Computed Tomography-Based Morphometric Analysis of Thoracic Pedicles: An Analysis of 1512 Pedicles and Their Correlation with Sex, Age, Weight and Height.

Aim: To examine the morphological features of thoracic pedicles in a Turkish population.

Material And Methods: This retrospective study was performed with the patients who were underwent thoracic CT for any reason such as trauma or pulmonary disorder. Patient's age, height, weight, and sex were recorded and pedicle length (PL), transverse pedicle diameter (TPD), sagittal pedicle diameter (SPD) and, transverse pedicle angle (TPA) were measured.

Diabetes mellitus is the only independent predictor of both postoperative and long term renal functions in elective laparoscopic partial nephrectomy with limited or overextended warm ischemia.

Objective: To investigate the predictive factors of renal functional change at postoperative period and at last follow-up in patients undergoing elective and clamped laparoscopic partial nephrectomy (LPN) with limited (≤20 minutes) and overextended (≥40 minutes) warm ischemia time (WIT).

Material And Methods: From our prospectively collected LPN database, elective and warm ischemia-applied LPNs were retrospectively analyzed in two groups: limited (n=55, Group 1, WIT≤20 minutes) and overextended (n=28, Group 2, WIT≥40 minutes) WITs. Preoperatively, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was ≥60 mL/min/1.

Is There a Role for Surgery in Patients with Neuroendocrine Tumors of the Esophagus? A Contemporary View from the NCDB.

Background: Esophageal neuroendocrine tumors (eNETs) are exceedingly rare, aggressive and have a poor prognosis. Treatment guidelines are ill-defined and mainly based on evidence from case reports and analogous experiences drawn from similar disease sites.

Methods: The NCDB was reviewed for histologically confirmed stage I-III, primary eNETs from 2006 to 2014.

Design of Dense Brush Conformation Bearing Gold Nanoparticles as Theranostic Agent for Cancer.

Dense brush conformation-bearing theranostic agents are emerging as drug delivery systems due to their higher ability to escape from reticuloendothelial system uptake which prolongs their in vivo circulation time. With the aim of developing dual therapy agent, 13-nm gold nanoparticles' (AuNPs) surfaces were coated with different amounts of polyethylene glycol (PEG) (SH-PEG-NH) to obtain dense brush conformation-bearing theranostic agents. Among the 14 different theranostic agent candidates prepared, the one hosting 1819 PEG per particle was selected as the most promising theranostic agent candidate based on structural conformation, stability, size, zeta potential, hemocompatibility, cell inhibition, and cell death pathway towards MCF-7 cell line.

ILC3 deficiency and generalized ILC abnormalities in DOCK8-deficient patients.

Background: Dedicator of cytokinesis 8 (DOCK8) deficiency is the main cause of the autosomal recessive hyper-IgE syndrome (HIES). We previously reported the selective loss of group 3 innate lymphoid cell (ILC) number and function in a Dock8-deficient mouse model. In this study, we sought to test whether DOCK8 is required for the function and maintenance of ILC subsets in humans.

The quantity of unheated milk tolerated as a predictor of tolerance to baked milk.

Background: Tolerance of baked milk indicates a good prognosis in IgE-mediated cow's milk allergy.

Objective: The present study aims to investigate the predictors of baked milk tolerance, particularly the amount of milk tolerated in the first oral food challenge (OFC) test, in children with IgE-mediated cow's milk allergy.

Methods: The study included 35 cases who were diagnosed with IgE-mediated cow's milk allergy upon open OFC testing in the Pediatric Allergy Clinic.

Characteristics of the patients followed with the diagnosis of common variable immunodeficiency and the complications.

Introduction: In this study, we aimed to retrospectively evaluate the clinical and laboratory findings and complications of 28 common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) patients.

Material And Methods: The clinical features and laboratory data of 28 CVID patients were evaluated.

Results: Nineteen patients were male.

Impaired Systolic and Diastolic Left Ventricular Function in Children with Chronic Kidney Disease - Results from the 4C Study.

Children with chronic kidney disease suffer from excessive cardiovascular mortality and early alterations of the cardiovascular system. Tissue doppler imaging is a validated echocardiographic tool to assess early systolic and diastolic cardiac dysfunction. We hypothesized that tissue Doppler velocities would reveal reduced cardiac function in children with chronic kidney disease compared to healthy children.

Serum endocan levels, carotid intima-media thickness and microalbuminuria in patients with newly diagnosed hypertension.

: Endocan is a particular protein of endothelial cells. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship of serum endocan levels with carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT), inflammation, and microalbuminuria in patients with newly-diagnosed hypertension.: This prospective study included 61 patients with newly-diagnosed hypertension (HT) and 30 controls.

Causes of Blindness among Syrian Refugees Living in Southeastern Turkey.

This study was conducted to evaluate the causes of blindness in Syrian refugees living in southeastern Turkey. Another aim was to help the authorities determine strategies for dealing with blindness. A detailed ophthalmologic examination, including visual acuity and intraocular pressure, of 253 Syrian refugee patients complaining of visual impairment was conducted between January 2016 and January 2018 at our hospital's outpatient clinic.

The pathological upgrading after radical prostatectomy in low-risk prostate cancer patients who are eligible for active surveillance: How safe is it to depend on bioptic pathology?

Background: Active surveillance (AS) is one of the treatment alternatives in low-risk prostate cancer (PCa). The pathological upgrading after radical prostatectomy (RP) were investigated in patients who were eligible for AS in the present study.

