Role of Adipokines and Hormones of Obesity in Childhood Asthma

Hasan Yuksel,Ayhan Sogut,Ozge Yilmaz,Ece Onur,Gonul Dinc 대한천식알레르기학회 2012 Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Research Vol.4 No.2

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate serum levels of leptin, ghrelin, and adiponectin in obese and non-obese children with asthma and in healthy non-asthmatic children, and analyze their relationships with clinical outcomes. Methods: This study enrolled 40 obese and 51 non-obese children with asthma and 20 healthy children. Body mass index and serum leptin, ghrelin, and adiponectin levels were determined in all children. Asthma symptom scores and lung function test results were recorded for subjects with asthma. Results: Serum leptin levels (11.8±7.9, 5.3±6.8, and 2.1±2.4 ng/mL in the obese asthmatic, non-obese asthmatic, and control groups, respectively) and adiponectin levels (12,586.2±3,724.1; 18,089.3±6,452.3; and 20,297.5±3,680.7 ng/mL, respectively) differed significantly among the groups (P<0.001 for all). Mean ghrelin levels were 196.1±96.8and 311.9±352.8 pg/mL in the obese and non-obese asthmatic groups, respectively, and 348.8±146.4 pg/mL in the control group (P=0.001). The asthma symptom score was significantly higher in the obese children with asthma than in the non-obese children with asthma (P<0.001). Leptin and adiponectin levels were correlated with the asthma symptom score in non-obese children with asthma (r=0.34 and r=-0.62, respectively). Conclusions:Obesity leads to more severe asthma symptoms in children. Moreover, leptin, adiponectin, and ghrelin may play important roles in the inflammatory pathogenesis of asthma and obesity co-morbidity.

Association of ABO Blood Group and Risk of Lung Cancer in a Multicenter Study in Turkey

Urun, Yuksel,Utkan, Gungor,Cangir, Ayten Kayi,Oksuzoglu, Omur Berna,Ozdemir, Nuriye,Oztuna, Derya Gokmen,Kocaman, Gokhan,Coskun, Hasan Senol,Kaplan, Muhammet Ali,Yuksel, Cabir,Demirkazik, Ahmet,Icli, Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2013 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.14 No.5

Background: The ABO blood groups and Rh factor may affect the risk of lung cancer. Materials and Methods: We analyzed 2,044 lung cancer patients with serologically confirmed ABO/Rh blood group. A group of 3,022,883 healthy blood donors of Turkish Red Crescent was identified as a control group. We compared the distributions of ABO/Rh blood group between them. Results: The median age was 62 years (range: 17-90). There was a clear male predominance (84% vs. 16%). Overall distributions of ABO blood groups were significantly different between patients and controls (p=0.01). There were also significant differences between patients and controls with respect to Rh positive vs. Rh negative (p=0.04) and O vs. non-O (p=0.002). There were no statistically significant differences of blood groups with respect to sex, age, or histology. Conclusions: In the study population, ABO blood types were associated with the lung cancer. Having non-O blood type and Rh-negative feature increased the risk of lung cancer. However, further prospective studies are necessary to define the mechanisms by which ABO blood type may influence the lung cancer risk.

Uni-axial behavior of energy dissipative steel cushions

Hasan ozkaynak,Arastoo Khajehdehi,Ahmet Gullu,Faraz Azizisales,Ercan Yuksel,Faruk Karadogan 국제구조공학회 2018 Steel and Composite Structures, An International J Vol.27 No.6

Seismic excitations may impart a significant amount of energy into structures. Modern structural design attitudes tend to absorb some part of this energy through special dissipaters instead of heavy plastic deformations on the structural members. Different types of dissipater have been generated and utilized in various types of structures in last few decades. The expected earthquake damage is mainly concentrated on these devices and they may be replaced after earthquakes. In this study, a low-cost device called <i>energy dissipative steel cushion</i> (EDSC) made of flat mild steel was developed and tested in the Structural and Earthquake Engineering Laboratory (STEELab) of Istanbul Technical University (ITU). The monotonic and cyclic tests of EDSC were performed in transversal and longitudinal directions discretely. Very large deformation capability and stable hysteretic behavior are some response properties observed from the tests. Load vs. displacement relations, hysteretic energy dissipation properties as well as the closed form equations to predict the behavior parameters are presented in this paper.

