Comparison of MRI findings of hypothalamic-optic chiasmatic gliomas and craniopharyngiomas.

BACKGROUND: Differential diagnosis of hypothalamic-optic chiasmatic gliomas (HOCGs) and craniopharyngiomas on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can be quite challenging. PURPOSE: To compare the MRI features of HOCGs and cranipharyngiomas. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Patients diagnosed with HOCG or craniopharyngioma in histopathological evaluation between 2012 and 2022 and who underwent preoperative contrast-enhanced brain MRI were included. Various MRI features were retrospectively evaluated for each lesion: T2-weighted imaging and fluid attenuation inversion recovery hyperintensity, calcification, cystic change, T1-weighted (T1W) imaging hyperintensity of the cystic component, hemorrhage, involvement of sellar, suprasellar or other adjacent structures, lobulated appearance, presence of hydrocephalus, and contrast enhancement pattern. Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values were also evaluated and compared. RESULTS: Among 38 patients included, 13 (34%) had HOCG and 25 (66%) had craniopharyngioma. Craniopharyngiomas had a significantly higher rate of cystic changes, calcification, and T1W imaging hyperintensity of the cystic component than HOCGs (P <0.05). Of HOCGs, 92% had chiasm involvement, 23% had optic nerve involvement, and 31% had brain stem involvement. On the other hand, chiasm involvement was observed in 8% of craniopharyngiomas, but none had optic nerve and/or brain stem involvement (P <0.05). While 62% (8/13) of HOCGs had diffuse homogeneous enhancement, 80% (20/25) of craniopharyngiomas had a diffuse heterogeneous enhancement pattern. Mean ADC values were significantly higher in craniopharyngiomas compared to HOCGs (2.1 vs. 1.6 ×10-3mm2/s, P <0.05). CONCLUSION: Although some neuroimaging findings may overlap, features such as presence of cyst and calcification, brain stem and optic pathway involvement, different enhancement patterns, and ADC values may be helpful in the differential diagnosis of HOCGs and craniopharyngiomas.

Evaluation of the Relationship Between Radial Artery Intima Media Thickness and Complications at the Intervention Site After Radial Angiography.

The present study investigated the relationship between pre-procedural radial intima-media thickness (rIMT) and radial artery thrombosis (RAO) in patients undergoing angiography using a transradial approach (TRA). Patients (n = 90) who underwent cerebral or peripheral arterial angiography using TRA were included in the study. Ultrasonographic evaluation was performed before and 12 h after the procedure. Preoperative rIMT measurement was performed at the distal radial artery. Presence of radial artery occlusion was evaluated by ultrasonography after radial catheterization and revealed occlusive thrombus in the radial artery in 13 patients. rIMT was found to be statistically significantly higher in patients with thrombus (P < .05). When it was evaluated whether there was a correlation between age and rIMT, a positive significant correlation was found (P < .01). Our study suggests that increase of rIMT may be a risk factor for RAO in the intervention area. Before the procedure, ultrasound (US) assessment of the radial artery may be useful in determining the risk of occlusion. Thus, RAO-related technical risk factors (procedure time, number of punctures, sheath thickness, etc.) can be managed more carefully in patients having radial angiography.

Comparison of the bond strength of five different composites used in the production of clear aligner attachments.

AIM: The aims of this study were to measure and compare shear bond strength (SBS) and manipulation time (MT) among five different composite resins (CR; two flowable and three highly viscous) which are used in the production of clear aligner attachments. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This in vitro experiment study comprised of 150 extracted premolars which were divided into 5 equal groups. Predictor variables were CRs; Tetric Evo Ceram (Ivoclar VivadentAG, Liechtenstein) (Group 1), Tetric NCeram; (Ivoclar VivadentAG, Liechtenstein) (Group 2), Tetric N-Flow (GC Dental Products, Tokyo, Japan) (Group 3), G-aenial Universal Injectable (GC Dental Products, Tokyo, Japan) (Group 4), GC Aligner Connect (GC Dental Products, Tokyo, Japan) (Group 5), respectively. Outcome variables were; SBS and MT for each CR attachment in each group of teeth. Oneway ANOVA was used to compare the groups. Levene's test was used to determine variance homogeneity. In terms of variance homogeneity, Bonferroni tests were used as a post-hoc test for multiple group comparisons. RESULTS: SBS was statistically different between study groups (p < 0.001). Average SBS values ​​are found to be 16.6 ± 3.6 MPa for Tetric Evo Ceram; 20.7 ± 5.4 MPa for Tetric NCeram; 21.0 ± 4.0 MPa for Tetric N-Flow; 18.9 ± 5.0 MPa for G-aenial Universal Injectable; and 17.4 ± 3.5 MPa for GC Aligner Connect. The values ​​in the Tetric Evo Ceram group were significantly lower than the Tetric N-Ceram group (p = 0.004) and the Tetric N-Flow group (p = 0.001). Mean value of shear bond strength in the GC Aligner connect group were significantly lower than in the Tetric N-Ceram group (p = 0.047) and in the Tetric N-Flow group (p = 0.017). Flowable composite had a significantly shorter manipulation time than the high viscous one; mean 1,08 ± 0,22 min to mean 4,57 ± 0,51 min, respectively. CONCLUSION: Although SBSs of CRs tested in the study was found to be statistically different, they all quite exceeded the accepted clinically sufficient value of 6-8 MPa. Besides, flowable composite required substantially less time to manipulate than the high viscosity composite.

