Evaluation of Empirical Antibiotic Treatment in Culture Negative Pyogenic Vertebral Osteomyelitis.

Aim: To investigate the efficacy of empirical antibiotic treatment in culture-negative pyogenic vertebral osteomyelitis (PVO) cases.

Material And Methods: The records of patients with culture-negative PVO who were treated at infectious diseases and neurosurgery outpatient clinics in the past four years were examined retrospectively. The control group comprised healthy subjects with similar age, gender, and body mass index but without pathology.

The association of let-7c, miR-21, miR-145, miR-182, and miR-221 with clinicopathologic parameters of prostate cancer in patients diagnosed with low-risk disease.

Background: The diagnostic benefit of prostate specific antigen (PSA) is limited, owing to its lack of specificity, particularly in men with PSA levels of 4.0 to 10.0 ng/mL.

Spinal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage Induced Intractable Miotic Pupil. A Reminder of Ciliospinal Sympathetic Center Ischemia Based Miosis: An Experimental Study.

Aim: To examine ischemic neurodegeneration of the ciliospinal center on permanent miosis following subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH).

Material And Methods: Nineteen rabbits were examined in this study. The animals were divided into three groups, as control (GI, n=5), sham (GII, n=5) and study group (GIII, n=9).

Factors associated with mortality in acute subdural hematoma: Is decompressive craniectomy effective?

Background: Despite rapid diagnosis and aggressive neurosurgical intervention, acute subdural hematoma (ASDH) is a severe type of head injury that can result in high morbidity and mortality. Although surgical procedures, such as craniotomy and decompressive craniectomy (DC), can be effective, the preferred approach for treating an ASDH remains controversial. The aim of this report was to evaluate factors associated with mortality in patients with ASDH and determinants of outcome in those with ASDH who underwent DC.

Reduction of Inflammation and Enhancement of Motility after Pancreatic Islet Derived Stem Cell Transplantation Following Spinal Cord Injury.

Objective: Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a very serious health problem, usually caused by a trauma and accompanied by elevated levels of inflammation indicators. Stem cell-based therapy is promising some valuable strategies for its functional recovery. Nestinpositive progenitor and/or stem cells (SC) isolated from pancreatic islets (PI) show mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) characteristics.

Evaluation of the Effect of Daptomycin, a Glycopeptide Agent, on Intact Intervertebral Disc Tissue.

Aim: To evaluate the effects of pre- and intra-operatively administered daptomycin (DAP) on the intact human primary intervertebral disc tissue cells.

Material And Methods: Primary cell cultures were established using tissues obtained through decompressive laminectomy, traumatic intervertebral disc herniation excision, and posterior transpedicular stabilization. Non-drug-administered samples were used as a control group.

Paradoxic Relations between Basilar Artery Reconfiguration and Superior Cervical Ganglia Ischemia After Bilateral Common Carotid Artery Ligation.

Background: The relationship between superior cervical ganglia (SCG) ischemia due to bilateral common carotid artery ligation (BCCAL) and basilar artery (BA) reconfiguration was investigated.

Methods: Twenty-three rabbits were randomly divided into 3 groups: group III rabbits underwent BCCAL (n = 13), group II rabbits were sham-operated controls (n = 5), and group I rabbits did not undergo surgery (n = 5). Degenerated neuron densities (DND) within the SCG were correlated with the BA vasodilatation index (VDI).

Immunohistochemical Grading of Epidural Fibrosis with CD105 Antibody.

Objective: Grading of epidural fibrosis (EF) is usually performed by histopathologic staining in experimental studies. Immunohistochemical methods for grading are not available in routine practice yet. In our study, the effect of tranexamic acid (TXA), a commonly used hemostatic agent in surgical interventions, was evaluated for use against the development of EF with classical histopathologic methods and immunohistochemistry using the CD105 antibody, a marker of angiogenesis.

Synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy combined with chemometrics for rapid assessment of cold-pressed grape seed oil adulteration: Qualitative and quantitative study.

