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Introduction The human population is aging at an astonishing rate. The aim of this study is to capture a situation snapshot revealing the proportion of individuals aged 65 years and over among inpatients in healthcare institutions in Turkey and the prevalence and type of infections in this patient group in order to draw a road map. Materials and Methods Hospitalized patients over 65 years at any of the 62 hospitals in 29 cities across Turkey on February 9, 2017 were included in the study. Web-based SurveyMonkey was used for data recording and evaluation system. Results Of 17,351 patients 5871 (33.8%) were ≥65 years old. The mean age was 75.1 ± 7.2 years; 3075 (52.4%) patients were male. Infection was reason for admission for 1556 (26.5%) patients. Pneumonia was the most common infection. The median length of hospital stay was 5 days (IQR: 2–11 days). The Antibiotic therapy was initiated for 2917 (49.7%) patients at the time of admission, and 23% of the antibiotics prescribed were inappropriate. Healthcare-associated infections developed in 1059 (18%) patients. Urinary catheters were placed in 2388 (40.7%) patients with 7.5% invalid indication. Conclusion This study used real data to reveal the proportion of elderly patients in hospital admissions. The interventions done, infections developed during hospitalization, length of hospital stay, and excessive drug load emphasize the significant impact on health costs and illustrate the importance of preventive medicine in this group of patients.

This study aims to develop a health behaviour scale for the preconception period and assess the preconception health behaviours of women who have applied to the municipality for marriage and are planning a pregnancy within a year.This is a methodological and descriptive study. While the exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, the test-retest method and Cronbach's alpha internal consistency methods were used for data analysis in the methodological stage. The Mann-Whitney U test and Kruskal-Wallis test were used in the descriptive stage. Statistical significance was accepted as p 0.05. In total, 260 women were enrolled in the study during the scale development stage. Upon completion of the scale development stage, for the evaluation of preconception health behaviours was conducted with 331 women who were planning pregnancy within one year.The Preconception Health Behaviours Scale consists of 18 items and 4 subscales. The Cronbach's alpha value was 0.867. The subscales "Preparation", "Coping Skills", "High-Risk Behaviours" and "Nutrition and Sleep" were found to be reliable. The mean score obtained from the scale was 29.50 ± 6.57. It was determined that level of education and level of knowledge on preconception care affected the preconception health behaviours of the women who have applied for marriage.The Preconception Health Behaviours Scale is valid and highly reliable. Furthermore, a high level of education and high knowledge on preconception care affect preconception health behaviours positively.

Purpose This paper aims to determine the knowledge and attitudes of the physicians regarding human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), to emphasize that these patients exist and they will exist in the future and to raise awareness so as to prevent that their rights to treatment are revoked. Design/methodology/approach The survey was conducted via a link sent through an online system. Random physicians from 81 cities of the country were invited to the survey. The survey has 41 questions regarding knowledge and attitudes in total, including epidemiological information such as age, gender and title. Findings A total of 3,107 physicians has voluntarily participated in the study. In total, 2,195 (70.7%) are internal physicians and 912 (29.3%) are surgical physicians among the participant physicians. In total, 1,452 (46.7%) of the participants are specialist physicians, 608 (19.6%) of the participants are practising physician and the rest of it is physician assistants, academicians and dentists, respectively. Originality/value In this study, it has been found out that the physicians have a lack of knowledge on HIV/AIDS and they adopt a discriminatory attitude towards HIV-positive persons. HIV-positive patients who are exposed to discrimination and scared of being uncovered refrain from applying to hospitals for treatment, which puts public health into jeopardy due to the high viral load and these patients are faced with difficulties in coping with both medical and emotional load of the disease.

