Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Reproductive Health Training Of Turkish Soldiers From Certain Risk Groups, Ercan Göçgeldi̇, Bi̇lal Bakir, Aygül Akyüz, Mahi̇r Güleç, Tülay Kaya, Sadetti̇n Güngör, Meti̇n Hasde

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Aims: The 2003 Turkey Demographic and Health Survey (TDHS-2003) pointed out significant differences between East Anatolia and the other regions of Turkey. Some studies carried out among Turkish soldiers have underlined the need for more information on Reproductive Health (RH) issues for soldiers with lower educational level and coming from the eastern region of Turkey. Since marriage in Turkey is very important from a demographic perspective, this study has attempted to determine prevalence of marriage and certain characteristics of married soldiers who were involved in the RH courses. The aim of the study was to determine the results of RH …

Natal And Postnatal Approach In A Fetus With Intrauterine Cystic Hygroma: Case Report, Canan Atalay, Şeyda Aykan, Ednan Bayram, Nazim Doğan

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Cystic hygroma (CH) is a neonatal abnormality that may cause respiratory problems especially due to pressure of huge masses located in the neck and thorax on the vital organs. A mother already known to have an intrauterine baby with CH underwent operation under general anesthesia. The newborn, who had cyanotic and respiratory problems, was immediately intubated and operated the day following delivery. This case report is intended to elaborate and discuss anesthesia in a newborn with CH and the mother.

Second-Hand Tobacco Smoke And Acute Eosinophilic Pneumonia, Zekai̇ Avci, Bülent Ali̇oğlu, Emel Özyürek, Namik Özbek

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

We present the case reports of two children with a parasitic infestation associated with hypereosinophilia. One of those patients, who had been exposed to excessive second-hand tobacco smoke, was diagnosed as having acute eosinophilic pneumonia. The second patient had neither a history of exposure to second-hand smoke nor a prior diagnosis of acute eosinophilic pneumonia. We suggest that passive smoking may trigger acute eosinophilic pneumonia, a condition that develops frequently in children living in countries in which parasitic infestations and tobacco smoking are prevalent.

Measuring Functional Change In Turkish Children With Cerebral Palsy Using The Pediatric Evaluation Of Disability Inventory (Pedi), Hülya Şi̇rzai̇, Gülten Erki̇n, Canan Çulha, Sumru Özel

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Aim: The purposes of this study were to evaluate the activities of daily living (ADL) of Turkish children with cerebral palsy (CP) using the Turkish version of the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI) measurement, and to investigate the functional changes during inpatient rehabilitation. Materials and Methods: A total of 90 consecutive children with spastic CP, aged between 6 months and 7 years, were included in the study. The Swedish classification of CP syndromes was applied. CP severity was classified with Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS). ADL were assessed in children with CP using the Turkish version of the …

Cause Of Fever In A Case With End-Stage Renal Disease: Splenic Marginal Zone Lymphoma, Ramazan Çeti̇nkaya, İlhami̇ Ki̇ki̇, Abdullah Uyanik, Mustafa Keleş, Bülent Aydinli, Fazli Erdoğan, Nesri̇n Gürsan, Abdul Meci̇t Kantarci

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Splenic marginal zone lymphomas (SMZL) are rare tumors arising from B-cells, accounting for approximately 1% of all lymphomas. An accompanying lymphoma is uncommon in patients who have chronic renal failure and undergo hemodialysis. We present herein a 35-year-old male hemodialysis patient admitted with fever, abdominal pain, and splenomegaly, diagnosed with SMZL. In our investigations in the English literature, we did not observe any SMZL case among hemodialysis patients. Fever may emerge due to different causes in chronic hemodialysis patients, primarily infections. In hemodialysis patients presenting with fever, lymphoma and other malignant diseases should be considered.

