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Mecit Suerdem,1 Hakan Gunen,2 Levent Akyildiz,3 Aykut Cilli,4 Tevfik Ozlu,5 Esra Uzaslan,6 Oznur Abadoglu,7 Hasan Bayram,8 Arif Hikmet Cimrin,9 Bilun Gemicioglu,10 Zeynep Misirligil11 1Department of Chest Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Selcuk University, Konya, Turkey; 2Sureyyapasa Chest Diseases and Thoracic Surgery Training and Research Hospital, Health Sciences University, Istanbul, Turkey; 3Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Memorial Dicle Hospital, Diyarbakır, Turkey; 4Department of Chest Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Akdeniz University, Antalya, Turkey; 5Department of Chest Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Karadeniz Technical University, Trabzon, Turkey; 6Department of Chest Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Uludag University, Bursa, Turkey; 7Private Office of Pulmonary and Allergic Diseases, Istanbul, Turkey; 8Koc University Research Center for Translational Medicine (KUTTAM), Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Koc University School of Medicine, Istanbul, Turkey; 9Department of Chest Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Dokuz Eylul University, Izmir, Turkey; 10Department of Pulmonary Diseases, Faculty of Cerrahpasa Medicine, Istanbul University, Cerrahpasa, Turkey; 11Department of Pulmonary and Allergic Diseases, Ankara Liv Hospital, Ankara, TurkeyCorrespondence: Mecit SuerdemDepartment of Chest Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Selcuk University, Konya, TurkeyTel +90 332 241 21 81-82Fax +90 332 241 21 84Email mecsuerdem@gmail.comPurpose: In order to determine the clinical and sociodemographic characteristics of newly diagnosed treatment-naïve asthma and COPD patients in Turkey, a multicenter study in 2012 was initiated . We aimed to investigate the characteristics and therapies of COPD patients in the original study in more detail.Patients and Methods: This nation-wide, multicentric, non-interventional, prospective, real-life observational cohort study was conducted in 122 centers. The newly diagnosed patients were not receiving any treatment before the recruitment. Their general characteristics, the combined GOLD 2011 COPD categories and exacerbation histories were noted. The patients were followed up with 3 voluntary visits for 1 year. Their adherence to the inhaled treatment according to GOLD 2011 was evaluated during follow-up visits.Results: The study included 776 COPD patients. Their mean age was 59.4± 9.1 years, and 11.9% of the patients were female. 35.1% of the patients were in the GOLD 2011 C and D category. 12.6% are frequent exacerbators, and 52.8% had at least one comorbid condition. 71.8% overtreatment rate was detected. Their attendance rates for three follow-up visits became 55.9%, 32.9% and 18.7%, respectively. The adherence rate to the treatment was measured as 81.9%.Conclusion: Although these patients were diagnosed for the first time, the GOLD C and D categories and frequent exacerbator phenotype were found at a high rate. They were usually prescribed an overtreatment regimen. We think that newly diagnosed COPD patients should be evaluated carefully, and best effort should be made to treat these patients in accordance with the recommendations of the major COPD guidelines.Keywords: COPD, newly diagnosed, treatment naïve, exacerbations

In the acquaint article, we scrutinize some fundamental attribute of a subclass of harmonic univalent functions defined by a new alteration. Like these, coefficient disparities, distortion bounds, convolutions, convex combinations and extreme points. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The seed beetle Callosobruchus maculatus is a significant agricultural pest and increasingly studied model of sexual conflict. Males possess genital spines that increase the transfer of seminal fluid proteins (SFPs) into the female body. As SFPs alter female behaviour and physiology, they are likely to modulate reproduction and sexual conflict in this species. Here, we identified SFPs using proteomics combined with a de novo transcriptome. A prior 2D-sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis identified male accessory gland protein spots that were probably transferred to the female at mating. Proteomic analysis of these spots identified 98 proteins, a majority of which were also present within ejaculates collected from females. Standard annotation workflows revealed common functional groups for SFPs, including proteases and metabolic proteins. Transcriptomic analysis found 84 transcripts differentially expressed between the sexes. Notably, genes encoding 15 proteins were highly expressed in male abdomens and only negligibly expressed within females. Most of these sequences corresponded to 