PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

M Turgut

Publications and source records attributed to M Turgut.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Spinal brucellosis: Turkish experience based on 452 cases published during the last century.

BACKGROUND: Spinal brucellosis continues to be the leading cause of morbidity from infectious disease in the infested regions of the world, particularly in the rural areas including Turkey. The purpose of this review was to present the Turkish experience by analyzing the literature on the management of spinal brucellosis during the last century. MATERIALS AND METHOD: To establish new guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of this disabling health problem, publications reported from Turkey in national (n = 27) and international (n = 37) journals during the last century and databases containing medical literature were analysed. RESULTS: It was observed that the number of articles produced by Turkish authors regarding spinal brucellosis has tremendously increased throughout the study period. Although the total number of reported cases with spinal brucellosis from a total of 34 secondary or tertiary referral centers in Turkey was 452, only cases having detailed information were evaluated for further analysis according to inclusion/exclusion criteria. Despite the inherent limitations, this type of study clearly indicates that the incidence of brucellosis has not decreased in Turkey over recent years. The clinical and radiological findings of brucellosis involving the spine were mostly atypical and it was difficult to diagnose this infectious disease owing to its nonspecific and variable clinical picture. Therefore, it may easily lead to a misdiagnosis of lumbar disc herniation or other spinal infections and a high index of suspicion is required to diagnose this condition in endemic parts of the world. In addition to serological tests, CT and/or MRI techniques were found to be sensitive for diagnosis and follow-up because they provide early diagnosis of lesions involving the spine and more accurate localization of intraspinal and paraspinal infestation by means of multiplanar images. Histologically, noncaseating granulomatous tissue and chronic inflammation were characteristic features of cases of brucellosis with spinal involvement. CONCLUSIONS: Based on this critical review of literature from Turkey, it is concluded that early diagnosis and correct management are important to prevent the harmful effects of brucellosis and its complications, and that the treatment of choice is antibiotic therapy alone in most cases of brucellosis involving the spine.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Protective effect of high-dose thiamine (B1) on rat detrusor contractility in streptozotocin-induced diabetes mellitus.

We investigated the effect of thiamine (B1) treatment on bladder dysfunction in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. A total of 40 rats were randomly divided into four groups: a control group, a group given thiamine only, a diabetic group and a diabetic group given thiamine therapy. Diabetes was induced in the rats by 65 mg/kg STZ via an intraperitoneal injection. Thiamine was given 50 mg/kg/day. Diabetic cystopathy was confirmed on cystometry 8 weeks later in diabetic groups. Rats' body and bladder weights were measured. Contractile response to carbachol and potassium chloride (KCl) of detrusor strips in all groups was studied in vitro. The body weights were significantly decreased (p<0.01), the bladder weights were significantly increased (p<0.01), and the cystometric bladder capacity and the residual urine volumes were significantly increased (p<0.001, p<0.01 respectively) in STZ-induced diabetic groups compared to the control group and the group given thiamine only. Contractile responses increased in the diabetic group in high carbachol and KCl concentrations (p<0.01, p<0.01, respectively). On the other hand, there were no differences in the other groups. These data suggest that high-dose thiamine (B(1)) treatment may be beneficial in delaying the progression of diabetic cystopathy in this experimental animal model.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Effects of constant lightness, darkness and parachlorophenylalanine treatment on tail regeneration in the lizard Ophisops elegans macrodactylus: macroscopic, biochemical and histological changes.

