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In this work, we studied the nature and dilemma of the inverse magnetocaloric effect using Ni50Mn36In14 magnetic shape memory alloy. In this context, the inverse magnetocaloric effects of Ni50Mn36In14 magnetic shape memory alloy polycrystalline samples were investigated as a function of annealing heat treatments by the thermo-magnetometry method. Two forms of Ni49TiMn36In14 magnetic shape memory alloy were studied: one that predominantly undergoes a magnetic phase transition and the other that exhibits both a magnetic and martensitic phase transition. The magnetic behaviors and magnetocaloric properties of these alloys were analyzed to investigate the competition between magnetic and lattice contributions to the total entropy change. Finally, the mutually contradictory role of magnetic and lattice contributions was demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of Fe doping for Mn in CoMn1-xFexGe alloys on their structural and magnetic phase transitions was investigated. CoMn1-xFexGe alloys display a first-order magneto-structural transition from a high temperature paramagnetic hexagonal Ni2In-type crystal structure to a low temperature ferromagnetic orthorhombic TiNiSi-type structure. An entropy change of ΔSM=-32.8 J/kgK was measured and adiabatic temperature change of -8.0K was computed for the x=0.085 alloy under a magnetic field of 7 T in the vicinity of the phase transition at 317 K. With increasing Fe content, transition temperatures and magnetic entropy changes decrease. In addition to investigating the effect of replacing Mn with Fe, the accessibility of the giant measured entropy change was quantified by means of the minimum magnetic field required to start and to complete the magnetostructural phase transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our experimental measurements for the magnetization M as a function of temperature are analyzed for the multilayer structure of CoMnFeGe for x = 0.085 and x = 0.12 at constant magnetic fields of 3, 5, and 7 T. For this analysis, a power-law formula is used below the transition temperature T for these compositions and the values of the critical exponent β for the magnetization M (order parameter) are determined. Our analysis indicates that a first order transition at lower concentrations ( x = 0.085) changes toward a second order at higher concentrations ( x = 0.12) at constant magnetic fields (3, 5, and 7 T) for the multilayer CoMnFeGe, as observed experimentally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: Thymoquinone (TQ) is an antioxidant and anti-apoptotic substance found in the Nigella sativa plant. Alpha-tocopherol (α-TP) is a potent antioxidant. We aimed to determine whether or not TQ and TP have a protective effect against lower limb ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury of muscle and the sciatic nerve. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A single dose of TQ 25 mg/kg was given intraperitoneally to the TQ group, a single dose of α-TP 200 mg/kg was given intraperitoneally to the α-TP group. IR was performed for 45 minutes after the drugs’ applications. RESULTS: While serum levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) of the IR group were significantly higher than those of the TQ plus α-TP, TQ and α-TP groups (p<0.001, p<0.001, p=0.008, respectively) and IL-6 (all p<0.001), the reduced glutathione (GSH) level of the IR group was lower than that of the other three groups. While neuronal nitric oxide synthase activity of nerve tissues of the IR group was significantly lower than that of the TQ plus α-TP group, the muscle tissue caspase-3 activity was higher than that of the TQ plus α-TP group. CONCLUSIONS: Administration of TQ plus α- TP may strongly protect muscle and nerve tissues against IR injury via their synergistic effects [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: High level of alpha-fetoprotein is usually associated with testis cancer or hepatocellular carcinoma a primary tumor of the liver. Case: We report the case of a 72-year-old male patient with chronic renal failure who presented with a high alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) level and a retroperitoneal mass, which was subsequently diagnosed to be an extrahepatic hepatocellular carcinoma. Conclusion: A retroperitoneal mass with elevated AFP level and no detected liver lesions is not always caused by a testicular cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The giant magnetocaloric effect was quantified in CoMn1-xFexGe (x = 0.085–0.12) nom. at. % polycrystals