Aim: To compare the importance of hemogram parameters in predicting the disease in diabetic patients with coronary artery ectasia (CAE) and normal coronary artery. Methods: The records of 7287 patients who underwent coronary angiography between January 2017 and October 2019 were reviewed. After appropriate exclusions, diabetic patients were divided into coronary artery ectasia and normal coronary artery groups. A total of 248 patients were included in the study and hemogram parameters of these two groups were compared. Results: Compared to control group white blood count (WBC) [8 (4-13) vs. 7 (5-12) u/mm3, p=0.023], hemoglobin [13 (10-16) vs. 14 (10-20) gr/dL, p=0.015], red cell distribution width (RDW) [16 (14-20) vs. 15 (12-19) %, p=0.026], neutrophil [4.5 (2.1-11.4) vs. 4.0 (0.2-7.5) u/mm3, p=0.003], platelet counts (Plt) [266 (196-450) vs. 236 (163-362) k/mm3 p<0.001], platelet distribution width (PDW) (17.9 (16.2-20.4) vs. 17.7 (15.9-19.7) % p=0.011), mean platelet volume (MPV) [8.4 (6.411.2) vs. 7.9 (6.6-10.1) Fl, p=0.015], plateletcrit (PCT) [0.20 (0.14-0.32) vs. 0.19 (0.13-0.26), p<0.001], and neutrophil lymphocyte ratio (NLR) [2.1 (1.0-9.7) vs. 1.6 (0.2-5.7), p=0.002] were significantly higher in CAE patients. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that the increased some hemogram parameters may be useful in predicting disease in diabetic patients with CAE.

Aim: The best treatment for patient with end stage kidney disease is kidney transplantation which improve their quality of life and survival rate. The aim of our study is to determine the factors that affect the results of early outcomes of graft function. Method: Twenty-eight adult patients who underwent renal transplantation from 2016 to 2017 were included in our university. Results: The median age of the recipients was 38.5 (range: 19-65) and 68% (19 patients) were male. Acute rejection was detected in 8 patients. Patients who developed rejection were found to have higher panel reactive antibody positivity and higher parathyroid hormone levels. Panel reactive antibody positivity was found to be 25% in patients who developed rejection and 0% in patients who did not develop rejection (p = 0.02). The parathyroid hormone level was calculated as 963.2 ± 587 in the rejection group and 378 ± 227 in the rejection group (p = 0.003). It was observed that 37.5% of DM patients had rejection and 10% in non-diabetic patients. The difference was statistically significant (p = 0.08). Conclusion: Panel reactive antibody positivity and parathyroid hormone levels increased the likelihood of rejection. The effect of the presence of diabetes mellitus in the patient on the development of rejection was observed to be limited. Our findings were consistent with the literature. Because of the number of patients and the short follow-up period, further studies are needed.

Aim: To measure serum leptin, homocysteine concentrations and insulin resistance in active and remission stages of children with nephrotic syndrome (NS) and to investigate their role in NS pathogenesis. Methods: A total of 70 children were included in the study, 40 patients who had been diagnosed with NS and 30 healthy patients were control. Changes in plasma concentration of the serum homocysteine, leptin, and insulin were measured and compared with the other parameters in the groups. Results: Serum leptin concentrations in active phase were lower than the remission phase (1.48 ± 0.09 ng/dl, 1.84 ± 1.64 ng/ml, p<0.05). Also, serum homocysteine concentrations in NS group during the active phase were lower than the remission phase and the control group (6.45±2.54?ng/dl, 9.35±2.99?ng/ml, 7.76± 1.97 ng/ml, p<0.05). The serum fasting insulin concentrations and homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) values of remission phase were significantly higher than those of active phase (p<0.05). A positive relationship was found between the homocysteine concentrations and the body mass index of the patient; whereas, a negative relationship was detected between erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and the LDL-cholesterol concentrations (p<0.05). ESR was found as the only factor associated with lower concentrations of homocysteine during the active phase (r:-0.592, p<0.05). Conclusion: In this study, we demonstrated that serum leptin and homocysteine concentrations decreased in active phase and increased in remission phase in children with NS. Insulin resistance could also develop as a result of steroid use in a short period of time in these patients.

