What are the mortality markers in elderly patients with acute pulmonary embolism?

OBJECTIVE: This study investigates characteristics and predictors of mortality among elderly patients with acute pulmonary embolism (APE). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Data on patients with the diagnosis of APE at the first admission to two centers between January 2012 and March 2022 were screened retrospectively. Patients aged 65 years and older were categorized as the elderly group while patients between 18 and 64 years of age constituted the non-elderly group. RESULTS: Among the 361 enrolled patients, the average age in the non-elderly group was 51.0 (18.0-64.0) years and the average age in the elderly group was 76 (65.0-92) years. While male patients were the majority in the non-elderly group, there was a higher proportion of female patients in the elderly group (p=0.001). In multivariate regression analysis, the independent risk factors of mortality among elderly patients were oxygen saturation [odds ratio (OR): 1.163, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.613-9.476; p=0.044], C-reactive protein (CRP) (OR: 1.133, 95% CI: 1.041-1.234; p=0.004), simplified Pulmonary Embolism Severity Index (sPESI) score (OR: 3.910, 95% CI: 1.613-9.476; p=0.003), absence of deep vein thrombosis (OR: 12.88, 95% CI: 1.321-125.739; p=0.028), and leukocyte count (OR: 2.591, 95% CI: 1.015-6.617; p=0.047). In ROC analysis, the cut-off values for mortality prediction were ≥7.7 mg/dL for CRP, >0.125 ng/mL for troponin, and ≥2 for the sPESI score. CONCLUSIONS: If CRP of ≥7.7, troponin of >0.125, and sPESI score of ≥2 are present in elderly patients with APE, extra attention should be paid to the risk of mortality and the utmost care should be taken in planning the monitoring of these patients

Sustainable Forestry in Turkey

Sustainable forestry is considered as one of the most important focal points for sustainable development, as it is part of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development held in Rio in 1992 which followed the completion of "Our Common Future." To this end, many studies have been carried out on implementing of sustainable forestry at the global level.Geographically, Turkey can be seen as part of Pan-European and Near East sustainable forestry initiatives. Forest organizations have carried out many studies to implement the decisions made with these initiatives in line with their own needs in forest management. While conducting studies in the framework of the National Forestry Program prepared within this context, people have been confronted with various problems due to insufficient infrastructure and implementation difficulties. This article provides information on sustainable forestry leading to observations and suggestions relevant for Turkey. © 2013 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC

Первая находка морской звезды Asterias rubens Linnaeus, 1758 у Анатолийского побережья Чёрного моря (город Синоп)

Атлантическая морская звезда Asterias rubens впервые обнаружена у Анатолийского побережья Чёрного моря (город Синоп). В 1996 г. этот вид-вселенец был найден в проливе Босфор (Мраморное море). В 2009 г. морская звезда зарегистрирована у берегов Карасу и Сакарья в западной части Чёрного моря. Особь A. rubens (диаметр — 8 см; сырой вес — 12,97 г) поймана 12 февраля 2022 г. донным тралом на песчано-илистом дне на глубине 85,5 м у Анатолийского побережья Чёрного моря. Это свидетельствует о дальнейшем расширении ареала морской звезды в море

Left Ventricular Structure and Function by Echocardiography in Childhood Swimmers

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Effects of umbilical cord blood stem cells on healing factors for diabetic foot injuries.

The use of stem or progenitor cells from bone marrow, or peripheral or umbilical cord blood is becoming more common for treatment of diabetic foot problems. These cells promote neovascularization by angiogenic factors and they promote epithelium formation by stimulating cell replication and migration under certain pathological conditions. We investigated the role of CD34 + stem cells from human umbilical cord blood in wound healing using a rat model. Rats were randomly divided into a control group and two groups with diabetes induced by a single dose of 55 mg/kg intraperitoneal streptozocin. Scarred areas 5 mm in diameter were created on the feet of all rats. The diabetic rats constituted the diabetes control group and a diabetes + stem cell group with local injection into the wound site of 0.5 × 106 CD34 + stem cells from human umbilical cord blood. The newly formed skin in the foot wounds following CD34 + stem cell treatment showed significantly improvement by immunohistochemistry and TUNEL staining, and were closer to the wound healing of the control group than the untreated diabetic animals. The increase in FGF expression that accompanied the local injection of CD34 + stem cells indicates that FGF stimulation helped prevent apoptosis. Our findings suggest a promising new treatment approach to diabetic wound healing

