Retinal vessel diameters and their correlation with retinal nerve fiber layer thickness in patients with pseudoexfoliation syndrome

AIM: To compare retinal artery-vein diameters (RAVDs) of patients with pseudoexfoliation (PSX) syndrome with healthy controls and investigate the correlations between retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness parameters and RAVDs. METHODS: Seventeen eyes with PSX and 17 eyes of age-matched controls were included in the study. All participants underwent routine ophthalmological examination, Humphrey visual field and RNFL examination by using Stratus OCT. Retinal images were obtained by using a retinal camera (Topcon 501X). RAVDs were measured from inferior nasal, inferior temporal, superior nasal and superior temporal arcuates by using IMAGEnet software. Superior, inferior, nasal, temporal and average RNFL thicknesses were recorded. RAVDs and RNFL parameters in groups and correlations were analyzed by Mann-Whitney U and Spearmann correlation tests. RESULTS: Only inferior quadrant and average RNFL thickness were detected thinner in the PSX group compared with control group (P=0.009, P=0.038, respectively). No statistically significant difference regarding RAVDs was found between two groups. CONCLUSION: RAVDs seems to be comparable in the PSX and control group. RNFL is thinner in the inferior quadrant in the PSX group. RNFL thickness and RAVDs show significant correlations in both groups. This correlation doesn’t seem to be specific to PSX.     

Clinical features and outcomes of 76 patients with COVID-19-related multi-system inflammatory syndrome in children

Clinical Rheumatology - Multi-system inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) is a less understood and a rare complication of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19). Given the scarce data regarding...     

Efficacy and safety of ciprofloxacin oral suspension versus trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole oral suspension for treatment of older women with acute urinary tract infection

OBJECTIVES: To compare the efficacy and safety of ciprofloxacin (CIP) oral suspension to trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (TMP/SMX) oral suspension among older women with acute urinary tract infections (UTIs). DESIGN: Prospective, randomized, open-label, multicenter study of older women (age 65 and older). SETTING: Community and nursing home. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 261 older women were evaluable for safety. Of these, 172 (86 community, 86 nursing home) were evaluable for clinical and bacteriological efficacy. INTERVENTION: Patients were randomized to a 10-day regimen of either CIP (250 mg/5 mL twice daily) or TMP/SMX (160/800 mg/20 mL twice daily). MEASUREMENTS: Clinical response 4 to 10 days posttherapy. RESULTS: For the efficacy-valid population, posttherapy clinical resolution was statistically superior following CIP (97%) versus TMP/SMX (85%) (95% CI=2.0-21.3; P= .009). Eradication of pretreatment bacterial isolates posttherapy was also higher following CIP (95%) versus TMP/SMX (84%) (95% CI=2.7-21.3; P= .019). For the intent-to-treat population, posttherapy clinical resolution was significantly higher in the CIP group (96%) than in the TMP/SMX group (87%) (95% CI=0.2-16.7; P= .025). Safety was assessed in the intent-to-treat population and the incidence of drug-related adverse events were significantly lower following CIP (17%) than following TMP/SMX (27%) (P= .047). Premature discontinuation due to these events was also less prevalent with CIP than with TMP/SMX (2% vs 11%, respectively) (P= .004). CONCLUSION: CIP suspension showed higher clinical success and bacteriological eradication rates than did TMP/SMX for both community-based and nursing home-residing older women with acute UTIs. Furthermore, CIP suspension was associated with significantly lower rates of adverse events and premature discontinuations compared with TMP/SMX suspension.     

Accessory pathway associated with an anomalous coronary sinus

Congenital coronary sinus anomalies are unusual and they rarely coexist with accessory atrioventricular pathways. These anomalies are generally asymptomatic, however they can cause difficulty in mapping. The association between accessory pathway and coronary sinus anomalies may suggest an embryologic link. In this case, we report a male patient with permanent form of reciprocating tachycardia coexistent with anomalous coronary sinus.     

Therapy of acute hepatitis C with interferon-alpha2b plus ribavirin in a health care worker

Hepatitis C virus can be transmitted to health care workers through needlestick accidents. In this report, the result of short-term therapy with interferon-alpha2b plus ribavirin combination of acute hepatitis C in a health care worker who infected through laboratory accident was presented. The patient received combination of interferon-alpha2b (5 MU three times a week) plus ribavirin (1000 mg daily) for three months. Aminotransferase levels were normalised and clearance of HCV RNA was obtained in the first month of the therapy. After 19 months of follow-up, he had undetectable levels of HCV RNA so sustained response (clearance of HCV RNA and normalisation of aminotransferases at least six months after cessation of therapy) was achieved. According to this result, short-term therapy of acute hepatitis C with interferon-alpha2b plus ribavirin may be an alternate to others.     

