Posterior-Only Approach with Pedicle Screws for the Correction of Scheuermann's Kyphosis

Study DesignRetrospective study (level of evidence: level 3).PurposeThe purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical and radiological results of the posterior-only approach with pedicle screws for the treatment of Scheuermann's kyphosis (SK).Overview of LiteratureThe correction of SK with instrumentation can be performed using posterior-only or combined anterior-posterior procedures. With the use of all-pedicle screw constructs in spine surgery, the posterior-only approach has become a popular option for the definitive treatment of SK. In a nationwide study involving 2,796 patients, a trend toward posterior-only fusion with lower complication rates was reported.MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed the data of patients who underwent posterior-only correction for SK between January 2005 and May 2013. Patients with a definite diagnosis of SK who fulfilled the minimum follow-up criterion of 24 months were included. The thoracic kyphosis (T5–T12), lumbar lordosis (L1–S1), and thoracolumbar junction (T10–L2) angles were measured from preoperative, postoperative, and last control radiographs. Sagittal balance, thoracic length, thoracic diameter, Voutsinas index and the sacral slope, pelvic tilt, proximal junction kyphosis, and distal junction kyphosis angles were also measured.ResultsForty-five patients underwent surgery for the treatment of SK between 2005 and 2013. After applying the exclusion criteria, 20 patients (18 males and 2 females) with a mean age of 19 years were included. The mean thoracic kyphosis angle was 79.8 degrees preoperatively, 44.6 degrees postoperatively, and 44.9 degrees at the last control. There were statistically significant differences between preoperative and postoperative values in the thoracic kyphosis and lumbar lordosis angles, thoracic length, thoracic diameter, and Voutsinas index (p<0.05).ConclusionsThe clinical and radiological results of the current study suggest that posterior-only fusion is an efficient technique for the treatment of SK

The effect of six days open water swimming activity on salivary, oxidative stress and cortisol levels on elite master swimmers

Open water swimming is a sport and recreational activity in which individuals swim in natural bodies of water. When the body is under stress, stress hormones, and reactive oxygen metabolite production may increase. The study aims to evaluate the effect of swimming stress on oxidation formation, antioxidant response, and cortisol levels in whole saliva samples of long-distance open-water swimmers taken before and after swimming. Lipid peroxidation (LPO), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione (GSH), and sialic acid (SA) were determined in the whole saliva of the 12 swimmers before and after swimming. Also, cortisol levels were measured from whole saliva collected in 10 laps, before and after each swim. The salivary LPO level of the swimmers significantly increased, and SOD and CAT activities and SA levels decreased significantly after swimming compared to the baseline. After swimming, the salivary cortisol levels of the swimmers significantly increased in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd laps of the swim compared to each one’s baseline levels. It was also observed that swimming activity caused an increase in total cortisol levels in all laps compared to baseline swimming. Swimming in open water can cause stress on the organism, leading to metabolic adaptations for prevention

Synthesis of some compounds containing azole heterocyclic derivatives, elucidation of their structures and investigation of some biological activities

Heterohalkalı sistemler, birçok biyoaktif bileşiğin yapısını oluşturan temel bileşenlerdir. Bunun yanı sıra, değişik azol halkalarının birbirlerine çeşitli gruplar aracılığıyla bağlı bulunmaları ve çeşitli biyolojik aktiviteler göstermelerinden dolayı son yıllarda önem kazanmıştır. Yapılan çalışmalarda, ilk olarak litaratüre kayıtlı olan 4-[1-(2-Hidrazino-2-oksoetil)-3-metil-5-okso-1,5-dihidro-4H-1,2,4-triazol-4-il] benzohidrazit bileşiği 4 farklı izotiyosiyanat türevi ile reaksiyona sokularak 4 yeni karbotiyoamid türevi bileşik sentezlenmiştir. Çalışmanın devamında sentezlenen bu bileşiklerin bazik ortamda halka kapanma reaksiyonu sonucu 3 yeni triazol türevi bileşik, asidik ortamda halka kapanma reaksiyonuyla 2 yeni tiyadiazol türevi bileşik olmak üzere toplamda 9 yeni bileşik sentezlenmiştir. Verim ve süre karşılaştırması yapmak üzere elde edilen bileşiklerin bir kısmı mikrodalga ışıma yöntemi kullanılarak da elde edilmiştir. Ayrıca sentezlenen bu bileşiklerin antioksidan ve antiüreaz aktiviteleri incelenmiştir. Elde edilen bileşiklerin kimyasal yapıları IR, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR ve kütle spektrometre yöntemleri kullanılarak aydınlatılmıştır. Heterocyclic system is main component which composed of many biological active compounds structure. In addition, in recent years synthesis of these compounds getting important due to the have various biological activities, which have different azole heterocyclic system connected to each other with different groups. In this study, 4 different isothiocyanate derivatives reacted with 4-[1-(2-hydrazino-2-oxoethyl)-3-methyl-5-oxo-1,5-dihydro-4H-1,2,4-triazol-4-yl]benzohydrazide which is registered in literature for obtained 4 new carbothioamide derivatives. The next step in this study, 3 novel triazole derivatives obtained under basic conditions and 2 novel thiadiazole derivatives obtained under acidic conditions from carbothioamide derivatives with ring closure reactions, respectively. Totally 9 novel compounds were synthesized in this study. Most of reactions were utilized by both microwave-assisted and conventional methods for comparing yields and reaction time. All compounds obtained in this study were also investigated for antioxidant and anti-urease activities. All structures of the obtained compounds were characterized by using spectroscopic techniques like IR, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, and mass spectroscopy