Oropharyngeal Anthrax, Abdullah Taş, Recep Yağiz, Şaban Gürcan, Deni̇z Karaoğlu

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Aims: To report a rare case of oropharyngeal anthrax. Materials and Methods: A case report of oropharyngeal anthrax is presented together with the related world literature. Results: A 70-year-old female patient with respiratory distress and extensive swelling of neck, soft palate and uvula is presented. There was ecchymosis on the neck circumferentially. Bacillus anthracis grew in the blood culture. The patient died of toxemia and sepsis. Conclusions: Oropharyngeal anthrax is the least common form of anthrax. This acute illness should be added to the differential diagnosis of inflammatory lesion of the oropharynx with extensive neck swelling. Successful diagnosis of anthrax …

An Unusual Cause Of Dysphagia: Hypopharyngeal Inflammatory Pseudotumor, Baran Acar, Mehmet Ali̇ Babademez, Hayri̇ye Karabulut, Selahatti̇n Genç, R. Murat Karaşen

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Inflammatory pseudotumor (IP) is a rare pseudoneoplastic and lymphoproliferative disorder. The etiology of IP is still unclear. A 46-year-old male patient presented with a six-month history of dysphagia and diplophonia. Endoscopic examination of the larynx and hypopharynx revealed a 15 x 20 mm smooth-surfaced mass involving the right side of the hypopharynx. Computerized tomography (CT) scans of the neck showed a mass 3 cm in diameter at the level of the hyoid bone. The mass obliterated the pharyngeal lumen. Pathology after incisional biopsy was consistent with pseudotumor. The mass regressed dramatically after corticosteroid treatment and afterwards the patient underwent surgical …

Gap Junction Coupling And Calcium Waves In The Pancreatic Islet, Richard K.P. Benninger, Min Zhang, W. Steven Head, Leslie S. Satin, David W. Piston

Pharmacology and Toxicology Publications

Abstract

The pancreatic islet is a highly coupled, multicellular system that exhibits complex spatiotemporal electrical activity in response to elevated glucose levels. The emergent properties of islets, which differ from those arising in isolated islet cells, are believed to arise in part by gap junctional coupling, but the mechanisms through which this coupling occurs are poorly understood. To uncover these mechanisms, we have used both high-speed imaging and theoretical modeling of the electrical activity in pancreatic islets under a reduction in the gap junction mediated electrical coupling. Utilizing islets from a gap junction protein connexin 36 knockout mouse model together …

Environmental Causes Of Human Congenital Malformations: The Physician's Role In Dealing With These Complex Clinical Problems Caused By Environmental And Genetic Factors., Robert L. Brent

The Selected Works of Robert Brent

No abstract provided.

Bio-Monitoring The Elimination Of Folic Acid-Preventable Spina Bifida And Anencephaly, Robert L. Brent

The Selected Works of Robert Brent

No abstract provided.

Microglia And Astrocyte Activation By Toll-Like Receptor Ligands: Modulation By Ppar-Gamma Agonists., Catherine Gurley, Jessica Nichols, Shuliang Liu, Nirmal K. Phulwani, Nilufer Esen, Tammy Kielian

Journal Articles: Pathology and Microbiology

Microglia and astrocytes express numerous members of the Toll-like receptor (TLR) family that are pivotal for recognizing conserved microbial motifs expressed by a wide array of pathogens. Despite the critical role for TLRs in pathogen recognition, when dysregulated these pathways can also exacerbate CNS tissue destruction. Therefore, a critical balance must be achieved to elicit sufficient immunity to combat CNS infectious insults and downregulate these responses to avoid pathological tissue damage. We performed a comprehensive survey on the efficacy of various PPAR-gamma agonists to modulate proinflammatory mediator release from primary microglia and astrocytes in response to numerous TLR ligands relevant …

Forensic Emergency Medicine - Six-Year Experience Of 13823 Cases In A University Emergency Department, Ahmet Demi̇rcan, Ayfer Keleş, Nesli̇han Gürbüz, Fi̇kret Bi̇ldi̇k, Şahender Gülbi̇n Aygencel, Nuretti̇n Özgür Doğan, Okşan Deri̇nöz, Taner Akar

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Aims: Clinical forensic medicine deals with cases involving both the legal and medical aspects of patient care, such as motor vehicle trauma or poisoning. In this study, we aimed to draw attention to the forensic issues by retrospective investigation of 13823 emergency cases and to share our experiences on this topic. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study was conducted in a university Emergency Department (ED) in Ankara, Turkey. The data were collected from official hospital police sheets. Results: Between 2000 and 2005, 13823 legal cases (3.66% of all ED patients) were examined, and 58.23% of them were male. The mean …

Association Of Epstein-Barr Virus With Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma And Current Status Of Development Of Cancer-Derived Cell Lines, Charles A. Gullo Phd, Wong Kein Low, Gerrard Teoh

