This retrospective self-controlled randomized study was carried out with the participation of 53 patients diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis according to the modified New York criteria. The patients who did not receive medical treatment or did not change their medical treatment within the last 6 months were included in the study. There was a statistically significant decrease in the patients’ neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio, platelet/lymphocyte ratio, monocyte/lymphocyte ratio, C-reactive protein, Visual Analog Scale, Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index, and Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index scores measured after ozone therapy. There was a positive correlation between neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio, platelet/lymphocyte ratio, mean platelet volume/lymphocyte ratio, monocyte/lymphocyte ratio and C-reactive protein, Visual Analog Scale, Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index, Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index before and after ozone therapy. Our study revealed that the changes in the decreasing tendency of the markers measured in complete blood count after ozone therapy were correlated with the disease activity, which can contribute to understand the effect of ozone therapy on biomarkers.

Objectives: Acupuncture reduces pain and symptoms significantly in fibromyalgia (FM). Currently, there are no laboratory markers to monitor treatment effectiveness. This study measured differences in biomarkers and test scores of patients with FM before and after acupuncture. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study involved 102 females previously diagnosed with FM at a rheumatology clinic, who had received various medical treatments. Patients who did not receive treatment for symptom management of FM for the last 3 months were included. C-reactive protein (CRP) and complete blood count (CBC), and Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ) visual analogue scale (VAS) scores before and after the acupuncture sessions were obtained from the patients' files. Neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR), mean platelet volume/lymphocyte ratio (MPVLR), monocyte/lymphocyte ratio (MLR) were calculated. It was determined if there were statistically differences in these parameters. A correlation analysis was also performed. Results: There were statistically significant decreases in CRP, NLR, PLR, and MPVLR values as well as VAS and FIQ scores in the patient post acupuncture. NLR was positively correlated with disease impact and CRP after completion of acupuncture. Conclusions: The decreasing tendency of the markers from the CBC after acupuncture were correlated with FM impact. These results show effects of acupuncture on biomarkers. Prospective randomized controlled trials on how acupuncture affects blood parameters in patients with FM are needed.

Objective: As in all over the world, viral hepatitis is an important public health problem in our country. The aim of this study was to investigate the seroprevalence of hepatitis A, hepatitis B and hepatitis C in patients who applied to the Family Medicine out patient clinic at a university hospital. Methods: The data of the patients who were admitted to Karabuk University Education and Research Hospital Family Medicine out patient clinic for any reason between January 2016-December 2018 and who were asked for hepatitis markers were included in the study. Age, gender, demographic data, HBsAg, AntiHBs, AntiHCV, AntiHAVIgM and AntiHAVIgG ELISA test results were evaluated retrospectively. Results: Among 4297 people included in the study, 48.4% were female and 51.6% were male. The mean age was 36.9 +/- 14.7 (2-91) years. In our study, seropositivity was found in 1%, 45%, 0.8%, 0.1% and 57% of HBsAg, AntiHBs, AntiHCV, AntiHAVIgM and AntiHAVIgG tests, respectively. AntiHBs seropositivity rate was highest in the 0-29 age group. Conclusions: The rate of HBV, HCV and HAV infection was found to be low in the applicants of family medicine. With the inclusion of the HBV vaccine in the national vaccination program, AntiHbs positivity was significantly higher in the younger group.

: The amount of smoking, level of smoking addiction and smoking cessation have effects on blood cells, blood lipid levels, neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR), mean platelet volume (MPV)/lymphocyte ratio (MPVLR) and monocyte/high- density lipoprotein (HDL) ratio (MHR). Methods: In this self-controlled experimental study, we included individuals who applied to a smoking cessation clinic and quit smoking. Their sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, the amount of cigarettes consumed (pack/year), their Fagerstrom test for nicotine dependence (FTND) results, haemogram values before and 6 months after quitting smoking, NLR, PLR, MPVLR, MHR and blood lipid levels before and after the treatment were compared retrospectively. Results: The mean (SD) age of the 239 individuals who participated in the study was 41.7 (10.9) years and 55.2% of them were women. Their mean FTND score was 7.06 (2.0), and most of them (47.7%) had a very high level of addiction. After the smoking cessation treatment, their neutrophil, platelet, MPV, red cell distribution width, platelet distribution width (PDW), cholesterol, triglyceride, low- density lipoprotein, NLR, PLR, MPVLR, MHR and HDL values increased (p<0.05). The amount of smoking and level of dependence were negatively correlated with HDL, and positively correlated with other parameters. Conclusion: After smoking cessation, in addition to dyslipidaemia, the NLR, PLR, MPVLR and MHR values also decreased, and the difference was found to correlate with the level of addiction and the amount of smoking.

Background: This study was aimed to investigate the frequency of obsessive-compulsive disorder, which is known to cause depression in cancer patients and may result in cancer treatment failure. Materials and Methods: A total of 202 cancer patients and 322 healthy individuals were included in this cross-sectional, case–control study. Sociodemographic data form and Maudsley Obsessive-Compulsive Questionnaire (MOCQ) were administered to the participants. The cancer patients’ current MOCQ scores and prediagnosis MOCQ scores, and the MOCQ scores of the control group were compared. Results: When the cancer patients and control groups were evaluated according to the MOCQ scales, the cancer patients’ MOCQ-control, MOCQ-doubt, MOCQ-rumination, and MOCQ-total scores were found to be higher compared with the control group (P < 0.001, all). When the cancer patients’ prediagnosis and postdiagnosis MOCQ scores were compared, it was found that their MOCQ-control, MOCQ-cleanliness, MOCQ-doubt, MOCQ-rumination, and MOCQ-total scores after cancer diagnosis were higher than those before cancer diagnosis (P < 0.001, all). In the cancer patients group, it was observed that the MOCQ scores were higher in those who were at the early stage (P = 0.008), women (P < 0.001), unmarried (P = 0.004), highly educated (P = 0.006), unemployed (P = 0.037), and living in a city center (P = 0.023). There was a positive correlation between the cancer stage and the MOCQ-slowness score (P = 0.043). According to the logistic regression analysis, being a woman, having a high education level, living in a city, and having early-stage cancer were found to be the independent predictive factors for the increased MOCQ scores in cancer patients. Conclusion: It was observed that the MOCQ scores were higher in the cancer patients compared with those in the control group, and the cancer patients’ MOCQ scores increased after diagnosis. Having an early-stage cancer disease, being a woman, having a high education level, and living in a city center were the predictive factors for the increased MOCQ scores in cancer patients.