Evaluation of liver and spleen stiffness measurement with shear wave elastography in brucellosis.

BACKGROUND: Human brucellosis, which is endemic in the eastern region of Turkey, infects the reticulo-endothelial system. Acute brucellosis may cause hepatomegaly or splenomegaly. AIMS: The main purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of the point shear wave elastography (pSWE) method in identifying and detecting liver and spleen stiffness in acute brucellosis. METHODS: This case-control study included 40 patients with acute brusellosis and 60 healthy individuals as a control group. The demographic data, abdominal ultrasonography (USG) and pSWE results of the patient and control groups were evaluated. Statistical and ROC analyses were performed. RESULTS: The liver pSWE value was 3.8395 ± 1.171 kPa in the patient group and 1.6619 ± 0.495 kPa in the control group. The spleen pSWE value was 3.2431 ± 1.803 kPa in the patient group and 1.3793 ± 0.622 kPa in the control group. The mean liver and spleen pSWE values were statistically significantly higher in the patient group than in the control group (p < 0.001). Cut-off values were determined as 2.524 for the liver pSWE and 1.62667 for the spleen pSWE. From the AUC values (0.959, 0.903), the diagnostic performance of liver and spleen pSWE values were seen to be excellent in distinguishing between patient and control groups. CONCLUSIONS: The study results showed that liver and spleen stiffness were high in acute brucellosis patients and had predictive significance above certain cut-off values. It can be considered that pSWE, which evaluates liver and spleen stiffness in acute brucellosis, may provide diagnostic benefit as a reliable, non-invasive technique.

Testicular involvement of Brucellosis: A 10-year, multicentre study.

INTRODUCTION: The genito-urinary system is one of the most common areas of involvement in brucellosis. To present the epidemiological, clinical, and laboratory characteristics of patients with testicular involvement associated with brucellosis, together with the diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. METHODOLOGY: Patients followed up for brucellosis-related testicular involvement between January 2012 and November 2022 were included in the study. Brucellosis is defined as the production of Brucella spp. in cultures, or clinical symptoms together with the serum standard tube agglutination test titer of ≥ 1/160. Inflammation in scrotal Doppler ultrasonography was based on testicular involvement. RESULTS: A retrospective evaluation was made of the data of 194 patients with brucellosis-related testicular involvement. The rate of determination of testicular involvement in brucellosis was 2.57%. The most affected patients were determined in the 16-30 years age range. On presentation, brucellosis was in the acute stage in 83.7% of patients. The most common symptoms on presentation were swelling and/or pain in the testes (86.6%). In the patients where a spermiogram could be performed, oligospermia was determined in 41.7%, and aspermia in 8.3%. When the testicular involvement of brucellosis was evaluated, epididymo-orchitis was present at the rate of 55.7%, epididymitis at 27.3%, and testis abscess at 5.1%. CONCLUSIONS: Although epididymo-orchitis was the most frequently determined form of involvement in this study, there was also seen to be a significant number of patients presenting with epididymitis. Male patients presented with the clinical status of brucellosis should be questioned about swelling and pain in the testes to avoid overlooking testicular involvement.

Clinicopathological profile of peritoneal tuberculosis and a new scoring model for predicting mortality: an international ID-IRI study.

Existing literature about peritoneal tuberculosis (TBP) is relatively insufficient. The majority of reports are from a single center and do not assess predictive factors for mortality. In this international study, we investigated the clinicopathological characteristics of a large series of patients with TBP and determined the key features associated with mortality. TBP patients detected between 2010 and 2022 in 38 medical centers in 13 countries were included in this retrospective cohort. Participating physicians filled out an online questionnaire to report study data. In this study, 208 patients with TBP were included. Mean age of TBP cases was 41.4 ± 17.5 years. One hundred six patients (50.9%) were females. Nineteen patients (9.1%) had HIV infection, 45 (21.6%) had diabetes mellitus, 30 (14.4%) had chronic renal failure, 12 (5.7%) had cirrhosis, 7 (3.3%) had malignancy, and 21 (10.1%) had a history of immunosuppressive medication use. A total of 34 (16.3%) patients died and death was attributable to TBP in all cases. A pioneer mortality predicting model was established and HIV positivity, cirrhosis, abdominal pain, weakness, nausea and vomiting, ascites, isolation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in peritoneal biopsy samples, TB relapse, advanced age, high serum creatinine and ALT levels, and decreased duration of isoniazid use were significantly related with mortality (p < 0.05). This is the first international study on TBP and is the largest case series to date. We suggest that using the mortality predicting model will allow early identification of high-risk patients likely to die of TBP.