Lack of Any Relationship between ABO and Rh Blood Groups and Clinicopathological Features in Patients with Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors: Turkish Oncology Group

Urun, Yuksel,Utkan, Gungor,Yalcin, Suayib,CosKun, Hasan Senol,Kocer, Murat,Ozdemir, Nuriye Yildirim,Kaplan, Mehmet Ali,Arslan, Ulku Yalcintas,Ozdemir, Feyyaz,Oztuna, Derya,Akbulut, Hakan,Icli, Fikri Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.8

Background: An association between the ABO blood group and the risk of certain malignancies, including pancreatic and gastric cancer, has been reported previously. However, it is unclear whether this association is valid for gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST). In this study, ABO blood groups and the Rh factor were investigated in a series of GIST cases. Material and Methods: In 162 patients with GIST, blood group and Rh factor were examined and compared with a control group of 3,022,883 healthy volunteer blood donors of the Turkish Red Crescent between 2004 and 2011. The relationship of blood groups with tumor size, mitotic activity, and age were also evaluated. Results: Overall, the ABO blood group and Rh factor distributions of the 162 patients with GIST were similar to those of the general population. There were no significant differences between both ABO blood types and Rh factor in terms of tumor size, mitotic activity, and age. Conclusion: This is the first study reported on this issue. In our study, we didn't find any relationship between GIST and ABO blood group and Rh factor. However further studies with larger number of patients are needed to establish the role of blood groups in this population.

Relationship between Pulmonary Artery Stiffness and Functional Capacity in Patients with Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction

Erkan Yildirim,Murat Celik,Uygar Cagdas Yuksel,Mutlu Gungor,Baris Bugan,Deniz Dogan,Yalcin Gokoglan,Hasan Kutsi Kabul,Suat Gormel,Salim Yasar,Mustafa Koklu,Cem Barcin 대한심장학회 2017 Korean Circulation Journal Vol.47 No.6

Background and Objectives: Functional capacity varies significantly among patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), and it remains unclear why functional capacity is severely compromised in some patients with HFrEF while it is preserved in others. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the role of pulmonary artery stiffness (PAS) in the functional status of patients with HFrEF. Methods: A total of 46 heart failure (HF) patients without overt pulmonary hypertension or right HF and 52 controls were enrolled in the study. PAS was assessed on parasternal short-axis view using pulsed-wave Doppler recording of pulmonary flow one centimeter distal to the pulmonic valve annulus at a speed of 100 mm/sec. PAS was calculated according to the following formula: the ratio of maximum flow velocity shift of pulmonary flow to pulmonary acceleration time. Results: PAS was significantly increased in the HFrEF group compared to the control group (10.53±2.40 vs. 7.41±1.32, p<0.001). In sub-group analysis of patients with HFrEF, PAS was significantly associated with the functional class of the patients. HFrEF patients with poor New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional capacity had higher PAS compared those with good functional capacity. In multivariate regression analysis, NYHA class was independently correlated with PAS. Conclusion: PAS is associated with functional status and should be taken into consideration as an underlying pathophysiological mechanism of dyspnea in patients with HFrEF.

Predictive Value of the TRACK Questionnaire as a Measure of Asthma Control in Preschool Aged Children

Ozge Yilmaz,Ahmet Turkeli,Sebnem Sahin,Hasan Yuksel 대한천식알레르기학회 2014 Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Research Vol.6 No.4

Assessment of asthma control in preschool children is important for therapeutic decisions. Aim of this study was to evaluate the predictive value ofTRACK questionnaire scores for subsequent clinical parameters and to investigate the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the TRACKquestionnaire. We enrolled 100 children with asthma aged 4 years or younger in this cohort study. We recorded sociodemographic characteristicsand clinical severity parameters. A pediatric allergist filled in the asthma severity scale and the caregiver of the child filled in the TRACK questionnaire. We called in the children again at the end of one month and recorded the same parameters and administered TRACK again. Uncontrolled asthmawas defined as a TRACK score below 80. According to the TRACK score, 65% of the children had controlled asthma initially while at the end ofthe study 64.1% had controlled asthma. At the beginning of the study, all clinical parameters were worse in children with uncontrolled asthma accordingto TRACK score. Similarly, other objective clinical parameters during the following one month period were worse in children with initial uncontrolledasthma. Cronbach’s alpha score for the TRACK questionnaire was 0.84. Turkish TRACK questionnaire is a valid and reliable tool that is predictiveof short term asthma prognosis.

Numerical Modelling of Energy Dissipative Steel Cushions

Ahmet Gullu,Eleni Smyrou,Arastoo Khajehdehi,Hasan ozkaynak,I. Engin Bal,Ercan Yuksel,Faruk Karadogan 한국강구조학회 2019 International Journal of Steel Structures Vol.19 No.4

Energy dissipative steel cushions (EDSCs) are simple units that can be used to join structural members. They can absorb a substantial amount of seismic energy due to their geometric shapes and the ductile behavior of mild steel. Large deformation capability and stable hysteretic behavior were obtained in monotonic and cyclic tests of EDSCs in the framework of the SAFECLADDING project. Discrete numerical modeling strategies were applied to reproduce the experimental results. The fi rst and second models comprise two-dimensional shell elements and one-dimensional fl exural frame elements, respectively. The uncertain points in the preparation of the models included the mesh density, representation of the material properties, and interaction between contacting surfaces. A zero-length nonlinear link element was used in the third attempt in the numerical modeling. Parameters are recommended for the Ramberg–Osgood and bilinear models. The obtained results indicate that all of the numerical models can reproduce the response, and the stiff ness, strength, and unloading and reloading curves were fi tted accurately.