Relationship between homocysteine and non-dipper pattern in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Objective: The rate of reduction of nocturnal blood pressure (NBP) is lesser than normal in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (type 2 DM). Hyperhomocysteinemia (HHC) disrupts vascular structure and function, no matter the underlying causes. The risk of development of vascular disease is greater in diabetic patients with hyperhomocysteinemia than in patients with normal homocystein levels.

Association of left ventricular diastolic dysfunction with elevated NT-proBNP in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients with preserved ejection fraction: the supplemantary role of tissue doppler imaging parameters and NT-proBNP levels.

Background: Early diagnosis of cardiovascular disease in diabetic patients may be important to introduce treatment early. Echocardiography is a method used to show the ventricular functions. A ventricular hormone, BNP is used to identify the changes in the ventricular function in early period.

[Low L-carnitine levels: can it be a cause of nocturnal blood pressure changes in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus?].

Objective: The nocturnal blood pressure (NBP) reduction is less than normal in the patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (type 2 DM). L-carnitine deficiency may cause changes of NBP by leading to hyperglycemia, insulin resistance and endothelial dysfunction in patients with type-2 DM. The purpose of the study was to investigate whether there is a difference in levels of L-carnitine in dipper and nondippers patients with type 2 DM.

Serum leptin levels and malnutrition in patients with chronic renal failure.

Objective: To investigate the correlation between serum leptin levels, body mass index, and triceps skin fold thickness, which are anthropometric measurements, as well as serum albumin levels in patients with chronic renal failure on hemodialysis.

Methods: We studied 75 patients (48 males, 27 females; ages between 18-82) at the Hemodialysis Unit, Cumhuriyet University Medical School; Private Sivas Dialysis Center; Hemodialysis Unit, Sultan Izzettin Keykavus Hospital; and the Hemodialysis Unit, SSK Sivas Hospital between January 2003 and February 2004. Patients were excluded if they had been on dialysis for less than one year, if they were anuric, or if they had been on dialysis with jugular or subclavian catheter and long-term permanent port catheter.

Relationship between serum leptin levels and body composition and markers of malnutrition in nondiabetic patients on peritoneal dialysis or hemodialysis.

Background: Leptin is a protein hormone secreted by adipocytes, regulating body fat and food intake. It has been reported that serum leptin levels are high in patients with chronic renal failure, and this fact has been associated with malnutrition and body composition changes in patients on hemodialysis. This present study investigated the relationship between plasma leptin concentrations and body composition and markers of malnutrition in nondiabetic patients diagnosed with end-stage chronic renal failure, treated with continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) or hemodialysis (HD).

Antibiotic susceptibility patterns of respiratory isolates of Staphylococcus aureus in a Turkish university hospital.

A total of 391 respiratory isolates of Staphylococcus aureus in Sivas (Turkey) were studied between January 1999-2002. The organisms were cultured from the following specimens: throat (43%), sputum (28%), transtracheal/endotracheal aspirates (27%), and bronchial lavage (2%). The isolates were tested against 11 different antibiotics by a disk diffusion method or standardized microdilution technique.

Retrospective analysis of antibiotic susceptibility patterns of respiratory isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in a Turkish University Hospital.

Background: Lower respiratory tract infections due to Pseudomonas aeruginosa have a high mortality rate. Antibacterial activity of various antibiotics against P. aeruginosa isolated from each hospital depends on the variety or amount of antibiotics used in each hospital.