High prevalence of obesity and diabetes mellitus in Konya, a central Anatolian city in Turkey

INTRODUCTION: The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of overweight, obesity, impaired fasting glucose, diabetes and the relationship between adiposity and carbohydrate metabolism, by age and gender in Konya, a city in central Anatolia. METHODS: A cross-sectional population based survey was performed. One month before the field survey a media campaign was started in each district by local municipalities. Ten percent of the target population age 20 and over were invited to participate and the participation rate was 82.1%. Twelve thousand eight hundred and sixty-six inhabitants (7000 women and 5866 men, mean age 46.7+/-15.9 years) were evaluated for height and body weight between May and September of 2001. Two thousand eight hundred and thirty consecutive subjects (1788 women and 1042 men, mean age 48.2+/-15.7 years) were tested for fasting blood glucose in addition to an anthropometric evaluation. RESULTS: The crude IFG rate was 24% (27.1% in women and 18.5% in men) and the diabetes rate 8.4% (8% in women and 9.1% in men). The survey identified previously undiagnosed diabetes in 3.7% (4.3% of women and 2.9% of men). The prevalence of diabetes (p=0.0005) and obesity (p=0.0005) increased with age. Obese men and women had a higher risk of being diabetic than their normal weight counterparts (OR, 2.05; CI 95%, 1.13-3.71; p=0.0186 and OR, 2.53; CI 95%, 1.57-4.07; p=0.0001, respectively). Overall, the overweight rate was 34.2% (33.5% of women and 36.3% of men) and the obesity rate was 23.7% (32.4% of women and 14.1% of men) (n=12,866). Women had a significantly higher risk of being obese than men (OR, 2.84; CI 95%, 2.62-3.08; p=0.0005). The diabesity rate was 3.4% (4.1% in women and 2.1% in men). CONCLUSION: Carbohydrate intolerance and adiposity are highly prevalent in Konya, and the two conditions are positively correlated with each other, by age and gender.     

Posterior ocular structural changes and glaucoma susceptibility in patients with hemifacial spasm

Japanese Journal of Ophthalmology - To evaluate the changes in the posterior ocular structures and glaucoma susceptibility in patients with hemifacial spasm (HFS). Prospective...     

Increased oxidative stress and its relation with collagen metabolism in knee osteoarthritis

The purpose of this study was to determine serum oxidative/antioxidative status in patients with knee osteoarthritis and its relation with prolidase activity, which plays an important role in collagen metabolism. Serum antioxidative status was evaluated by measuring total antioxidant capacity (TAC), thiol level and catalase enzyme activity in patients with osteoarthritis and in healthy controls. Serum oxidative status was evaluated by measuring total peroxide (TP) and lipid hydroperoxide. Oxidative stress index (OSI) was calculated. Prolidase enzyme activity was measured to investigate the collagen metabolism. Serum TAC, thiol level, catalase activity and prolidase activity were significantly lower in patients than in controls (P < 0.001, for all). In contrast, TP, lipid hydroperoxide and OSI values were significantly higher in patients than in controls (P < 0.001 for all). Further, prolidase activity was negatively correlated with TP and OSI, and positively correlated with TAC. The present results indicate that the oxidant parameters increased and antioxidant parameters decreased in patients with osteoarthritis; therefore, these patients may be exposed to a potent oxidative stress. Decreased collagen metabolism may be related with oxidative stress, which has a role in the ethiopathogenesis and/or in the progression of the disease.     

Etanercept for therapy-resistant macrophage activation syndrome

Macrophage activation syndrome (MAS) is a severe, potentially fatal complication of childhood rheumatic diseases, especially systemic onset juvenile idiopathic arthritis (SoJIA). We report a 4-year-old girl with probable SoJIA who presented with MAS. She did not respond to pulse methyl prednisolone and Cyclosporine A (CsA). She also failed to respond to intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) therapy. Etanercept was started, based on the observation of increased serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) in patients with MAS. Her condition improved following etanercept, suggesting that etanercept might have a therapeutic role in resistant MAS.     

Outcomes of the conservative management of the patients with endometrial intraepithelial neoplasia/endometrial cancer: Wait or treat!

Background/aimThe objective of the study was to evaluate the response, relapse, reproductive results and demographic features of the patients with endometrioid adenocancer (EAC) and endometrial intraepithelial neoplasia (EIN) who were treated with conservative treatment. This is the largest study when we consider the single center studies in this field.Materials and methodsIn the current retrospective study, 38 patients (6 EAC, 31 EIN, 1 synchronous tumors of ovary and endometrium) were recruited. They were treated with progesterone products for their fertility desire and comorbidity. Reproductive results, response rates, and recurrence rates were calculated and survival analyses were performed. ResultsMean duration of the medical treatment was 10 months (range 2–60). Among the 32 patients with EIN, 28 (87.5%) had a response, 8 (25%) had a relapse and 4 (12.5%) had persistence. Among the 32 patients who expecting fertility, seven patients got pregnant (21.8%) with a total of five live births. The median follow-up was 40.5 months (range 3–180), and recurrence-free interval was 28.7 months (range 2–180).ConclusionFertility-sparing treatment of EAC and EIN is a feasible approach, and the eligible patients should be given a chance to get pregnant.