Neutrophil to Lymphocyte Ratio - Not an Independent Prognostic Factor in Patients with the Myelodysplastic Syndrome

Akinci, Sema,Silay, Kamile,Ulas, Arife,Guney, Tekin,Hacibekiroglu, Tuba,Basturk, Abdulkadir,Akinci, Muhammed Bulent,Alkan, Afra,Dilek, Imdat Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.24

Purpose: Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) was evaluated as a potential prognostic factor in patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). Materials and Methods: Between December 2009 and April 2014, 14 female (35%) and 26 male (65%) MDS patients who were followed up in our hematology clinic were included in the study for NLR during diagnosis. Division was into two groups according to the NLR, and the correlation with mortality was evaluated. The prognostic significance of NLR regarding treatment outcome was also evaluated with adjustment for known confounding risk factors. Results: The mortality rate of the patient group was 55%, and median survival was 18 months. There was no significant correlation between mortality and NLR at a median value of 1.8 (p=0.75). Thrombocytopenia was observed to increase mortality (p=0.027), and there was a significant correlation between mortality and pancytopenia (p=0.017). Conclusions: This first study of NLR and mortality did not show any significant correlation. In centres with limited access to genetic evaluation for the presence of pancytopenia and/or thrombocytopenia at the time of diagnosis, a platelet level less than $50{\times}10^9/l$ may be poor prognostic markers in MDS patients.

Impairments of Social Interaction in Depressive Disorder

Erhan Akinci,Max-Oskar Wieser,Simon Vanscheidt,Shirin Diop,Vera Flasbeck,Burhan Akinci,Cora Stiller,Georg Juckel,Paraskevi Mavrogiorgou 대한신경정신의학회 2022 PSYCHIATRY INVESTIGATION Vol.19 No.3

Objective Despite the numerous findings on the altered emotion recognition and dysfunctional social interaction behavior of depressive patients, a lot of the relationships are not clearly clarified.Methods In this pilot study, 20 depressive patients (mean±SD, 38.4±14.2) and 20 healthy subjects (mean±SD, 38.9±15.3) (each in dyads) were videographed. We then analyzed their social interaction behavior and emotion processing in terms of emotion recognition, their own emotional experience, and the expression of emotions under the conditions of a semi-structured experimental paradigm.Results Patients showed more significant impairment regarding the dimensions of social interaction behavior (i.e., attention, interest, and activity) and their interaction behavior was characterized by neutral affectivity, silence, and avoidance of direct eye contact. This interactive behavioral style was statistically related to depressive psychopathology. There were no differences concerning emotion recognition.Conclusion Impairments of non-verbal and verbal social interaction behavior of depressive patients seem to be less associated with disturbances of basic skills of emotion recognition.

Serum 25-hydroxy Vitamin D Status is Not Related to Osteopenia/Osteoporosis Risk in Colorectal Cancer Survivors

Akinci, Muhammed Bulent,Sendur, Mehmet Ali Nahit,Aksoy, Sercan,Yazici, Ozan,Ozdemir, Nuriye Yildirim,Kos, Tugba,Yaman, Sebnem,Altundag, Kadri,Zengin, Nurullah Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.8

