Prognostic factors in children with purulent meningitis in Turkey.

In this study the clinical and laboratory findings of 48 children with purulent meningitis were examined, prospectively, to determine the prognostic factors in childhood meningitis in a developing country. Patients were examined for the following variables: history of antibiotic use; period between onset of symptoms and hospital admission; age at presentation; sex; fever; convulsion; level of consciousness; malnutrition; anemia; leukocyte and thrombocyte counts; erythrocyte sedimentation rate; serum C-reactive protein (CRP) level; and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) including white blood cell count; glucose, protein, and CRP concentrations; antibiotic treatment; neurological sequelae; and fatality rate during the hospital stay. Most of these parameters were re-evaluated in all patients 36-48 h after admission. Patients were divided into 3 groups: surviving without sequelae, surviving with sequelae, and not surviving (deceased). A total of 48 children, 19 girls (39.5%) and 29 boys (60.5%), aged 2 months to 13 years, were included in the study. Of the 48 patients, 29 (60.5 %) survived without sequelae, 13 (27%) survived with sequelae and 6 (12.5%) died. In a comparison among groups, we found that absence of anemia, low (&#60; 1,000) CSF white blood cell (WBC) count, and high CRP level at admission were the indicative of poor prognosis. Thirty-six to 48 h after admission, the presence of fever, depressed level of consciousness, high (&#62; 1,000) CSF WBC count, and low CRP level were also poor prognostic factors. In addition, we observed that mortality rate was lower in the penicillin G + chloramphenicol group than in the ampicillin-sulbactam + cefotaxime group (P &#60; 0.05). The mean period between onset of symptoms and hospital admission was longer in the surviving with sequelae and in the not surviving groups than in the surviving without sequelae group (P &#60; 0.05).</p

Comparison of long-term kidney functions after radical nephrectomy and simple nephrectomy

Objective To determine if there is a difference in proceeding to CKD between patients who had undergone radical nephrectomy (RN) and simple nephrectomy (SN) for different indications by comparing the short- and long-term renal function. Materials and Methods We retrospectively analyzed the records of all patients who underwent nephrectomy (either for malign or benign indications) in our clinic between January 2007 and September 2017. The patients were divided into 2 groups according the type of surgery: 1) Radical nephrectomy Group, 2) Simple Nephrectomy Group. Renal function was evaluated with Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR) calculated using the MDRD formula. Results A total of 276 patients were included in the study. There were 202 patients in RN Group and 74 patients in SN Group. The mean age of the patients in RN Group and SN Group were age 59,2 ± 11,5 and 49,9 ± 15,1 years, respectively (p = 0.001). GFR levels of patients in RN Group versus SN Group were as follows: Preoperative period: 84.9 vs. 81 mL/min/1.73 m2; postoperative 1st day: 60.5 vs. 84.4 mL/min/1.73 m2, postoperative 1st month 58.9 vs. 76 mL/min/1.73 m2, postoperative 1st year: 59.5 vs. 74.1 mL/min/1.73 m2; at last control 60.3 and 76.1 mL/min/1.73 m2. While preoperative GFR was found to be similar in two groups (p = 0.26), postoperative GFR values were found to be significantly lower in Group RN (p < 0.001). In comparison of the decrease in GFR in two groups at last follow-up, significantly higher decrease was observed in RN Group, 29% vs. 6%, (p < 0.05). Conclusion The decrease in GFR exists more common and intensive after RN compared to SN. In long-term, compensation mechanisms that develop after sudden nephron loss like radical nephrectomy deteriorates kidney function more than gradual nephron loss as in benign etiologies which indicates simple nephrectomy

ArtificiAl NeurAl Network ApproAch for the predicitioN of the corN (Zea mays l.) leAf AreA

Abstract OdabaS, M. S., E. Ergun and F. OnEr, 2013. Artificial neural network approach for the predicition of the corn (Zea mays L.) leaf area. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., This research investigates the artificial neural networks utilization in improving leaf area forecasting at corn leaves (Zea mays L.). Best fitting results were obtained with 2 input nodes (leaf length and leaf width), 2 hidden layers and one output (leaf area). Artificial neural network model performance was tested successfully to describe the relationship between actual leaf area and predicted leaf area. R 2 of leaf area was 0.98. Artificial neural networks model produced satisfied correlation between measured and predicted value and minimum inspection error

