Clinical examination and demographic characteristics of 277 patients with psoriasis

Background and Design: This study aimed to prospectively evaluate the clinical and demographic characteristics of patients with psoriasis. Materials and Methods: This study included a total of 277 patients with psoriasis who applied to our clinic between December 2018 and February 2020. All patient parameters such as age, sex, height, weight, marital status, age at disease onset, triggering factors, joint and nail involvement, systemic disease history, alcohol and smoking history, family history, and topical and systemic treatments received were recorded prospectively. Statistical analysis was conducted using the SPSS version 24. Results: The mean age of the 277 patients aged 8-81 years was 37.1+-15.9 years. In this study, 125 (45.1%) patients were female and 152 (54.9%) were male, and 11.2% of the patients were <18 years old. Ten of the patients with pediatric psoriasis were male and 21 were female. The mean age at disease onset was 21.0+-14.1 in female patients and 25.3+-14.4 in male patients. The most common clinical type was plaque psoriasis. Family history was positive in 29.6% of the patients. Psoriatic arthritis occurred in 9% of the patients, and the most common type was an asymmetric oligoarticular type. Although the nail involvement rate was 44%, stress was the most common triggering factor for psoriasis. In addition, 17% of the patients had a comorbid disease. The most common comorbid disease was hypertension. The frequency of smoking was 45.8%, and the frequency of alcohol use was 4.7%. Of the patients, 17.3% received only topical therapy; 1.1%, phototherapy; 37.5%, conventional therapy; 42.2%, biological therapy; and 1.8%, conventional + biological therapy. Conclusion: Our study data were similar to those of other studies examining the clinical and demographic characteristics of patients with psoriasis. We believe that conducting similar studies involving larger patient groups will contribute to disease diagnosis and treatment

Benzalkonyum Klorür Katkili Pva/Gelatin Nanolif Yapilarinin Antibakteriyel Özellikleri

Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) is a hydrophilous and semi-crystallized. It has attracted much relevancy due to its pretty chemical endurance, fine thermal determination, decent physical specialities, wonderful bio-compatibility and cheapness. Gelatin (G) is a natural polymer and that are interesting materials for biomedical applications. Electrospinning is a simple method that provides very porous nanofiber production with high surface area. It is possible to produce biomedical, filtration, energy storage and protective materials by using electrospinning method. Benzalkonium chloride (BAC) is a kind of anti-microbial cationic surface-active agent, which has been pretty used in merchant wound dressings and has a powerful status toward Gr+ bacteria. In this study, nanofibers were produced from electrospinning of BAC, PVA and G containing solutions at various concentrations. The fibers of obtained nanofiber structure were uniform, continuous and intensive. The optimum parameters in terms of good mechanical and antibacterial properties were determined. S2 sample, electrospun from 11.63% PVA + 1.0% G +1.0% BAC containing solution, had the best morphological and mechanical properties due to having the thinnest fiber diameter (51±13nm) and the highest vertical strength (4.299MPa) and horizontal strength (4.058MPa). It also had antibacterial activity against all the bacteria tested (E. coli, P. aeruginosa, B. subtilis and S. aureus). Due to owning good mechanical and antibacterial properties, S2 sample can have many uses in medical sector.Poli (vinil alkol) (PVA), iyi kimyasal dayanımı, iyi termal kararlılığı, iyi fiziksel özellikleri, mükemmel biyouyumluluğu ve ucuzluğu nedeniyle çok dikkat çeken hidrofilik, yarı kristalli bir polimerdir. Jelatin (G) biyomedikal uygulamalar için ilginç ve doğal bir polimerdir. Elektroeğirme, yüksek yüzey alanına sahip çok gözenekli nano elyaf üretimi sağlayan basit bir yöntemdir. Elektrospinning yöntemi kullanılarak biyomedikal, filtrasyon, enerji depolama ve koruyucu malzemeler üretmek mümkündür. Benzalkonyum klorür (BAC), ticari yara sargısında yaygın olarak kullanılan ve Gram-pozitif bakterilere karşı güçlü bir role sahip olan bir tür antimikrobiyal katyonik yüzey aktif malzemedir. Bu çalışmada, çeşitli konsantrasyonlarda BAC, PVA ve G içeren çözeltilerin nano lifler üretilmiştir. Elde edilen nano lif yapısının lifleri homojen, sürekli ve yoğundur. İyi mekanik ve antibakteriyel özellikler açısından optimum parametreler belirlenmiştir. 11.63% PVA + 1.0% G +1.0% BAC içeren S2 örneği en iyi morfolojik ve mekanik özellikler göstermesinin yanında en ince elyaf çapına (51 ± 13nm) ve en yüksek dikey dayanıma (4.299MPa) ve yatay dayanıma (4.058MPa) sahiptir. Ayrıca test edilen tüm bakterilere (E. coli, P. aeruginosa, B. subtilis ve S. aureus) karşı antibakteriyel aktiviteye sahiptir. İyi mekanik ve antibakteriyel özelliklere sahip olması nedeniyle, S2 örneğinin tıbbi sektörde birçok kullanımı olabileceği sonucuna ulaşılmıştır