A better understanding of regenerative growth is very important for the development of new potential strategies. Recently, the pineal secretory product melatonin was shown to stimulate the regeneration process. In this study, we carried out an experimental investigation of tail regeneration in young adult lizards, Ophisops elegans macrodactylus Berthold, 1842, addressing the role of melatonin on the regeneration process. Lizards were divided into three groups: constant light-exposed control group (n = 13), constant dark-exposed group (n = 15) and parachlorophenylalanine (p-CPA) treatment group exposed to constant light (n = 15). Using a tail autotomy procedure, the effects of p-CPA treatment on connective tissue together with neural tissue and vascular tissue in regenerating tail in lizards were investigated. p-CPA (400 microg/kg body mass) was injected from day 0 to 30 days after autotomy. p-CPA treatment produced a significant increase in the length of the regenerated tail compared with light-exposed control and dark-exposed lizards. Total collagen content was found to be higher in p-CPA-treated animals in comparison with other groups. Histologically, a higher percentage of connective tissue and vascular tissue and a lower percentage of neural tissue were found in the regenerated tails of the p-CPA-treated lizards. Importantly, the percentage of neural tissue in lizards in the dark-exposed animals was higher than that in animals of both light-exposed and p-CPA treatment groups. Thus, it is clear that p-CPA has a stimulatory influence on fibroblast collagen production and vascularization of the regenerated tail in the lizards. Furthermore, it seems that the neural regeneration process was markedly enhanced in lizards exposed to continuous darkness. Based on the results of our study, it is suggested that melatonin may be an active factor that speeds up the rate of tail regeneration in lacertilians.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Effect of smoking on semen parameters of men attending an infertility clinic.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effects of smoking on total sperm count, progressive sperm motility and sperm morphology among couples attending an infertility clinic. METHODS: A total of 223 sperm samples (126 smokers and 97 nonsmokers) from men attending an infertility clinic for routine infertility workup were compared on the basis of standard semen analysis. RESULTS: Cigarette smoking is negatively correlated with progressive motile sperm count (r = -0.1464, p = 0.042), but not with sperm concentration (p = 0.961), total motile sperm count (p = 0.890) and sperm morphology (p = 0.838). Furthermore, packages/ year (cumulative dose of cigarettes) did not correlate with any of the sperm parameters including sperm density (p = 0.976), total (p = 0.559) and progressive (p = 0.406) motile sperm count and sperm morphology (p = 0.449). CONCLUSIONS: Although the effect of smoking on male infertility remains inconclusive, smoking had an adverse effect on the progressive sperm motility, irrespective of total amount of cigarettes smoked per day.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Morphometry of the sacrum for clinical use.

Degenerative disease and instability in the lower lumbar spine may necessitate fusion and stabilization supplemented by instrumentation to the sacrum. However, screw placement in a reasonable position is more difficult to achieve because of the unique anatomy of the first sacral (S1) vertebra. Therefore, this study has been conducted to evaluate sacrum anatomy of the Western Anatolian population in terms of morphometric measurements and make a comparison with previous studies as well as giving a guidance to the surgeons. In this study, 60 dry adult sacrums (30 male and 30 female) were assessed for morphometric analysis. The measurement data for the sacrum and S1 vertebra revealed that there was no significant difference between both sexes except the sacral width and sacral canal width (p<0.05). In the present study, the ratio of S1 corpus' width to sacral width was lower in females compared with males. A detailed knowledge of the morphometric data about sacrum is very important for spinal surgery, as pedicle screw insertion is crucial in spinal instrumentation in order to prevent neurological injury and/or fixation failure.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Assessment of effects of pinealectomy and exogenous melatonin administration on rat sciatic nerve suture repair: an electrophysiological, electron microscopic, and immunohistochemical study.

BACKGROUND: Collagen scar formation at the cut end of a nerve, an important problem in clinical practice for neurosurgeons in peripheral nerve surgery, obstructs sprouting of axons into appropriate distal fascicles, and thereby limits nerve regeneration. Researchers attempt to control collagen accumulation in the formation of neuroma by various physical and chemical methods, but these have yielded only limited functional success. This is the first experimental study investigating the effects of melatonin (MLT) on nerve repair and neuronal regeneration in rat sciatic nerve suture repair. METHODS: The hypothesis that exogenous MLT administration may inhibit the formation of neuroma in peripheral nerve surgery was investigated in rat sciatic nerve model. In this study, a total of 80 rats were used for control groups (Groups Ia, Ib, IIa, and IId), MLT group (Group Ic), surgical pinealectomy (Px) groups (Groups IIb and IIc), and group of MLT treatment following Px procedure (Group IIe). All animals underwent a surgical intervention consisting of bilateral sciatic nerve section and primary suture repair. At 8 weeks after repair, the animals were killed following completion of recording of nerve action potentials (NAPs). Then, unilateral sciatic nerve specimens including the suture repair region were carefully removed and the excised segments were processed for electron microscopy examination. Afterwards, contralateral sciatic nerve specimens from two animals from each group were removed and stained for immunohistochemical analysis. RESULTS: Results of morphometric analysis revealed that Px procedure caused an elevation of collagen content of the sciatic nerve and macroscopic neuroma formation, and that there was a statistically significant reduction in collagen content of the same region in pinealectomized animals treated with MLT (p<0.001). Accordingly, electrophysiological findings demonstrated that the stimulus intensities required to excite a NAP response were increased in surgical Px group, but the presence of a reduced threshold response was found in the group treated with MLT following Px procedure (p<0.01). Immunohistochemical staining for Type I collagen and Type III collagen was markedly more intense in the epineurium of animals after Px. Virtually no or only weak staining was observed in animals in control groups and the MLT treatment group. Results of immunohistochemical analysis revealed that surgical Px procedure caused a strong immunoreactivity for Type I collagen and Type III collagen in all connective tissue planes of the nerve, especially in the epineurium, and there was a statistically significant reduction in immunoreactivity of the repair region in animals receiving MLT treatment after Px procedure (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that exogenous MLT administration significantly inhibits collagen accumulation in the formation of neuroma in the suture repair site and thereby improves nerve regeneration. From a clinical standpoint, the positive effect of MLT administration on neuroma formation and nerve regeneration seems a particularly attractive treatment option. Therefore, we believe that nerve repair with addition of MLT may be a worthwhile option in addition to other treatment modalities in case of MLT deficiency, such as aging. However, further experimental and clinical studies using functional analysis warranted to confirm this result in future.

