Cross-culturally modified University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test for a Turkish population.

BACKGROUND: The University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT) is a well-developed and popular olfactory test, which has been validated in various populations. However, there was only one study in a Turkish population, and this study indicated that the North American version of the UPSIT was not enough to evaluate the olfactory functions of Turkish population. So, we developed a cross-cultural adaptation of the UPSIT, the UPSIT-Turkish (UPSIT-T). Thus, the goal of this study was to investigate the applicability of the UPSIT-T in healthy Turkish subjects. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study included 51 healthy individuals who reported having normal olfactory function. The participants were administered the North American version of the UPSIT firstly, and then, after a day UPSIT-T was applied to the participants. The results of two smell tests were compared, and the applicability of UPSIT-T was evaluated. RESULTS: The mean (standard deviation) value for correctly identified odors was 27.2 ± 5.7 (range, 14-38) with the UPSIT application, whereas the mean (standard deviation) value for correctly identified odors was 35.9 ± 3.1 for UPSIT-T. There was a statistically significant increase in the scores of the participants when UPSIT-T was performed (p < 0.001). The identification rates of 10 test odorants were <80% for our study group, and 2 of 10 were <70% for the UPSIT-T. CONCLUSION: The UPSIT-T modification is an adequate olfactory test for clinical use in a Turkish population.

Olfactory and gustatory dysfunction in Myasthenia gravis: A study in Turkish patients.

OBJECTIVE: Myasthenia gravis (MG) is commonly viewed as a muscle disorder. Less is known about neurosensory function and dysfunction in MG. We aim to evaluate olfactory and gustatory behavior in Turkish patients with MG, and compare these results with age and sex-matched healthy controls. MATERIAL/METHODS: 30 individuals with MG, and 30 healthy volunteers were studied. Olfactory function was studied with the Sniffin' sticks test. Taste strip test was used for studying taste function. The t-test was used for analyzing continuous variables, and the chi-square test for categorical data. Clinical staging and medication status were included in a model analyzed using analysis of variances. RESULTS: MG patients showed significantly lower olfactory (p<0.001) and gustatory scores (p<0.001) than the healthy controls. In addition, olfactory loss correlated with the severity of the disease. Medications for MG did not influence these results. CONCLUSION: This study replicates the olfactory dysfunction found elsewhere in MG. Further, gustatory dysfunction, an activity unrelated to muscle strength, was also unveiled. Medications used for treating MG must not be blamed for the chemosensory dysfunction found in this neurological disorder.

Galantamine improves sleep quality in patients with dementia.

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the influences of cholinesterase inhibitors on sleep pattern and sleep disturbance. A total of 87 mild to moderate stage dementia patients who were not on cholinesterase enzyme inhibitor and memantine treatment were included in the study. The dementia patients were treated with donepezil, galantamine or rivastigmine, depending on the preference of the clinician. Fifty-five dementia patients (63.2 %) completed the study. Twenty-three elderly subjects, who had normal cognitive functions, were included in the study as the control group. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index was used for evaluating the sleep quality at the beginning and at the final assessment. The improvement in sleep quality was better with regard to changes in Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index scores with galantamine treatment compared to the donepezil and the control groups. A significant decrease in Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index scores was detected in the galantamine group after treatment. Although statistically not significant, rivastigmine decreased and donepezil increased the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index scores after treatment. Dementia patients who had a poor sleep quality (n: 36), the rate of improvement in sleep disturbance was 81.8 % in the galantamine group, 75 % in the rivastigmine, and 50 % in the donepezil group. Galantamine may be the first choice of cholinesterase inhibitor in mild to moderate dementia patients in terms of improving sleep quality.

