Serum paraoxonase 1 (PON1) activity and the oxidation of lipoproteins were investigated in 35 women with pre-eclampsia and in 35 healthy control women with normal pregnancies. Blood pressure, body mass index (BMI), serum levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), apolipoprotein A1 (ApoA1), apolipoprotein B (ApoB) and lipoprotein (a) (Lp[a]), and PON1 activity were assessed. There were no significant between-group differences in subject age, gestational age at diagnosis of pre-eclampsia, BMI, serum total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL and ApoB levels. Mean systolic and diastolic blood pressures and serum Lp(a) were significantly higher in subjects with pre-eclampsia than in controls. Mean serum HDL, ApoA1 and PON1 activity were significantly lower in subjects with pre-eclampsia compared with controls. In conclusion, lipids and oxidized lipoproteins may play important roles in the pathogenesis of pre-eclampsia.

Nitric oxide (NO) contributes to vasodilatation that is observed during normal pregnancy. Hyperhomocysteinaemia (HHcy) is a vascular risk factor associated with placental microvascular diseases and pre-eclampsia. Asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), an endogenous inhibitor of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (NOS) has been linked to endothelial dysfunction. Maternal ADMA has been reported to be higher in women with pre-eclampsia and HHcy leads to accumulation of ADMA. The aim of this presented study is to evaluate the alterations of plasma homocysteine, ADMA and NO levels in mild pre-eclampsia. A total of 40 pre-eclamptic women and 40 healthy controls were included into the study. Mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure, mean serum homocysteine and ADMA levels were significantly higher and NO level was lower in patients. Serum homocysteine, ADMA and NO levels found to be correlated among them and with blood pressure. In conclusion, we found that homocysteine and ADMA levels were increased and NO levels decreased in pre-eclampsia.

The safety and tolerability of a free radical scavenger with Na+ channel blocking activity (dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO)) combined with a glycolytic intermediate and high energy substrate (fructose 1,6-disphosphate (FDP)) were assessed in a mostly elderly patient group presenting with acute and subacute ischemic stroke. Eleven patients (average age 65) were given i.v. infusions of DMSO-FDP twice daily for an average of 12 days, while five control patients (average age 63) were given standard therapy. Safety and tolerability were evaluated by clinical adverse effects to drug therapy. Efficacy of DMSO-FDP was assessed by MRI lesion size, by magnetic resonance angiography of ischemic territory, and by a 5-point neurologic recovery scale that rated sensory-motor function and level of consciousness. Results suggest that DMSO-FDP administration is safe, well-tolerated and may be of benefit when given within 12 h after the onset of stroke symptoms. No significant changes in blood pressure, EKG, heart rate or hematology and chemistry profiles, were recorded in any patient receiving DMSO-FDP. Neurologic evaluation at 1, 3 and 6 months after treatments revealed that 7 of 11 (63%) patients given DMSO-FDP achieved 'improved' or 'markedly improved' status while 1 of 5 (20%) standard treated patients showed 'improved' status and only at the 3-month follow-up. This preliminary trial indicates that DMSO-FDP is well tolerated by this group of elderly patients and could be of benefit in reducing neurologic disability after stroke.

No abstract

Inflammation is a physiopathological process that has been known for a long time but its relation with acute and chronic diseases and its role in the development of disease is becoming better understood. Diabetes, hypertension, ischemic heart disease, various organ cancers, rheumatologic diseases, the most common diseases of the liver, lungs and kidneys are either closely related to inflammatory processes or are caused by direct inflammatory processes. In one aspect, the aging process is a progressive inflammatory process. The understanding of what inflammation is and the mechanisms by which the inflammation occurs in the organism and by accurately identifying and following the clinical markers that show the course of inflammation. In this section, basic issues related to inflammation is examined.

This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of wide-awake local anesthesia with no tourniquet (WALANT) technique in both bony and soft tissue procedures in lower extremities.Patients and methods: Between January 2021 and December 2022, a total of 29 patients (20 males, 9 females; mean age: 34.6±20.2 years; range, 14 to 82 years) who were operated for lower extremity pathologies with the WALANT technique in our clinic were included. The patients were divided into two groups: lower extremity soft tissue surgeries in Group A (n=10) and bone tissue surgeries in Group B (n=19). Postoperative pain onset time, pain score, the amount of intraoperative bleeding, need for additional solution, use of cautery, and the amount of bleeding in the surgical field were compared within groups. The Visual Analog Scale (VAS) was used to evaluate pain.Results: There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of age (p=0.265), sex (p=0.107), and surgical side (p=0.700). There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of intraoperative bleeding at the discretion of the surgeon (p=0.701). There was no significant difference in the use of additional solution (p=0.105), cautery usage (p=0.522), pain onset time (p=0.636), and VAS scores (p=0.735) between the two groups. Conclusion:Our study results suggest that the WALANT technique is an effective and safe method in selected lower extremity surgeries. It is of utmost importance to apply the technique correctly to prevent complications that may occur.

No abstract

The last two decades characterized by financial crisis episodes have seen a proliferation of empirical studies. These early warning system models allowed researchers to distinguish certain key determinants of financial crises, and helped predicting and preventing the occurrence of some crises. However, crises continue to arise as recently illustrated by the onset of the global financial crisis. This clarifies that there are still a lot to learn about financial crises. In this sense, this paper aimed to compare the performance of several currency and banking crisis indicators within the Turkish economy which underwent severe financial crises in the last twenty years. Different currency crisis indicators performed well by detecting the 1994, 2001 and 2008 currency crises, while banking crisis indicators had significant inconsistencies. However, two banking crisis indicators we developed stand for valuable efforts in dating banking crises by constructing aggregate indexes, and contribute significantly to the empirical crisis literature.