Introduction: In the presence of asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB) before the urological procedure, the duration of antimicrobial treatment is controversial. This study aims to evaluate whether a short course of antimicrobial therapy is safe and effective in cases with ASB before urological procedures. Methodology: We retrospectively reviewed adult patients who had ASB before undergoing several urological procedures between 2011 and 2019. The patients received a single dose of an appropriate parenteral antibiotic, determined by antimicrobial sensitivity testing, 30 to 60 minutes before the urological procedure. If a urinary catheter was placed post-procedure, a second dose was given. Results: A total of 293 patients who had ASB before undergoing several urological procedures were included in the study. The total number of procedures was 328. Female/male ratio was 92 (31.4%)/201 (68.6%). The mean age was 63.7 ± 14.9 years. The most common isolated microorganisms were Escherichia coli (155 [47%]), Klebsiella pneumoniae (38 [11.6%]), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (28 [8.5%]). The most common antimicrobial used was ertapenem. A second dose antimicrobial was given for 290 procedures due to a urinary catheter after a urological procedure. The mean hospitalization time was 3.97 ± 3.42 days. None of the patients developed infectious complications. Conclusions: This study has demonstrated that a single dose of parenteral antimicrobial drug administered 30-60 minutes before the urologic procedures and a second dose in the presence of a post-procedure catheter, was adequate to prevent post-procedure septicemia and urinary tract infection.

Introduction: Candida species are important nosocomial bloodstream infections that cause high mortality rates and prolonged hospi-talization. In this study, we aimed to determine risk factors for candidemia and the distribution of Candida species causing bloodstream infections., Materials and Methods: The study was conducted as case-control study at an 810-bed tertiary care teaching hospital between April 2014 and April 2017., Results: A total of 75 candidemia episodes were identified during the study period. Candida albicans was the most-frequent species (68%), followed by Candida glabrata (9.3%), and Candida tropicalis (6.7%). The rate of candidemia was higher in intensive care units than in other units. Prior antibiotic use [Odds Ratio (OR)= 15.52; 95% confidence interval (CI) 6.025-39.99; p, Conclusion: A better understanding of the risk factors for candidemia among hospitalized patients may have significant implications for prevention.

Herbal infusions have become very popular due to their pleasant flavor as well as their positive influence on health. The compositions of such infusions are affected by the extraction technique, duration, additives as well as container materials. This study implements comparison of antioxidant activities and phenolic contents of the infusions commercially purchased Tilia platyphyllos Scop. samples, one of the most preferred herbal infusions worldwide, prepared by using teapots with different materials. Antioxidant potencies of the samples were examined using tests with different mechanisms such as free radical scavenging test (DPPH), metal-related activity tests (CUPRAC, FRAP). On account of assessing the phenolic profile, total phenol, phenolic acid and flavonoid contents were estimated spectrophotometrically. In addition, the presence of protocatechuic acid in the extracts was investigated by HPTLC densitometry (between 0.762-1.037 w/w%). Besides, antioxidant activities (DPPH, CUPRAC and TOAC) of the extracts were re-calculated after addition of natural/synthetic sweeteners, brown and white sugar, lemon, flower and pine honeys to the infusions. Results showed that the highest total antioxidant capacity was seen on Tiliae infusions prepared in ceramic teapot (672.80±1.40 mg AAE/g DE). Moreover, stevioside addition enhanced DPPH radical scavenging of Tiliae extracts (2781.76±44.38 EC50 in µg/mL). This is the first report related with comparison of these brewing materials and additives in respect to their phenolic content and antioxidant activity of herbal teas. © 2020 Marmara University Press.

Objectives: Endometrial cancer (EC) is the most common malignancy of the female reproductive system. To date, no good marker for screening or disease monitoring of EC is available. The objective of this study was to investigate the sensitivity and specificity of CA125 and human epididymis protein 4 (HE4) in detection of EC. Materials and Methods: This case-control study was carried out on 40 women with EC and 60 women without cancer. Serum samples were prospectively obtained from all patients. Cut-off points for HE4 and CA125 were considered 70 pmol/L and 35 U/mL, respectively. The level of statistical significance is set at P < 0.05. Results: The ROC-AUC, for HE4 was 0.82 and CA125 was 0.73 and for combination of HE4 and CA125 was 0.89. Compared to CA125, HE4 had higher sensitivity (57.7% vs. 40%), equal specificity (93.3% vs. 95%), equal positive predictive value (PPV) (85% vs. 84.2%) and higher negative predictive value (NPV) (76.71% vs. 70.37%) and in combination of two tumor markers sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV were 62.5%, 93.3%, 86.2% and 78.9%, respectively. It was clear that combination of two markers had higher sensitivity and higher NPV to detect EC, than each marker alone. HE4 and CA125 were significantly elevated in EC compared to controls (P < 0.001). There was significant correlation between median HE4 and age of the patients (r = 0.48, P = 0.002) and stage of the disease (r =0.50, P = 0.001). There was no significant correlation between CA125 and age, stage or grade of the disease (P = 0.39, P = 0.08 and P = 0.9, respectively). Conclusion: Our study showed that serum HE4 levels alone and in combination with CA125 are sensitive markers in diagnosing EC.

