Publications by authors named "Altintas D"

Cancer cells rely on invasive growth to survive in a hostile microenvironment; this growth is characterised by interconnected processes such as epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and migration. A master regulator of these events is the MET oncogene, which is overexpressed in the majority of cancers; however, since mutations in the MET oncogene are seen only rarely in cancers and are relatively infrequent, the mechanisms that cause this widespread MET overexpression remain obscure. Here, we show that the 5' untranslated region (5'UTR) of MET mRNA harbours two functional stress-responsive elements, conferring translational regulation by the integrated stress response (ISR), regulated by phosphorylation of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2 alpha (eIF2α) at serine 52.

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Background: Major histocompatibility complex class II deficiency, a combined immunodeficiency, results from loss of HLA class II expression on antigen-presenting cells. Currently, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation stands as the sole curative approach, although factors influencing patient outcomes remain insufficiently explored.

Objectives: To elucidate the clinical, immunologic, and genetic profiles associated with MHC-II deficiency and identify prognostic indicators that affect survival rates.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study analyzes data from the CF Registry of Turkey to measure the rate of decline in pulmonary function (ppFEV1) among cystic fibrosis patients and identifies risk factors related to this decline.
  • It found that patients with more severe disease (ppFEV1 < 40) had poorer nutritional status and a higher prevalence of chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection compared to those with better lung function.
  • The results emphasize the need for regular monitoring of patients with normal initial ppFEV1 and early treatment for P. aeruginosa infections, highlighting the crucial role of proper nutrition in managing cystic fibrosis.
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Introduction: Cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) modulator drugs target the underlying defect and improve CFTR function. They are a part of standard care in many countries, but not all patients are eligible for these drugs due to age and genotype. Here, we aimed to determine the characteristics of non-eligible patients for CFTR modulators in the CF registry of Turkey (CFRT) to highlight their clinical needs.

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Aim: In this cross-sectional descriptive study, we aimed to determine the clinical characteristics of children admitted to a tertiary hospital with asthma exacerbations in a city in southern Turkey where aeroallergens are common and to determine how these characteristics affect the severity of exacerbations.

Methods: Data from a cross-sectional analysis of children with asthma exacerbations who were followed up at the Cukurova University Medical Faculty Pediatric Emergency Department (ED) and Pediatric Allergy & Immunology inpatient clinic were retrospectively analyzed. The study included 106 children who were diagnosed with asthma and did not have any additional comorbidities.

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The liver is the main organ for metabolic and detoxification reactions in the body. Therefore, its diseases can be associated with both metabolic disorders, such as insulin resistance, obesity, diabetes, or dyslipidemia, and exogenous insults such as drugs, xenobiotics, or alcohol. Indeed, lifestyle changes are the primary approaches for the prevention and treatment of liver diseases.

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Article Synopsis
  • * The study analyzed 15 patients diagnosed with GS2 from 2017 to 2022, finding that 73.3% developed HLH, with various presentations including central nervous system involvement.
  • * Treatment included using the HLH-2004 protocol and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT); while those who had HSCT survived, three patients without suitable donors unfortunately did not.
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Objective: Retrospective series have shown secondary cytoreductive surgery improves oncological outcomes in recurrent low-grade serous ovarian cancer. We aim to compare surgical procedures and complications between patients with low-grade and high-grade recurrent serous ovarian cancer.

Methods: This retrospective single-institution study includes patients with recurrent low-grade and high-grade serous ovarian cancer undergoing surgery between January 2012 to December 2021.

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The proto-oncogene encodes a pivotal tyrosine kinase receptor, binding the hepatocyte growth factor (HGF, also known as scatter factor, SF) and governing essential biological processes such as organogenesis, tissue repair, and angiogenesis. The pleiotropic physiological functions of MET explain its diverse role in cancer progression in a broad range of tumors; genetic/epigenetic alterations of drive tumor cell dissemination, metastasis, and acquired resistance to conventional and targeted therapies. Therefore, targeting MET emerged as a promising strategy, and many efforts were devoted to identifying the optimal way of hampering MET signaling.

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The aim of this study was to analyze the pregnancy process, especially the Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) disease course and attack types during pregnancy, and to examine the relationship between disease-related factors and female infertility in FMF patients. The study, which was planned in a multicenter national network, included 643 female patients. 435 female patients who had regular sexual intercourse were questioned in terms of infertility.

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Background: LPS-responsive beige-like anchor (LRBA) deficiency (LRBA) and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated antigen-4 (CTLA4) insufficiency (CTLA4) are mechanistically overlapped diseases presenting with recurrent infections and autoimmunity. The effectiveness of different treatment regimens remains unknown.

Objective: Our aim was to determine the comparative efficacy and long-term outcome of therapy with immunosuppressants, CTLA4-immunoglobulin (abatacept), and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) in a single-country multicenter cohort of 98 patients with a 5-year median follow-up.

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Background: We aimed to determine the number of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients recorded in the Cystic Fibrosis Registry of Türkiye (CFRT) who were in need of lung transplantation (LT) referral and examine clinical differences between patients who were LT candidates due to rapid forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV₁) decline and LT candidates without rapid FEV₁ decline in the last year to identify a preventable cause in patients with such rapid FEV₁ decline.

Methods: All CF patients recorded in the CFRT in 2018 were evaluated in terms of LT. Patients were divided into those with FEV₁ below 50% and in need of LT due to a decrease of 20% or more in the previous year (Group 1) and those who did not have FEV₁ decline of more than 20% in the previous year but had other indications for LT (Group 2).

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Adipose tissue macrophages (ATMs) play an important role in obesity and inflammation, and they accumulate in adipose tissue (AT) with aging. Furthermore, increased ATM senescence has been shown in obesity-related AT remodeling and dysfunction. However, ATM senescence and its role are unclear in age-related AT dysfunction.

