Comparison of COVID-19 Outcomes With Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency Prevalence in Europe: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Introduction We hypothesized that the geographic distributions of COVID-19 and alpha-1 antitrypsin alleles prevalence are similar. We investigate whether there is a relationship between the geographical density of the COVID-19 pandemic and the distributions of alpha-1 antitrypsin alleles. Methods This research is a cross-sectional study. Alpha-1 antitrypsin PI*MS, PI*MZ, PI*SS, PI*SZ, and PI*ZZ genotypes frequencies of European countries were compared with the case and death data related to the COVID-19 pandemic as of March 1, 2022.  Results A significant relationship was found between the rates of COVID-19 cases and the rates of individuals with alpha-1 antitrypsin PI*MS, PI*MZ, PI*SS, PI*SZ, and PI*ZZ genotypes allele in European countries. Conclusions The findings showed that the prevalence distribution of the alleles of the gene defect that causes alpha-1 antitrypsin insufficiency is related to the prevalence of COVID-19 pandemic data.

Bedside measurement of the optic nerve sheath diameter with ultrasound in cerebrovascular disorders

Background/aim: We aimed to show the role of determination of optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) by bedside ultrasonography in an emergency department in the diagnosis of cerebrovascular disorders and its correlation with the clinical picture. Materials and methods: This prospective cross-sectional study included 55 patients with cerebrovascular disorders and 53 controls. Age, sex, ONSD, comorbid disease status, and multidetector computed tomography results of all subjects and application periods and National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores of the patient group were evaluated. Results: The ONSD of the patient and control groups was determined as a median of 5.7 mm and 3.6 mm, respectively. The ONSD of the patient group was determined to be significantly higher than that of the control group (P < 0.05). A positive relationship was determined between NIHSS scores and ONSD values (P < 0.05). The specificity and sensitivity values were determined as 98.1% and 81.8%, respectively, for a cutoff value of 5 mm and as 100% and 72.7%, respectively, for a cutoff value of 6 mm. Conclusion: This study showed that bedside measurement of ONSD is an easy, cheap, and noninvasive method that can be used to support the diagnosis and evaluation of patients with acute stroke.

Acupuncture Treatment of a Metatarsus Proximal End Fracture: A Case Report.

A tuberosity fracture is an avulsion fracture in an area 1.5 cm proximal to the fifth metatarsus. Six to eight weeks of immobilization may be required. A patient with a short leg plaster splint came to our clinic because of pain. The patient had a diagnosis of a fifth metatarsus fracture. Significant edema, fluctuation on the dorsolateral section of the left foot, and red color changes (0.2- to 0.3-cm diameter) on the skin of the anterolateral tibial area of the affected leg were noted. The locations of these skin changes corresponded to the GB34 (Yanglingguan) and the ST37 (Shanqiuxu) acupoints. The patient was successfully treated with acupuncture at these and several other acupoints. After 3 weeks (i.e., eight sessions), the patient returned to her routine life without any pain. This interesting case of metatarsus proximal end fracture shows that some acupoints may be visible during the progress of the disease. We used these acupoints in acupuncture treatment. Pain and edema were rapidly relieved, which may be attributable to the recovery of the lymphatic system in the affected area via acupuncture treatment.

Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Acupuncture Therapy by Verbal Pain Scale in Patients with Abdominal Pain of Familial Mediterranean Fever.

In this study, we evaluated the effectiveness of acupuncture therapy based on Verbal Pain Scale (VPS) scores in familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) patients admitted to the emergency department with attacks of abdominal pain. This observational study was conducted in Erzurum Regional Training and Research Hospital between August 2014 and December 2014. Twenty patients admitted to the emergency department with FMF attacks were included in the study. Acupuncture therapy was applied to three points including LI4 (Hegu), ST25 (Tianshu), and Ren12 (Zhongwan). The VPS test was applied to the patients before and after the treatment. Average VPS scores were found to be 8.45±0.75 before the treatment and 2.10±0.85 after the treatment. The difference of the VPS scores before and after treatment was statistically significant (p=0.001). To our knowledge, this is the first study evaluating the effectiveness of acupuncture therapy in the treatment of FMF attacks. Our results suggest that acupuncture therapy can be used as an effective treatment method in patients with FMF attacks.

Serum levels of pentraxin-3 and other inflammatory biomarkers in migraine: Association with migraine characteristics.

