Caregiving experiences of Turkish intensive care unit nurses who survived in the most destructive double earthquake of the century: A qualitative study.

Background: Turkey has been exposed to many devastating earthquakes in recent years. Considering that nurses are on the front lines of responding to disasters, they need to be prepared at all times. In the literature review, it was seen that despite the roles of intensive care nurses in disasters, their experiences in caring for earthquake victims have not been adequately researched.

Effect of training based on Orem's self-care deficit theory on breast cancer patients' management of chemotherapy-related side effects and self-care behaviors: A randomized controlled trial.

Purpose: To examine the effects of training based on Orem's self-care deficit theory on breast cancer patient's physical, social, and psychological well-being and self-care behaviors during chemotherapy.

Methods: This randomized controlled trial was based on a pretest-posttest experimental design. The study sample consisted of 62 breast cancer patients (n = 31 for each of the intervention and control groups) receiving cyclophosphamide-epirubicin or cyclophosphamide-adriamycin treatment in the medical oncology department of a university hospital in Tekirdağ, Turkey.

The effect of brochure-assisted education given before septorhinoplasty on surgical fear and anxiety: A randomized controlled trial.

This study is a randomized controlled interventional study aimed to determine the effect of preoperative brochure-assisted education on surgical fear and anxiety in patients scheduled for septorhinoplasty surgery. The study was conducted between May 2022 and February 2023 in the Otorhinolaryngology services and clinics of a training and research hospital in the southern region of Turkey. The study included 61 patients, with 29 in the education group and 32 in the control group.

The effect of progressive relaxation exercise on fatigue level of intensive care nurses: A randomised controlled trial.

Objective: The aim of this study is to examine the effect of progressive muscle relaxation exercise on the fatigue level of intensive care nurses.

Methods: In this clinical trial, the participants were randomly assigned to the intervention (n = 38) and control (n = 37) groups after obtaining necessary approvals. The nurses in the intervention group applied progressive muscle relaxation every day for 4 weeks, with each session lasting for 15 min.

Evaluation of Patients with COVID-19 Followed Up in Intensive Care Units in the Second Year of the Pandemic: A Multicenter Point Prevalence Study.

Objective: A 1-day point prevalence study was planned to obtain country data by determining the clinical characteristics, follow-up and treatment methods of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases that required intensive care unit (ICU) treatment in the second year of the pandemic.

Material And Methods: All patients who were hospitalized in the ICUs due to COVID-19 between March 11, 2022, 08.00 am, and March 12, 2022, 08.

Evaluation of Cerebral Vasomotor Reactivity by Transcranial Doppler Ultrasound in Patients with Diabetic Retinopathy.

The aim of this study was to assess the correlation between cerebral vasomotor reactivity (CVR) and the grade of diabetic retinopathy. A total of 43 diabetic patients with matched severity of diabetic retinopathy between their right and left eyes were included in this study. Diabetic retinopathy was graded in three groups.

Caregiving experiences of nurses working in a newly established intensive care unit during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study.

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has adversely affected intensive care nurses; for instance, they have fought against an unknown disease, and their workload has increased. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic has led intensive care nurses to work in new settings and with new teams.

Objective: The aim of this study was to explore and describe the caregiving experiences of nurses who were working in a new COVID-19 intensive care unit in Turkey and providing care for patients infected with SARS-CoV-2.

The effectiveness and safety of neoadjuvant pertuzumab and trastuzumab in women with locally advanced, inflammatory, or early-stage human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive breast cancer: Turkish Oncology Group study.

In our study, we aimed to evaluate the pathological response rates and side effect profile of adding pertuzumab to the treatment of HER2+ locally advanced, inflammatory, or early-stage breast cancer. This study was conducted by the Turkish Oncology Group (TOG) with data collected from 32 centers. Our study was multicentric, and a total of 364 patients were included.

Prognostic values of various hematological variables as markers of systemic inflammation in metastatic lung cancer.