Biochemistry and Microbiology

It is well known that the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) contributes directly to tumourigenesis in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), primarily in the undifferentiated form of NPC (WHO type III; UNPC or UC), which is commonly found in South East Asia. Unfortunately, research in NPC has been severely hampered by the lack of authentic EBV-positive (EBV+) human NPC cell lines for study. Since 1975, there have been more than 20 reported NPC cell lines. However, many of these NPC-derived cell lines do not express EBV transcripts in long-term culture, and therefore that finding may dispute the fundamental theory of NPC carcinogenesis. In fact, …

Conformational Changes And Flexibility In T-Cell Receptor Recognition Of Peptide–Mhc Complexes, Kathryn M. Armstrong, Kurt H. Piepenbrink, Brian M. Baker

Food for Health: Publications

A necessary feature of the immune system, TCR (T-cell receptor) cross-reactivity has been implicated in numerous autoimmune pathologies and is an underlying cause of transplant rejection. Early studies of the interactions of αβ TCRs (T-cell receptors) with their peptide–MHC ligands suggested that conformational plasticity in the TCR CDR (complementarity determining region) loops is a dominant contributor to T-cell cross-reactivity. Since these initial studies, the database of TCRs whose structures have been solved both bound and free is now large enough to permit general conclusions to be drawn about the extent of TCR plasticity and the types and locations of motion …

A Phylogenomic Profile Of Hemerythrins, The Nonheme Diiron Binding Respiratory Proteins, Xavier Bailly, Stefano Vanin, Christine Chabasse, Kenji Mizuguchi, Serge N. Vinogradov

Wayne State University Associated BioMed Central Scholarship

Abstract

Background

Hemerythrins, are the non-heme, diiron binding respiratory proteins of brachiopods, priapulids and sipunculans; they are also found in annelids and bacteria, where their functions have not been fully elucidated.

Results

A search for putative Hrs in the genomes of 43 archaea, 444 bacteria and 135 eukaryotes, revealed their presence in 3 archaea, 118 bacteria, several fungi, one apicomplexan, a heterolobosan, a cnidarian and several annelids. About a fourth of the Hr sequences were identified as N- or C-terminal domains of chimeric, chemotactic gene regulators. The function of the remaining single domain bacterial Hrs remains to be determined. In …

Relation Between Nodule Size And 18F-Fdg-Pet Suv For Malignant And Benign Pulmonary Nodules., Majid Khalaf, Hani Abdel-Nabi, John Baker, Yiping Shao, Dominick Lamonica, Jayakumari Gona

Wayne State University Associated BioMed Central Scholarship

Abstract

The most common semiquantitative method of evaluation of pulmonary lesions using ¹⁸F-FDG PET is FDG standardized uptake value (SUV). An SUV cutoff of 2.5 or greater has been used to differentiate between benign and malignant nodules. The goal of our study was to investigate the correlation between the size of pulmonary nodules and the SUV for benign as well as for malignant nodules.

Methods

Retrospectively, 173 patients were selected from 420 referrals for evaluation of pulmonary lesions. All patients selected had a positive CT and PET scans and histopathology biopsy. A linear regression equation was fitted to a …

Tissue Engineering The Motoneuron To Muscle Segment Of The Stretch Reflex Arc Circuit Utilizing Micro-Fabrication, Interface Design And Defined Medium Formulation, Mainak Das

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The stretch reflex circuit is one of the most primitive circuits of mammalian system and serves mainly to control the length of the muscle. It consists of four elements: the stretch sensor (muscle spindle/ intrafusal fiber lie parallel between extrafusal, contractile musculature), extrafusal muscle fiber, sensory neuron and motoneuron. The basic principle of the stretch reflex arc circuit is as follows: whenever there is a sudden stretch in a muscle, it needs to compensate back to its original length so as to prevent any kind of injury. It performs this compensation process using a simple negative feed back circuit called …

The Effect Of Pparγ Activation By Pioglitazone On The Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Pge2 And No Production: Potentialunderlying Alteration Of Signaling Transduction, Bin Xing

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Microglia-mediated neuroinflammation plays an important role in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD). Uncontrolled microglia activation produces major proinflammatory factors including cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) that may cause dopaminergic neurodegeneration. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) agonist pioglitazone has potent antiinflammatory property. We hypothesize pioglitazone protects dopaminergic neuron from lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced neurotoxicity by interacting with relevant signal pathways, inhibiting microglial activation and decreasing inflammatory mediators.

