Does Ramadan fasting affect glicemic control in patients with diabetes mellitus? effects of fasting on betatrophin and insulin resistance

Insulin resistance, which is involved in the pathogenesis of Type 2 Diabetes (T2DM), is considered to be associated with betatrophin. Moreover, it is known that betatrophin levels may be affected by environmental factors. In this study, the changes in pre-Ramadan and post-Ramadan betatrophin levels, HOMA-IR levels, and metabolic parameters were evaluated in patients with T2DM, using oral antidiabetic (OAD) and wanting to fast during Ramadan. 50 patients with T2DM receiving OAD treatment and 40 healthy volunteers were included in the study. Glucose, cholesterol, HDL, LDL, triglyceride measurements were performed with AU-5800 autoanalyzer. Insulin levels were measured with DXI-800 and HbA1c levels with the Premier HB920 device. Furthermore, betatrophin levels were measured using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method. At the beginning and the end of Ramadan, betatrophin levels were detected to be higher in the diabetic group compared to the control group. It was revealed that the post-Ramadan insulin and HOMA-IR levels were lower than the pre-Ramadan values in both of the groups. A positive correlation was found between betatrophin levels and triglyceride (r: 0.289, p= 0.042), and insulin (r: 0.276, p= 0.053) levels in the diabetic group. The study indicated that Ramadan fasting reduced the body mass index and average glucose. Thus, insulin resistance decreased. Betatrophin levels, which may be affected by environmental factors, displayed no changes. Ramadan fasting of diabetic patients in the low and moderate risk group did not disrupt metabolic order and glucose regulation. [Med-Science 2022; 11(1.000): 394-8

Immunohistochemical detection of serotonin in the kidney and adrenal of porcupine (Hystrixcristata)

In the present study, the existence of serotonin immunoreactivity was investigated in the adrenal gland and kidney of porcupine, Hystrix cristata, using immunohistochemical techniques as a pioneer attempt. Serotonin immunoreactivity was detected in adrenal medullary cells, distal tubules and collecting duct cells in kidney

The Impact of CoronaVac Vaccination on 28-day Mortality Rate of Critically Ill Patients with COVID-19 in Türkiye

Background:Vaccines against coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) have been effective in preventing symptomatic diseases, hospitalizations, and intensive care unit (ICU) admissions. However, data regarding the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines in reducing mortality among critically ill patients with COVID-19 remains unclear.Aims:To determine the vaccination status and investigate the impact of the COVID-19 vaccine on the 28-day mortality in critically ill patients with COVID-19.Study Design:Multicenter prospective observational clinical study.Methods:This study was conducted in 60 hospitals with ICUs managing critically ill patients with COVID-19. Patients aged ≥ 18 years with confirmed COVID-19 who were admitted to the ICU were included. The present study had two phases. The first phase was designed as a one-day point prevalence study, and demographic and clinical findings were evaluated. In the second phase, the 28-day mortality was evaluated.Results:As of August 11, 2021, 921 patients were enrolled in the study. The mean age of the patients was 65.42 ± 16.74 years, and 48.6% (n = 448) were female. Among the critically ill patients with COVID-19, 52.6% (n = 484) were unvaccinated, 7.7% (n = 71) were incompletely vaccinated, and 39.8% (n = 366) were fully vaccinated. A subgroup analysis of 817 patients who were unvaccinated (n = 484) or who had received two doses of the CoronaVac vaccine (n = 333) was performed. The 28-day mortality rate was 56.8% (n = 275) and 57.4% (n = 191) in the unvaccinated and two-dose CoronaVac groups, respectively. The 28-day mortality was associated with age, hypertension, the number of comorbidities, type of respiratory support, and APACHE II and sequential organ failure assessment scores (p < 0.05). The odds ratio for the 28-day mortality among those who had received two doses of CoronaVac was 0.591 (95% confidence interval: 0.413-0.848) (p = 0.004).Conclusion:Vaccination with at least two doses of CoronaVac within six months significantly decreased mortality in vaccinated patients than in unvaccinated patients