Aim:To investigate the protective effects of protein kinase A inhibitor H89 and its solvent, DMSO (dimethylsulfoxide), on the nasal mucosa of rats in an allergic rhinitis model.Method:In total, 32 adult male Wistar albino rats were divided into four groups, with eight rats in each group. Ovalbumin (OVA) sensitization was used to induce allergic rhinitis. DMSO, a solvent of H89, was administered through a topical intranasal spray to the sham group. No treatment was involved in the allergic rhinitis group. H89 was administered through a topical intranasal spray to the H89 group. After the experiment, rat nasal tissues were stained with hematoxylin-eosin and AQP5 (Aquaporin 5) antibodies. Histopathological and immunohistochemical evaluations were performed under a light microscope.Results:Vascular congestion, eosinophil infiltration, cilia loss, goblet cell proliferation, and degeneration in the mucosal glands were statistically significantly lower in the H89 group compared to the allergic rhinitis group. There was no statistical difference in the increase of connective tissue, vascular proliferation, or inflammatory cell infiltration. We posit that the histological improvements in the H89 group are due to the DMSO distribution of AQP5 was statistically significantly reduced in the H89 group compared to the allergic rhinitis group. Conclusion:H89 reduces the level of AQP5 but does not lessen allergic manifestations in the mucosa. DMSO, which we used as a solvent, did not affect the AQP5 level but reduced nasal inflammation

Aim:To investigate the effect of different intraperitoneal (IP) doses of propofolon the duration and depth of anesthesia according to age and gender. Method:The rats were divided into three main groups according to propofol dose (GI: 5 mg/kg, GII: 10 mg/kg and GIII: 15 mg/kg). These three groups were divided into two subgroups as male and female. (M: Male, F: Female). Male and female groups in each dose group were divided into five different sub-age groups: 1: 2-6 months (0-12 years = Childhood), 2: 7-12 months (12-18 years = Adolescent), 3: 13-18 months (30-45 years = Young adult),4: 19-24 months (45-60 years = Adult) and 5: older than 25 months (65 years old = Elderly).The duration and depth of anesthesia in different ages and genders were compared statistically.Results:There were differences with regard to the palpebral, pinch, corneal and muscle tone reflexes at propofol administration doses of 5 mg/kg (GI), 10 mg/kg (GII) and 15 mg/kg (GIII) in different ages and genders (Table 1). We detected that 50 minutes of deep anesthesia was achieved with a dose of 10 mg/kg up to 18 months and older than 24 months male rats. A dose of 10 mg/kg was sufficient for short-term (20-minute deep anesthesia) procedures in male rats aged 19-24 months. We detected that 50 minutes of deep anesthesia was achieved with a dose of 15 mg/kg in 7-12 and 13-18 month old female rats. A dose of 10 mg/kg dose was sufficient for short-term procedures in 0-6 month old female rats. However, only superficial anesthesia was detected at the dose of 15 mg/kg in female rats older than 18 months.Conclusion:The present study demonstrated that 10 or 15 mg/kg low doses of intraperitoneal propofol administration affected the duration and depth of anesthesia in different ages and genders in rats

Aim:To investigate the utility of systemic immune-inflammation index (SII)in predicting response to cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) among patients with heart failure (HF).Method:A total of 78 patients with HF who underwent CRT device implantation were included in this6-month follow up study. Data on laboratory findings including complete blood count, blood biochemistry and SII as well as the transthoracic echocardiography findings were recorded at baseline prior to CRT device implantation and 6 months after CRT. Results:The criteria for response to CRT including improvements in New York Heart Association (NYHA), left ventricular end-systolic volume (LVESV) (decreased by =15%) and ejection fraction (EF)(increased by=10%) were met by 73.1%, 65.4% and 69.2% of patients, respectively. In patients with decreased vs. increased SII values during 6-month therapy, the likelihood of meeting LVESV (84.3 vs. 15.7%, p<0.001), EF(81.5 vs. 18.5%, p<0.001) and NYHA (77.2 vs. 22.8%, p<0.001) response criteria for successful CRT were significantly higher. Multivariate analysis revealed that decrease in SII (OR 0.982, 95% CI: 0.970 to 0.995, p=0.006) and TAPSE (OR 0.602, 95% CI. 0.396 to 0.916, p=0.018) during treatment as the only significant determinants of presence of response to CRT in heart failure (HF) patients.Conclusions:Our findings seem to indicate the favorable utility of SII, as a non-invasive readily available marker, in predicting response to CRT and thus enabling a beneficial reverse remodeling process via timely implementation of advanced treatments in HF patients

