We sought to investigate quality of life, and to specifically assess how joint contracture affects it, in patients with burn injuries. The study is involved 22 adults with burn injuries. Patients were divided into two groups according to the presence (n = 11) or absence (n = 11) of any joint contracture. Patient age, sex, date of burn injury, burn type, location, and extent of burn (TBSA) were recorded for each case. Each individual underwent a thorough musculoskeletal system examination, with special focus on range of motion of the joints. Quality of life was evaluated using the Short Form 36 (SF-36). Eight (36.4%) of the patients were women, and 14 (63.6%) were men, and their mean age (+/- SE) was 24.7 +/- 4.68 years. The mean interval from injury to the study assessment was 21.45 +/- 14.69 months. Eleven patients (50%) had at least one joint contracture. The patients with one or more contractures had significantly lower scores for the SF-36 subscales of physical functioning, physical role limitations, bodily pain, and vitality (P = .05, P = .01, P = .04, and P = .02, respectively). In the 22 patients overall, TBSA was negatively correlated with the scores for the SF-36 subscales vitality and emotional role limitations (r = -.586 and r = -.805, respectively). Joint contracture does impact burn patients' quality of life, especially with respect to physical functioning, physical role limitations, bodily pain, and vitality. In addition, the amount of BSA burned is correlated with psychosocial problems and poorer quality of life, regardless of whether joint contractures develop.

Items such as cotton or gauze pads can be mistakenly left behind during operations. Such foreign materials (called textilomas or gossypibomas) cause foreign body reaction in the surrounding tissue. The complications caused by these foreign bodies are well known, but cases are rarely published because of medico-legal implications. Some textilomas cause infection or abscess formation in the early stage, whereas others remain clinically silent for many years. Here, we describe a case of textiloma in which the patient presented with low-back pain 4 years after lumbar discectomy. Imaging revealed an abcess-like mass in the lumbar epidural space.

Aim. To evaluate the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) by optical coherence tomography (OCT). Materials and Method. We studied 43 new diagnosed OSAS patients and 40 healthy volunteers. Patients underwent an overnight sleep study in an effort to diagnose and determine the severity of OSAS. RNFL analyses were performed using Stratus OCT. The average and the four-quadrant RNFL thickness were evaluated. Results. There was no difference between the average and the four-quadrant RNFL thickness in OSAS and control groups. There was no correlation between apnea-hypopnea index and intraocular pressure. Body mass index of patients with moderate and severe OSAS was significantly higher in patients with mild OSAS. Conclusion. Mean RNFL thickness did not differ between the healthy and the OSAS subjects, however, the parameters were more variable, with a larger range in OSAS patients compared to controls.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the associations of tooth loss with skeletal bone mass, years since menopause, educational level, current smoking status, dietary calcium intake, and number of pregnancies in postmenopausal osteoporotic women in Turkey. The study population consisted of 1171 postmenopausal women aged 40-86 years (mean age, 61.19 +/- 7.28 years). A detailed history was obtained from all women, including relevant lifestyle parameters, risk factors, and measurements of weight and height. Women were separated into three groups according to the number of teeth remaining as group 1 (edentulous, 457 women), group 2 (10 or fewer teeth, 232 women), and group 3 (more than 10 teeth remaining, 482 women). There was no significant difference among the three groups in mean age and menopausal age ( P < 0.05). Body mass index of group 1 was significantly higher than that of group 2 ( P< 0.01). Educational level was significantly different between three groups: groups 1 and 2 ( P< 0.001), groups 1 and 3 ( P< 0.0001), and groups 2 and 3 ( P< 0.001). Educational level was lowest in group 1 and highest in group 3. Despite a low ratio of cigarette smoking in general, a smoking habit was most prevalent in group 3 and least in group 2. The ratio of women receiving adequate calcium was significantly lower in group 1 than in other groups ( P< 0.001); mean calcium intake was similar in all groups. The number of pregnancies was significantly higher in group 1 than in other groups ( P< 0.001). Lumbar bone mineral density (BMD) of group 1 was significantly lower than that of groups 2 and 3 ( P< 0.001). Although no significant difference was found between groups 1 and 3, femoral neck BMD of group 2 was less than in others, and differences between groups 1 and 2 and between groups 2 and 3 ( P< 0.001) were significant. Lumbar bone mineral content (BMC) of group 1 was significantly lower than that of groups 2 and 3 ( P< 0.001), and lumbar BMC in group 2 was significantly higher than in group 3 ( P< 0.05). Femoral neck BMC in group 1 was significantly higher than in groups 2 and 3 ( P< 0.001). In conclusion, lumbar BMD and BMC in the edentulous group were significantly lower, whereas femoral neck BMD and BMC were significantly higher in edentulous group compared with the others. Our findings indicated that improvement in lifestyle factors and nutritional strategies for the treatment and prevention of osteoporosis may have additional benefit in reducing tooth loss.

