The effect of ultrasound-guided botulinum toxin injections on pain, functionality, spasticity, and range of motion in patients with post-stroke upper extremity spasticity.

Objective: Spasticity developing in the upper extremity in stroke patients causes disability by limiting movement and causing pain. This study investigates the effects of botulinum toxin injections on pain, functionality, spasticity, and range of motion in hemiplegic patients with post-stroke spasticity.

Materials And Methods: The study involved a double-blind, prospective, randomized controlled trial with thirty-one stroke patients aged 35-80 who developed upper extremity spasticity.

Effects of Rosmarinus officinalis extract on wound healing, colon anastomosis, and postoperative adhesion in colon anastomosis rats.

Background: Intraabdominal adhesions increase the incidence and length of surgical complications. Many anti-adhesive agents have been used for this purpose, but no definitive solution has yet been found. Studies on the prevention and reduction of anastomotic leakage, therefore, remain up to date.

External Auditory Canal Transillumination-Guided Middle Fossa Approaches: An Anatomical Feasibility Study.

Background And Objectives: The middle fossa approaches are tremendously versatile for treating small vestibular schwannomas, selected petroclival meningiomas, midbasilar trunk aneurysms, and lesions of the petrous bone. Our aim was to localize the internal acoustic canal and safely drill the petrous apex with these approaches. This study demonstrates a new method to locate the internal acoustic canal during surgery in the middle fossa.

Radiological Perspectives in Congenital Sensorineural Hearing Loss: Insights from Cochlear Implant Candidates.

Congenital hearing loss is a significant health concern, with diverse etiologies encompassing cochlear and cochleovestibular pathologies. Preoperative radiological evaluation in cochlear implant candidates is pivotal for treatment planning. We aim to elucidate the spectrum of radiological findings in patients with congenital hearing loss undergoing cochlear implant assessment.

Comparison of Smoking Cessation Outcomes in Smokers With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Coronary Artery Disease, Asthma, and Healthy Smokers: A Prospective Study of 400 Participants.

Objectives: In this study, we aimed to demonstrate the effect of motivational interviewing with a specific cohort of smokers on smoking cessation. Furthermore, we investigated the influence of medical conditions and individual traits on the efficacy of motivational interviewing for smoking cessation.

Methods: This prospective study was conducted with smokers who presented at the pulmonology and cardiology outpatient clinic.

Diagnosis, treatment, surgical practices and review of the literature in rare coagulation factor deficiencies.

Background: Rare bleeding disorders (RBDs) include fibrinogen (Factor I), prothrombin (Factor II), Factor V(FV), combined Factor V and Factor VIII, Factor VII, Factor X, Factor XI, Factor XII, and Factor XIII deficiencies. This group accounts for 3-5% of all factor deficiencies. Different symptoms may occur, ranging from mild or moderate bleeding to serious and life-threatening bleeding, which may not be related to the factor level.

Evaluating round window niche visibility in cochlear implantation: anatomical insights and electrode insertion strategies.

Purpose: Cochlear implantation (CI) surgery is essential for restoring hearing in individuals with severe sensorineural hearing loss. Accurate placement of the electrode within the cochlea is essential for successful auditory outcomes and minimizing complications. This study aims to analyze the relationship between the round window niche (RWN) alignment, its visibility during surgery, and the impact on surgical techniques and outcomes.

Comparison of the efficacy of treatment with clobetasol propionate or bexarotene in early-stage mycosis fungoides.

Background: There are few studies in the literature comparing the effectiveness of topical treatments in early-stage mycosis fungoides (MF).

Objectives: It was aimed to evaluate the clinical efficacy, side effects and topical treatment compliance with bexarotene or clobetasol propionate in early-stage MF.

Methods: A total of 40 patients with stage IA-IB MF were enrolled in the study.

Reality of Zuckerkandl tubercle and relationship with other anatomical variations.

Aim: The tubercle of Zuckerkandl (TZ) is considered to be the fusion point of the ultimabranchial body and the median thyroid body. We aimed to evaluate the frequency of TZ and its relationship with other anatomical variations and recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) paralysis.

Material And Methods: Data regarding the thyroid lobe and RLN of patients with thyroidectomy between June 2016 and December 2019 were retrospectively evaluated.

Can fecal calprotectin be used as a biomarker of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in obese adolescents?

Background: The incidence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is increasing with obesity, and it is believed that the ongoing low-grade inflammation in obesity and alterations in the enterohepatic axis contributing this process. This study aimed to determine the role of fecal calprotectin (FC) as inflammatory biomarker in obesity and NAFLD.

Methods: Between November 2022-August 2023, 31 obese and 10 healthy adolescents aged between 10 and 18 years enrolled in this prospective controlled study.

Acellular dermal matrices in reconstructive surgery; history, current implications and future perspectives for surgeons.

Large-scale defects of body in the reconstructive surgical practice, and the helplessness of their repair with autologous tissues, have been an important factor in the development of artificial biological products for the temporary, definitive, or staged repair of these defects. A major advance in the field of plastic and other reconstructive surgery in this regard has been the introduction and successful use of acellular dermal matrices (ADMs). In recent years, not only the type of tissue from which ADMs are produced, product range, diversity and areas of use have increased, but their use in reconstructive fields, especially in post oncologic breast surgery, has become highly regarded and this has favored ADMs to be a potential cornerstone in specific and well-defined surgical fields in future.

