Relationship Between Serum Endocan Levels and Other Predictors of Endothelial Dysfunction in Obese Women.

Endocan, or endothelial cell-specific molecule-1 (ESM-1), is a potential inflammatory marker implicated in endothelial dysfunction. The purpose of this study was to determine the correlation between serum endocan levels and the presence and severity of endothelial dysfunction, and the relationships with serum intracellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), adiponectin (a marker of inflammation), high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) levels, and carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) in obese subjects. Serum endocan, ICAM-1, adiponectin, hsCRP levels, and cIMT were evaluated in 76 obese women (BMI > 30 kg/m2) and 53 controls (BMI < 25 kg/m2). ICAM-1 (P = .01), hs-CRP (p < 0.001), and cIMT (p < .001) were significantly higher, while adiponectin (P = .006) was significantly lower, in obese women compared with the controls. Serum endocan levels were similar between the obese (470.5 ± 171.3 pg/mL) and controls (471.9 ± 146.3 pg/mL) (P = .732). There was no correlation between serum endocan values and the endothelial dysfunction markers, hsCRP (r = -.021), ICAM-1 (r = -.054), adiponectin (r = .113), or cIMT (r = -.060) in obesity. Endocan is not a suitable marker of endothelial dysfunction in the context of obesity. More research is required to evaluate the role of endocan in the regulation of inflammatory processes in obesity.

Enterococcus faecalis endophthalmitis as a metastatic complication of hemodialysis vascular access-related sepsis: A case report and review of the literature.

Catheter and/or arteriovenous (A-V) graft-related bacteremia is an important cause of morbidity and mortality among hemodialysis (HD) patients. Endocarditis, septic arthritis, epidural abscess, septic embolism, and osteomyelitis are the most common complications of catheter and/or A-V graft-related bacteremia; however, endogenous endophthalmitis is rarely seen. To the best of our knowledge, Enterococcus faecalis is the first case report in this population. We hereby report a case of endogenous endophthalmitis caused by E. faecalis as a complication of catheter and/or A-V graft-related bacteremia in a diabetic patient, who was undergoing HD for 5 years. We also discuss the etiology, clinical features, and outcomes of endogenous endophthalmitis in HD patients with a brief review of the literature. Although broad-spectrum parenteral (intravenous and intravitreal) antibiotics were used for 4 weeks, evisceration of the left eye could not be avoided. Endogenous endophthalmitis is a rare but rapidly blinding complication of catheter and/or A-V graft-related bacteremia in HD patients. It can develop as a result of silent catheter and/or A-V graft infections, which may lead to recurrent bacteremia. E. faecalis should be considered as a pathogen in this population who had recent history of catheter or A-V graft procedure.

Characteristics and Treatment Results of 5 Patients with Fibrous Dysplasia and Review of the Literature.

Aim. Fibrous dysplasia is a rare bone disease caused by missense mutation leading to abnormal fibroblast and osteoblast proliferation and increased bone resorption. FD can present in monostotic or polyostotic forms. About 3% of FD could be in association with McCune-Albright syndrome (MAS). Because FD is a rare disease, there is limited data in the literature about characteristics of disease and response to treatment. Methods. We present our five cases of FD with general properties and their responses to medical treatment. Results. Two of our patients had polyostotic and three had monostotic FD. One of the polyostotic patients had MAS. One of our patients had surgery for femur fractures, facial asymmetry, and findings of compression. Four patients were given pamidronate; one was given zoledronic acid as bisphosphonate treatment. Bone pain was relieved in all patients with medical treatment. Conclusion. There was a decrease in bone turnover markers to some degree with medical treatment but no radiological improvement was observed.

Clinical significance of neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin in Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic Fever.

Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), which is an important prognostic marker for sepsis and inflammatory diseases, is mostly released from neutrophils. Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) patients are generally neutropenic. We aimed to investigate whether there is a change in serum NGAL level and to investigate its effect on the recovery time (RT) during the course of CCHF. A total of 40 CCHF patients (19 females and 21 males) and 34 healthy controls (17 females and 17 males) were included in the study. The serum NGAL level and biochemical and hematological parameters were checked. The NGAL level of CCHF patients was significantly higher than that of the healthy controls (P < 0.001). A multivariate analysis showed that the independent prognostic factor for the prediction of the RT is the NGAL level (odds ratio [OR] 0.3, 95% confidence interval [Cl] 0.1-0.4, P < 0.001). An elevated NGAL level was found to be associated with an increased RT in CCHF patients. The NGAL levels of CHHF patients might be elevated due to increased cytokine release, the presence of a tissue injury, and the release of immature neutrophils from the bone marrow into the peripheral stream. This may be a good prognostic factor in CHHF patients.

