Aging is defined as the accumulation of progressive organ dysfunction. Controlling the rate of aging by clarifying the complex pathways has a significant clinical importance. Nowadays, sirtuins have become famous molecules for slowing aging and decreasing age-related disorders. In the present study, we analyzed the SIRT1 gene polymorphisms (rs7895833 A>G, rs7069102 C>G and rs2273773 C>T) and its relation with levels of SIRT1, eNOS, PON-1, cholesterol, TAS, TOS, and OSI to demonstrate the association between genetic variation in SIRT1 and phenotype at different ages in humans. We observed a significant increase in the SIRT1 level in older people and found a significant positive correlation between SIRT1 level and age in the overall studied population. The oldest people carrying AG genotypes for rs7895833 have the highest SIRT1 level suggesting an association between rs7895833 SNP and lifespan longevity. Older people have lower PON-1 levels than those of adults and children which may explain the high levels of SIRT1 protein as a compensatory mechanism for oxidative stress in the elderly. The eNOS protein level was significantly decreased in older people as compared to adults. There was no significant difference in the eNOS level between older people and children. The current study is the first to demonstrate age-related changes in SIRT1 levels in humans and it is important for a much better molecular understanding of the role of the longevity gene SIRT1 and its protein product in aging. It is also the first study presenting the association between SIRT1 expression in older people and rs7895833 in SIRT1 gene.

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This is the first study reporting an association between SIRT1 gene polymorphisms and obesity in children.

Flash visual-evoked potentials were studied in 20 infants with iron-deficiency anemia to determine the effect of iron deficiency on visual function by using visual-evoked potentials in this type of anemia. After iron therapy for 12 weeks, visual-evoked potentials were retested in these otherwise healthy infants. All infants showed an excellent hematological response to iron therapy. Post-treatment visual-evoked potential N2 latencies (negative deflections) decreased significantly compared to the pre-treatment values (p < 0.05). These results suggest that iron-deficiency anemia causes subclinical visual impairment, and visual-evoked potentials may be a useful non-invasive means of detecting subtle effects of nutritional deficiencies and monitoring the nutritional status of infants.

Background: Inflammation, which is a hallmark of asthma, is one of the main sources of oxidative stress in the human body. Thiols are powerful antioxidants that protect cells against the consequences of oxidative stress. We aimed to investigate whether asthma and montelukast monotherapy affect the total plasma thiol pool in children. Methods: A total of 60 children with asthma and 35 healthy controls participated in the study. Group I consisted of newly diagnosed asthmatics who did not have regular anti-asthmatic therapy previously. Group II consisted of patients who had been undertaking montelukast monotherapy regularly for at least 4 months. Plasma total antioxidant status (TAS) and plasma total thiol (PTT) were measured using spectrophotometric methods. In addition, the median TAS and PTT levels for groups I and II were not statistically different (P >0.05). There was a positive correlation between TAS and PTT levels (rho = 0.38, P <0.05) in group I. Conclusion: In order to balance the oxidative stress, both TAS and PTT which are markers of the antioxidant system are reduced in children with asthma. Montelukast monotherapy can limit oxidative stress and thus restore PTT levels but not TAS levels in asthmatic children.

Objective: This study was conducted to assess the Quality of Turkish children with asthma and its associated risk factors by using the PAQLQ (Pediatric Asthma Quality Of Life Questionnaire). Methods: One hundred fifty children with asthma aged between 7-17 who were attending the outpatient clinic of the Pediatric Allergy and Immunology section were selected for the study between March 2009-March 2011. Asthma severity was made according to the Global Initiative for Asthma-GINA. Quality of Life (QoL) was measured by the Turkish version of the Pediatric Asthma Quality Of Life Questionnaire (PAQLQ). A total QoL score was calculated by the mean of all ıtems. Patients' PAQLQ sores of different levels of disease were analyzed by ANOVA. Results: One hundred fifty (93 boys) children were included in our study. The mean time since asthma diagnosis was 6.5 years (± 2.8). There were statistically significant PAQLQ score differences among children with mild, moderate, and severe asthma (p<0.001). There was a negative inverse relation between passive exposure of smoking and the number of family member and PAQLQ sores. PAQLQ sores of children who also had allergic rhinitis symptoms were significantly lower than those who had no allergic rhinitis symptoms Conclusion: This study showed that children with asthma have significantly low QoL scores. Passive cigarette exposure and additional allergic rhinitis affect PAQLQ scores negatively.

This study demonstrated a parasympathetic hyperactivity in children with OAB, results suggesting a dysfunction in their autonomic nervous systems. Neurourol. Urodynam. 36:673-676, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The aim of this study was to investigate blood levels of lead (Pb) among adolescents with glue sniffing in Turkey. Blood Pb levels were measured in 30 adolescent glue sniffers by atomic absorption spectrophotometry and compared with those of the 30 healthy adolescents. The Pb contents of various glue preparations marketed in Turkey and used by the abusers were also measured. Blood Pb levels were significantly higher in the study group when compared to the control group. Pb was detected at considerably high levels in the contents of all the various glue preparations most commonly used by the cases in the study group. The increased blood Pb levels in glue sniffers may be related to the high lead contents of glues marketed in Turkey. The blood Pb levels and signs of Pb toxicity should be investigated in examination of glue sniffers.