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Objectives: The aim of this experimental study was to investigate the effects of mad honey (grayanotoxin, GTX), used in complementary medicine for a variety of purposes besides being food, on pain thresholds in normal mice as model for acute pain and diabetic mouse as model for neuropathic pain. Methods: Hind paw withdrawal pain threshold to thermal stimulus was measured with a plantar analgesia meter in a mice model using healthy intact animals for acute pain and streptozotocin-induced diabetic animals for chronic neuropathic pain. Time and dose-dependent effects of intraperitoneally (i.p.) administered GTX were investigated in both acute and neuropathic pain. Results: In the acute pain model, administration of GTX caused a dose- and time-dependent marked increase in the pain latency values. In diabetic mice, which had markedly increased threshold to pain, GTX (0.1 mg/kg, i.p.) restored the mean pain latencies by decreasing from the pre-GTX treatment values of 3.2 ± 0.6 to 3.0 ± 0.9s at 10 min, 3.2 ± 0.6s at 20 min, 3.4 ± 0.6s at 30 min, 2.6 ± 0.5s at 60 min and 2.4 ± 0.6s ( p < 0.05) at 100 min. Conclusion: The results from this experimental study indicate that GTX exhibits significant analgesic activity and has potential benefits against painful diabetic neuropathy. This is compatible with the widespread use of GTX containing mad honey for alleviating pain. Further studies involving long-term applications are needed for a more decisive conclusion regarding the usefulness of GTX as an analgesic, especially in the treatment of painful neuropathy.

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Objective: This study aimed to determine the factors affecting patients' satisfaction levels treated in yellow, red, and green areas who applied to the emergency department of an education and research hospital. Material and Methods: With this study, 1383 patients aged between 14 to 85 who applied to the emergency department from October 2012 to January 2013 were accepted. Multiple-choice questions were asked in terms of the factors that were affecting patient satisfaction. Results: Having compared yellow, green, and red zones, statistically significant differences have been found in the aspect of the perception of patients' social insurance, the way for applying and being accepted to the emergency department, the reason for coming to the emergency department, the staff that is first met, time between entrance and physical examination, the doctor's attitude, the waiting time for test results and treatment of the patient, and the total time spent in the emergency department (p<0.05). On the contrary, a statistically significant difference was not found between the yellow, red, and green areas patients in terms of the convenience and the adequacy of space of the emergency department, the medical care quality and the attitudes of the nurses and personnel, the state of hygiene and the medical supplies and equipment of the hospital, the quality of the observation, the adequacy of the information provided to the patient during discharge, or the satisfaction of the overall treatment that was experienced while in the emergency department (p>0.05). Conclusion: Studies related to satisfaction may offer important clues in the direction of increasing standards of quality in the emergency departments.