First, the neuroprotection of pioglitazone was explored. Second, the signaling transductions such as jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and the interference with these pathways by pioglitazone were investigated. Third, the effect of …

Endothelial Cell Dysfunction By Environmental Contaminants, Elizabeth Grace Oesterling

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Within the last few decades, epidemiological evidence has linked exposure to air pollution, both its particles and its organic components, with cardiovascular disease (CVD) progression. CVD is a life long disease with the disruption of the endothelium being the inaugural event in this inflammatory process. The vascular endothelium is extremely susceptible to environmental insults given its tremendous surface area and that it is in constant contact with blood and components circulating within the blood, including xenobiotics. The endothelium is important as a barrier from blood constituents however, dysfunction of this barrier leads to the influx of lymphocytes and granulocytes that …

Translational Regulatory Mechanisms Of The Rat And Human Multidrug Resistance Protein 2, Yuanyuan Zhang

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Multidrug resistance protein 2 (MRP2) is the second member the C subfamily in the superfamily of adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-binding cassette (ABC) efflux transporters. MRP2 is a critical player for generation of bile acidindependent bile flow and biliary excretion of glutathione, glucuronate and sulfate conjugates of endo- and xenobiotics. Dysfunctional expression of MRP2 is associated with Dubin-Johnson Syndrome.

Pathological and physiological states or xenobiotics change the MRP2 expression level. Under some conditions, expression of the human MRP2 and rat Mrp2 proteins are regulated at the translation level. There are several transcription initiation sites in MRP2/Mrp2 gene. The 5’ untranslated regions (5’UTRs) …

Genetic Regulation Of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Aging, Erin J. Oakley

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

It is well documented that both quantitative and qualitative changes in the murine hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) population occur with age. In mice, the effect of aging on stem cells is highly strain-specific, thus suggesting genetic regulation plays a role in HSC aging. In C57BL/6 (B6) mice, the HSC population steadily increases with age, whereas in DBA/2 (D2) mice, this population declines. Our lab has previously mapped a quantitative trait locus (QTL) to murine chromosome 2 that is associated with the variation in frequency of HSCs between aged B6 and D2 mice. In these dissertation studies, I first aim to …

Regulation Of L-Type Voltage-Dependnet Calcium Channels By The Rem Gtpase, Chunyan Pang

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

The Rem, Rem2, Rad, and Gem/Kir GTPases, comprise a novel subfamily of the small Ras-related GTP-binding proteins known as the RGK GTPases, and have been shown to function as potent negative regulators of high voltage-activated (HVA) Ca²⁺ channels upon overexpression. HVA Ca²⁺ channels modulate Ca²⁺ influx in response to membrane depolarization to regulate a wide variety of cellular functions and they minimally consist of a pore-forming α1 subunit, an intracellular β subunit, and a transmembrane complex α₂/δ subunit. While the mechanisms underlying RGK-mediated Ca²⁺ channel regulation remain poorly defined, it appears that both membrane …

Guest Perspective - Dr. Robert L. Brent, Robert L. Brent

The Selected Works of Robert Brent

No abstract provided.

A Novel And Generalizable Organotypic Slice Platform To Evaluate Stem Cell Potential For Targeting Pediatric Brain Tumors., Shengwen Calvin Li, William Gunter Loudon

Department of Cancer Biology Faculty Papers

Brain tumors are now the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in children under age 15. Malignant gliomas are, for all practical purposes, incurable and new therapeutic approaches are desperately needed. One emerging strategy is to use the tumor tracking capacity inherent in many stem cell populations to deliver therapeutic agents to the brain cancer cells. Current limitations of the stem cell therapy strategy include that stem cells are treated as a single entity and lack of uniform technology is adopted for selection of clinically relevant sub-populations of stem cells. Specifically, therapeutic success relies on the selection of a clinically competent …

Pdgf-Driven Proliferation, Migration, And Il8 Chemokine Secretion In Human Corneal Fibroblasts Involve Jak2-Stat3 Signaling Pathway, Neeraj Vij, Ajay Sharma, Mahesh Thakkar, Sunilima Sinha, Rajiv R. Mohan

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Purpose: Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) is associated with corneal fibroblast migration and proliferation and plays an important role in corneal wound healing. However, the intracellular mechanisms of PDGF-mediated functions in corneal fibroblasts are poorly understood. We tested the hypothesis that PDGF functional activities in the cornea involve the Janus kinase-2/signal transducers and activators of transcription-3 (JAK2-STAT3) signaling pathway and whether PDGF induces the expression of suppressors of cytokine signaling 3 (SOCS3), belonging to the novel family of feedback regulators of cytokine and growth factor activities.

