Serum endocan level is strongly associated with the severity of OSA and endothelial dysfunction. Endocan might be a useful early novel marker for premature vascular endothelial system damage in OSA patients.

Obstructive sleep apnea is a risk factor for osteoarthritis Introduction: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) syndrome is closely associated with cardiovascular and metabolic disorders. Recent studies reported that osteoarthritis (OA) is associated with cardiovascular disease as well as inflammation defined as "metabolic disorder". Due to the strong association of metabolic

Background/aim: Studies have shown an increased depression rate in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) compared to the normal population. It is now acknowledged that patients suffer from distress rather than depression. Our aim was to validate the Turkish version of the Diabetes Distress Scale (DDS) and to show distress levels of the participants. Materials and methods: The scale was translated from English to Turkish by the authors and translated back to English. Between August 2015 and January 2016 all the patients who were referred to the T2DM Clinic of İstanbul Medeniyet University were screened, and eligible patients were recruited. For calculating internal consistency Cronbach's alpha coefficient was used. Results: A total of 205 patients [120 females (58.5%), 85 males (41.5%)] were included. Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.874, showing internal consistency. The Spearman Brown correlation coefficient was calculated between the first 9 and second 8 questions as 0.884. Thetotal variances were explained at a level of 66.2% with 4 factors. Sixty-three patients (30%) had a score of ≥3, indicating diabetic distress. Correlation analysis showed a significant correlation between total score and HbA1c levels (r = 0.152 and P = 0.038). Conclusion: The Turkish version of the DDS for type 2 diabetes is a reliable tool for assessment of distress levels.

Background/aim: Leptin, ghrelin, and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) affect hunger, satiety feelings, and food intake. We hypothesized that during Ramadan, if the brain knows that the body will be hungry until sunset, there may be differences between leptin, ghrelin, and GLP-1 levels in Ramadan and non-Ramadan fasting. Materials and methods:This study had two phases. In the first phase, the participants were asked to skip the dawn meal of Ramadan (suhur), so that 12 h of fasting could be achieved. Participants ceased food intake at midnight, and at noon blood was drawn. Eight participants were selected as a subgroup. These participants gave blood three times a day to detect hormonal changes during Ramadan. Six months later, in the second phase, blood samples were obtained at noon from participants after 12 h of fasting.Results: Analysis was conducted on 30 patients [19 males (63.3%) and 11 females (36.7%)]. There was a significant difference in leptin, ghrelin, and GLP-1 levels between Ramadan fasting and non-Ramadan fasting (P = 0.04, P = 0.02, and P < 0.001, respectively). In the subgroup analysis, there was no statistically significant difference in leptin, ghrelin, and GLP-1 levels over time. Conclusion:The results of this study suggest that the nervous and gastrointestinal systems may behave differently in religious fasting than in nonreligious fasting.

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