Primary gastrointestinal aspergillosis: A case report and literature review

Invasive aspergillosis is a severe infection that generally involves the lungs. Primary gastrointestinal aspergillosis is the least common form of invasive aspergillosis. A patient aged 65 years developed a febrile neutropenic episode following an autologous stem cell transplant for plasmacytoid variant diffuse large B-cell gastric non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He had abdominal pain on the second day of the febrile neutropenic episode and ileus occurred on the sixth day. His general condition deteriorated despite broad spectrum antibiotics and caspofungin treatment, and intestinal perforation occurred on the nineteenth day of the febrile neutropenic episode. Pathological examination of the resected jejunum and ileum revealed mould hyphae compatible with aspergillus. The patient died due to massive gastrointestinal bleeding on the fifth post-operative day. Although a rare condition, primary gastrointestinal aspergillosis should be kept in mind while treating neutropenic patients with gastrointestinal symptoms

Serum SCUBE-1 levels and return of spontaneous circulation following cardiopulmonary resuscitation in adult patients

Background SCUBE 1-has been used as a biomarker for the diagnoses of myocardial infarction, stroke, mesenteric ischemia, and gastric cancer in some recent studies. In this study, we investigated the relationship between serum SCUBE-1 levels and return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) in patients who received cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Methods Patients over 18 years of age who were not pregnant and received CPR were divided into two groups: those who achieved ROSC and those who died. There were 25 patients in each group. SCUBE-1 and other routine biochemical parameters were studied in blood samples taken at the time of admission. Results There was no significant difference between the age and gender distribution of the patients between the two groups. The SCUBE-1 value of the ROSC group was significantly higher than that of the non-survivor group ( p ˂ 0.05). At a cut-off value of 9 ng/mL, SCUBE-1 had a sensitivity of 100%, a positive predictive value of 65.8%, specificity of 48%, and a negative predictive value of 100% in predicting ROSC. Conclusions The SCUBE-1 values were found to be significantly higher in the ROSC group compared with the non-survivor group

The 6th of february earthquake and the Turkish society of pediatric nephrology-organizational aspects of pediatric kidney care

The 6 February 2023 earthquake that struck southern and central Turkey and northern and western Syria had unique drawbacks, such as the occurrence of two strong, destructive earthquakes nine hours apart in multiple and densely populated geographical areas, exposure to unforgiving winter conditions, and increased anxiety and fear due to multiple aftershocks [1, 2]. As of 26 March 2023, >50 000 people have been killed and many more have been injured in Turkey [3]. One recent editorial and a letter emphasized the vital importance of increased awareness of disaster preparedness and rapid action on organizational issues [4, 5]. Nongovernmental organizations including academic medical societies should take responsibility during disasters [6] and work together with other stakeholders. Since an earthquake should be considered a “kidney disaster” because of crush injuries and resultant acute kidney injury [7], the Turkish Society of Pediatric Nephrology (TSPN) took primary responsibility during the immediate and early phases of earthquake

Cutaneous reactions after COVID-19 vaccination in Turkey: A multicenter study

Objectives In this study covering all of Turkey, we aimed to define cutaneous and systemic adverse reactions in our patient population after COVID-19 vaccination with the Sinovac/CoronaVac (inactivated SARS-CoV-2) and Pfizer/BioNTech (BNT162b2) vaccines. Methods This prospective, cross-sectional study included individuals presenting to the dermatology or emergency outpatient clinics of a total of 19 centers after having been vaccinated with the COVID-19 vaccines. Systemic, local injection site, and non-local cutaneous reactions after vaccination were identified, and their rates were determined. Results Of the 2290 individuals vaccinated between April 15 and July 15, 2021, 2097 (91.6%) received the CoronaVac vaccine and 183 (8%) BioNTech. Systemic reactions were observed at a rate of 31.0% after the first CoronaVac dose, 31.1% after the second CoronaVac dose, 46.4% after the first BioNTech dose, and 46.2% after the second BioNTech dose. Local injection site reactions were detected at a rate of 35.6% after the first CoronaVac dose, 35.7% after the second CoronaVac dose, 86.9% after the first BioNTech dose, and 94.1% after the second BioNTech dose. A total of 133 non-local cutaneous reactions were identified after the CoronaVac vaccine (2.9% after the first dose and 3.5% after the second dose), with the most common being urticaria/angioedema, pityriasis rosea, herpes zoster, and maculopapular rash. After BioNTech, 39 non-local cutaneous reactions were observed to have developed (24.8% after the first dose and 5% after the second dose), and the most common were herpes zoster, delayed large local reaction, pityriasis rosea, and urticaria/angioedema in order of frequency. Existing autoimmune diseases were triggered in 2.1% of the patients vaccinated with CoronaVac and 8.2% of those vaccinated with BioNTech. Conclusions There are no comprehensive data on cutaneous adverse reactions specific to the CoronaVac vaccine. We determined the frequency of adverse reactions from the dermatologist's point of view after CoronaVac and BioNTech vaccination and identified a wide spectrum of non-local cutaneous reactions. Our data show that CoronaVac is associated with less harmful reactions while BioNTech may result in more serious reactions, such as herpes zoster, anaphylaxis, and triggering of autoimmunity. However, most of these reactions were self-limiting or required little therapeutic intervention

