The middle cerebral artery density and ratio for the diagnosis of acute ischaemic stroke in the Emergency Department.

Purpose: Non-contrast computed tomography (ncCT) is the first-line imaging modality for acute ischaemic stroke diagnosis. Recognition of the early diagnostic signs of a stroke on computed tomography (CT) is crucial. The hyperdense middle cerebral artery (MCA) sign is one of these findings.

Spinal Trauma is Never without Sin: A Tetraplegia Patient Presented Without any Symptoms.

Spinal cord injuries are amongst the most dangerous injuries, leading to high mortality and morbidity. Injured patients are occasionally faced with life-threatening complications and quality-of-life changing neurological deficits. Thoracic and cervical spinal segments are the most effected sites of injury and a wide range of complications including paraplegia, respiratory and cardiovascular compromise secondary to autonomic dysfunction or tetraplegia may ensue.

Determination of the appropriate catheter length and place for needle thoracostomy by using computed tomography scans of pneumothorax patients.

Introduction: The primary goal of this study was to compare the chest wall thicknesses (CWT) at the 2nd intercostal space (ICS) at the mid-clavicular line (MCL) and 5th ICS at the mid-axillary line (MAL) in a population of patients with a CT confirmed pneumothorax (PTX). This result will help physicians to determine the optimum needle thoracostomy (NT) puncture site in patients with a PTX.

Materials And Methods: All trauma patients who presented consecutively to A&E over a 12-month period were included.

Utility of cervical spinal and abdominal computed tomography in diagnosing occult pneumothorax in patients with blunt trauma: Computed tomographic imaging protocol matters.

Background: Small pneumothoraces (PXs), which are not initially recognized with a chest x-ray film and diagnosed by a thoracic computed tomography (CT), are described as occult PX (OCPX). The objective of this study was to evaluate cervival spine (C-spine) and abdominal CT (ACT) for diagnosing OCPX and overt PX (OVPX).

Methods: All patients with blunt trauma who presented consecutively to the emergency department during a 26-months period were included.

T and NK cell subset changes with microbial extracts and human HSP60-derived peptides in Behçet's disease.

Objective: Microorganisms such as streptococcus and autoantigens such as 60 kD heat-shock protein (HSP60) are implicated in the etiopathogenesis of Behçet's disease (BD).

Methods: Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients with BD (n = 16) and healthy controls (HC) (n = 11) were cultured for 5 days with extracts of S. sanguis-KTH-1 (SS), E.

The effects of nitric oxide donors and inhibitors on neutrophil functions in Behçet's disease.

Objective: The effects of nitric oxide donor SNAP and nitric oxide inhibitors L-NMMA and AG on the functions of neutrophils in patients with Behçet's Disease (BD) were investigated in vitro.

Methods: Oxidative burst and phagocytosis of neutrophils were evaluated by flow cytometry in patients with Behçet's disease (n = 32), inflammatory (n = 17) and healthy controls (n = 14), in the presence of L-NMMA, AG and SNAP.

Results: The stimulation index of oxidative burst was found to be significantly decreased following PMA stimulation in patients with active BD compared to inflammatory and healthy controls.

Effect of interferon-alpha(2a) on neutrophil adhesion and phagocytosis in chronic myeloid leukemia and Behçet's disease.

Alpha-interferon (alpha-IFN) is implicated in a Behçet's disease (BD)-like syndrome observed in a small number of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients. The effect of alpha-IFN on neutrophil adhesion and phagocytosis in CML patients, BD patients and healthy volunteers was investigated to clarify the reason for this observation. Ten subjects were studied for each group by incubating neutrophils with various doses of alpha-IFN.

Neutrophil activation in Behçet's disease.

Objective: Neutrophils are implicated in the pathogenesis of Behçet's disease (BD). Various functions of neutrophils are studied to clarify this role.