Magnetic resonance perfusion imaging findings following flow diversion in patients with complex middle cerebral artery bifurcation aneurysms: a single-center analysis regarding the jailed cortical branches.

BACKGROUND: Flow diverter (FD) devices provide a safe and effective treatment option especially for wide-necked intracranial aneurysms. One of the main concerns in patients treated with FD devices is patency of arterial branches jailed by the stent. However, there are no long-term data from magnetic resonance perfusion (MRP) studies regarding jailed branches. In this study we aimed to reveal the MRP findings in patients with jailed middle cerebral artery (MCA) cortical branches during long-term follow-up after flow diversion. METHODS: Patients who underwent FD stent treatment for MCA aneurysms with a resulting jailed cortical branch were included. Follow-up clinical, angiographic, and MRP examination findings were recorded. Different MRP parameters were measured in the MCA territory regarding the jailed branches. RESULTS: Eighteen patients treated endovascularly with flow diversion for a total of 20 MCA aneurysms were included. At angiographic follow-up (median 35 months, range 7-95 months) complete occlusion was observed in 13 (65%) aneurysms and partial occlusion was observed in 6 (30%). The mean transit time (MTT) prolongation, MTT ratio, time-to peak (TTP) prolongation, and TTP ratio were 1.34, 1.20, 1.18, and 1.06 s, respectively, when compared with the contralateral side in the MCA territory. MTT, TTP, and cerebral blood volume values of the patients showed statistically significant differences compared with the contralateral side (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Flow diversion treatment of complex bifurcation aneurysms can be effective and safe. MRP examination may reveal perfusion changes in the territory vascularized via a jailed branch, and these changes are rarely accompanied by clinical findings.

Spontaneous internal carotid artery dissection in a child diagnosed by high resolution vessel wall MRI.

Craniocervical dissection is one of the most common causes of stroke in children. Although the most common cause of dissection is trauma, spontaneous dissections in which no cause can be revealed may also occur. The diagnosis of this type of dissection in children can be challenging with the preferred non-invasive imaging methods (MRA, CTA). Intracranial vessel wall imaging is a promising novel method for identifying specific signs of dissection. We report an 11-year-old girl with spontaneous ICA dissection, whose diagnosis was confirmed by an MRI of the intracranial vessel wall. Vessel wall imaging has contributed substantially to the diagnosis and follow-up of this case.

Efficacy of Dural Sinus Quantitative Measurements in Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension : A Practical Diagnostic Feature.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: This study aimed to investigate the potential contribution of quantitative measurements of dural venous sinuses to the diagnosis of idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) and the relationship between IIH and dural venous sinus dimensions on 3D post-gadolinium T1-weighted magnetic resonance (MR) images. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 129 individuals (57 IIH patients and 72 controls) who complained of headache and underwent both magnetic resonance venography (MRV) and precontrast/postcontrast 3D T1-weighted MR imaging between 2018 and 2021 were included in this retrospective study. Dural venous sinus and jugular vein diameters were measured in all cases using post-gadolinium 3D T1 TFE images. The presence of transverse sinus (TS) hypoplasia and occipital sinus variation, the number and size of arachnoid granulations in the TS, and the presence of brain parenchymal herniation were also evaluated. Cut-off values that maximized accurate diagnosis of IIH were established on the receiver operating characteristic curve. The sensitivity and specificity of the diagnosis of IIH based on quantitative measurements of the dural sinus were calculated. RESULTS: The ratios of the maximum to minimum TS diameters and the minimum TS diameters to minimum sigmoid sinus (SS) diameters were significantly higher in IIH patients than in the control group (p < 0.001). The diagnostic sensitivity and specificity values of TSmax/TSmin and TSmin sum/SSmin sum parameters for the detection of IIH were 84.2%, 84.7% and 83.3%, 84.2%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Practical measurements from multiplanar T1 sequences can be useful for both quantitative assessment and overcoming misinterpretation due to anatomical variation.