This paper describes the feasibility of synchronous fluorescence (SyF) spectroscopy combined with multivariate data analysis for qualitative and quantitative determination of adulteration of cold pressed grape seed oil (GSO) with refined soybean oil (SBO). SyF spectroscopy data of oil samples were collected in the region of 250-800 nm at excitation-emission wavelength differences (∆λ) of 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 and 80 nm. Three different multivariate methods, namely principal component analysis (PCA), soft independent modeling of class analogies (SIMCA) and partial least square regression (PLSR) analysis were used for data analysis.

Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors Induce Cough.

Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE-I) are widely used in diseases, such as hypertension, congestive heart failure, and myocardial infarction. Although these drugs are well tolerated, one out of five patients discontinues ACE-I due to drug side effects, mainly chronic cough. However, the pathogenesis of ACE-I-induced cough remains controversial and requires further study.

Effect of administering kefir on the changes in fecal microbiota and symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease: A randomized controlled trial.

Background/aims: Kefir is a kind of fermented probiotic dairy product. The objective of the present study was to investigate the effects of kefir consumption on the fecal microflora and symptoms of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Materials And Methods: Kefir was serially diluted and inoculated into de Man, Rogosa, and Sharpe agar and incubated at 37°C for 48 to 72 h under anaerobic conditions.

Understanding of Dry Eye in Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: An Experimental Study on the Role of Facial Nerve Ischemia.

Aim: To understand possible mechanisms underlying lacrimal gland degeneration when facial nerve root ischemia induces pterygopalatine ganglion injury and subsequent dry eye in a rabbit model of subarachnoid hemorrhage.

Material And Methods: Rabbits were divided into four groups: control, sham, moderate subarachnoid hemorrhage, and severe subarachnoid hemorrhage. Autologous blood recovered from the auricular artery was injected into the cisterna magna to induce subarachnoid hemorrhage in the two subarachnoid hemorrhage groups; animals were then monitored for dry eye development over 21 days before removal of their facial nerve roots, pterygopalatine ganglia, and lacrimal glands for immunohistochemical analyses.

Effect of inositol -stabilized arginine silicate on arthritis in a rat model.

The purpose of this study was to test the effects of arginine-silicate-inositol complex (ASI), compared to a combination of the individual ingredients (A+S+I) of the ASI, on inflammatory markers and joint health in a collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) rat model. A total of 28 Wistar rats were divided into four groups: (i) Control; (ii) Arthritic group, rats subjected to CIA induction by injection of bovine collagen type II (A); (iii) Arthritic group treated with equivalent doses of the separate components of the ASI complex (arginine hydrochloride, silicon, and inositol) (A+S+I); (iv) Arthritic group treated with the ASI complex. The ASI complex treatment showed improved inflammation scores and markers over the arthritic control and the A+S+I group.

Potentiometric Selectivities of Ionophore-Doped Ion-Selective Membranes: Concurrent Presence of Primary Ion or Interfering Ion Complexes of Multiple Stoichiometries.

The selectivities of ionophore-doped ion-selective electrode (ISE) membranes are controlled by the stability and stoichiometry of the complexes between the ionophore, L, and the target and interfering ions (I and J , respectively). Well-accepted models predict how these selectivities can be optimized by selection of ideal ionophore-to-ionic site ratios, considering complex stoichiometries and ion charges. These models were developed for systems in which the target and interfering ions each form complexes of only one stoichiometry.

The Applicability of Haarlem Integrated Diagnostic System in Diffuse Glial Tumors and Molecular Methods Affecting Prognosis.

Background: With the help of genetic studies, it is possible to obtain information about diagnosis and prognosis of glial tumors.

Aims: To categorize the cases according to the new World Health Organization Central Nervous System classification by reconsidering the histologic features of oligodendrogliomas, astrocytomas and oligoastrocytomas. We also evaluated whether these genetic features have prognostic significance.

Morphometric Analysis of the Effects of Manuka Honey on Vasospastic Femoral Arteries in Rats: An Experimental Study.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine if Manuka honey, a potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant agent, had any effect on the development of vasospasm in an experimental subarachnoidal hemorrhage model constructed in rat femoral arteries.

