The Relationship between CT Angiography Collateral Score and Biochemical Parameters during Acute Ischemic Stroke Caused by Middle Cerebral Artery Infarct.

Background/Objectives: Collateral development after AIS is important for prognosis and treatment. In this study, we aimed to investigate the relationship and correlation between biochemical parameters and CT angiography collateral score within the first 9 h and its effect on the neurological outcomes of patients with AIS due to MCA infarction. Methods: A total of 98 patients with MCA infarction were hospitalized for diagnosis and treatment after undergoing CT angiography within 9 h of suffering a stroke. Demographic data, admission biochemical parameters, hospitalization data, and discharge NIHSS scores were recorded. Souza's scoring system for collateral distribution was used to evaluate collaterals. Souza CS system and clinical disability comparison outcomes identified. Results: According to the Souza CS system, 13 patients were in the malignant profile category, and 85 patients were in the good profile category. The NIHSS value of patients with a malignant profile was 27, while the mean NIHSS value of patients with a good profile was 9. There was a statistically significant difference in uric acid, total cholesterol, triglyceride, HDL cholesterol, CRP, hsCRP, D-Dimer, troponin I, vitamin B12, fibrinogen, NSE, homocysteine, aPTT, and INR levels according to collateral distribution. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that biochemical parameters can influence the distribution of malignant and benign collaterals in AIS independent of age and gender.

Changes in parents' attitudes towards childhood vaccines during COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: Concerns about the safety and adverse reactions of rapidly-developed vaccines against COVID-19 contributed to parents' vaccine hesitancy and this situation created an opportunity for anti-vaccine campaigners. The aim of this study was to examine the changes in parents' attitudes towards childhood vaccines during COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, parents of children who applied to the outpatient clinic of pediatric department of Trakya University Hospital, Edirne, Türkiye, between August 2020 and February 2021 were recruited into two study groups according to COVID-19 peak time in Türkiye. Group 1 included parents of children who applied after first peak of the COVID-19 pandemic and Group 2 included parents of children who applied after second peak. The World Health Organization 10-item Vaccine Hesitancy Scale (WHO-VHS) was applied to each group. RESULTS: A total of 610 parents agreed to participate in the study. Group 1 and 2 consisted of 160 and 450 parents, respectively. While the number of parents who were hesitant about childhood vaccines was 17 (10.6%) in Group 1, it was 90 (20%) in Group 2. A statistically significant difference was found between the two groups (p = 0.008). The (WHO-VHS) mean ± SD score was found to be higher in Group 2 (23.7 ± 6.9) than Group 1 (21.3 ± 7.3) (p < 0.001). The WHO-VHS- mean ± SD scores of parents who experienced COVID-19 infection themselves or their family or acquaintances were significantly lower than those who did not (20.0 ± 6.5 vs. 24.7 ± 6.9) (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The hesitant attitudes towards childhood and COVID-19 vaccines were low in parents who directly or indirectly experienced COVID-19 or were worried about the devastating effects of this disease. However, it was shown that as the COVID-19 pandemic progressed, parents' hesitations towards childhood vaccines increased.

Melatonin receptor gene polymorphisms as a risk factor in patients with diabetic peripheral neuropathy.

AIMS: Oxidative stress plays an important role in the pathogenesis of diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN). Melatonin is one of the most powerful endogenous antioxidants and has anti-inflammatory properties. We investigated how the gene polymorphism of melatonin differs in patients with DPN compared to an healthy control group. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 54 diabetic peripheral neuropathy patients who applied to the Neurology outpatient clinic between 2020 and 2021, and 53 healthy controls comparable with the patient group in terms of age and gender were included in the study. Electromyography was performed and the melatonin gene polymorphism was analysed using the pyrosequencing method. RESULTS: Melatonin gene variants rs2119882, rs13140012, and rs10830963 were analysed in patients and controls. The rs2119882 (G allele) has a protective role, and rs13140012 polymorphism has a related 5-fold higher risk of DPN in the recessive model. CONCLUSIONS: Melatonin gene polymorphisms have been shown to be associated with DPN. This is the first and only study investigating the relationship between melatonin gene polymorphisms and DPN. Ethnicity is very important in genetic studies, and it will give us more information on the role of melatonin gene variants in larger study groups of diabetic patients of other ethnic origin.

Evaluation of Neuropatic Pain Features in COVID-19 Patients.

