (BMI) of 95th percentile or higher according to age and gender, were examined retrospectively. The genders, ages, and examination findings of the patients were recorded. In obese children, leukocyte, hemoglobin, platelet, mean platelet volume, neutrophil and lymphocyte levels were assessed in the complete blood count performed during the first application. Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio was calculated. Fasting blood glucose (FBG) and fasting insulin, serum aminotransferase values, ultrasonographic results of patients were recorded.Results: Hepatosteatosis was determined in 64 of 104 patients (61.53%) while it was not determined in 40 patients (38.47%). The BMI, fasting insulin, HOMA-IR, ALT levels were higher in obese children with hepatosteatosis than patients without hepatosteatosis. The average MPV of the group with hepatosteatosis was 7.78±1.57, and the average MPV of the group without hepatosteatosis was 7.42±1.43, no statistical difference was observed between the groups (p=0.236). The average NLR was 1.62±1.06 in the group with hepatosteatosis and 1.38±0.59 in the group without hepatosteatosis. There was no statistical difference between the NLR averages of both groups (p=0.200).Conclusion: No relation was determined between MPV and NLR and liver fattening in obese children

Evaluation of Extrapulmonary Tuberculosis Cases Presenting with Different Clinical Findings

Introduction: Extrapulmonary tuberculosis cases may display different clinical symptoms and this causes a delay in diagnosis. Nutritional deficiencies, migrations, and wars facilitate the development and the spreading speed of the disease. The aim of this article is to examine extrapulmonary tuberculosis patients with different clinical presentations.Method: In this study, 15 extrapulmoner tuberculosis cases who were hospitalized and treated in our pediatrics clinic in the last two years, has been evaluated retrospectively.Results: The average age of our group was 11.7 ± 4.5 and six of the assessed patients were Syrian origin. The shared complaints of five patients diagnosed with peritoneal tuberculosis were abdominal pain and bloating. Abdominal ultrasonography findings of the patients in concordance with diffuse ascites. Two of these patients, Mycobacterium tuberculosis had peritoneal effusion. All of the five patients diagnosed with lymph node tuberculosis had swelling on the neck, and all had pulmonary involvement. However, only one patient's lymph node biopsy was concordant with tuberculosis. One patient bone tuberculosis patient applied to our clinic with hip and back pain symptom. Pott’s abscess was observed in the patient's thorax MRI and hip MRI was concordant with tuberculous arthritis. Our patient with renal tuberculosis was diagnosed during evaluation of sterile pyuria attacks and in her urine ARB (+) was detected and M. tuberculosis grew in urine culture. One patient with central nervous system involvement applied to our clinic with clouding of consciousness and headache. The cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) findings of the patient were concordant with tuberculosis and growth was observed in the CSF culture. One case with miliary tuberculosis had hypercalcemia and pulmonary involvement. The patient's M. tuberculosis DNA PCR test was positive in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. Another patient with pericardial tuberculosis applied due to respiratory distress and had cardiomegaly and pericardial effusion. Nine of our patients also had a contact history, 12 had purified protein derivative of tuberculin (PPD) (+), and 11 had pulmonary involvement.Conclusion: Patients were admitted to our outpatient clinic with various clinical symptoms. After careful physical examinations were performed, detailed patient histories were taken and laboratory tests performed for differentials, patients were diagnosed with extrapulmonary tuberculosis. It was desired to emphasize that this disease may appear with different clinical presentations in endemic regions like our country

The Assessment of the Neutrophil-lymphocyte Ratio and Platelet-lymphocyte Ratio in Dyslipidemic Obese Children

Objective:Childhood obesity is one of the most important children’s health problems that is gradually increasing all over the world. Dyslipidemia which coexists with obesity is a risk factor for atherosclerotic diseases in adulthood. In this study, the usability of the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and the platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) in predicting dyslipidemia, a serious complication of obesity, in children were investigated.Method:Two hundred and seven cases aged between 11-17 years who were diagnosed with obesity at the Pediatrics Clinic of our hospital and 50 cases with no disorders whose complete blood count was performed for routine purposes were retrospectively investigated. The genders, ages, and examination findings of the cases were recorded. In obese children, leukocyte, hemoglobin, platelet, mean platelet volume, neutrophil and lymphocyte levels were evaluated in the complete blood count performed at the first admission. The NLR and the PLR were calculated. Preprandial blood glucose and preprandial insulin, serum aminotransferase values, and the lipid profile were recorded.Results:While dyslipidemia was determined in 99 (47.82%) of 207 cases who were diagnosed with obesity, it was not determined in 108 (52.18%) cases. The systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and preprandial insulin level were higher in cases with dyslipidemia than the group without dyslipidemia. The PLR average of the dyslipidemic group was 112.75±39.11, the PLR average of the non-dyslipidemic group was 104.78±31.38, and the PLR average of the control group was 110.20±39.35, and there was no statistically significant difference between the PLR averages of the groups (p=0.353). The NLR average was 1.52±0.69 in the dyslipidemic group, 1.66±0.81 in the non-dyslipidemic group, and 1.72±1.26 in the control group. No statistically significant difference was observed between the NLR averages of all three groups (p=0.295).Conclusion:In this study, no relationship was determined between the PLR and NLR and dyslipidemia in obese children