Evaluation of temporomandibular disorders, quality of life, and oral habits among dentistry students.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate temporomandibular disorders (TMD), quality of life, and oral habits in dentistry students. METHODS: The study was performed with 480 students (287 females, 193 males). The Fonseca Questionnaire, Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14), and Oral Behaviors Checklist (OBC) were used. RESULTS: The mean scores of the fifth-year students from Fonseca TMD, OHIP-14, and OBC were statistically significantly higher than those of the students in other years of study. The mean Fonseca score of female students was higher than those of the males. There was a statistically significant difference regarding the OHIP-14 scores based on the Fonseca TMD scores. A statistically significant difference regarding OBC was present based on the Fonseca TMD scores. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of TMDs was higher among the senior dentistry students. Necessary measures should be taken in the dentistry educational system to raise students' quality of life, improve joint disorders, and eliminate current oral habits.

Evaluation of pharyngeal airway dimensions and cephalometric changes after premolar extraction and nonextraction orthodontic treatment in adolescent and adult patients.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of premolar extraction and non-extraction for orthodontic treatment on the skeletal, dentoalveolar and pharyngeal airway. MATERIAL AND METHOD: The study was carried out with the radiographs of a total of 130 patients at the ages of 14 to 25, including 59 male and 71 female patients. The cases were divided into two groups as the "extraction" group(2 upper premolar teeth) (n = 66) and the "non extraction" group (n = 64). RESULTS: Extraction Group:In both age groups, there was a statistically significant increase in the mean interincisal angle (U1xL1) and lower anterior facial height (ANS-Me) values(p < 0.05). In the 14-18 age group, there was a significant increase in the mean upper airway thickness, inferior airway space, hyoid position, soft palate length(PNSP) and upper pharynx values(p < 0.05). In both sexes, while the mean U1xL1 and ANS-Me values significantly increased, the mean upper incisors inclination values decreased significantly(p < 0.05). Non Extraction Group:In both age groups, the mean ANS-Me values increased significantly from T0 to T1(p < 0.05). In the 14-18 age group, the increase in the mean upper adenoid thickness, tongue length,PNSP, softpalate thickness and vertical airway length values was significant(p < 0.05). In the male patients, the mean U1xL1 value decreased significantly(p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The premolar teeth extraction performed in the patients receiving orthodontic treatment did not affect airway dimensions to a high extent.It was determined that the position of the hyoid bone and tongue length was not affected in the patients with premolar extraction and non extraction.

Comparison of skeletal and dental effects of two different tooth-tissue-borne types of rapid maxillary expansion appliances: A CBCT retrospective study.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the skeletal and dental effects of different types of rapid maxillary expansion (RME) appliances using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). MATERIALS/METHODS: This multi-centre study was conducted with a total of 56 patients. The sample consisted of two groups including the McNamara-Type RME (MNR) group with 30 patients (16 females, 14 males, mean age: 13.38 ± 1.16 years) and Full-Coverage RME (FCR) group with 26 patients (10 females, 16 males, mean age:13.78 ± 1.06 years). Twenty-one parameters were measured on CBCT images including 4 maxillary skeletal, 12 maxillary alveolar, and 5 maxillary dental measurements, and the data were analysed using the SPSS 20.0 software. RESULTS: The rates of increase in the palatal maxillary width (PMW) (3), PMW(4), and PMW(6) were significantly higher in the MNR group (P < .05). While the rates of increase in the buccal maxillary width (BMW) (3) and BMW(4) were statistically higher in the MNR group, the rate of increase in BMW (6) was higher in the FCR group (P < .05). The increases in HPW (4), HPW (6), PAA4(°), and PAA6(°), which are parameters about hard palate width (HPW) and palatal alveolar angle (PAA), were also significantly higher in the MNR group (P < .05). The increases in PAW (4) and PAW (6), referring to the widths between the palatal root apices were significantly higher in the MNR group (P < .05).The increase in Slope-6(°) was also higher in the MNR group (P < .05). CONCLUSION: Expansion in the palatal region on the alveolar level was higher in MNR than in FCR, while expansion in FCR was the highest in the posterior. In both appliances, there was tipping in the buccal direction in both alveolar bone and teeth, and the rate of this tipping was higher in MNR.