Background: Pain is a common complaint in COVID-19 disease. Neurotrophic features of the COVID virus are reported. Neuropathic pain is seen during many viral infections and observed during the COVID-19 pandemic part of the clinical presentations. Objective: The aim of this is to evaluate neuroptic pain as presenting symptom in COVID-19 patients. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional descriptive study, adult patients (18 years and older) who applied to the COVID Outpatient Clinic completed the demographic data form and the neuropathic pain questionnaire. The patients were divided into positive and negative according to the PCR test results and the presence of neuropathic pain was compared. Results: In total, 440 participants included in the study. Among 301 who stated to had any complaints, 197 (65.4%) had pain. The intensity of their pain was 5.8 ± 2.4 (0 - no pain and 10 - the most severe pain of life). Neuropathic pain component was present in 29.2% of the patients. Among the first admissions, neuropathic pain component was observed significantly higher in those with positive PCR test (55.0%) than negative ones (23.8%), and the Odd's ratio was calculated as 3.911. Conclusions: COVID-19 virus is thought to have neuroinvasion and neurotropic effects. In this study, neuropathic pain specifically was evaluated in COVID-19 patients, and the frequency of neuropathic pain was significantly higher in PCR confirmed COVID-19 patients at the onset of the disease.

Prevalence and associated factors of inappropriate repeat test.

BACKGROUND: The rate of laboratory test utilisation has been increasing unsustainably. Evaluating inappropriately repeated laboratory tests is promising because objective criteria are available to measure the rates while causes can be manipulated easily. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the prevalence, associated factors and financial burden of inappropriate repeat tests. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on the results of 26 types of laboratory tests recorded in a laboratory database of a tertiary hospital between 1 July 2014 and 30 June 2017. Minimum retest intervals were determined from the literature for each type of tests. If the time interval between the two tests was shorter than the minimum retest interval, then the later test was accepted an inappropriate repeat test. Binary logistic regression was performed after univariate analyses. RESULTS: Of a total of 673 794 tests, 109 370 (16.2%) were inappropriate repeat tests. Male gender, being ≥65 years old, being an inpatient, high-volume test and surgical clinic as the test-requesting clinic were associated with inappropriate repeat tests. Also, it was determined that US$66 761.3 had been wasted on inappropriate repeat tests for 3 years. DISCUSSION: There are several factors that increase the rate of inappropriate repeat tests. They should be considered during health policy making or planning interventions to reduce inappropriate repeat tests.

General health perception, depression and quality of life in geriatric grandmothers providing care for grandchildren.

AIM/BACKGROUND: To investigate levels of depression, quality of life, general health perception, and factors affecting these in grandmothers providing care for their grandchildren. MATERIAL/METHOD: One hundred two family physicians from four cities (Samsun, Amasya, Canakkale, and Izmir) in Turkey investigated 2859 women older than 65 years on their patient lists. Of these, 282 (9.8%) had spent at least 50 h caring for their grandchildren in the previous three months, and these were selected as the study group, while the remaining 2563 (89.6%) were enrolled as the control group. After all participants' demographic variables had been investigated, they completed the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Self-Function 12 (Mental and physical component score) (SF-12), and the Visual Analog Scale of EQ-5D (VAS). The participants in the study group also completed a questionnaire investigating features of their grandchild care. RESULTS: The study group (with the exception of custodial grandmothers) scored better on the SF-12 (PSC = 50.60 ± 6.96 vs 48.24 ± 8.12), (MCS = 49.70 ± 7.77 vs 45.48 ± 7.61), VAS (60.44 ± 23.5 vs 54.16 ± 19.5), and BDI (13.97 ± 0.3 vs 19.49 ± 0.2) compared to the control group (p < 0.0001 for all). Age, monthly income, mean length of education, duration of care, mean hours spent caregiving per week, being a custodial grandmother, presence of more than one chronic disease, and caring for more than one grandchild at a time were identified as factors affecting SF-12, VAS and BID in the study group. CONCLUSION: Grandchild care positively affected the grandmothers' quality of life, depression levels, and general health perception, with the exception of custodial grandmothers.

Laparoscopic resection for Meckel's diverticulum causing intestinal obstruction.

Meckel's diverticulum (MD) is the most common congenital anomaly of the gastrointestinal system with an estimated incidence of approximately 2% of the population. Although most cases are asymptomatic, it has the potential to create complications, such as hemorrhage, inflammation, intestinal obstruction, perforation, and intussusception. Meckel's diverticulum is generally diagnosed incidentally or upon investigation of unexplained gastrointestinal bleeding, perforation, inflammation, or obstruction for both pediatric and adult patients. Complications are often present as surgical emergencies and require resection of the diseased intestinal segment. In doubtful cases, laparoscopy should be the surgical method for both diagnosing and treating MD. Here we present a case of MD causing intestinal obstruction and that was treated by laparoscopic resection.