across the high temperature hexagonal (P63/mmc) to low temperature orthorhombic (Pnma) phase transition via differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and multiple (thermo) magnetization measurements. It was found that increasing Fe content led to the decrease of both the martensitic transformation temperature and entropy change ( Δ S ) at the point of the phase transition. Moreover, first-time magnetocaloric measurements resulted in irreproducible entropy change versus temperature diagrams, which was attributed to the release of internal pressure in bulk samples that disintegrated into powder upon transformation. CoMn1-xFexGe demonstrated larger magnetic field-induced entropy changes and giant magnetocaloric effect (MCE) compared to other CoMnGe alloys doped with Si, Sn, Ti, and Ga. However, the observed brittleness and apparent change in volume at the magnetic transition was posited to influence the material's potential for regenerative applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The hypothesis of this randomized, prospective study was that focused stretching of the gluteus medius muscle, in addition to generalized physical therapy, is likely to improve muscle reaction time and positively impact the return to function of the patient after primary total hip arthroplasty (THA)., Methods: We prospectively recruited 28 patients undergoing primary THA from January 2021 to January 2023. The control group (13 patients) received a conventional rehabilitation protocol, while the intervention group (15 patients) received focused stretching exercises of the gluteus medius muscle in addition to the conventional rehabilitation protocol. Patients had preoperative and postoperative surface electromyography (sEMG) to assess muscle activity., Results: Patients in the intervention group after surgery had better muscle activation according to sEMG during walking and during one leg stance compared to the control group. Also, patients from the intervention group had better strength of the gluteus medius muscle after surgery, but this did not reach statistical significance., Conclusions: The present prospective study demonstrated that implementation of focused gluteus medius muscle stretching results in statistically significantly higher muscle activation as measured by sEMG. The strength of the gluteus medius muscle is also higher as measured using a dynamometer, albeit not reaching statistical significance. Based on the findings of this sEMG study, it appears that focused stretching and strengthening of abductors muscles are beneficial., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Objective: Our aim was to predict these stages of hepatic fibrosis and necroinflammation using measurements from two-dimensional shear wave elastography (2D-SWE), transient elastography (Fibroscan, TE), and shear wave dispersion (SWD)., Materials and Methods: In this prospectively designed study, chronic liver patients with nonspecific etiology whose biopsy was performed for up to 1 week were included. Two-dimensional SWE, SWD, and TE measurements were performed. The METAVIR and F-ISHAK classification was used for histopathological evaluation., Results: Two-dimensional SWE and TE were considered significant for detecting hepatic fibrosis. In distinguishing ≥F2, for 2D-SWE, area under the receiver operating characteristics (AUROC) was 0.86 (confidence interval [CI], 0.75-0.96) for the cutoff value of 8.05 kPa ( P = 0.003); for TE, AUROC was 0.79 (CI, 0.65-0.94) for the cutoff value of 10.4 kPa ( P < 0.001). No significance was found for TE in distinguishing ≥F3 ( P = 0.132). However, for 2D-SWE, a cutoff value of 10.45 kPa ( P < 0.001), with AUROC = 0.87 (CI, 0.78-0.97) was determined for ≥F3. Shear wave dispersion was able to determine the presence of necroinflammation ( P = 0.016) and a cutoff value of 15.25 (meter/second)/kiloHertz ([m/s]/kHz) ( P = 0.006) and AUROC of 0.71 (CI, 0.57-0.85) were calculated for distinguishing ≥A2. In addition, a cutoff value of 17.25 (m/s)/kHz ( P = 0.023) and AUROC = 0.72 (CI, 0.51-0.93) were found to detect severe necroinflammation. The cutoff value for SWD was 15.25 (m/s)/kHz ( P = 0.013) for detecting ≥A2 in the reversible stage of fibrosis (F0, F1, and F2), and AUROC = 0.72 (CI, 0.56-0.88)., Conclusions: Two-dimensional SWE and TE measurements were significant in detecting the irreversible stage and the stage that should be treated in hepatic fibrosis noninvasively. Shear wave dispersion measurements were significant in detecting necroinflammation noninvasively., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