The spectrum of diseases causing fever of unknown origin in Turkey: a multicenter study.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this trial was to determine the spectrum of diseases with fever of unknown origin (FUO) in Turkey. METHODS: A prospective multicenter study of 154 patients with FUO in twelve Turkish tertiary-care hospitals was conducted. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 42+/-17 years (range 17-75). Fifty-three (34.4%) had infectious diseases (ID), 47 (30.5%) had non-infectious inflammatory diseases (NIID), 22 (14.3%) had malignant diseases (MD), and eight (5.2%) had miscellaneous diseases (Mi). In 24 (15.6%) of the cases, the reason for high fever could not be determined despite intensive efforts. The most common ID etiologies were tuberculosis (13.6%) and cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection (3.2%). Adult Still's disease was the most common NIID (13.6%) and hematological malignancy was the most common MD (7.8%). In patients with NIID, the mean duration of reaching a definite diagnosis (37+/-23 days) was significantly longer compared to the patients with ID (25+/-12 days) (p=0.007). In patients with MD, the mean duration of fever (51+/-35 days) was longer compared to patients with ID (37+/-38 days) (p=0.052). CONCLUSIONS: Although infection remains the most common cause of FUO, with the highest percentage for tuberculosis, non-infectious etiologies seem to have increased when compared with previous studies.     

Cytokine Expression Before and After Aspirin Desensitization Therapy in Aspirin-Exacerbated Respiratory Disease

Aspirin exacerbated respiratory disease (AERD) is induced by acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) and/or nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Effects of desensitization on many mediators have been examined previously, but few studies addressed the influence of desensitization on T lymphocytes and T lymphocyte-derived cytokines. This study was performed to examine peripheral blood lymphocyte (PBL) cytokine expression in aspirin-sensitive patients who have asthma before and after aspirin desensitization. In this study, the release of interleukin-2 (IL-2), interleukin-4 (IL-4), and interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) by CD4+ T lymphocytes prior to aspirin desensitization were also measured at intracellular levels, and expression of these cytokines after 1 month aspirin desensitization was evaluated. Twelve patients with AERD were included in the study. Two different control groups were formed, one consisted of 15 healthy people and second 12 aspirin tolerant asthmatic (ATA) patients using aspirin. A blood sample was collected prior to desensitization, and the tests were repeated by taking a second blood sample 1 month after the 4-day desensitization treatment. The proportion of lymphocytes secreting IFN-γ in the study group was 15.61?±?4.40 % before desensitization and 15.08?±?5.89 % after desensitization. The rate of IFN-γ secreting CD4+ T lymphocytes was 20.51?±?4.41 % in the normal control group and 16.07?±?5.7 % in the ATA group (p?=?0.021). The ratio of CD4+ T lymphocyte secreting IFN-γ was reduced in patients with AERD before desensitization compared to normal control group (p?=?0.040). The levels of IL-2, IL-4, and the subsets of lymphocyte were not different before and after desensitization compared to control groups.     

Basophil activation test: Mechanisms and considerations for use in clinical trials and clinical practice

The basophil activation test (BAT) is a functional assay that measures the degree of degranulation following stimulation with allergen or controls by flow cytometry. It correlates directly with histamine release. From the dose-response curve resulting from BAT in allergic patients, basophil reactivity (%CD63⁺ basophils) and basophil sensitivity (EC₅₀ or similar) are the main outcomes of the test. BAT takes into account all characteristics of IgE and allergen and thus can be more specific than sensitization tests in the diagnosis of allergic disease. BAT reduces the need for in vivo procedures, such as intradermal tests and allergen challenges, which can cause allergic reactions of unpredictable severity. As it closely reflects the patients' phenotype in most cases, it may be used to support the diagnosis of food, venom and drug allergies and chronic urticaria, to monitor the natural resolution of food allergies and to predict and monitor clinical the response to immunomodulatory treatments, such as allergen-specific immunotherapy and biologicals. Clinical application of BAT requires analytical validation, clinical validation, standardization of procedures and quality assurance to ensure reproducibility and reliability of results. Currently, efforts are ongoing to establish a platform that could be used by laboratories in Europe and in the USA for quality assurance and certification.