Methamidophos, Dichlorvos, O-Methoate And Diazinon Pesticides Used In Turkey Make A Covalent Bond With Butyrylcholinesterase Detected By Mass Spectrometry

Organophosphorus pesticides used most commonly in Turkey include methamidophos, dichlorvos, O-methoate and diazinon. These toxic chemicals or their metabolites make a covalent bond with the active site serine of butyrylcholinesterase. Our goal was to identify the adducts that result from the reaction of human butyrylcholinesterase with these pesticides. Highly purified human butyrylcholinesterase was treated with a 20-fold molar excess of pesticide. The protein was denatured by boiling and digested with trypsin. MS and MSMS spectra of HPLC-purified peptides were acquired on a MALDI-TOF-TOF 4800 mass spectrometer. It was found that methamidophos added a mass of +93, consistent with addition of methoxy aminophosphate. A minor amount of adduct with an added mass of +109 was also found. Dichlorvos and O-methoate both made dimethoxyphosphate (+108) and monomethoxyphosphate adducts (+94). Diazinon gave a novel adduct with an added mass of +152 consistent with diethoxythiophosphate. Inhibition of enzyme activity in the presence of diazinon developed slowly (15 h), concomitant with isomerization of diazinon via a thiono-thiolo rearrangement. The isomer of diazinon yielded diethoxyphosphate and monoethoxyphosphate adducts with added masses of +136 and +108. MSMS spectra confirmed that each of the pesticides studied made a covalent bond with serine 198 of butyrylcholinesterase. These results can be used to identify the class of pesticides to which a patient was exposed. Copyright (C) 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.Wo

Investigation of ACTN3 rs1815739 polymorphism, physical characteristics, and position—relation in football players: A team sample

