Can coracoacromial ligament degeneration be evaluated with preoperative MRI?

BACKGROUND: Subacromial impingement syndrome is one of the most common causes of painful shoulder in the middle-aged and elderly population. Coracoacromial ligament (CAL) degeneration is a well-known indicator for subacromial impingement. PURPOSE: To examine the relationship between CAL thickness on preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), arthroscopic CAL degeneration and types of rotator cuff tears. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Video records of patients who underwent arthroscopic shoulder surgery between 2015 and 2021 were retrospectively scanned through the hospital information record system. In total, 560 patients were included in this study. Video records of the surgery were used to evaluate the grade of coracoacromial ligament degeneration and the type of cuff tear. Preoperative MRI was used to measure CAL thickness, acromiohumeral distance, critical shoulder angle, acromial index, and acromion angulation. RESULTS: Significant differences were observed between grades of CAL degeneration in terms of CAL thickness (P < 0.001). As CAL degeneration increases, the mean of CAL thickness decreases. According to the results of post-hoc analysis, the mean CAL thickness of normal patients was significantly higher than those of patients with full-thickness tears (P = 0.024) and massive tears (P <0.001). Patients with articular-side, bursal-side, and full-thickness tears had significantly higher CAL thickness averages than patients with massive tears. CONCLUSION: This study showed that the CAL thickness decreases on MRI as arthroscopic CAL degeneration increases. High-grade CAL degeneration and therefore subacromial impingement syndrome can be predicted by looking at the CAL thickness in MRI, which is a non-invasive method.

Comparison of Anti HCV Signal-to-Cutoff Ratio with HCV RNA Results.

BACKGROUND: Anti-HCV antibody level screening is used in the diagnosis of HCV. However, a positive (S/Co > 1) result in the anti-HCV test does not always reflect true positivity. Antibody level results of S/Co ratio > 1 have to be validated through HCV RNA. In this study, we aimed to compare the signal-to-cutoff ratios of patients with positive (> 1) HCV antibody levels with the results of HCV RNA by PCR. METHODS: In total, 17,021 samples were tested for anti HCV between January 2017 and December 2019. HCV antibody (anti HCV) was performed with a fully automated chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay (CMIA, Abbot®, Architect System). Real Time PCR test (Anatolia Geneworks HCV, Turkey) was used as nucleic acid amplification method. RESULTS: Of the 17,021 patients, 16,706 (98.15%) tested negative and 315 (1.85%) tested positive in the anti-HCV assay. An additional HCV RNA test was requested for these 315 patients with positive anti-HCV assay results (S/Co ≥ 1) of which 23.81% (75/315) were positive for HCV RNA in serum, with a median (IQR): 5.43 log10 IU/mL (4.75 - 6.01 log10 IU/mL). Patients who tested positive for HCV RNA had significantly higher S/Co values compared to patients who tested negative (median (IQR): 13.38 (12.30 - 14.57) vs. 1.79 (1.34 - 1.79), p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: When S/Co ratios of patients who tested anti-HCV positive and HCV RNA positive were evaluated, it was assumed that high S/Co values were more relevant to true positivity. It was also concluded that low S/Co ratios needed to be verified through PCR.

Cerebrospinal fluid signal loss sign: assessment of a new radiological sign in lumbar spinal stenosis.

