Higher expression of the novel gene upregulated gene 4 in two acute lymphoblastic leukemia patients with poor prednisolone response

Elucidation of the molecular mechanisms of leukemogenesis is important for a better understanding of the prognosis of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Studies have shown that the expression of upregulated gene 4 (URG4), which promotes cell growth and survival, is increased in different types of carcinomas including hepatocellular carcinoma, gastric cancer and osteosarcoma. Similarly, higher expression of URG4 and cyclin D1 gene might promote proliferation of the blast cells by causing escape from the G1 checkpoint and entry into the S phase. This study reports the high expression level of URG4 in 2 high-risk ALL patients for the first time in the literature. In conclusion, the higher expression of URG4 in our 2 patients suggests that URG4 might be involved in leukemogenesis. Future studies with a large number of high-risk ALL patients and cell culture studies are needed to demonstrate the exact role of URG4 in leukemogenesis.     

Low-cost silica xerogels as potential adsorbents for ciprofloxacin removal

Ciprofloxacin, a second generation fluoroquinolone antibiotic, is one of the top pharmaceutical contaminants in water and many approaches have been developed for the removal of ciprofloxacin in wastewater. In this study, ciprofloxacin adsorption is carried out using a low-cost silica xerogel synthesized by a simple sol-gel method. The effect of pH, contact time, initial concentration of ciprofloxacin and temperature on the adsorption of ciprofloxacin by the silica xerogel is investigated. At optimum adsorption conditions, the experimental data fits well to a Langmuir isotherm and a pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The maximum ciprofloxacin adsorption capacity is determined as 24.45 mg g^?1. Thermodynamic parameters show that ciprofloxacin adsorption by the silica xerogel is a spontaneous endothermic process. Moreover, reusability experiments reveal that the silica xerogel can be effectively used several times for ciprofloxacin adsorption. The promising results indicate that the silica xerogel can be regarded as potential adsorbent for ciprofloxacin removal.     

Prevalence of psychiatric disorders and suicidality among children and adolescents with thalassemia major—A Turkish sample

The current study examined psychiatric diagnoses and suicidality in children with transfusion-dependent thalassemia major via a semi-structured interview (K-SADS). Although 4 subjects were diagnosed with major depressive disorder, 24 subjects (40.7%) had depressed mood and irritability, whereas anhedonia and boredom were detected in 23 (39.0%) subjects. Suicidal thoughts were expectedly more prevalent (28.8%) than suicidal intention (5.1%) and suicide attempts (1.7%). Children with thalassemia major may be an under-risk population for subclinical forms of depression and suicidality. Offering routine screening for mental health problems can lead to early identification and treatment.     

Effects on urinary outcome of patients and caregivers’ burden of pelvic floor muscle exercises based on the health belief model done at home by post-stroke patients

Objective: The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of pelvic floor muscle exercises (PFMEs) done by stroke patients at home in line with the health belief model (HBM) on patient care outcomes and caregivers’ burdens.

Method: In the study, a quasi-experimental design with a pre- and post-test control group was used. The study was conducted with 20 patients in the experimental group and 18 patients in the control group. The patients and caregivers were evaluated at baseline and after the 12-week PFME intervention performed at home. The data were analyzed with the chi-square, Mann–Whitney U, Wilcoxon signed rank test and multiple regression analysis.

Results: A statistically significant difference was found between the two groups in terms of the mean scores they obtained from the ICIQ-SF and I-QOL, the number of urinary incontinence episodes, pad test after interventions and quality of life scores (p < 0.05), while no statistically significant difference was found between the groups in terms of the mean scores for the Burden Interview (p > 0.05). An increase was determined in the self-efficacy of the patients in the experimental group after the PFMEs (p < 0.05).

Conclusions: Given the results of the present study, it is recommended that in the management of post-stroke urinary incontinence, post-stroke patients should be encouraged to do PFME at home in line with the HBM, and they should be monitored periodically.     

Erratum to: The genotoxic effect of radiofrequency waves on mouse brain

Journal of Neuro-Oncology -     

Preliminary Examination of Herbal Extracts on the Inhibition of Helicobacter Pylori

Background

This work aims at describing the traditional uses, to determine the antimicrobial potential of two different extracts hexane, acetone of the leaves of Citrus unshiu, Citrus sinensis, Citrus limon, Laurus nobilis, Citrus paradisi on clinical strain of H. pylori in a bid to identify potential sources of cheap starting materials for the synthesis of new drugs. H. pylori strain was a culture collection of Hacettepe University, Turkey.

Methods

The activity was quantitatively assessed on the basis of the inhibition zone, and their activity index was also calculated along with the MIC method.

Results

All the plants demonstrated antimicrobial activity against H. pylori with zone of inhibition diameters ranging from 0 – 30 mm and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values ranging from 1:512–1:4096 dilutions.

Conclusion

The results may serve as scientific validation of the ethnomedicinal uses of the Citrus unshiu, Citrus sinensis, Citrus limon, Laurus nobilis, and Citrus paradisi in the treatment of H. pylori-related infections. However, further investigations would be necessary to determine their toxicological properties, in-vivo potencies and mechanism of action against H. pylori.     

Increased red cell distribution width predicts occlusion of the infarct-related artery in STEMI

Objective Infarct-related artery (IRA) patency yields a better outcome in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Red cell distribution width (RDW) emerges as a marker of adverse cardiovascular events and mortality in STEMI. Therefore, we aimed to assess the relationship between IRA patency and RDW value on admission in patients with STEMI undergoing primary PCI. Methods A total of 564 patients with STEMI undergoing primary PCI were recruited in this study. According to thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) flow grade in the IRA before PCI, the study population was divided into two groups as TIMI 0 or 1 group (occluded IRA, n?=?398) and TIMI 2 or 3 group (patent IRA, n?=?166). Results RDW was significantly higher in the occluded IRA group (15.1?±?1.7 versus 13.4?±?1.3, p?<?0.001) as compared to the patent IRA group. White blood cell (WBC) count, platelet count, creatine kinase-myocardial band (CK-MB) and troponin-I levels were also significantly higher in the occluded IRA group (p?<?0.05). Moreover, RDW showed positive correlations with troponin-I (r?=?0.397, p?<?0.001), CK-MB (r?=?0.344, p?<?0.001) and WBC (r?=?0.219, p?<?0.001). In multivariate regression analysis, RDW (OR: 0.483, 95% CI: 0.412–0.567, p?<?0.001) and WBC count were significantly and independently associated with IRA patency. Conclusions Our findings suggested that RDW value and WBC count on admission were independent predictors of IRA patency in patients with STEMI. As RDW is an easily available, simple and cheap biomarker, it can be used in daily practice as a novel predictor for IRA patency.