Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia in the elderly. Although AD treatment is still insufficient despite all the recent developments, detection and treatment in the early stage of disease have provided more clinical benefits. Objective: In this study, we aimed to use the critical flicker fusion (CFF) threshold test to diagnose AD in the early stage. Methods: In this study, 120 patients (above 65 years of age) and 50 control groups who were admitted to geriatrics outpatient clinic and diagnosed in early- and middle-stage AD were included. The remaining 58 patients and 25 healthy volunteers underwent comprehensive geriatric assessment and CFF testing. Results: The mean CFF value of AD group was significantly lower than the control group (36.44±7.00 vs. 44.24±3.82, p<0.001, respectively). There was a significant difference in standardized mini-mental state examination (MMSE) score in both groups (18.05±5.25 vs. 25.96±2.85, p<0.001, respectively). There was also a positive correlation between CFF value and MMSE score (p<0.001, r=0.459). Thirty-four patients were in the early-stage AD group and 24 patients were in the middle-stage AD group. There was a significant difference in CFF values between the three groups when we compared the patients in early- and middle-stage AD and control groups (p0.05). The cutoff value for the CFF variable was determined as 39 Hz [p<0.001; area under the curve (AUC)=0.852; sensitivity=70.69% (95% confidence interval [95%CI] 57.3–81.9); specificity=92.00% (95%CI 74.00–99.00)]. Conclusions: There is a significant difference in mean CFF values between AD and healthy groups. CFF testing may play an important role in diagnosing AD in the early stage.
24 October 2019 in European Journal of Geriatrics and Gerontology
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25 August 2022 in Journal of Clinical Medicine of Kazakhstan
Aim: To assess the health related quality of life (HRQOL) in patients diagnosed with primary biliary cholangitis (PBC). Material and methods: A single-centered, prospective, cross-sectional study was conducted among patients diagnosed with primary biliary cholangitis in the Gastroenterology out-patient clinic at Gazi University Hospital, Ankara. Data was collected using a sociodemographic information form, hospital medical database and a PBC-40 questionnaire. Statistical comparison analysis was performed using Chi-square test for categorical variables and Mann-Whitney U test for continuous variables. P values less than 0.05 were considered significant. Results: A total of 37 PBC patients were included in the study. The mean age of the participants was 54.2±8.6. When evaluating the PBC-40 questionnaire scores from each domain in terms of severity, we found that majority of patients in itch %40.4 (n=19) and social %42,6 (n=20) domains had mild severity, as for fatigue %42.6 (n=20), cognitive %36 (n=17), emotional %40.4 (n=19) and other symptoms %44.7 ((n=21) domains had moderate severity. A statistically significant difference was found between AMA positive and AMA negative patient groups in the itch domain (p=0.007). Discussion: With this study on a Turkish based population using the PBK-40 questionnaire we were able to demonstrate that patients with PBC had a significantly impaired HRQOL and fatigue was the most seen symptom.
Background/Objectives: Gastric intestinal metaplasia (GIM) is a recognized premalignant condition for gastric cancer (GC), but long-term outcomes and predictors of progression remain incompletely understood. This study aimed to evaluate the progression of GIM and identify factors associated with malignant transformation. Methods: In this retrospective single-center study, 1204 adult patients with histologically confirmed GIM and at least 12 months of follow-up after esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) were analyzed. Clinical and pathological variables, including GIM extent, Helicobacter pylori status, family history of GC, demographic factors, and residence in endemic regions, were assessed. Patients were stratified into high- and low-risk groups according to established criteria, and progression to GC or other neoplasms was recorded. Results: During a mean follow-up of 38.6 months, 49.1% of patients had no detectable GIM at the end of follow-up, 48.7% remained unchanged, and 2.2% showed disease progression. Among progressed cases, adenocarcinoma accounted for 66.7%, dysplasia for 29.6%, and SCC for 3.7%. Progression was significantly more common among males, older patients, and those with antrum + corpus involvement. The overall progression rate from GIM to adenocarcinoma was 1.5% (approximately 0.45% per patient-year). No significant difference in progression or survival was observed between high- and low-risk groups. Conclusions: The long-term malignant transformation rate of GIM is low. Male sex and extensive gastric involvement were associated with higher progression rates, while H. pylori was not predictive of malignant transformation. These findings support individualized surveillance strategies for patients with GIM, while routine surveillance of antrum-limited GIM may provide minimal benefit but increase healthcare burden.
22 December 2023 in Akademik Gastroenteroloji Dergisi
Cerrahi tekniklerdeki gelişmelere rağmen biliyer komplikasyonlar hala yaygındır ve karaciğer nakli sonrasında hasta sağkalımını etkilemektedir. Biliyer darlıklar, genellikle endoskopik retrograd kolanjiyopankreatografi ve perkütan transhepatik kolanjiyografi ile tedavi edilmektedir. Bununla birlikte, biliyer anastomozun tam darlığı durumlarında, cerrahi yeniden anastomoz bir tedavi seçeneğidir. Ancak yeniden anastomoz için cerrahi prosedürler invazivdir ve postoperatif adezyon ve hastaların genel durumu nedeniyle uygulanması zordur. Manyetik kompresyon yöntemi, endoskopik retrograd kolanjiyopankreatografi ve perkütan transhepatik kolanjiyografi ile tedavi edilemeyen olgularda, cerrahi gerektirmeyen güvenli bir anastomoz yöntemidir. Burada, canlı donör karaciğer transplantasyonundan sonra manyetik kompresyon yöntemi ile başarılı şekilde tedavi edilen bir olguyu sunuyoruz.