PURPOSE: Sedimentation sign was reported to have high sensitivity and specificity for diagnosis of lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS). We aimed to determine cerebrospinal fluid signal loss (CSFSL) at the intervertebral disc levels in the sagittal plane using a numerical scoring system and to evaluate the diagnostic value of this method in differential diagnosis of LSS and non-specific low back pain (LBP) and compare it with SS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We included consecutive patients between 50 and 80 years old, with lumbar spinal MRI examination in our institution. These patients were divided into two groups as LSS and LBP, according to symptoms and radiological findings. CSFSL sign was evaluated for both groups by two radiologists independently, using MR images. Sensitivity and specificity of both signs were calculated. RESULTS: A total of 406 patients (98 LSS and 308 non-specific LBP) were included. SS and CSFSL sign had a sensitivity of 90.8% and 82.7% and specificity of 75.4% and 84.1% in the whole cohort, respectively. When patients were grouped by dural sac cross-sectional areas (CSA), sensitivity and specificity of SS were 100% and 4.4%, 87.5% and 31.8%, and 41.7% and 76%, respectively, and sensitivity and specificity of CSFSL sign were 95.7% and 11.1%, 75% and 77.3%, and 16.7 and 92% for severe (CSA < 80 mm2), moderate (CSA: 80-100 mm2), mild (CSA: 100-120 mm2) radiologic stenosis, respectively. In moderate stenosis, accuracies of SS and CSFSL sign were 76.3% and 55.3%, respectively. CONCLUSION: CSFSL sign might be used to distinguish LSS from LBP and unlike SS it is successful in moderate stenosis.

Presynaptic inhibition in restless legs syndrome.

Introduction: Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a condition that particularly urges at night in resting and causes the need to move the legs. Although the pathophysiology has not yet been clarified, dopamine and iron metabolism and spinal cord pathologies are blamed for causing the condition. There are few studies on spinal reflex mechanisms on RLS. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the role of presynaptic inhibition (PreI) in the spinal cord in RLS.Methods: Fourteen patients with RLS and 14 controls with similar demographic characteristics were included in the study. Soleus muscle H-reflex (Ht) investigation was performed for subjects whose electrophysiologic investigation was normal. The Ht response was conditioned to the stimulation of the common peroneal nerve (CPN) (Hc). The test and conditioned stimulation intervals were kept between 10 ms, 20 ms, 30 ms, 40 ms, 50 ms, 75 ms, 100 ms, 150 ms and 200 ms. In each inter-stimulus interval, nonparametric repeat measurement evaluations were conducted with the percentage value of Hc/Ht. The Hc/Ht values of the study and control groups in the same intervals were compared separately.Results: A significant decrease was detected in Hc values in the control group in the repeat measurement values at 20 ms and 100 ms inter-stimulus intervals; however, there was not decrease in any intervals in the patient's group.Conclusion: The absence of any decrease in Hc reflexes for 20-100 ms intervals revealed that discernible PreI was vanished in RLS patients.

Evaluation of quality of life and oral hygiene attitudes of individuals using dental prostheses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: The COVID-19 pandemic impacted every area of our lives, including delaying urgent dental care. However, studies evaluating how patients using dental prostheses have been affected by the pandemic are lacking. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate how patients using different types of dental prostheses were being affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 129 randomly selected individuals from among those who had been examined in the same clinic before the COVID-19 outbreak were included in the study. The study participants were divided into 4 groups according to their type of prosthesis: complete dentures, implant-retained removable dentures, tooth-supported fixed partial dentures, and implant-supported fixed partial dentures. The Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) questionnaire was implemented by telephone interviews with the study participants, who were also asked about their concerns and steps made regarding prosthetic hygiene during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were evaluated by the Kruskal-Wallis and post hoc Dunn tests, and multivariate logistic regression analysis with forward selection was carried out to identify predictors of the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) status (α=.05). RESULTS: OHIP-14 total scores did not vary significantly among the groups (P>.05). When the domain scores of OHIP-14 were considered separately, the analysis revealed that the implant-retained removable denture group had significantly poorer functional limitations when compared with the tooth-supported fixed partial denture (P=.005) and implant-supported fixed partial denture (P=.031) groups. The results of the multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated a statistically significant association between OHRQoL during the COVID-19 pandemic and the frequency of tooth or denture cleaning (1 time a day versus less than 1 time a day: P=.011; 2-3 times a day versus less than 1 time a day: P=.032). CONCLUSIONS: All prosthesis users exhibited increased interest in dental hygiene and an increase in the frequency of prosthesis cleaning during the pandemic. Furthermore, the study determined that the frequency of tooth or denture cleaning was associated with significantly improved OHRQoL during the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. Among the denture groups, those treated with implant-retained removable dentures had the poorest functional limitation in terms of OHRQoL, which can be linked to postponement of routine maintenance appointments. Therefore, providing all patients with scientifically sound information on prosthetic care during a pandemic would be highly beneficial.

A cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Turkish version of American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society Metatarsophalangeal-Interphalangeal Scale (AOFAS-MTP-IP) for the hallux.

OBJECTIVES: In this study, we aimed to translate and culturally adapt the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) Hallux Metatarsophalangeal (MTP)-Interphalangeal (IP) scale, which is used for the clinical assessment of patients with hallux valgus (HV), into Turkish and to evaluate its validity and reliability. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between February 2022 and October 2022, a total of 67 patients (18 males, 49 females; mean age: 51.5±15.9 years; range, 18 to 68 years) with HV deformity and able to communicate in Turkish were included. Following the translation of the AOFAS hallux MTP-IP scale into Turkish, its cultural appropriateness was confirmed. Intra-rater and inter-rater reliabilities were assessed by intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs), using data collected by two orthopedists. Agreement among test-retest evaluations was conducted using the Bland-Altman analysis. The construct validity of the scale was determined by the Manchester-Oxford Foot Questionnaire (MOXFQ) and Short Form Health Survey (SF-36). Content validity was confirmed by the floor/ceiling effects. RESULTS: The Turkish AOFAS hallux MTP-IP had an excellent intra-rater reliability of 0.971. The intra-rater reliability of the pain, function, and alignment subscales ranged from 0.904 to 0.978. The inter-rater reliability was 0.913 for the total score, while ranging from 0.838 to 0.918 for the subscales. The total score of the AOFAS hallux MTP-IP had a high correlation with the physical domains of the MOXFQ and SF-36, while weaker correlations with mental domains were observed. No floor/ceiling effect was observed for the overall Turkish AOFAS hallux MTP-IP. CONCLUSION: The Turkish translated and culturally adapted AOFAS hallux MTP-IP scale is a valid and reliable measure, ensuring its use in assessing the clinical status of Turkish patients with HV deformity.

Acute mesenteric ischemia: The diagnostic value of QT parameters and their relationship with CT findings.

Background One of the greatest challenges in the diagnosis of acute mesenteric ischemia (AMI) is the lack of specific laboratory tests that support multidetector computed tomography (CT). Our aim is to investigate the diagnostic value of electrocardiographic QT parameters in AMI and their relationship with CT findings. Materials and methods Patients who were admitted to the emergency department with abdominal pain were recruited retrospectively from the hospital information system . Grouping was carried out on the basis of AMI(n=78) and non-AMI (n=78). In both groups, the corrected QT (QTc) and QT dispersion (QTD) were measured on electrocardiographs, and the qualitative and quantitative CT findings were evaluated on CT examinations. Results The QTc and QTD values were higher in the AMI group. The median QTc values were 456.16 (IQR: 422.88-483.16) for the AMI group and 388.83 (IQR: 359.74-415.83) for the control group (p<0.001), and the median QTD values were 58 (IQR: 50.3-68.25) for the AMI group and 46 (IQR: 42-50) for the control group (p<0.001). In the CT analysis, the QTc values were significantly higher among AMI patients, with images of paper thin bowel walls and the absence of bowel wall enhancement (p=0.042 and p=0.042, respectively). Meanwhile, the QTD values were significantly higher among patients with venous pneumatosis findings on CT (p=0.005). In the regression analysis, a significant relationship was found between the QT parameters and AMI (p<0.001). For QTc, an AUC of 0.903 (95% CI: 0.857-0.950, p<0.001), a sensitivity of 80.8%, and a specificity of 82.3% were found. For QTD, an AUC of 0.821 (95% CI: 0.753-0.889, p<0.001), a sensitivity of 73.1%, and a specificity of 82.3% were found. Conclusion We found the QTc and QTD values to be significantly higher among AMI patients. Furthermore, we found a significant relationship between the CT findings and QTc and QTD as well as a significant relationship between survival and QTc in the AMI group.

The effects of Biofreeze and superficial heat on masticatory myofascial pain syndrome.

