Ozkan Gorgulu

Increased Mean Platelet Volume in Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

Thromboembolic events may be seen in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). We investigated the mean platelet volume (MPV), an indicator of platelet activation in patients with HCM. This study included 112 patients with HCM, in which 40 were patients with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM), and 106 were control participants. The MPV was significantly higher in patients with HCM than in controls (9.1 ± 0.3 vs 7.9 ± 0.3 fL, P = .01). In the subgroup analyses, MPV was also higher in patients with HOCM compared to those with hypertrophic nonobstructive cardiomyopathy (HNCM; 9.3 ± 0.3 vs 9.0 ± 0.2 fL, P = .01). Similarly, patients with HNCM had higher MPV values than controls (9.0 ± 0.2 vs 7.9 ± 0.3 fL, P = .01). The MPV was significantly and positively correlated with left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) obstruction (r = .42, P = .001) and septal thickness (r =.62, P = .001). In linear regression analysis, MPV was independently associated only with septal thickness (β = .07, 95% confidence interval: 0.04-0.09, P = .001). The MPV can be elevated in patients with HCM regardless of the obstruction of LVOT and may be associated with the severity of septal thickness.

Mean Platelet Volume may be Elevated in Mitral Valve Prolapse and Associated With the Severity of Prolapse

Thromboembolic events can be seen in patients with mitral valve prolapse (MVP). It is unclear whether platelet activation may contribute to these events in patients with MVP. Thus, we aimed to evaluate mean platelet volume (MPV) in patients with MVP and its association with the severity of MVP. This study included 312 patients with MVP and 240 control participants. Mean platelet volume was significantly higher in patients with MVP than in controls (8.9 ± 0.7 vs 7.9 ± 0.6 fL, P = .001). In linear regression analysis, MPV was independently associated with the degree of mitral regurgitation (β = .23, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.14-0.32, P = .001), maximal leaflet displacement (β = .24, 95%CI: 0.17-0.31, P = .001), and mean thickness of the anterior (β = .47, 95%CI: 0.27-0.61, P = .001) and posterior leaflets (β = .22, 95%CI: 0.03-0.41, P = .02). Our findings show that MPV can be elevated in patients with MVP and may be independently associated with severity of mitral regurgitation, leaflet displacement, and thickness of the leaflets.

A Model of Aging Perception in Iranian Elders With Effects of Hope, Life Satisfaction, and Socioeconomic Status: A Path Analysis

BACKGROUND: Aging perception plays a central role in the experience of healthy aging by older people. Research identified that factors such as hope, life satisfaction, and socioeconomic status influence the perception of aging in older populations. OBJECTIVE: This study sought to test a hypothetical model to quantitatively evaluate the relationship between hope, life satisfaction, and socioeconomic status with aging perception. DESIGN: A cross-sectional design was used with 504 older aged participants who live in Qazvin, Iran. Data were collected using the Barker’s Aging Perception Questionnaire, Life Satisfaction Index-Z, and Herth Hope Index. RESULTS: The results of path analysis showed that hope was the most important factor affecting aging perception. Results drawn from correlation analysis indicated that there was a positive significant correlation (r = .383, p < .001) between hope and aging perception. Further analysis found that hope had the strongest impact on aging perception compared with the other variables analyzed (e.g., life satisfaction and socioeconomic status). CONCLUSIONS: A model of aging perception in Iranian elders is presented. The findings suggested that hope had a significant and positive impact on aging perception. Implications for clinical practice and research are discussed.

Power analyse review of research articles in life science journals

ABSTRACT In experimental studies, defining the suitable sample size is one of the important steps for statistical design. Power analysis is used for identifying reliability of the statistical analysis results in scientific researches. Power analysis is implemented in two different ways; in the process prior to the research by defining the suitable sample size and based on the sample size, impact size and type 1 error level for defining the statistical power level. In this study, 716 articles of last year ’s issues published in journals on life sciences and scanned in the Science Citation Index (SCI) and Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXP.), has been reviewed under the concept of statistical methods, statistical software, sample numbers, error levels and statistical power calculation situation. As a result of the analysis, it was determined that awareness of power analysis is quite low and the number of articles which use power analysis has been found to be only one. However, it was found that statistical power is higher in the parametric tests than non-parametric tests.

Use of Fuzzy Logic Based Decision Support Systems in Medicine

Abstract The complexity of the problems that are faced within people’s decision-making process can reveal a variety of challenges in the solution process. The increasing complexity of the events faced, makes the decisionmaking more difficult. Therefore, recently, a trend has occurred in advanced technologies such as decision support systems (DSS). DSS offer alternative solutions with a flexible and objective perspective to researchers in various fields, particularly in the fields of medicine and life science. DSS can be designed using artificial intelligence based methods such as fuzzy logic (FL), and artificial neural networks (ANN). Nowadays, the fuzzy logic-based DSS in the medical field such as the disease diagnosis, the determination of appropriate treatment, the costs and so on, including issues in making clinical decisions are widely used, and successfully applied. In this study, FL-based DSS have been introduced, and different applications used in the medicine field have been given. The mea n of the success level of the FL-based DSS was determined to be ninety percent. FL-based DSS has been providing a significant contribution to disease diagnosis in the examined studies.

Beta Fibrinogen -455 G>A Gene Polymorphism in Coronary Artery Ectasia

Aim: Atherosclerosis is an inflammatory arterial wall disease and T lymphocytes have important role in the pathogenesis and progression of this disease. The aim of this study is determination of vitamin A supplementation effects on gene expression of cytokines secreted by TCD4+ lymphocytes in atherosclerotic patients. Methods-Materials: Thirty one atherosclerotic patients and 12 healthy controls participated in this study. Patients were randomly divided into vitamin A receiving group (n1⁄416) and placebo receiving group (n1⁄415), also healthy controls were receiving vitamin A. vitamin A supplement was given as retinyl palmitate and 25000 IU per day. Fasting blood sample of participants were taken before and after 4 months and plasma was separated and stored at -80 0C for biochemical laboratory tests. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were separated and cultured in the appropriate number along with PHA and ox-LDL for proliferation assay and determination of gene expression pattern. As well as RNA was extracted and cDNA was synthesized from part of the cells at the same time and was stored for Real-Time PCR analysis. After 72 hour incubation cells supernatant were collected and stored at-800C; cells deposited were collected for PNA extraction and cDNA synthesis. After the intervention period the gene expression pattern of relevant cytokines of CD4+ T cells including Th1, Th2, Th17 and Treg were determined by Real-Time PCR. Results: There was significant difference in fasting blood sugar, total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol between three groups of study, before and after intervention. Vitamin A increased proliferation of cells that stimulated with ox-LDL in all groups. Results of this study show that IFN-y and Tbet gene expression in fresh cells in vitamin Atreated patients was decreased. The IL-4 gene expression was increased 12.7 fold in vitamin A-treated patients. IL-17 gene expression in fresh cells of vitamin A-treated patients was diminished. Foxp3 gene expression in fresh cells was increased after intervention in all groups. Conclusion: vitamin A supplementation had no significant effect on anthropometric factors and effect of this intervention on biochemical factors limited to increase in total cholesterol and HDL cholesterol in both groups of patients and controls but the amounts were in normal value ranges. Vitamin A supplementation could reduce gene expression of IFN-y T-bet in all patients. Increase in gene expression of Th2 cells was seen in all group expect GATA3 gene. According to the results of how the effect of vitamin A on gene expression in atherosclerotic patients, perhaps we thought the positive role of vitamin A supplementation in these patients. Results of this study could pave the way for a more detailed review on effect of vitamin A in patients with immune related diseases.