Investigation of the relationship between maxillary dimensions and labial and palatal maxillary impacted canines using cone beam computed tomography.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the maxillary dimensions of individuals with labial and palatal bilateral maxillary canine impaction and a control group of individuals with no impaction using CBCT. METHODS: 45 patients were included in the study with age range of 13 to 18 and consisted of 22 females and 23 males. The sample included three groups of 15 patients as the control, labial and palatal group. The measurements made on the axial and coronal planes were made on the levels of the 1st premolar and the 1st molar. Also nasal cavity and anteroposterior depth were measured. RESULTS: The maxillary anteroposterior depth, basal first molar width, alveolar first molar and premolar width and first molar palatal vault depth of the control group were significantly higher than labial and palatal groups (p<0.05).The basal first premolar width of the control group was significantly higher than palatal group (p<0.05). The first premolar palatal vault depth and nasal cavity width of the palatal group were significantly lower than other groups (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The basal and alveolar widths associated with the molars and the palatal depths were lower in the impacted group than control group. The anatomical structures in the female patients were affected by the position of impaction to a higher extent in comparison to the anatomical structures in the male patients.

Intergenerational transmission of psychological trauma: A structural neuroimaging study.

Traumatic events have an important effect in human life and may lead to psychopathological disturbances by affecting the personal and social lives of individuals. Recently, various studies have been reported in the literature showing that the traumatic experiences may be associated with intergenerational psychopathologies. However, there is limited data regarding the neuroimaging studies investigating changes in brain structures in children of traumatized mothers. In this study, we aimed to investigate the potential changes in the hippocampus and amygdala volumes in the children of mothers exposed to mass trauma. The traumatic event experienced by the mothers was the two devastating earthquakes they experienced when they were teenagers. Hippocampus and amygdala volumes were evaluated in magnetic resonance imaging of 40 children whose mothers were exposed to earthquakes and 27 children in control group. Bilateral amygdala volumes were significantly smaller in the children of mothers exposed to earthquake compared to the control group. In addition, right amygdala and hippocampus volumes were smaller in children of mothers exposed to earthquakes than left. This is one of the pioneering neuroimaging studies on the intergenerational transmission of trauma. Our study shows that there may be a potential relationship between intergenerational trauma and various brain structures.

Evaluation and comparison of smartphone application tracing, web based artificial intelligence tracing and conventional hand tracing methods.

AIM: The aim of this study was to compare and evaluate the reliability of three different cephalometric assessment methods: Smartphone Application Tracing Method CephNinja (SATM), Web Based Artificial Intelligence (AI) Driven Tracing Method WebCeph (WATM) and Conventional Hand Tracing Method (CHTM). METHODS: 110 lateral cephalometric radiographs were enrolled in the study and 4 linear and 7 angular parameters were traced and measured by one examiner using CephNinja, WebCeph and conventional hand tracing methods. Independent-samples Kolmogorov-Smirnov and Shapiro Wilks tests were used to compare the mean values of intra-examiner differences. Both intra-method and inter-method correlations were evaluated. RESULTS: There were statistically significant differences between the methods in terms of SNA (p:0.003; p < 0.05); SNB measurements (p:0.001; p < 0.05); SN-MP angle (p:0.001; p < 0.05); U1-SN angle (p:0.001; p < 0.05); L1-NB(mm) (p:0.007; p < 0.05) and E Line-Upper Lip(mm) measurements (p:0.013; p < 0.05). All intra-method correlation coefficients are 80% and above. In terms of inter-method coefficients the lowest coefficient of agreement is 0.170 and it is the coefficient of agreement between CHTM and SATM for measurement of U1-NA. The highest coefficient of agreement is 0.884 which is between WBTM and SATM for SNB measurement. CONCLUSIONS: The null hypothesis was rejected. There were statistically and clinically significant differences in various measurements among groups.

Evaluation of temporomandibular disorder symptoms and oral health-related quality of life in adolescent orthodontic patients with different dental malocclusions.