A nationwide multicentre study in Turkey for establishing reference intervals of haematological parameters with novel use of a panel of whole blood

IntroductionA nationwide multicentre study was conducted to establish well-defined reference intervals (RIs) of haematological parameters for the Turkish population in consideration of sources of variation in reference values (RVs). Materials and methodsK2-EDTA whole blood samples (total of 3363) were collected from 12 laboratories. Sera were also collected for measurements of iron, UIBC, TIBC, and ferritin for use in the latent abnormal values exclusion (LAVE) method. The blood samples were analysed within 2 hours in each laboratory using Cell Dyn and Ruby (Abbott), LH780 (Beckman Coulter), or XT-2000i (Sysmex). A panel of freshly prepared blood from 40 healthy volunteers was measured in common to assess any analyser-dependent bias in the measurements. The SD ratio (SDR) based on ANOVA was used to judge the need for partitioning RVs. RIs were computed by the parametric method with/without applying the LAVE method. ResultsAnalyser-dependent bias was found for basophils (Bas), MCHC, RDW and MPV from the panel test results and thus those RIs were derived for each manufacturer. RIs were determined from all volunteers’ results for WBC, neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocytes, eosinophils, MCV, MCH and platelets. Gender-specific RIs were required for RBC, haemoglobin, haematocrit, iron, UIBC and ferritin. Region-specific RIs were required for RBC, haemoglobin, haematocrit, UIBC, and TIBC. ConclusionsWith the novel use of a freshly prepared blood panel, manufacturer-specific RIs’ were derived for Bas, Bas%, MCHC, RDW and MPV. Regional differences in RIs were observed among the 7 regions of Turkey, which may be attributed to nutritional or environmental factors, including altitude

National identity predicts public health support during a global pandemic

Changing collective behaviour and supporting non-pharmaceutical interventions is an important component in mitigating virus transmission during a pandemic. In a large international collaboration (Study 1, N = 49,968 across 67 countries), we investigated self-reported factors associated with public health behaviours (e.g., spatial distancing and stricter hygiene) and endorsed public policy interventions (e.g., closing bars and restaurants) during the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic (April-May 2020). Respondents who reported identifying more strongly with their nation consistently reported greater engagement in public health behaviours and support for public health policies. Results were similar for representative and non-representative national samples. Study 2 (N = 42 countries) conceptually replicated the central finding using aggregate indices of national identity (obtained using the World Values Survey) and a measure of actual behaviour change during the pandemic (obtained from Google mobility reports). Higher levels of national identification prior to the pandemic predicted lower mobility during the early stage of the pandemic (r = −0.40). We discuss the potential implications of links between national identity, leadership, and public health for managing COVID-19 and future pandemics.publishedVersio

Predicting attitudinal and behavioral responses to COVID-19 pandemic using machine learning

At the beginning of 2020, COVID-19 became a global problem. Despite all the efforts to emphasize the relevance of preventive measures, not everyone adhered to them. Thus, learning more about the characteristics determining attitudinal and behavioral responses to the pandemic is crucial to improving future interventions. In this study, we applied machine learning on the multinational data collected by the International Collaboration on the Social and Moral Psychology of COVID-19 (N = 51,404) to test the predictive efficacy of constructs from social, moral, cognitive, and personality psychology, as well as socio-demographic factors, in the attitudinal and behavioral responses to the pandemic. The results point to several valuable insights. Internalized moral identity provided the most consistent predictive contribution—individuals perceiving moral traits as central to their self-concept reported higher adherence to preventive measures. Similar results were found for morality as cooperation, symbolized moral identity, self-control, open-mindedness, and collective narcissism, while the inverse relationship was evident for the endorsement of conspiracy theories. However, we also found a non-neglible variability in the explained variance and predictive contributions with respect to macro-level factors such as the pandemic stage or cultural region. Overall, the results underscore the importance of morality-related and contextual factors in understanding adherence to public health recommendations during the pandemic.Peer reviewe

National identity predicts public health support during a global pandemic (vol 13, 517, 2022) : National identity predicts public health support during a global pandemic (Nature Communications, (2022), 13, 1, (517), 10.1038/s41467-021-27668-9)

Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s) 2022.In this article the author name ‘Agustin Ibanez’ was incorrectly written as ‘Augustin Ibanez’. The original article has been corrected.Peer reviewe

National identity predicts public health support during a global pandemic.

Changing collective behaviour and supporting non-pharmaceutical interventions is an important component in mitigating virus transmission during a pandemic. In a large international collaboration (Study 1, N = 49,968 across 67 countries), we investigated self-reported factors associated with public health behaviours (e.g., spatial distancing and stricter hygiene) and endorsed public policy interventions (e.g., closing bars and restaurants) during the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic (April-May 2020). Respondents who reported identifying more strongly with their nation consistently reported greater engagement in public health behaviours and support for public health policies. Results were similar for representative and non-representative national samples. Study 2 (N = 42 countries) conceptually replicated the central finding using aggregate indices of national identity (obtained using the World Values Survey) and a measure of actual behaviour change during the pandemic (obtained from Google mobility reports). Higher levels of national identification prior to the pandemic predicted lower mobility during the early stage of the pandemic (r = -0.40). We discuss the potential implications of links between national identity, leadership, and public health for managing COVID-19 and future pandemics