Head and Neck Paragangliomas: 16-year Single-center Experience and Mini Review on Diagnosis, Treatment, and Follow-up.

Objective: To investigate head and neck paraganglioma cases treated at a tertiary center from 2007 to 2023. The research includes a thorough examination of published studies that have focused on long-term outcomes. The additional goal is to contribute to the existing knowledge on head and neck paraganglioma, with a particular emphasis on refining diagnostic algorithms, treatment selection, and follow-up procedures.

Conjunctival Histopathological Changes and Clinical Tear Film in Children with Atopic Dermatitis.

Purpose: Evaluation of changes in the ocular surfaces in children with a diagnosis of atopic dermatitis (AD).

Methods: Thirty-six children with a diagnosis of AD (Eye-AD group) and 40 healthy subjects (Eye-HS group) were enrolled in this prospective case-control study. Tear film break-up time (T-BUT), Schirmer tear test (STT), conjunctival impression cytology (CIC), tear meniscus height (TMH), tear meniscus area (TMA), and ocular surface disease index (OSDI) were measured.

Alterations in the tear film and ocular surface in pediatric migraine patients.

Purpose: To evaluate the ocular surface (OS) parameters in the pediatric migraine patients (PMPs).

Methods: This prospective case-control study consisted of 51 PMPs (PMP group) and 55 healthy pediatric patients (HPP group). In all participants, tear function was evaluated subjectively using the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) questionnaire, objectively using Schirmer tear test (STT) and tear film disintegration time (TBUT), and with clinical and laboratory examinations (conjunctival impression cytology).

Comparison of the Reliability of the House- Brackmann, Facial Nerve Grading System 2.0, and Sunnybrook Facial Grading System for the Evaluation of Patients with Peripheral Facial Paralysis.

Background: To compare the reliability of the House-Brackmann (HB), Facial Nerve Grading System 2.0 (FNGS 2.0), and Sunnybrook Facial Grading System (SB) which are widely used in the evaluation of peripheral facial paralysis (PFP) patients.

The Effect of Intracochlear and Intratympanic Dexamethasone on Cochlear Implant Impedance.

Objective: This study investigated the impact of different local corticosteroid applications on impedance measurements in patients with cochlear implants.

Methods: The study was designed as a controlled, randomized, and prospective study in which 34 consecutive patients who had undergone cochlear implant surgery were divided into three groups. The first group received intracochlear dexamethasone, in the second group the middle ear cavity was filled with dexamethasone, and the third group did not receive dexamethasone.

Comparison of humoral immune response in heterologous and homologous COVID-19 booster vaccine groups using CoronaVac and mRNA-based BNT162b2 vaccines.

Background: Heterologous COVID-19 booster vaccination is an alternative strategy to homologous vaccination, especially in developing countries, due to shortages, delays, or unequal distribution of COVID-19 vaccines. We compared cohorts vaccinated with different vaccine combinations to investigate whether a heterologous booster dose of mRNA-based BNT162b2 vaccine boosts the immune response in individuals primed with the CoronaVac vaccine.

Methods: Anti-RBD IgG is generally measured 4 weeks after primary immunization and 4 weeks after booster vaccination.

Changes in choroidal tissue post-supplementation with vitamin D in pediatric patients who are deficient in vitamin D.

Purpose: To quantitatively assess the choroidal structural parameters of patients in the pediatric age group who were deficient in vitamin D [Vit-D] pre- and post-treatment.

Design: Prospective, case-control study.

Methods: Choroidal structural parameters, including the choroidal thickness (CT) at five points, total choroidal area (TA), luminal choroidal area (LA), stromal choroidal area (SA), and choroidal vascular index (CVI), in patients in the pediatric age group who were deficient in Vit-D, in Group 1, and those who were not, in Group 2, were compared.

Choroidal Vascular Index in Patients With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Methylphenidate.

Purpose: To investigate choroidal vascularity in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) who were not receiving therapy, children with ADHD who were regularly taking methylphenidate (MPH), and healthy controls.

Methods: The study included three groups: patients with newly diagnosed ADHD without treatment, patients diagnosed as having ADHD who were already being treated with oral MPH, and controls. Both choroidal vascularity index (CVI) and choroidal thickness were measured using an enhanced-depth imaging mode of spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (EDIOCT) (Spectralis; Heidelberg Engineering GmbH).