Data examining the association between vitamin D and diabetic peripheral neuropathy are limited. This study investigated the serum levels of vitamin D, vitamin D-binding protein (VDBP), and vitamin D receptor (VDR) in diabetics in the Yozgat region of Turkey, and assessed their relationships with diabetic peripheral neuropathy. 69 diabetic patients and 49 age- and sex-matched control subjects were enrolled in this clinical prospective study. All the diabetics underwent conventional sensory and motor nerve conduction studies, and diabetic peripheral neuropathy was confirmed or ruled out according to the electromyography findings and Douleur Neuropathique 4 questions. Serum vitamin D, VDBP and VDR levels were measured using commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits. The serum vitamin D levels (p = 0.001) were significantly lower, while the VDR levels (p = 0.003) were higher, in diabetics than in controls. The serum VDBP levels were similar in both groups (p > 0.05). The serum vitamin D levels were significantly lower in diabetics with diabetic peripheral neuropathy than in those without (p = 0.032), whereas the serum VDBP and VDR levels were similar in these two groups (p > 0.05). The lower serum vitamin D levels in diabetics, especially in those with peripheral neuropathy, may suggest a neurotrophic effect of vitamin D.

No abstract

Evidence suggests that peripheral nerve injury occurs during the early stages of disease with mild glycemic dysregulation. Two proteins, neuron-specific enolase (NSE) and neurofilament light chain (NFL), have been examined previously as possible markers of neuronal damage in the pathophysiology of neuropathies. Herein, we aimed to determine the potential value of circulatory NSE and NFL mRNA levels in prediabetic patients and in those with peripheral neuropathy. This prospective clinical study included 45 prediabetic patients and 30 age- and sex-matched controls. All prediabetic patients were assessed with respect to diabetes-related microvascular complications, such as peripheral neuropathy, retinopathy and nephropathy. mRNA levels of NSE and NFL were determined in the blood by real-time polymerase chain reaction. NSE mRNA levels were similar between prediabetic and control groups (p > 0.05), whereas NFL mRNA levels were significantly higher in prediabetics than in controls (p < 0.001). NSE mRNA levels did not significantly differ between prediabetic patients with and without peripheral neuropathy (p > 0.05), while NFL mRNA levels were significantly higher in prediabetics with peripheral neuropathy than in those without (p = 0.038). According to correlation analysis, NFL mRNA levels were positively correlated with the Douleur Neuropathique 4 questionnaire score in prediabetic patients (r = 0.302, p = 0.044). This is the first study to suggest blood NFL mRNA as a surrogate marker for early prediction of prediabetic peripheral neuropathy, while NSE mRNA levels may be of no diagnostic value in prediabetic patients.

Objectives:To evaluate the conjunctival bacterial flora in diabetic patients and nondiabetic subjects.Materials and Methods:Fifty-three diabetic patients and 43 nondiabetic healthy individuals were included in the study. A specimen was taken from each participant for the study by rubbing a sterile cotton-tipped swab on the inferior palpebral conjunctiva of the right eye. Samples were incubated in blood agar, chocolate agar, eosin methylene-blue lactose sucrose agar and sabouraud 4% dextrose agar. Isolated microorganisms were identified using routine microbiological methods.Results:Rates for bacterial isolations were determined as 38.5% in diabetic patients and 34.9% in nondiabetic controls. Staphylococcus aureus was isolated in 30% of cases in the diabetic patient group, while 20% tested positive for Escherichia coli, 10% for coagulase-negative Staphylococcus, 10% for Klebsiella pneumoniae and 30% for multiple bacteria. In the non-diabetic group, 53.3% of patients were positive for Staphylococcus aureus while coagulase-negative Staphylococcus was isolated in 26.7%, Klebsiella pneumoniae in 6.7% and multiple bacteria in 13.3% of patients. Although there was no statistically significant difference in the number of isolated bacteria between the diabetic and nondiabetic groups, gram-negative bacterial colonization was significantly higher in diabetic patients (χ2=0.129, p=0.719 and χ2=5.60, p=0.018, respectively).Conclusion:Gram-negative bacteria are more common in the conjunctival flora of diabetic patients. This should be considered by clinicians when treating ocular infections in diabetic patients.