Relation of Acanthosis nigricans to metabolic syndrome in overweight and obese women.

OBJECTIVE: Insulin resistance appears to be the most likely underlying mechanism in metabolic syndrome. Acanthosis nigricans (AN) is an easily identifiable skin lesion and associated with insulin resistance. We aimed to determine the prevalence of metabolic syndrome and AN in overweight and obese women and the association between AN and anthropometric and metabolic parameters. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study included 250 women [mean age 24±7.05 years; body mass index (BMI) 30.7±9.24 kg/m(2)] who were admitted to our internal medicine and endocrine outpatient clinics because of simple obesity. All the patients were evaluated for AN. We used the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP ATP III) criteria for the diagnosis of metabolic syndrome. RESULTS: A total of 46.4% of the subjects were diagnosed with metabolic syndrome. Patients with metabolic syndrome were older (26.2±7.7 vs. 23.5±6.2 years, P=0.003) and had more increased BMI (34.1±9.8 and 27.8±7.5 kg/m(2), P=0.0001) and higher homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) values (3.4±2.1% vs. 2.2±1.5%, p=0.0001) compared to patients without metabolic syndrome. In all, 40% of the all patients had AN. The rate of metabolic syndrome was greater in AN-positive patients (60%) compared to AN-negative patients (37.6%) (P=0.0001). We observed a significant correlation between AN and metabolic syndrome, especially waist circumference, high triglycerides, and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, and a significant positive correlation was also found between the AN and BMI, fasting insulin,and HOMA-IR. CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that AN is a simple and useful finding of physical examination, like waist circumference, for identifying patients who are susceptible to the metabolic syndrome.

Thyroid diseases in pregnancy: The importance of anamnesis.

OBJECTIVE: Primary objective of our study was to evaluate the efficiency of detailed medical history and thyroid examination of the pregnant women presenting to our clinic from Rize province and nearby which was an endemic goiter region. It was aimed to investigate the frequency of thyroid diseases, pregnancy outcomes and the efficiency of screening with thyroid function tests during the first trimester of pregnancy as secondary endpoint. Methodology : A prospective clinical study was conducted with 998 pregnant women between the ages of 17-48 years. In the first step of our study, a detailed medical history was obtained and a detailed thyroid gland examination was performed in all the patients (n=998). In the patients diagnosed with thyroid disease or considered to have thyroid disease with these results (n=107), thyroid diseases were evaluated with thyroid function tests and imagining methods. Analyses of socio-demographic data and nutrition were also made. In the second step, thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), free T3 and free T4 tests were performed in the first antenatal examination of the pregnant cases considered not to have thyroid disease after medical history and examination (n=891). Parameters of thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPOAb), thyroglobulin antibodies (TgAb) and TSH receptor auto antibodies (TRAb) were investigated in the cases whose TSH, sT3 and sT4 levels were different than the reference values after examination of the endocrinologist. Thyroid ultrasonography was performed. Urinary iodine levels in 24 hour urine were investigated. RESULTS: During pregnancy, the incidence of hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism in the whole study group were 2.8% (28/998) and 4.3% (43/998), respectively, 6.7% of the patients (67/998) had a diagnosis of thyroid disease before pregnancy. Hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism depending on the TSH screening results were 1.9% (17/891) and 1.1% (10/891) respectively and the incidence of overt hyperthyroidism and overt hypothyroidism were 0.2% (2/891) and 0.2% (2/891) in the pregnant cases considered not to have thyroid disease with medical history and examination. CONCLUSION: Detailed medical history and family history obtained during the first trimester of pregnancy helped us to identify 6.7% of thyroid diseases among the pregnant women. This result effectively emphasizes the importance of detailed first prenatal examination regarding the thyroid.