Mental health, suicidality and hopelessness among university students in Turkey.

Psychological symptoms of university students can affect perceptions of physical and mental health and can influence the emergence of suicidal behavior. We investigated the association among psychological symptoms, suicidal thoughts, perceptions of physical and mental health in university students. 4330 students at Onsekiz Mart University completed an internet-based questionnaire. 15.1% of the students reported suicidal thoughts at least once in their lifetime. The severity of mental symptoms was found to increase with a decrease in perceived physical and mental health. 28.2% of the students had depression, 33.1% had anxiety. This research aims to contribute to the extensive body of work done regarding the mental health, suicidal thoughts and hopelessness among university students.

Prolotherapy: An effective therapy for Tietze syndrome.

PURPOSE: To compare the short-term effect of prolotherapy and conservative terapy for the Tietze syndrome. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From 2013 to 2014, twenty-one patients underwent prolotherapy (group 1) and thirteen underwent conservative therapy with analgesics (group 2). A visual analogue score (VAS) was recorded for measurement of pain intensity in all patients before (Pre VAS) and after injection first day (VAS1), first week (VAS2) and fourth week (VAS3). Group 2 were received systemic nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug. VAS score was recorded similarly at the same times (Pre VAS, VAS1, VAS2, VAS3), and clinical affects were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: The mean VAS score (mm) before prolotherapy was 7.10 in patients who received prolotherapy, and 7.14 mm in patients who treated nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug. The mean VAS after the fist injection was 2.19 mm and dropped to 1.52 mm after the third injection. The mean VAS after the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug treatment dropped 2.62 mm and during the same scores to 3 weeks later. There was no significant difference between the group 1 and group 2 in the age, sex and comorbidity. Also there was no significant difference between the group 1 and group 2 in clinical and radiological evidence. The prolotherapy group showed a faster recovery, including significantly reduced clinic findings (p: 0.001). Third VAS is significant finding for the prolotherapy group. CONCLUSION: Prolotherapy could be performed safely and is a method with a favorable long term treatments for Tietze Syndrome. It may be the ideal procedure for patients with drugs side effects and advers events especially for those with limited liver and kidney reserve or significant comorbidities.

Second to fourth digit ratio, sex differences and antropometric measuments: their relationship in children.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to determine the effect of socio-demographic factors and anthropometric measurements on 2/4 digit ratio in the school aged children. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was completed in primary and secondary schools in the city center of Canakkale, Turkey. The students were seated at a table by the responsible doctor, and were asked to extend the palm of the right and left hand in the schools. Using a Vernier Caliper the 2/4 fingers were measured from the palm twice, and the results were noted together with socio-demographic information. Weight, length, waist and hip measurements were taken while students were behind a folding screen. RESULTS: A total of 1860 students from 5-14 years were included in the study. The right hand 2/4 digit ratio was 0.9765±0.035 and the left hand ratio was 0.9716±0.036 for girls. For the boys the ratios were 0.9688±0.035 for right hand and 0.9653±0.033 for left hand. The digit ratios of girls were significantly higher than boys and the right hand ratio was even greater. The 2/4 digit measurements of both hands of students were positively correlated with each other. In regression model left hand 2/4 ratio is dependent hip circumference, monthly income and gender as adjusted r2 0.051. The right hand 2/4 ratio was dependent gender, monthly income, hip circumference and birthweight as adjusted r2 0.041. CONCLUSIONS: The 2/4 digit ratio of school-aged in Turkish children differed based on gender. Digit ratios depend on the hip circumference, gender (girls have higher ratio), birthweight, gestation week and monthly income. Further research, especially the effect of monthly income, is needed.

Unenhanced computed tomography findings of renal papillae in patients with a ureteral stone.

PURPOSE: In some patients with a ureteral stone without uretero-hydronephrosis, it is difficult to determine the location of the stone. The objective of the present study was to investigate the changes in renal papillae using unenhanced computerized tomography (uCT) and determine the side of calculi using the renal papillary findings in patients with a ureteral stone. METHODS: uCT data from 81 patients were retrospectively reviewed for this study. The inclusion criteria were unilateral ureteral calculi, no renal calculi and no hydronephrosis. For each patient, three measurements of CT attenuation of 0.05 cm2 area were made in the tip of the interested renal papillae, both stone side and non-stone side. Student's t test was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: Forty-one right-sided and 40 left- sided isolated unilateral ureteral calculi patients were evaluated by uCT exam. The average attenuations of the tip of the papillae in stone side and non-stone side were 34.1 Hounsfield units (HU) and 30.6 HU, respectively. There was a statistically significant difference between stone and non-stone sides (p< 0.05). CONCLUSION: During routine practical uCT applications, it can be difficult to distinguish phleboliths, ureteral stone or the existence of non-opaque ureteral stone, so papillae density measurements can be a practical method to identify the existence of ureter stone and its location (side).

