Digital Commons Network^™

Rate-Dependent Effects Of Dofetilide On Epicardial Monophasic Action Potentials In Isolated Rabbit Heart With Atrial Pacing, Mustafa Özbek, Şule Gök

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Dofetilide (UK 68,798), a new antiarrhythmic agent, blocks potassium channels selectively and acts primarily by prolonging repolarization duration. The aim of this study was to investigate rate-dependent repolarization changes due to dofetilide in a fast beating in-vitro heart model. The study was designed using Langendorff perfusion of rabbit hearts at the drug concentrations of 1 nM, 3 nM and 10 nM. The electrophysiological evaluations were performed using the recording of epicardial monophasic action potentials. Atrial pacing was set at the cycle length (ms) of 300, 325, 350, 375 and 400 so that repolarization duration could be measured in different heart …

Clinical Evaluation Of The Fastplaquetb For The Rapid Diagnosis Of Pulmonary Tuberculosis, Cengi̇z Çavuşoğlu, Sevi̇nç Güneri̇, Mutay Suntur, Altinay Bi̇lgi̇ç

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

The reliability of the FASTPlaqueTB (FPTB) test (Biotec Ltd.) for the rapid diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis was evaluated and its diagnostic performance was compared with the Amplified Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Direct (MTD) test (Gen-Probe) by testing 80 sputum samples obtained from 77 patients. The results were compared to those of mycobacterial culture, smear and clinical course. After a chart review 14 culture-negative patients who had been on antituberculosis therapy before the study began were excluded from the final analysis. Of the remaining 63 patients, 33 were considered to have tuberculosis; 29 of them were both smear and culture positive, for whom …

Effects Of Short-Term Orlistat Therapy On Maximal Power Production Capacity In Obese Patients, Oğuz Özçeli̇k, Rami̇s Çolak, A. Baki̇ Türkoğlu

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of weight loss induced by hypocaloric diet and orlistat therapy for a four-week period on maximal work rate (Wmax) production capacity and aerobic fitness in obese patients. Fifteen obese subjects were given an integrated energy restricted diet and orlistat supplement (DO). Each patient performed two incremental ramp exercise tests using an electromagnetically braked cycle ergometer: one at the beginning and one at the end of the four-weeks to determine Wmax production capacity. Four weeks of DO therapy resulted in a significant reduction in total body weight (93.7 ± 14.6 kg …

Penetrating Cardiac Injuries, Ahmet Özyazicioğlu, Azman Ateş, Münacetti̇n Cevi̇z, Sami̇ Karapolat, Engi̇n Bozkurt, Hi̇kmet Koçak

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Objectives: To present our experience of penetrating cardiac injuries treated at Atatürk University hospital; in 17 years 38 patients were analyzed. Methods: Patients were classified into three groups: group A (stable), 12; group B (shock), 21; and group C (agonal), five. Five patients were treated by pericardial window and three by pericardiocentesis. Two patients in group C, 19 patients in group B and five patients in group A underwent median sternotomy or thoracotomy in the operating room. Emergency room thoracotomies were performed in four patients. Results: There were 12 patients in group A, of which 11 survived (92 %). Of …

Bacteriological Effects Of Xylitol And Different Carbohydrate Containing Diets In Swiss Albino Rats Inoculated With Streptococcus Mutans Ccug 6519, Fahi̇nur Ertuğrul, Rengi̇n Eltem, Bora A. Ataman

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

The aim of the study was to investigate the bacteriological effects of different diets by Streptococcus mutans counts on 50 Swiss albino rats inoculated with Streptococcus mutans CCUG 6519 serotype c. A powdered form of standard basal diet meeting rats' nutritional needs was used in combination with diets containing different percentages of starch, sucrose and xylitol for 90 days. Dental plaque samples were collected at the end of the experiment and S. mutans and total bacterial counts were determined. S. mutans and total bacterial counts in plaque samples were the highest in the sucrose group and the differences were statistically …

An Alternative Method To The Volume Estimation Of Cavities With Irregular Surface In The Cadaver: Measuring Right Cardiac Ventricle Of The Fetus By Using Mercury, Zeli̇ha Kurtoğlu, M. Haluk Uluutku

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

To find the volume of irregular cavities in cadavers, many researchers have used different methods including filling with any fluid and calculating the volume by usingcomplex geometrical formulas. All of these have some difficulties and disadvantages. In this paper, filling cavities with mercury is presented as an alternative method for volume estimation of the cavities. The volumes of 22 right cardiac ventricles were found by using mercury in 27-34 week-old fetuses. The method was proposed as an easy and sensitive method for volume estimation and comparison of the cavities in the cadaver.

