Evaluation of Endothelial Dysfunction in Bipolar Affective Disorders: Serum Endocan and Urotensin-II Levels

Elif Oral,Zekai Halici,Irfan Cinar,Elif Ozcan,Zerrin Kutlu 대한정신약물학회 2019 CLINICAL PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY AND NEUROSCIENCE Vol.17 No.2

Objective: This study investigated changes in urotensin-II (U-II) and endocan levels which can be used as an early biological marker of endothelial injury in the episode and remission phases of bipolar affective disorder (BAD). Methods: We compared endocan and U-II levels, which has been shown to be closely associated with neurotransmitter systems in addition to continuity of endothelial structure and inflammatory response, in patients with BAD in remission for at least one year (n=42) and in patients still in manic or depressive episodes (n=16) with healthy controls (n=30). Results: Both endocan and U-II levels were significantly higher in the bipolar patients than in the controls. Endocan and U-II levels were also significantly correlated with one another (p =0.000, r=0.833). Both endocan (p =0.000) and U-II levels (p =0.000) were significantly higher in the bipolar attack group compared to the subjects in remission, and in the remission group compared to the controls. Conclusion: In this study we determined significantly higher endocan and U-II levels in BAD compared to the controls, while serum endocan and U-II levels of patients undergoing attacks were also significantly higher than those of the controls and also those of patients in remission.

Does transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation affect pain, neuropathic pain, and sympathetic skin responses in the treatment of chronic low back pain? A randomized, placebo-controlled study

( Elif Yakşi ),( Ayşegül Ketenci ),( Mehmet Barış Baslo ),( Elif Kocasoy Orhan ) 대한통증학회 2021 The Korean Journal of Pain Vol.34 No.2

Background: The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) in chronic low back pain and neuropathic pain. Methods: Seventy-four patients aged 18-65 with chronic low back pain were included in the study. Baseline measurements were performed, and patients were randomized into three groups. The first group received burst TENS (bTENS), the second group conventional TENS (cTENS), and the third group placebo TENS (pTENS), all over 15 sessions. Patients’ visual analogue scale (VAS) scores were evaluated before treatment (preT), immediately after treatment (postT), and in the third month after treatment (postT3). Douleur Neuropathique 4 Questions (DN4), the Modified Oswestry Low Back Pain Disability Questionnaire (MOS), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and sympathetic skin response (SSR) values were also evaluated preT and postT3. Results: A statistically significant improvement was observed in mean VAS scores postT compared to preT in all three groups. Intergroup comparison revealed a significant difference between preT and postT values, that difference being assessed in favor of bTENS at multiple comparison analysis. Although significant improvement was determined in neuropathic pain DN4 scores measured at postT3 compared to preT in all groups, there was no significant difference between the groups. No statistically significant difference was also observed between the groups in terms of MOS, BDI, or SSR values at postT3 (P > 0.05). Conclusions: bTENS therapy in patients with low back pain is an effective and safe method that can be employed in short-term pain control.

Evaluation of Genetic Variations in miRNA-Binding Sites of BRCA1 and BRCA2 Genes as Risk Factors for the Development of Early-Onset and/or Familial Breast Cancer

Erturk, Elif,Cecener, Gulsah,Polatkan, Volkan,Gokgoz, Sehsuvar,Egeli, Unal,Tunca, Berrin,Tezcan, Gulcin,Demirdogen, Elif,Ak, Secil,Tasdelen, Ismet Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.19

Although genetic markers identifying women at an increased risk of developing breast cancer exist, the majority of inherited risk factors remain elusive. Mutations in the BRCA1/BRCA2 gene confer a substantial increase in breast cancer risk, yet routine clinical genetic screening is limited to the coding regions and intronexon boundaries, precluding the identification of mutations in noncoding and untranslated regions. Because 3' untranslated region (3'UTR) polymorphisms disrupting microRNA (miRNA) binding can be functional and can act as genetic markers of cancer risk, we aimed to determine genetic variation in the 3'UTR of BRCA1/BRCA2 in familial and early-onset breast cancer patients with and without mutations in the coding regions of BRCA1/BRCA2 and to identify specific 3'UTR variants that may be risk factors for cancer development. The 3'UTRs of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes were screened by heteroduplex analysis and DNA sequencing in 100 patients from 46 BRCA1/2 families, 54 non-BRCA1/2 families, and 47 geographically matched controls. Two polymorphisms were identified. SNPs $c.^*1287C$ >T (rs12516) (BRCA1) and $c.^*105A$ >C (rs15869) (BRCA2) were identified in 27% and 24% of patients, respectively. These 2 variants were also identified in controls with no family history of cancer (23.4% and 23.4%, respectively). In comparison to variations in the 3'UTR region of the BRCA1/2 genes and the BRCA1/2 mutational status in patients, there was a statistically significant relationship between the BRCA1 gene polymorphism $c.^*1287C$ >T (rs12516) and BRCA1 mutations (p=0.035) by Fisher's Exact Test. SNP $c.^*1287C$ >T (rs12516) of the BRCA1 gene may have potential use as a genetic marker of an increased risk of developing breast cancer and likely represents a non-coding sequence variation in BRCA1 that impacts BRCA1 function and leads to increased early-onset and/or familial breast cancer risk in the Turkish population.