BACKGROUND: Several studies have been conducted on the inflammatory aspects of migraine. Pentraxins are a novel and important part of innate immunity as a superfamily of acute phase proteins. In our study, we aimed to demonstrate the relationship between migraine and the serum levels of pentraxin-3 (PTX-3), C-reactive protein (CRP), fibrinogen and D-dimer. METHODS: We recruited 30 migraine patients (in both the attack and interictal period) and 30 healthy controls. Serum samples were obtained from all participants, and a brain MRI performed in the last six months was assessed regarding the presence of deep white matter lesions. Comparisons between the attack, interictal and control groups regarding the serum levels of PTX-3, CRP, fibrinogen and D-dimer were performed. The association between serum PTX-3 levels and migraine characteristics (disease duration, headache frequency, MRI findings, aura, family history, attack duration, and MIDAS score) was also assessed. RESULTS: We found higher serum levels of fibrinogen and PTX-3 in migraine attack patients compared with the interictal and control groups (p = 0.03 and p < 0.001, respectively). Subgroup analysis also showed that patients with a disease duration of more than five years and with an attack duration of more than 12 hours have lower serum levels of PTX-3 than patients who have a relatively new diagnosis and have relatively short-lasting migraine attacks (p = 0.042 and p = 0.038, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: PTX-3 and fibrinogen exhibit different serum levels in patients undergoing a migraine attack compared with the interictal group and the controls. Participants with longer attacks and disease durations have lower serum levels of PTX-3, suggesting that inflammatory processes change along with disease progression.

Evaluation of oxidative stress tests in patients diagnosed with renal colic in the emergency department of Ankara Ataturk Training and Research Hospital, Turkey.

OBJECTIVE: To investigated oxidative stress changes in renal colic patients, and to determine its role in differential diagnosis of renal colic. METHODS: The cross-sectional study was conducted at Ankara Atatürk Training and Research Hospital, Turkey, from June 2012 to December 2012 and comprised patients with complaints suggesting of renal colic and diagnosed with urinary stone. Healthy individuals were enrolled to form the control group. The patients and the control group were evaluated in terms of oxidative stress parameters. SPSS 17 was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: Of the 83 subjects, 50(60%) were patients with renal colic, while 33(40%) were healthy controls. Among the patients, 25(50%) were men and 25(50%) were women. Among the controls, there were 17(51.5%) men and 16(48.5%) women. No statistically significant difference was found between the two groups in terms of age and gender (p>0.05). Likewise, no statistically significant difference was found between the oxidative stress indexes of the two groups (p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: There was no significant increase in oxidative stress in patients with renal colic. The result may help in the differential diagnosis of patients with abdominal pain.

Traumatic pseudocyst due to blunt trauma: Case report.

Damage to lung parenchyma due to blunt thoracic trauma often appears as contusion or hematoma. Cavitary lung lesions or pseudocyst formation due to trauma is a rare phenomenon. In the literature traumatic pseudocysts are also known as pseudocystic hematomas, traumatic lung cavity and traumatic pneumotocel. Traumatic pseudocysts usually have good clinical prognosis, recover spontaneously with supportive treatment and do not require surgery. In this article, we present the case of 52 year old male who was brought to the emergency department after a fall from height and was diagnosed with lung contusions and traumatic cyst.

Diagnostic value of lactate levels in acute appendicitis.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the value of lactate measurements in addition to standard diagnostic measurement of white blood cell count (WBC) and C-reactive protein (CRP) in the accuracy of preoperative acute appendicitis (AA) diagnosis. METHODS: A total of thirty-six consecutive patients with histopathologically confirmed acute appendicitis were retrospectively included in the study. Fifteen volunteers were included as control group. Patient characteristics, preoperative ultrasonography (US) and laboratory assessment including WBC, C-reactive protein (CRP) and lactate values were collected. Receiver Operator Characterstics (ROC) curves for discriminant values and sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values (PPV,NPV) were calculated. RESULTS: The male/female ratio of groups 1 and 2 were 25/11 and 9/6 respectively. Mean age: 34.13 +/- 9.6 years. Area under ROC values for lactate were found significant and discriminant value was found to be 8 mg/dl. Specificity, sensitivity, PPV and NPV calculated for lactate were as follows: 53%, 80%, 77% and 57%. CONCLUSIONS: Increased lactate levels as well as other inflammatory parameters should be considered as a diagnostic parameter in diagnosis of AA.