Paraoxonase and arylesterase levels in rheumatoid arthritis.

It was reported that lipid peroxidation (LPO) products increase in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and increased LPO products reduce many antioxidants. Lipid hydroperoxides (LOOHs) are byproduct of LPO. Paraoxonase (PON), arylesterase (ARE), free sulfhydryl (SH) groups, and ceruloplasmin (CP) are enzymes or proteins with antioxidant characteristics.

Diaphragmatic hydatid disease.

Hydatid disease caused by echinococcus granulosus is still a serious problem in both underdeveloped and developing countries. Clinical signs of the disease are not specific. Most patients have no symptom or sign when a hydatid cyst is discovered.

Acinar cell ultrastructure after taurine treatment in rat acute necrotizing pancreatitis.

Objective: To evaluate the organelle-based changes in acinar cells in experimental acute necrotizing pancreatitis (ANP) after taurine treatment and the association of electron microscopic findings with histopathological changes and oxidative stress markers.

Methods: The study was performed in February 2005 at Gulhane School of Medicine and Hecettepe University, Turkey. Forty-five rats were divided into 3 groups.

Subclavian artery pseudoaneurysm in Behcet's disease.

Behcet's disease (BD) is an autoimmune, multisystemic, and chronic inflammatory disease. Although it affects all systems, involvement of the vascular system is of vital importance. Pseudoaneurysm ruptures in the arteries are the major causes of sudden deaths in BD.

Necrotizing fasciitis resulting from Streptococcus pneumoniae in recently diagnosed systemic lupus erythematosus case: a case report.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a systemic, autoimmune disease. SLE patients are prone to infections, and their hospital admissions and mortality are most commonly associated with infections. Necrotizing fasciitis (NF) is a rare, life-threatening infection of the subcutaneous tissue.

Rat liver fibrosis regresses better with pegylated interferon alpha2b and ursodeoxycholic acid treatments than spontaneous recovery.

Background/aims: Fibrosis and cirrhosis are common complications of chronic liver diseases. An imbalance between fibrogenesis and fibrolysis results in scarring of the liver parenchyma. We aimed to investigate the possible antifibrotic effectiveness of a newly modified interferon molecule peginterferon alpha2b (PEG-IFNalpha2b) which has better antiviral activity, and ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA).

Kikuchi Fujimoto disease secondary to Entamoeba histolytica: case report.

Kikuchi Fujimoto disease (KFD) is a rare histiocytic necrotizing lymphadenitis which has a benign self-limiting clinical course. Its origin is unknown, but an abnormal autoimmune reaction has been suggested and infection is often considered to be an inciting agent. A 50-year-old man presented with fever, malaise, fatigue and sweat of 7 days duration, and diarrhea for 2 days.

Vertigo and medico-legal problems.

Forensic medicine deals with the interactions of medical science with the law. All branches of medicine can play a role in dealing with medico-legal problems. Clinical and forensic evaluators need to be able to recognize variations of symptoms or syndromes that "don't read the textbooks".

Familial paraganglioma.

Paragangliomas are unusual tumors that are sometimes familial. We treated a family who exhibited multiple head and neck paragangliomas (HNPGs) and pheochromocytomas. The purpose was to determine the clinical characteristics of paragangliomas with familial history and to define a better standardized proceeding in the management of these tumors.

Hyperbaric oxygen-induced changes in bacterial translocation and acinar ultrastructure in rat acute necrotizing pancreatitis.

Background: We aimed to investigate the effects of hyperbaric oxygen therapy on bacterial translocation and acinar cell ultrastructure in a rat model of acute necrotizing pancreatitis.

Methods: Forty-eight male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into three groups. Acute pancreatitis was induced in groups II and III.

Comparison of the diagnosis of plain radiography ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging in early diagnosis of acute osteomyelitis experimentally formed on rabbits.

Purpose: We have compared the sensitivities of MRI, US and radiography which are some of the radiologic modalities used in the early diagnosis of acute osteomyelitis.

Materials And Methods: After 1 week care and research on 20 New Zealand rabbits (average weight: 2.5 kg) in animal laboratory, study was begun.

Predictive value of C-reactive protein in patients with unstable angina pectoris undergoing coronary artery stent implantation.