In this study, we report the structural, magnetic, and magnetocaloric properties of B substitution on the Mn site in Ni 43 Mn 46- x B x In 11 ( x = 0.5, 1.0) Heusler alloys. Crystal structure analysis using room-temperature x-ray diffraction data reveals both samples have mixed phases composed of cubic and tetragonal phases. The structural and magnetic phase transition characteristic temperatures are determined using differential scanning calorimetry, isothermal magnetization (M T ), and isofield magnetization (MH) measurements. Both alloys exhibit inverse and direct magnetocaloric effects in the vicinity of their magnetostructural transition and Curie temperature ( T C ), respectively. For Ni 43 Mn 45.0 B 1.0 In 11 a maximum magnetic entropy change of 25.06 J kg -1 K -1 is observed at 250 K for a magnetic field change of 5 T., (Creative Commons Attribution license.)

Photothermal nanoparticles with light-to-heat conversion properties have gained interest in recent years and have been used in a variety of applications. Herein, indocyanine green (ICG), which is commonly employed as a photothermal agent suffering from low photostability, was loaded into halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) resulting in photothermal HNT-ICG nanohybrids. The photothermal heating patterns of the prepared photothermal nanohybrids as a result of near-infrared (NIR) irradiation were carefully examined. The nanohybrids reached a temperature of 216 °C in 2 min under NIR light, and in contrast to free NIR, the ICG loaded into HNTs remained stable over 10 heating and cooling cycles. Moreover, HNT-ICG nanohybrids incorporated into polyacrylonitrile (PAN) were electrospun into nanofibers for use as photothermal nanofibers, and composite nanofibers, which heat up to 79.3 °C under 2 min of NIR irradiation, were obtained. To demonstrate the potential of the PAN/HNT-ICG nanofibers as light-activated antibacterial nanofibers, their NIR light-activated killing activity on Staphylococcus aureus ( S. aureus ) cells has been explored. The composite nanofibers reduced the number of bacteria on their surface by 7log upon 10 min of NIR irradiation. Encapsulation of ICG in HNTs as a carrier has been demonstrated as an effective way to stabilize ICG and incorporate it into materials and coatings without compromising its functionality., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2023 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)

Objectives: Poisonings constitute an important part of preventable morbidity and mortality in pediatric intensive care units (PICUs) and hospitalizations. However, information on poisoning requiring intensive care is limited. This study aimed epidemiological evaluation of poisoning cases treated in the PICU in a single center., Methods: The records of 504 patients admitted to the PICU due to acute poisoning between 2010 and 2022 were retrospectively reviewed. Data were evaluated using descriptive methods and the χ 2 test, and statistical differences with P value <0.05 were considered significant., Results: The age range of the patients ranged from 1 month to 216 months (18 years), and the rate of girls was 53.2% (n = 268), whereas the rate of boys was 46.8% (n = 236). The mean age was 4.4 ± 4.3 years for boys, 6.7 ± 5.8 years for girls, and 5.6 ± 5.3 years for all patients. It was determined that 79.6% of the cases were poisoned by accident and 20.4% by suicide. A total of 76.7% of the patients who were poisoned for suicide were girls and 23.3% were boys. The mean age of these patients was 14.3 ± 3.0 years. On the other hand, 47.1% of the children who were accidentally poisoned were girls and 52.9% were boys, and the mean age of these children was 3.4 ± 2.9 years. Although 79.9% of poisonings occurred at home, the causative agent was oral poisoning in 97.4% of the cases. Approximately two thirds (69.2%) of the cases were drug-related, whereas 30.8% were related to nondrug substances. In drug-related poisonings, central nervous system drugs (35.8%) were the most common agent, followed by analgesic/antipyretic (20.9%) agents, whereas among the nonpharmaceutical factors, insecticides (agricultural pesticides, rat poison, pesticides, etc) were the most common, followed by poisonous herbs (beetleweed, widow's weed, cannabis, etc). The mean admission time of the patients to the hospital was 6.3 ± 8.4 hours, and the mean length of stay in the intensive care unit was 1.6 ± 1.3 days. In the 12 years of our study, only 3 patients died due to poisoning, and our mortality rate was 0.5%. Four patients (0.7%) were referred to the Alcohol and Drug Addicts Treatment and Research Center., Conclusions: In this study, in which we retrospectively analyzed the profiles of poisoning cases hospitalized in the PICU for 12 years, we determined that poisonous weeds were the major factor in accidental poisonings, and suicidal poisonings were above the expected rates even at the young age group such as 8-12 years old. These results show the importance of determining the poisoning profile of the health care service area., Competing Interests: Disclosure: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