Novel Compound Heterozygous Mutations of TGM1 Gene Identified in a Turkish Collodion Baby Diagnosed with Non-Bullous Congenital Ichthyosiform Erythroderma

( Elif Keleş Gülnerman ),( Nurcan Hanedan ),( Merve Akillioglu ),( Gülsüm Kayhan ),( Esra Adişen ),( Özlem Erdem ),( İbrahim Murat Hirfanoğlu ),( Ebru Ergenekon ),( Eray Esra Önal ),( Canan Türkyilmaz 대한피부과학회 2023 Annals of Dermatology Vol.35 No.7

Autosomal recessive congenital ichthyosis (ARCI) is a group of diseases presenting as collodion baby at birth. ARCI is categorized as Harlequin ichthyosis, lamellar ichthyosis, and non-bullous congenital ichthyosiform erythroderma (NBCIE), bathing suit icthyosis (BSI) and others. We describe the case of a male newborn with NBCIE whose whole exome sequencing revealed two variants of TGM1 gene (NM_000359.3) in a compound heterozygous state: c.790C>T (p.Arg264Trp) in exon 5 and c.2060G>A (p.Arg687His) in exon 13. In the literature, the Arg264Trp variant has been reported as homozygous or compound heterozygous with other variants in patients with BSI. In contrast, the Arg687His variant has been reported only as homozygous in patients with BSI. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case whose two compound heterozygous variants, exhibiting the NBCIE phenotype, instead of the BSI.

The effect of acrylamide incorporation on the thermal and physical properties of denture resins

Elif Aydogan Ayaz,Rukiye Durkan,Bora Bagi 대한치과보철학회 2013 The Journal of Advanced Prosthodontics Vol.5 No.2

PURPOSE Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) is the most commonly used denture base material despite typically low in strength. The purpose of this study was to improve the physical properties of the PMMA based denture base resins (QC-20, Dentsply Ltd., Addlestone, UK; Stellon, AD International Ltd, Dentsply, Switzerland; Acron MC; GC Lab Technologies Inc., Alsip, Japan) by copolymerization mechanism. MATERIALS AND METHODS Control group specimens were prepared according to the manufacturer recommendations. In the copolymer groups; resins were prepared with 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% acrylamide (AAm) (Merck, Hohenbrunn, Germany) content according to the moleculer weight ratio, respectively. Chemical structure was characterized by a Bruker Vertex-70 Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) (Bruker Optics Inc., Ettlingen, Germany). Hardness was determined using an universal hardness tester (Struers Duramin, Struers A/S, Ballerup, Denmark) equipped with a Vickers diamond penetrator. The glass transition temperature (Tg) of control and copolymers were evaluated by Perkin Elmer Diamond DSC (Perkin Elmer, Massachusetts,USA). Statistical analyses were carried out using the statistical package SPSS for Windows, version 15.0 (SPSS, Chicago, IL, USA). The results were tested regarding the normality of distribution with the Shapiro Wilk test. Data were analyzed using ANOVA with post-hoc Tukey test (P<.01). RESULTS The copolymer synthesis was confirmed by FTIR spectroscopy. Glass transition temperature of the copolymer groups were higher than the control groups of the resins. The 10%, 15% and 20% copolymer groups of Stellon presented significantly higher than the control group in terms of hardness. 15% and 20% copolymer groups of Acron MC showed significantly higher hardness values when compared to the control group of the resin. Acrylamide addition did not affect the hardness of the QC-20 resin significantly. CONCLUSION Within the limitation of this study, it can be concluded that copolymerization of PMMA with AAm increased the hardness value and glass transition temperature of PMMA denture base resins.