Acousto-holographic reconstruction of whole-cell stiffness maps.

Accurate assessment of cell stiffness distribution is essential due to the critical role of cell mechanobiology in regulation of vital cellular processes like proliferation, adhesion, migration, and motility. Stiffness provides critical information in understanding onset and progress of various diseases, including metastasis and differentiation of cancer. Atomic force microscopy and optical trapping set the gold standard in stiffness measurements.

Evaluation of ocular surface in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder with respect to methylphenidate treatment.

Purpose: This study aimed to screen the ocular surface of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and identify the adverse effects of methylphenidate related to dry eye disease.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and healthy children (all aged 5-18 years). They were randomized into Group A (without methylphenidate treatment), Group B (with methylphenidate treatment), and Group C (healthy children).

Changes in ocular pulse amplitude and posterior ocular structure parameters in type 1 diabetic children without diabetic retinopathy.

Background: It is important to determine changes in posterior ocular structures in the early period before retinopathy develops in pediatric patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM).

Objective: To evaluate inner plexiform layer (IPL), ganglion cell layer (GCL), and retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thicknesses, as well as the relationship between choroidal thickness (CT) and ocular pulse amplitude (OPA) in type 1 diabetic children without diabetic retinopathy (DR).

Design: A prospective observational study.

Evaluation of Retinal Layer Thicknesses in Patients with Keratoconus Using Retinal Layer Segmentation Analysis.

Objective: To conduct an evaluation of the effects of irregular astigmatism on the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) and the retinal layers observed using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) in patients who had keratoconus (KC).

Materials And Methods: A total of 255 eyes from 255 individuals, comprising 72 eyes of KC patients, 70 eyes of patients with astigmia, and 113 eyes of healthy controls were included in the analysis. RNFL scan maps (comprising global, temporal, superotemporal, inferotemporal, nasal, inferonasal, and superonasal maps) and macular thickness (MT) maps of a standard from the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) grid were assessed.

Comparison of Clinical Outcomes of Upper Eyelid Blepharoplasty Using Two Different Suture Techniques.

Objectives: To compare upper eyelid blepharoplasty patients' suture techniques with interrupted cutaneous in one eye and running cutaneous in the other in terms of edema, ecchymosis, and scar index.

Methods: Among patients whose suture techniques with interrupted cutaneous in one eye and running cutaneous in the other, 34 patients in the vicryl group and 46 patients in the polypropylene group were included in the study. The patients' edema and ecchymosis levels on postoperative days 1, 7, and 30 days and 3 months were selected.

Changes in Intraocular Pressure and Ocular Biometry After Blepharoplasty.

Purpose: To investigate the effects of blepharoplasty on intraocular pressure (IOP) and ocular biometric parameters.

Methods: A total of 112 eyelids of 56 patients undergoing bilateral blepharoplasty due to upper eyelid dermatochalasis was included. The patients were classified into three groups according to margin reflex distance (MRD) (Group 1 >4 mm MRD, Group 2 2-4 mm MRD, and Group 3 <2 mm MRD).

Comparison of the Retinal and Choroidal Structures in 3 Refractive Groups.

Objectives: This study investigated the retinal layer thickness, choroidal thickness (CT), and retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) parameters in 3 refractive groups.

Methods: A total of 201 eyes of 201 subjects were enrolled in this prospective and comparative study. The patients were divided into 3 groups according to refractive status: Group 1 consisted of 60 eyes of myopic subjects, Group 2 comprised 72 eyes of emmetropic subjects, and 69 eyes of hyperopic subjects were categorized as Group 3.

The Effect of Long-Term Usage of Single-Agent Antiglaucomatous Drops with Different Preservatives on Cornea Biomechanics.

Objectives: This study examined the effect of antiglaucomatous drops with different preservatives on corneal biomechanics using the ocular response analyzer (ORA) (Reichert Technologies, Inc., Depew, NY, USA).

Methods: Patients using antiglaucomatous medical treatment containing a single agent combined with a preservative for at least 1 year who underwent a control examination between January and December 2017 at a glaucoma unit were included in this retrospective study.

Assessment of Tear Film Anomalies in Childhood Obesity.