Vision screening in children: Is 7-9 years of age a threshold for visual impairment?

OBJECTIVE: The present study aimed to assess the prevalence of decreased visual acuity, strabismus, and spectacle wear in children aged 5 to 13 years. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was performed in primary education schools. A total of 1938 participants, including 940 females (48.5%) and 998 males (51.5%) with a mean age 8.96 ± 2.31 (5-13 years old), were screened. The comparisons were performed with gender, age, and age groups. The children attended to vision screening were assigned to three age groups as 5-6 years, 7-9 years, and 10-13 years. RESULTS: The prevalence of the parameters was detected as decreased visual acuity 12.4%, strabismus 2.2%, and spectacle wear 6.9%. The prevalence of decreased visual acuity was significantly higher in girls and in children aged 7-9 years old (p = 0.013, p < 0.001). The prevalence of spectacle wear was significantly higher in girls and in children aged 7-9 years old (p = 0.019, p < 0.001). There was a visual acuity decrease in 33 of 106 (31.1%) children despite wearing own spectacle. There was no significant difference among three age groups for strabismus. CONCLUSION: Increased prevalence of decreased visual acuity, as well as the higher frequency of spectacle wear in children at ages of 7-9 years old may point out a threshold for visual impairment.

Prevalence of skin disorders in primary and secondary school age children in Canakkale, Turkey: a community-based survey.

INTRODUCTION: Skin lesions may be of dermatological importance, affect appearance, and cause problems communicating with peers and may be especially more significant in childhood. AIM: Information on the prevalence of pediatric dermatoses in Western Turkey. This study was aimed to define the existing data. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Canakkale, Turkey, in September-December 2013. It involved 1,957 students from five randomly selected primary and secondary schools. Each student was interviewed for age, gender, and family history, and a dermatologic examination was performed by a dermatologist. Data were coded and analyzed. RESULTS: Of the students, 79.9% revealed at least one dermatosis. The most common disease was benign neoplasms (76%), followed by pigmentary disorders (26.8%), and xerosis (5.8%). In primary schools, the acquired melanocytic nevus, hypopigmented macule, and xerosis; in secondary school the acne was statistically significantly more common. Acne and xerosis was more common in girls, and pityriasis alba was statistically more common in boys. Students who had at least one dermatosis were positively correlated with monthly income. CONCLUSIONS: In Turkish school age children, the prevalence of dermatosis is 79.9%. It may be due to not using preventive means for adequate protection from the sun and other environmental factors. Infectious dermatosis and atopic dermatitis are rare and it may depend on the adequacy of public health work.

A rare entity in ED: Normal lipase level in acute pancreatitis.

Acute pancreatitis can have a variable presentation and diagnosis is based on clinical presentation, serum amylase and lipase levels and computed tomography. Negative predictive value of serum lipase in diagnosing acute pancreatitis is approximately to 100 percent and a normal blood lipase level in acute pancreatitis is an extremely rare condition. Here we reported two cases with normal serum amylase and lipase levels.

Laparoscopic splenectomy for a wandering spleen causing chronic pelvic pain.

Wandering spleen is a rare condition with a reported incidence of less than 0.5% in which the spleen migrates from its normal anatomical location to any other position in the abdomen. Women constitute 80% of cases and one third of the overall patients are children. It has different clinical presentations such as asymptomatic, painless mass in the abdomen, intermittent abdominal pain and acute abdomen due to torsion of the vascular pedicle. Here we present a case of wandering spleen causing chronic pelvic pain. Laparoscopic splenopexy was the treatment choice but it could not be performed due to huge size of the wandering spleen.