Endoscopic Findings of Children with Familial Mediterranean Fever

Elif Sağ,Ferhat Demir,İsmail Saygın,Mukaddes Kalyoncu,Murat Çakır 대한소아소화기영양학회 2018 Pediatric gastroenterology, hepatology & nutrition Vol.21 No.4

Purpose: Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is an auto inflammatory disease characterized by periodic fever, synovitis and serositis. Patients may be admitted to gastroenterology units due to gastrointestinal symptoms. In this study; we aimed to analyze endoscopic findings and diagnostic utility of endoscopic procedure in children with FMF. Methods: Patient with FMF that was performed endoscopy for the gastrointestinal symptoms were included to the study (39 of 164 patients, 53 procedure). A control group was randomly designed as age and gender matched four endoscopic procedures per one endoscopic procedure of patients with FMF (n=212). Results: No different was found between the patients and control group in esophagogastroscopy findings. However, the diagnosis of gastrointestinal pathology was made by esophagogastroscopy in 46.2% patients. Colonoscopic examination revealed that the frequency of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) was higher in undiagnosed patients compared to both the control group (50.0% vs. 6.9%, p<0.05, odds ratio [OR]:13.4 and 95% confidence inteval [95% CI]: 2.1-84.3) and the patients under colchicine treatment (50.0% vs. 8.3%, p<0.05, OR: 11 and 95% CI: 0.8-147.8). Colonoscopic procedure that was made after the diagnosis was found to provide contribution by 16.7% in determining the etiology of the additional symptoms. Conclusion: Patients with FMF may be admitted to pediatric gastroenterology outpatient clinic prior to diagnosis or during the follow-up period. The frequency of IBD is high in undiagnosed patients with FMF. Endoscopic procedures may be helpful in these patients for the diagnosis accompanying mucosal lesions.

Recent Advances in Autism Spectrum Disorders: Applications of Whole Exome Sequencing Technology

Elif Funda Sener,Halit Canatan,Yusuf Ozkul 대한신경정신의학회 2016 PSYCHIATRY INVESTIGATION Vol.13 No.3

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is characterized by three core symptoms with impaired reciprocal social interaction and communication, a pattern of repetitive behavior and/or restricted interests in early childhood. The prevalence is higher in male children than in female children. As a complex neurodevelopmental disorder, the phenotype and severity of autism are extremely heterogeneous with differences from one patient to another. Genetics has a key role in the etiology of autism. Environmental factors are also interacting with the genetic profile and cause abnormal changes in neuronal development, brain growth, and functional connectivity. The term of exome represents less than 1% of the human genome, but contains 85% of known disease-causing variants. Whole-exome sequencing (WES) is an application of the next generation sequencing technology to determine the variations of all coding regions, or exons of known genes. For this reason, WES has been extensively used for clinical studies in the recent years. WES has achieved great success in the past years for identifying Mendelian disease genes. This review evaluates the potential of current findings in ASD for application in next generation sequencing technology, particularly WES. WES and whole-genome sequencing (WGS) approaches may lead to the discovery of underlying genetic factors for ASD and may thereby identify novel therapeutic targets for this disorder.

ON THE DIOPHANTINE EQUATION (5pn² - 1)^x + (p(p - 5)n² + 1)^y = (pn)^z

( Elif Kizildere ),( Gökhan Soydan ) 호남수학회 2020 호남수학학술지 Vol.42 No.1

Let p be a prime number with p > 3, p ≡ 3 (mod 4) and let n be a positive integer. In this paper, we prove that the Diophantine equation (5pn² - 1)^x + (p(p - 5)n² + 1)^y = (pn)^z has only the positive integer solution (x; y; z) = (1; 1; 2) where pn ≡ ±1 (mod 5). As an another result, we show that the Diophantine equation (35n² - 1)^x + (14n² + 1)^y = (7n)^z has only the positive integer solution (x, y, z) = (1, 1, 2) where n ≡ ±3 (mod 5) or 5 | n. On the proofs, we use the properties of Jacobi symbol and Baker's method.

Common Fixed Points of w-Compatible Maps in Modular A-metric Spaces

Elif Kaplan,Servet Kutukcu 한국수학교육학회 2021 純粹 및 應用數學 Vol.28 No.2

The aim of this paper is to prove a common fixed point theorem for two w-compatible maps in modular A-metric spaces. The main result is also illustrated by an example to demonstrate the degree of validity of our hypothesis.

Accessory Hepatic Lobe: A Rare Cause of Prehepatic Portal Hypertension in a Child

Elif Sağ,Mustafa İmamoğlu,Murat Çakır 대한소아소화기영양학회 2018 Pediatric gastroenterology, hepatology & nutrition Vol.21 No.4

Accessory hepatic lobe is noted as and considered a rare disease in children. It can manifest with various symptoms and complications depending on the location, volume, type and position of the disease as presented on a child. The patient presented as a 14-month-old girl who was seen with a notable hepatosplenomegaly and portal hypertension. A diagnosis was made after taking an extensive medical history, observation and radiological examinations. The formal diagnosis was a prehepatic portal hypertension associated with accessory hepatic lobe.