Determination of Parasitic Contamination in Vegetables Collected from Local Markets in İzmir Province, Türkiye

Objective:Fresh vegetables are an important part of a healthy and nutrient-rich diet but the consumption of raw vegetables without proper washing is the main way for transmission of parasites. This study was aimed at determining the rate of parasitic contamination in prewashed fresh vegetables sold at randomly selected 10 retail markets which is the last step to reach the consumer in İzmir, Türkiye.Methods:A total of 80 samples selected from eight types of vegetables including tomato, spinach, lettuce, rocket, mint, parsley, dill, and cucumber were examined for parasitic agents microscopically by sedimentation method after washing samples with normal saline. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software version 20.0.Results:Protozoan cysts, helminth eggs, and larvae were detected in 21 (26.2%) of 80 samples from eight different vegetable species. Rhabditidiform larvae 18.7%, Blastocystis spp. 5%, Toxocara spp. 2.5%; Ascaris spp., Fasciola spp., Entamoeba histolytica/ Entamoeba dispar and hooked worms were found in 1.2%. Spinach and mint samples were contaminated with parasites significantly more than other fresh vegetable samples (p<0.008, odds ratio =80.0; p<0.017, odds ratio =46.6 respectively). Cruznema spp., a plant nematode, was found at the highest rate according to the results of culture, polymerase chain reaction and sequencing, respectively.Conclusion:In this study, the parasitic contamination was found in approximately one of the four vegetables sold in randomly selected markets in İzmir. These findings show that vegetables sold in local markets can cause parasitic infections if they are consumed without adequate washing and awareness should be raised on this issue. In addition, it was concluded that morphological examinations should be confirmed by molecular studies and sequencing as much as possible in order to avoid misdiagnosis of rhabditidiform larvae

Immunogenicity, safety and clinical outcomes of the SARS-CoV-2 BNT162b2 vaccine in adolescents with type 1 diabetes

IntroductionThe mRNA-based BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) vaccine has been shown to elicit robust systemic immune response and confer substantial protection against the severe coronavirus disease (COVID-19), with a favorable safety profile in adolescents. However, no data exist regarding immunogenicity, reactogenicity and clinical outcomes of COVID-19 vaccines in adolescents with type 1 diabetes (T1D). In this prospective observational cohort study, we examined the humoral immune responses and side effects induced by the BNT162b2 vaccine, as well as, the rate and symptomatology of laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 vaccine breakthrough infections after completion of dual-dose BNT162b2 vaccination in adolescents with T1D and compared their data with those of healthy control adolescents. The new data obtained after the vaccination of adolescents with T1D could guide their further COVID-19 vaccination schedule.MethodsA total of 132 adolescents with T1D and 71 controls were enrolled in the study, of whom 81 COVID-19 infection-naive adolescents with T1D (patient group) and 40 COVID-19 infection-naive controls (control group) were eligible for the final analysis. The response of participants to the BNT162b2 vaccine was assessed by measuring their serum IgG antibodies to the spike protein of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), 4–6 weeks after the receipt of first and second vaccine doses. Data about the adverse events of the vaccine was collected after the receipt of each vaccine dose. The rate of COVID-19 vaccine breakthrough infections was evaluated in the 6-month period following second vaccination.ResultsAfter vaccinations, adolescents with T1D and controls exhibited similar, highly robust increments in anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG titers. All the participants in the patient and control groups developed anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG titers over 1,050 AU/ml after the second vaccine dose which is associated with a neutralizing effect. None of the participants experienced severe adverse events. The rate of breakthrough infections in the patient group was similar to that in the control group. Clinical symptomatology was mild in all cases.ConclusionOur findings suggest that two-dose BNT162b2 vaccine administered to adolescents with T1D elicits robust humoral immune response, with a favorable safety profile and can provide protection against severe SARS-CoV-2 infection similar to that in healthy adolescents