Methods: Between August 2006 and July 2017, 627 patients underwent RP in our institution.

Isolated nocturnal and isolated daytime hypertension associate with altered cardiovascular morphology and function in children with chronic kidney disease: findings from the Cardiovascular Comorbidity in Children with Chronic Kidney Disease study.

Introduction: Prevalence of isolated nocturnal hypertension (INH) and isolated daytime hypertension (IDH) is around 10% in adults. Data in children, especially in chronic kidney disease (CKD), are lacking. The aim of this cross-sectional multicenter cohort study was to define the prevalence of INH and IDH and its association with cardiovascular morphology and function, that is, pulse wave velocity (PWV), carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT), or left ventricular mass index (LVMI) in children with CKD.

The effect of an antifibrotic agent, pirfenidone, on penile erectile function in an experimental rat model of ischemic priapism.

To date, no effective medical approach for the treatment of erectile dysfunction (ED) secondary to ischemic priapism (IP) has been described. The aim of this study was to evaluate the anti-inflammatory, antifibrotic, and antioxidant effects of pirfenidone (PFD) on cavernosal tissue in a rat model of IP. Forty-eight male albino rats aged 8-10 months, with mean weights of 410 ± 18.

Evaluation of New Baskent University Preservation Solution for Kidney Graft During Cold Ischemia: Preliminary Experimental Animal Study.

Objectives: Organ damage due to long cold ischemia time remains a hurdle in transplantation. In this preliminary animal study, we compared the new Baskent University Preservation Solution (BUPS) with the University of Wisconsin (UW) and histidine-tryptophan-ketoglutarate (HTK) solutions.

Materials And Methods: BUPS composition included electrolytes, raffinose, mannitol, N-acetylcysteine, taurine, adenosine, and ascorbic acid.

Neuroprotective Effects of Lacosamide in Experimental Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury in Rats.

Aim: To evaluate the effects of lacosamide on traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) in rats.

Material And Methods: A total of 28 male Wistar albino rats, each weighing 300-350 g, were included. They were randomly assigned to four groups.

Severe Troponin I Elevation and Myocardial Dysfunction in a Child with Scorpion Sting.

 Scorpion sting is a common medical problem and major cause of mortality and morbidity in many countries. The symptoms of envenomation are more severe in the pediatric population. The clinical manifestations of scorpion envenomation appear by activation of sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system.

Genetic Deficiency and Biochemical Inhibition of ITK Affect Human Th17, Treg, and Innate Lymphoid Cells.

Purpose: Interleukin-2-inducible T cell kinase (ITK) is an important mediator of T cell receptor signaling. Loss of function mutations in ITK results in hypogammaglobulinemia and CD4+ T cell loss in humans, and the patients often present with EBV-associated B cell lymphoproliferative syndrome. Itk-deficient mice show loss of T cell naivety, impaired cytolytic activity of CD8+ T cells, and defects in CD4+ T cell lineage choice decisions.

What are the non-cardiac prognostic factors affecting mortality in neonates with aortopulmonary shunt.

Systemic to pulmonary shunts (SPS) have proven to be highly effective for the palliation of neonates with cyanotic congenital heart disease. Mortality after SPS surgery in neonates has multifactorial basis. We aimed to investigate the clinical results of the SPS in relation to the underlying cardiac disease and to identify the risk factors contributing to an adverse outcome.

Effect of Maternal Depression on Brain-derived Neurotrophic Factor Levels in Fetal Cord Blood.

Objective: : We aimed to assess the association between cord blood brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) concentration and maternal depression during pregnancy.

Methods: : A total of 48 pregnant women, admitted for elective caesarean section to Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Konya Research and Training Hospital and Konya Necmettin Erbakan University Meram Medical Faculty, were included in this study. The study group included 23 women diagnosed as having depression during pregnancy and the control group included 25 pregnant women who did not experience depression during pregnancy.

Fingolimod Alters Tissue Distribution and Cytokine Production of Human and Murine Innate Lymphoid Cells.

Sphingosine-1 phosphate receptor 1 (S1PR1) is expressed by lymphocytes and regulates their egress from secondary lymphoid organs. Innate lymphoid cell (ILC) family has been expanded with the discovery of group 1, 2 and 3 ILCs, namely ILC1, ILC2 and ILC3. ILC3 and ILC1 have remarkable similarity to CD4+ helper T cell lineage members Th17 and Th1, respectively, which are important in the pathology of multiple sclerosis (MS).

Do PD-1 and PD-L2 expressions have prognostic impact in hematologic malignancies?

Background/aim: PD-1 (programmed death-1) is an immune checkpoint receptor that modulates T-cell activity in peripheral tissues via interaction with its ligands, PD-L1 (programmed death-ligand 1) and PD-L2 (programmed death-ligand 2). Tumor cells upregulate PD-L1 or PD-L2 to inhibit this T lymphocyte attack. Our goal was to determine the PD-1 and PD-L2 expression rates of various hematologic malignancies, and evaluate whether PD-1 and PD-L2 expressions have an impact on prognosis.

Pubertal Status and Gonadal Functions in Obese Boys with Fatty Liver.

Background: In adult studies, obese subjects with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) have been shown to have poor sperm quality, and lower testosterone and luteinizing hormone levels. The aim of this study was to investigate the pubertal status and gonadal functions in obese boys with NAFLD.

Materials And Methods: The study included 119 obese and 78 nonobese age-matched adolescents.