Classical fever of unknown origin in 21 countries with different economic development: an international ID-IRI study.

Fever of unknown origin (FUO) is a serious challenge for physicians. The aim of the present study was to consider epidemiology and dynamics of FUO in countries with different economic development. The data of FUO patients hospitalized/followed between 1st July 2016 and 1st July 2021 were collected retrospectively and submitted from referral centers in 21 countries through ID-IRI clinical research platform. The countries were categorized into developing (low-income (LI) and lower middle-income (LMI) economies) and developed countries (upper middle-income (UMI) and high-income (HI) economies). This research included 788 patients. FUO diagnoses were as follows: infections (51.6%; n = 407), neoplasms (11.4%, n = 90), collagen vascular disorders (9.3%, n = 73), undiagnosed (20.1%, n = 158), miscellaneous diseases (7.7%, n = 60). The most common infections were tuberculosis (n = 45, 5.7%), brucellosis (n = 39, 4.9%), rickettsiosis (n = 23, 2.9%), HIV infection (n = 20, 2.5%), and typhoid fever (n = 13, 1.6%). Cardiovascular infections (n = 56, 7.1%) were the most common infectious syndromes. Only collagen vascular disorders were reported significantly more from developed countries (RR = 2.00, 95% CI: 1.19-3.38). FUO had similar characteristics in LI/LMI and UMI/HI countries including the portion of undiagnosed cases (OR, 95% CI; 0.87 (0.65-1.15)), death attributed to FUO (RR = 0.87, 95% CI: 0.65-1.15, p-value = 0.3355), and the mean duration until diagnosis (p = 0.9663). Various aspects of FUO cannot be determined by the economic development solely. Other development indices can be considered in future analyses. Physicians in different countries should be equally prepared for FUO patients.

Vaccine hesitancy and refusal among parents: An international ID-IRI survey.

INTRODUCTION: Although vaccines are the safest and most effective means to prevent and control infectious diseases, the increasing rate of vaccine hesitancy and refusal (VHR) has become a worldwide concern. We aimed to find opinions of parents on vaccinating their children and contribute to available literature in order to support the fight against vaccine refusal by investigating the reasons for VHR on a global scale. METHODOLOGY: In this international cross-sectional multicenter study conducted by the Infectious Diseases International Research Initiative (ID-IRI), a questionnaire consisting of 20 questions was used to determine parents' attitudes towards vaccination of their children. RESULTS: Four thousand and twenty-nine (4,029) parents were included in the study and 2,863 (78.1%) were females. The overall VHR rate of the parents was found to be 13.7%. Nineteen-point three percent (19.3%) of the parents did not fully comply with the vaccination programs. The VHR rate was higher in high-income (HI) countries. Our study has shown that parents with disabled children and immunocompromised children, with low education levels, and those who use social media networks as sources of information for childhood immunizations had higher VHR rates (p < 0.05 for all). CONCLUSIONS: Seemingly all factors leading to VHR are related to training of the community and the sources of training. Thus, it is necessary to develop strategies at a global level and provide reliable knowledge to combat VHR.

Are H1 and H3 haplotypes of endothelial protein C receptor (PROCR) an important factor in contracting COVID-19?

