Real-Time Superficial Vein Imaging System for Observing Abnormalities on Vascular Structures

Circulatory system abnormalities might be an indicator of diseases or tissue damage. Early detection of vascular abnormalities might have an important role during treatment and also raise the patient's awarenes. Current detection methods for vascular imaging are high-cost, invasive, and mostly radiation-based. In this study, a low-cost and portable microcomputer-based tool has been developed as a near-infrared (NIR) superficial vascular imaging device. The device uses NIR light-emitting diode (LED) light at 850 nm along with other electronic and optical components. It operates as a non-contact and safe infrared (IR) imaging method in real-time. Image and video analysis are carried out using OpenCV (Open-Source Computer Vision), a library of programming functions mainly used in computer vision. Various tests were carried out to optimize the imaging system and set up a suitable external environment. To test the performance of the device, the images taken from three diabetic volunteers, who are expected to have abnormalities in the vascular structure due to the possibility of deformation caused by high glucose levels in the blood, were compared with the images taken from two non-diabetic volunteers. As a result, tortuosity was observed successfully in the superficial vascular structures, where the results need to be interpreted by the medical experts in the field to understand the underlying reasons. Although this study is an engineering study and does not have an intention to diagnose any diseases, the developed system here might assist healthcare personnel in early diagnosis and treatment follow-up for vascular structures and may enable further opportunities

Helicobacter pylori Seropositivity and Stool Antigen in Patients With Hyperemesis Gravidarum

The objective of this paper is to investigate whether Helicobacter pylori is an etiologic factor in hyperemesis gravidarum. Thirty one patients with hyperemesis gravidarum and twenty nine pregnant controls without hyperemesis gravidarum were included in this prospective study. All pregnant women were examined both for Helicobacter pylori serum immunoglobulin G antibodies (HpIgG Ab), showing chronic infection, and Helicobacter pylori stool antigens (HpSA), showing active gastrointestinal colonization. Chi-square and Student t tests were used accordingly for statistical analysis. Helicobacter pylori seropositivity was 67.7% in the patients with hyperemesis gravidarum and 79.3% in the control group (χ(2) = 1.02, P = .31). HpSA was detected in 22.6% of patients with hyperemesis gravidarum, whereas 6.9% of patients in the control group. The difference was not statistically significant (χ(2) = 2.89, P = .08). In this study, no relation was found between Helicobacter pylori and hyperemesis gravidarum. The low social status of women in both groups could be one of the reasons for the high prevalence of Hp infection

A Sytematic Review of Studies on Blended Learning in EFL Environment

Blended learning has played an important role both in English as a Second Language (ESL) and English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learning field around the world for years. However, no systematic review of literature has been conducted on blended learning in EFL environment. Thus the aim of this study is to review blended learning studies conducted in EFL context to draw a general picture of blended learning studies in EFL environment, to evaluate the current literature as well as to guide future research studies. A systematic review of 10 research articles published between January 2010 and March 2015 and investigated blended learning and EFL were analyzed. To understand the common themes, main results and implications/suggestions parts of the articles were analyzed using the content analysis. Three common themes generated are benefits of blended Learning in EFL environment, problems/challenges encountered in blended learning environment, and implications and suggestions for blended learning in EFL environment. Keywords: Blended learning, literature review, English as a Foreign Languag

Evaluation of candida colonization and use of the candida colonization index in a paediatric intensive care unit: A prospective observational study