In this study, we examine Ni 49 Nb 1 Mn 36 In 14 (nom. at.%) magnetic shape memory alloy (MSMA) to illustrate the inverse magnetocaloric effect (MCE) using the fraction method. The magnetic entropy change,ΔSmag, was calculated with both, the fraction method and the thermomagnetic Maxwell relation. Our results demonstrate that there exists a large magnetization difference between field-cooling and field-heating histories in Ni 49 Nb 1 Mn 36 In 14 (nom. at.%) MSMA, which can be attributed to the pinning of lattice entropy and magnetic entropy, as it is well-known that the temperature and applied magnetic fields have an opposing effect on the total entropy change. In addition, we describe the inverse MCE and the contradictory roles on the total entropy change between the two stimuli via the fraction method., (Creative Commons Attribution license.)

Background And aim: The importance of immunization has increased even more during the pandemic. This study aimed to evaluate the reasons for healthcare professionals not being vaccinated against COVID-19 and to develop solutions for the causes., Subject and Methods: This qualitative study was carried out with in-depth interviews between July 2021 and October 2021, with 32 healthcare professionals and five key people who had never been vaccinated against COVID-19., Results: The most common reasons that healthcare professionals were not vaccinated against COVID-19 were concerns about vaccine side effects, believing that the vaccine is not effective, distrust of the vaccine content and COVID-19 treatment methods, the rapid production of the vaccine, the fact that the vaccine is produced with a new technology, thinking that the vaccine is not the definitive solution, seeing themselves as healthy and young, and the belief that they would have a mild case of the disease and recover. The main themes were COVID-19 vaccine-related reasons, individual reasons/group effects, contextual reasons, and vaccination-related general issues. The main sub-themes were vaccine production, distrust, risk perception, policies and infodemic., Conclusion: It has been seen that the uncertainty, infodemic, and insecurity that emerged especially during the pandemic period are related to each other. As knowledge and awareness about the disease increase, there is an increase in risk perception. For this reason, social information studies should be increased and physicians should be enabled to use media tools more effectively., Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10389-023-01822-7., Competing Interests: Conflict of interestThe authors declare no conflict of interest regarding this article., (© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2023, Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.)

Background: Clear cell adenocarcinoma of the lower urinary tract (CCACLUT) is a rare primary malignant neoplasm with heterogenous morphology. There is a paucity of data in the literature regarding its immunohistochemical profile., Methods: The immunohistochemical features (extent and intensity) of a multinational cohort of CCACLUT were evaluated with comparison between clear cell adenocarcinoma of the female genital tract (CCACFGT, tissue microarray) and nephrogenic adenoma (NA)., Results: 33 CCACLUT (24 female, 9 male; mean age 59 years) were collected. CCACLUT most commonly arose from the urinary bladder (26/33, 78%), particularly from the trigone (10/33, 30.3%) followed by the urethra (8/33, 22%). All 12 NA cases were located at the urinary bladder, whereas the most common CCACFGT location was the ovary (29/56, 52%). None of the CCACLUT patients had, intestinal metaplasia, NA, or urothelial carcinoma. One patient had concurrent endometriosis of the sigmoid colon. Most frequently observed morphology in CCACLUT was papillary/tubulocystic (9/3; 27.3%), followed by papillary/tubular (6/33; 18.2%) and papillary/solid (5/33; 15.2%). GATA3 expression was significantly higher in CCACLUT (18/33, 54.5%) and NA (6/12, 50%), when compared to CCACFGT cases 6/56, 11.7%)(p = 0.001 and p = 0.022, respectively). The extent of GATA3 was significantly higher in CCACLUT group (19.2 ± 16.6%) than the other groups (9.6 ± 22.5% in NA and 2.6 ± 9% in CCACFGT group) (p = 0.001). 4/33 patients (12.1) had weak, 10/33 patients (30.3%) had moderate, and 4/33 patients (12.1%) had strong GATA3 intensity in CCACLUT group. In NA group, one patient (8.3%, 1/12) had weak, one patient (8.3%, 1/12) had moderate and 4 patients (33.3%, 4/12) had strong GATA3 intensity. Most cases (CCACLUT 29/33, 88%; NA 11/12, 92%; CCACFGT 46/56, 82.1%) had positive Napsin A expression, by which CCACLUT had significantly more cases with Napsin A expression (p = 0.034). p63 was consistently negative in all cases (30/33 (91.9%) CCACLUT; 12/12 (100%) NA; 42/56 (75%) CCACFGT. Ki67 (MIB) proliferation index was significantly higher in CCACLUT group (54.6 ± 21%) when compared to NA group (4.5 ± 2.7%) and CCACFGT group (35.5 ± 25.8%) (p = 0.001)., Conclusion: CCACLUT has consistent GATA3 expression, which may cause challenge in the diagnosis of urothelial carcinoma but can be used to distinguish CCACLUT from CCACFGT., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Background: Covid-19 vaccination has started in the majority of the countries at the global level. Cancer patients are at high risk for infection, serious illness, and death from COVID-19 and need vaccination guidance and support. Guidance availability in the English language only is a major limit for recommendations' delivery and their application in the world's population and generates information inequalities across the different populations., Methods: Most of the available COVID-19 vaccination guidance for cancer patients was screened and scrutinized by the European Cancer Patients Coalition (ECPC) and an international oncology panel of 52 physicians from 33 countries., Results: A summary guidance was developed and provided in 28 languages in order to reach more than 70 percent of the global population., Conclusion: Language barrier and e-guidance availability in the native language are the most important barriers when communicating with patients. E-guidance availability in various native languages should be considered a major priority by international medical and health organizations that are communicating with patients at the global level., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