Action Potentials↗
PubMed2004

Oxidant and antioxidant levels in preterm newborns with idiopathic hyperbilirubinaemia.

OBJECTIVES: Newborns, particularly preterm infants, have limited antioxidant protective capacity. The organism's defence system against reactive oxygen species including vitamins A, E and C, trace element selenium (Se) and enzymes, such as catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) are essential components of the antioxidant system against the oxidative injury to the cellular membranes of erythrocytes. In this study, our aim was to compare the oxidant nitric oxide (total plasma nitrite level as an indicator of nitric oxide (NO)), antioxidant vitamins and selenium and erythrocyte antioxidant enzymes in premature babies with hyperbilirubinaemia with healthy preterms. METHODS: Twenty preterm infants with newborn jaundice were included in the study group, while 15 preterm infants without jaundice were enrolled in the control group. We evaluated the mean plasma levels of, respectively, the total nitrite as an indicator of NO, bilirubin, vitamins A, E, C and selenium, and the activity of erythrocyte antioxidant enzymes such as CAT, SOD and GSH-Px of preterm infants with idiopathic hyperbilirubinaemia and compared to those of the control group. RESULTS: The mean plasma total nitrite and total serum bilirubin levels and blood reticulocyte counts of the study group were found to be significantly higher than those of the control group (P < 0.001, P < 0.001 and P < 0.05, respectively). Furthermore, the activity of erythrocyte antioxidant enzymes (all P < 0.001) and the mean plasma levels of the antioxidant vitamins A, E, and C (P < 0.05, P < 0.05 and P < 0.001, respectively) and selenium (P < 0.001) of the study group were all found to be significantly lower than those of the control group. CONCLUSION: We hypothesize that low antioxidants in pretem babies may predispose them to increased oxidative stress, and cause hyperbilirubinaemia.

Antioxidants↗
PubMed2003

Behçet's disease and late progressive myelopathy in a patient with severe kyphotic deformity following childhood spinal trauma: is there any connection?

A highly unusual case is presented of a patient affected by Behçet's disease and severe kyphosis in the thoracic spine, who had a history of traumatic spinal cord injury during childhood. A review of the literature is also presented. Magnetic resonance imaging showed spinal cord compression at the level of the apex of the kyphosis in the upper thoracic spine. Although there is no information indicating that the coexistence of post-traumatic spinal deformity with Behçet's disease is not just a coincidental finding, the possibility that it was the presence of Behçet's disease concomitant with the antecedent spinal trauma that may have triggered the severe kyphotic deformity cannot be ruled out.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Clitoromegaly in type 2 neurofibromatosis: a case report and review of the literature.

OBJECTIVE: Genitourinary neurofibromatosis (NF) is a rare disorder and clitoral involvement has been reported infrequently. In the English literature there are only 26 reported cases with clitoral involvement in NF. CASE: A 28-year-old female with clitoral enlargement, previously diagnosed with NF 2, was successfully treated by removal of the clitoral mass that increased in size during the previous two years. Clitoroplasty was performed while preserving the glans of clitoris. Histopathologic examination revealed plexiform neurofibroma. CONCLUSION: To the best of our knowledge the patient is the 27th reported clitoromegaly case with NF, but the first case reported with NF 2 or central NF in the English literature.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Antiphospholipid antibodies and antiphospholipid syndrome in patients presenting with immune thrombocytopenic purpura: a prospective cohort study.