Naturally occurring halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) are first functionalized by 3-(trimethoxysilyl) propyl methacrylate and then used as nanofillers in a mixture of difunctional methacrylates (triethylene glycol dimethacrylate and bisphenol A glycerolate dimethacrylate). Upon free radical photocrosslinking of this mixture enables the in situ preparation of HNT/thermoset nanocomposites. The covalent bonding of HNT in the thermoset matrix is proven by following characteristic bands of the mixture using Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy. Furthermore, the presence and distribution of HNT in the nanocomposites are confirmed by scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy observations. In addition, a mixed morphology containing agglomerated/nonagglomerated HNTs in the thermoset matrix is also determined. Both tensile strength and elasticity modulus of nanocomposites are dramatically increased with increase in HNT loading up to 4% ratio. On the other hand, these nanocomposites exhibit higher thermal properties compared to the neat thermoset.

Introduction: Hand hygiene is one of the most effective infection control measures to prevent the spread of healthcare-associated infections (HCAI). Water, soap, paper towel and hand disinfectant must be available and adequate in terms of effective hand hygiene. The adequacy of hand hygiene products or keeping water-soap and paper towel is still a problem for many developing countries like Turkey. In this multicenter study, we analyzed the adequacy in number and availability of hand hygiene products., Materials and Methods: This study was performed in all intensive care units (ICUs) of 41 hospitals (27 tertiary-care educational, 10 state and four private hospitals) from 22 cities located in seven geographical regions of Turkey. We analyzed water, soap, paper towel and alcohol-based hand disinfectant adequacy on four different days, two of which were in summer during the vacation time (August, 27th and 31st 2016) and two in autumn (October, 12th and 15th 2016)., Results: The total number of ICUs and intensive care beds in 41 participating centers were 214 and 2357, respectively. Overall, there was no soap in 3-11% of sinks and no paper towel in 10-18% of sinks while there was no alcohol-based hand disinfectant in 1-4.7% of hand disinfectant units on the observation days. When we compared the number of sinks with soap and/or paper towel on weekdays vs. weekends, there was no significant difference in summer. However, on autumn weekdays, the number of sinks with soap and paper towel was significantly lower on weekend days (p, Conclusion: There should be adequate and accessible hand hygiene materials for effective hand hygiene. In this study, we found that soap and paper towels were inadequate on the observation days in 3-11% and 10-18% of units, respectively. Attention should be paid on soap and paper towel supply at weekends as well.

Botulism is a neurological disease caused by the heat-labile toxin of Clostridium botulinum. Botulism should be kept in mind in the presence of neurological findings and suspicious food intake in patients without fever and altered mental status. In this report, an outbreak of botulism occurring with somewhat different clinical pictures in three members of the same family after consumption of a home made canned tomato sauce was presented. © 2018, AVES. All rights reserved.