Purpose: To determine if childhood obesity has an effect on the ocular surface and tear film of children who are afflicted.

Methods: Patients who had childhood obesity, 85 eyes, and patients who were healthy, 75 eyes, were enrolled in this prospective and comparative study. The tear film breakup time (TF-BUT), tear meniscus area and height (TMA and TMH) values, Schirmer test scores, and ocular surface disease index (OSDI) scores were obtained for all participants.

The Impact of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) on Retinal Microcirculation in Human Subjects.

Background: The aim of the study was to assess retinal microcirculation in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) through the use of optical coherence tomography angiography (OCT-A) and compare the results with those obtained in healthy controls.

Methods: The study enrolled 39 patients who had fully recovered from COVID-19 and 40 healthy controls. OCT-A image acquisitions were obtained using AngioVue software (version 2017.

Changes in ocular pulse amplitude and choroidal thickness in childhood obesity patients with and without insulin resistance.

Purpose: To compare choroidal thickness (CT) and ocular pulse amplitude (OPA) in childhood obesity with insulin resistance (IR) and without IR.

Methods: Seventy-three childhood obesity and 62 healthy children, who were both age-matched and gender-matched, comprised the study population in this prospective study. Obesity was determined as having a body mass index (BMI) - standard deviation (SD) score that was > 2 SD.

A transgenic reporter mouse model for assessment of retinoic acid receptor transcriptional activation.

Vitamin A is essential for a wide range of life processes throughout embryogenesis to adult life. With the aim of developing an model to monitor retinoic acid receptor (RAR) transactivation real-time in intact animals, we generated transgenic mice carrying a luciferase (luc) reporter gene under the control of retinoic acid response elements (RAREs) consisting of three copies of a direct repeat with five spacing nucleotides (DR5). : Transgenic mice carrying a RARE dependent luciferase reporter flanked with insulator sequence were generated by pronuclear injection.

Response to "Letter to the Editor: Vaccine Failures in Pediatric Cases Caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae Serotype 19A".

We are happy to answer to the Letter from Ozkaya-Parlakay et al. to the Editor commenting on our recent paper, 1  investigated impact of the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13)  on the incidences of community-acquired pneumonia and pneumonia-related hospitalizations in children ≤5 years after its implementation into the national immunization program (NIP) of Turkey.   Ozkaya-Parlakay et al.

Impact of the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine on the incidences of community-acquired pneumonia and pneumonia-related hospitalizations in children ≤5 years after its implementation into the national immunization program of Turkey.

The aim of the study was to investigate changes in the incidences of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) and CAP-related hospitalizations following introduction of 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) in children ≤5 years of age into the national immunization programme (NIP) of Turkey. PCV7 was included in the NIP of Turkey in November 2008 and was replaced by PCV13 in late 2011. Changes in the incidences of CAP and CAP-related hospitalizations per 100,000 children admissions were investigated from 2011 to 2017.

Apo-14´-Carotenoic Acid Is a Novel Endogenous and Bioactive Apo-Carotenoid.

Carotenoids can be metabolized to various apo-carotenoids and retinoids. Apo-15´-carotenoic acid (retinoic acid, RA) is a potent activator of the retinoic acid receptor (RAR) in its all-- (ATRA) and 9- (9CRA) forms. In this study we show firstly, that apo-14´-carotenoic acid (A14CA), besides retinoic acids, is present endogenously and with increased levels in the human organism after carrot juice supplementation rich in β-carotene.

Impact of the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine on the incidences of acute otitis media, recurrent otitis media and tympanostomy tube insertion in children after its implementation into the national immunization program in Turkey.

The aim of this study was to investigate changes in the incidences of acute otitis media (AOM), recurrent AOM (rAOM) and tympanostomy tube (TT) insertion in children following the introduction of 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) into the national immunization program (NIP) of Turkey in April 2011. National coverage for the PCV7 was 97% in 2009, 93% in 2010, 96% in 2011 and for the PVC13 was 97% in 2012, 97% in 2013, 96% in 2014, 97% in 2015, 98% in 2016, and 96% in 2017 for Turkish children younger than 12 months of age. A total of 499932 pediatric visits were recorded, and AOM was diagnosed in 23005 (4.