In-stent restenosis is a major problem following coronary stent implantation, and inflammation plays an active role. We evaluated the effectiveness of the inflammatory marker C-reactive protein (CRP) as a predictor of in-stent restenosis after successful stent implantation, in 86 patients with unstable angina pectoris. Plasma CRP was measured in all patients before the procedure, and at 48 - 72 h and 1, 2 and 3 months post-procedure.

The relationship between age and carotid artery intima-media thickness, hemoglobin A1c in nondiabetic, healthy geriatric population.

The aim of the study was to investigate a casual relationship between age and carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT) and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels and to assess the effects of possible risk factors in healthy nondiabetic elderly. Seventy-two healthy, well-educated, nondiabetic, healthy elderlies (mean age: 71.5+/-5.

The effect of activated protein C on experimental acute necrotizing pancreatitis.

Introduction: Acute pancreatitis is a local inflammatory process that leads to a systemic inflammatory response in the majority of cases. Bacterial contamination has been estimated to occur in 30-40% of patients with necrotizing pancreatitis. Development of pancreatic necrosis depends mainly on the degree of inflammation and on the microvascular circulation of the pancreatic tissue.

The diagonal ear-lobe crease. As sign of some diseases.

Objective: The present study dealt with the question of possible association between the diagonal ear lobe crease (ELC) and diabetes mellitus, hypertension, myocardial infarction, coronary artery diseases.

Methods: The present study was carried out as a field study with the contributions of 6 Primary Health Care Centers in Golbasi, Education and Research Area, Ankara, Turkey in May 2003 June 2003 and includes 3722 individuals (1250 males and 2472 females) of different age groups. From each individual, ELC was graded and a thorough medical history was taken.

Environmental tobacco smoke in rats.

Objective: We conducted this study to identify the effect of subchronic cigarette smoke inhalation on the vocal cord mucosa of the rat.

Design: Experimental study.

Setting: Department of Otolaryngology, School of Medicine, Karadeniz Technical University, Trabzon, Turkey

Methods: Twenty-four male Wistar rats were divided randomly into experimental and control groups.

Genetic aspects of human male infertility: the frequency of chromosomal abnormalities and Y chromosome microdeletions in severe male factor infertility.

Objective: The main purpose of this study is to detect the frequency and type of both chromosomal abnormalities and Y chromosome microdeletions in patients with severe male factor infertility and fertile control subjects. The association between the genetic abnormality and clinical parameters was also evaluated.

Methods: This study was carried out in 208 infertile and 20 fertile men.

The effect of pneumatic balloon dilatation on gastric emptying in patients with achalasia.

Achalasia is a disease that characterized by relaxation hazard of lower esophageal sphincter. In patients with achalasia, it's known that gastric emptying time is delayed. In this study we aimed to evaluate the difference between the gastric emptying time before and after pneumatic balloon dilatation.

The efficacy of ultrasonography in hemodynamically stable children with blunt abdominal trauma: a prospective comparison with computed tomography.

Purpose: In this prospective study we aimed to investigate the diagnostic value of ultrasonography (US) in hemodynamically stable children after blunt abdominal trauma (BAT) using computed tomography (CT) as the gold standard.

Materials And Methods: Between 1997 and 2001, 96 children with BAT were evaluated prospectively. CT was performed first, followed by US.

Metformin in the treatment of patients with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis.

Background: Increased insulin resistance is the major pathogenic mechanism in the development of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis.

Aim: To investigate the therapeutic effect of metformin, a well-known insulin-sensitizing agent, in the treatment of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis.

Methods: Thirty-six patients with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis were randomized into two groups.

The effect of combination therapy of hyperbaric oxygen, meropenem, and selective nitric oxide synthase inhibitor in experimental acute pancreatitis.

Despite the new diagnostic and therapeutic advancements, acute pancreatitis has still high rate of morbidity and mortality. We aimed to evaluate the effects of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy alone or combined with S-methylisothiourea (SMT), and meropenem (MER) therapy in an experimental rat model of acute necrotizing pancreatitis. Rats were randomly divided into 8 groups, and acute pancreatitis was induced in all groups except group 1.

Brucella: a rare causative agent of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis.

We report a 54-year-old woman with hepatitis B-related chronic liver disease with ascites who developed spontaneous bacterial peritonitis. Blood and fluid cultures grew Brucella; the patient was working at an animal husbandry till one year ago. She responded to therapy with streptomycin and tetracycline.