The development of cardiovascular disease shows increase after contracting coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) disease and myocardial damage is observed in patients who have had the disease severely. The relationship between genetic cardiovascular risk factors with COVID-19 infection was investigated in our study. One hundred thirty-five patients, 27 of whom were COVID-19 (-) and 108 were COVID-19 (+) patients, were included in the study. Patients were divided into three groups ([COVID-19 [-], COVID-19 [+] asymptomatic, and COVID-19 [+] symptomatic + patients with pulmonary involvement]). Genetic cardiovascular risk factors were examined in blood samples taken from the patients with new generation sequencing analysis. In the clinical classification, there were no significant differences between the three groups in fibrinogen beta chain-455G>A, human platelet antigen 1 (HPA1b)/platelet receptor GPIIIa/(ITGB3) (HPA1a/b; GpIIIa; integrin beta 3 L33P), ACE I/D, AGT (M268T), AGTR1 (1166A>C), Apo E (E2/E3/E4) (rs7412, rs429358), eNOS (786T>C), eNOS (894G>T) genes (p > 0.05). However, significant differences were observed in PROCR H3 haplotype/G (endothelial protein C receptor gene [EPCR] 4600A>G [A3 haplotype]), PROCR H1 haplotype/C (EPCR 4678G>C [A1 haplotype]) genes (p < 0.05). When COVID-19 (+) and COVID-19 (-) groups were compared, it was observed that the infection was more common in people with PROCR H1 haplotype/C and PROCR H3 haplotype/G genotypes (p < 0.05). PROCR H1 and PROCR H3 haplotypes may be an important factor in contracting COVID-19 disease. In people with COVID-19 disease, revealing PROCR genetic differences and measuring sEPCR levels will be beneficial in the follow-up of the disease.

Healthcare personnel's attitude and coverage about tetanus vaccination in Turkey: a multicenter study.

The tetanus vaccine is not routinely given to Turkish adults. Protective tetanus immunity decreases with age. Health-care personnel (HCPs), who are role models in the field of health, are a target group in order to achieve a higher rate of tetanus vaccination in the community. This study was designed to evaluate attitudes and coverage regarding tetanus vaccination among a large sample of Turkish HCPs. This cross-sectional epidemiologic study was conducted from July to August 2019. A questionnaire was sent to HCPs using social media. Of the 10,644 HCPs included in the study, 65% were female. Overall, the tetanus vaccination coverage (TVC) among HCPs was 78.5% (95% CI: 77.7%-79.3%). TVC was significantly higher among physicians [83.4% (95% CI: 82%-84.6%); p < .001] compared with all other HCPs except nurses. Older age (≥40 years) and length of professional experience were significantly correlated with TVC. Of the 8353 HCPs who received tetanus vaccines during their lifetime, 73.03% received tetanus vaccination in the past 10 years. The self-vaccination rate for protection against tetanus was 13.1%. Acute injuries (25.42%) and pregnancy (23.9%) were the most common reasons for having the tetanus vaccine. One-third (33.7%) of HCPs did not have information about whether pregnant women could receive tetanus vaccinations. This survey study provided excellent baseline information about HCPs' coverage rates and attitudes regarding tetanus vaccination. The present results suggested that tetanus boosters for HCPs should be established as soon as possible, and revealed that the HCPs younger than 30 years with relatively less professional experience and all other HCPs except nurses and physicians should be identified as the target population for future intervention programs.

Pilot study of the diagnostic value of CRP:albumin ratio for osteomyelitis in patients with diabetic foot ulcers.

OBJECTIVE: Osteomyelitis may complicate diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs). As a new inflammation-based prognostic factor, CRP:albumin ratio's significance is not known in osteomyelitis among patients with or without diabetes. METHOD: Patients with type 2 diabetes and DFUs were divided into two groups: group 1 (n=47) comprised patients without osteomyelitis, and group 2 (n=50) comprised patients with osteomyelitis. RESULTS: Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) (88.5±23.0 versus 42.0±22.2), white blood cell count (WBC) (14.7±6.9x103 versus 10.0±4.4x103), C-reactive protein (CRP) level (15.6±9.9 versus 2.4±3.3) and CRP:albumin ratio (6.6±4.9 versus 0.7±1.0) were significantly higher, and albumin level was significantly lower in group 2 compared to group 1 (p<0.001 for all). The presence of osteomyelitis was significantly and positively correlated with ESR (r=0.721; p<0.001), WBC (r=0.380; p<0.001), CRP (r=0.667; p<0.001) and CRP:albumin ratio (r=0.638; p<0.001), and negatively correlated with albumin (r=-0.590; p<0.001). A CRP:albumin ratio of 1.74 or above could predict osteomyelitis with 92.0% sensitivity, 80.9% specificity, and the best area under the curve (AUC) score (AUC=0.957; 95% CI: 0.924-0.991). ESR (odds ratio (OR): 1.071 (1.025-1.119); p=0.02) and CRP:albumin ratio (OR: 2.65 (1.437-4.885); p=0.002) were independent predictors in the final model for stepwise linear regression analyses for the estimation of osteomyelitis. CONCLUSION: CRP:albumin ratio is a cheap and repeatable inflammatory marker and can successfully detect osteomyelitis in patients with DFU.

