Dear Editor, Sudden hearing loss in cases of SARS-CoV-2 is rare, and it is even less common as a first symptom. For the first time in the literature, we present a case of SARS-CoV-2 accompanied by ...

Objectives: Autism Spectrum Disorder is a neurodevelopmental disease with an average diagnosis age of over 3 years. Carnitine levels in ASD are important because they show potential mitochondrial dysfunction and abnormal fatty acid metabolism. In this study, in ASD children carnitine levels in dried blood spot samples were evaluated and compared with the control group. Methods: Twentythree children diagnosed with ASD in Research and Training Hospital (19 boys, 4 girls) and age and gender matched 24 children without ASD were enrolled in this study. 17 carnitines in dried blood samples were measured with LC-MS/MS. Results: C0, C2, C4-OH, C5, C5-OH, C6, C16, C18 carnitines were lower (p value 0.037, 0.010, 0.005, 0.032, 0.005, 0.003, 0.043, 0.003, respectively) and C18:1 carnitine was higher (p<0.025) in ASD group compared with control group. Conclusions: Comprehensive carnitine levels for ASD are important to establish a treatment protocol for the treatment of ASD behavior and severity. C18:1 carnitine, detected for the first time in the cases with ASD, is important for its high levels and for being a glycine transporter two inhibitor. In ASD cases, the molecular analysis might be suggested for enzymes involved in carnitine metabolism and for glycine transporter 2.

Background Procalcitonin (PCT) and C-reactive protein (CRP) are evaluated as useful parameters in the management of infectious diseases, and the aim of this retrospective study was to determine the value of PCT levels for the diagnosis of infections in adult patients with positive or negative results. Methods Ninety-eight intensive care unit patients were enrolled in the study, and they were divided into 2 groups according to their positive or negative blood culture results. All patients’ PCT, CRP, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and white blood cell (WBC) results were obtained and compared for the 2 groups, and receiver operating characteristic curves were plotted for all parameters. Results There was no significant difference between the 2 groups for the PCT, CRP, ESR, and WBC results. The serum value of PCT, which yielded an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.601, was found to be superior to other parameters for bacteremia. Conclusions Infection is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in intensive care units worldwide. Although PCT and CRP levels have been established as markers, which can be used to identify sepsis, and PCT level has been a valuable predictor for the early diagnosis of sepsis, in our study, none of the parameters were found to be statistically significant when compared for the 2 groups. However, PCT, which has a poor diagnostic value, seems to be superior to CRP, ESR, and WBC in differentiating bacteremia from nonbacteremia.

Background/Aim: The effect of isotretinoin on soluble VEGFRs has not been previously investigated. This study evaluate the effects of isotretinoin (13-cis-retinoic acid) on soluble VEGFR1 (sVEGFR1), soluble VEGFR2 (sVEGFR2) and soluble VEGFR3 (sVEGFR3). Methods: The study included 38 patients (28 females, 10 males) receiving systemic isotretinoin treatment and 38 healthy individuals (28 females, 10 males) with similar age and gender characteristics. The blood samples of the patient group at third months and blood samples of the control group were compared in terms of sVEGFR1, sVEGFR2 and sVEGFR3 concentrations. Results: It was significant that sVEGFR1 was low and sVEGFR3 was high in patients receiving isotretinoin (p: 0.038, p: 0.021, respectively). There was no significant change in sVEGFR2 levels between the groups (p: 0.519). Conclusions: We think that the effect of isotretinoin on sVEGFR1, sVEGFR2 and sVEGFR3 may be secondary to its effects on the VEGF family. However, after clarifying the effect of isotretinoin on the VEGF family, we think that it can be used in some tumors and vascular diseases.