Publications by authors named "Erken E"

Behçet's Syndrome (BS) is a chronic vasculitis of unknown etiology. Arterial involvement occurring in the pulmonary artery is associated with poor prognosis. It may cause pulmonary thrombus (PTE) and aneurysm (PAA) which may also lead to a rare complication, intracardiac thrombus.

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Background/aim: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease affecting mostly small joints, such as hand and foot joints symmetrically with irreversible joint destruction. In this study, the relationship between CD39 expression and the treatment response of RA patients was examined to investigate its potential as a biomarker that demonstrates treatment response.

Materials And Methods: This study included 77 RA patients and 40 healthy controls (HC).

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Objective: Uremic pruritus is a distressing complication of chronic kidney disease (CKD), associated with mortality, and negatively impacts quality of life. The 5D-Itch Scale (5D-IS) is an easy-to-apply technique that evaluates 5 different dimensions of itching such as duration, severity, course, disability, and prevalence. We aimed to investigate the prevalence of itching in different CKD stages using the 5D-IS and to investigate the factors associated with itching in CKD patients.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study used the CART algorithm to analyze treatment protocols and factors affecting oral ulcers in Behçet's syndrome patients across multiple countries.
  • Among 979 patients, findings revealed that those with irregular tooth brushing habits showed a higher usage of immunosuppressive (IS) medications, especially in males with major organ involvement.
  • The study emphasizes the importance of promoting better oral hygiene as part of treatment strategies for patients with Behçet's syndrome.
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Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the potential effect of the mevalonate kinase (MVK) gene polymorphisms on the pathogenesis and clinical findings in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients.

Patients And Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted with 103 participants (63 males, 40 females) between January 2013 and January 2014. Of these, 51 (32 males, 19 females; mean age: 37.

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Objectives: Behçet's disease tends to be more severe in men than women. This study was undertaken to investigate sex-specific genetic effects in Behçet's disease.

Methods: A total of 1762 male and 1216 female patients with Behçet's disease from six diverse populations were studied, with the majority of patients of Turkish origin.

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Background: In this study, we evaluated 3-month clinical outcomes of kidney transplant recipients (KTR) recovering from COVID-19 and compared them with a control group.

Method: The primary endpoint was death in the third month. Secondary endpoints were ongoing respiratory symptoms, need for home oxygen therapy, rehospitalization for any reason, lower respiratory tract infection, urinary tract infection, biopsy-proven acute rejection, venous/arterial thromboembolic event, cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection/disease and BK viruria/viremia at 3 months.

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It is not known whether hearing disorders improves with kidney transplantation. One of the neurotoxic effects of immunosuppressive drugs may be unrecognized hearing loss. In this study, our aim was to evaluate the hearing disorders in kidney transplant patients.

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Introduction: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a multisystemic disease. Thyroid involvement in systemic sclerosis is an overlooked issue. Our study aimed to evaluate the decreased thyroid volume in SSc.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study looks at how liver health (hepatic fibrosis) might affect blood vessel stiffness in people on hemodialysis, who often suffer from heart problems.
  • They analyzed 59 patients, most of whom were middle-aged men, to see if there was a link between worsening liver disease and stiffer arteries.
  • The findings suggest that while having more liver damage is related to stiffer arteries, other factors like age and blood pressure also play a big role in this connection.
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Aim: The aim of this study was to detect macrovascular findings in systemic sclerosis (SSc) by means of color Doppler ultrasonography (CDUS) and to evaluate the relationship between the laboratory and clinical findings in the setting of the disease.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. Eighty-eight patients were included in the study.

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Background: For patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc), hand involvement is an underrated clinical manifestation. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of a hand exercise program and to demonstrate its effect on hand function, quality of life, anxiety, and depression in patients with SSc.

Methods: This study was designed as a single blind, randomized controlled comparative study.

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It has been demonstrated that NT-proBNP and macrophage inhibitor cytokine-1 (MIC-1/GDF-15) are associated with cognitive functions in patients without renal disease. In the present study, we examined the association of these two molecules with cognitive functions in hemodialysis patients for the first time in the literature. A total of 94 patients were enrolled.

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Article Synopsis
  • Behçet's disease is a complex inflammatory condition with unclear causes, and this study aimed to explore its genetic connections within a diverse population.* -
  • The study included 9,444 participants from 7 backgrounds and found 2 new genetic risk markers associated with the disease, along with confirming 6 previously known ones.* -
  • These results suggest significant genetic influences across different ethnicities and open avenues for further research into the underlying mechanisms of Behçet's disease.*
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Article Synopsis
  • Takayasu arteritis is a rare inflammatory disease affecting large arteries and was studied in a large genetic analysis of over 6,600 individuals, revealing significant genetic factors involved.
  • Researchers identified specific HLA risk factors and several non-HLA susceptibility genes, including VPS8 and CFL2, that contribute to the disease, with ETS2 highlighted as a potential key gene.
  • The study found strong genetic links between Takayasu arteritis and inflammatory bowel disease, suggesting potential therapeutic targets and enhancing understanding of the disease's genetic underpinnings.
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Background: Hematological parameters like red cell distribution width (RDW) and mean platelet volume (MPV) were reported to be associated with inflammation, atherosclerosis, and chronic kidney disease (CKD) progression. In this study, we evaluated RDW and MPV along with clinical features in patients with advanced CKD. We also aimed to detect clues for causative relations concerning these parameters, renal function and comorbidities.

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The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of age on mucocutaneous activity by using moderation analysis in Behçet's syndrome (BS). In this cross-sectional study, 887 BS patients (female : male, 481:406; mean age, 38.4 ± 10.

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Background: Endothelial dysfunction (ED) is associated with high cardiovascular disease burden in hemodialysis (HD) patients. Vasohibin-1, an endothelium-derived angiogenesis inhibitor, is essential for endothelial cell survival, therefore it may be a promising marker of ED. We aimed to investigate whether vasohibin-1 levels are associated with ED markers in HD patients.

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Objective: The aim of this multi-center study was to assess predictive factors for work-day loss as an indirect cost element in Behçet's syndrome (BS).

Methods: In this cross-sectional, multi-center study, 834 BS patients (F/M: 441/393, age mean: 38.4 ± 10.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The study aimed to assess patients' needs and measure oral ulcer activity in Behçet's syndrome (BS) using the Composite Index (CI) across 12 centers with 834 participants.
  • - Results showed that 65.1% of patients had oral ulcers, with activity being higher in those receiving non-immunosuppressive treatments for mild disease, while immunosuppressive treatments were more effective in severe cases.
  • - The findings indicated that oral ulcer activity is influenced by treatment type, disease severity, and duration, suggesting that the CI could be useful for evaluating treatment effectiveness in managing oral ulcers in BS.
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Background/aim: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease characterized by synovial inflammation. The study aimed to assess serum 14-3-3eta, anti-CarP, and anti-Sa in seronegative RA (SNRA) patients who were treatment-naïve as well as in healthy subjects. This is the first study in the literature to examine these autoantibodies together in SNRA patients.

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Objectives: Sclerostin, a peptide secreted primarily by osteocytes, suppresses osteoblast maturation, thus reducing bone formation. Here, we evaluated the relationship between sclerostin levels and osteoporosis in kidney transplant recipients.

Materials And Methods: This cross-sectional study included 78 kidney transplantrecipients > 18 years old and at least 6 months posttransplant.

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