Composite materials are frequently used in the construction of rail, tunnels, and pipelines as well as in the construction of aircraft, ships, and chemical pipelines. When such structural elements are formed from new-generation composites, such as CNT-reinforced composites, and their interaction with the ground, there is a need to renew the dynamic response calculations under moving pressures and to create new mathematical solution methods during their design. The aim of this study was to analyze the influences of elastic foundations (EFs) and material gradient on the dynamic response of infinitely long carbon nanotube (CNT)-based polymer pipes under combined static and moving pressures. The CNT-based polymer pipes resting on the EFs were exposed to the axial and moving pressures. The uniform and heterogeneous reinforcement distributions of CNTs, which varied linearly throughout the thickness of polymer pipes, were considered. After setting the problem, the fundamental equations derived to find new analytical expressions for dynamic coefficients and critical velocity, which are dynamic characteristics of cylindrical pipes reinforced by the uniform and linear distributions of CNTs, were solved in the framework of the vibration theory. Finally, numerical computations were performed to examine the effects of EFs on the critical parameters depending on the characteristics of the pipes, the speed of moving pressures, the shape of the distribution of CNTs, and the change in volume fractions.

Background and Objectives: Laryngeal mask airways are increasingly used as supraglottic devices during general anesthesia. Ultrasonography can provide a dynamic image simultaneous to placing the supraglottic airway device. In the current study, the incidence of suboptimal laryngeal mask airway position and replacement in children was evaluated using simultaneous ultrasonographic imaging., Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted on 82 patients aged 3-15 years with American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status I or II. Patients under general anesthesia and with airway provided by a laryngeal mask airway were included. The position of the laryngeal mask airway was evaluated by ultrasonography on two planes. According to our scoring system, Grade I and Grade II were determined to indicate acceptable placement, while Grade III was determined to indicate unacceptable placement. Suboptimal laryngeal mask airway placement rates and the requirement of replacement were determined. Laryngeal mask airway placement optimized by ultrasonography was evaluated with both leak tests and a fiberoptic laryngoscope., Results: The average age of the patients was 6.27 ± 4.66 years. After evaluation with ultrasonography, 65 (79.3%) of the laryngeal mask airways were found to be optimally positioned, while the position of 13 (15.9%) had to be corrected, and 4 (4.9%) had to be replaced. There was a moderate positive correlation between the ultrasonographic evaluation and leak test evaluation (p < 0.001; r = 0.628). Relocation of the laryngeal mask airway was determined to be an independent risk factor affecting the development of complications (OR = 2.961; p = 0.046; 95% Cl 2.850-30.745)., Conclusion: The use of ultrasonography to verify and relocate laryngeal mask airway placement is noninvasive and effective., (Copyright © 2021 Sociedade Brasileira de Anestesiologia. