Serum copper and zinc concentrations of patients with rheumatoid arthritis from Kayseri-Turkey

Serum copper and zinc levels of 10 male and 33 female patients, aged 26 to 65 years, with rheumatoid arthritis from Kayseri-Turkey were determined by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). The mean levels of copper and zinc in rheumatoid arthritis were found to be 1.03 +/- 0.37 mg/l and 1.19 +/- 0.41 mg/l, respectively. The levels of copper and zinc in the control samples were found to be 1.23 +/- 0.16 mg/l and 1.66 +/- 0.33 mg/l, respectively. The zinc and copper levels in the serum of control group were significantly higher than patients with rheumatoid arthritis. A positive correlation was found between copper and zinc levels of rheumatoid arthritis

Neuropathic Pain and its Relationship With Fibromyalgia, Vitamin D Status and Medication Use in Patients With Ankylosing Spondylitis

Objective. To determine the frequency of neuropathic pain (NeP) and potentially related new factors including fibromyalgia, vitamin D and medication use in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients. Methods. In total, 102 patients with AS were prospectively enrolled in this study and evaluated for pain severity (visual analog scale, VAS), disease activity (the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index, BASDAI), fibromyalgia and current medication use. The presence of NeP was also assessed using the painDETECT questionnaire. Blood samples were taken from all patients to analyze serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D and inflammatory marker levels. Results. NeP component 32 (21 [20.6%]; clearly NeP and 11 [10.8%]; mixed NeP) was present in patients with AS. Compared to those without NeP, they had significantly higher VAS and BASDAI scores (p=0.022 and 0.003, respectively). In addition, there was a highly significant difference of frequency of fibromyalgia between patients with and without NeP (50.0% vs. 5.7%, p<0.001). Vitamin D status and medication use were comparable for patients with and without NeP. Logistic regression analysis revealed that only fibromyalgia was a significant predictor of NeP. Conclusion. This study confirmed that about one-third of AS patients have the NeP component. In addition, NeP was found to be associated with the frequency of fibromyalgia. However, no relation was found between NeP and vitamin D status and medication use in AS

A comparative study of the effects of electrical stimulation and laser treatment on experimental wound healing in rats

We investigated the effects of electrical stimulation (ES) and laser treatment on wound healing in rats. A randomized-controlled trial, conducted at the Experimental and Clinical Research Centre of Erciyes University (Kayseri, Turkey), divided 124 healthy female Swiss-Albino rats into four groups. A 6 cm linear incision was made at the dorsal skin of all rats. Group I was given a constant direct current of 300 muA for 30 min per day. The current was applied in negative polarity for the first 3 days and in positive polarity for the next 7 days. Group 3 received a full-contact, continuous gallium-arsenide (GaAs) laser therapy, with a wavelength of 904 nm, an energy density of 1 J/cm(2), and an average power of 6 mW for 10 min per day. The remaining two groups (Groups 2 and 4) were considered the control groups and received sham treatment. All groups were treated for 10 days. Histopathologic and biochemical evaluations were conducted on 10 rats from each group on the 4th and 10th days, and wound breaking strength was measured for biomechanical evaluation on the 25th day of the study. Both ES and laser treatment proved significantly effective in the inflammatory phase compared with control groups (p 0.05). Although ES and laser treatment both were effective in the maturation phase, increasing wound breaking strength compared with their control groups (p 0.05). We conclude that ES and laser treatment both have beneficial effects during the inflammatory, proliferation, and maturation phases of a wound. Both ES and laser treatment can be used successfully in decubitis ulcers and chronic wounds, in combination with conventional therapies such as daily care and debridement of wounds; however, ES has more beneficial effects during the inflammatory phase in some parameters than laser treatment