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The objective of this study is to utilize artificial intelligence techniques for the diagnosis of complications and diseases that may arise after liver transplantation, as well as for the identification of patients in need of transplantation. To achieve this, an interface was developed to collect patient information from Atatürk University Research Hospital, specifically focusing on individuals who have undergone liver transplantation. The collected data were subsequently entered into a comprehensive database. Additionally, relevant patient information was obtained through the hospital's information processing system, which was used to create a data pool. The classification of data was based on four dependent variables, namely, the presence or absence of death ("exitus"), recurrence location, tumor recurrence, and cause of death. Techniques such as Principal Component Analysis and Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) were employed to enhance the performance of the models. Among the various methods employed, the LDA method consistently yielded superior results in terms of accuracy during k-fold cross-validation. Following k-fold cross-validation, the model achieved the highest accuracy of 98% for the dependent variable "exitus". For the dependent variable "recurrence location", the highest accuracy obtained after k-fold cross-validation was 91%. Furthermore, the highest accuracy of 99% was achieved for both the dependent variables "tumor recurrence" and "cause of death" after k-fold cross-validation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

of laparoscopy in liver resections has become widespread. However, with the consensus meetings and international recommendations, laparoscopic liver resections have been tried to be standardized. We aimed to present this laparoscopic liver resection experience by comparing open and laparoscopic techniques. Materials and Methods: Patients who underwent liver resections between 2015 and 2022 were retrospectively screened and divided into 2 groups as laparoscopic liver resections and patients who underwent liver resection with open surgery. Indications, resection techniques, operative times, length of hospital stay, early hospital mortality, and complications were compared between both groups using statistical methods. Results: Laparoscopic surgery was performed in 31 (14%) patients, and open surgery was performed in 189 (86%). The mean operation time was 316 ± 168.2 minutes in patients who underwent laparoscopic liver resection. It was 329.4 ± 123.6 in the open surgery group. The length of hospital stay was 11.6 ± 4.9 days in patients who underwent laparoscopic liver resection, while it was 19.7 ± 12.1 days in patients who underwent open surgery. The difference between the length of hospital stay was statistically significant (Mann--Whitney U-test, P = .00). There was no difference between the 2 groups in terms of complications and early mortality. Conclusion: Laparoscopic liver resections are a safe method that can be applied in 3 or less segment resections. As the experience of the surgical team increases, it can be safely applied for major hepatectomies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Acute appendicitis (AA) is the most frequently seen surgical emergency in pregnant women and the most frequently encountered cause of non‐obstetric acute abdomen. Due to the physiological and anatomical changes that occur during pregnancy and the limited use of radiological methods, it is difficult to diagnose AA during pregnancy. These conditions increase the risk of morbidity and mortality; therefore, it is crucial to identify ideal laboratory markers that can be utilized to diagnose disease. Methods: One hundred and ten pregnancies that fulfilled the inclusion criteria for AA diagnosis were retrospectively analysed between 2010 and 2021. Markers with high diagnostic values were discussed. Results: The patients were divided into three groups as follows; Group I: negative appendectomy (n = 19); Group IIa: uncomplicated appendicitis (n = 59); Group IIb: complicated appendicitis (n = 32). There was no statistically significant difference in mean age or gestational week (P > 0.05). Group IIb had a higher rate of complications and a longer length of hospital stay (P < 0.05). There were significant differences between the groups in terms of white blood cell (WBC), neutrophil, neutrophil‐to‐lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet‐to‐lymphocyte ratio (PLR), C‐reactive protein, lymphocyte‐to‐ C‐reactive protein ratio, total, direct, and indirect bilirubin values (P < 0.05). While platelet and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) values did not differ substantially between groups, both were found to have a high diagnostic value. Conclusion: It was concluded that WBC, neutrophil, NLR, PLR, total, direct and indirect bilirubin levels could be utilized to diagnose AA. Moreover, levels of WBC, neutrophil, NLR, platelet, PLR, LDH, total, direct and indirect bilirubin can be utilized to diagnose complicated appendicitis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has significantly impacted global health, particularly affecting vulnerable populations, such as organ transplant recipients. Human leukocyte antigens (HLAs) play a critical role in immune response regulation, and understanding their association with COVID-19 can provide insights into disease susceptibility and severity. This study aims to explore the association between HLA allele variability and COVID-19 susceptibility and severity among kidney transplant recipients. Methods In 2023, we conducted a study on 73 kidney transplant recipients who tested positive for COVID-19 via polymerase chain reaction. This study included assessments of clinical status, immunosuppressive drug levels, HLA allele frequencies, and donor-recipient tissue compatibility. Molecular analyses were performed using sequence-specific oligonucleotide typing, and statistical analysis was conducted using IBM SPSS Statistics, version 20.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY). Results Among the participants, 31 were hospitalized and 42 were treated as outpatients. Significant differences were observed in HLA allele distributions, particularly the HLA-A*11 allele, which was more prevalent in outpatient-treated patients, suggesting a potential protective effect. No significant age differences were observed between hospitalized and outpatient groups. Serum tacrolimus levels were notably higher in outpatients. Statistical analyses revealed significant associations between certain HLA groups and the severity of COVID-19 infection. Conclusions This study highlights the importance of HLA allele compatibility in influencing the clinical outcomes of COVID-19 in kidney transplant recipients. The findings suggest that specific HLA alleles may reduce susceptibility or moderate the severity of COVID-19, indicating a need for broader genetic studies across diverse populations to validate these observations and improve management strategies for transplant recipients during pandemics., Competing Interests: Human subjects: Consent was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Animal subjects: All authors have confirmed that this study did not involve animal subjects or tissue. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work., (Copyright © 2024, Altundaş et al.)