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Multiple rib fractures (RFs) and pulmonary contusions (PCs), with resulting systemic lung inflammation, are the most common injuries caused by blunt chest trauma (BCT) in motor vehicle accidents. This study examined levels of the inflammation marker interleukin (IL)-6 and those of the acute-phase reactant surfactant protein (SP)-D in patients with BCT., Design: Prospective, cross-sectional, observational study., Setting: Single-centre, tertiary care hospital in the Black Sea Region of Turkey., Participants: The study included 60 patients with BCT who were hospitalised in our thoracic surgery department., Parameters Measures: The SP-D and IL-6 serum levels of patients with RFs (two or more RFs) (n=30) and patients with PCs (n=30) were measured after 6 hours, 24 hours and 7 days, and compared with those of age-matched and gender-matched healthy participants., Results: The 6-hour serum SP-D levels of the RFs (p=0.017) and PCs (p<0.001) groups were significantly higher than those of the healthy controls. The 24-hour and 7-day SP-D levels of both groups were also higher than the control group. The serum IL-6 levels of both groups were significantly higher than those of the control group. We have found Injury Severity Score to be independently related to 6-hour IL-6 (β=1.414, p<0.001) and 24-hour IL-6 levels (β=1.067, p<0.001). The development of complications was independently related to 6-hour SP-D level (β=0.211, p=0.047)., Conclusions: RFs and PCs after BCT lead to local and systemic inflammation due to lung injury. The levels of the systemic inflammation marker IL-6 and those of the acute-phase reactant SP-D were elevated in the present study. The SP-D level may be used as a marker in the follow-up of BCT-related complications., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: None declared., (Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.)

Thymoquinone (TQ) is a plant extract that has been shown to have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, angiogenic, antimicrobial, and anticarcinogenic effects. The aim of this study is to research how the use of TQ affects flap viability. 42 rats were placed into 6 groups, with 7 rats in each. A 3 × 10 cm McFarlane flap model was used on the test animals. The sham group had used neither surgical nor TQ treatment. The control group had surgery but no treatment afterwards. The preoperative TQ group was given oral doses of 2 mg/kg. TQ for 10 days preoperatively with no treatment after the surgical procedure. The postoperative TQ group received oral doses of 2 mg/kg TQ for 10 days after the surgical process. The preoperative + postoperative (pre + postoperative) TQ group was given oral doses of 2 mg/kg TQ for 10 days both preoperatively and postoperatively. Finally, the dimethylsulfoxide group received 10 mg/kg dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) for 10 days both preoperatively and postoperatively. Ten days after surgery the findings were evaluated. The average rates of necrosis were found to be 29.7 % in the control group, 19.18 % in the preoperative TQ group, 13.05 % in the postoperative TQ group, 8.42 % in the pre + postoperative TQ group, and 29.03 % in the DMSO group. The experimental groups had better area measurement, histopathological, and electron microscopic results than the control group (All; p < 0.05). We believe that, because of its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and angiogenic properties, thymoquinone is an agent that can prevent ischemia-reperfusion damage and, therefore, prevent necrosis.

