Prevalence of orthorexia among medical students in Erzurum, Turkey

Orthorexia is a new term about eating behavior disorder and consists of pathologic obsession for biologically pure foods, free of herbicides, pesticides, and other artificial substances. It is not an independent diagnostic category, but it has some similarities with other eating disorders. This study was conducted to examine the orthorexia among 878 medical students. Of 878 students, 464 (52.8%) were male and 359 (40.9%) were female. The mean age, height, weight, and body mass index were 21.3 ± 2.1 years, 171.0 ± 8.5 cm, 65.6 ± 12.3 kg, 22.4 ± 2.99, respectively. The rates of the ORTO-11 scores between 0 and 15 was 1.9%; between 16 and 30, 57.5%; and between 31 and higher, 21.1%. There were 17 students with a score of 0 to 15. The mean score for the ORTO-11 test was 27. There were statistically significant differences between age, sex, and smoking habit of the students. In the male students, there was a statistically significantly higher tendency for orthorexia (P = .001), and there was a statistically significant difference between the age groups for tendency for orthorexia (P = .025). In logistic regression analysis, age, sex, Eating Attitude Test-40 (EAT-40), and height affected the ORTO-11 scores.     

Protective effects of dexmedetomidine on ischaemia-reperfusion injury in an experimental rat model of priapism

The study aimed to investigate the effects of dexmedetomidine against ischaemia-reperfusion injury occurring after priapism in a model of induced-priapism in rats. A total of 18 male rats were randomised into three groups. Group 1 was the control group. A priapism model was performed rats in Group 2 and then ischaemia-reperfusion injury was evaluated. Group 3 had similar procedures to the rats in Group 2. Rats in Group 3 additionally had 100 μg/kg dexmedetomidine administered intraperitoneally immediately after reperfusion. Blood and tissue samples were analysed. Biochemical analysis of blood samples revealed a decrease in the levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokines including interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 Beta), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) in Group 3 compared to Group 2 (p:.04, p:.009 and p:.009, respectively). Similarly, the highest malondialdehyde (MDA) level was in Group 2 (p:.002). The levels of antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities were significantly higher in Group 3 than that of Group 2 (p:.037 and p:.045, respectively). Direct microscopic examinations revealed positive changes in desquamation, oedema, inflammation and vasocongestion scores in Group 3 compared to Group 2 (p:.007, p:.008, p:.007 and p:.006, respectively). Dexmedetomidine has a protective effect against ischaemia-reperfusion injury in penile tissue.     

Infectious disease consultations and antibiotic usage in a Turkish university hospital.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the various features of infectious disease (ID) consultations and the usage of antibiotics in a Turkish university hospital. METHODS: A total of 395 consultation requests were recorded during a three-year period. RESULTS: The departments most frequently requesting the consultation services of the ID department were Orthopedics (29.6%), Neurology (18.5%), Cardiology (11.8%) and Internal Medicine (10.4%). The main reasons were for diagnosis of unexplained fever (42.3%) and for antibiotic modification according to culture results (18%). Diagnoses made by the ID consultant were pneumonia (16.7%), urinary tract infections (9.3%), bone and joint prosthesis infections (9.1%) and in 15.7% of the investigated patients, no infectious focus was determined. It was recognized that the use of antibiotics had already been initiated in the great majority of patients (67.1%) before the consultation request. While the current therapy was changed in 57.4% of these patients, antibiotics were not necessary for 9.8%. CONCLUSIONS: Since the most common diagnoses were respiratory and urinary tract or bone and joint prosthesis infections, the ID specialists should have detailed knowledge of these problems. Usage of antibiotics without ID consultation was prevalent, therefore a continuous educational program is a necessity for healthcare workers in the hospital.     

Fracture Resistance of Teeth with Simulated Perforating Internal Resorption Cavities Repaired with Different Calcium Silicate–based Cements and Backfilling Materials

Introduction

This study assessed the fracture resistance (FR) of teeth with simulated perforating internal resorption cavities repaired with different calcium silicate–based cements (CSCs) and backfilling materials.

A case of mitral stenosis complicated with seronegative Brucella endocarditis

Brucellosis is a multisystemic disease. The most common cause of death from the disease is endocarditis. The aortic valve is most commonly affected. The disease rarely involves the mitral valve. A 30 year-old woman presented with complaints of chills and fever up to 38 degrees C at night, fatigue, palpitations, and dyspnea for the previous 3 weeks. Cardiac auscultation revealed a diastolic murmur in the mitral area. Her temperature was 38.3 degrees C. On echocardiographic examination, the mitral valve area was 0.62 cm (2) and an isoechoic mass thought to be a vegetation was detected on the anterior mitral leaflet. A diagnosis of infective endocarditis was made and vancomycin administration was commenced. Brucella melitensis was isolated in all three blood samples, however, the patient remained seronegative with Brucella agglutination titers of up to 1/160. The antibiotic therapy was then shifted to doxycycline (200 mg/day), rifampicin (600 mg/day), and ciprofloxacin (1000 mg/day). After 30 days of treatment, surgery was performed for the severely stenotic mitral valve and to remove the vegetation. The operation was successful. The postoperative period was uneventful. On the follow-up she had no complaints. In cases with Brucella endocarditis, after diagnosis, antibiotic therapy must be started immediately and when the clinical condition improves, surgical intervention should be performed when indicated.