An Extraordinary Cause of the Sucking Difficulty: Ecthyma Gangrenosum

Ecthyma gangrenosum is a cutaneous lesion often associated with pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteremia, even though it may develop without bacteremia and may originate from other bacterial and fungal organisms. Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteremia or sepsis, which mainly affects immunocompromised patients, frequently occurs in hospitals. This lesion typically occurs on the extremities and gluteal and perineal regions. In this report we present a case of ecthyma gangrenosum in a premature newborn occurring secondary to pseudomonas sepsis causing sucking dysfunction due to tissue loss in the lip, soft palate, and tongue

Prevalence of Helicobacter pylori in Children and Their Family Members in a District in Turkey

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori among children and their family members and to evaluate some epidemiologic characteristics. The study included 275 children, aged 1-15 year(s), suffering from different gastrointestinal complaints. Blood serology and stool antigen testing were used for the diagnosis of infection due to H. pylori. Sixty-five (23.6%) of the 275 children were positive for H. pylori, and this positivity had a significantly increasing correlation with age (p<0.001). H. pylori-associated infection was observed among 45 (69.2%) and 17 (8%) mothers in the H. pylori-infected and non-infected groups respectively (p<0.0001). Most children and their families infected with H. pylori were living in an urban area. The findings suggest that infection due to H. pylori is a problem for this district area, and all children having any gastrointestinal complaints should be examined whether H. pylori was prevalent among their family members

The Role of Matrix Metalloproteinase As Biomarkers For Neural Tube Defect

Neural Tube Defect (NTD) is one of the most common congenital malformations. It is crucial to determine the prognostic, predictive, or therapeutic genetic factors for prevent ing NTD. The formation of the extracellular matrix (ECM) plays an essential role in migrating neural crest cells. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) play a significant role in cell migration in ECM organization. The role of expressions and activation of MMP in NTD is unknown. This study aimed to investigate the roles of MMP-1, -2, and 9 gene expressions as biomarkers for NTD. Peripheral blood samples and NTD tissues were collected from 40 newborn babies diagnosed with NTD, which were also divided into subgroups based on pathology, and peripheral blood samples from only 20 healthy babies were taken for control. After total RNA isolation from blood and tissues, MMP -1, -2, -9 gene expressions were analyzed by Quantitative Real-Time PCR (RT-PCR). There was no difference between the control group and the NTD group in terms of MMP expressions in blood samples (p>0.05). A statistically significantly higher MMP-1 expression was found in Meningocele and Myeloschisis than in Encephalocele (p=0.014). A significant difference was found between the tissue and blood samples of the Meningomyelocele patient group regarding MMP-9 expression (p=0.019). There was no significant relationship between Ca2+, B12, and Folate levels, NTD, and MMP genes expressions (p>0.05). Even though MMP genes were not different between control and NTD groups, they were found to vary between different subgroups and can serve as biomarkers

Investigation of antioxidant effects of rosmarinic acid on liver, lung and kidney in rats: a biochemical and histopathological study

Background: The aim of the study was to investigate the protective effects of rosmarinic acid in rats exposed to hepatic ischaemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. Materials and methods: Thirty-two rats were randomly classified into four groups of 8 rats each: laparotomy without medication, rosmarinic acid (dose of 50 mg/kg via oral gavage) followed by laparotomy, laparotomy followed by hepatic I/R, and hepatic I/R with rosmarinic acid. Serum aspartate aminotransferase, alaninę aminotransferase, and malondialdehyde levels and total oxidant activity and total antioxidant capacity levels of the liver, lung, and kidney were assessed. The histopathologic assessment was also performed. Results: Rosmarinic acid significantly reduced liver function test parameters and decreased oxidative stress and abnormal histopathologic findings in the liver. The oxidative stress in the lung significantly increased in the I/R group but significantly decreased in the I/R + rosmarinic acid group due to the addition of rosmarinic acid. Rosmarinic acid led to no reduction in oxidative stress in kidney following hepatic I/R injury. There were no statistically significant differences among the groups regarding histopathologic changes in kidney and lung sections. Conclusions: Rosmarinic acid has antioxidant properties and is an effective hepatoprotective agent. However, although rosmarinic acid provides useful effects in the lung by increasing antioxidant capacity and reducing oxidative stress after I/R injury, it does not ameliorate histopathologic changes. These findings suggest that rosmarinic acid is likely to provide favourable outcomes in the treatment of hepatic I/R injury

Comparison of local rosmarinic acid and topical dexpanthenol applications on wound healing in a rat experimental wound model

Background: The aim of the study was to compare the effects of rosmarinic acid and dexpanthenol in a rat experimental wound model.Materials and methods: Twenty-four Wistar albino rats weighing 200–250 g were randomly divided into three groups. After 2-cm full-thickness skin defects were created, the wounds were washed with sterile 0.9% NaCl solution. After washing, the control group was left untreated, the second group received 5% dexpanthenol cream, and the third group received 10% rosmarinic acid cream. Before excision, the skin was evaluated macroscopically by measuring the reduction in wound size; after excision, histological examination (epithelisation, inflammation, fibrosis, granulation) was performed.Results: Macroscopic comparison of the wound sizes showed that group 3 showed a statistically significant difference in wound size reduction compared to the other two groups. Histopathological examination showed that there was no statistically significant difference between the groups. We found that the rosmarinic acid group had greater wound size reduction than the other two groups. However, epithelialisation was detected in fewer cases.Conclusions: We believe that rosmarinic acid can be used as a topical cream for wound healing, as it leads to significant reduction in wound size, resulting in fewer scars

Hedef sinyal çıkarımı için doğrusal olmayan uyarlamalı bir hüzme şekillendirme algoritmasının başarımı

In this article, a non-linear adaptive beamforming technique, Adaptive Projections Subgradient Method (APSM) [1] is considered. This technique uses projections over convex sets in Reproducing Kernel Hilbert Space. Main advantage of this technique is observed if the signal-of-interest is due to digital modulation and when there are more jammers than the number of antennas. The performance of this non-linear beamforming technique is compared with well-known method Minimum Variance Distortionless Response (MVDR) Beamformer. An algorithm which enhances MVDR Performance in the scenario of more-jammers-than-antennas has been proposed. The beamformer methods are compared in a variety of scenario in order to outline the advantages and disadvantages clearly.Bu bildiride, Uyarlamalı İzdüşüm Alt Eğim Metodu (APSM) [1] adlı doğrusal olmayan uyarlamalı bir hüzme şekillendirme tekniği değerlendirilmiştir. Bu teknikte Üretken Çekirdek Hilbert Uzayındaki dışbükey kümelere izdüşümler kullanılır. Bu tekniğin temel avantajı hedef sinyal sayısal kiplenmiş ve alıcı anten sayısı karıştırıcı sinyal sayısından daha az ise gözlemlenmektedir. Bu doğrusal olmayan hüzme şekillendirme tekniğinin başarımı, en küçük değişinti bozulmasız cevap (MVDR) hüzme şekillendirici tekniğinin başarımı ile karşılaştırılmıştır. Anten sayısından yüksek sayıda karıştırıcı senaryosunda MVDR tekniğinin başarımını artıran bir teknik önerilmiştir. Hüzme şekillendirici teknikleri avantaj ve dezavantajlarının açık biçimde belirtilmesi için farklı senaryolarda karşılaştırılmıştır