Nosocomial Fungal Infections In A Teaching Hospital In Turkey: Identification Of The Pathogens And Their Antifungal Susceptibility Patterns, Duygu Findik, İnci̇ Tuncer

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

From January 1999 through April 2000, 208 Candida strains were obtained from hospitalized patients with nosocomial infection. Most of the species were isolated from urine (77.8%) followed by oropharynx (8.2%), blood stream (6.1%), drain (6.1%), peritoneum (0.9%) and cerebrospinal fluid specimens (0.9%). The distribution of the species obtained was Candida albicans (75.4%), C. glabrata (8.2%), C. tropicalis (4.8%), C. kefyr (3.4%), C. parapsilosis (2.5%), C. lusitaniae (1.9%), C. famata (1.4%), C. krusei (1.4%), and C. guilliermondii (1%). The antifungal susceptibility of the isolates to 5-fluorocytosine (5FCU), amphotericin B (AMP), nystatin (NYS), econazole (ECO), miconazole (MIC) and ketoconazole (KET) was tested …

A Survey Of Patients With Acute Poisoning In The Sivas Region, Turkey, Between 1994 And 1998, Hakan Alagözlü, Hafi̇ze Sezer, Ferhan Candan, Ertan Tabak, Nazi̇f Elaldi

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

This study was carried out over the period 1994-1998 for the purpose of observing the poisoning incidence and of presenting a poisoning profile of the Sivas region, Turkey. During the study period, 1521 patients were admitted to hospitals with various poisonings in Sivas and these were retrospectively analyzed. The results were evaluated by a chi-square test. In 1521 (1054 females, 467 males) poisoning cases, the mean annual incidence of poisonings was found to be 0.048%. When poisoning cases were assessed etiologically, drug poisonings rated first (54.8%). The most commonly ingested drugs were antidepressants (39%), analgesic-antiinflammatories (31%), antihypertensives (7%) and miscellaneous …

Factors Affecting Bone Health In Children: A Preliminary Study In Kocaeli, Gülcan Türker, Kadi̇r Babaoğlu, Demet Gedi̇kbaşi, Hakan Demi̇r, Fatma Berk, Meti̇n Aydoğan, Şükrü Hatun

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Unhealthy bones in childhood are likely to be reflected as osteoporosis in the future. This study was planned to assess the bone health of children in the Kocaeli region and to determine the risk factors in terms of osteopenia. A total of 46 healthy children aged 6-16 years (21 girls and 25 boys, mean age: 8.74±2.56 years) were included in the study. A questionaire was used by the physicians to determine the sunlight exposure, dressing habits, calcium content of the diet, vitamin supplementation and daily physical activity. Bone mineral density was evaluated using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry at L_2-L_4 levels of …

Individual Cdr3 Regions As Targets For Detection Of Clonal Cells In Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia, Hakan Savli

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

VLI University of Helsinki Transplantation Laboratory, Bone Marrow Transplantation Research Team, Helsinki - FINLAND

Thymidine Labeling Index In Laryngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma, Murat Ünal, Ayhan Bi̇li̇r, Mesut Can Karatay, İsmai̇l Çölhan

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

The aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic value of the thymidine labeling index (TLI) in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). The TLI in tumor tissue and adjacent healthy tissue was assessed prospectively in 31 patients and these values were correlated with age, TNM, grade and recurrence statistically. The tissues (tumoral and adjacent tumor-free tissue) that were obtained during surgery were labeled with ^3H-Thymidine. TLI was calculated as the number of labeled tumor cells * 100 / total number of tumor cells. A statistically significant difference was observed between tumor tissue (mean TLI value = 17.62± 6.39%) and …

Causes And Effective Factors On Mortality Of Intestinal Obstruction In The South East Anatolia, Yilmaz Akgün, Gülşen Yilmaz, Hasan Akbayin

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Mechanical intestinal obstruction is a common problem confronting the surgeon. The clinical records of 699 patients surgically treated for intestinal obstruction were evaluated retrospectively and factors affecting mortality in these patients were investigated. There were 202 (28.9%) women and 497 (71.1%) men, with a median age of 48.5±19.4 years involved in the study. Volvulus formed the vast majority of cases (28.6%), followed by adhesions (25.3%), strangulated hernias (24.0%) and malignancy (16.8%). Although strangulated hernias and malignancy might occur at any age, the peak incidence for causes of obstruction due to adhesions (55.9%) was in the 15-34 age group, and volvulus …