© 2019, EDIMES Edizioni Medico Scientifiche. All rights reserved.Invasive candidiasis is an important cause of morbidity and mortality, which primarily occurs in intensive care units. The Candida colonization index is an accepted score as an early warning tool for invasive candidiasis. This study was performed in a medical PICU with patients prone to contracting invasive candidiasis, to determine the usefulness of the Candida colonization index in forecasting invasive candidiasis in children. This prospective study including 87 patients (children 1 month to 16 years old with several illnesses and requiring ICU care) was conducted in a 22-bed medical PICU, Health Science University of Kayseri Training and Research Hospital, between January 2015 and September 2016. Those patients not on antifungal therapy, who were expected to stay more than seven days in PICU and had no history of a PICU stay within the previous two months were included in the study. In all patients, rectal, cervical, throat, axillary, perineal and nasal swab cultures, urine culture and blood culture tests were performed at admission and every week throughout their stay. Overall, 2639 swab and urine cultures (mean: 30.3) and 325 blood cultures (mean: 3.73) were obtained from 87 patients and a total of 576 grew Candida spp. In patients’ swab and urine cultures C. albicans was detected in 64.5%, C. parapsilosis in 12.1%, C. glabrata in 7.5%, Saccharomyces spp in 3.0 %, C. tropicalis in 2.4%, C. krusei in 2.1% and C. kefyr in 1.2%. Three patients had C. albicans and one had C. parapsilosis growth in blood culture. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value for CI were found to be 33.73%, 100%, 6.7%, and 100%, respectively. Patients are at risk of fungal infection in paediatric intensive care units. Specificity and the negative predictive value of 100 % indicate that CI is a useful score to rule out the presence of invasive fungal disease. On the other hand, the low rate of sensitivity (33.3%) and positive predictive value (6,7%) make this score less reliable in forecasting invasive candidiasis in children

The outcome of penetrating keratoplasty for corneal scarring due to herpes simplex keratitis

ABSTRACT Purpose: To determine the outcomes of penetrating keratoplasty (PK) for treatment of corneal scarring caused by Herpes simplex virus (HSV) keratitis, and whether the corneal scar type affects treatment outcome. Methods: A retrospective analysis of patients who underwent PK for HSV-related corneal scarring between January 2008 and July 2011 was performed. The patients were categorized into two groups. Group 1 consisted of patients with a quiescent herpetic corneal scar and group 2 consisted of patients who developed a corneal descemetocele or perforation secondary to persistent epithelial defects with no active stromal inflammation. The mean follow-up was 21.30 ± 14.59 months. The main parameters evaluated were recurrence of herpetic keratitis, graft rejection, graft failure, visual acuity, and graft survival rate. Results: There were 42 patients in group 1 and 13 in group 2. Preoperative BCVA varied from hand movements to 0.7 logMAR. Postoperatively, 34 patients (61.8%) achieved visual acuity of 0.6 logMAR or more. Recurrence of HSV keratitis was noted in 12 (28.57%) eyes in group 1 and 4 (30.76%) eyes in group 2 (p=0.40). Graft rejection occurred in 4 eyes (9.52%) in group 1 and in 3 (23.07%) eyes in group 2 (p=0.58). The 1-, 2-, and 3-year graft survival rates were 91.9%, 76.0%, and 65.1% in group 1, and 89.5%, 76.0%, and 63.6% in group 2 (p=0.91), respectively. Conclusions: Although there were different recurrence and graft rejection rates for two groups, the graft survival rates at 3 years were similar. According to our results, without inflammation, corneal herpetic scarring with a descemetocele or perforation achieved similar graft survival rates with quiescent herpetic corneal scars

Antibiotic Resistance Pattern in Significant Bacteriuria: What Is the Current Situation in the Pediatric Nephrology Department?

Objective: In order to contribute the empirical treatment of urinary tract infections in children, the antibiotic resistance patterns of uropathogens isolated in one center over a year, and clinical risk factors were evaluated in this study

Pituitary apoplexy - Associated with remission of acromegaly

Pituitary apoplexy is defined as an acute, life-threatening infarction of the pituitary gland. We report a case who presented with diabetic ketoasidosis. After resolution of the acute event, diplopia and partial loss of vision led to diagnosis of a huge sellar mass. His physical examination caused us to suspect acromegaly. Transsphenoidal operation was performed. Histopathologic examination of operation material was compatible only with necrosis. Two months after the acute event, his glucose concentrations were in normal ranges without antidiabetic treatment. Insulinlike growth factor-1 was normal, and after oral glucose load, growth hormone levels were suppressed. Hypogonado tropic hypogonadism persisted after the operation with no evidence of any other pituitary hormone deficiencies. Therefore we think that our patient is another example of infarctive apoplexy of a pituitary tumor leading to remission without affecting the pituitary function to a grea