An appraisal and comparative analysis of superb microvascular imaging with conventional ultrasound and MRI for greater trochanteric pain syndrome management.

Greater trochanteric pain syndrome (GTPS) is a common cause of hip pain and is often associated with chronic lower back pain and lower extremity osteoarthritis. Its diagnosis is clinical; however, imaging has been shown to aid in the differential diagnosis of challenging cases. Superb microvascular imaging (SMI) is a new technique that may be more effective than power Doppler ultrasonography (PDUS) in the detection of inflammation-related vascularity in patients.

Lateralization outcomes of bilateral inferior petrosal sinus sampling: desmopressin vs CRH.

Purpose: Bilateral inferior petrosal sinus sampling (BIPSS) is the gold standard for localizing ACTH-dependent Cushing's syndrome (CS). While corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) was initially used for stimulation, desmopressin has become a common alternative. This research evaluates desmopressin's effectiveness in lateralizing Cushing's disease (CD) during BIPSS compared to CRH stimulation.

mTORC1 and mTORC2 Levels in Patients with Psoriasis.

Introduction: In recent years, there has been a growing emphasis on the role of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway in the pathogenesis of psoriasis. This intracellular signaling pathway is known as the main control pathway of metabolism and is of particular interest in this context.

Objectives: To investigate the importance of the mTOR pathway in the pathogenesis of plaque psoriasis.

Histological Evaluation of the Effects of Intra-Articular Injection of Caffeic Acid on Cartilage Repair in a Rat Knee Microfracture Model.

BACKGROUND Cartilage injuries are challenging to treat due to limited self-healing. Standard treatments often lead to the formation of less durable fibrocartilage. Caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE), a polyphenolic compound, can improve cartilage repair.

Is There a Difference between Intralesional Treatments Combined with Internal Urethrotomy?

Background: This study aimed to compare the efficacy of various injection therapy agents used in combination with internal urethrotomy in preventing fibrosis and stricture recurrence.

Materials And Methods: Patients who underwent direct vision internal urethrotomy (DVIU) in our clinic between 2017 and 2022 were retrospectively screened. The patients were divided into four groups: DVIU + intralesional platelet-rich plasma (DVIU + PRP group, n = 21), DVIU + intralesional mitomycin-C (DVIU + MMC group, n = 21), DVIU + intralesional prednisolone (DVIU + prednisolone group, n = 21), and DVIU alone (control group, n = 21).

Breast Cancer Recurrence in Initially Clinically Node-Positive Patients Undergoing Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy After Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in the NEOSENTITURK-Trials MF18-02/18-03.

Background: This study aims to identify factors predicting recurrence and unfavorable prognosis in cN+ patients who have undergone sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) following neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC).

Methods: The retrospective multi-centre "MF18-02" and the prospective multi-centre cohort registry trial "MF18-03" (NCT04250129) included patients with cT1-4N1-3M0 with SLNB+/- axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) post-NAC.

Results: A total of 2407 cN+ patients, who later achieved cN0 status after NAC and subsequently underwent SLNB, were studied.

Periradicular repair after single-visit root canal treatment using sonic irrigant activation of teeth with apical periodontitis.

Objectives: This study aimed to explore whether using sonic irrigant activation during endodontic treatment favors periradicular repair in teeth with apical periodontitis.

Materials & Methods: One clinician treated 140 posterior (either premolar or molar) asymptomatic teeth with periapical lesions: 70 were randomly assigned to the sonic activation with EndoActivator (EA) group, and 70 were treated by conventional needle irrigation (CNI). Both groups underwent chemomechanical root canal preparation using 35/04 diameter rotary files and 2.

Mental health service utilization among patients followed up in tertiary HIV/AIDS clinics in Turkey: A need for integrated care.

Objectives: Mental health (MH) care for people living with HIV (PLWH) emerges as an important unmet need, yet there are no integrated HIV-MH clinics in Turkey. Our aim is to determine MH service use and its associated factors in PLWH followed up in the HIV/AIDS outpatient clinics in Istanbul/Turkey.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at the HIV/AIDS outpatient clinics of the Infectious Diseases (ID) departments in hospitals affiliated with the ACTHIV-IST Study Group.

Evaluation of predisposing factors in patients with ingrown toenails: a prospective, case-control study.

Ingrown toenails (IGTN) are a prevalent, debilitating nail disorder that occurs when the edge of the nail plate grows abnormally to penetrate the periungual dermis. Multiple risk factors have been identified in the etiology. In this study, we aimed to investigate the risk factors that predispose patients to IGTN.

Dose optimization of piperacillin/tazobactam, cefepime, and ceftazidime for carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates in Türkiye.

Introduction: Although CRPA may test susceptible to other β-lactams such as ceftazidime (CAZ), cefepime (FEP), and piperacillin/tazobactam (TZP), reduced potency has been observed. We assessed the adequacy of EUCAST Susceptible (S) or Susceptible Increased Exposure (SIE)/(I) doses for CAZ, FEP, and TZP against CRPA clinical isolates.

Methods: CRPA isolates were collected from patients at three Turkish hospitals.