Methods: Human corneal fibroblast (HSF) cultures were used as an in vitro model for functional …

A Versatile Assay For The Identification Of Rna Silencing Suppressors Based On Complementation Of Viral Movement, Jason G. Powers, Tim L. Sit, Feng Qu, T. Jack Morris, Kook-Hyung Kim, Steven A. Lommel

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

The cell-to-cell movement of Turnip crinkle virus (TCV) in Nicotiana benthamiana requires the presence of its coat protein (CP), a known suppressor of RNA silencing. RNA transcripts of a TCV construct containing a reporter gene (green fluorescent protein) (TCV-sGFP) in place of the CP open reading frame generated foci of three to five cells. TCV CP delivered in trans by Agrobacterium tumefaciens infiltration potentiated movement of TCV-sGFP and increased foci diameter, on average, by a factor of four. Deletion of the TCV movement proteins in TCV-sGFP (construct TCVΔ92-sGFP) abolished the movement complementation ability of TCV CP. Other known suppressors of …

Enzymatic Processing Of Amelogenin During Continuous Crystallization Of Apatite, Vuk Uskoković, M.-K. Kim, W. Li, S. Habelitz

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Dental enamel forms through a protein-controlled mineralization and enzymatic degradation with a nanoscale precision that new engineering technologies may be able to mimic. Recombinant fulllength human amelogenin (rH174) and a matrix-metalloprotease (MMP-20) were employed in a pHstat titration system that enabled a continuous supply of calcium and phosphate ions over several days, mimicking the initial stages of matrix processing and crystallization in enamel in-vitro. Effects on the self-assembly and crystal growth from a saturated aqueous solution containing 0.4 mg/ml rH174 and MMP-20 with the weight ratio of 1:1000 with respect to rH174 were investigated. A transition from nanospheres to fibrous …

An Investigation Into The I-Stat Chem8+ System For The Measurement Of Sodium, Potassium, Urea & Creatinine., Gene Ferris

Theses

In the hospital environment Point of Care Testing (POCT) can be an invaluable tool in Emergency departments, Theatres, Intensive Care Units and Paediatric wards by providing rapid test results without the need for transport and laboratory processing. The study design included the collection and duplicate analysis of patient samples firstly using the i-STAT and then on the Architect c8000, a routine laboratory analyser. Statistical analysis was performed in order to determine if there is a statistically significant difference in results between the i-STAT POCT system and current laboratory instrumentation. The parameters analysed were the vital biochemical parameters Sodium (Na), Potassium …

Gliotoxin Production In Aspergillus Fumigatus, Susan Musyimi

Theses and Dissertations

Aspergillus fumigalus is a ubiquitous fungus that causes an infection called aspergillosis in immune-compromised surgery patients (Latge, 2001, 384; Bok et al. 2006). Aspergillosis cases have increased in the past decade due to the increasing number of patients undergoing immunosuppressive therapy and receiving organ transplants (Bok et al. 2006). Although there is still disagreement as to the causative agent of the symptoms accompanying aspergillosis, many scientists suspect that the compound, gliotoxin, plays a major role, hi this study, we compared the amounts of gliotoxin produced from clinical and environmental isolates of A. fumigatus. We hypothesized that the amount of gliotoxin …

Analytical Approaches To Detect Maternal/Fetal Genotype Incompatibilities That Increase Risk Of Pre-Eclampsia, Neeta Parimi, Gerard Tromp, Helena Kuivaniemi, Jyh Nien, Ricardo Gomez, Roberto Romero, Katrina Ab Goddard

Wayne State University Associated BioMed Central Scholarship

Abstract

Background

In utero interactions between incompatible maternal and fetal genotypes are a potential mechanism for the onset or progression of pregnancy related diseases such as pre-eclampsia (PE). However, the optimal analytical approach and study design for evaluating incompatible maternal/offspring genotype combinations is unclear.

Methods

Using simulation, we estimated the type I error and power of incompatible maternal/offspring genotype models for two analytical approaches: logistic regression used with case-control mother/offspring pairs and the log-linear regression used with case-parent triads. We evaluated a real dataset consisting of maternal/offspring pairs with and without PE for incompatibility effects using the optimal analysis based …