Background: c-Kit is a proto-oncogene that encodes tyrosine kinase receptor (CD117). Mean platelet volume (MPV) is a useful marker, providing information on platelet function and diameter., Objective: To investigate c-Kit expression and intensity in patients with Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) and to investigate the relation between Ki-67 proliferation and MPV., Methods: A total of 32 patients, diagnosed with classic cutaneous KS, were included in this study. We reevaluated the histopathological reports with the preparations, confirmed the diagnosis and then determined the patients' histopathological stages. c-Kit expression and Ki-67 proliferation were investigated immunohistochemically in KS cases, while MPV in all cases was checked., Results: Although c-Kit expression was detected in 22 cases (68.8%), it was not expressed in 10 cases (31.2%). We detected 8 cases with + (25%), 6 with ++ (18.8%) and 8 with +++ (25%). Ki-67 expression was 5.0% (min-max 1.0-20.0). Relapse was observed in 5 cases (15.6%) out of 32. There was positive correlation between c-Kit expression and MPV (rs=0.598, p<0.001), and between c-Kit intensity and MPV (rs=0.588, p<0.001)., Conclusion: c-Kit is highly positive in KS. c-Kit positivity indicates a high risk of tumor growth, invasion and relapse. Furthermore, c-Kit expression stimulates megakaryocytes to release young and large thrombocytes into the periphery. Thus, high MPV, c-Kit expression and immunostaining intensity indicate high invasion and relapse in KS subjects., Competing Interests: None

Objectives: Carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) causes pulmonary toxicity. Infliximab (Ib) is a potent inhibitor of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α). We aimed to investigate whether Ib has a protective effect on CCl4 induced lung injury., Materials and Methods: Rats were divided into control, CCl4, and CCl4+Ib groups. A single dose of 2 ml/kg CCI4 was administered to CCI4 group and a single dose of 7 mg/kg Ib was given to CCl4+Ib group 24 hr before applying CCI4., Results: TNF-α, malondialdehyde (MDA), nitric oxide (NO) and caspase-3 levels of the CCl4 group were markedly higher than both the control and CCl4+Ib groups. The CCI4+Ib group had lower histopathological injury than the CCl4 group., Conclusion: Ib as a strong TNF-α blocker decreases the production of proinflammatory cytokines, MDA, and oxidative stress leading to a protective effect against CCl4 induced lung tissue injury.

Objective: Tinnitus is described as a disturbing sound sensation in the absence of external stimulation. We aimed to investigate whether there is any relationship between severe chronic tinnitus and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) I/D and α-adducin (ADD1) G460W gene polymorphisms., Materials and Methods: The patient group and control group consisted of 89 and 104 individuals, respectively. The evaluation of tinnitus was performed using the Strukturiertes Tinnitus-Interview (STI). The Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) was used to evaluate the tinnitus severity. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) techniques were used for genotyping., Results: With regard to the ACE I/D polymorphism, there was no significant difference in genotype and allele frequencies between the patient group and control group. However, a statistically significant difference was found in genotype (p<0.01) and allele frequencies (p=0.021) of the ADD1 G460W gene polymorphism. Combined genotype analysis showed that the ACE II /ADD1 GW genotype was statistically significantly higher in the patient group than in the control group (X2: 7.15, p=0.007). The odds ratio value of the GW genotype was 2.5 (95% CI=1.4-4.7) (p<0.01)., Conclusion: Our results demonstrate an association between ADD1 G460W gene polymorphism and susceptibility to severe chronic tinnitus. It was found that the GW genotype increased the disease risk by 2.5-fold compared with other genotypes. This indicates that ADD1 G460W polymorphism could be an important factor in the pathophysiology of tinnitus.

Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is the most common monogenic autoinflammatory disease, but many rheumatologists are not well acquainted with its management. The objective of this report is to produce evidence-based recommendations to guide rheumatologists and other health professionals in the treatment and follow-up of patients with FMF. A multidisciplinary panel, including rheumatologists, internists, paediatricians, a nurse, a methodologist and a patient representative, was assembled. Panellists came from the Eastern Mediterranean area, Europe and North America. A preliminary systematic literature search on the pharmacological treatment of FMF was performed following which the expert group convened to define aims, scope and users of the guidelines and established the need for additional reviews on controversial topics. In a second meeting, recommendations were discussed and refined in light of available evidence. Finally, agreement with the recommendations was obtained from a larger group of experts through a Delphi survey. The level of evidence (LoE) and grade of recommendation (GR) were then incorporated. The final document comprises 18 recommendations, each presented with its degree of agreement (0-10), LoE, GR and rationale. The degree of agreement was greater than 7/10 in all instances. The more controversial statements were those related to follow-up and dose change, for which supporting evidence is limited. A set of widely accepted recommendations for the treatment and monitoring of FMF is presented, supported by the best available evidence and expert opinion. It is believed that these recommendations will be useful in guiding physicians in the care of patients with FMF., (Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/)