'unknown' proteins (nine of 15) and may represent rapidly evolving SFPs novel to seed beetles. Our combined analyses highlight 44 proteins for which there is strong evidence that they are SFPs. These results can inform further investigation, to better understand the molecular mechanisms of sexual conflict in seed beetles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the sealing ability of root-end filling materials such as mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA), Portland cement, and bioaggregate (BA) after irrigation with different solutions. Materials and Methods: We examined 130 human maxillar central teeth. After cutting the teeth at the cementoenamel junction, the root canals were expanded using nickel-titanium rotary instruments. Root canals were filled with AH-plus and gutta-percha. Then, the roots were cut apically, and 3 mm deep retrograde cavities were prepared. The roots were divided 12 experimental groups, consisting 10 teeth each; the positive and negative control groups contained five teeth each. The retrograde cavities were rinsed using ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), chlorhexidine (CHX), BioPure™ mixture of a tetracycline isomer, an acid, and a detergent (MTAD), or distilled water. Next, groups 1, 2, 3, and 4 were sealed with MTA; groups 5, 6, 7, and 8 were sealed with Portland cement; and groups 9, 10, 11, and 12 were sealed with BA. Then, apical microleakage was evaluated by using a computerized fluid filtration method. The results of the leakage test were statistically evaluated by the post-hoc Tukey's test. Results: MTA, Portland cement, and BA root-end filling materials showed the least leakage in the CHX and distilled water groups. The highest leakage was observed in the EDTA and MTAD groups. Conclusions: The sealing ability of BA was as good as that of MTA. EDTA and MTAD increased the apical leakage and CHX and distilled water decreased the leakage of the root-end filling materials examined in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Turkish Journal of Medical & Surgical Intensive Care Medicine / Dahili ve Cerrahi Yoğun Bakım Dergisi is the property of KARE Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Objective: Light's criteria, which were accepted in 1972 for the differential diagnosis of pleural effusions as transudates or exudates, are widely used worldwide. It has been reported in various studies that Light's criteria have lower specificity, and new recommendations have emerged. The discriminative ability of Light's criteria and adapted formulas, which are our new proposal, were studied by Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROCs) analysis and Area Under the Curves (AUCs). Material and Method: These criteria were evaluated in 451 patients in our study. Of these cases, 151 had transudates, while 300 patients presented with exudates. Results: AUCs of Light's criteria (P/Sprot, P/SLDH, PLDH) were measured as 0.931 (95%CI: 0.899-0.963), 0.936(95%CI: 0.904- 0967) and 0.957(95%CI: 0.934-0.981), respectively, and the differences between the measured values were found to be statistically significant (p<.001). AUCs of our new adapted formulas (F-1, F-2, F-3) were found to be slightly higher than those of Light's criteria, with the values of 0.987(95%CI: 0.976- 0.998), 0.935(95%CI 0:.908-0.963) and 0.980(95%CI: 0.966- 0.993), respectively, and the differences were also significant (p<.001). Conclusion: In our opinion, further studies are needed with a wider study population to determine the value of the new formulas in differentiating exudative and transudative pleural effusions. Proving our proposal would be useful in clinical practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The effects of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy on right ventricular (RV) function in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) has not been previously studied by tissue Doppler imaging (TDI). The aim of this study was to assess RV function using TDI in patients with OSAS before and after CPAP therapy. Methods: Twenty-eight patients with newly diagnosed OSAS in the absence of any confounding factors and 18 controls were included in this study. The peak systolic velocity (S'm), early (E'm) and late (A'm) diastolic myocardial peak velocities at tricuspid lateral annulus, isovolumic acceleration (IVA), myocardial precontraction time (PCT'm), myocardial contraction time (CT'm), and myocardial relaxation time (RT'm) were measured. All echocardiographic parameters were calculated 6 months after CPAP therapy. Results: The RV diastolic parameters such as E'm velocity and E'm-to-A'm ratio were significantly lower, RT'm was significantly prolonged, A'm velocity was similar in patients with OSAS compared to controls; and the RV systolic parameters such as IVA