Çalışmamızda, profesyonel futbolcularda alfa aktinin-3 geni rs1815739 polimorfizmini belirlemeyi, genotip ve allel frekanslarını sedanter bireyler ile karşılaştırmayı hedefledik. Ayrıca futbolcuların genotipleri ile mevkileri arasındaki ilişkiyi saptamayı amaçladık. Çalışmamıza 20 futbolcu katılmıştır. Spor geçmişi olmayan 76 katılımcı kontrol grubu olarak çalışmamıza dahil olmuştur. DNA izolasyonu, kan örneklerinden PureLink DNA izolasyon kiti kullanılarak üretici firmanın prosedürlerine göre gerçekleştirilmiştir. rs1815739 polimorfizmi izole edilen DNA materyalinden Real-Time PCR cihazı ile gerçekleştirilmiştir. Elde edilen verilerin istatiksel analizlerini IBM SPSS 21.0 (IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences Corp., Armonk, NY, ABD) programı kullanılarak kikare analizi ile gerçekleştirilmiştir. p < ,05 değeri istatiksel olarak anlamlı kabul edilmiştir. Futbolcularda 2 bireyde CC (%10), 7 bireyde CT (%35), 11 bireyde TT (%55) genotipi gözlemlenmiştir. Kontrol grubunda CC, CT ve TT genotipleri sırasıyla 15 (%19,7), 41 (%53,9), 20 (%26,4) olarak tespit edilmiştir. C alleli futbolcularda 11 (27,5), kontrol grubunda 71 (%46,71); T alleli ise futbolcularda 29 (72,5), kontrol grubunda 81 (%53,29) olarak bulunmuştur. Futbolcu ile kontrol grubu arasında genotip (p=,049) ve allel (p=,028) bakımından istatistiksel olarak anlamlı fark bulunmuştur. Dayanıklılık gerektiren orta saha oyuncuları çoğunlukla TT genotipinde, sprinter özellikteki santraforlar ise CC genotipinde olduğu belirlenmiştir. Elde edilen bulgular literatürle uyum sağlamakla birlikte benzer çalışmaların daha yüksek sayılı planlanması gerekmektedirWe aimed to determine the alpha actin-3 gene rs1815739 polymorphism in professional footballers and to compare genotype and allele frequencies with sedentary individuals. Also, we aimed to determine the relationship between the genotypes of footballers and their positions. Twenty footballers participated in our study. Seventy-six participants without sports background were included in our study as the control group. DNA isolation was performed from blood samples using the PureLink DNA isolation kit according to the manufacturer’s procedures. rs1815739 polymorphism was performed using real-time polymerase chain reaction device. Statistical analyses of the obtained data were carried out with chi-square analysis using IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences 21.0 (IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences Corp.) program. A value of p < .05 was considered statistically significant. CC genotype was observed in 2 individuals (10%), CT (35%) in 7 individuals, and TT (55%) in 11 individuals in footballers. In the control group, the CC, CT, and TT genotypes were determined as 15 (19.7%), 41 (53.9%), 20 (26.4%), respectively. The C allele was 11 (27.5) in footballers and 71 (46.71%) in the control group; the T allele was found to be 29 (72.5) in footballers and 81 (53.29%) in the control group. A statistically significant difference was found between the footballers and the control group in terms of genotype (p=.049) and allele (p=.028). It was determined that midfielders who require endurance are mostly in the TT genotype, while the sprinter strikers are in the CC genotype. Although the findings are compatible with the literature, similar studies should be planned with higher numbers

Investigation of the Relationship between Anxiety Disorder and Time Perception with DRD2 rs1800497 Polymorphism

We have many biological systems that regulate the perception of time, which is one of our most essential abilities that allows subjectively predicting, perceiving and understanding the duration of experiences, feelings and achievements. There are findings obtained from many studies aiming to illuminate the place and importance of time, which was the most critical reference point for human understanding of life in the past, for us mammals. According to these findings, it is observed that there is a similar mechanism that provides the perception of time in almost every living organism. Time perception is vital for the healthy functioning of cognitive activities, physiological needs and behavioral relations, and the bio-psycho-social order's systematicity. Among the studies conducted, the findings obtained in the studies related to the effect of psychiatric disorders on the perception of time are somewhat blurry compared to the others. The research for this study was based on six basic Polymorphisms known to affect time perception and internal clock mechanisms. These are as follows: SLC6A4 / 5-HTTLPR, 5HT2A / T102C, DRD2 / TAQ1A, SLC6A3 / 3UTR VNTR, COMT / VAL158MET, GABRB2 A/C, CLOCK. In our study, the relationship between the rs1800497 polymorphism, which is one of these seven polymorphisms that are effective in the functioning of the internal clock in the human brain, and the inventory used in the measurement of anxiety, was examined in 14 participants. Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) was used to measure anxiety, and PCR was used to detect genetic variants. When the findings were evaluated, no significant relationship was found between anxiety and DRD2 rs1800497 polymorphism

Amfizemli Hastalarda α1-Proteinaz İnhibitörü Aktivitesi ve Fenotiplerinin Belirlenmesi

In our study, functionally active α1-proteinase inhibitor (α1-PI) levels and phenotypeswere determined in sera of patients with emphysema and in that of healthy subjects. Patients were classified according to their smoking habits: Group I consistedof 7 nonsmoking (or limited history of smoking) patients. Group II consisted of heavily smoking 14 patients. Four patients having intermediate smoking habits were considered independently (Group III). Two of these patients were siblings with a history of familial emphysema. The Control group consisted of 28 healthy nonsmokingsubjects. Active serum α1-PI levels were assayed spectrophotometrically, by determining the extent of trypsin inhibition. α1-PI phenotypes were determined by isoelectric focusing on polyacrylamide gels. Once the serum α1-PI levels have been compared, the differences between Group I and Group II and the Control group were statistically insignificant (p >0.05). Isoelectric focusing results showed that all but 4 patients had the M1M1 or M1M2 phenotype. (The siblings in the Group III had the ZZ phenotype and 2 patients in Group II had undefined phenotypes). Considering these results, we concluded that, with the exception the siblings expressingthe ZZ variant, the development of emphysema in our patients was caused by an increase in elastase load rather than a deficiency in antielastase capacity. The increase in elastase load was most likely due to biological and chemical oxidants in the lung