Background: The incidence of colorectal cancer increases with vitamin D deficiency as shown in recently published studies. In addition, prospective investigations have indicated that low vitamin D levels may be associated with increased mortality of colorectal cancer, especially in stage III and IV cases. However, the exact incidence of vitamin D deficiency and the relation between vitamin D deficiency and osteopenia/osteporosis is still not known. The aim of this study is to identify severity of vitamin D deficiency and absolute risk factors of osteopenia/osteoporosis in colorectal cancer survivors. Materials and Methods: A total of 113 colorectal cancer survivors treated with surgery and/or chemotherapy ${\pm}$ radiotherapy were recruited from medical oncology outpatient clinics during routine follow-up visits in 2012-2013. Bone mineral densitometry (BMD) was performed, and serum 25-OH vitamin D levels were also checked on the same day of the questionnaire. The patients was divided into 2 groups, group A with normal BMD and group B with osteopenia/osteoporosis. Results: The median age of the study population was 58 (40-76). Thirty (30.0%) were female, whereas 79 (70.0%) were male. The median follow-up was 48 months (14-120 months). Vitamin D deficiency was found in 109 (96.5%); mild deficiency (20-30 ng/ml) in 19 (16.8%), moderate deficiency (10-20 ng/ml) in 54 (47.8%) and severe deficiency (<10 ng/ml) in 36 (31.9%). Osteopenia was evident in 58 (51.4%) patients whereas osteoporosis was noted in 17 (15.0%). Normal BMD was observed in 38 (33.6%). No apparent effects of type of surgery, presence of stoma, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and TNM stage were found regarding the risk of osteopenia and osteoporosis. Also, the severity of the vitamin D deficiency had no effect in the risk of osteopenia and osteporosis (p=0.93). In female patients, osteopenia/osteoporosis were observed in 79.5% patients as compared to 60.7% of male patients (p=0.04). Conclusions: In our study, vitamin D deficiency and osteopenia/osteoporosis was observed in 96.5% and 66.4% of colorectal cancer survivors, respectively. There is no defined absolute risk factor of osteopenia and osteoporosis in colorectal cancer survivors. To our knowledge, in the literature, our study is the first to evaluateall the risk factors of osteopenia and osteoporosis in colorectal cancer survivors.

Determination of optimum operation cases in electric arc welding machine using neural network

Tahir Çetin Akinci,Hidir Selçuk Noğay,Gökhan Gökmen 대한기계학회 2011 JOURNAL OF MECHANICAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Vol.25 No.4

With arc welding machines, welding is only performed at optimum operating points. Determination of optimum operating points is important so as for welding machines which will be produced in future to be developed in a manner to operate in such parts. In this study,an Artificial Neutral Networks method was used in order to determine the optimum operating points of Electric Arc welding machine. For this purpose, a measurement system used to get the current measurements during the welding operation. A welding process includes some stages like initial case; transient case and operation case respectively. So as to use ANN model, a data set was established via time series. ANN is trained with 90% of data set and tested with 10% thereof. At the end of the test, a prediction of 97.49% was made according to the regression value. And according to the MSE value, it was understood that a successful prediction was made with an error of 0.00353075 values.

The Myth of Not Disclosing the Diagnosis of Cancer: Does it Really Protect Elderly Patients from Depression?

Silay, Kamile,Akinci, Sema,Ulas, Arife,Silay, Yavuz Selim,Akinci, Muhammed Bulent,Ozturk, Esin,Canbaz, Merve,Dilek, Imdat,Yalcin, Bulent Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2015 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.16 No.2

Background: The disclosure of a diagnosis of cancer is complex, particularly in older patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between age and not knowing the diagnosis, and its impact on mood. Materials and Methods: The study included 70 patients with various types of solid and hematologic cancer in early stages, which were followed up in an outpatient oncology/hematology clinic in Turkey between January, 2014 and June, 2014. Initially the caregivers of patients were asked whether the patients knew their diagnosis or not. A questionnaire for the Geriatric Depression Scale was then administered to the patients. Patient age, gender, marital status and education level were noted and analyzed with respect to knowing the diagnosis and depression. Results: Of the 70 patients, 40% of them were female. The mean age was $68.2{\pm}8.9$. The rate of the patients who does not know their diagnosis was 37.1% (n=26). The overall depression rate with GDS was found 37.1% (n=26) among the participants. There was no association with knowing the diagnosis (p=0.208) although the association between not knowing the diagnosis and age was significant (p=0.01). Conclusions: In this study we revealed no association between not knowing the diagnosis and depression in elderly patients. Contrary to what some has thought, the patient is not protected from psychological distress by not being informed about the diagnosis. We believe this study and similar ones will help to discuss and further explore patient autonomy, the principle of respect to self-determination and end of life issues in different cultures.