Evaluation of testing and vaccination status of healthcare workers in Turkey for hepatitis A: A multicenter study.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of the disease and testing and vaccination status of healthcare workers in terms of hepatitis A infection as well as their awareness. This study is a multicenter descriptive study performed with healthcare workers. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Testing status for hepatitis A, awareness of the results and vaccination status of healthcare workers were compared. RESULTS: Of the 12,476 healthcare workers participating in the study, only 65% (8,115 healthcare workers) had awareness of hepatitis A test results. Of the participants, 6,481 (66.3 %) stated that they were not vaccinated against hepatitis A. Vaccination rates against hepatitis A decreased with increasing age (P < .01). The rates of vaccination in all departments where participants worked were above 60% (P < .05). While the rate of protection among those working in departments creating a risk for hepatitis A virus infection was higher, no difference among vaccination rates was observed compared with the other departments. CONCLUSION: Vaccination of seronegative individuals is the safest way for hepatitis A, which can progress to fulminant hepatitis at advanced ages. It must be aimed primarily to increase the awareness of healthcare professionals and to increase the vaccination rates for hepatitis B and hepatitis A for the prevention of viral hepatitis. In our study, the awareness level was found to be above 50%, and the vaccination level was 35%, which is a rate that must be increased.

Fever of unknown origin (FUO) on a land on cross-roads between Asia and Europa; a multicentre study from Turkey.

AIMS: The differential diagnosis of Fever of Unknown Origin (FUO) is still a major clinical challenge despite the advances in diagnostic procedures. In this multicentre study, we aimed to reveal FUO aetiology and factors influencing the final diagnosis of FUO in Turkey. METHODS: A total of 214 patients with FUO between the years 2015 and 2019 from 13 tertiary training and research hospitals were retrospectively evaluated. RESULTS: The etiologic distribution of FUO was infections (44.9%), malignancies (15.42%), autoimmune/inflammatory (11.68%) diseases, miscellaneous diseases (8.41%) and undiagnosed cases (19.62%). Brucellosis (10.25%), extrapulmonary tuberculosis (6.54%) and infective endocarditis (6.54%) were the most frequent three infective causes. Solid malignancies (7.1%) and lymphoma (5.6%), adult-onset still's disease (6.07%) and thyroiditis (5.14%) were other frequent diseases. The aetiological spectrum did not differ in elderly people (P < .05). Infections were less frequent in Western (34.62%) compared with Eastern regions of Turkey (60.71%) (P < .001, OR: 0.31, 95% Cl: 0.19 to 0.60). The ratio of undiagnosed aetiology was significantly higher in elderly people (p: 0.046, OR: 2.34, 95% Cl: 1.00 to 5.48) and significantly lower in Western Turkey (P: .004, OR: 3.07, 95% Cl: 1.39 to 6.71). CONCLUSIONS: Brucellosis, extrapulmonary tuberculosis and infective endocarditis remain to be the most frequent infective causes of FUO in Turkey. Solid tumours and lymphomas, AOSD and thyroiditis are the other common diseases. The aetiological spectrum did not differ in elderly people, on the other hand, infections were more common in Eastern Turkey. A considerable amount of aetiology remained undiagnosed despite the state-of-the-art technology in healthcare services.