Methods: Twenty-four Wistar Albino strain rats were divided into 3 groups: Group 1 was the control group (n=8), Group 2 was the vasospasm group (n=8), and group 3 was the treatment group (n=8). The wall thickness (W) of the femoral arteries and the luminal diameter (L) were measured using morphometric methods.

Superior Sensor for Be Ion Recognition via the Unprecedented Octahedral Crystal Structure of a One-Dimensional Coordination Polymer of Crown Fused Zinc Phthalocyanine.

The unprecedented one-dimensional (1-D) coordination polymer of crown fused zinc phthalocyanine (P-CfZnPc) with an octahedral crystal structure and with intermolecular packing that has superior multichannel sensor ability for Be ion recognition was prepared and characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) and a wide range of spectroscopic and voltammetric methods. An exceptional feature of the crystal structure of P-CfZnPc is that each zinc ion in the phthalocyanine (Pc) polymer is coordinated by the four isoindole nitrogen atoms and an outer oxygen atom of the Pc molecule. This structure is the first example of an octahedral arrangement in a 1-D polymeric chain for zinc phthalocyanines (ZnPcs) and zinc porphyrins (ZnPs) reached without the presence of a coordinating solvent, which was confirmed by XRD analysis.

(3R, 3'R)-zeaxanthin protects the retina from photo-oxidative damage via modulating the inflammation and visual health molecular markers.

Purpose: Zeaxanthin protects the macula from ocular damage due to light or radiation by scavenging harmful reactive oxygen species. In the present study, zeaxanthin product (OmniXan®; OMX), derived from paprika pods (Capsicum annum; Family-Solanaceae), was tested for its efficacy in the rat retina against photooxidation.

Methods: Forty-two male 8-week-old Wistar rats exposed to 12L/12D, 16L/8D and 24L/0D hours of intense light conditions were orally administrated either 0 or 100 mg/kg BW of zeaxanthin concentration.

The use of ACE INDEL polymorphism as a biomarker of coronary artery disease (CAD) in humans with Mediterranean-style diet.

The ACE INDEL gene polymorphisms are strongly associated with CAD. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to investigate the relationship between ACE INDEL polymorphism and CAD in Turkish Cypriots whose are expected to have Mediterranean-style diet. 273 Turkish Cypriot descent volunteer subjects (186 controls and 87 CAD patients) participated in this study.

Real-World Outcomes of Anti-VEGF Treatment for Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration in Turkey: A Multicenter Retrospective Study, Bosphorus Retina Study Group Report No: 1.

Objectives: To evaluate the real-world outcomes of intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) treatment in neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) patients.

Materials And Methods: Multicenter, retrospective, interventional, non-comparative study. The records of nAMD patients treated with an anti-VEGF agent on a pro re nata treatment regimen basis between January 2013 and December 2015 were reviewed.

A Turn off-on Fluorescent Chemosensor for Sequential Determination of Mercury and Biothiols.

The selective and sensitive determination of biothiols in aqueous media has been great attention due to their important role in biological and pharmacological processes. We synthesized tryptophan functionalized perylene bisimide as a sensing chemosensor for mercury in aqueous solution. This complex between perylene dimide derivate (PDI/Trp) and mercury ions was evaluated and displayed to be turn on fluorescent chemosensor for the determination of biothiols in aqueous media.

Omalizumab Treatment for Atopic Severe Persistant Asthma: A Single-Center, Long-Term, Real-Life Experience with 38 Patients.

Objectives: Omalizumab is a monoclonal antibody that is used as add-on therapy for treating moderate-to-severe persistant atopic asthma in patients with persistant symptoms and frequent exacerbations, despite step 4 treatment according to GINA guidelines. Real-life studies on omalizumab treatment are limited in Turkey. Thus, the present study aims to assess the clinical efficacy and treatment outcomes of omalizumab in patients with atopic severe persistant asthma.