Transcutaneous Measurement Of Bilirubin By Icterometer During Phototherapy On A Bilibed, İpek Akman, Çi̇ğdem Arikan, Hülya Bi̇lgen, Si̇bel Kalaça, Eren Özek

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

AIM: We aimed to find the correlation between bilirubin levels measured spectrophotometrically and transcutaneously by an icterometer and investigate if the number of serum bilirubin measurements can be reduced by using an icterometer during phototherapy on a bilibed. METHODS: The study group consisted of 52 babies with total serum bilirubin values less than 18 mg/dl, who were treated by phototherapy at the bilibed in the Neonatology Unit of Marmara University Hospital. Eighty-nine measurements were made from the study population. During phototherapy on the bilibed, the face of the baby was not affected by phototherapy light, allowing transcutaneous bilirubinometry to be …

Primary Intestinal Malignant Melanoma, Tanju Acar, Ramazan Taçyildiz, Şevki̇ Karakayali, Haldun Vahapoğlu, Raci̇ Aydin

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

AR^1 Ramazan TAÇYILDIZ^1 Şevki KARAKAYALI^1 Haldun VAHAPOĞLU^2 Raci AYDIN^1 ^1Department of General Surgery. Emergency Aid and Traumatology Hospital, Balgat, ^2Department of Pathology, SSK Ankara Hospital. Dışkapı, Ankara, Turkey

Prevalence Of Asthma And Asthma-Like And Allergic Symptoms In The Urban Adult Population Of Elazığ, Tuncer Tuğ, Yasemi̇n Açik, Esra Tuğ

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of asthma, asthma-like symptoms and atopy in the adult population of the city of Elazığ. A specific questionnaire, adopted from the European Community Respiratory Health Survey including social status and smoking tendencies of people was filled in by 2454 randomly chosen (1088 male, 1366 female) subjects. The cumulative prevalence of asthma and asthma-like symptoms for males, females and the general population was 22.0%, 28.7%, and 25.7%, respectively. The periodic prevalences of them were 17.3%, 20.5%, and 19.1%, while rates of previously diagnosed asthma were 2.6%, 3.5%, and 3.1%. Subjects suffering …

A Simple Comparison Between Simultaneous Kidney-Pancreas (Skptx) And Kidney-Alone (Ktx) Transplants In Type I Diabetic Nephropaty, Tanju Acar, Arshad Mahmood

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Simultaneous kidney-pancreas transplantation (SKPtx) is an established procedure at many transplant centres for the treatment of end-stage renal disease from type I diabetes mellitus. A successful transplant normalises glucose metabolism and may prevent or reverse some of the complications of diabetes. Concerning graft survival and morbidity rates, the usefulness of this procedure is still questioned by some authors (1,2). We undertook a retrospective study to investigate the differences between survival rates of SKPtx and kidney alone transplant (Ktx) recipients.We also evaluated morbidity rates and complications in both groups. There were no significant differences in 12 and 36 month survival rates. …

Intraarticular Cyst Of The Knee, Gülay Yeği̇noğlu, Osman Aynaci, Ahmet Uğur Turhan

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

GİNOĞLU^1 Osman AYNACI^2 Ahmet Uğur TURHAN^2 Department of ^1Anatomy, ^2Orthopedic Surgery, School of Medicine, Karadeniz Technical University, 61080 Trabzon - Turkey

Gene Therapy In Human Breast Cancer, Ogan D. Abaan, Wayne E. Criss

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Gene therapy, being a novel treatment for many diseases, is readily applicable for the treatment of cancer patients. Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women. There are many clinical protocols for the treatment of breast cancer, and gene therapy is now being considered within current protocols. This review will focus on the basic concepts of cancer gene therapy strategies (suicide gene, tumor suppressor gene, anti-angiogenesis, immunotherapy, oncolytic viruses and ribozyme/antisense targeting) and current approaches for breast cancer gene therapies.