Introduction: Brucellar spondylodiscitis is a frequent and serious complication of brucellosis. The aim of this study is to describe the brucellosis patients with spondylodiscitis and the predictive factors related to spondylodiscitis in brucellosis. Methodology: Laboratory-confirmed brucellosis patients from a low- to medium-endemic region were enrolled in the study and distributed into two groups. Group I consisted of patients with spondylodiscitis and Group II patients had no complications. Both groups were compared for predictive factors of spondylodiscitis. Results: A total of 219 patients with active brucellosis were included in the study. We determined at least one complication in 91 (41.6%) patients. The most frequent complication was spondylodiscitis [n = 59 patients (26.9 %)]. In univariate analysis, age, time from symptom onset to diagnosis, presence of low back pain, increased levels of erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and alkaline phosphatases were the most significant predictive factors for spondylodiscitis among brucellosis cases. Presence of headache and thrombocytopenia were less frequent in patients with spondylodiscitis when compared to patients without complications (p = 0.024, p = 0.006 respectively). In multivariate analysis, old age (odds ratio [OR] 1,063; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.026-1.101; p < 0.001), prolonged time between symptoms onset before diagnosis (OR 1.008; 95% CI 1.001-1.016; p = 0.031), and presence of low back pain (OR 12.886; 95% CI 3.978-41.739; p < 0.001) were indepedently associated with an increased risk of spondylodiscitis. Conclusions: Spondylodiscitis is the most frequent complication of systemic brucellosis. Patients with low back pain, older age, and longer duration of symptoms should be considered as candidates of potential spondylodiscitis in brucellosis.

War and poverty are ‘extraordinary conditions created by human intervention’ and ‘preventable public health problems.’ War and poverty have many negative effects on human health, especially women’s health. Health problems arising due to war and poverty are being observed as sexual abuse and rape, all kinds of violence and subsequent gynecologic and obstetrics problems with physiological and psychological courses, and pregnancies as the result of undesired but forced or obliged marriages and even rapes. Certainly, unjust treatment such as being unable to gain footing on the land it is lived (asylum seeker, refugee, etc.) and being deprived of social security, citizenship rights and human rights brings about the deprivation of access to health services and of provision of service intended for gynecology and obstetrics. The purpose of this article is to address effects of war and poverty on the health of reproduction of women and to offer scientific contribution and solutions.

Incidence of nosocomial infections gradually increase in patients over 65 years age population. There is a significant relationship between increased age and predisposition to nosocomial infections. Predisposition to infections in this age group is a result of impaired host defense, underlying chronic diseases, long-term hospitalization, steroids and immunosuppressive therapies and malnutrition. Nevertheless there is not much data about the incidence and risk factors of nosocomial infections in elderly population. In this study we aimed to investigate the incidence and risk factors for nosocomial infections and the factors affecting mortality rates in elderly patients in the medical intensive care units. Nosocomial infection is an important factor causes increased mortality rate and length of hospital stay. Mortality rates and time interval between admission and discharge is significantly higher in nosocomially infected group than others. There are several known independent risk factors for increased mortality rates include increased age and length of hospital stay, impaired conscious levels, co-morbidities, nosocomial infections, immunsupresive conditions such as malnutrition, malignancies, mechanic ventilation and/or central venous catheter usage. As a result nosocomial infection is an important and partially preventable risk factor for mortality among patients treated in intensive care units. Mechanical ventilation, central venous and/or urinary catheterizations are such invasive interventions that may cause higher nosocomial infection rates. In terms of decreasing nosocomial infection rates; less frequently used invasive interventions can help in achieving this purpose of treatment., 65 yaş üzerindeki hastalarda nozokomiyal infeksiyon sıklığı her geçen gün artmaktadır ve ilerlemiş hasta yaşı ile nozokomiyal infeksiyon arasında belirgin bir ilişki bulunmaktadır. Bu hastalarda konak savunmasının azalması, altta yatan kronik hastalıklar, hastanede uzun yatış süresi, malnutrisyon, steroid ve immunsupresif kullanımı infeksiyona zemin hazırlayan diğer faktörlerdir. Maalesef yaşlı hastalarda ortaya çıkan nozokomiyal infeksiyonlar ve risk faktörleri ile ilgili literatürde çok fazla çalışma bulunmamaktadır. Bu çalışmada yoğun bakım ünitelerinde yatan yaşlı hastalarda ortaya çıkan nozokomiyal infeksiyonların risk faktörlerini ve mortalite üzerine olan etkilerini göstermeyi amaçladık.Nozokomiyal infeksiyonlar hastanede kalış süresini uzatan ve mortaliteyi artıran önemli bir etkendir. Mortalite oranları ve hastaneye yatış ile taburculuk arasında geçen süre nozokomiyal infeksiyonu olan hastalarda belirgin olarak daha fazladır. Yoğun bakım ünitelerinde, ileri yaş, hastanede uzun yatış süresi, altta yatan hastalıklar, nozokomiyal infeksiyonlar, immunsupresif durumlar, uygulanan invaziv girisimler mortaliteyi artıran bağımsız risk faktörleridir.Sonuc olarak nozokomiyal infeksiyonlar yoğun bakım hastaları icin mortalite üzerinde önemli etkisi olan ve kısmen önlenebilir bir risk faktörüdür. Uygulanan invaziv işlemlerin azaltılması bu infeksiyonlardan korunmada önemli bir rol oynamaktadır