ABSTRACT Aim: To investigate the vascular damage of internal mammary artery graft with electron microscope secondary to chronic renal failure transmission in patients who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting surgery. Method: A total of 30 patients (10 patients with chronic renal failure and 20 patients without chronic renal failure) who underwent coronary artery bypass graft surgery were included in this prospective study. Left internal mammary artery graft was harvested as conventional fashion with no touch technique. Samples were prepared and then examined with the transmission electron microscope. Every arterial sample was individually examined ultrastructurally, and the changes were recorded. Then the samples of the control group and chronic renal failure group were compared. Results: There were no significant differences between chronic renal failure group and the control group in terms of demographics, comorbidities, intraoperative data and postoperative outcomes, and the groups were statistically similar (p<0.05). Moreover, no statistically significance was detected in terms of structure and ultrastructure between the groups. Conclusion: The results of our study revealed that no ultrastructural changes were observed in the structure of IMA, suggesting that this graft would provide a good graft patency.

Coronaviruses, a large family of single-stranded RNA viruses, can infect humans and animals, and can cause neurological, gastrointestinal and hepatic diseases as well as causing various lung diseases, including pneumonia, with shortness of breath, cough and fever. At the end of December 2019, a group of health authorities reported unidentified cases of pneumonia in a seafood market in Wuhan, China. The World Health Organization (WHO) used term 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) to refer to a coronavirus that affected the lower respiratory tract of patients with pneumonia in Wuhan, China on 29 December and the WHO announced that the official name of the 2019 novel coronavirus was coronavirus disease (COVID-19). COVID-19 is seen in many countries around the World and has been accepted as a pandemic by WHO. It is defined as a suspicious case with fever, sore throat, cough, and people with a history of traveling to China or some parts of the country, or someone who contact with a patient who has a history of travel in China or contact with a confirmed COVID-19 infection patient. Currently, there is no proven vaccine or antiviral therapy that can be used against animal or human coronavirus. To control the outbreak, the drugs must be developed as soon as possible. Various drugs have been used in the treatment of COVID-19 and the main ones are chloroquine, remdesivir, lopinavir/ritonavir, oseltamivir, favipiravir. Since the virus affects the whole World, vaccines and/or new curative antiviral drugs are needed to end the pandemic. For this purpose, large-scale observational studies are needed.

Aim: To investigate the levels of metabolites (predominantly uric acid) effective on biochemical, and coagulation parameters and evaluate their effects on the onset, and course of the disease. Methods: In this retrospective study, files of 92 patients hospitalized between January 2007, and December 2013, in our clinic with established diagnosis of sudden hearing loss were screened. The biochemical (predominantly uric acid), and hematological parameters were compared with those of the control group. In addition, the patient group was divided into two groups according to uric acid levels and the difference between the groups was investigated in terms of the onset or course of the disease. Results: A significant difference was not detected between the patient, and the control groups regarding mean uric acid levels. Among biochemical parameters glucose, creatinine, and international normalized ratio (INR) were significantly higher (p<0.05) while a significant intergroup difference was not detected as for other parameters. A significant intergroup difference was not detected in mean pure- tone averages, and mean hearing gain at admission between two groups formed based on uric acid levels, while post-treatment pure-tone average was significantly better in patients with higher serum uric acid levels. In the patient group, uric acid levels were significantly higher in patients with partial hearing loss relative to those with total loss. Conclusion: In our study, we could not find a significant difference between the patient and the control groups as for uric acid levels. However, we have encountered evidence supporting the possible role of serum uric acid levels in the prognosis of sudden hearing loss.

Aim: To investigate the prevalence and reporting rates of incidental findings (IF) in the routine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the lumbar spine, and to emphasize their clinical importance. Methods: A total of 4012 lumbar MRI taken between January 2014 and December 2016 were reevaluated. The low back pain and sciatalgia those suspected for lumbar spinal pathology were chosen for this study. Extra-spinal abnormalities were classified according to a modified CT Colonography Reporting and Data System (C-RADS) and analyzed. Results The mean age of patients was 49, 83 (range 17-87) years. Of the cases, 2472 were women and 1540 were men. In 3834 cases, disk pathology was observed. In 1282 cases extraspinal pathology was detected. The largest group in the study consisted of C-RADS E2 with 1048 patients (82.5%). There were 195 patients (28.3%) in the C-RADS E3 group and 23 (1.8%) patients in the C-RADS E4 group, potentially important. Conclusion: Our results show that random extra-spinal abnormalities in the lumbar spine MRI, are very common and systematic evaluation and proper reporting of MRI are crucial.