Demographic, clinical and laboratory characteristics for differential diagnosis of peripheral lymphadenopathy (LAP) and the etiologic distribution of LAP in adults; a multicenter, nested case-control study including 1401 patients from Turkey.

Peripheral lymphadenopathy (LAP) is an important and common abnormal finding of the physical exam in general medical practice. We aimed to reveal the LAP etiology and demographic, clinical and laboratory variables that may be useful in the differential evaluation of LAP. This multicenter, nested case-control study including 1401 patients between 2014 and 2019 was conducted in 19 tertiary teaching and research hospitals from different regions in Turkey. The ratio of infectious, malign and autoimmune/inflammatory diseases was 31.3%, 5% and 0.3%, respectively. In 870 (62%) of patients had nonspecific etiology. Extrapulmonary tuberculosis (n: 235, 16.8%) was the most frequent cause of LAP. The ratio of infective etiology of LAP was significantly lower in patients older than 65 years-old compared to younger patients with the rate of 66.67% and 83.84%, respectively (p 0.016, OR 0.386, 95% Cl 0.186-0.803). The probability of malign etiology was higher both in patients who are older than 45 years-old (p < 0.001, OR 3.23, 95% Cl 1.99-5.26) and older than 65 years-old (p 0.002, OR 3.36, 95% Cl 1.69-6.68). Age, localization and duration of LAP, leukocytosis, anemia, thrombocytopenia, CRP and sedimentation rate were important parameters to differentiate infections. Size of lymph node and splenomegaly in addition to the parameters above were useful parameters for differentiating malign from benign etiology. Despite the improvements in diagnostic tools, reaching a definite differential diagnosis of lymphadenopathy is still challenging. Our results may help clinicians to decide in which cases they need an aggressive workup and set strategies on optimizing the diagnostic approach of adulthood lymphadenopathy.

Thiol-disulphide balance and total oxidant-antioxidant status in patients with chronic hepatitis C.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the dynamic thiol/disulphide homeostasis (DTDH) and total oxidant/antioxidant status in patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and to evaluate their association with HCV-RNA levels. METHODS: Levels of serum total thiol (TT), native thiol (NT), disulphide (DS), total oxidant status (TOS), total antioxidant status (TAS) and oxidative stress index (OSI) as oxidative stress markers were determined in 162 individuals, including 74 patients with HCV infection and 88 non-HCV controls. HCV genotypes and HCV-RNA levels of the patients were recorded. RESULTS: The NT, TT and TAS levels and NT/TT ratio were significantly lower in the HCV group compared with the control group. On the contrary, DS, TOS and OSI levels and DS/NT and DS/TT ratios were significantly higher. Patients with high HCV RNA levels (> 650 000 IU/mL) had higher DS levels than patients with low HCV-RNA levels (<650 000 IU/mL). Genotype 1 was observed in 68.9% of patients with HCV. Levels of oxidative stress parameters were similar between genotype 1 and other genotypes (2, 3 and 5). No significant correlations were found between oxidative stress markers and albumin, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, bilirubin and HCV-RNA levels in patients with HCV infection. A negative correlation was found only between OSI and albumin. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that DTDH shifts towards the DS direction because of thiol oxidation in HCV-infected patients. Furthermore, DS levels were significantly higher in patients with high HCV-RNA levels compared with patients with low HCV-RNA levels.

Foodborne botulism in Turkey, 1983 to 2017.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to assess the epidemiology of foodborne botulism cases which were seen and published in Turkey. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This study covers the cases and outbreaks of botulism that have been identified and published in any region of Turkey, between 1983 and 2017. This systematic review was performed in accordance with the guidelines for performing and reporting systematic reviews and meta-analyses. The search was done on PubMed and Google in English and Turkish languages. Demographic features of the cases, nutritional sources, the development process of the disease, clinical symptoms and signs, the duration of hospitalization, treatment and mortality rates were analyzed. RESULTS: Totally 95 patients (57 female and 38 male) were assessed from the published. The food which caused the majority of intoxication cases was canned green beans, and all the foods were home-canned goods. There cords showed that botulism antitoxin was given to 56 patients. The time from exposure to illness onset was 26.9 h. While 18 patients died at the end of follow-up and treatment (mortality 19%), 77 patients were discharged with full recovery. CONCLUSION: Among 95 botulism cases, spread in Turkey over the last 35 years, the predominant source of toxin was home-canned food and green beans, in particular. Since community and emergency room physicians may be the first to treat patients with any type of botulinum intoxication, they must know how to diagnose and treat this rare but potentially lethal disease.

