Earthquake in Turkey: The Triangle of Life and Disaster Kits Saves Lives.

OBJECTIVE: Precautions taken before an earthquake are of vital importance. When buildings collapse, the weight of the ceiling crushes objects such as furniture, leaving a space or void within the rubble. This area is called the "triangle of life." The larger and stronger the object, the more it will maintain its volume; the more the object maintains its volume, the larger the void will be, and the less likely it is that the person who uses this void will be injured. METHODS: Durable, solid furniture such as beds and tables that can be tipped over during an earthquake in appropriate areas in the building can form a living triangle. Creating and using the triangle of life is the method of protection in an earthquake that produces the highest probability of survival. RESULTS: Two earthquakes with magnitudes of 7.8 and 7.5 occurred in Kahramanmaras, Turkey, on February 6, 2023. This report presents the case of a 43-y-old female victim of these earthquakes who used the triangle of life to survive; she was removed from the rubble 164 h after the earthquake. CONCLUSIONS: The case provides evidence that predetermining areas in which the triangle of life can be formed and storing supplies necessary for survival can decrease morbidity and mortality in an earthquake.

An Investigation of Oxidative Stress and Thiol/Disulphide Homeostasis in Graves' Disease.

Background and objectives: The aim of this study was to research oxidative stress and thiol/disulphide homeostasis in Graves' patients. Materials and Methods: The study included 33 Graves' patients (research group) and 35 healthy subjects (control group). Serum oxidative stress and thiol/disulphide homeostasis (a new and automated spectrophotometric method developed by Erel and Neselioglu) parameters were studied and compared between the groups. Results: The native and total thiol levels and the native thiol/total thiol ratio were lower in patients with Graves' disease compared to the control group (p < 0.001, p < 0.001, and p = 0.006, respectively). TOS (total antioxidant status), PC (protein carbonyl), OSI (Oxidative stress index), and disulphide/native thiol and disulphide/total thiol ratios were determined to be higher in the Graves' disease group than in the control group (p < 0.001, p = 0.001, p = 0.001, p = 0.004, and p = 0.006, respectively). In the Graves' disease group, the free triiodothyronine (FT3) and free thyroxine (FT4) levels were significantly positively correlated with impaired thiol/disulphide homeostasis and oxidative stress parameters (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The results of the current study demonstrated that oxidative stress and thiol/disulphide homeostasis increased towards disulphide formation due to thiol oxidation in Graves' disease. In addition, a positive correlation of FT3 and FT4 was observed with oxidative stress parameters and impaired thiol/disulphide homeostasis.