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of temporomandibular disorders in adolescent orthodontic patients with different dental malocclusions and to assess the relationship between oral health-related quality of life.Methods: This study was carried out on 648 randomly selected individuals 14-19 years of age. Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (DC/TMD), Fonseca Questionnaire, and Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14) forms were used.Results: The GCPS, TMD Pain, Fonseca, OHIP-14, PHQ-9, GAD-7, OBC, and PHQ-15 mean scores of female participants were statistically significantly higher than males (p < 0.05).There was a significant difference among the malocclusion groups in terms of their mean scores in GCPS, Fonseca, and OHIP-14 (p < 0.05).The age values and JFLS, TMD Pain, Fonseca, OHIP-14, PHQ-9, GAD-7, and PHQ-15 were statistically significant correlations in the positive direction.Conclusion: The DC/TMD form allows both a physical assessment of Axis I and II that examines psychosocial status and pain-related disorders and a more comprehensive assessment. The mean OHIP-14 and Fonseca questionnaire scores of Class III groups were found to be significantly higher.

Case report: Spinal drop metastasis of IDH-mutant, 1p/19q-codeleted oligodendroglioma.

Background: Symptomatic spinal metastases of oligodendroglioma are rare. Moreover, none of the previously published cases demonstrated the typical IDH mutation and 1p/19q-codeletion for this glial tumor. This case presents an IDH mutant, 1p/19q-codeleted oligodendroglioma with multiple spinal drop metastases. Case description: We report a case of a 55-year-old woman with left frontal grade 3 oligodendroglioma diagnosed 3 years ago. No tumor recurrence was observed in post-operative follow-up MRI examinations. However, she was admitted to our institution again with severe low back pain. Gadolinium enhanced MRI of the spine revealed an intradural, extramedullary metastatic lesion between T11-L1 levels and multiple enhancing metastatic tumor deposits around cauda equine roots between L4-S1. T11-T12 midline laminectomy was performed and gross total resection of metastatic lesions was achieved. Final histological diagnosis of the spinal lesions was WHO Grade 3 Oligodendroglioma, IDH-mutant, 1p/19q-codeleted. Conclusion: This case is the first molecularly-defined spinal metastatic oligodendroglioma. The possibility of drop metastasis should be kept in mind in oligodendroglioma patients with spinal cord-related symptoms. There is no standard approach for the diagnosis and treatment of spinal metastases of this type of glial tumor.

An efficient real-time colonic polyp detection with YOLO algorithms trained by using negative samples and large datasets.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the common types of cancer with a high mortality rate. Colonoscopy is the gold standard for CRC screening and significantly reduces CRC mortality. However, due to many factors, the rate of missed polyps, which are the precursors of colorectal cancer, is high in practice. Therefore, many artificial intelligence-based computer-aided diagnostic systems have been presented to increase the detection rate of missed polyps. In this article, we present deep learning-based methods for reliable computer-assisted polyp detection. The proposed methods differ from state-of-the-art methods as follows. First, we improved the performances of YOLOv3 and YOLOv4 object detection algorithms by integrating Cross Stage Partial Network (CSPNet) for real-time and high-performance automatic polyp detection. Then, we utilized advanced data augmentation techniques and transfer learning to improve the performance of polyp detection. Next, for further improving the performance of polyp detection using negative samples, we substituted the Sigmoid-weighted Linear Unit (SiLU) activation functions instead of the Leaky ReLU and Mish activation functions, and Complete Intersection over Union (CIoU) as the loss function. In addition, we present a comparative analysis of these activation functions for polyp detection. We applied the proposed methods on the recently published novel datasets, which are the SUN polyp database and the PICCOLO database. Additionally, we investigated the proposed models for MICCAI Sub-Challenge on Automatic Polyp Detection in Colonoscopy dataset. The proposed methods outperformed the other studies in both real-time performance and polyp detection accuracy.

The diagnostic contribution of intracranial vessel wall imaging in the differentiation of primary angiitis of the central nervous system from other intracranial vasculopathies.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to demonstrate the diagnostic effect of VWI in differentiating PACNS from other vasculopathies and its role in post-treatment follow-up in PACNS patients in this study. METHODS: In this prospective study, we included patients with clinical suspicion of PACNS who presented with new-onset ischemic events and had significant intracranial large vessel stenosis on DSA or MRA. VWI was performed on all patients. The imaging findings and final diagnoses were recorded. Control VWI was performed on patients with PACNS diagnosis after at least 3 months of treatment, and the change in findings was also evaluated. RESULTS: Twenty-three patients were included in the study had a median age of 40 (range 12-58). The most common clinical manifestations were focal neurologic deficits. According to the initial clinical evaluation, 10 patients (43.5%) were classified as PACNS and 13 patients (56.5%) as indeterminate for PACNS. After incorporating the VWI findings, the diagnosis of PACNS was confirmed in all clinically diagnosed PACNS patients. Concentric wall thickening and contrast enhancement were statistically significant in the PACNS group (p <0.001). According to concentric thickening and VWE features, sensitivity and specificity in distinguishing PACNS and other vasculopathies were 95.2%, 75% and 95.2%, 68.8%, respectively. Vessel wall enhancement regressed in 7 of 9 patients during a median follow-up period of 8 months (range 5.5-11.5) in PACNS patients who followed up. CONCLUSION: VWI seems a new and useful imaging method in the differential diagnosis of PACNS and might be a useful adjunct for post-treatment follow-up.

