Neutrophilic figurate erythema.

We herein report a 39-year-old woman presented with annular plaque with central clearing on the back, extremities, and breasts. The lesions had raised, firm erythematous borders included a trailing scale. On histologic examination, a perivascular inflammatory cell infiltrate composed of neutrophils and mononuclear inflammatory cells in the upper dermis was shown.

Application of gaseous ozone to control populations of Escherichia coli, Bacillus cereus and Bacillus cereus spores in dried figs.

The effect of ozonation as a method to reduce Escherichia coli, Bacillus cereus and Bacillus cereus spores in dried figs was investigated. Dried figs were sprinkle inoculated with E. coli, B.

Spatial memory impairment without apoptosis induced by the combination of beta-amyloid oligomers and cerebral ischemia is related to decreased acetylcholine release in rats.

The purpose of the present study was to examine the effect of beta-amyloid (Abeta) oligomers, not the fibrils that make up Abeta plaques, on spatial memory and the cholinergic system in rats. Recently, several researchers have suggested that small assemblies of Abeta, Abeta oligomers, caused memory loss during the early stages of Alzheimer's disease without showing cell death. In the present study, the combination of Abeta oligomers and cerebral ischemia, but not cerebral ischemia alone, significantly impaired spatial memory without apoptosis in the CA1 region of the hippocampus.

The levels of depression, anxiety and quality of life in patients with chronic idiopathic urticaria.

Background: Chronic idiopathic urticaria (CIU) is associated with severely impaired quality of life (QoL).

Objective: To determine the levels of depression, anxiety and QoL in CIU patients.

Patients And Methods: This study included 73 patients with CIU, and 34 healthy subjects matched for age and sex were used as controls.

Sublingual immunotherapy to house dust mite in pediatric patients with allergic rhinitis and asthma: a retrospective analysis of clinical course over a 3-year follow-up period.

Background And Objective: Specific allergen immunotherapy is believed to be the only treatment able to change the natural history of allergic airway diseases. Sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) is especially preferred because of its easy application and safety. The aim of this study was to describe the effect of SLIT in pediatric patients who have allergic airway disease.

Women's attitudes and expectations regarding gynaecological examination.

Objective: to describe women's expectations of doctors and nurses during gynaecological examination, to identify if women have a preference for the doctor's gender, to investigate women's feelings during examination, and to determine why women consult the gynaecological outpatient clinic.

Design: a descriptive and cross-sectional study using a questionnaire administered face to face.

Setting: this study was performed with women recruited from those making an appointment for gynaecological examination at the gynaecological outpatient clinic at Manisa Maternity and Child Hospital between September 2004 and February 2005.

Prospective randomized non-blinded clinical trial on the use of dapsone plus antihistamine vs. antihistamine in patients with chronic idiopathic urticaria.

Background: Treatment of chronic idiopathic urticaria (CIU) is difficult.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of dapsone in CIU.

Methods: The response to dapsone was evaluated in 65 CIU patients with a randomized, two armed study: 3-month dapsone + desloratadin and 3-month desloratadin.

Losartan improves heart rate variability and heart rate turbulence in heart failure due to ischemic cardiomyopathy.

Background: Heart rate variability (HRV) and heart rate turbulence are known to be disturbed and associated with excess mortality in heart failure. The aim of this study was to investigate whether losartan, when added on top of beta-blocker and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI) therapy, could improve these indices in patients with systolic heart failure.

Methods And Results: Seventy-seven patients (mean age 60.

Absolute quantification of carnosine in human calf muscle by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

Carnosine has been shown to be present in the skeletal muscle and in the brain of a variety of animals and humans. Despite the various physiological functions assigned to this metabolite, its exact role remains unclear. It has been suggested that carnosine plays a role in buffering in the intracellular physiological pHi range in skeletal muscle as a result of accepting hydrogen ions released in the development of fatigue during intensive exercise.

Simulation and experimental verification of the diffusion in an anisotropic fiber phantom.

Diffusion weighted magnetic resonance imaging enables the visualization of fibrous tissues such as brain white matter. The validation of this non-invasive technique requires phantoms with a well-known structure and diffusion behavior. This paper presents anisotropic diffusion phantoms consisting of parallel fibers.

Synthesis and determination of pKa values of some new 3,4-disubstituted-4,5-dihydro-1H-1,2,4-triazol-5-one derivatives in non-aqueous solvents.

3-Alkyl(Aryl)-4-amino-4,5-dihydro-1H-1,2,4-triazol-5-ones (2) reacted with 2-furoyl chloride and thiophene-2-carbonyl chloride to afford the corresponding 3- alkyl(aryl)-4-(2-furoylamino)-4,5-dihydro-1H-1,2,4-triazol-5-ones (3) and 3-alkyl(aryl)- 4-(2-thienylcarbonylamino)-4,5-dihydro-1H-1,2,4-triazol-5-ones (4), respectively. The new compounds synthesized were characterized by using IR, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR and UV spectral data together with elemental analysis. In addition, to investigate the effects of solvents and molecular structure upon acidity, compounds 3 and 4 were titrated potentiometrically with tetrabutylammonium hydroxide in four non-aqueous solvents (isopropyl alcohol, tert-butyl alcohol, N,N-dimethylformamide and acetonitrile).