DISTRIBUTION OF SLC6A4 PROMOTOR POLYMOPHISM IN FOOTBALL PLAYERS

İnsan psikolojisini etkileyen ve en önemli bir biyobelirteç olan serotonin, sporcunun atletik performansını da olumsuz yönde etkileyebilmektedir. Çalışmamızın amacı, sağlıklı profesyonel futbolcularda anksiyete ile bağlantılı SLC6A4 geni promotör bölgesinde “S” ve “L” allel dağılımının incelenmesidir. Çalışmamıza aktif olarak haftada en az 4 gün antrenman programı uygulayan 15-29 yaş arası 19 profesyonel futbolcu ve herhangi bir egzersiz programı uygulamayan (kontrol grubu) 45 birey katıldı. Gerekli etik kurul izinleri alındıktan sonra çalışma protokolunun sonuç ve çıktılarını anlatan onam formları katılımcılara imzalatıldı. Çalışmamıza katılan bireylerden daha sonra ağız içi epitel hücreleri alınarak DNA izolasyonu gerçekleştirildi. Tüm polimorfizmlerin genotiplemesi, polimeraz zincir reaksiyonu (PZR) metodu kullanılarak belirlendi. Çalışmamıza katılan futbolcularda SLC6A4 geninin LL, LS, SS genotiplerinin sayı ve yüzdeleri sırasıyla 11(%57,8), 4(%21,1), 4(%21,1) olarak belirlenmiştir. Çalışma kohortumuzda L alleli 26 (%68,4), S alleli ise 12 (%31,6) oranında gözlemlenmiştir. Çalışma grubumuzda SLC6A4 geninin promotör bölgesi incelendiğinde, LL genotipi baskın olarak bulunurken, L alleli de S alleline göre daha yüksek oranda bulunmuştur. Kontrol grubunda ise aynı genotip sayı ve yüzdeleri sırası ile 12 (%26,7), 24 (%53,3) ve 9 (%20) olarak belirlenmiştir. Kontrol grubundaki allelik dağılımı ise L alleli 48(%53,3), S alleli 42 (%46,7) olarak gözlenmiştir. Sporcu grubu ile kontrol grubu arasında genotip dağılımlarında (p=0,0001) bulunurken, allelik dağılımlarında (p=0,0425) bulunarak her iki grup arasında da istatiksel açıdan anlamlı farklılık saptanmıştır. Sonuç olarak çalışmamızda SLC6A4 promotör polimorfizmlerinin belirlenmesinin, sporcularda oluşan anksiyete ve bilişsel kaygı düzeyinin erken dönemde önlenmesine yardımcı olabileceği sonucuna varılmıştır.Serotonin, which is the most important biomarker affecting human psychology, can also negatively affect the athletic performance of the athlete. The aim of our study was to examine the distribution of “S” and “L” alleles in the promoter region of the SLC6A4 gene associated with anxiety in healthy professional football players. 19 professional football players between the ages of 15-29 who actively used a training program for at least 4 days a week and 45 individuals who did not use any exercise program (control group) participated in our study. After obtaining the necessary ethics committee permissions, consent forms describing the results and outcomes of the study protocol were signed by the participants. Afterwards, intraoral epithelial cells were taken from individuals who participated in our study, and DNA isolation was performed. Genotyping of all polymorphisms was determined using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method. The numbers and percentages of the LL, LS, SS genotypes of the SLC6A4 gene in the football players participating in our study were determined as 11 (57.8%), 4 (21.1%), and 4 (21.1%), respectively. In our study cohort, 26 (68.4%) L allele and 12 (31.6%) S allele were observed. When the promoter region of the SLC6A4 gene was examined in our study cohort, LL genotype was found to be dominant, while the L allele was found to be higher than the S allele. In the control group, the same genotype number and percentages were determined as 12 (26.7%), 24 (53.3%) and 9 (20%), respectively. In the control group, the allelic distribution was observed as 48 (53.3%) for the L allele and 42 (46.7%) for the S allele. While genotype distributions (p=0.0001) were found between the athlete group and the control group, statistically significant difference was found between both groups by their allelic distribution (p=0.0425). As a result, it was concluded in our study that the determination of SLC6A4 promoter polymorphisms may help prevent anxiety and cognitive anxiety in athletes in the early period