Clinical features of heart failure with mid-range and preserved ejection fraction in octogenarians: Results of a multicentre, observational study

Objectives: To compare real-world characteristics and management of individuals aged 80 and older with heart failure (HF) and mid-range ejection fraction (HFmrEF) and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) derived from a large cohort of survey and to compare them with those younger than 80 from the same survey. Methods: This is an observational, multicentre and cross-sectional study conducted in Turkey (NCT03026114). Consecutive 1065 (mean age of 67.1 ± 10.6 years) patients admitted to the cardiology outpatient units with HFmrEF and HFpEF were included. Results: Participants aged 80 and older (n = 123, 11.5%) were more likely to be female (66.7% vs 52.5%, P = 0.003), had a higher prevalence of atrial fibrillation (49.6% vs 34%, P = 0.001), and anaemia (46.3% vs 33.4%, P = 0.005) than those who were younger than 80. N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide levels were higher in those aged 80 and older than in those younger than 80 (1037 vs 550 pg/ml, P  0.05) in both groups. Octogenarians did not significantly differ from younger patients in the prevalence of HFmrEF (24.4% vs 22.9%) and HFpEF (75.6% vs 77.1%). Coronary artery disease was associated with HFmrEF (P < 0.05), whereas atrial fibrillation was associated with HFpEF (P < 0.05) in octogenarians. Conclusions: This study revealed that nearly 12% of the individuals with HFmrEF and HFpEF in this real-world sample were aged 80 and older. Participants aged 80 and older are more likely to be female and have more comorbidities than those who were younger than 80. However, HF medication profiles were similar in both groups. This study also showed that associated factors with HFmrEF and HFpEF were differ in octogenarians. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons Lt

Gender disparities in heart failure with mid-range and preserved ejection fraction: Results from APOLLON study

Objective: This study aimed to examine gender-based differences in epidemiology, clinical characteristics, and management of consecutive patients with heart failure with mid-range ejection fraction (HFmrEF) and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). Methods: The APOLLON trial (A comPrehensive, ObservationaL registry of heart faiLure with mid-range and preserved ejection fractiON) is a multicenter, cross-sectional, and observational study. Consecutive patients with HFmrEF or HFpEF who were admitted to the cardiology clinics were included (NCT03026114). Herein, we performed a post-hoc analysis of data from the APOLLON trial. Results: The study population included 1065 (mean age of 67.1±10.6 years, 54% women) patients from 11 sites in Turkey. Compared with men, women were older (68 years vs. 67 years, p&lt;0.001), had higher body mass index (29 kg/m2 vs. 27 kg/m2, p&lt;0.001), and had higher heart rate (80 bpm vs. 77.5 bpm, p&lt;0.001). Women were more likely to have HFpEF (82% vs. 70.9%, p&lt;0.001), and they differ from men having a higher prevalence of hypertension (78.7% vs. 73.2%, p=0.035) and atrial fibrillation (40.7% vs. 29.9%, p&lt;0.001) but lower prevalence of coronary artery disease (29.5% vs. 54.9%, p&lt;0.001). Women had higher N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (691 pg/mL vs. 541 pg/mL, p=0.004), lower hemoglobin (12.7 g/dL vs. 13.8 g/dL, p&lt;0.001), and serum ferritin (51 ng/mL vs. 64 ng/mL, p=0.001) levels, and they had worse diastolic function (E/e’=10 vs. 9, p&lt;0.001). The main cause of heart failure (HF) in women was atrial fibrillation, while it was ischemic heart disease in men. Conclusion: Clinical characteristics, laboratory findings, and etiological factors are significantly different in female and male patients with HFmrEF and HFpEF. This study offers a broad perspective for increased awareness about this patient profile in Turkey. (Anatol J Cardiol 2019; 21: 242-52). © Copyright 2019 by Turkish Society of Cardiology