Volume status and arterial blood pressures are associated with arterial stiffness in hemodialysis patients.

Background: Arterial stiffness is a strong predictor of mortality in hemodialysis patients. In this study, we aimed to investigate possible relations of arterial stiffness with volume status determined by bioimpedance analysis and aortic blood pressure parameters. Also, effects of a single hemodialysis session on these parameters were studied.

Evaluation of malnutrition with blood ghrelin and fecal elastase levels in acute decompensated heart failure patients.

Objectives: Exocrine pancreatic dysfunction may contribute to malnutrition and lack of appetite in the advanced stages of heart failure. Nutritional assessment was carried out on patients diagnosed with mild or moderate/severe heart failure. Fecal elastase levels are an indicator of pancreatic exocrine function and ghrelin is an appetite hormone which is also investigated for its contribution to malnutrition.

Evaluation of serum sCD40L and homocysteine levels with subclinical atherosclerosis indicators in patients with psoriasis: a pilot study.

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory process associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular risk factors. sCD40L has been suggested to have a possible role in the pathogenesis, of psoriasis and is known to be associated with inflammation, atherogenesis and cardiovascular events. This study investigated cardiovascular risk factors (sCD40L and homocysteine) as well as subclinical atherosclerosis indicators in psoriatic patients and control subjects.

Endothelial constitutive nitric oxide synthase, angiotensin converting enzyme, angiotensin II type 1 receptor gene polymorphisms and endothelial functions in healthy individuals.

Introduction: Endothelial dysfunction is recognized as an early and initiating event in the pathogenesis of coronary artery disease. Gene polymorphisms of endothelial constitutive nitric oxide synthase (ecNOS), angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) and angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1R) have been found to be associated with atherosclerosis.  We aimed to investigate the possible effects of ecNOS, ACE and AT1R gene polymorphisms on endothelial functions in healthy population.

Diagnostic and prognostic significance of survivin levels in malignant pleural effusion.

Unlabelled: We aimed to evaluate the diagnostic and prognostic value of measuring survivin levels, which is an inhibitor of apoptosis in pleural effusions.

Methods: Group I, malignant (MPE) (n = 51); Group II, tuberculosis (TPE) (n = 18); Group III transudative (TE) (n = 9) effusions were enrolled prospectively. We used ELISA to analyze 78 effusions.

Isotretinoin treatment induces oxidative toxicity in blood of patients with acne vulgaris: a clinical pilot study.

Acne vulgaris is the one of the most common skin diseases. Although isotretinoin (13-cis-retinoic acid) is an effective and well-tolerated medication, it has a wide range of side effects. Because the effects of isotretinoin on oxidant and antioxidant systems have not yet been clarified, we investigated plasma and erythrocyte antioxidant vitamins, lipid peroxidation (LP), reduced glutathione (GSH) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) values in patients with acne vulgaris before and after isotretinoin treatment.

Relationship between HLA molecules and late restenosis after coronary stent placement.

Objective: The objective of this study is to confirm whether there is relation between the human leucocyte antigen (HLA) locus and restenosis after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) holds in our patient population and whether it can be useful as a prognostic factor.

Methods: We examined the HLA phenotypes in 46 consecutive patients (39 men, 7 women, mean age of 57 ± 9 years) who had successful stent implantation in the coronary artery. Selective coronary arteriography was performed 6 months after coronary stenting to assess the presence of restenosis.

Protective effects of β-glucan against oxidative injury induced by 2.45-GHz electromagnetic radiation in the skin tissue of rats.

In recent times, there is widespread use of 2.45-GHz irradiation-emitting devices in industrial, medical, military and domestic application. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of 2.

Erythema annulare centrifugum-like mycosis fungoides.

A considerable number of recent reports have documented mycosis fungoides resembling many other dermatoses. Due to highly variable presentations and the sometimes non-specific nature of histological findings, an accurate diagnosis of mycosis fungoides can be difficult. Erythema annulare centrifugum-like mycosis fungoides with a variety of annular, polycyclic erythematous skin lesions is a recently recognized atypical manifestation of mycosis fungoides, and only a few cases have been reported to date.

Hypervolemia rather than arterial calcification and extracoronary atherosclerosis is the main determinant of pulse pressure in hemodialysis patients.