Ophthalmo-acromelic syndrome in a Turkish infant: Case report

Ophthalmo-acromelic syndrome (OAS) is an extremely rare autosomal recessive disorder characterised by eye malformations ranging from true anophthalmia to mild microophthalmia and acromelic malformations. In this article, we report a newborn infant with OAS because of its rare presentation. He was the fourth sibling affected in the family. The parents were healthy but there was a close blood relationship between the parents. Physical examination revealed bilateral true anophthalmia and oligodactyly (bilateral four toes) on the feet. He had no other additional abnormalities. We consider that this rare syndrome could be relatively more common in our country because six Turkish cases of OAS have been reported in the English literature to date. (East African Medical Journal: 2002 79(6): 339-340

Triglyceride‐Glucose Index (TyG) is associated with erectile dysfunction: A cross‐sectional study

Background Erectile dysfunction (ED) is often associated with endocrine metabolic diseases such as metabolic syndrome (MetS) and diabetes mellitus (DM), in which insulin resistance (IR) plays a decisive role in pathology. Triglyceride-glucose index (TyG), a simple, inexpensive and easily accessible IR marker, is calculated by fasting serum glucose and triglyceride values. Objectives We aimed to reveal the relationship between TyG index and ED. Materials and methods Of 152 male patients, aged between 24-80 years, admitted to the urology outpatient clinic with complaining erectile insufficiency were evaluated. Liver function tests, complete blood count, fasting serum triglyceride, serum testosterone, fasting glucose, fasting insulin, and hemoglobinA1c (HbA1c) were analyzed. TyG index was calculated. All patients were requested to fill in the validated Turkish version of the 5-item International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5) survey. Results A total of 142 patients were included the study. ED was detected in 91 (64.1%) of the patients. BMI, fasting insulin level, fasting glucose level, IR, GGT, HDL, HbA1c, Triglyceride, TyG, DM, HT, and MetS status of the patients in ED group were statistically significantly higher compared to non-ED group (allP< .05). It was found that the cutoff value of TyG index for ED was 8.88 (AUC = 0.739, sensitivity 67%, specificity = 68.6%). In multivariate logistic regression analysis, age (OR = 1.07, 95% CI = 1026-1115,P = .002) and TyG index above 8.88 (OR = 3.865, 95% CI = 1686-8859,P = .001) were found as independent predictors of ED after accounting for BMI, serum total T and IR. Conclusion TyG index might be useful in the diagnosis and follow-up of ED

Triglyceride-Glucose Index (TyG) is associated with erectile dysfunction: A cross-sectional study

Background Erectile dysfunction (ED) is often associated with endocrine metabolic diseases such as metabolic syndrome (MetS) and diabetes mellitus (DM), in which insulin resistance (IR) plays a decisive role in pathology. Triglyceride-glucose index (TyG), a simple, inexpensive and easily accessible IR marker, is calculated by fasting serum glucose and triglyceride values. Objectives We aimed to reveal the relationship between TyG index and ED. Materials and methods Of 152 male patients, aged between 24-80 years, admitted to the urology outpatient clinic with complaining erectile insufficiency were evaluated. Liver function tests, complete blood count, fasting serum triglyceride, serum testosterone, fasting glucose, fasting insulin, and hemoglobinA1c (HbA1c) were analyzed. TyG index was calculated. All patients were requested to fill in the validated Turkish version of the 5-item International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5) survey. Results A total of 142 patients were included the study. ED was detected in 91 (64.1%) of the patients. BMI, fasting insulin level, fasting glucose level, IR, GGT, HDL, HbA1c, Triglyceride, TyG, DM, HT, and MetS status of the patients in ED group were statistically significantly higher compared to non-ED group (allP< .05). It was found that the cutoff value of TyG index for ED was 8.88 (AUC = 0.739, sensitivity 67%, specificity = 68.6%). In multivariate logistic regression analysis, age (OR = 1.07, 95% CI = 1026-1115,P = .002) and TyG index above 8.88 (OR = 3.865, 95% CI = 1686-8859,P = .001) were found as independent predictors of ED after accounting for BMI, serum total T and IR. Conclusion TyG index might be useful in the diagnosis and follow-up of ED

Relationship between immunohistochemical staining extent of CD47 and histopathologic features of bladder tumor

