The predictors of social exclusion in Afghan immigrants in Türkiye.

Immigrants may experience many psychosocial problems when migrating from a home to a host country, including social isolation. Social exclusion is also important among the problems experienced by immigrants. This study aims to determine the factors affecting Afghan immigrants' perceived social exclusion in Türkiye. Accordingly, a cross-sectional study was conducted on 211 Afghan immigrants (Mage = 30.66, SD = 9), 24% of whom were females. The socio-demographic information form, social exclusion scale, self-esteem rating scale, and life satisfaction scale were used to collect data in this study. The findings showed that Turkish language proficiency, the length of residence in Türkiye, working status in Türkiye, life satisfaction, and negative self-esteem were predictor factors for social exclusion. Considering the results, suggestions to decision-makers and mental health professionals to reduce the perceived social exclusion of Afghan immigrants are discussed.

Incontinence-Associated Dermatitis: Prevalence in Intensive Care Units and Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Nurses.

BACKGROUND: Incontinence-associated dermatitis (IAD) is a major concern among hospitals, especially in intensive care units (ICUs). PURPOSE: To describe ICU nurses' knowledge, attitudes, and practices of IAD and to examine the relationships with IAD prevalence in the ICU setting. METHODS: A descriptive correlational design was used including the Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of Incontinence-Associated Dermatitis Questionnaire and 1-month IAD prevalence data. RESULTS: The prevalence of IAD in ICUs was 6.89%. A positive correlation was found between IAD prevalence and nurses' IAD knowledge and attitudes. Nurses working in the ICU for more than 7 years, caring for patients at high risk for or having IAD, and thinking IAD-related nursing practices were sufficient had significantly higher IAD knowledge, attitudes, and practices. CONCLUSIONS: Findings indicate that ICU nurses learned about IAD through clinical experience and have inadequate training on IAD. A standardized evidence-based care protocol for IAD should be developed.

Evaluation of method performance for oxidative stress biomarkers in urine and biological variations in urine of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and diabetic nephropathy.

BACKGROUND: Oxidative stress biomarkers such as superoxide dismutase (CuZnSOD), catalase (CAT) and malondialdehyde (MDA) play an important role in the pathogenesis or progression of numerous diseases. Data regarding the biological variation and analytical quality specifications (imprecision, bias and total error) for judging the acceptability of method performance for oxidative stress biomarkers in urine are conspicuously lacking in the literature. Such data are important in setting analytical quality specifications, assessing the utility of population reference intervals (index of individuality) and assessing the significance of changes in serial results from an individual (reference change value; RCV). MATERIALS AND METHODS: 20 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), 20 patients with diabetic nephropathy (DN) and 14 healthy individuals as control were involved in this study. Timed first morning urine samples were taken from patients and healthy groups on the zero, 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 15th and 30th days. Index of individuality and reference change value were calculated from within-subject and between-subject variations. Methods of oxidative stress biomarkers in human blood were adopted in human urine and markers were measured as spectrophotometrically. Also, analytical quality specifications for evaluation of the method performance were established for oxidative stress biomarkers in urine. RESULTS: Within-subject variations of oxidative stress biomarkers were significantly higher in patients with DN and T2DM compared to healthy subjects. MDA showed low individuality, and within-subject variances of MDA were larger than between-subject variances in all groups. However, CAT and CuZnSOD showed strong individuality, but within-subject variances of them were smaller than between-subject variances in all groups. RCVs of all analytes in diabetic patients were relatively higher, because of high within-subject variation, resulting in a higher RCV. Also, the described methodology achieves these goals, with analytical CVs of < 3.5% for all analytes. Goals for bias and total error were 6.0-7.9% and 12.5-23.3%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: RCVs concept for predicting the clinical status in diabetic patients represents an optimization of laboratory reporting and could be a valuable tool for clinical decision. Furthermore, for oxidative stress biomarkers' measurements in urine, the desirable imprecision goals based on biological variation are obtainable by current methodologies.

