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Objective:This study aimed to determine whether there was any relationship between tinnitus and mean platelet volume.Methods:This retrospective study was conducted between January 2013 and January 2014 in Ankara Atatürk Hospital and Ondokuz Mayıs University Hospital, Turkey, on a study group of 86 patients with tinnitus and a control group of 84 healthy subjects. Mean platelet volume was recorded and comparisons were made between the two groups.Results:Mean (± standard deviation) platelet volume was 7.67 ± 0.83 μm3 in the study group and 7.28 ± 0.56 μm3 in the control group. There was a statistically significant difference in mean platelet volume between the tinnitus patients and the healthy subjects (p < 0.05).Conclusion:The clinical findings indicated that tinnitus patients had a higher mean platelet volume than the healthy control subjects; however, the pathophysiological mechanism remains unclear. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study used micro-CT to compare three obturation techniques with respect to void occurrence in canals filled with bioceramic sealer. Thirty extracted first mandibular premolars were prepared with a ProTaper Universal system and randomly allocated to three groups. Canals were obturated with gutta-percha and bioceramic root canal sealer, using either single-cone, lateral compaction, or Thermafil filling technique. Each tooth was then scanned with micro-CT. Voids in 2D cross-sectional images and void volumes in 3D images of all root thirds were assessed in relation to obturation technique. There was no significant difference between obturation techniques in the proportion of sections with voids (P > 0.05). However, the results of the obturation techniques significantly differed in relation to root region (P < 0.05). In conclusion, no root filling technique resulted in void-free specimens. Void volumes were highest for the single-cone technique and lowest for Thermafil, in all regions (P < 0.05). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mathematical properties associated with the exponential rotation matrices are reviewed. By means of two typical mechanism examples, it is demonstrated that these properties constitute a versatile analytical tool, which can be used effectively in kinematic studies on spatial mechanical systems involving position, velocity, acceleration, and singularity analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a method for the mathematical modeling of both the single and double support phases of the human gait. The governing equations are obtained by considering the linkage model to be in a floating state and the foot-ground interaction is imposed in the form of geometric constraints. Two stages for the single support phase and one stage for the double support phase are considered, each described by a different foot-ground constraint. Feedback controller functioning according to the computed torque control method is used to achieve the normal gait described by the hip and ankle trajectories. Weighted least square optimization is used to solve the redundancy of control torques during the double support phase. The geometric simulation indicates that the imposed trajectories can be realized by the proposed model with some deviations in joint motions. The control strategy is tested by artificially perturbing the trajectories. The corrective actions are able to resume the desired pattern within half cycle, but with control torque magnitudes considerably away from reasonable limits. This is attributed to the insufficiency of the planar kinematic model and the assumption that the joint torques are unbounded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Autosomal recessive intellectual disability (ID) is characterized by extensive genetic heterogeneity. Recently, three mutations in SZT2 were reported in two unrelated children with unexplained infantile epileptic encephalopathy with severe ID. Here we report a European American family with three children having non-syndromic mild or moderate ID without seizures. Whole-exome sequencing of three affected siblings revealed a three base pair deletion (c.4202_4204delTTC) located in a 19 mb autozygous region on chromosome 1, leading to an amino acid deletion (p.Phe1401del) in SZT2. All three children were homozygous for the deletion and their parents were heterozygous as expected in autosomal recessive inheritance. SZT2 is highly expressed in neuronal tissues and regulates seizure threshold and neuronal excitation in mice. We conclude that the disruption of SZT2 with some residual function might lead to mild or moderate ID without seizures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To investigate the effects of deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) on acoustic characteristics of voice production in Turkish patients with Parkinson's disease (PD)., Material and Methods: This study recruited 20 patients diagnosed with PD. Voice samples were recorded under the "stimulation on" and "stimulation off" conditions of STN-DBS. Acoustic recordings of the patients were made during the production of vowels /a/, /o/, and /i/ and repetition of the syllables /pa/-/ta/-/ka/. Acoustic analyses were performed using Praat., Results: A significant difference in the parameters was observed among groups for vowels. A positive significant difference was observed between preoperative med-on and postoperative med-on/stim-on groups for /a/ and the postoperative med-on/ stim-on and postoperative med-on/stim-off groups for /o/ and /i/ for frequency perturbation (jitter) and noise-to-harmonics ratio. No significant difference was noted between the preoperative med-on and postoperative med-on/stim-off groups for any vowels., Conclusion: STN-DBS surgery has an acute positive effect on voice. Studies on formant frequency analysis in STN-DBS may be expanded with both articulation and intelligibility tests to enable us to combine patient abilities in various perspectives and to obtain precise results.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of 3 Tesla (3T) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) noise on cochlear functions., Methods: The distortion product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE) test was applied to patients who were scheduled to have 3T MRI in the tertiary care center. Patients who revealed emission amplitudes at all frequencies (1, 1.5, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 8 kHz) in the DPOAE test before MRI were included in the study. After MRI, the DPOAE test was performed twice on 17 patients (33 ears) (immediately after MRI and 30 minutes after MRI). The changes in the results of the tests taken before MRI (pre-MRI), immediately after MRI (post-MRI 1), and at 30 minutes after MRI (post-MRI 2) in the DPOAE amplitudes at all frequencies were compared statistically., Results: There was a significant difference between pre-MRI, post-MRI 1, and post-MRI 2 measurements at 3, 6, and 8 kHz. In pairwise comparisons; post-MRI 1 was statistically lower than post-MRI 2 at 3 kHz, and post-MRI 1 was statistically lower than pre-MRI and post-MRI 2 at 6 and 8 kHz. In addition, post-MRI 2 was significantly lower than pre-MRI at 8 kHz., Conclusion: According to these results, 3T MRI noise does not have any permanent negative impact on hearing functions. It can only cause DPOAE amplitude changes at high frequencies. This is a clinically negligible effect. Therefore, it can be considered that the 3T MRI examination with protective headphones does not cause any adverse side effects in terms of hearing functions.