Characterisation of drug resistance of nosocomial ESBL-producing E. coli isolates obtained from a Turkish university hospital between 2009 and 2012 by pulsed field gel electrophoresis and antibiotic resistance tests.

In this study, drug resistance of 28 ESBL-producing Escherichia coli isolates obtained from 144 patients hospitalized at the Yüzüncüyil University Hospital at Van (YUH), Turkey, between 2009 and 2012 were characterized by pulsed field gel electrophoresis and antibiotic susceptibility tests. Antibiotic resistance profile was determined by Phoenix automated system (BD, USA). The ratio of ESBL-producing E. coli strains was determined to be 19.4% (28 out of 144 E. coli isolates). It was determined that the anaesthesiology, paediatrics and thoracic medicine intensive care units in YUH were cross-contaminated between 2009 and 2012 by ESBL-producing E. coli strains, which is a sign of nosocomial infection in YUH. Analysis of PFGE results gave rise to two main PFGE profiles, profile-A with four subprofiles and profile-B with three subprofiles, where profile-A predominates over profile-B (14%). Comparison of the antibiotic resistance profile with the PFGE profile yielded similarities while some differences also exist due to either identical restriction enzyme cutting sites with slightly different genetic sequences in between the cutting sites or newly formed restriction enzyme cutting sites that do not affect antibiotic resistance genes. Enterobacteriaceae, particularly E. coli, have developed resistance in YUH by producing ESBLs against oxyimino and non-oxyimino cephalosporins, and penicillin-type antibiotics. Therefore, more effective antibiotics such as cefoxitin or cefoperazone-sulbactam should be used for the treatment of future nosocomial infections in YUH while hospital staff should take care with hygiene, such as hand washing.

In vitro Activity of Colistin in Combination with Tigecycline against Carbapenem-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii Strains Isolated from Patients with Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia.

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values and in vitro activity of colistin in combination with tigecycline against carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii strains isolated from patients with ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) using the E-test method. METHODS: A total of 40 A. baumannii strains, identified using the Phoenix Automated Microbiology System (Becton, Dickinson and Co., Franklin Lakes, NJ, USA) by conventional methods, were included in this study. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis was performed to examine the clonal relationships between isolates. The carbapenem resistance of the strains to colistin and tigecycline was assessed using the E-test method (Liofilchem, Roseto Degli Abruzzi, Italy). The in vitro activity of colistin in combination with tigecycline was evaluated using the fractional inhibitor concentration (FIC) index. RESULTS: While only 1 of 40 A. baumannii strains was determined to be colistin resistant, 6 were tigecycline resistant. The MIC50, MIC90, and MIC intervals of the A. baumannii strains were 0.19, 1.5, and 0.064‒4 µg/ml for colistin and 1, 8, and 0.094‒256 µg/ml for tigecycline, respectively. No synergistic effect was observed using the FIC index; 8 strains exhibited an indifferent effect and 32 exhibited an antagonist effect. Three of the six strains that were resistant to tigecycline were indifferent; the remaining three were antagonistic. The colistin-resistant strain also exhibited an antagonist effect. CONCLUSION: In contrast to their synergistic effect against carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii isolates, colistin and tigecycline were highly antagonistic to carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii strains isolated from patients with VAP when the drugs were administered together. Therefore, alternative treatment options should be used during the treatment of VAP attributed to A. baumannii.

The Syndrome of Inappropriate Secretion of AntiDiuretic Hormone in Patients With Brucellosis.