Plasmonic group IVB transition metal nitrides: Fabrication methods and applications in biosensing, photovoltaics and photocatalysis.

This review paper focuses on group IVB transition metal nitrides (TMNs) such as titanium nitride (TiN), zirconium nitride (ZrN), and hafnium nitride (HfN) and as alternative plasmonic materials to noble metals like gold and silver. It delves into the fabrication methods of these TMNs, particularly emphasizing thin film fabrication techniques like magnetron sputtering and atomic layer deposition, as well as nanostructure fabrication processes applied to these thin films. Overcoming the current fabrication and application-related challenges requires a deep understanding of the material properties, deposition techniques, and application requirements. Here, we discuss the impact of fabrication parameters on the properties of resulting films, highlighting the importance of aligning fabrication methods with practical application requirements for optimal performance. Additionally, we summarize and tabulate the most recent plasmonic applications of these TMNs in fields like biosensing, photovoltaic energy, and photocatalysis, contributing significantly to the current literature by consolidating knowledge on TMNs.

Investigation of the esophageal Rho-kinase expression in patients with Barrett's esophagus.

The mechanisms responsible for the malignant transformation in Barrett's esophagus (BE) are still poorly understood. The authors have evaluated the role of Rho-kinase (ROCK1 and ROCK2) expressions in patients with BE. All patients underwent upper gastrointestinal system endoscopy, which was confirmed histologically. Real-time PCR revealed no marked change in gene expressions of ROCK1 and ROCK2 at mRNA levels in BE when compared to controls. Immunohistochemical and western blot analyses showed no change in ROCK1 and ROCK2 protein expressions in BE. This study demonstrates that Rho-kinase gene and protein expressions are not modified in BE.

Suicide commitment with metformin: our experience with five cases.

Biguanides can function as oral antihyperglycemic drugs. They were used for diabetes mellitus or prediabetes treatment over the last nine decades, but they lost their popularity in 1970s because of phenformin and regained with metformin. For metformin, the most common side effects are diarrhea and dyspepsia, occurring in up to 30% of patients. The most important and serious side effect is lactic acidosis. Phenformin was removed from the markets before 1970, because it caused lactic acidosis in 40-65 patients in 100,000 patient-years. Metformin causes lactate accumulation only in patients who have hepatic failure, renal failure or in patients who attempt suicide with high dosage of drugs. In this report, we present five patients who used high doses of metformin for suicide attempt.

Gender and COVID-19 related fear and anxiety: A meta-analysis.

Studies conducted during the pandemic revealed strong associations between gender and COVID-19 related fear and anxiety. Females perceive coronavirus as a greater threat to personal health and population than males. The aim of the current meta-analysis is to estimate gender difference in COVID-19 related fear and anxiety. The second purpose of this study is to clarify the role of potential moderators in COVID-19 fear and anxiety. For these reasons, studies published between March 2020 and October 2021 were searched in various databases (Web of Science, SCOPUS, PubMed, and Google Scholar). In total, 315 studies met the inclusion criteria, and 60 studies for COVID-19 related fear and 23 studies for COVID-19 related anxiety were included in the current study. Cohen's d effect size values were calculated based on these individual studies showing the difference between males and females in terms of COVID-19 related fear and anxiety. Results revealed that gender has a moderate and statistically significant effect on COVID-19 related fear (ES = 0.307) and anxiety (ES = 0.316) in favor of females. Moderator analyses showed that continent variable was a statistically significant moderator of gender difference in COVID-19 related fear and anxiety. The highest effect size of gender differences in COVID-related fear and anxiety were obtained from the studies conducted in Europe. However, other moderators (the average age of sample, culture, timing, and population) were not statistically significant. Although this meta-analysis has a few limitations, the findings showed that COVID-19 outbreak negatively affected females more.

Nailfold Videocapillaroscopy in Patients with COVID-19-associated Pneumonia in Intensive Care Units.