Background: Chronic state of inflammation is an important factor in advanced cancer which is used by tumor cells for maintaining survival and growth. Hematological parameters such as neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), thrombocyte/lymphocyte ratio (TLR), and lymphocyte/monocyte ratio (LMR) are reliable indicators of systemic inflammation. We aimed to elucidate the effect of hematological parameters and clinical features of patients on the prognosis of advanced-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Evaluation of periostin and factors associated with new bone formation in ankylosing spondylitis: Periostin may be associated with the Wnt pathway.

Objective: Periostin has been shown to be involved in bone anabolism through the regulation of Wnt-β-catenin signaling. It may be one of the pathogenic mechanisms in syndesmophyte formation in ankylosing spondylitis (AS). The aim of this study was to evaluate serum periostin levels in patients with AS and to assess relationships among biomarkers of bone formation and periostin in disease outcomes, particularly radiographic changes.

Relationship between reticuloendothelial systems' FDG uptake level and clinicopathological features in patient with invasive ductal breast cancer.

Purpose: The reticuloendothelial system (RES) is a part of the immune system and plays a major role in the protection of against diseases. We thought that FDG-PET/CT may show the degree of systemic immune response induced with malignancy in the organs with the high RES activity. Our objective is to investigate FDG uptake levels of high RES activity organs (liver, spleen, bone marrow) in invasive ductal breast cancer and to evaluate the association with the clinicopathological features.

Contribution of nonattenuation-corrected images on FDG-PET/CT in the assessment of solitary pulmonary nodules.

In this study, we aim to determine the diagnostic performance of nonattenuation-corrected (NAC) and attenuation-corrected (AC) FDG-PET/CT images in the assessment of solitary pulmonary nodule (SPN). We reviewed the images of 41 patients who underwent FDG-PET/CT to diagnose SPNs. The visual analysis of FDG uptake intensity in SPN on AC and NAC PET images was made using a four-point score from 1 to 4 on both AC and NAC PET images.

Antihormonal treatment associated musculoskeletal pain in women with breast cancer in the adjuvant setting.

Purpose: Antihormonal treatment is an effective therapy in the adjuvant setting. However, musculoskeletal pain is a common adverse effect encountered in patients receiving this treatment. We aimed to evaluate the risk factors for the development of antihormonal treatment-associated musculoskeletal pain (AHAMP) and its impact on the health-related quality of life (HRQOL).

Performance characteristics of the simplified version of ankylosing spondylitis disease activity score (SASDAS).

Various types of disease activity measures are available for axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA), and there is no gold standard for all individual patients. The ankylosing spondylitis disease activity score (ASDAS) is highly discriminatory, sensitive to change, and associated with structural progression. A simplified version of the ASDAS (SASDAS) was proposed and found to be a simple and practical tool to assess disease activity.

Review of the current role of targeted therapies as maintenance therapies in first and second line treatment of epithelial ovarian cancer; In the light of completed trials.

Late and recurrent stage ovarian cancer has a high mortality and low response rate to therapy beyond first line treatment. Although first line platinum/taxane based regimens have a satisfactory response rate eventually in most cases disease recurrence is common and second-line treatments are not curative. Delaying progression or recurrence is the main goal of current ongoing clinical studies by means of establishing an effective maintenance regimen with acceptable toxicity profile.

Retrospective evaluation of totally implantable venous access port devices: early and late complications.

Purpose: The role totally implantable vascular devices (TIVAD) have an important role in providing care to cancer patients who require continuous or frequent venous access route either for their primary or supportive care treatments. This retrospective study aimed to analyze the efficacy of TIVAD and device-related complications.

Methods: A total of 324 consecutive patients (185 male,139 female, median age 56 years, mean 48 ± 10.

The phenotypic and molecular genetic spectrum of Alström syndrome in 44 Turkish kindreds and a literature review of Alström syndrome in Turkey.