Knowledge, attitude and behavior of mothers related to acute respiratory infections.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this paper was to evaluate the level of knowledge and general attitude to acute respiratory diseases and behavior of antibiotic usage and related factors. METHODS: The study included 122 mothers of children between 2 and 16 years of age who applied the complaint of respiratory infections and experienced the respiratory infections previous year, to policlinics between January and May 2012. A survey form was used to evaluate the sociodemographic properties of the mothers, and the level of knowledge, attitude and behavior of mothers to childhood acute respiratory infections, fever and antibiotic use. RESULTS: Of the children, 58.1% applied with cough, and 40.9% applied with fever to the doctor. Before attendance 28.6% of mothers had used antibiotics and 27.8% antipyretics. The rate use of not prescribed antibiotics was 12.3%. Before medical evaluation of children, the use of a variety of traditional and alternative medical methods was at the high rate of 57.4%. The average attitude scores of mothers about the antibiotics use for acute respiratory infections fell into the category of being against antibiotic use and income level toward antibiotic use and a correlation between duration of mother's education against antibiotic use. CONCLUSIONS: We found that the level of knowledge of parents about medications used by their children was insufficient and there is a high percentage of non-prescription use of antibiotics. In low income and low education level of parents the use of antibiotics increased. Health workers must correctly inform parents about symptoms, course and medication. The effects of health education in the management of common diseases must be evaluated with studies.

Recognizing acute appendicitis criteria on abdominal CT: do emergency physicians need a preliminary report?

BACKGROUND: Computed tomography (CT) is invaluable for the diagnosis of acute appendicitis (AA) in the emergency setting when used appropriately with proper risk stratification. The aim of this study is to investigate the capability and accuracy of emergency physicians (EPs) at recognizing AA criteria in intravenous contrast-enhanced abdominal CT and to investigate the level of interobserver agreement among them. METHODS: Consecutive patients who presented to Izmir University Hospital from January 1, 2014, to December 31, 2014, were evaluated. Patients with histopathologically confirmed AA and had intravenous contrast-enhanced abdominal CT were enrolled. Abdominal CT were interpreted by 4 EPs in a blind fashion. To compare differences in performances between observers, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and κ values were calculated. The results were then compared with the radiology department's official reports. RESULTS: There were 48 patients eligible for the study. Among these patients, 19 were male (41%), with a mean age of 34.4 years (±11.3 years). Five patients were CT-negative appendicitis according to official radiology reports that were accepted as the criterion standard. The best sensitivity and negative predictive values were achieved at criterion "enlargement of the appendix," whereas the least sensitivity was for criterion "lack of opacification in an enlarged appendix." CONCLUSIONS: The recognition of the CT criteria for AA among EPs is substantial at best, and their ability to recognize the primary criteria for diagnosing AA is good. Emergency physicians have to gain a higher level of expertise to use this invaluable diagnostic tool more efficiently.

Inter-Observer Agreement on Diffusion-Weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging Interpretation for Diagnosis of Acute Ischemic Stroke Among Emergency Physicians.

OBJECTIVES: Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DW-MRI) is a highly sensitive tool for the detection of early ischemic stroke and is excellent at detecting small and early infarcts. Nevertheless, conflict may arise and judgments may differ among different interpreters. Inter-observer variability shows the systematic difference among different observers and is expressed as the kappa (Κ) coefficient. In this study, we aimed to determinate the inter-observer variability among emergency physicians in the use of DW-MRI for the diagnosis of acute ischemic stroke. METHODS: Cranial DW-MRI images of 50 patients were interpreted in this retrospective observational cross-sectional study. Patients who were submitted to DW-MRI imaging for a suspected acute ischemic stroke were included in the study, unless the scans were ordered by any of the reviewers or they were absent in the system. The scans were blindly and randomly interpreted by four emergency physicians. Inter-observer agreement between reviewers was evaluated using Fleiss' Κ statistics. RESULTS: The mean kappa value for high signal on diffusion-weighted images (DWI) and for reduction on apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) were substantial (k=0.67) and moderate (k=0.60) respectively. The correlation for detection of the presence of ischemia and location was substantial (k: 0.67). There were 18 false-positive and 4 false-negative evaluations of DWI, 15 false positive and 8 false-negative evaluations of ADC. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that DW-MRI is reliable in screening for ischemic stroke when interpreted by emergency physicians in the emergency department. The levels of stroke identification and variability show that emergency physicians may have an acceptable level of agreement.

A Case of Acute Pancreatitis developing after Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy.

Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) is a standard treatment method used for the treatment of renal calculi and upper ureteral calculi. Acute pancreatitis is a serious condition which develops due to multiple etiologic factors and is characterized by autodigestion of the pancreas. A case of acute pancreatitis which developed following ESWL performed for right renal calculi treatment is presented here. HOW TO CITE THIS ARTICLE: Goral V, Sahin E, Arslan M. A Case of Acute Pancreatitis developing after Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy. Euroasian J Hepato-Gastroenterol 2015;5(1):52-54.