and CT'm were significantly lower and S'm was similar in patients with OSAS compared to controls. At the end of the treatment, 20 of 28 patients were compliant with CPAP therapy. E'm velocity, E'm-to-A'm ratio, IVA, and CT'm increased, PCT'm, PCT'm-to-CT'm ratio, and RT'm decreased significantly after therapy, whereas S'm velocity and A'm velocity did not change after CPAP treatment in the compliant patients. Conclusion: OSAS is associated with RV systolic and diastolic dysfunction, and 6 months of CPAP therapy improves the RV systolic and diastolic dysfunction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Anatolian Journal of Cardiology / Anadolu Kardiyoloji Dergisi is the property of KARE Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Purpose: To assess the efficacy of botulinum toxin type A in spasticity in upper-motor neuron syndromes.Methods: Twenty-three patients with spasticity resulted from stroke-related hemiplegia, transverse myelitis and multiple sclerosis took part in the study. Following the history and physical examinations of the patients, injections of botulinum toxin-A were applied. The dose ranged from 80 to 400 mouse unit (MU) depending on the size of the muscle injected. In all patients, spasticity, spasms and pain were measured using the Ashworth Scale, Spasm Frequency Score, and Visual Analogue Scale prior to the therapy, at the 1st week, 1st month and 3rd month of the therapy.Results: In all patients, botulinum toxin type A led to a significant decrease in spasticity, spasms and pain after the 1st week, 1st and 3 rd months of the treatment when compared to the baseline values (p<0.001). No significant side effects or complications were observed.Conclusion: Our results have demonstrated that botulinum toxin type A is effective in the management of patients with spasticity due to stroke-related hemiplegia, transverse myelitis and multiple sclerosis, without major adverse effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on the impact of the environment on allergic lung diseases. Episodes of severe air pollution, particularly by acid aerosols and sulphur dioxide resulting from excessive burning of coal, frequently resulted in substantial morbidity and mortality from respiratory disease during the first few decades of this century. However, studies from Japan have demonstrated that the incidence of rhinoconjunctivitis in residents living alongside old cedar tree-lined main roads with heavy traffic all day long was much higher than that in residents living in the cedar forest but with less traffic, despite the cedar pollen counts being similar in both areas.

Evidence from both epidemiological and laboratory-based studies suggests that increased exposure to liquid petroleum and gas-derived air pollutants [nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ozone, and respirable particulate matter] may play a role in the clinical manifestation of both allergic and non-allergic airway disease. The mechanisms and cell types involved in pollutant-mediated effects in the airways, however, are not clear. In vitro studies have suggested that human fibroblasts, B-lymphocytes, alveolar macrophages, and epithelial cells/cell lines may be involved. Studies of fibroblasts and macrophages have demonstrated that exposure to ozone results in decreased cell viability and increased release of pro-inflammatory mediators from macrophages. Similarly, studies of B-lymphocytes have demonstrated that exposure to diesel exhaust particles (DEP) enhances the synthesis of immunoglobulin E by these cells. The airway epithelial cells have received the greatest attention in mechanistic studies of air pollution-induced airway disease and suggest that these cells are likely to play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of airways disease. Various studies have demonstrated that exposure of nasal or bronchial epithelial cells to NO2, ozone, and DEP results in significant synthesis and release of pro- inflammatory mediators, including eicosanoids, cytokines, and adhesion molecules. Additionally, evidence suggests that epithelial cells of atopic individuals release significantly greater amounts of cytokines such as granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF), interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-8, and regulated on activation, normal T-cell expressed and secreted (RANTES), on exposure to NO2 and ozone. Studies investigating the biological relevance of epithelial cell-derived pro-inflammatory mediators have shown that these enhance eosinophil chemotaxis and eosinophil adherence to endothelial cells, suggesting that pollution-induced inflammation of the airways is likely to be influenced by modulation of epithelial synthesis and release of these mediators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]