In Vitro Esterase Activity Of Carbonic Anhydrase On Total Esterase Activity Level In Serum, Muhammet Fevzi̇ Polat, Barbaros Nalbantoğlu

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

The in vitro esterase activity of carbonic anhydrase on total esterase activity level was investigated. This effect was obtained by subtracting the value of net esterase from the value of total esterase in sera with normal (95.22 ± 8.87) and high glucose levels (208.58 ± 87.90). Total esterase activity, net esterase activity and esterase activity of carbonic anhydrase were 20.2 ± 1.9, 18.1 ± 1.8 and 2.1 ± 0.7 U/min/mL serum in sera with a normal glucose level, and 21.3 ± 2.8, 17.9 ± 2.9 and 3.4 ± 1.2 U/min/mL serum in sera with a high glucose level, respectively. Thus, …

A Comparison Of Erythrocyte Superoxide Dismutase And Catalase Activity In Patients With Hepatitis C Infection, Aysun Bay Karabulut, Emi̇ne Sönmez, Yaşar Bayindir, Engi̇n Gözükara

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection remains important due to difficulties in treatment up to a chronic state. It is considered that free radicals, lipid peroxidation and antioxidant defense play a role in various tissue damages, just as in certain types of viral hepatitis. Since only limited data has been reported concerning oxidative stress in viral hepatitis, a comparative study was planned for patients with hepatitis C. In this study, we searched for erythrocyte superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities in patients with HCV infection who had received and not received recombinant interferon alpha. Four groups of patients [Group I: …

Behaviours And Attitudes Of Medical Students Towards Smoking, Rezan Demi̇ralay

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

This study was carried out to assess the behaviours and attitudes of medical students towards smoking and perceptions of their future role in this matter as doctors. For this purpose, a questionnaire was given to 215 medical students enrolled in the Faculty of Medicine of Süleyman Demirel University in Isparta, Turkey, during the 2000-2001 session. Of the students, 106 (49.3%) had never smoked and 17 (7.9%) were former smokers. Of the 92 (42.8%) students who had smoked for at least six months in their lifetime, 11 (12.0%) were ex-smokers. Of the current smokers, 61 (75.3%) were daily smokers and 20 …

Evaluation Of The Prevalence Of Temporomandibular Joint Disorder Syndrome In Dental School Students With Psychometric Analysis, Neci̇p Mutlu, Hasan Herken, Eni̇s Güray, Fati̇h Öz, Abdullah Kalayci

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Aim: Despite the increasing volume of evidence implicating psychological factors in patients with temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder syndrome, these aspects of management are frequently neglected. In the diagnosis and treatment of this syndrome, clinical examination must be accompanied by an evaluation of the patients' emotional condition. In our study, the prevalence of TMJ disorders of dental students and the relation between TMJ disorder syndrome and the emotional condition of the patient were evaluated. Methods: The study group consisted of 156 males and 105 females: a total of 261 students. For the psychometric analysis the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI), Symptom …

Necrotizing Sialometaplasia Report Of Five Cases Including Uncommon Localizations, Uğur Pabuççuoğlu, Esra Özkara, Sülen Sarioğlu

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

UÇÇUOĞLU Esra ÖZKARA Sülen SARIOĞLU Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Dokuz Eylül University, İnciraltı, İzmir - Turkey

Characterization Of Berberine On Human Cancer Cells In Culture, Savio Szeto, Christine Miu Ngan Yow, Ka Wah Fung

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Berberine originates from a Chinese herbal medicine and possesses a wide variety of anti-cancer activities. In this study, the killing effect of berberine on nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells (NPC/HK1) was investigated. The trypan blue exclusion assay was used to assess the cytotoxic effect of berberine in this cell line. Berberine, at 5-200 µM, induced cell death in a dose-dependent manner. Treatment of cells with 200 µM berberine for 5 h yielded a lethal dose of 50% (LD50). The Comet Assay was employed to evaluate the extent of DNA damage and repair after berberine treatment (0 -100 µM). DNA damage was evident …

Increased Production Of Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines And Enhanced T Cell Responses After Activation Of Human Dendritic Cells With Il-1 And Cd40 Ligand, Amy Wesa, Anne Galy

Wayne State University Associated BioMed Central Scholarship

Abstract

Background

Various microbial, inflammatory and immune signals regulate the activation of dendritic cells (DC), determining their ability to interact with naïve T cells and to produce cytokines that direct T cell development. In particular, CD40L and IL-1 cooperatively activate DC to secrete high levels of IL-12. The immuno-stimulatory capacity of such DC is otherwise not well-defined prompting further characterization of the effects of IL-1 and family members on DC activation in comparison with other pro-inflammatory stimuli.