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Targeted therapy significantly impairs tumour growth but suffers from limitations, among which the 'flare' ('rebound') effect. Among cancers driven by tyrosine kinase receptors, those relying on alterations of the MET oncogene benefit from treatment by specific inhibitors. Previously, we reported that discontinuation of MET tyrosine kinase receptor inhibition causes 'rebound' activation of the oncogene, with a post-treatment transient hyperphosphorylation phase that culminates into a dramatic increase in cancer cell proliferation.

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Article Synopsis
  • The MET oncogene's tyrosine kinase receptor has an extracellular domain called PSI, which has been previously unexplored in terms of function despite being evolutionarily conserved.
  • Recent experiments reveal that the MET extracellular PSI domain exhibits disulfide isomerase activity, crucial for the maturation process of the MET precursor protein into its active forms, which are involved in signaling pathways.
  • Mutations in the PSI domain hinder the cleavage and maturation of the MET protein, leading to its accumulation in the Golgi apparatus and preventing essential biological processes triggered by its ligand, Hepatocyte Growth Factor (HGF).
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Background And Aim: Concomitant fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) has been known to be more frequent in patients with several rheumatic diseases. In this study, our aim was to investigate the prevalence of FMS in patients with familial Mediterranean fever (FMF), to analyze the possible factors related to this frequency, and to evaluate the impact of FMS on the functionality and quality of life (QoL) of the patients with FMF.

Patients And Methods: One hundred cases with FMF and 100 controls were included to this case-control study.

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Palatability of the infant formulas lacking cow milk protein formulas is reported by parents to be an important drawback. The purpose of this study is to examine decisions made by mothers of infants having cow milk protein allergy, and physicians concerning the palatability of unflavored extensively hydrolyzed formulas and amino acid-based formulas. We conducted a multi-center, randomized, single-blinded, observational taste study involving 149 pediatricians from gastroenterology and allergy subspecialties at 14 tertiary healthcare units from different regions of Turkey and involving 94 mothers of infants with cow milk protein allergy.

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  • A study was conducted to assess the immune response and COVID-19 progression in 110 patients with lysosomal storage disorders (LSDs), most of whom were on enzyme replacement therapy (ERT).
  • Findings revealed that over half of these patients exhibited abnormalities in their immune system, with lower levels of certain immunoglobulins and issues in lymphocyte counts, indicating a potential greater vulnerability to illnesses like COVID-19.
  • Despite various autoimmune markers being identified in some patients, there were no strong clinical symptoms linking these lab findings to illnesses, except for a specific case of Hashimoto thyroiditis in a patient with Gaucher disease.
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is an oncogene encoding the tyrosine kinase receptor for hepatocyte growth factor (HGF). Upon ligand binding, MET activates multiple signal transducers, including PI3K/AKT, STAT3, and MAPK. When mutated or amplified, becomes a "driver" for the onset and progression of cancer.

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  • LRBA deficiency and CTLA-4 insufficiency are disorders linked to increased infection risk, autoimmune issues, and abnormal cell growth, but they have different clinical aspects and long-term outcomes.
  • A study evaluated 29 LRBA-deficient and 12 CTLA-4-insufficient patients, revealing that LRBA-deficient patients experience earlier symptoms, more pneumonia, and chronic diarrhea, whereas CTLA-4 patients had a better survival rate.
  • Flow cytometry was used to assess T-cell responses, showing unique patterns between the two conditions—LRBA deficiency had diminished CTLA-4 expression but showed improvement after T-cell stimulation, while CTLA-4 insufficiency had less response, indicating differences in immune dysfunction.
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Background: Cystic fibrosis (CF) registries play an essential role in improving disease outcomes of people with CF. This study aimed to evaluate the association of newly established CF registry system in Turkey on follow-up, clinical, growth, treatment, and complications of people with this disease.

Methods: Age at diagnosis, current age, sex, z-scores of weight, height and body mass index (BMI), neonatal screening results, pulmonary function tests, history of meconium ileus, medications, presence of microorganisms, and follow-up were evaluated and compared to data of people with CF represented in both 2017 and 2019 registry data.

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Article Synopsis
  • * In the analysis, 15.9% of PID patients had autoimmune disorders, with a greater incidence in those with immune dysregulation, while 5.1% exhibited autoinflammation-related conditions.
  • * The findings emphasize the need for heightened awareness of the link between PID, autoimmunity, and autoinflammation, which can aid in timely diagnosis and management of these diseases.
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Objectives: This study aims to evaluate the effectivity of Familial Mediterranean Fever Quality of Life (FMF-QoL) Scale for the measurement of QoL in patients with FMF and to perform correlations between related clinical variables in Turkish patients.

Patients And Methods: This multicenter prospective study performed between December 2017 and November 2018 included 974 FMF patients (334 males, 640 females; median age: 35; range, 26 to 45 years). Sociodemographic characteristics and clinical features were recorded.

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Background: The frequency of asthma increases in childhood and asthma is associated with risk factors varying across age groups. The aim of our study was to assess the prevalence of asthma and its associated risk factors in the first six years of life.

Methods: Within the scope of the Adana Pediatric Allergy and Risk Factor (ADAPAR) birth cohort study, 203 infants that had experienced at least one wheezing attack during the first year of life were followed for asthma development until the age of six years.

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Background: Despite the availability of cystic fibrosis (CF) screening countrywide, diagnostic delay is still a crucial issue. The objectives of this study were to explore the stages of the NBS process, determine the risk factors associated with diagnostic delay and evaluate parent anxiety and experience throughout the process.

Methods: This is a multicenter cross-sectional study.

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