OBJECTIVE: To compare patients with COVID-19 in intensive care units (ICUs) to healthy controls using nailfold videocapillaroscopy (NVC), offering standardised findings about micro-circulation. STUDY DESIGN: A descriptive, cross-sectional study. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY: Medical Intensive Care Unit, Kayseri City Education and Research Hospital, Kayseri, Turkey between January and May 2021. METHODOLOGY: The NVC parameters-capillary morphology, loop diameter, capillary density, dilated capillaries, giant capillaries, avascular areas, microaneurysms, and micro-hemorrhages of 32 patients with COVID-19 and 29 controls were recorded. RESULTS: The most common capillary morphology in the COVID-19 group (18/32, 56.2%) was serpentine, which also characterised some (6/29, 20.7%) patients in the non-COVID-19 group (p <0.001). The median capillary loop diameter was 77.78 ± 3.63 µm in the COVID-19 group and 71.67 ± 2.19 µm in the non-COVID-19 group (p=0.030). Mean capillary density was 6.41 ± 1.21/1 mm in the COVID-19 group and 8.55 ± 1.12/1 mm in the non-COVID-19 group (p <0.001). The COVID-19 group had significantly more enlarged capillaries (p = 0.001), giant capillaries (p = 0.025), avascular areas (p = 0.028), micro-aneurysms (p <0.001), and micro-hemorrhages (p = 0.011). Mean capillary density was 5.50 ± 0.19/1 mm among deceased patients with COVID-19, but 6.71 ± 0.25/1 mm among survivors (p = 0.011). CONCLUSION: NVC findings differed between patients with COVID-19 and controls, and capillary density was less among deceased patients with COVID-19 than survivors. KEY WORDS: Capillaries, COVID-19, Intensive care unit, Micro-circulation, Nailfold videocapillaroscopy.

Comparison of Classification Success Rates of Different Machine Learning Algorithms in the Diagnosis of Breast Cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To identify which Machine Learning (ML) algorithms are the most successful in predicting and diagnosing breast cancer according to accuracy rates. METHODS: The "College of Wisconsin Breast Cancer Dataset", which consists of 569 data and 30 features, was classified using Support Vector Machine (SVM), Naive Bayes (NB), Random Forest (RF), Decision Tree (DT), K-Nearest Neighbor (KNN), Logistic Regression (LR), Multilayer Perceptron (MLP), Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA), XgBoost (XGB), Ada-Boost (ABC) and Gradient Boosting (GBC) ML algorithms. Before the classification process, the dataset was preprocessed. Sensitivity, accuracy, and definiteness metrics were used to measure the success of the methods. RESULT: Compared to other ML algorithms used in the study, the GBC ML algorithm was found to be the most successful method in the classification of tumors with an accuracy of 99.12%. The XGB ML algorithm was found to be the lowest method with an accuracy rate of 88.10%. In addition, it was determined that the general accuracy rates of the 11 ML algorithms used in the study varied between 88-95%. CONCLUSION: When the results obtained from the ML classifiers used in the study are evaluated, the efficiency of the GBC algorithm in the classification of tumors is obvious. It can be said that the success rates obtained from 11 different ML algorithms used in the study are valuable in terms of being used to predict different cancer types.

Melatonin expresses powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities resulting in complete improvement of acetic-acid-induced colitis in rats.