Introduction: Pulse pressure (PP) has been reported as an independent predictor of cardiovascular mortality in hemodialysis patients. In this study, we aimed to investigate association of PP with echocardiographic and vascular structural changes such as atherosclerosis and arterial calcifications in HD patients.

Patients And Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 108 chronic hemodialysis patients (49 male, 59 female, mean age: 46 ± 13 years) were included.

Bilateral tibialis anterior muscle herniation simulating a soft tissue tumour in a young amateur football player.

Muscle herniation is a focal protrusion of muscle tissue through a defect in the deep fascial layer. Anterior tibial muscle is the most commonly affected muscle of the lower extremities because its fascia is the most vulnerable to trauma. Clinically it is characterized by asymptomatic or painful, skin-coloured, soft, subcutaneous nodules of various size depending on the position.

A case of erythromelalgia: good response to treatment with gabapentin.

Erythromelalgia is a rare chronic disorder characterized by intense burning pain, redness, swelling and increased skin temperature. It occurs primarily in the feet, but may also involve the hands, face and ears. Warming of the extremity or placing and maintaining the extremity in a dependent position can exacerbate symptoms.

Drugs with blocking effects on the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system do not improve endothelial dysfunction long-term in hypertensive patients.

In essential hypertension, endothelial dysfunction has been documented many times and correlates with prognosis. The influence of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) on endothelial dysfunction has also been studied. The present study investigated the duration of the effects of RAAS-blocking drugs on endothelial function in 44 consecutive, never-treated, outpatients with mild to moderate hypertension.

High sensitivity C-reactive protein in spontaneous bacterial peritonitis with nonneutrocytic ascites.

Background/aims: Diagnosis of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis in cirrhotic ascites is based on a polymorphonuclear leukocyte count of ascitic fluid equal or greater than 250/mm3 in the presence of clinical signs. There is a small number of patients with positive ascitic fluid culture whose polymorphonuclear leukocyte count is less than 250/mm3. In this study, we assessed the diagnostic value of serum high sensitivity C-reactive protein in spontaneous bacterial peritonitis with nonneutrocytic ascites.

Is there any relationship between serum and urine neopterin and serum interferon-gamma levels in the activity of Behcet's disease?

Background: Behcet's disease (BD) is a chronic, inflammatory, multisystem vasculitic disorder. There is no reliable laboratory marker that indicates disease activity. Neopterin is an immunological marker of cellular immune activation, which is secreted by monocytes/macrophages as a result of interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) secretion by activated T lymphocytes.

Left ventricular thickness is increased in nonhypertensive Turner's syndrome.

Background: Turner's syndrome (TS), the most frequent congenital anomaly in newborn girls, is associated with various cardiovascular abnormalities, predominantly bicuspid aortic valves and aortic coarctation. The causes of the left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and ECG findings associated with TS are unknown. We used echocardiography to assess cardiac structure and function in normotensive patients with TS.

Traumatic lingual ulcer in a child: Riga-Fede disease.

Riga-Fede disease RFD is an extremely rare, benign inflammatory disorder characterized by reactive, traumatic ulceration of the oral mucosa especially located on the tongue. It is most commonly associated with natal or neonatal teeth in newborns. Mucosal lesions are often caused by repetitive traumatic damage due to backward and forward motions of the tongue over the lower incisors.

The role of helper and regulatory T cells in the pathogenesis of vitiligo.

Background: Alterations in cellular immunity, including CD4(+) T and CD8(+) T lymphocytes, have been proposed in the pathogenesis of vitiligo. There is also a proposed role for cytokines in the depigmentation observed in vitiligo. However, previous reports on the role of cytokines in the pathogenesis of vitiligo have been few in number.

Immunohistochemical galectin-3 expression in non-melanoma skin cancers.

Galectin-3 is a ss-galactoside-binding lectin. It participates in a variety of normal and pathologic processes, including cancer progression. In this study, we evaluated the pattern of expression of galectin-3 in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and basal cell carcinoma (BCC), and its correlation with the grade of differentiation in SCC and tumor size.

Atrial and ventricular arryhthmogenic potential in Turner Syndrome.

Background: P-wave dispersion (Pd), corrected P-wave dispersion (Pdc), QT-wave dispersion (QTd), and corrected QT-wave dispersion (QTdc) parameters were not assessed in Turner Syndrome (TS) before. The aim of this study is to investigate the cardiac arrhythmogenic potential in patients with TS.

Methods: Thirty-one patients with TS and 30 healthy women were enrolled in the study.