OBJECTIVE: Various studies have shown that a number of infectious disease causes syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone (SIADH). However, the relationship between infectious disease and SIADH is not yet fully known. In this prospective study, we aimed to assess the presence of SIADH in patients with brucellosis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Thirty-five patients with acute brucellosis were retrospectively reviewed. The diagnosis of brucellosis was performed using the Wright test in connection with blood culture. SIADH was defined by euvolemic hyponatremia (serum sodium level lower than 135 mEq/l) with increased urinary sodium excretion (urinary sodium higher than 40 mmol/l). RESULTS: Of the 35 patients, 19 (54%) had SIADH; 20 (57%) also had hypouricemia (uric acid level lower than 4 mg/dl). Additionally, all of the studied patients had a high mean urinary sodium excretion rate (mean 132 mmol/l; range 40-224). Most importantly, the hyponatremic patients were more likely to have a lower albumin level (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: SIADH is a major complication of brucellosis. The presence of SIADH could be a diagnostic tool for diagnosing brucellosis. Further larger randomized studies may confirm these findings.

Serum adenosine deaminase activity in cutaneous anthrax.

BACKGROUND: Adenosine deaminase (ADA) activity has been discovered in several inflammatory conditions; however, there are no data associated with cutaneous anthrax. The aim of this study was to investigate serum ADA activity in patients with cutaneous anthrax. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Sixteen patients with cutaneous anthrax and 17 healthy controls were enrolled. We measured ADA activity; peripheral blood leukocyte, lymphocyte, neutrophil, and monocyte counts; erythrocyte sedimentation rate; and C reactive protein levels. RESULTS: Serum ADA activity was significantly higher in patients with cutaneous anthrax than in the controls (p<0.001). A positive correlation was observed between ADA activity and lymphocyte counts (r=0.589, p=0.021) in the patient group. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that serum ADA could be used as a biochemical marker in cutaneous anthrax.

Asymmetric dimethylarginine levels in patients with cutaneous anthrax: a laboratory analysis.

BACKGROUND: Asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), the main endogenous inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase, is considered to be associated with endothelial dysfunction. High ADMA levels have been shown to be related with disorders causing vascular inflammation such as hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, atherosclerosis, chronic heart failure, stroke and sepsis. Cutaneous anthrax (CA) is a serious infectious disease which may cause vasculitis. The aim of the study was to investigate the serum ADMA levels in patients with CA. METHODS: A total of 35 serum samples of the patients with CA and 18 control sera were tested for ADMA levels using ADMA ELISA kit (Immunodiagnostik AG, Bensheim, Germany). RESULTS: ADMA levels were found to be significantly higher in the patients group than the controls (p < 0.001). In addition, ADMA levels were found to be positively associated with sedimentation rates (R = 0.413; p = 0.026), and inversely associated with international normalized ratio (INR) levels (R = -0.46; p = 0.011). A cut-off value of 0.475 of ADMA had a sensitivity of 74.3%, specificity of 77.8%, and accuracy of 75.5% in the diagnosis of CA. CONCLUSION: Although the exact mechanism still remains unclear, ADMA levels could be related to immune activation in CA. In addition, these data might suggest the higher ADMA levels in patients could be due to the perivascular inflammation and vasculitis in CA.

High asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) levels in patients with brucellosis.

Asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) is the main endogenous inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase and is considered to be associated with endothelial dysfunction. Brucellosis, a zoonotic disease caused by Brucella spp., can manifest as vasculopathy. The present study was performed to investigate the relationship between ADMA and brucellosis. Serum samples from 39 patients with an accurate diagnosis of brucellosis and from 18 healthy control individuals were included in this study. ADMA levels were significantly higher in the patient group than the controls (P < 0.001). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis indicated that ADMA level ≥ 0.61 had a sensitivity of 79.5 %, specificity of 88.9 %, positive predictive value of 93.9 %, and negative predictive value of 66.7 %. This is the first report of an association between brucellosis and high levels of ADMA. In conclusion, ADMA levels should be tested in brucellosis cases and that further studies to clarify the mechanism underlying the association between ADMA and brucellosis are required.