Objective: To evaluate the changes in nasal mucociliary clearance in orthodontic patients after rapid maxillary expansion (RME) therapy., Materials and Methods: Forty-two children (25 boys and 17 girls) participated in this study. The RME group consisted of 21 patients (mean age, 13.8 years), who had undergone RME at the initiation of orthodontic treatment. The control group consisted of 21 subjects (mean age, 13.6 years), who were attending the department of orthodontics for active orthodontic treatment. The nasal mucociliary clearance was assessed by the saccharin test. Saccharin transit times (STTs) were measured for each treated subject before expansion (T1), after RME (T2), and after a 3-month retention period (T3). Records were obtained at the same time intervals for each group., Results: The STT decreased significantly in the RME group after expansion and retention (P < .05). A statistically significant difference was found when the STTs of the control and RME groups were compared after expansion and retention (P < .05)., Conclusions: The STTs of young orthodontic patients with maxillary narrowness and without any history of nasal or systemic disease were within normal limits. However, RME increased the mucociliary clearance in patients who had maxillary narrowness, having positive effects on nasal physiology and increasing nasal cavity volume.

Background: Adalimumab (ADA) is a potent inhibitor of tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α). ADA treatment suppresses proinflammatory cytokines, leading to a decrease or inhibition of the inflammatory process., Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the possible protective effects of ADA on oxidative stress and cellular damage on rat kidney tissue after ischemia/reperfusion (I/R)., Material and Methods: A total of 30 male Wistar albino rats were divided into three groups: control, I/R, and I/R plus ADA (I/R + ADA); each group comprised 10 animals. The control group underwent laparotomy without I/R injury. After undergoing laparotomy, I/R groups underwent two hours of infrarenal abdominal aortic cross ligation, which was followed by two hours of reperfusion. ADA (50 mg/kg) was administered as a single dose, intraperitoneally, to the I/R + ADA group, 5 days before I/R., Results: The I/R group's TNF-α (1150.9 ± 145.6 pg/mg protein), IL-1β (287.0 ± 32.4 pg/mg protein) and IL-6 (1085.6 ± 56.7 pg/mg protein) levels were significantly higher than those of the control (916.1 ± 88.7 pg/mg protein, p = 0.003; 187.5 ± 37.2 pg/mg protein, p < 0.001; 881.4 ± 57.1 pg/mg protein, p < 0.001, respectively) and I/R + ADA groups (864.2 ± 169.4 pg/mg protein, p = 0.003; 241.4 ± 33.4 pg/mg protein, p = 0.010; 987.7 ± 66.5 pg/mg protein, p = 0.004, respectively). To date, a few histopathological changes have been reported regarding renal I/R injury in rats due to ADA treatment whereas I/R caused severe histopathological injury to kidney tissue., Conclusions: ADA treatment significantly attenuated the severity of kidney I/R injury, inhibiting I/R-induced oxidative stress and renal damage. Because of its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, ADA pretreatment may have protective effects on experimental kidney injury.

Purpose: To investigated the effects of exposure to an 1800 MHz electromagnetic field (EMF) on bone development during the prenatal period in rats., Methods: Pregnant rats in the experimental group were exposed to radiation for six, 12, and 24 hours daily for 20 days. No radiation was given to the pregnant rats in the control group. We distributed the newborn rats into four groups according to prenatal EMF exposure as follows: Group 1 was not exposed to EMF; groups 2, 3, and 4 were exposed to EMF for six, 12, and 24 hours a day, respectively. The rats were evaluated at the end of the 60th day following birth., Results: Increasing the duration of EMF exposure during the prenatal period resulted in a significant reduction of resting cartilage levels and a significant increase in the number of apoptotic chondrocytes and myocytes. There was also a reduction in calcineurin activities in both bone and muscle tissues. We observed that the development of the femur, tibia, and ulna were negatively affected, especially with a daily EMF exposure of 24 hours., Conclusion: Bone and muscle tissue development was negatively affected due to prenatal exposure to 1800 MHz radiofrequency electromagnetic field.