Aim:To determine the changes in the diagnoses of patients admitted to pediatric emergency department due to infection and the change in thetendency towards prescribing antibiotics during the COVID-19 pandemic.Methods:Age, gender and the diagnoses of and the antibiotics prescribed for patients under the age of 18 who admitted to the pediatric emergency department on two separate days beforeand during the pandemic period were compared retrospectively.Results:It was found that the admissions to the pediatric emergency department decreased by 83% during the pandemic period compared to the pre-pandemic period. Upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) was diagnosed in 61.6% of the patients during the pre-pandemic period compared to 32.6% of the patients during the pandemic periods, indicating a statistically significant difference between the groups (p<0.001). The percentage of patients diagnosed with paranasal infection in the pandemic period was also significantly lower than in the pre-pandemic period. On the other hand, the percentages of patients diagnosed with urinary infection and diagnoses other than infection in the pandemic period were significantly higher than in the pre-pandemic period. Additionally, the percentage of patients who were prescribed amoxicillin-clavulanic acid (CAM) was significantly higher, whereas the percentage of patients who were prescribed Clarithromycin was significantly lower in the pandemic period than in the pre-pandemic period. Furthermore, it was determined that Oseltamivir was not prescribed during the pandemic period.Conclusions:Quarantines imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the use of masks have reduced the incidence of upper and lower respiratory tract infections. In parallel, it was determined that the percentage of patients presented to the pediatric emergency department with the diagnosis of non-infectious diagnoses has increased. This result has been attributed to the use of masks and the attention paid to the hygiene, which caused a decrease in the incidence of infectious diseases, influenza in particular

Aim: To evaluate the general characteristics of cases under the age of 18 years who presented at our forensic medicine clinic due to intentional or unintentional trauma and to evaluate the severity of injury using trauma scoring systems.Methods:This study included all cases under the age of 18 years with a forensic report prepared due to trauma in the forensic medicine clinic between 2017-2021. The cases included in the study were evaluated in terms of the following parameters: “gender, age, forensic event, cause of accidental injury, intentional or unintentional injury, injury site, location of traffic accident victims, safety belt using, degree of forensic injury, trauma scores [Injury Severity Score (ISS) and New Injury Severity Score (NISS)]. The ISS and NISS were calculated using the Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS)2008 update. The results were statistically compared and evaluated.Results:The majority of the cases were male (n=281, 75.13%), and the mean age was 12.03±4.83 years. More than half of the cases (n: 190, 50.80%) were unintentional injuries. The victims were injured most frequently due to battery (n=180, 48.10%). The most common injurysites were the head and neck (n=136, 36.40%). The majority of child and adolescent victims of traffic accidents under the age of 18 did not use helmets, seat belts, and protective equipment. The mean injury severity score (ISS) of the cases was 3.66±5.79,and the mean new-injury severity score (NISS) was 5.03±7.58. The ISS and NISS values were significantly higher in unintentional injuries than in intentional injuries.Conclusion:More severe injuries were caused unintentionally in children and adolescents. Pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists were at the greatest risk for serious injury. It is necessary to provide necessary training on the importance of protective equipment for this age group and to increase the controls

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many cancer patients around the globe exhibit difficulties to maintain the treatment they needed. However today, it is well known that the mortality rate of cancer patients is higher when they get COVID-19 infection. For thesepatients with both COVID-19 and cancer, biomarkers can help prognosis. For some biomarkers, gender differences can be observed which affects the disease severity. Additionally, the review focuses on ACE2 as a biomarker for cancer patients, the receptor SARS-COV-2 uses to enter the host cell. Additionally, the usage of flavonoids can be an alternative treatment method due to their various promising therapeutic properties such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antiproliferative, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer activity. When used for cancer therapy, Flavonoids can play a key role in different mechanisms such as inactivation of carcinogens, cell cycle arrest, antiproliferation, and angiogenesis inhibition. Due to the ability of both ACE2 inhibition and anticancer property, flavonoids can be used as a new treatment strategy for cancer patients with COVID-19. Therefore, it is crucial to understand the relation between COVID-19 and cancer to design new specific treatments

Aim:To evaluate the effect of COVID-19 on sex hormone levels between men who have recovered from COVID-19 infection and men who have never been infected.Method:This study included 80 men who applied to the Infertility Clinic with a diagnosis of primary or secondary infertility. Semen analysis was performed twice, before COVID-19 and after the treatment of COVID-19 disease. In addition, Luteinizing hormone (LH), Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), testosterone (T), and 17ß-estradiol (E2) levels were compared between the men after COVID-19 disease and uninfected men.Results:There was a significant difference in progressive sperm motility and immobility before and after the COVID-19 disease. Progressive sperm motility was decreased after COVID-19 disease while immobility was increased after COVID-19. The serum T level was lower and the E2 level was higher in men after COVID-19 disease compared to uninfected men.Conclusions:COVID-19 may adversely affect gonadal functions by causing to more deterioration of the hormone levels and semen parameters in infertile males.Therefore, gonadal function evaluation, including semen and sex-related hormones examination, is required to follow up the male COVID-19 patients with a reproductive plan