PURPOSE: This study aims to assess the influence of superficial heat and Biofreeze on pain, mouth opening (mm), and quality of life in patients with masticatory myofascial pain syndrome (MPS). MATERIALS AND METHODS: 52 patients with MPS were included in the study. They were randomly divided into two groups. Patients in the Biofreeze group (n = 26) applied 3.5% menthol gel to the masseter and temporal muscles twice a day for seven days, while the other group applied superficial heat. Baseline, 7th, and 21st days of VAS, mouth opening (mm), and Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14) scores of the patients were evaluated statistically. RESULTS: The mouth opening increased by 4.27 ± 3.80 mm in the Biofreeze group and 2.58 ± 2.16 mm in the superficial heat group. In each group, a significant decrease in VAS and OHIP-14 scores was observed on the 7th day compared to the baseline values (p<0.001). There was no statistically significant difference between the two applications on myofascial pain, mouth opening (mm), and OHIP-14 total score variables. The favorable effects of both applications on these parameters were limited to the duration of use. CONCLUSION: Biofreeze and superficial heat in MPS were found to increase the quality of life, but the limited effectiveness of these applications underlines the importance of the underlying factors.

Sonographic Evaluation of Pulmonary Interstitial Edema in Patient With Preeclampsia.

ABSTRACT: The aim of this study was to sonographically detect pulmonary edema, which is a major problem in pregnant women with preeclampsia, in the interstitial phase. We evaluated 41 preeclampsia patients and 21 control subjects prospectively. In the preeclampsia group, 26 patients had severe features, whereas the other 15 patients had none. To detect early fluid loading in lungs, sonographic B lines were counted from the intercostal space by using ultrasonography, and left ventricular loading findings were examined for corporation by using transthoracic echocardiography both before and after birth. In severe preeclampsia, the number of B lines before and after birth is statistically significant compared with the other groups. In addition, the total number of B lines calculated at 24 hours after delivery was significantly lower than that calculated before delivery (P < 0.018). In terms of prenatal E values, a statistically significant difference was found between all groups (P < 0.001). A strong positive and statistically significant relationship was found between B lines and prenatal E/e' (r = 0.768; P < 0.001). The overall accuracy rate of the prenatal E/e' and E value for estimation of the B line number classification is 0.791 (95% confidence interval, 0.674-0.908; P < 0.001) and 0.829 (95% confidence interval, 0.722-0.936; P < 0.001), respectively. Pulmonary edema is a serious complication in patients with severe preeclampsia and may be detected interstitially in some patients, even if it does not occur clinically.

Effect of rhinophototherapy on nasal congestion in patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to objectively and subjectively evaluate the effects of adding rhinophototherapy to intranasal beclomethasone dipropionate to treat nasal congestion in patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis. METHOD: Seventy-five seasonal allergic rhinitis patients were randomly divided into two groups. Patients in Group 1 received intranasal beclomethasone dipropionate for two weeks and patients in Group 2 had rhinophototherapy added to the same medical therapy as Group 1. The effectiveness of treatments was evaluated with the Rhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaire (RQLQ), Nasal Obstruction Symptom Evaluation scale (NOSE) questionnaires and active anterior rhinomanometry. RESULTS: After treatment, significant improvement was observed in Group 2 vs Group 1 in terms of RQLQ (p = 0.011) and NOSE (p = 0.001) scores. In Group 2, significant differences were observed between before and after treatment for inspiratory total nasal resistance (p = 0.004). However, no significant differences vs. baseline were observed in Group 1. CONCLUSION: Our study shows that adding intranasal phototherapy with a combination of UVA, UVB and visible light therapy to nasal beclomethasone dipropionate treatment objectively improves nasal patency in patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis.

The important role of sink location in handwashing compliance and microbial sink contamination.

Handwashing is one of the most important means of reducing the spread of infection. In this study, we investigated how sink location and visibility influences handwashing and microbial contamination detected on clinical sinks in 3 pediatric intensive care units. We conclude that the visibility of sinks directly impacts on handwashing frequency and duration and also impacts on levels of bacterial contamination on and around the sink area.