Introduction: In this multicenter study, we analysed the magnitude of healthcare worker (HCW) [infection control practitioner (ICP), nurses and others] workforce in hospitals participated in the study., Materials and Methods: This study was performed in 41 hospitals (with intensive care units-ICU) located in 22 cities from seven regions of Turkey. We analysed the ICP workforce, nursing and auxiliary HCW (AHCW) workforce in ICUs, number of ICU beds and occupied beds in four different days [two of which were in summer during the vacation time (August 27 and 31, 2016) and two others in autumn (October 12 and 15, 2016)]. The Turkish Ministry of Health (TMOH) requires two patients per nurse in level 3 ICUs, three patients per nurse in level 2 ICUs and five patients per nurse in level 1 ICUs. There is no standardization for the number of AHCW in ICUs. Finally, one ICP per 150 hospital beds is required by TMOH., Results: The total number of ICUs, ICU beds and ICPs were 214, 2377 and 111, respectively in he 41 participated centers. The number ICPs was adequate only in 12 hospitals. The percentage of nurses whose working experience was 2. The number of patients per other HCW was minimum 3.75 and maximum 4.89 on weekdays and on day shift while it was minimum 5.02 and maximum 7.7 on weekends or on night shift. When we compared the number of level 1, 2 and 3 ICUs with adequate nursing workforce vs inadequate nursing workforce, the p value was, Conclusion: Our data suggest that ICP workforce is inadequate in Turkey. Besides, HCW workforce is inadequate and almost 1/4 of nurses are relatively inexperienced especially in level 3 ICUs. Turkish healthcare system should promptly make necessary arrangements for adequate HCW staffing.

Hakyemez, Ismail Necati/0000-0001-6133-9604; Mert, Ali/0000-0001-8945-2385; YILMAZ, Mesut/0000-0001-8022-7325 WOS: 000394632300009 PubMed: 28013184 Aim: To examine the variables associated with mortality in patients with Acinetobacter baumannii-related central nervous system infections treated with intrathecal colistin. Materials and methods: This multi-centre retrospective case control study included patients from 11 centres in Turkey, as well as cases found during a literature review. Only patients with CNS infections caused by multidrug-resistant or extensively drug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii treated with intrathecal colistin were included in this study. The variables associated with mortality were determined by dividing the patients into groups who died or survived during hospitalisation, and who died or survived from Acinetobacter meningitis. Results: Among the 77 cases enrolled in the study, 35 were found through a literature review and 42 were cases from our centres. Forty-four cases (57.1%) were male and the median age was 48 years (range: 20-78 years). Thirty-seven patients (48%) died during hospitalisation. The variables associated with increased all-cause mortality during hospitalisation included old age (odds ratio, 1.035; 95% confidence interval (Cl), 1.004-1.067; p = 0.026) and failure to provide cerebrospinal fluid sterilisation (odds ratio, 0.264; 95% confidence interval, 0.097-0.724; p = 0.01). There is a trend (P=0.062) towards higher mortality with using of meropenem during meningitis treatment. Fifteen cases (19%) died from meningitis. There were no significant predictors of meningitis-related mortality. Conclusions: The mortality rate for central nervous system infections caused by multidrug-resistant or extensively drug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii is high. Old age and failure to provide CSF sterilisation are associated with increased mortality during hospitalisation. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier B.V.