Results

Human DC co-activated in vitro by CD40L and IL-1β expressed numerous cytokine genes including IL-12β, IL-23 p19, IL-1β, IL-1α, IL-1Ra, IL-10, IL-6, …

Search For Intracranial Aneurysm Susceptibility Gene(S) Using Finnish Families, Jane M. Olson, Sompong Vongpunsawad, Helena Kuivaniemi, Antti Ronkainen, Juha Hernesniemi, Markku Ryynã¤Nen, Lee-Lian Kim, Gerard Tromp

Wayne State University Associated BioMed Central Scholarship

Abstract

Background

Cerebrovascular disease is the third leading cause of death in the United States, and about one-fourth of cerebrovascular deaths are attributed to ruptured intracranial aneurysms (IA). Epidemiological evidence suggests that IAs cluster in families, and are therefore probably genetic. Identification of individuals at risk for developing IAs by genetic tests will allow concentration of diagnostic imaging on high-risk individuals. We used model-free linkage analysis based on allele sharing with a two-stage design for a genome-wide scan to identify chromosomal regions that may harbor IA loci.

Methods

We previously estimated sibling relative risk in the Finnish population at between …

Ifn-G-Mediated Transcriptional Induction Of The Ido (Indolamine 2,3-Dioxygenase) Gene Requires Activity Of P68/Pkr Protein Kinase, Ni̇lüfer Gülmen İmi̇r, Ayşegül Nasircilar, Hakan Akça, Teki̇nalp Gelen, Mehmet Öğüş, Şeyda Karaveli̇, Osman Ni̇dai̇ Özeş

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

We investigated whether the activity of double-stranded RNA activated kinase (p68/PKR) is necessary for induction of IDO (indolamine 2,3 -dioxygenase) gene by IFN-\gamma. For this purpose, we planned to abrogate the function of cellular wt-PKR gene. Clones of ME180 cells expressing the dominant negative form of PKR were selected in the presence of neomycin. Then these cells were treated with IFN-\gamma and accumulation of IDO protein was determined by Western blot analysis. We found that clones expressing the dominant negative form of the PKR gene were not only resistant to IFN-\gamma-mediated killing, but were also incapable of inducing accumulation of …

Comparison Of Antibiotic Resistance Patterns Of Uropathogenic Escherichia Coli In Outpatient And Inpatient Populations From 1990 To 1996 In Bemidji, Mn, Gail R. Conway, Patrick Guilfoile

Journal of the Minnesota Academy of Science

A retrospective study of antibiotic susceptibility was conducted on data from all uropathogenic Escherichia coli submitted to the MeritCare Clinic-Bemidji, MN and the North Country Regional Hospital-Bemidji, MN during 1990, 1993, and 1996. The proportion of antibiotic resistant strains was generally equal or higher in E. coli isolates from community-acquired infections than with E. coli isolates from nosocomial infections. Comparison with antibiotic prescriptions during 1990, 1993, and 1996 provided no clear relation between antibiotics prescribed for outpatient urinary tract infections and the proportion of E. coli strains resistant to those antibiotics. This suggests that factors other than selection for resistance …

Arsenic Trioxide Has Additive Cytotoxic Effects On Mcf-7 Breast Cancer Cell Line With Taxanes, Canfeza Sezgi̇n, Ulus Ali̇ Şanli, Rüçhan Uslu, Erdem Göker

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer in women and an important cause of both morbidity and mortality. Although long-term disease-free survival is offered to women with early stage disease by current treatment modality, some, 30-40% of patients will have metastatic disease. Treatment of patients with metastatic disease is a great challenge for oncologists. Therefore, new drugs and therapeutic options for women with metastatic breast cancer are urgently required. Arsenical compounds have cytotoxic effects on several cancer cell lines including promyelocytic leukemia, esophageal carcinoma, megakaryocytic leukemia, and malignant lymphocytic cell lines. In addition, recent studies showed that arsenic trioxide (As_2O_3) …

Protective Effect Of Nitric Oxide In Lung Injury Associated With Cerulein-Induced Acute Pancreatitis, Abdulkadi̇r Bedi̇rli̇, Erdoğan M. Sözüer, Recep Saraymen, Nai̇l Ersöz, Eser Kiliç

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

The aim of this study was to investigate the role of NO in the pathogenesis of lung injury associated with pancreatitis, and the relation between malondialdehyde (MDA) and myeloperoxidase (MPO). Forty Wistar male rats were divided into control or pancreatitis groups, and treated with saline, L-arginine (100 mg/kg i.v.), NO donor, or N-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) (10 mg/kg i.v.), an inhibitor of NO synthase. Pancreatitis was induced in rats intravenously via the administration of cerulein (10 µg/kg/h) for 4 h). Eight hours after the induction of acute pancreatitis (AP), amylase and lipase in plasma significantly increased in all animals in …