WOS: 000418412900003PubMed ID: 29410884Introduction It has been shown that CD47 is an important diagnostic and prognostic marker in many cancer types. However, the relationship between CD47 and bladder tumor stage has not been shown in previous studies. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study investigating the association of CD47 with stages of bladder cancer. Material and methods Surgical specimens of 175 patients were included in the study. The CD47 staining assessment was performed in the following categories; none, focal, moderate and diffuse. The statistics of the study were tested using t-test and analysis of variance. Results We demonstrated much less CD47 staining extent in Ta tumor pathology compared to T1 and T1+T2+T3+T4 tumor pathology (p = 0.034 and p = 0.016, respectively). We also showed that the average value of CD47 staining extent with CIS+ was significantly higher compared to CIS-among NMIBC p = 0.0248). However, no significant differences in CD47 staining pattern were observed in the following study groups: high vs. low-grade tumors in non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC); MIBC (T2-T4) vs. NMIBC; lymph node involvement (N1-N3) vs. non- lymph node involvement (N0) in MIBC (T2-T4). Conclusions Our study demonstrated that CD47 might have a critical role in the progression of Ta to T1 stage. Furthermore, we showed that CD47 is highly expressed in CIS+ NMIBC compared to CIS-NMIBC. Thus, differentiating stages with the help of this new potential marker may help clinicians treat bladder tumors better. Future studies to determine the role of CD47 on pathophysiology, diagnosis and prognosis of bladder tumor are warranted

The safety of deferring operation for prostate carcinoma during the COVID-19 period

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to the restructuring of healthcare delivery. There have been delays in fighting against leading problems such as cancer in this process. Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most common cancer among urological malignancies. We aim to evaluate the differences between patient populations diagnosed with PCa before and during the pandemic and underwent radical prostatectomy (RP) as a treatment. The study was designed retrospectively in a single center. The pathologic, clinic and demographic of patients who underwent RP between 11.03.2020, which is the first date of the pandemic in Turkey, and 31.12.2020 and between 11.03.2019 and 31.12.2019 were compared. 327 patients were appropriate for inclusion criteria. 125 of them were operated during the pandemic and 202 of them before the pandemic. The median between prostate biopsy and RP was 82 days before the pandemic and 97 days during the pandemic (p=0.04). Although there was a significantly longer time between biopsy and RP during the pandemic, gleason score upgrading, upstaging, biochemical recurrence and lymph node involvement were not found significantly different. Additionally, in groups made by the D&apos;amico risk classification, no significant difference was found between the two periods in Gleason Score Upgrading and Upstaging. The deferrability of malignancy treatment is an important problem for the health system due to the high number of oncology patients. The current pandemic has increased the importance of patient selection to minimize the harmful effects of deferred operations. This study showed that the delay of surgery does not affect the oncologic results for PCa. [Med-Science 2022; 11(4.000): 1720-4

Is there any association between National Institute of Health category IV prostatitis and prostate-specific antigen levels in patients with low-risk localized prostate cancer?

ABSTRACT Purpose We investigated the association between National Institute of Health category IV prostatitis and prostate-specific antigen levels in patients with low-risk localized prostate cancer. Materials and Methods The data of 440 patients who had undergone prostate biopsies due to high PSA levels and suspicious digital rectal examination findings were reviewed retrospectively. The patients were divided into two groups based on the presence of accompanying NIH IV prostatitis. The exclusion criteria were as follows: Gleason score>6, PSA level>20ng/mL, >2 positive cores, >50% cancerous tissue per biopsy, urinary tract infection, urological interventions at least 1 week previously (cystoscopy, urethral catheterization, or similar procedure), history of prostate biopsy, and history of androgen or 5-alpha reductase use. All patient's age, total PSA and free PSA levels, ratio of free to total PSA, PSA density and prostate volume were recorded. Results In total, 101 patients were included in the study. Histopathological examination revealed only PCa in 78 (77.2%) patients and PCa+NIH IV prostatitis in 23 (22.7%) patients. The median total PSA level was 7.4 (3.5–20.0) ng/mL in the PCa+NIH IV prostatitis group and 6.5 (0.6–20.0) ng/mL in the PCa group (p=0.67). The PSA level was≤10ng/mL in 60 (76.9%) patients in the PCa group and in 16 (69.6%) patients in the PCa+NIH IV prostatitis group (p=0.32). Conclusions Our study showed no statistically significant difference in PSA levels between patients with and without NIH IV prostatitis accompanying PCa