OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to compare bone mineral density (BMD) in healthy postmenopausal women to BMD in type 2 diabetic hypertensive postmenopausal women with hyperlipidemia. METHODS: Fifty type 2 diabetic and hypertensive postmenopausal women with hyperlipidemia and 51 age and body mass index (BMI) matched healthy postmenopausal women were included. Lumbar spine and femoral neck BMD were noted in both groups. BMD was measured using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP), calcium and phosphorous were also measured. Pearson correlation coefficients were used to establish the relationship between various clinical characteristics. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between two groups in respect to lumbar and vertebral BMD values, age, BMI, gravidity, parity. Serum cholesterol and fasting glucose levels were significantly different between each groups (P = 0.0001, P = 0.002). CONCLUSION: We found that, accompanying chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and hyperlipidemia don't affect the BMD measurements at postmenopausal period. So these postmenopausal women don't have excess risk regarding osteoporosis.
Absorptiometry, Photon ; Alkaline Phosphatase ; Body Mass Index ; Bone Density* ; Calcium ; Cholesterol ; Chronic Disease ; Fasting ; Female ; Femur Neck ; Glucose ; Gravidity ; Humans ; Hyperlipidemias* ; Hypertension* ; Osteoporosis ; Parity ; Postmenopause ; Spine

PURPOSE: To investigate the effect of accelerated aging on surface properties of glazed CAD/CAM resin blocks using a 2D surface profilometer and a 3D non-contact optical profilometer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Three types of CAD/CAM resin restorative materials, LAVA Ultimate (3M ESPE, St Paul, MN, USA), VITA Enamic (Vita Zahnfabrik H. Rauter, Bad Säckingen, Germany), and Cerasmart (GC Corparation, Tokyo, Japan) were used for this study. CAD/CAM blocks were cut in 3-mm thickness slabs and divided into three groups; Group 1: control group (specimens polished with 600 grit SCI paper); Group 2: specimens sandblasted, silanized, and glazed with Optiglaze Color (GC); Group 3: glazed specimens subjected to 5000 thermocycles (n=15). The surface roughness (Ra and Rz) was evaluated using a profilometer and a 3D scanning instrument. Data were analyzed using two-way ANOVA and Tukey's post-hoc test (P < .05). RESULTS: LAVA, VITA, and Cerasmart exhibited statistically similar Ra and Rz values for each group (P>.05). For VITA and Cerasmart, the specimens in Group 1 exhibited significantly higher Ra values than Group 2 (P < .05). Group 1 (0.502 Ra), Group 2 (0.384 Ra), and Group 3 (0.431 Ra) exhibited statistically similar Ra values for LAVA (P=.062). After 5000 thermocycles, surface roughness values did not change significantly for glazed LAVA, VITA, and Cerasmart (P>.05). CONCLUSION: Glaze material Optiglaze Color makes CAD/CAM resin surfaces smooth and glazed CAD/CAM surfaces seem resistant to deterioration under 5000 thermocycles.
Aging ; Surface Properties

Leishmaniasis causes significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. In our country, there has been a significant increase in the number of cases of leishmaniasis in the last decade. In our study, the effects of Hypericum thymbrifolium, Hypericum scabrum and Eryngium creticum plant extracts were tested on Leishmania major, Leishmania tropica and Leishmania infantum/donovani, which were clinically resistant by not responding to Glucantime® therapy. Cytotoxicity of these extracts were evaluated by XTT method in the human fibroblast cell line. Possible active ingredients were detected by GC-MS analysis from plant extracts. Glucantime® resistance was detected at concentrations of 50 µg/mL and lower in 4 of the 7 strains tested. No living leishmania parasites were found in leishmania strains treated with plant extracts at concentrations of 100 µg/mL or higher. The concentrations of plant extracts included in the study on the WI-38 human fibroblast cell line were not cytotoxic. According to the GC-MS analysis, several active substances with biological activities and anti-parasitic effects, such as Thiophene, Germacrene-D, trans-Geranylgeraniol, Pyridine, and Maleimides, were identified. Based on the findings of the study, it is believed that these identified active substances when supported by in-vivo studies, will pave the way for future research and have the potential to be developed as anti-leishmania drugs.

Objective: To investigate Blastocystis' etiologic role and association with gastrointestinal symptomatology in acute and chronic urticaria patients and to identify Blastocystis subtypes responsible for urticaria. Methods: The study included urticaria patients and healthy individuals that presented to our polyclinic between June 2015 and May 2017. The participants were assigned into Group I (137 patients), subdivided into acute (72) and chronic urticaria patients (65), and Group ? (129 control individuals). Blastocystis presence was investigated by native-Lugol examination, trichrome staining, PCR using sequence tagged site primers, and DNA sequencing analysis. The phylogenetic tree was constructed. Results: The native-Lugol and trichrome staining methods revealed that 16 patients (16/133, 12.0%) had Blastocystis-positive stool samples, of which seven samples (7/133, 5.3%) belonged acute and nine (9/133, 6.8%) to chronic urticaria patients. Concerning Blastocystis subtypes, of the acute urticaria patients, three had subtype 1 (ST1), one had ST2, and three had ST3. Of the chronic urticaria patients, one had ST1 and eight had ST3. Blastocystis positivity was detected in two control individuals (2/123, 1.6%), both being ST3. All subtypes identified by PCR were confirmed by the sequencing analysis. The acute and chronic urticaria groups showed no statistically significant differences for Blastocystis positivity (P=0.60) and subtype distribution (P=0.15). A statistically significant difference was found between the urticaria patients and the controls for Blastocystis positivity (P<0.01), but not for subtype distribution (P=0.67) or for Blastocystis presence and gastrointestinal complaints. Conclusions: This study on Blastocystis subtype distribution among Turkish urticaria patients showed results consistent with the literature. It was concluded that Blastocystis should be kept in mind in patients with urticaria.