Başkent University

About: Başkent University is a education organization based out in Ankara, Turkey. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Transplantation & Population. The organization has 4652 authors who have published 10380 publications receiving 143117 citations. The organization is also known as: Başkent Üniversitesi.

Response of infantile hepatic hemangioma to propranolol resistant to high-dose methylprednisolone and interferon-α therapy.

Abstract: To the Editor: Infantile hepatic hemangioma (IHH) is a liver tumor commonly seen in infants under 6 months. Most of them are asymptomatic, being found incidentally during abdominal imaging. Spontaneous regression after 18–24 months is commonly observed. IHH may also be complicated by cardiac failure, hepatic dysfunction, tumor rupture, and abdominal compartment syndrome. In these cases, the mortality rate is high, despite a variety of comprehensive treatments [1,2]. A 7-month-old male, receiving prednisolone and interferonfor 3 months as treatment for an IHH, was sent to our clinic for further treatment considerations. During admission he had excessive abdominal distension causing respiratory distress because of a large liver. There were two cutaneous hemangiomas and six café au lait spots larger than 1.5 cm in diameter. Laboratory tests showed no abnormality. On MRI, multiple nodular lesions comprising all of the liver were seen suggesting infantile hemangioendothelioma (Fig. 1A). Tru-cut biopsy was performed and the histopathology confirmed the diagnosis. According to current diagnostic standards it was diagnosed as diffuse IHH [2]. As the disease was resistant to the previous therapy, we started vincristine. After 2 weeks, the abdominal distension and respiratory distress had increased. A second course of high-dose methylprednisolone was given and the vincristine dose was increased from 0.04 to 0.065 mg/kg/week. Treatment with prednisolone and vincristine was continued for 10 weeks and the abdominal circumference decreased from 53 to 50 cm. Abdominal MRI showed an increased in size of the largest lesion (45–55 mm), but the number and size of

The Role of Mean Platelet Volume in the Diagnosis of Acute Appendicitis: A Retrospective Case-Controlled Study

Abstract: acute appendicitis. The patients in the control group were selected from healthy adults of similar age who applied to check-up clinic. The number of essential cases was defined by performing power analysis. Age, gender, leukocyte count, CRP, and MPV values were recorded. This study is a case controlled retrospective clinical study. Results: A total of 503 patients in the acute appendicitis group and 121 patients in the control group were included, making up a total of 624 subjects. The median MPV levels were 7.92 ± 1.68 fL in the acute appendicitis group, while 7.43 ± 1.34 fL in the control group. CRP, leukocyte count, and MPV level were significantly higher in the acute appendicitis group (P < 0.001). MPV, leukocyte count, and CRP had a sensitivity and specificity of 66% and 51%; 91% and 74%; and 97% and 41%, respectively. No correlation was found between MPV, CRP, and leukocyte count. Conclusions: MPV level was higher in patients with acute appendicitis. MPV may guide the diagnostic process of acute appendicitis. However, we detected that the sensitivity and specificity of leukocyte count and CRP were superior to those of MPV in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis.

Shadow, quasinormal modes, and quasiperiodic oscillations of rotating Kaluza-Klein black holes

Abstract: In this paper we study the shadow of rotating Kaluza-Klein (KK) black holes and the connection between the shadow radius and the real part of quasinormal modes (QNMs) in the eiokonal limit. In addition we have explored the quasiperiodic oscillations (QPOs) in the rotating KK black hole.

Burns in southern Turkey: electrical burns remain a major problem.

Abstract: In Turkey, burns represent a relatively small number of injuries overall, but they continue to be a major public health problem. Our aim in this study was to identify risk factors that affect outcome in burn patients hospitalized in the southern part of our country, with special emphasis on electrical burns. The database for 109 burn patients who were admitted to our burn center from April, 2000, through August, 2001, was retrospectively analyzed. Electrical injury was the cause of burn in 23 (21%) of the 109 cases. The burn causes differed among age groups and between the sexes, with males constituting 95% of the electrical burn patients. The mortality rate for the electrical burn group was lower than the rate for the rest of the burn patients (1/23 vs 17/86, respectively; P <.001); however, the opposite was true for complication rate (10/23 vs 5/86, respectively; P <.001), cost of treatment (8351 US dollars vs 5122 US dollars, respectively; P =.009), and length of hospital stay (39.9 vs 26.2 days, respectively; P < 0.001). The rate of electrical burn injury in Turkey has changed very little in the past two decades. This underlines the need for stronger efforts aimed at prevention, such as better public education and strict regulations regarding the distribution and use of electricity.

Cross-cultural validity and measurement invariance of the social physique anxiety scale in five European nations.

Abstract: The cross-cultural generalizability of the social physique anxiety scale (SPAS) was evaluated using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) in five European nations: Britain, Estonia, Spain, Sweden, and Turkey. Motl and Conroy's (2000) methods were used to develop modified versions of the scale within each sample based on the original 12-item version. Pending the satisfactory fit of the CFAs of the modified models within each sample, it was expected that the measurement parameters and mean values of these models would be equivalent across samples in multisample CFAs. An eight-item version of the SPAS exhibited a good fit with data from the British, Estonian, and Swedish samples, and a seven-item version fitted the data well in the Spanish and Turkish samples. The eliminated items were also influenced by a method effect associated with the item wording. Multisample analyses revealed that factor loadings were equivalent across samples. Tests of latent means revealed that British and Spanish participants reported the highest levels of SPA, with Estonian participants reporting the lowest. Results indicate that the SPAS is generalizable across these cultures, although subtle variations existed in the Spanish and Turkish samples. Researchers are advised to follow these procedures to develop a valid version of the SPAS appropriate for their sample.