Heterotopic Ossification in the Paraplegic Patients

Heterotopic ossification is a process characterized by the formation of genuine new bone in soft tissues especially between muscle and joint capsule and frequently encountered after spinal cord and traumatic brain injury. A 35-year-old woman who had developed severe pain and decrease in range of motion in her bilateral hip after 11 months following a spinal cord injury referred to our department for bone scintigraphy is presented

Total bilirubin and fasting plasma glucose levels are associated with coronary collateral development in elderly patients

Background and objective: We aimed to investigate biochemical factors affecting coronary collateral circulation development in an elderly population aged 75 years and over. Material and methods: The study group consisted of patients with a prior coronary angiography for stable coronary artery disease (CAD). Patients with total occlusion of at least one vessel were included in the study. Enrolled patients were divided into two groups, good collateral (GC; n = 73) and bad collateral (BC; n = 55), in accordance with the Cohen-Rentop’s classification system. Results: In comparison to the GC group, bilirubin levels were significantly lower (p < 0.001), and fasting plasma glucose (FPG) levels were significantly higher in the BC group (p = 0.026). Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels were significantly lower in the BC group when compared to the GC group (p = 0.002 and p < 0.001, respectively). Backward elimination stepwise logistic regression analysis identified bilirubin and FPG as variables that strongly predicted the presence of a well-developed coronary collateral circulation and a poorly developed coronary collateral circulation, respectively. Conclusion: Bilirubin and FPG were seemed as the most important factors affecting coronary collateral circulation development in patients with stable CAD who were older than 75 years

Development, characterization, and in vivo assessment of mucoadhesive nanoparticles containing fluconazole for the local treatment of oral candidiasis

This study aimed to develop a suitable buccal mucoadhesive nanoparticle (NP) formulation containing fluconazole for the local treatment of oral candidiasis. The suitability of the prepared formulations was assessed by means of particle size (PS), polydispersity index, and zeta potential measurements, morphology analysis, mucoadhesion studies, drug entrapment efficiency (EE), in vitro drug release, and stability studies. Based on the optimum NP formulation, ex vivo drug diffusion and in vitro cytotoxicity studies were performed. Besides, evaluation of the antifungal effect of the optimum formulation was evaluated using agar diffusion method, fungicidal activity-related in vitro release study, and time-dependent fungicidal activity. The effect of the optimum NP formulation on the healing of oral candidiasis was investigated in an animal model, which was employed for the first time in this study. The zeta potential, mucoadhesion, and in vitro drug release studies of various NP formulations revealed that chitosan-coated NP formulation containing EUDRAGIT(®) RS 2.5% had superior properties than other formulations. Concerning the stability study of the selected formulation, the formulation was found to be stable for 6 months. During the ex vivo drug diffusion study, no drug was found in receptor phase, and this is an indication of local effect. The in vitro antifungal activity studies showed the in vitro efficacy of the NP against Candida albicans for an extended period. Also, the formulation had no cytotoxic effect at the tested concentration. For the in vivo experiments, infected rabbits were successfully treated with local administration of the optimum NP formulation once a day. This study has shown that the mucoadhesive NP formulation containing fluconazole is a promising candidate with once-a-day application for the local treatment of oral candidiasis