INTRODUCTION: Increased free-radical production, decreased antioxidant capacity, and excessive inflammation are well-known features in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease. Melatonin is a powerful antioxidant and a scavenger of hydroxyl radicals. Melatonin has also been shown to have anti-inflammatory activities in tissues. Our study objective is to investigate the effects of melatonin on tissue inflammatory activities using an ulcerative colitis (UC) model induced by acetic acid (AA) in rats. METHODS: Wistar rats (n = 32) were divided into four groups. AA-induced colitis was performed in two of the groups, while the other two groups were injected with saline intrarectally. One of the AA-induced colitis groups and one of the control groups were administered 100 mg/kg/day melatonin intraperitoneally, and the pair groups were given saline. After 4 days, colonic changes were evaluated biochemically by measuring proinflammatory cytokines [tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1ß, and IL-6], myeloperoxidase (MPO), malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels in tissue homogenates and by histopathological examination. RESULTS: AA caused colonic mucosal injury, whereas melatonin suppressed these changes in the AA-induced colitis group (P < 0.001). AA administration resulted in increased TNF-α, IL-1ß, IL-6, MPO, and MDA levels, and decreased GSH and SOD levels, whereas melatonin administration reversed these effects (all P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The present study proposes that melatonin has a dual action as an effective anti-inflammatory and an antioxidant, and may be a hopeful therapeutic agent for UC.

A loxoscelism case received therapeutic apheresis and hyperbaric oxygen therapy.

Loxosceles reclusa (L.reclusa) is known to bite humans, and its venom includes several enzymes that cause clinical symptoms. Loxoscelism, a condition due to being bitten by Loxosceles spiders, commonly known as recluses, can involve a range of clinical conditions, from local cutaneous lesions to severe systemic involvement. The diagnosis of loxoscelism is usually made by anamnesis and clinical findings. Magnetic resonance imaging is recommended for patients at high risk of necrotizing fasciitis. Treatment modalities are still controversial and there is no standardized treatment approach. Reported here, our case of loxoscelism involved a 24-year-old man presenting with a Loxosceles spider bite, dermonecrotic lesion, vomiting, diarrhea, acute renal injury, and rhabdomyolysis, who was successfully treated with hyperbaric oxygen therapy, therapeutic apheresis, hemodialysis, wound debridement, and cutaneous autografting. Early diagnosis and multidisciplinary approach can be life-saving in spider bites that can cause systemic involvement. Loxoscelism should be considered in patients with skin necrosis, acute renal injury, and rhabdomyolysis.

Oddi sphincter fibrosis due to chemotherapy agents in small cell lung cancer: case report.

A 62-year-old, man patient was diagnosed as small cell lung cancer. Cisplatin (80 mg/m(2), first day) and etoposide (100 mg/m(2), three days) chemotherapy was started for once 21 days. As the patient received third course of chemotherapy, jaundice and hyperbilirubinemia were detected. Hepatic ultrasonography showed dilated choledochus and intrahepatic biliary tract. Hepatic markers and serologic tests for viral hepatitis were found as normal. Finally endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) was performed. Endoscopic sphincterotomy was performed in the first ERCP and two days later, second ERCP was performed and oddi sphincter was seen as fibrotic and stenotic and stent was placed. One day after the stent placement, direct bilirubin was found as 6.2 mg/dL and 10 days later laboratory parameters were detected as normal. Oddi sphincter fibrosis occurred due to lung cancer chemotherapy treatment is an interesting case for fibrosis not having been reported due to cisplatin or etoposide before.

Hoffmann's syndrome: a case report.

OBJECTIVE: We report a very rare case of Hoffmann's syndrome with musclehypertrophy complicating hypothyroidism. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: A 24-year-old man presented with a 2-year history of forgetfulness, swelling in his face, shoulder and calf, and motor weakness in his lower extremities. His calf and shoulder muscles were hypertrophic. Neurological examination revealed hoarseness of the voice, proximal muscle weakness, reduced deep tendon reflexes and a mildly ataxic gait. Laboratory tests indicated markedly elevated serum muscle enzymes and lipids, a high thyroid-stimulating hormone level and low free triiodothyronine and free thyroxine levels. Electromyographic evaluation showed myopathy. INTERVENTION: Oral L-thyroxine treatment was started and at a 1-month follow-up examination, mental status and physical performance were improved. CONCLUSION: This report shows that in the differential diagnosis of myopathy with pseudohypertrophy, Hoffmann's syndrome should be considered.