Methods: The oxidative burst and phagocytic functions of neutrophils and surface molecules associated with neutrophil activation (CD10, CD14 and CD16) were investigated in BD patients by flow cytometric methods.

HSP 60 expression in mucocutaneous lesions of Behçet's disease.

Background: Heat shock protein (60 kd HSP) has been implicated in the etiology of Behçet's disease, but its expression at sites of inflammation is unknown.

Objective: Our aim was to investigate local HSP 60 expression and to quantify T-cell receptor (TCR) gamma delta-positive cells, which are known to respond to HSP peptides.

Methods: Patients with active Behçet's disease (n = 21) and controls (n = 18) were included.

Anticardiolipin antibodies in Behçet's disease: a reassessment.

Objective: To assess the frequency and clinical relevance of anticardiolipin antibodies (aCL) in Behçet's disease (BD).

Methods: IgG, IgM and IgA aCL isotypes were investigated by ELISA in 128 patients with BD, 143 healthy controls and 20 systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients.

Results: The IgA binding index (BI) was slightly elevated in BD compared with healthy controls (120+/-53 vs 107+/-46, P=0.

Remitting seronegative symmetrical synovitis with pitting oedema associated with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia.

We describe a case of remitting seronegative symmetrical synovitis with pitting oedema (RS3PE syndrome) in a 67-year-old man. Immunophenotyping studies and histology of biopsy specimens revealed chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL). Polyarthritis and oedema were revealed by small doses of corticosteroids.

IL-8 producing cells in patients with Behçet's disease.

Objective: IL-8 is thought to be the principal chemokine responsible for neutrophil activation and tissue infiltration in patients with Behçet's disease (BD). In various studies serum levels of IL-8 were reported to be increased.

Methods: IL-8 mRNA was purified from both peripheral whole blood samples and separated lymphocytes, granulocytes and monocytes of patients with BD and compared to that from healthy (HC) and disease controls.

Role of hepatocyte growth factor in the development of dendritic cells from CD34+ bone marrow cells.

Background And Objective: Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is known to augment the effects of stem cell factor, interleukin-3, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), erythropoetin, and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, all of which are involved in hematopoiesis. HGF is also known to have a role in immune responses. The aim of this study was to investigate whether HGF is involved in the development of dendritic cells (DC) from CD34+ bone marrow cells.

Anti-MHC autoimmunity in Behçet's disease: T cell responses to an HLA-B-derived peptide cross-reactive with retinal-S antigen in patients with uveitis.

Immune response to retinal autoantigens plays a central role in the pathogenesis of uveitis. A synthetic peptide (B27PD) from a common sequence of various HLA-B molecules associated with uveitis, such as HLA-B27 and 51, which shares amino acid homologies with a retinal-S antigen (S-Ag)-derived peptide (PDSAg), was shown to be immunogenic in human and experimental uveitis in the rat. In this study we investigated T cell responses to B27PD and PDSAg in patients with Behçet's disease and posterior uveitis (BD-posterior uveitis; n = 33) in comparison with non-Behçet anterior uveitis (AU, n = 14), Behçet's patients without uveitis (BD, n = 15) and healthy controls (HC, n = 32) in a 6-day proliferation assay.

T cell responses to 60/65 kDa heat shock protein derived peptides in Turkish patients with Behçet's disease.

Objective: Sequence homology and cross reactivity between microbial and human heat shock proteins (HSP) led to the concept that HSP might be involved in the etiopathogenesis of Behçet's disease (BD). We investigated T cell responses to 8 synthetic peptides derived from the mycobacterial 65 kDa and homologous human 60 kDa HSP in patients with BD.

Methods: T cell proliferative responses to synthetic peptides were studied in 49 patients with BD and 46 disease (DC) and 34 healthy controls (HC) with 3H-thymidine uptake test.

Increased CD4+CD16+ and CD4+CD56+ T cell subsets in Behçet's disease.

