BACKGROUND: Accurately diagnosing appendicitis can be difficult. This retrospective study aimed to evaluate the ability of the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) to predict acute appendicitis pre-operatively and to differentiate between simple and complicated appendicitis.

BACKGROUND: Fournier's gangrene (FG) is a rapidly progressive and necrotizing infection of the subcutaneous and fascial tissues with a high mortality rate. In the present study, we aimed to investigate prognostic factors and analyze the outcomes of 68 patients in a tertiary reference hospital.

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Background/Aims: The incidence and prevalence of peptic ulcer disease has decreased in recent years, but it is not so easy to make the same conclusion when complications of peptic ulcer are taken into consideration. The aim of this study is to determine the time trends in complicated peptic ulcer disease and to state the effects of H2 receptor blockers, proton pump inhibitors (PPI), and H. pylori eradication therapies on these complications. Materials and Methods: This study retrospectively evaluated the patients who were operated on for complications (perforation, bleeding, and obstruction) of peptic ulcer for the last 50 years. Patients were grouped into four groups (G1-G4) according to the dates in which H2 receptor blockers, PPIs, and eradication regimens for H. pylori were introduced The time periods that were studied were: (G1) 1962-1980, (G2) 1981-1990, (G3) 1991-1997, and (G4) 1998-2012. Results: In total, 2953 patients were operated on for complications of peptic ulcer disease, of which 86% of the patients were male. In G1, perforation and obstruction were significantly the most frequent complications (p<0.001), followed by bleeding. In groups G2 and G3, obstruction was still the most frequent complication requiring surgery (p<0.001). In G2 and G3, obstruction was followed by perforation and bleeding, respectively. In G4, perforation was significantly the most frequent complication (p<0.001). Conclusion: From 1962 to 1990 obstruction was the most common complication requiring surgery. In the last decade, perforation became the most common complication. In contrast to reports in the literature, bleeding was the least common complication requiring surgery in Turkey.

In this study, the effects of organic silicon (Si) on the toxicity of imidacloprid to a new invasive mealybug, Phenacoccus solenopsis (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae), infesting Portulaca grandiflora (Caryophyllales: Portulacaceae) plants were evaluated using spotting and dipping methods under laboratory and field conditions to improve management strategies for solenopsis mealybug. Results showed significant synergistic effects of 0.06% organic Si with imidacloprid solution against third-instar P. solenopsis nymphs and adult females. However, the percentage mortalities increased remarkably after P. solenopsis was exposed to 100, 50, and 25 mg a.i./L of imidacloprid combined with organic Si. For the third-instar nymphs, these values increased to 100%, 100%, and 92.5%, respectively; for the adult females, these values increased to 100%, 100%, and 82.4%, respectively. After 5 days, the percentage mortalities reached 84.7%, 56.1%, and 39.7% when the third-instar nymphs were exposed to 100, 50, and 25 mg a.i./L of imidacloprid solution, respectively. The percentage mortalities reached 57.5%, 38.9%, and 26.2% when adult females were exposed to the same imidacloprid solutions, respectively. Organic Si alone elicited toxicity to P. solenopsis. The percentage mortalities of the first-, second-, and third-instar nymphs and the adult females were 76.9%, 47.5%, 39.2%, and 18.9%, respectively. Field data showed that imidacloprid combined with organic Si caused sustainable control of P. solenopsis. The percentage mortalities of P. solenopsis reached maximum values (approximately 99.9%) after 21 days. Thus, the combined treatment with imidacloprid and organic Si is synergistically more effective than the individual use of these substances against third-instar P. solenopsis nymphs and adult females.