Intraperitoneal EMLA (lidocaine/prilocaine) to prevent abdominal adhesion formation in a rat peritonitis model.

OBJECTIVE: The accelerative effect of EMLA (eutectic mixture of lidocaine 2.5% and prilocaine 2.5%) in the wound healing process is known. We hypothesised that post-operative peritoneal adhesions may be reduced with intra-peritoneal EMLA administration in a model of bacterial peritonitis. STUDY DESIGN: Bacterial peritonitis was induced in 24 rats by cecal ligation and puncture. The rats were randomly assigned to one of four groups. Group 1 (n=6)) received EMLA intraperitoneally, group 2 (n=6) received 2% lidocaine hcl solution intraperitoneally, the third group received one dose (100 mg/kg) of ceftriaxone sodium (Rocephin, Roche, 1 g) intraperitoneally one day after cecal ligation and puncture procedure, and in control group (group 4, n=6), no fluid or medicine was introduced into the abdomens of the rats. All animals were killed 14 days later in order to assess the adhesion score. Tissue antioxidant levels were measured in 1 g tissue samples taken from the abdominal wall. RESULTS: The adhesion score was significantly lower in the EMLA group than in the lidocaine and control groups. The catalase levels were higher in the lidocaine and control groups than in EMLA group. CONCLUSIONS: Intraperitoneal EMLA inhibited the formation of postoperative intra-abdominal adhesions without compromising the wound healing in this bacterial peritonitis rat model. EMLA also decreased the oxidative stress during peritonitis (Tab. 1, Fig. 7, Ref. 27). Full Text (Free, PDF) www.bmj.sk.

Hepatitis B and C seroprevalence in patients with diabetes mellitus and its relationship with microvascular complications.

INTRODUCTION: Diabetic patients are susceptible to bacterial, viral and fungal infections because of various deficiencies in the immune system. AIM: To investigate a possible link between hepatitis B/C prevalence and microvascular complications as well as duration of diabetes. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In total 1263 diabetic patients (1149 type 2, 114 type 1) were enrolled in the study. The control group consisted of 1482 healthy blood donors who were over 40 years old. All diabetic patients were tested for HBsAg, anti-HBs and anti-HCV beside routine laboratory tests. Diabetic patients were divided into three groups according to their diabetes duration, and all of the patients were scanned for microvascular complications. Demographic data of all patients were recorded. RESULTS: HBsAg seropositivity was 3.7% in diabetic patients and 1.08% in the control group; this difference was statistically significant (p < 0.001). HBsAg positivity rates in type 1 and type 2 diabetics were 0.8% and 4%, respectively (p = 0.09). HCV seropositivity was 2.2% for diabetics and 0.5% for the control group; this difference was statistically significant (p < 0.001). Anti-HCV seropositivity in type 1 and type 2 diabetics was 1.75% and 2.26%, respectively. There was no relationship between diabetes duration and hepatitis B-C prevalence (p > 0.05). Also, no relationship was found between microvascular complications of diabetes and hepatitis B/C seropositivity. CONCLUSIONS: Hepatitis B and C seroprevalence was found to be increased in diabetes mellitus; however, there was no relationship between hepatitis seroprevalence and the duration or microvascular complications of diabetes.

An elderly patient and an adult patients with isolated unilateral pulmonary arterial hypoplasia: Two cases reports and literature review of the literature.

Unilateral hypoplasia of a pulmonary artery (UHPA) is a rare condition that is usually associated with cardiac anomalies in childhood. In the absence of cardiac anomalies, patients may not be diagnosed until respiratory symptoms develop. We present two patients who were diagnosed as having isolated unilateral right pulmonary artery hypoplasia, one a woman aged 80 years, the other, a man aged 55 years. To our knowledge, woman is the oldest patient with UHPA in the English medical literature. Awareness of this condition may contribute to the early recognition of these cases and planning of appropriate treatment.