A Study on Olfactory Dysfunction in Turkish Population with using Survey Method and Validated Olfactory Testing.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of olfactory dysfunction on quality of life (QOL), and to investigate olfactory dysfunction related self-reported clinical features in Turkish population. The participants were questioned about the presence of any olfactory dysfunction. Participants with a complaint of olfactory dysfunction were asked to fill out a survey and then a validated olfactory test was performed. We asked 2,824 volunteers whether they had olfactory dysfunctions or not. A total of 199 (6.7 %) people mentioned that they had, and filled out the questions in our survey. The mean age of the surveyed population was 44 ± 15 years. The current investigation produced four major findings (1) the feeling of inadequacy due to olfactory dysfunction was more common among females than males (2) there was a significant correlation between subjective olfactory complaints and objective olfactory testing (3) problems in QOL issues are typically reported primarily in the areas of safety and nutrition (4) the possible reasons for the olfactory dysfunction according to the volunteers were upper respiratory infections including rhinosinusitis (46 %), allergic rhinitis (27 %), severe face and head trauma (6.5 %). The effect of subjective olfactory dysfunctions on QOL among the Turkish population was investigated for the first time. Problems in daily life issues are typically reported primarily in the areas of safety and nutrition.

Is cognitive processing affected in adults with hypospadias?: P300 study.

BACKGROUND: Hypospadias is a common urogenital system disorder. The frenulum, which is the most sensitive area of the glans penis, is not present in patients with hypospadias. This may lead to a failure in sexual and ejaculatory function, and cause emotional problems affecting cognitive processes. AIM: We aimed to study auditory Event Related Potentials (ERP) in patients with hypospadias to understand the status of cognitive function. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Seventeen patients with hypospadias who presented to the Urology Outpatient Clinic of Çanakkale Military Hospital, and 11 healthy individuals of similar age were chosen. The auditory oddball paradigm with ERP from the Cz and Fz head regions were studied. The latency and amplitude of the P300 wave were measured. RESULTS: Both, the study and control groups consisted of young males. Although the study group had a longer P300 latency and lower P300 amplitude when compared to control group, the results were not statistically significant (p: 0.059 and 0.346 respectively). CONCLUSION: Although the results are not statistically significant, our findings indicate that there may be cognitive changes in patients with hypospadias. Further studies of larger sample size and older patient cohorts are needed.

P-wave dispersion doesn't increase in patients with epilepsy.

AIM: Epileptic seizures have occasionally been associated with cardiac conditions as atrioventricular blocks, long QT syndrome etc. P-wave dispersion (PWD), which is the difference between the longest (P max) and shortest P-wave duration (P min), is considered as a forerunner of atrial fibrillation. In this study, we investigated P-wave dispersion (PWD) in epileptic patients; based on the hypothesis that microthromboembolism may occur in atrial fibrillation. METHODS: Seventy five patients with mixed types of epilepsy and 50 age and sex matched healthy individuals were included into the study. P max, P min and PWD values were calculated for each subject from an ECG. RESULTS: The mean age of subjects in the epilepsy group and control group were similar (p>0.05). P max in patients with epilepsy was 125.1±0.7 ms, P min was 67.3±10.3 ms, and PWD was 57.6±8.3 ms while these values in the control group were 116.8±11.0 ms, 66.5±5.5 ms and 46.8±7.1 ms, respectively. There were no statistically significant difference between two groups (p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: PWD does not increase in patients with mixed types of epilepsy. Therefore we believe that microthromboembolism due to atrial fibrillation can't cause epileptic seizures in patients with no structural heart disease.

Serum asymmetric dimethylarginine levels in diabetic patients with neuropathy.

OBJECTIVE: The goal of our study was to evaluate the role of asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) in patients with diabetic neuropathy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, 58 diabetic patients and 26 healthy volunteers were included. In both groups ADMA measurements were performed together with other biochemical examinations. Nerve conduction studies and Neuropathy Symptom Score (NSS) were administered to the diabetic patients. RESULTS: ADMA levels were found significantly higher in diabetic patients compared to the control group (p = 0.0001). However, ADMA levels were not statistically significant between diabetic patients with neuropathy and without neuropathy (p = 0.86 and p = 0.47). CONCLUSION: These results demonstrate that there is not any significant relationship between ADMA and diabetic neuropathy.