WOS: 000386954300001, PubMed: 27809934, Background: The aim of this study was to assess health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients in Turkey and to study related factors. Methods: This multicenter study was carried out between January 01 and April 15, 2015 in Turkey in 57 centers. Adults were enrolled and studied in three groups. Group 1: Inactive HBsAg carriers, Group 2: CHB patients receiving antiviral therapy, Group 3: CHB patients who were neither receiving antiviral therapy nor were inactive HBsAg carriers. Study data was collected by face-to-face interviews using a standardized questionnaire, Short Form-36 (SF-36) and Hepatitis B Quality of Life (HBQOL). Values equivalent to p < 0.05 in analyses were accepted as statistically significant. Results: Four thousand two hundred fifty-seven patients with CHB were included in the study. Two thousand five hundred fifty-nine (60.1 %) of the patients were males. Groups 1, 2 and 3, consisted of 1529 (35.9 %), 1721 (40.4 %) and 1007 (23.7 %) patients, respectively. The highest value of HRQOL was found in inactive HBsAg carriers. We found that total HBQOL score increased when antiviral treatment was used. However, HRQOL of CHB patients varied according to their socio-demographic properties. Regarding total HBQOL score, a higher significant level of HRQOL was determined in inactive HBV patients when matched controls with the associated factors were provided. Conclusions: The HRQOL score of CHB patients was higher than expected and it can be worsen when the disease becomes active. Use of an antiviral therapy can contribute to increasing HRQOL of patients.

EASL International Liver Congress -- APR 13-17, 2016 -- -- Barcelona, SPAIN, WOS: 000398711700582, …, EASL

Multidrug-resistant (MDR) Acinetobacter baumannii is one of the most important pathogens in intensive care units related to morbidity and mortality, especially in ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). In this study, 80.5% of isolates were MDR. The antimicrobial susceptibilities for 12 different antibiotics of MDR A. baumannii isolated from VAP were tested. Among the MDR A. baumannii isolates, resistance rates were found to be 95.5%, 72.7%, 80.3%, 71.2% and 68.2% for ciprofloxacin, cefepime, imipenem, meropenem and cefoperazone/sulbactam, respectively. Netilmicin resistance was detected in 30.3% of the isolates. Resistance rates for colistin and tigecycline were 0% and 25.8%, respectively. It is obvious that new alternative drugs are needed for the treatment of MDR A. baumannii-related VAP owing to high resistance to carbapenems, quinolones, aminoglycosides and cefoperazone/sulbactam. Although colistin appears to be a good choice, adverse reactions and unavailability of colistin limit its wide used in Turkey. Tigecycline, which will shortly be introduced commercially in Turkey, is very effective against MDR A. baumannii isolates and shows promising results to solve the problem, however resistance rates should be monitored closely. (c) 2008 Elsevier B.V. and the International Society of Chemotherapy. All rights reserved.

Stem Cell Therapy for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis:Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive motor neuron disease, which have no any effective treatment method. There are various pathophysiological processes underlying the disease such as oxidative stress, glutamate toxicity, inflammation and loss of the glial neurotrophic support. There is no cure yet for ALS but there are many clinical trials that focused different therapeutic targets. One of the most popular treatment methods is cell transplantation. The cellbased therapies are promising for ALS patients with many evidences including beneficial effects in protection neurons and replacement of degenerated neurons.

Gonderilme tarihi: 14.10.2014 Kabul tarihi: 24.12.2014 Abstract Purpose: In this study we aimed to investigate the incidence and effect of Acinetobacter baumannii infection on mortality in elderly patients admitted to intensive care unit. Materials and methods:We retrospectively investigated the medical records of elderly patients (>65 years) treated for more than 48 hours in our intensive care unit between 2013-2014. Defined risk factors in patients with or without A. baumannii infection were compared. Results: Medical records of one hundred and four patients mean age of patients was 77.1±6.9 were investigated. Most common nosocomial infection was ventilatory associated pneumonia in patients with A. baumannii infection (62.5%). Urinary catheter insertion was the most common invasive intervention (99%). Invasive interventions for instance; central venous catheterization, urinary catheter, mechanical ventilation and nasogastric tube insertion are defined as risk factors for A. baumannii infection, only mechanical ventilation is defined as independent risk factor (p=0.001). Mortality rates were significantly higher in patients infected with A. baumannii than non-infected patients (p=0.026). Conclusion: We showed that nosocomial A. baumannii infection leads higher mortality rates (p

