BackgroundSepsis is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among newborns. C-reactive protein (CRP) and procalcitonin (PCT) have some limitations in the diagnosis of preterm neonatal sepsis. In this study, the cut-offs of PCT and CRP, and the efficacy of mean platelet volume (MPV) were investigated.MethodsWe identified key demographic details and compared laboratory values between preterm infants with early onset and late onset neonatal sepsis (EONS/LONS) retrospectively. Blood samples were collected within the first few hours of the onset of clinical sepsis (CRP 1, PCT 1, MPV 1) and were repeated after 24 h (CRP 2, PCT 2, MPV 2). The optimal cut-offs for CRP, PCT and MPV were determined using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Furthermore, pairwise comparisons of ROC curves were made to evaluate the performances of these tests.ResultsIn EONS, the cut-off of CRP 1 was 2.6 mg/L, the sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV were 80.6, 83.0, 67.5 and 90.7%, respectively (p < 0.001). At a PCT 1 cut-off of 1.1 ng/mL, the sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV were 78.6, 81.2, 64.7 and 89.6%, respectively (p < 0.001). The sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV of the CRP 1 cut-off of 3.6 mg/L for LONS were 78.3, 87.4, 74.8, and 89.4%, respectively. At a PCT 1 cut-off of 5.2 ng/mL, the sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV were 58.5, 95.5, 86.1, and 82.9% respectively. For proven sepsis, the cut-off of CRP 1 was 7.0 mg/L with a 76.5% sensitivity, 98.2% specificity, 94.9% PPV and 90.5% NPV (p < 0.001). At a PCT 1 cut-off of 1.36 ng/mL, the sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV were 90.8, 83.4, 70.6 and 94.4%, respectively (p < 0.001). In each subgroup, other than EONS, the performances of CRP 1 and PCT 1 measurements were found to be statistically higher than MPV 1. CRP 2 cut-off levels of LONS group and proven sepsis group were found to be lower than the initial values.ConclusionsOptimal cut-off levels of CRP 1 and PCT 1 may differ in preterm sepsis subgroups. The diagnostic performances of CRP 1 and PCT 1 didn’t differ however, they were more efficacious than MPV.

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of underground working on 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OHD) levels and bone mineral density (BMD) values in coal miners. Fifty coal miners working underground and 50 surface workers as controls, matched for age and body mass index, from Zonguldak, Turkey, were recruited to the study. Levels of 25-OHD, biochemical bone markers, and lumbar spine and femur BMD values were measured in all study participants. Lumbar spine and femur BMD values were significantly higher in underground workers compared with surface workers, but there was no significant difference in 25-OHD levels between the two groups. Duration of underground working, age, 25-OHD levels, cigarette consumption and dietary calcium intake were not correlated with BMD values. Underground physical working does not seem to be a significant risk factor for low 25-OHD levels or low BMD values.

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ARTICLE INFO ______________________________________________________________ ______________________Purpose: To demonstrate the effect of a 4% pulverized garlic supplemented diet on the nephrotoxicity induced by gentamicin in rats. Materials and Methods: Twenty four healthy male Wistar rats, weighing between 220 -260grams, were divided into three groups. The rats were randomly assigned to either the gentamicin injection without garlic supplementation group (Group I, n = 8), gentamicin injection with garlic supplementation group (Group II, n = 8), and control group (Group III, n = 8). Urine from the rats was collected and the volume (mLand pH values were measured. Then urea (mg/dL), creatinine (mg/dL), total protein (g/dL) and cystatin (mg/L) values were measured for the blood samples obtained from tail veins. Results:The median NAG value for the control group (52.050 U/L) was similar to value for Group II (56.400 U/L), which received gentamicin and the garlic diet. However, the median NAG value for Group I (77.030 U/L), which received gentamicin without garlic supplementation, was determined to be statistically significantly higher (p = 0.010) than the value for the control group. In addition, the mean cystatin value for Group II (1.360 U/L) was found to be statistically significantly lower than the value for the Group I (2.240 U/L) (p = 0.015).Conclusions: In this study we showed the effect of 4% pulverized garlic supplemented diet for preventing nephrotoxicity induced by gentamicin in rats by using as parameters NAG in urine samples and cystatin C in serum samples.

Psoriasis patients are determined to have a high ratio of coronary artery calcification. Fetuin-A and osteoprotegerin are systemic calcification inhibitors and related to vascular calcification and cardiovascular mortality. In this study we investigated the relationship between fetuin-A and osteoprotegerin levels in psoriasis patients. The study included 40 healthy volunteers and 40 psoriasis patients. Venous blood were collected from healthy volunteers and psoriasis patients in order to search the fetuin-A and osteoprotegerin levels. Disease severity were grouped as mild, moderate and severe according to psoriasis area and severity index (PASI). The relationship between fetuin-A and osteoprotegerin levels and clinical features as sex, PASI and presence of psoriatic arthritis were analyzed. Fetuin-A levels in psoriasis patients were statistically lower than the control group (p \ 0.001). In serum osteoprotegerin levels, no statistically significant difference was found in two groups (p [ 0.05). Serum fetuin-A and osteoprotegerin level differences were not statistically significant between patients with psoriatic arthritis history and those without. When we grouped patients in respect of their sexes fetuin-A and osteoprotegerin levels of males and females were not significantly different (p [ 0.05). No correlation was detected between the ages and PASI scores and the fetuin-A and osteoprotegerin levels of patients. As a result fetuin-A levels in psoriasis patients are found to be low but not related to disease severity. In the light of our results we concluded that fetuin-A may have a role in psoriasis pathogenesis and may contribute to the calcification process developed in psoriasis.