The use of olanzapine in Huntington disease accompanied by psychotic symptoms

Huntington's disease is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disease. The disease begins between the ages of 30-50, including motor symptoms, psychiatric symptoms and is characterized by progressive dementia. Common psychiatric disorders of Huntington’s disease include mood and anxiety disorders, behavior and personality changes. Psychosis is relatively rare. Here, a patient is present, who has Huntington’s disease, which is associated with psychotic symptoms. 61-year-old male patient who were followed for Huntington disease for 25 years was admitted for complaints of thinking of poisoning and refuse to eat something. Patient was started on olanzapine at dose of 5 mg/day. In follow up psychotic symptoms disappeared. Emerging psychotic symptoms in Huntington disease is created a need for antipsychotic treatment. Atypical antipsychotic agents should be preferred in the treatment and as in the case olanzapine may be used as a treatment option should be kept in mind to control both involuntary movements and psychotic symptoms in Huntington's disease with psychotic features. J Clin Exp Invest 2014; 5 (2): 326-32

Can NLR, PLR and LMR be used as prognostic indicators in patients with pulmonary embolism? Author’s reply on commentary

We appreciate the comments made by Dr Bedel and colleagues. NLR, PLR and LMR are affected by various diseases such as oncological, collagen tissue, inflammatory, or severe renal/liver diseases [1]. Because of this, we have listed some of the above-mentioned disorders in the tables. Hematological diseases, collagen tissue disease, inflammatory diseases, congenital heart disease, or severe renal/liver disease were therefore excluded from the study. However, the presence of malignancy did not affect our results in regression analysis. Platelets swell until 120 minutes in ethylene diamine tetra acetic (EDTA) and until 60 minutes in citrate [2]. Authors suggest that optimal measuring time should not exceed 120 minutes. The blood samples of the patients were taken within 1 hour after their emergency admission. All blood samples in our study were tested within 1 hour of collection [3]. We used EDTA for whole blood anticoagulation. The mean duration of symptoms prior to admission was 5.04 ± 6.9 days. The drugs such as corticosteroids affect inflammatory parameters. Therefore, we excluded inflammatory diseases without emphasizing corticosteroids or other anti-inflammatory drugs

Çalışanların iş tatmin düzeylerinin incelenmesi (Muğla Orman Bölge Müdürlüğü örneği)

Günümüz çalışma hayatında iş tatmininin artan önemi ve ormancılık sektöründeki çalışmaların yetersizliği, bu çalışmanın ortaya çıkışındaki başlıca nedenlerdir. Çalışmanın amacı, yöneticilerin tatmin düzeylerini belirlemek ve böylece gereken tedbirlerin alınabilmesi için öneriler sunmaktır. Çalışmada veri elde etmek için anket yönteminden yararlanılmıştır. Verilerin değerlendirilmesi için bağımsız iki örnek t-testi ve tek yönlü varyans analizi kullanılmıştır. Çalışanların, işin niteliği ve çalışma koşullarına, çalışma arkadaşlarına ve iletişim ve kurum imajına ilişkin tatmin düzeyleri yüksek çıkmıştır. Çalışanların en fazla tatminsizlik duydukları faktörün ücret olduğu ve yaş ilerledikçe ücrete bağlı tatminsizliğin arttığı bulunmuştur. Çalışanların iş tatmin düzeylerini arttırmak için daha iyi ücret politikaları uygulanmalı ve sosyal imkânlar iyileştirilmelidir. Anahtar Kelimeler: İş tatmini, Varyans analizi, Orman Bölge Müdürlüğü, Muğl

Real-world efficacy and safety of Ledipasvir plus Sofosbuvir and Ombitasvir/Paritaprevir/Ritonavir +/- Dasabuvir combination therapies for chronic hepatitis C: A Turkish experience

Background/Aims: This study aimed to evaluate the real-life efficacy and tolerability of direct-acting antiviral treatments for patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) with/without cirrhosis in the Turkish population.Material and Methods: A total of 4,352 patients with CHC from 36 different institutions in Turkey were enrolled. They received ledipasvir (LDV) and sofosbuvir (SOF)+/- ribavirin (RBV) ombitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir +/- dasabuvir (PrOD)+/- RBV for 12 or 24 weeks. Sustained virologic response (SVR) rates, factors affecting SVR, safety profile, and hepatocellular cancer (HCC) occurrence were analyzed.Results: SVR12 was achieved in 92.8% of the patients (4,040/4,352) according to intention-to-treat and in 98.3% of the patients (4,040/4,108) according to per-protocol analysis. The SVR12 rates were similar between the treatment regimens (97.2%-100%) and genotypes (95.6%-100%). Patients achieving SVR showed a significant decrease in the mean serum alanine transaminase (ALT) levels (50.90 +/- 54.60 U/L to 17.00 +/- 14.50 U/L) and model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) scores (7.51 +/- 4.54 to 7.32 +/- 3.40) (p<0.05). Of the patients, 2 were diagnosed with HCC during the treatment and 14 were diagnosed with HCC 37.0 +/- 16.0 weeks post-treatment. Higher initial MELD score (odds ratio [OR]: 1.92, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.22-2.38; p=0.023]), higher hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA levels (OR: 1.44, 95% CI: 1.31-2.28; p=0.038), and higher serum ALT levels (OR: 1.38, 95% CI: 1.21-1.83; p=0.042) were associated with poor SVR12. The most common adverse events were fatigue (12.6%), pruritis (7.3%), increased serum ALT (4.7%) and bilirubin (3.8%) levels, and anemia (3.1%).Conclusion: LDV/SOF or PrOD +/- RBV were effective and tolerable treatments for patients with CHC and with or without advanced liver disease before and after liver transplantation. Although HCV eradication improves the liver function, there is a risk of developing HCC.Turkish Association for the Study of The Liver (TASL