Evaluation of temporomandibular disorders and oral health-related quality of life with obese patients.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between temporomandibular disorders and oral health impact profile in healthy, overweight, and obese patients.Methods: This study was carried out on 1528 individuals divided into three groups as healthy, overweight, and obese patients. Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders, Fonseca's questionnaire, and Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14) forms were used.Results: Gender, classification, pain, temporomandibular joint noise, and open-lock of the jaw of healthy, overweight, and obese groups were found to be related. The differences in the Fonseca and the OHIP-14 total scores according to the groups were found to be statistically significant. The correlation between the Fonseca total score and age was positive and significant.Conclusion: In the obese patients, both total Fonseca and OHIP-14 values were found to be higher. Also, the presence of pain in the obese patients was found to be higher.

Low Back Pain in Operating Room Nurses and Its Associated Factors.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the presence of low back pain and the associated factors in operating room nurses. METHODS: The population of the descriptive study consists of 133 operating room nurses working in the operating rooms of five major hospitals located in Istanbul, and the study sample consists of 96 operating room nurses who are not on leave or sick leave between July-2016 to February 2017. Data were collected via a question form prepared by the researchers. RESULTS: It was determined that more than half of the operating room nurses forming the sample group had low back pain and that it is affected from the practices of operating room nurses during a shift, which may cause physical strain such as year of working as an operating room nurse, bending and staying in the same position for a long time, holding an instrument for a long time, rotational movement inadequate to body mechanics, lifting/carrying heavy medical items and pushing/pulling heavy medical equipment. CONCLUSION: Majority of operating room nurses had low back pain and it was associated with coercive movements during surgery.

Role of intensive care nurses on guiding patients' families/relatives to organ donation.

OBJECTIVE: The aim was to determine the role of intensive care nurses on guiding the families/relatives of brain-death patients to organ donation. METHODS: This research is a descriptive study. While the population of the study consisted of 1710 nurses working in the intensive care units of public, private and university hospitals in the city of Istanbul, the sample consisted of 353 intensive care nurses selected with stratified random sampling method from the probability sampling methods from this population. The data were collected by using "Data Collection Form". RESULTS: It was determined that 74.5% of the intensive care nurses carefully listened the family/relatives of the patient with possible brain death or suffering from brain death and supported them to express their emotion and thoughts clearly; when the family/relatives of the patients hospitalised in the intensive care unit wanted to get information about organ donation, 20.7% of the nurses made the preliminary explanation themselves and then guided the patient to an organ transplant coordinator for detailed information and 3.1% of the nurses generally gave this information themselves. CONCLUSIONS: It was determined that the knowledge of the intensive care nurses about brain death and organ donation was partially adequate and the function of guiding the families/relatives of brain-death patients to organ donation was mostly done by the physician.

Analysis of facial soft tissue values and cranial skeletal widths in different body mass index percentile adolescent subjects.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to analyze facial soft tissue thickness and cranial skeletal transverse widths in adolescent subjects with different body mass index (BMI) percentiles. METHODS: The 80 subjects were divided into three groups according to BMI percentile: normal-weight, overweight, and obese adolescent subjects. Facial soft tissue linear and cranial skeletal transversal width measurements were performed on lateral and postero-anterior cephalometric radiographs. RESULTS: Glabella, nasion, pogonion, and gnathion soft tissue thicknesses were significantly different among normal-weight, overweight, and obese subjects (p < 0.05). However, other facial soft tissue thickness parameters were not statistically significantly different among the groups (p > 0.05). Moreover, there were no significant differences in cranial skeletal transversal widths among groups (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Nasion soft tissue thickness was thicker in overweight subjects; whereas, glabella, pogonion and gnathion soft tissue thickness was thicker in obese subjects. All measured cranial skeletal widths were similar in normal-weight, overweight, and obese subjects.