CD40 ligand and P-selectin in heterozygous Beta-thalassemia.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate platelet functions and measure soluble CD40 ligand, soluble P-selectin, beta-thromboglobulin and platelet factor 4 levels in the blood of heterozygous beta thalassemia patients. METHODS: The cross-sectional case-control study was conducted at Bezmialem Vakif University, Istanbul, Turkey, between September 2013 and April 2014, and comprised heterozygous beta thalassemia patients who were compared with 41 gender-, age- and body mass index-matched controls for platelet function markers. The two groups were also compared for co-morbidities, smoking, and regular medications. RESULTS: Of the 78(78.78) subjects, 50(64%) were women and 28(36%) men with an overall mean age of 39.4±12.7 years (range: 18-79 years). The mean body mass index was 26.3±4.2. The heterozygous beta thalassemia group included 37(47%) subjects [24(65%) females; 13(35%) males] while the control group had 41(53%) [26(63%) females; 15(37%) males]. Soluble CD40 ligand and soluble P-selectin were lower in the heterozygous beta thalassemia group (p=0.009; p=0.010). Beta-thromboglobulin and platelet factor 4 levels were comparable between the groups (p=0.497; p=0.507.). CONCLUSIONS: Some platelet functions may be reduced in heterozygous beta thalassemia patients, which may be related to their lower incidence of cerebral and cardiac ischaemic events.

A rare case of isolated macronodular hepatic tuberculosis (Tuberculous) in an immunocompetent patient.

Tuberculosis is one of the most common and well described infectious diseases, with a world wide distribution and a vast spectrum of clinical manifestations. There are three forms of hepatic tuberculosis. Diffuse hepatic involvement with pulmonary or miliary tuberculosis, diffuse hepatic infiltration without recognizable pulmonary involvement is the second form and the third very rare form presents as a focal/local tuberculoma or abscess. In this case report we describe an unusual appearance of macronodular tuberculomas of the liver.

A Bibliometric Analysis of Publications on COVID-19 and Older Adults.

BACKGROUND: Bibliometric analysis is important for guiding future research priorities. We evaluated the most relevant scientific research on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and older adults, analyzed current hot topics, and identified the 50 most cited publications. METHODS: Articles published between December 2019 and March 17, 2021 were identified using the search terms "COVID-19" or "Novel Coronavirus" or "SARS-CoV-2" or "2019-nCoV" and "geriatrics" or "older adults" or "elderly" appearing in the title, abstract, keywords, or keywords plus. Original research articles, reviews, editorial materials, and letters were included. Information on articles year, journal, title, author, country, affiliation, keywords, document type, and counts of citations was collected. VOSviewer was used to analyze keywords. RESULTS: A total of 784 publications were included. The most common keywords were "COVID-19" and "older adults," which were strongly related to "social isolation," "dementia," "mortality," and "loneliness." The most active (40.8%) and most cited (1,578) country was the United States. The Journal of the American Geriatric Society had the largest number of publications (22.7%) and citations (947). The most researched (84.0%) and most cited areas were geriatrics-gerontology (2,882). The median number of citations for the most cited 50 articles was 46.8. CONCLUSION: The results of the bibliometric analysis provided information about the quality and research areas of published studies on COVID-19 and older adults. Social and psychological support, nutrition, vaccines, and telemedicine may be hot research topics for the future.