Hospitalization Risk According to Geriatric Assessment and Laboratory Parameters in Elderly Hematologic Cancer Patients

Silay, Kamile,Akinci, Sema,Silay, Yavuz Selim,Guney, Tekin,Ulas, Arife,Akinci, Muhammed Bulent,Ozturk, Esin,Canbaz, Merve,Yalcin, Bulent,Dilek, Imdat Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2015 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.16 No.2

Background: Utilizing geriatric screening tools for the identification of vulnerable older patients with cancer is important. The aim of this study is to evaluate the hospitalization risk of elderly hematologic cancer patients based on geriatric assessment and laboratory parameters. Materials and Methods: In this cross sectional study 61 patients with hematologic malignancies, age 65 years and older, were assessed at a hematology outpatient clinic. Standard geriatric screening tests; activities of daily living (ADL), instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA), Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), timed up and go test (TUG), geriatrics depression scale (GDS) were administered. Demographic and medical data were obtained from patient medical records. The number of hospitalizations in the following six months was then recorded to allow analysis of associations with geriatric assessment tools and laboratory parameters. Results: The median age of the patients, 37 being males, was 66 years. Positive TUG test and declined ADL was found as significant risk factors for hospitalization (p=0.028 and p=0.015 respectively). Correlations of hospitalization with thrombocytopenia, vitamin B12 and folic acid deficiency were statistically significant (p=0.004, p=0.011 and p=0.05 respectively). Conclusions: In this study, geriatric conditions which are usually unrecognized in a regular oncology office visit were identified. Our study indicates TUG and ADL might be use as predictive tests for hospitalization in elderly oncology populations. Also thrombocytopenia, and vitamin B12 and folic acid deficiencies are among the risk factors for hospitalization. The importance of vitamin B12 and folic acid vitamin replacement should not be underestimated in this population.

Medication Errors in Chemotherapy Preparation and Administration: a Survey Conducted among Oncology Nurses in Turkey

Ulas, Arife,Silay, Kamile,Akinci, Sema,Dede, Didem Sener,Akinci, Muhammed Bulent,Sendur, Mehmet Ali Nahit,Cubukcu, Erdem,Coskun, Hasan Senol,Degirmenci, Mustafa,Utkan, Gungor,Ozdemir, Nuriye,Isikdogan Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2015 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.16 No.5

Background: Medication errors in oncology may cause severe clinical problems due to low therapeutic indices and high toxicity of chemotherapeutic agents. We aimed to investigate unintentional medication errors and underlying factors during chemotherapy preparation and administration based on a systematic survey conducted to reflect oncology nurses experience. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted in 18 adult chemotherapy units with volunteer participation of 206 nurses. A survey developed by primary investigators and medication errors (MAEs) defined preventable errors during prescription of medication, ordering, preparation or administration. The survey consisted of 4 parts: demographic features of nurses; workload of chemotherapy units; errors and their estimated monthly number during chemotherapy preparation and administration; and evaluation of the possible factors responsible from ME. The survey was conducted by face to face interview and data analyses were performed with descriptive statistics. Chi-square or Fisher exact tests were used for a comparative analysis of categorical data. Results: Some 83.4% of the 210 nurses reported one or more than one error during chemotherapy preparation and administration. Prescribing or ordering wrong doses by physicians (65.7%) and noncompliance with administration sequences during chemotherapy administration (50.5%) were the most common errors. The most common estimated average monthly error was not following the administration sequence of the chemotherapeutic agents (4.1 times/month, range 1-20). The most important underlying reasons for medication errors were heavy workload (49.7%) and insufficient number of staff (36.5%). Conclusions: Our findings suggest that the probability of medication error is very high during chemotherapy preparation and administration, the most common involving prescribing and ordering errors. Further studies must address the strategies to minimize medication error in chemotherapy receiving patients, determine sufficient protective measures and establishing multistep control mechanisms.

Evaluation of Inflammation Parameters in Philadelphia Negative Chronic Myeloproliferative Neoplasia Patients

Hacibekiroglu, Tuba,Akinci, Sema,Basturk, Abdulkadir,inal, Besime,Guney, Tekin,Bakanay, Sule Mine,Dilek, Imdat Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2015 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.16 No.13