Prognostic role of NLR, PLR, and LMR in patients with pulmonary embolism

Pulmonary embolism (PE) is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. New biological markers are being investigated for estimating the prognosis of PE patients. Since PE is closely associated with inflammatory status, the neutrophil-lymphocyte (NLR), platelet-lymphocyte (PLR), and lymphocyte-monocyte (LMR) ratios were suggested to be useful in predicting patient outcomes. This study aimed to evaluate the prognostic role of NLR, PLR, and LMR in PE. A total of 103 PE cases from a cardiology department were included in the study. We retrospectively evaluated demographic and clinical characteristics, treatments, laboratory and imaging findings, and outcomes of patients. The median follow-up of PE patients was 39 months, and the 5-year overall survival probability was 73.8%. Out of 103 patients, 20 were classified as high risk PE cases (19.4%). Thrombolytic treatment was administered to 23 patients (22.3%). Systolic pulmonary arterial pressure was measured during one year, showing a significant decrease from 51.7 ± 15.7 mmHg at admission to 26.6 ± 4.0 mmHg at first year assessment. Age (OR: 1.06, p < 0.001) and NLR (OR: 1.52, p < 0.0019) were significantly associated with the disease status. The independent prognostic factors in moderate-low and low risk PE groups were NLR (HR: 1.17, p = 0.033) and LMR (HR: 1.58, p = 0.046). In moderate-high and high risk PE patients, the independent prognostic factors were age (HR: 1.07, p = 0.014) and PLR (HR: 1.01, p = 0.046). NLR, PLR, and LMR were associated with the prognosis of PE patients. The clinical severity of PE should be considered when utilizing these markers to assess patient outcomes

Is T. Vulgaris effective in preventing human breast adenocarcinoma cell metastasis?

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The genus Thymus, belonging to thefamily Lamiaceae, has multiple biological and pharmacologicalproperties, including antimicrobial, antiseptic, antiviral and antifungal activities. This study aimed to determine the cytotoxic effectand metastatic potential of methanol/water phase extract preparedfrom Thymus vulgaris (TV) in human breast adenocarcinoma cellline (BT-474) by combining it with the chemotherapeutic agentpaclitaxel (PAC).MATERIALS and METHODS: The IC25 and IC50 concentrationsof TV and PAC in BT-474 cells were determined by the modifiedMTT method we developed in our laboratory.Cell migration asan indicator of metastatic potential; with in vitro wound healingmethod, colony formation potential was evaluated with SpheroidModel. The evaluation of the data was made with SPSS program.Conformity of the variables to the normal distribution ANOVA wasused to compare the groups.RESULTS: In wound healing assays, TV50 dose was found to bestatistically significant in “cell migration rate” measurements compared with treatment groups.P&lt;0,05. When the spheroidal formation in the 10-day 3D agarose gel is taken into consideration, there isno significant statistical difference between the PAC 50 and TS50groups, while in the combined group; spheroid formations largerthan the reference value were statistically significantly lower. Asignificant reduction in spheroidal formation was observed in combined (TV25+PAC25) and TV50 doses compared to the controlgroup. P&lt;0.05CONCLUSION: These findings are due to the fact that TV therapyin breast adenocarcinoma cells; especially when combined withPAC, it reveals that it may be effective in preventing tumor cellsfrom becoming spheroidal and tumor cell migration.Keywords: metastasis, migration, invasion, thymus vulgaris</p

Ofis Çalışanlarında İşe Bağlı Rahatsızlıkların Analizi: Düzce Üniversitesi Örneği

Hazırlanan bu çalışma Düzce Üniversitesi (DÜ) merkez kampüsünde çalışan akademik ve idari personelin ofis çalışmalarında iş bağlı olark ortaya çıkan rahatsızlıklarının analiz edilmesini amaçlamaktadır. Araştırma evrenini DÜ merkez kampüsünde 2011-2012 eğitim öğretim yılı güz döneminde 9 farklı merkez ve 11 farklı fakültede çalışan 397 akademik ve idari personel oluşturmaktadır. Çalışma kapsamında veri elde etmek için anket formundan yararlanılmıştır. Çalışma kapsamında kullanılan anket formu literatürde yer alan çalışmalardan yararlanılarak araştırmacılar tarafından geliştirilmiştir. Çalışma kapsamında veri elde etme aracı olarak kullanılan anket formu 5 farklı bölümde 24 soru ve 92 yargıdan oluşturulmuştur. Çalışma kapsamında toplam 220 çalışandan geri dönüş alınabilmiş, ancak bazı anketlerin istatistiksel olarak değerlendirilmesinin uygun olmadığından 111 akademik, 84 idari personel olmak üzere 195 çalışandan elde edilen anketler istatistiki değerlendirmeye tabi tutulmuştur. Çalışma kapsamında katılımcıların yaklaşık %67’si günde 4-8 saat bilgisayar kullanmaktadırlar. Bilgisayar kullanımında her oturmada aralıksız olarak 1-2 saat (%77,4) bilgisayar kullanılırken, ortalama mola süresi irdelendiğinde de ortalama 10-15 dakika (%64,4) mola verdikleri belirlenmiştir. Çalışma kapsamında katılımcıların ofis ergonomisi konusunda herhangi bir eğitim almadıkları (%96,4) belirlenmiştir. Katılımcıların kullandıkları çalışma masalarının uygun olmamasından dolayı rahatsızlık yaşadıkları tes