Behçet's disease is a systemic vasculitis of unknown etiology. Various immune abnormalities have previously been shown in Behçet's disease. We investigated T lymphocyte subsets associated with cytotoxic activity and natural killer (NK) cells by flow cytometry in 37 patients with Behçet's disease, 38 healthy controls, and 17 diseased control patients.

Morphological and functional characteristics of short-term and long-term bone marrow cultures in chronic myelogenous leukemia.

Clonogenic capacity of bone marrow progenitors and stromal layers established from bone marrow of 12 patients with CML and 13 healthy controls were evaluated. The initial BFU-E and CFU-GM contents were slightly higher in the CML patients (p > 0.05) in contrast to CFU-GEMM.

Evaluation of the Turkish translation of a disease activity form for Behçet's syndrome.

Objective: This study examined the interobserver and intra-observer reliability of the Turkish version of the Behçet's Disease Current Activity Form (BDCAF), which was obtained by a translation and back-translation process.

Methods: Fifty Behçet's syndrome (BS) patients were assessed by four rheumatologists in separate morning and afternoon sessions.

Results: The results showed good intra- and interobserver agreement for the oro-genital ulcers and eye involvement of BS, but there was poor agreement between (kappa score = 0.

Serum soluble intercellular adhesion molecule 1 and interleukin 8 levels in familial Mediterranean fever.

Objective: Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is a disease of unknown etiology characterized by recurrent attacks of polyserositis (peritonitis, pleuritis, and arthritis) and fever. We measured levels of soluble intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (sICAM-1) and interleukin 8 (IL-8), which are important mediators in leukocyte-endothelial adhesion and leukocyte accumulation in tissues.

Methods: sICAM-1 and IL-8 levels were studied in 30 patients with FMF during attacks and remission, along with 23 healthy and 26 disease controls.

Oligoclonal T cell expansions in patients with Behçet's disease.

Behçet's disease (BD) is a multisystem disorder with oral and genital ulcers, mucocutaneous, ocular, joint, vascular and central nervous system involvement. In this study, the peripheral T cell repertoire was analysed in patients with BD with MoAbs against T cell receptor (TCR) Vbeta gene products in CD4+ and CD8+ T cell compartments, and these were compared with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and healthy controls (HC). In the CD4+ T cell compartment, oligoclonal TCR Vbeta expression was observed in 56% of BD (10/18), 71% of RA (5/7) patients and 21% (3/14) of HC.

Double G0/G1 peak in the DNA histogram of aberrant marker positive acute leukemia patients is associated with a poor clinical outcome.

In order to investigate the relationship between aberrant marker expression and DNA ploidy, 61 adult patients with acute leukemia (39 AML and 22 ALL) were studied. Aberrant marker expression was observed in 20 patients (16/39 of AML and 4/22 of ALL patients). In flow cytometric DNA analysis aneuploidy was observed in 18 patients (9/39 of AML and 9/22 of ALL patients).

Phenotypic characteristics of B cells in Behçet's disease: increased activity in B cell subsets.

Objective: Increased numbers of spontaneous Ig secreting B cells and elevated immunoglobulin levels have been described in Behçet's disease (BD), in addition to changes in numbers and activities of T cells, natural killer cells, and monocyte-macrophages. We investigated other characteristics of B cells in BD.

Methods: B lymphocyte subsets (CD19+CD5+, CD19+CD13+, CD19+CD28+, CD19+CD33+, CD19+CD80+, CD5+CD19+CD45RA+, CD5+CD19+CD45RO+) were phenotypically evaluated in 50 patients with BD, 80 healthy subjects, and 20 other patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and sepsis.

Efficacy of high-dose methylprednisolone as a first-line therapy in adult patients with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura.

Fifty-seven adult patients with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) were treated with either conventional-dose prednisolone (CDP) (1 mg/kg/d, 36 patients) or high-dose methylprednisolone (HDP) (30 mg/kg/d, 21 patients), as first-line treatment. Patients in the HDP arm responded more rapidly (4.7 v 8.