Background: Chronic myeloproliferative diseases are clonal stem cell diseases which occur as a result of uncontrollable growth and reproduction of hematopoietic stem cells, which are the myeloid series source in bone marrow. Recent studies have suggested that chronic inflammation can be a triggering factor in the clonal change in chronic myeloproliferative neoplasia (CMPN). In our study, we evaluated the existence of a chronic inflammation process in our Philadelphia negative (Ph-)CMPN patients using inflammation parameters in combination with demographic, laboratory and clinical characteristics of the patients. Materials and Methods: Demographic characteristics, clinical and laboratorial data, and thrombosis histories of 99 Ph-CMPN patients, who were diagnosed at our outpatient clinic of hematology in accordance with WHO 2008 criteria, were analyzed retrospectively,with 80 healthy individuals of matching gender and age included as controls. Complete blood counts, sedimentation, C reactive protein (CRP), JAK V617F gene mutations, abdomen ultrasound images and previous thrombosis histories of these patients were retrospectively analyzed. Results: Ph-CMPN and healthy control groups included 99 and 80 cases, respectively. PV, ET and MF diagnoses of patients were 43 (%43.4), 44 (44.4%) and 12 (12.1%), respectively. JAK V617F gene mutation was found to be positive in 64 (71.1%) of all cases and in 27(65.8%), 32 (82%), 5 (50%) of the cases in PV, ET and PMF groups, respectively. Thrombosis was determined as 12 (12%) in the entire group, 12.5% in the JAK V617F negative and 15.3% in the positive patients, with no statistical significance (p=0.758). No significant difference was observed between patients with and without previous thrombosis history in respect to hemogram parameters, sedimentation and CRP (p>0.05), neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), erythrocyte distribution width (RDW), mean platelet volume (MPV) and sedimentation levels of the patient.

Effects of a new desensitizing paste containing 8% arginine and calcium carbonate on the shear bond strength of orthodontic brackets

Yagci, Ahmet,Uysal, Tancan,Akinci, Hatice,Uysal, Banu The Korean Association Of Orthodontists 2011 대한치과교정학회지 Vol.41 No.2

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate shear bond strength (SBS) and failure site location of brackets bonded to enamel with or without desensitizer application. Methods: Sixty-six freshly extracted human premolar teeth were randomly divided into 3 groups of 22. Group 1 served as the control. Desensitizer was applied to the remaining teeth at two time intervals (Group 2, bonded immediately after Pro-$Relief^{TM}$ (Colgate-Palmolive Co., New York, NY, USA) application and Group 3, bonded 30 days after Pro-$Relief^{TM}$ application with the teeth stored in artificial saliva during the 30 days). Orthodontic brackets were bonded with a light cure composite resin and cured with a halogen light. After bonding, the SBS of the brackets was tested using a universal testing device. Adhesive remnant index (ARI) scores were determined after the brackets failed. Data were analyzed with analysis of variance, Tukey's HSD, and G tests. Results: The SBS was significantly lower in Group 2 than in Groups 1 (p = 0.024) and 3 (p = 0.017). Groups 1 and Group 3 did not differ (p = 0.991). ARI scores did not differ significantly among groups. Conclusions: The Pro-$Relief^{TM}$ desensitizer agent applied immediately before bonding significantly reduces bond strength, but the SBS values still exceed the minimum 5.9 - 7.8 MPa required for adequate clinical performance. Immersing the teeth in artificial saliva for 30 days after applying the Pro-$Relief^{TM}$ desensitizer agent and before bonding increased the SBS to control levels.

Dietary Habits Contributing to the Cancer Prevention Among Health College Students in Turkey

Nogay, Nalan Hakime,Akinci, Ayse Cil,Sert, Havva,Kurtulus, Zeynep,Gedik, Selda Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.3

This descriptive study was made to evaluate the dietary habits contributing to cancer prevention of 319 health college students. Data collection form included questions about demographic characteristics and 33 statements which evaluate dietary habits contributing to cancer prevention. Among the students, 56.1% consumed fast food outside the home/dormitory twice a week or more and 47% never exercised. Moreover, 63.9% of the students reported that their dietary habits changed negatively and 69% stated that their fruit and vegetable consumption decreased after starting the health college. The students mostly paid attention to preserving food and water consumption while they paid least attention to maintaining healthy weight and whole grain consumption. Female students, those who paid attention to the amount and calorie of the food they consumed, students who did not consume fast food, and students who exercised twice a week or three times a week had better dietary habits contributing to cancer prevention (p<0.05). According to these results we recommend that interventions which will reduce fast food consumption and increase fruit and vegetable consumption and exercising in university students should be implemented. For this purpose, appropriate conditions for preparing and preserving healthy food should be provided as well as increasing the frequency of vegetable containing meals and providing fruits and salads in every meal at school cafeterias.