Purpose: To investigate the effects of submucosal platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection on nasal mucosal wound healing after endoscopic sinus surgery., Methods: 24 New Zealand white rabbits were randomly divided into three groups. To mimic surgery, injury was created using 3-mm punch forceps on ventral turbinate mucosa for all groups. Submucosal PRP was injected to the damaged mucosa in the first group (PRP group, n = 8), where 0.9% saline solution to the second group (saline group, n = 8) and no injection to the third one (control group, n = 8). All the animals were sacrificed 14 days after surgery; histopathological examination and hydroxyproline measurements were performed on the mucosa of all groups., Results: Neutrophils, goblet cells, and collagen intensity were found significantly lower (p < 0.05) in PRP group than the control group. Also, the number of ciliary and goblet cells, and collagen intensity were found significantly lower (p < 0.05) in PRP group, than the saline group. In PRP group, hydroxyproline levels were found (p < 0.05) significantly lower than the saline and the control group, and no significant difference was found between the saline group and the control group (p > 0.05)., Conclusion: There are many studies in literature showing the positive effects of PRP on wound healing. The results of this study also demonstrated positive effects of PRP on the nasal mucosa. According to these results, PRP injection to the injured nasal mucosa showed anti-inflammatory, mucus-softening, and synechia-reducing effects. Therefore, submucosal PRP injection after endonasal surgeries can be considered an effective application for maintaining nasal physiology.

Background: Increasing arterial stiffness is associated with atherosclerosis and there is an association between atherosclerosis and tinnitus may occur. Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between arterial stiffness and tinnitus using the central pulse-wave analysis method. Methods: This prospective, single center study included 98 participants, comprising 49 patients diagnosed with subjective idiopathic tinnitus (Group 1) and a control group of 49 healthy subjects (Group 2). The Mobil-O-Graph 24 h Pulse wave analysis (PWA) Monitor (I.E.M. GmbH, Stolberg, Germany) was used to determine the arterial stiffness and cardiovascular hemodynamic parameters. Central pulse pressure (CPP), Augmentation index and pulse wave velocity (PWV) were obtained with the device. Results: No statistically significant difference was determined between Groups in respect of age, smoking and hypertension ( p  > .05). Statistically significantly higher Central Pulse Pressure (CPP) values and pulse wave velocity were higher in Group 1 compared to the control group ( p  < .005). No statistical variation was detected in terms of the augmentation index (18.5 ± 11.3 vs 16.7 ± 10.3, p  = .543). Conclusion: Our results marked that arterial stiffness is associated with tinnitus. The relationship was examined via oscillometric method, which is simple to perform and has been recommended in guidelines for the determination of cardiovascular event risk.