The pathogenetic role and the clinical importance of the presence of antiphospholipid antibodies (APAs) in patients with immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) are not clear. In this study, the prevalence and clinical significance of APAs were investigated in patients with ITP. Eighty-two newly diagnosed ITP patients were prospectively studied. They were evaluated for the presence of lupus anticoagulant (LA) and immunoglobulin G/M anticardiolipin antibodies (ACAs). Thirty-one patients (37.8%) were APA positive at diagnosis. No statistically significant differences were found between the APA-positive and APA-negative groups regarding gender, initial platelet counts, or response to methylprednisolone therapy. After 5 years of follow-up, cumulative thrombosis-free survival of APA-positive (n = 31) and APA-negative (n = 51) ITP patients was 39% and 97.7%, respectively. A significant difference was found between these groups by log-rank test (P =.0004). In addition, LA was an important risk marker for the development of thrombosis in ITP patients. After a median follow-up of 38 months, 14 ITP patients (45%) who had APA positivity developed clinical features (thrombosis or fetal losses) of antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). There were no differences between the APA-positive patients with and without APS regarding the initial platelet counts, response to the therapy, or ACA positivity. The positivity rate for LA was significantly higher in those patients with ITP who developed APS (chi(2): P =.0036; relative risk 7.15; 95% confidence interval, 1.7-47). In conclusion, this study indicates that a significant proportion of patients initially presenting with ITP and APA positivity developed APS. In patients with ITP, the persistent presence of APAs is an important risk factor for the development of APS.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Spinal tuberculosis (Pott's disease): its clinical presentation, surgical management, and outcome. A survey study on 694 patients.

Tuberculosis (TB) of the spine (Pott's disease) is both the most common and most dangerous form of TB infection. Delay in establishing diagnosis and management cause spinal cord compression and spinal deformity. This study investigated the data on all cases of Pott's disease reported in Turkey from 1985 to 1996. A total of 694 cases were included. Out of the patients evaluated, 19% were reported in the first half of the period (1985-1990) and 81% in the second half (1991-1996). Tuberculosis affecting the spine was commonly localized in the thoracic region and involved the vertebral body. The presenting symptoms were leg weakness (69%), gibbus (46%), pain (21%), and palpable mass (10%). Decompressive surgery plus anti-TB chemotherapy remains the best mode of therapy for Pott's disease. Follow-up information was available in 414 of the 694 patients and there were ten deaths (2%), one occurring intraoperatively and the other nine postoperatively. This meta-analysis demonstrates that in Turkey Pott's disease remains a serious problem, causing paraplegia. It should be considered when patients present with neurological findings suggesting spinal cord compression and spinal deformity. In the present study, it was concluded that the neurological involvement due to Pott's disease is relatively benign if urgent decompression is performed at the onset of the disease.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Intracranial hydatidosis in Turkey: its clinical presentation, diagnostic studies, surgical management, and outcome. A review of 276 cases.

Hydatid disease is still a major health problem in the infested areas of the world, especially in rural areas. Two hundred seventy-six Turkish cases with intracranial hydatidosis have been published since 1960. Based on the records of these cases, the clinical data, neuroradiological findings, treatment, and outcome of intracranial hydatidosis are reviewed. Demographically seen, there was a substantial prevalence of male patients--167 cases (61%). Most of the patients with intracranial hydatidosis were from rural areas and the cysts were generally located in the cerebral hemispheres. In 100 patients, two or three lobes were affected and the cysts were multiple in 53. This infestation was also reported in rare locations such as the ventricular system, extradural space, posterior fossa, pons, sella turcica, parasellar area, and cavernous sinus. Only 49 patients (18%) had other organ infestation. The majority were operated on immediately after diagnosis was established. Operative mortality was 9% and postoperative complications developed in 26 patients. In my reference studies, only 16 cases of recurrence have been seen. This study confirms that hydatid disease is a difficult health problem in Turkey and demonstrates that surgery plus chemotherapy has considerably improved the prognosis, but local disinfectant application is not useful to devitalize the cystic contents. The dimensions, localization and numbers of the cysts are important determinants of the outcome.

Adolescent↗