Heart fatty acid binding protein and myoglobin after reperfusion of acute myocardial infarction.

Objective: The aim of this study was to disclose the release kinetics of heart fatty acid binding protein (HFABP) and myoglobin in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) reperfused by primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) and to determine the influence of the quality of coronary flow post PPCI on the release properties of these markers.

Methods And Results: Twenty-four patients with AMI who underwent successful PPCI and had no evidence of reocclusion within the first 120 minutes were studied. Serum myoglobin and HFABP levels at baseline and at 15, 30, 45, 60, 90 and 120 minutes after reperfusion were measured.

A study on 4-acylamino-4,5-dihydro-1H-1,2,4-triazol-5-ones.

Five novel 3-alkyl-4-phenylacetylamino-4,5-dihydro-1H-1,2,4-triazol-5-ones (2) were synthesized by the reactions of 3-alkyl-4-amino-4,5-dihydro-1H-1,2,4-triazol-5-ones (1) with phenylacetyl chloride and characterized by elemental analyses and IR, 1HNMR, 13C-NMR and UV spectral data. The newly synthesized compounds 2 were titrated potentiometrically with tetrabutylammonium hydroxide in four non-aqueous solvents such as isopropyl alcohol, tert-butyl alcohol, acetonitrile and N,N-dimethylformamide, and the half-neutralization potential values and the corresponding pKa values were determined for all cases. In addition, these new compounds and five recently reported 3-alkyl-4-(pmethoxybenzoylamino)-4,5-dihydro-1H-1,2,4-triazol-5-ones (3) were screened for their antioxidant activities.

Short-term melatonin treatment improved diabetic nephropathy but did not affect hemorheological changes in diabetic rats.

Increased oxidative stress and hemorheological disturbances may play very important roles in the development of microangiopathies in diabetes mellitus. This study was designed to determine the healing effect of melatonin on hemorheological parameters and diabetic nephropathy in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Wistar male rats were divided into four groups as control, untreated-diabetic, melatonin-treated control and melatonin-treated diabetic rats.

Limberg flap procedure for pilonidal sinus disease: results of 353 patients.

Purpose: Pilonidal sinus disease is common especially in young adult males. Many surgical and nonsurgical methods have been described. Some surgical techniques for the treatment still have high recurrence rate.

Widespread deregulation of microRNA expression in human prostate cancer.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small regulatory RNAs that can regulate gene expression by binding to mRNA sequences and repressing target-gene expression post-transcriptionally, either by inhibiting translation or promoting RNA degradation. We have analysed expression of 328 known and 152 novel human miRNAs in 10 benign peripheral zone tissues and 16 prostate cancer tissues using microarrays and found widespread, but not universal, downregulation of miRNAs in clinically localized prostate cancer relative to benign peripheral zone tissue. These findings have been verified by real-time RT-PCR assays on select miRNAs, including miR-125b, miR-145 and let-7c.

Isotretinoin-induced agranulocytosis.

Isotretinoin is used to treat a spectrum of dermatologic conditions. The present article reports the case of a 15-year-old female patient who exhibited agranulocytosis after the initiation of isotretinoin administration. Agranulocytosis is a rare but life-threatening side effect of isotretinoin use, and clinicians must be aware of agranulocytosis.

Metoprolol does not effect myocardial fractional flow reserve in patients with intermediate coronary stenoses.

Objective: Myocardial fractional flow reserve (FFR) is utilized to determine the hemodynamic significance of coronary stenoses. We sought to determine the effect, if any, of metoprolol on FFR in patients with coronary stenoses of intermediate severity.

Methods And Results: Eighteen patients (10 males, mean age, 59.

Heart rate variability and heart rate turbulence in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus with versus without cardiac autonomic neuropathy.

Cardiac autonomic neuropathy (CAN) is an important complication of diabetes mellitus (DM) and confers an increased cardiovascular risk. The aim of this study was to disclose the place of heart rate (HR) variability and HR turbulence for the detection of CAN in patients with type 2 DM and no obvious heart disease. Ninety patients who were <75 years old and had type 2 DM for >/=2 years were studied.

Type 1 neurofibromatosis and adult extremity sarcoma. A report of two cases.

We report two cases of malignant soft-tissue tumours--one myxoid malignant fibrous histiocytoma and one pleomorphic rhabdomyosarcoma--which were diagnosed in two young adult patients with type 1 neurofibromatosis (NF 1). The patients were evaluated with criteria for Neurofibromatosis 1 and NF 1 gene analysis was performed. Four of seven criteria were found in both patients.