Mild anemia and leukopenia are the most common hematologic findings in the course of acute brucellosis. However severe form of thrombocytopenia is less frequently reported. The patient was admitted to the hospital with fever, gingival bleeding, and petechial skin lesions related to severe thrombocytopenia. He was investigated for the causes of thrombocytopenia. Test results showed that Wright agglutination test was positive at 1/5120 titer, and blood culture was positive for Brucella melitensis. Finally, he was diagnosed as acute brucellosis. Rifampicin and doxycycline treatment was started on he third day of admission. A bone marrow aspiration was performed on the seventh day of admission because of severe thrombocytopenia did not response to brucellosis treatment. The result of bone marrow aspiration was consistent with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura. With the addition of corticosteroid treatment, his complaints resolved immediately, and thrombocyte count rose to normal range. He was discharged on the 12th day of rifampicin and doxycycline therapy, and he was successfully completed 6-week therapy. In cases of brucella induced immune thrombocytopenia, corticosteroid treatment might be useful for the prevention of bleeding complications.

Objective: In this study we aimed to determine a landmark that can be measured through the skin with nasal mid-point (bregma) to coronal suture, and additionally an average value was calculated. We report, to our knowledge, the distance between the nasion-coronal sutures is reported for the first time in Turkish population. Methods: The study included 30 craniums and 30 frontal bones. Each skull from midline nasal suture to coronal suture curved up at the distance was measured with tape measure. Results: Mean values were determined. Nasal suture between coronal suture distance average 12,2 cm (min10,3 cm, up to 13,5 cm) were detected. Conclusion: Nasal suture is an easily palpable area through the skin. A small incision is carried down through skin to bone at the spot 12 cm back from the nasion 3 cm lateral to the midline for ventricular drainage operation. This data provide practical information for neurosurgeon and is available everywhere. J Clin Exp Invest 2014; 5 (3): 368-370

Before a half century, regeneration of neurons has been admitted as an impossible event. Thus, neurodegenerative disorders (e.g. Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis), vascular events (e.g. stroke) and traumatic diseases (e.g. spinal cord injury) have been admitted as incurable diseases. Afterward, tissue reparative and regenerative potential of stem cell researches for these disorders drew attention of the scientist to replacement therapy. Now, there are hundreds of current experimental and clinical regenerative treatment studies. One of the most popular treatment methods is cell transplantation. For this purpose many types of stem cells such as mononuclear stem cells, mesenchymal stem cells, and olfactory ensheathing cells can be used. As a result, cell transplantation has become a promising therapeutic option for these neurologic disorders. In this article, we reviewed stem cell treatment modalities for neurological disorders in the light of current literature.

The emergence of extensive drug-resistant (XDR) Acinetobacter baumannii limits the therapeutic options and leads to high mortality in intensive care units. Combined antibiotic therapy is frequently recommended for the treatment of these infections. Colistin (CO) and tigecycline (TIG), alone or in combination with other antimicrobials, are the most commonly used antibiotics in the treatment of these resistant infections. In this study, the in vitro synergistic activity of TIG and CO were tested for 25 XDR-A. baumannii strains isolated from ventilator-associated pneumonia by the Etest method. Resistance to CO was not detected, whereas 8% of the strains were resistant to TIG. The TIG-CO combination was more synergistic than TIG-rifampin and CO-rifampin according to the fractional inhibitory concentration index. No antagonism was detected between the drugs in the study. There was no strong correlation between the activity of the combinations with reference to strains or genotypes. Our results suggest that the combined use of TIG and CO may be useful for the treatment of XDR-A. baumannii infections. The Journal of Antibiotics (2010) 63, 51-53; doi:10.1038/ja.2009.117; published online 27 November 2009

We report a case of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) infection in a 36-week pregnant woman. She was treated with ribavirin. She did not transmit the disease to her baby. Her baby was the first known to survive being delivered by a woman with CCHF. The initialization of ribavirin treatment probably resulted in the survival of the mother and her baby. (C) 2009 The British Infection Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.