Alström syndrome (ALMS) is an autosomal recessive disease characterized by multiple organ involvement, including neurosensory vision and hearing loss, childhood obesity, diabetes mellitus, cardiomyopathy, hypogonadism, and pulmonary, hepatic, renal failure and systemic fibrosis. Alström Syndrome is caused by mutations in ALMS1, and ALMS1 protein is thought to have a role in microtubule organization, intraflagellar transport, endosome recycling and cell cycle regulation. Here, we report extensive phenotypic and genetic analysis of a large cohort of Turkish patients with ALMS.

Vasodilation Responses to Non-Selective α-Adrenergic Blockage of Coronary Bypass Grafts in Diabetic and Non-Diabetic Patients: In Vitro Study.

Background: Adrenergic tonus is increased in atherosclerotic coronary arteries. In this study, we aimed to demonstrate in vitro effects of phentolamine, a reversible nonselective alpha (α) adrenergic blocker, on coronary artery bypass grafts (CABG) and compare its effects in diabetic and nondiabetic patients.

Methods: A total number of 30 patients (15 diabetic and 15 nondiabetic) who were assigned to elective CABG surgery were enrolled into the study.

Mediastinal Ectopic Parathyroid Adenoma in a Patient Followed for Colon Cancer and Chronic Renal Failure: A Challenging Case.

Colorectal cancer is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The advances in early diagnosis and treatment have increasingly expanded the patient population surviving from colorectal cancer. Herein, we present a case of a patient with mediastinal ectopic parathyroid adenoma who has been followed up for postoperative colon cancer.

Technical details concerning myomucosal advancement method in the repair of large lower lip defects.

The most important decision that a surgeon has to make in large lower lip defect reconstruction is whether to use a free flap or local flap. Despite efficient transplantation, serious cosmetic problems can occur in total or in near-total lower lip reconstruction with a free flap. On the other hand, better cosmetic results can be brought about in reconstructions with local flaps when a repair is made in tissues with similar properties in terms of color, thickness, or pilosity.

Is (99m)Tc-MDP whole body bone scintigraphy adjuvant to (18)F-FDG-PET for the detection of skeletal metastases?

Purpose: Due to the fact that fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography ((18)F-FDG-PET/CT) and technetium-99m-methylenediphosphonate ((99m)Tc-MDP) whole body scans identify bone metastases by different mechanisms, i.e. by using glucose metabolism and osteoblastic response in the bone, respectively, it can be expected that there may be some differences between these two methods in the number of lesions identified.

Predictors of outcome in patients with advanced nonseminomatous germ cell testicular tumors.

Background: Predictor factors determining complete response to treatment are still not clearly defined. We aimed to evaluate clinicopathological features, risk factors, treatment responses, and survival analysis of patient with advanced nonseminomatous GCTs (NSGCTs).

Materials And Methods: Between November 1999 and September 2011, 140 patients with stage II and III NSGCTs were referred to our institutions and 125 patients with complete clinical data were included in this retrospective study.

Salvage treatment experience in advanced synovial sarcoma: a multicenter retrospective analysis of the Anatolian society of medical oncology.

Background: We aimed to evaluate prognostic factors and response rates to various treatment approaches to patients with synovial sarcoma in an advanced setting.

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 55 patients (18 pts; 32.7% women) diagnosed with synovial sarcomas.

Serum adiponectin and resistin levels in patients with obsessive compulsive disorder.

We aimed to investigate the changes in serum adiponectin and resistin levels in patients with obsessive compulsive disorder and control groups. The serum adiponectin and resistin levels of 29 patients (16 females, 13 males) with obsessive compulsive disorder and weight, age and sex-matched 31 healthy controls (17 females, 14 males) were determined. Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) was applied to all groups.

The relationship between vitamin D and disease activity and functional health status in rheumatoid arthritis.

We aimed to establish the relationship between serum vitamin D levels and disease activity and health status in rheumatoid arthritis. Sixty-five patients with RA fulfilling ACR criteria for the classification of rheumatoid arthritis and forty healthy controls were included in this study. Disease activity was assessed according to the Disease Activity Score including 28 joint counts.