Comparison of two different forms of sevoflurane for anaesthesia maintenance and recovery.

BACKGROUND: Sevoflurane is a commonly used inhalation agent. There are two forms of sevoflurane in Turkey. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of original versus generic sevoflurane products on hemodynamics, time to reach 1 MAC level, inspired and expired sevoflurane levels and postoperative recovery profile. METHODS: Seventy patients undergoing general anaesthesia were divided into two groups as Group Sevo or Group Sojo. After intravenous induction of anaesthesia (with the same drugs in both groups), inhalation anaesthetic was started. Hemodynamic parameters, Bispectral index (BIS), time to reach 1MAC level, inspired and expired sevoflurane levels, % vaporizer concentration of sevoflurane, additional remifentanil doses were recorded. In the awakening period, decreasing times of MAC 0.5, 0.4, 0.3, BIS levels, sedation-agitation and Aldrete scores were recorded. RESULTS: The time to reach 1MAC level was shorter in Group Sevo than in Group Sojo (p=0.01). The fractions of inspired sevoflurane levels were higher at 4, 6, 8, 10, 15, 30, 35, 45. minutes, the fractions of expired sevoflurane levels were higher at 4, 6, 8, 10, 15, 20. minutes in Group Sevo (p < 0.05). In the awakening period and postoperatively, there were no differences in recorded parameters between the groups. CONCLUSION: Although there are differences in maintenance period of the anaesthesia, the two products seem to be comparable routine anaesthesia practice. But further studies are needed to enhance our knowledge.

Can we use the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio, and mean platelet volume values for the diagnosis of anterior uveitis in patients with Behcet's disease?

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this study was to compare the value of hematological parameters, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and mean platelet volume (MPV), as indicators of anterior uveal segment involvement in patients with Behcet's disease (BD). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Hospital-based records of a total of 912 patients with BD from the dermatology clinic and healthy volunteers from the checkup clinic were assessed retrospectively. After applying the exclusion criteria of the study, 71 of the BD patients with anterior uveitis, 69 of the BD patients without ophthalmological pathology and 151 healthy volunteers were included in the study. MPV, PLR, and NLR values of patients and healthy volunteers were compared. RESULTS: All MPV, PLR, and NLR values of patients who had anterior uveitis were significantly higher than those of other patients and healthy volunteers. Statistically, considering area under curves (ratio): NLR was 0.725 (0.653-0.797), P<0.001; PLR was 0.600 (0.523-0.676), P=0.012, and MPV was 0.358 (0.279-0.437), P<0.001. CONCLUSION: MPV, PLR, and NLR are all valuable for assessment of anterior uveal segment involvement in patients with BD. However, the NLR seems to be better than the PLR and MPV for indicating anterior uveitis due to BD.

Effects of N-acetylcysteine on methotrexate-induced small intestinal damage in rats.

Methotrexate (MTX) is known to cause damage to the small intestine, leading to its dysfunction. The aim of the present study was to examine whether the administration of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) provides protection against the MTX-induced damage to small intestinal epithelium in rats. A single dose of MTX (20 mg/kg, intraperitoneal) was followed by intraperitoneal saline or NAC administration (150 mg/kg, MTX+NAC group) for the next 5 days. Afterward, the rats were sacrificed and small intestinal segments were fixed for light microscopic examinations. Glutathione and malondialdehyde levels, myeloperoxidase, superoxide dismutase and catalase activities were measured in the other intestinal segments. MTX caused an increase in the levels of glutathione and malondialdehyde and in the activities of myeloperoxidase, superoxide dismutase and catalase. These changes were significantly reversed in MTX+NAC-treated rats. Light microscopy in the MTX group revealed mucosal damage, which decreased with NAC treatment. Our results confirmed that administration of NAC decreased the MTX-induced damage to the small intestine. This protective effect of NAC may have clinical applications in chemotherapy.