Background/aim: Crohn's disease (CD) is a kind of inflammatory bowel disease. Midkine (MDK) is an endogenous inflammatory marker. We aimed to investigate the relationship between MDK levels and inflammation and hence determine whether MDK can be used as a noninvasive biomarker in active CD. Materials and methods: Sixty-five consecutive patients over the age of 18 with CD and 36 healthy controls were included in this study. CD patients' venous blood samples were taken before treatment. Serum MDK levels were determined in human plasma samples by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method. Results: The mean age of the study patients was 44.8 +/- 12.5 years, 35 patients were female, and 30 were male. Of these 65 patients, 37 had active CD and 28 were in the remission phase. MDK levels were significantly higher in active and remission CD than in healthy controls (P = 0.01, P = 0.038, respectively). Conclusion: We report that there is an association between MDK levels and CD activation, and therefore with enhanced inflammation. MDK levels were significantly correlated with inflammatory indices. In line with our findings, we suggest the theory that MDK inhibitors may be useful in treating Crohn's disease.

Background/Objectives: The peroneus longus tendon has gained attention as an alternative autograft source for anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction; however, donor-site morbidity remains a concern because of its role in ankle eversion and lateral ankle function. Methods: This cross-sectional observational study evaluated whether peroneus longus tendon harvest causes measurable donor-site changes using shear wave elastography. Forty patients who underwent anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction with a peroneus longus tendon autograft and who completed at least 12 months of follow-up were included. The graft-harvested side was compared with the contralateral side in terms of ankle plantar flexion, eversion range of motion, and shear wave elastography-derived tendon stiffness. Results: Pain was assessed using the visual analog scale. Postoperative VAS scores were significantly lower than preoperative scores [8 (5–9) vs. 2 (1–4); p < 0.001]. No significant differences were found between the graft-harvested and contralateral sides in plantar flexion, eversion, or tendon stiffness. A strong positive correlation was observed between operated-side and contralateral-side shear wave elastography values (r = 0.950; p < 0.001). Conclusions: Peroneus longus tendon harvest was not associated with measurable residual tendon stiffness or ankle range-of-motion changes at 12 months.