Fatima Yaman

The relationship between vitamin D and PTH levels and cardiovascular risk in the elderly hypertensives.

Abstract Introduction and objective: In this study, we aimed to investigate the relationship between vitamin D, parathyroid hormone (PTH) and cardiovascular risk (CVR) in hypertensive patients aged 65 years and over. Patients and methods: This study was performed with 84 hypertensive patients and 68 normotensive control group in Afyon Kocatepe University Faculty of Medicine Hospital. The determined cardiovascular risk degrees and the stages of blood pressure were compared with the levels of 25-(OH) vitamin D and PTH. Results: Mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure (BP) levels of the patients with vitamin D deficiency (VDD) were significantly higher than those without VDD (p < 0.001 for both). Mean systolic and diastolic BP levels of the patients with hyperparathyroidism were significantly higher than those without hyperparathyroidism (p = 0.012, p = 0.036, respectively). CVR was reversely correlated with vitamin D but the correlation with hyperparathyroidism did not reach statistically significant level (r = –0.752, p < 0.001) and (r = 0.210, p = 0.055), respectively. Conclusion: These results indicate that the presence of hypertension is associated with VDD, as well as the stage of hypertension contributes to insufficiency, hyperparathyroidism and increased CVR. Clinicians should be aware and perhaps more aggressive for the treatment of HT and VDD in patients over 65 years of age.

Nerve enlargement after cold exposure: A pilot study with ultrasound imaging

Introduction: Changes of electrophysiogical parameters with regard to cold have been studied intensively but not the morphology of nerves. We explored the effects of cold exposure on median nerve morphology. Methods: Cross‐sectional area (CSA) and depth of the right median nerve were assessed at the carpal tunnel and mid‐forearm levels before and after 15 min ice‐pack application in 34 healthy volunteers. Results: After cooling, mean CSA measurements increased at the carpal tunnel and mid‐forearm levels (from 8.00 to 8.85 and 6.64 to 7.55, respectively, P < 0.05); however, the depth values were similar. Conclusions: These preliminary results revealed that cold exposure may cause acute nerve swelling. Further studies with larger samples will be necessary to confirm our findings, to correlate them with electrophysiological data, and to explore when/how the nerve edema resolves. Muscle Nerve 49:502–505, 2014

The relationship between dipping-non-dipping arterial blood pressure pattern and frequency of restless leg syndrome with related factors

Objective: The lack of nocturnal decline in blood pressure (BP) is associated with an increase in cardiovascular events. Restless leg syndrome (RLS) is an uncomfortable feeling in which the patient wants to budge the legs with ache in the legs. RLS also increases the hypertension and cardiovascular risk. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the relationship between dipping and non-dipping blood pressure patterns with RLS and its severity. Methods: Two hundred patients who had 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) were enrolled into this cross-sectional study. They were classified by blood pressure pattern as dipping and non-dipping. Then, 100 patients with the dipper pattern and 100 patients with the non-dipper pattern were chosen. A questionnaire for RLS diagnosis that was prepared by the International RLS Study Group was given performed to the patients. Results: RLS symptom score was higher in patients with non-dipping blood pressure patterns (NDBPP), and patients with NDBPP had more severe RLS. Beside this, there were no differences in terms of RLS frequency in dipping and non-dipping blood pressure patterns. Conclusion: As a conclusion, dipping and non-dipping blood pressure patterns do not increase RLS risk. But, if patients with NDBPP have RLS, they have more severe RLS. So, we suggest that evaluating a patient with a non-dipping blood pressure pattern, considering RLS, would be helpful to ameliorate the quality of life of the patient

Assessment of pulsed electromagnetic field therapy with Serum YKL-40 and ultrasonography in patients with knee osteoarthritis.

The use of biomarkers of osteoarthritis (OA) have potential for early diagnosis, evaluation of disease severity and monitoring treatment. Serum and synovial fluid YKL‐40 levels are increased in severe knee OA. Pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) therapy is a novel treatment method for OA. However, studies evaluating the PEMF therapy in treatment of knee OA revealed conflicting results. This study was conducted to objectively assess the effect of PEMF therapy in patients with knee OA, by using ultrasonographic measurements and a novel biomarker, YKL‐40.

Tıp Fakültesi Öğrencilerinin Kas İskelet Sistemi Bilgi ve Becerilerinin Değerlendirilmesi

Objective: Musculoskeletal system (MSS) knowledge and clinical skills have been shown to be an area of weakness in medical education and practitioners, and neglected in daily clinical practice. The purpose of this study was to evaluate and compare MSS knowledge and skills of the third and sixth year medical students. Material and Methods: The study included 41 volunteers from third year and 35 volunteers from sixth year medical students. Participants were asked to mark long head of biceps brachii muscle tendon (BTLH), lateral epicondyle (LE), greater trochanter (GT) and medial knee joint space (MK) areas were with physical examination. After students marked the choosen anatomical landmarks one by one on the same subject, the accuracy of the results were checked with ultrasonography. Results: Total success rate was 51.8% in third year students while it was 68.6% in sixth year students and the difference between two groups was statistically significant (p= 0.004). Students performance to locate LE and GT was high but they were failed to locate BTLH and MK. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that medical students improved their MSS skills that they obtained in preclinical education period, during clinical education period. Nevertheless this improvement was not adequate. Regarding increasing number of patients admitting to hospitals with the complaints of MSS, medical faculties should focus on improving MSS clinical skills teaching and develope effective strategies to meet this requirements