Osteoporosis is a major public health problem worldwide. Lower peak bone mineral density (BMD) in youth may be the single most important factor leading to the development of osteoporosis in the elderly. Using cross-sectional data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2005-2014, we included 18,713 individuals with complete and valid data on femoral neck, total hip and lumbar spine BMD. Generalized additive models were used to estimate the age at attainment of peak BMD and 95% confidence intervals (95%Cls); model covariates were sex, race, body mass index (BMI) and we also examine factors potentially affecting age at attainment of peak BMD. This study clearly stated that age at attainment of peak femoral neck, total hip and lumbar spine BMD were 20.5 years, 21.2 years and 23.6 years in males, and 18.7 years, 19.0 years and 20.1 years in females, respectively and age at attainment of peak BMD varied by skeletal sites and sex. The study also found that females achieved peak femoral neck, total hip and lumbar spine BMD earlier than males (all P < 0.001); race and BMI were not associated with the age at attainment of peak BMD (all P > 0.05). These results suggested that improving bone health among individuals before 20 years old may be useful for reducing future risk of osteoporosis and osteoporotic fractures., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The association of HPV in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) is investigated in several studies but controversial results are established. This study aimed to investigate the HPV DNA positivity in LSCC patients diagnosed and treated in two otorhinolaryngology referral centres in northern region of Turkey. The study was planned as a retrospective investigation of LSCC patients. Fifty-two formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue blocks of laryngeal cancers-diagnosed and treated between 2010 and 2016, were included. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method was used for detection of HPV genotypes. PCR amplification was successful in 40 of 52 patients. Among the 40 LSCC samples, HPV DNA was detected in one patient (2.5%). The evaluated HPV positivity in LSCC as low; but larger studies are needed to confirm this.

Objective: The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of jugular bulb-vestibular aqueduct dehiscence (JBVAD) in patients undergoing temporal bone multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) and assess the relationship between JBVAD and hearing loss with the findings of audiometry., Methods: About 1503 temporal bone MDCT scans were evaluated for the prevalence of JBVAD. Correlation of the imaging findings and audiometric data was performed. Patients were divided into two groups, those with and those without hearing loss, and were statistically compared., Results: Jugular bulb-vestibular aqueduct dehiscence was detected in 124 of the 1503 patients with a prevalence of 8.2%. MDCT images of 56 of the 124 patients were normal except for JBVAD (n = 38) and close proximity of the jugular bulb (JB) and vestibular aqueduct (VA) (n = 18). A total of 23 of 38 patients with JBVAD and 7 of 18 patients with close proximity of the JB and VA had hearing loss detected by audiometric evaluation., Conclusions: The most common hearing loss was detected as sensorineural hearing loss in patients with JBVAD. Also, median air and bone conduction and air bone gap values were found statistically higher in patients with hearing loss versus those without hearing loss.

Topographic relationship; sinusitis and paranasal sinus computed tomography., Background: The association between the symptoms of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) and computed tomography (CT) findings is controversial, especially the topography of the symptoms and CT findings., Objective: To determine the relationship between topographic and overall paranasal CT findings with topographic and overall symptoms., Methods: This was a two-center study comprising 166 patients diagnosed with chronic sinusitis. All patients underwent CT scans and completed a questionnaire. The symptom scores and CT findings were compared., Results: A correlation between anterior ethmoid sinusitis and hyposmia was found. Blockage of the osteomeatal complex and posterior ethmoid sinusitis was associated with halitosis. There were also correlations between maxillary and sphenoid sinusitis and tooth pain. The total visual scale score was not associated with any of the symptoms. No association was seen between facial pain or facial pressure and paranasal sinus CT scores. No correlation was found between the topographic correlation of sinus pain and topographic paranasal sinus CT findings., Conclusions: No relationship exists between symptoms and paranasal sinus CT findings in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis.

There are many causes of septal injury or saddle nose. A variety of materials like autografts or exogenous ones have been used for reconstruction. Cartilage grafts are usually used for reconstruction. The reconstruction material should be strong enough to reshape the nose but also easy to reshape (cut or crop) and the cartilage should be thick enough to allow cosmetic shaping. A new technique for total septal reconstruction is presented in this paper. From the experience of these three cases. The method described here has two significant advantages. This method provides better stability and strength and also allows for easy reshaping or cropping of the cartilage, it seems to be an easier method to reconstruct the septum with good results.

Objectives/hypothesis: Mean platelet volume is the measurement of the average size of platelets in the blood, and red blood cell distribution width is the variability of the size of red blood cells in circulation. This study aimed to investigate if there was any relationship between mean platelet volume, red blood cell distribution, and epistaxis., Study Design: Prospective controlled trial., Methods: The study included 90 patients admitted to Ankara Atatürk Hospital and Samsun Medicana Hospital with complaints of recurrent epistaxis, and a control group of 90 healthy subjects. Blood samples were taken from all patients and control group subjects. Mean platelet volume and red blood cell distribution parameters were examined and compared between the two groups., Results: The mean platelet volume levels were determined as 8.86 ± 0.1 in the control group and 8.36 ± 0.1 in the patient group. The difference between the two groups with respect to mean platelet volume was statistically significant (P < .05). The mean red blood cell distribution levels were determined as 12.68 ± 0.32 in the control group and 11.90 ± 0.16 in the patient group. The difference between the two groups with respect to red blood cell distribution was also statistically significant (P < .05)., Conclusions: The results of this study showed a clinical finding of lower mean platelet volume and red blood cell distribution levels in epistaxis. These findings could be beneficial in new investigations into epistaxis mechanisms., (© 2014 The American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society, Inc.)

Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the incidence and severity of epistaxis under different air conditions., Methods: This prospective study of 310 patients was conducted between January 2010 and December 2010 in the Diyarbakir State Hospital. Epistaxis rates were examined in under conditions of mean temperature (MT; degrees Celsius), mean humidity (MH; (%), air pressure (AP; atmosphere bar), sunlight duration (SD; hours), rainfall (kg/m2), and wind speed (km/hour)., Results: A positive correlation between epistaxis rates and temperature was found, but the correlation between epistaxis rates and humidity, air pressure, and rainfall were negative. Additionally, no correlation was seen between epistaxis rates and either wind speed or sunlight duration., Conclusion: This clinical study provides evidence to support the idea that meteorological factors should be considered risk factors of epistaxis rates.

Autosomal recessive intellectual disability (ID) is characterized by extensive genetic heterogeneity. Recently, three mutations in SZT2 were reported in two unrelated children with unexplained infantile epileptic encephalopathy with severe ID. Here we report a European American family with three children having non-syndromic mild or moderate ID without seizures. Whole-exome sequencing of three affected siblings revealed a three base pair deletion (c.4202&#95;4204delTTC) located in a 19 mb autozygous region on chromosome 1, leading to an amino acid deletion (p.Phe1401del) in SZT2. All three children were homozygous for the deletion and their parents were heterozygous as expected in autosomal recessive inheritance. SZT2 is highly expressed in neuronal tissues and regulates seizure threshold and neuronal excitation in mice. We conclude that the disruption of SZT2 with some residual function might lead to mild or moderate ID without seizures.

We conducted a prospective, placebo-controlled study to determine the incidence and severity of inner ear involvement and hearing loss in patients with Behçet disease. Our study population was made up of 29 patients with Behçet disease and 28 healthy controls. Audiometric pure-tone thresholds and transient evoked otoacoustic emission (TEOAE) levels were determined in both groups. The main outcome measures were pure-tone audiometry (PTA) levels and TEOAE levels in the two groups. PTA detected a sensorineural hearing loss in 10 of the 29 patients (34.5%). The difference in audiometric findings between the two groups was statistically significant at 1, 2, 4, and 8 kHz (p ≤ 0.0498). A comparison of TEOAE levels revealed that the difference in sound-to-noise ratio between the two groups was not significant at 1, 1.5, 2, and 3 kHz, but it was significant in 4 kHz (p = 0.02), and the difference in reproducibility between the two groups was significant at 2 and 4 kHz (p ≤ 0.03). We conclude that all patients with Behçet disease should be screened for hearing impairment and subsequently treated if an impairment is discovered.

This is a double bind clinical trial which evaluated harmonic scalpel versus bipolar diathermy tonsillectomy The study was conducted at Diyarbakir government hospital, Diyarbakir, Turkey. The study population comprised 144 patients, aged 4-18 years (mean 9 years ± 4.12 SD). All patients underwent tonsillectomy with or without adenoidectomy. The indications for tonsillectomy were obstructive sleep apnea (84 patients [58.3%]) and chronic tonsillitis (60 patients [41.7%]). All 144 patients were randomly divided into two groups: bipolar dissection (81 patients [56.2%] with mean age 8.98 years ± 4.22) and harmonic scalpel (63 patients [43.8%] with mean age 9 years ± 4.02). BD group showed statistically significantly less intraoperative bleeding (< 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference on postoperative day 1 but a statistically significant difference was determined on postoperative days 4, 7 and 14. There was no statistically significant difference between the two techniques with regard to immediate and delayed bleeding. The mean operative time was the same in both the groups. Bipolar dissection group showed statistically significant less intraoperative bleeding than harmonic scalpel group. An analysis of postoperative pain scores showed that the harmonic scalpel group pain scores are lower than the bipolar dissection group on all recorded days, and no statistically significant complications was seen in both groups. The results of this study indicate that the HS technique is associated with lower pain scores with the same complication rates as the BD technique.