Konya il merkezinde yaşayan evli nüfusta cinsel sorunların araştırılması

Konya l Merkezinde yaşayan evli nüfusta cinsel disfonksiyonların yaygınlığı vesosyodemografik ve cinsel yaşamla ilgili değişkenlerle ilişkisinin araştırılması planlandı.Yöntem: Araştırma Konya li Merkezindeki tüm yerleşim birimlerinde yaşayan 18-60 yaşgrubundaki erkek ve kadınlar üzerinde yapıldı. Tanı aracı olarak Golombok-Rust CinselDoyum Ölçeği kullanıldı.Bulgular: Çalışmaya alınan 475 erkeğin yaş ortalaması 38.5±9.5, 470 kadının yaş ortalaması34.2±9.8 di. Erkek deneklerde ED nokta yaygınlığı %14.5, PE nokta yaygınlığı %29.3, kadındeneklerde Vaginismus nokta yaygınlığı %15.3, anorgazmi nokta yaygınlığı %5.3 olaraksaptandı.Kadın Deneklerde deneklerin yaşları ve evlilik süresi ile cinsel ilişki sıklığı, cinseldoyum, cinsel kaçınmalar, bedensel temas, vaginismus, anorgazmi arasında ilişki bulundu.Çocuk sayısı ile cinsel doyum, cinsel kaçınma, bedensel temas ve vaginismus arasında ilişkibulundu. Erkek deneklerde ise cinsel ilişki sıklığı, cinsel doyum, PE ve ED arasında ilişkibulunurken, çocuk sayısı ile cinsel ilişki sıklığı, cinsel iletişim, PE ve ED arasında ilişkibulundu.Cinsel bilgi kaynakları açısından bakıldığında, kadın deneklerin cinsel bilgi kaynaklarıile GRCDÖ alt ölçekleri arası ilişki bulunamadı.Erkek deneklerde cinsel bilgi kaynakları,cinsel doyum ve cinsel kaçınma düzeylerini etkiliyordu.Kadın deneklerde eğitim seviyelerinin cinsel kaçınma, bedensel temas, vaginismusve anorgazmi üzerinde anlamlı etkisi vardı. Erkek deneklerde eğitim seviyelerinin cinselilişki sıklığı ve PE üzerinde anlamlı etkisi vardı.Tartışma: Ülkemizde hem erkek hem de kadın cinsel sorunlarını araştıran saha çalışmasıbulunmamaktadır. Cinsel sorunlar üzerine Araştırmamız Konya l Merkezinde yapıldığı içinülkemiz için genellenemez. Cinsel sorunların yaygınlığı ve ilişkili etmenlerin saptanmasıiçin yeni araştırmalar gereksinim vardır.This study was planned to investigate prevalence of sexual dysfunction inmarried couples living in the center of Konya province and its association withsociodemografic and sexual lifeMATER AL AND METHOD: This study was conducted on men and women at the agebetween 18-60,living all in center of Konya. As a diagnostic The Golombok-Rust Inventoryof Sexual Satisfaction was used.RESULTS: Mean age level was 38.5+-9.5 in 475 men, and 34.2 +- 9.8 in 470 women. EDcurrent prevalence was 14.5%, and PE current prevalence was 29.3 %in male subjects;whereas in female subjects, vaginismus current prevalence was found to be 15.3 %, andanorgasmia current prevalence was determined as 5.3 %.In female subjects , a correlation was determined between their ages and marriageduration, and intercourse frequency, sexual satisfaction, sexual avoidance, bodily contact,vaginismus and anorgasmia. There was an interaction between the number of children, andsexual satisfaction, sexual avoidance, bodily contact and vaginismus. However, while therewas an interaction between intercourse frequency, sexual satisfaction, and PE and ED in malesubjects, a correlation was found to be between the number of children and intercoursefrequency, sexual communication, PE and ED.Given in terms of sexual information sources, there was no correlation between sexualinformation sources of female subjects and GRISS subscales. In male subjects, sexualinformation sources influenced sexual satisfaction and sexual avoidance levels.In female subjects, education level had a significant effect on sexual avoidance, bodilycontact, vaginismus, and anorgasmia. In male subjects, education level had a significant effecton intercourse frequency and PE.Discussion: Cosmos of the study is confined to the center of Konya, that?s why our resultsCannot be generalized to the whole country. Further researches are nede to determine theprevalence of sexual problems and other related effects