The case of Kozanoğullari as an âyanlik from ottoman empire to Turkish Republic and the organization of Firkâ-i Islâhiye

Osmanlıdan Cumhuriyete Bir Âyanlık Örneği Kozanoğulları ve Fırka-i İslahiye'nin Teşkili? isimli tezimizde, Kozan bölgesine hakim Kozanoğulları hanedanlığını idarî, iktisadî ve sosyal yönleriyle ele almaya çalıştık. Âyan ailesi olmaları hasebiyle konunun aydınlanması açısından âyanlık kurumu üzerinde durulmuştur.Tezimiz üç bölümden oluşmaktadır. Giriş bölümünde âyanlık ve Kozanoğulları ile ilgili kaynaklar genel hatlarıyla anlatılmıştır. Birinci bölümde, âyanlığın teşkilini hazırlayan sebepler, âyanların görevleri ve devletle ilişkileri ele alınmıştır.İkinci bölümde, Adana ve Kozan bölgesinin sosyo-ekonomik yapısı, Celalîlik olayları, âyan ve eşrafı, Kozanoğullarına müttefik aşiretlerin ahvali üzerinde durulmuştur. Bunların yanı sıra Kozanoğullarının menşei, devletle olan ilişkileri ve Çapanoğulları, Mısırlı İbrahim Paşa'yla olan münasebetleri de incelenmiştir.Üçüncü bölümde, Tanzimat'ın taşra uygulamaları sırasında Kozan civarında çıkan engellerden bahsedilmiştir. Akabinde Kozanoğullarının Tanzimat döneminde de süren şekavet halleri anlatılmıştır. Bunların yanı sıra Fırka-i İslahiye'nin teşkili ve Kozandaki faaliyetleri, Kozanoğullarının tasfiye süreci ve son olarak da hanedanlığın sürgün yıllarındaki yazışmaları incelenmiştir.Anahtar Kelimeler: Âyanlar, Adana, Cebel-i Kozan, KozanoğullarıThe primary purpose of this study is to address social, economic and administrative aspects of Kozanoğulları Dynasty that held control of Kozan territory. Indeed, they were Ayan family, the institution of Ayanlık were focused on just to clarify the subject.This thesis consists of three section. In the introduction section, resouces of Ayanlık and Kozanoğulları were described in general terms. In the first section, the reasons for establishing Ayanlık, the tasks of Ayans and Ayans-State relations were discussed.In the second section, the socio-economic structure of the Adana and Kozan area, Celâlîlik incidents, Ayan and the notables of the area, the conditions of Kozanoğulları-allied phratries are emphasized. In addition to these, Kozanoğulları-Çapanoğulları relations and Kozanoğulları-Ibrahim Pacha of Egypt relations had been addressed such as examining the origins of Kozanoğulları and their relations with the state of Ottoman Empire.In the third section, the problems appeared around Kozan were mentioned in carrying out Tanzimat at the regional level. Subsequently, the disobedience of Kozanoğulları which had been continued during the Tanzimat period was described. In addition, the organization of Fırka-i Islahiye and its activities in Kozan, the process of liquidation of Kozanoğulları and finally Kozanoğulları Dynasty correspondences during years in exile are examined.Keywords: Âyans, Adana, Cebel-i Kozan, Kozanoğullar