Kars, Ayhan; Atalay, Fatma; Anbar, Sezai Sacid; Topal, Kübra; Altıparmak, Serkan

OBJECTIVE: Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo is the most common peripheral vestibular disorder. It can recur despite successful maneuvers. While various risk factors for recurrence have been investigated, these remain controversial. The aim of this study was to identify potential risk factors for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo recurrence and contribute to the development of preventive treatment strategies. METHODS: The study involved 301 patients who presented to our clinic with dizziness and were diagnosed with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo between December 2019 and May 2022. Two groups, with and without benign paroxysmal positional vertigo recurrence, were compared in terms of age, gender, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, cardiovascular disease, asthma, hypothyroidism, magnesium deficiency, vitamin D deficiency, vitamin B12 deficiency, and iron deficiency to investigate the effects of these factors on recurrence. RESULTS: Recurrence was observed in 38 (12.6%) of the 301 patients. No age or gender difference was determined between the groups. Univariate analysis showed that hypertension (55.3 vs. 29.3%; p=0.003), vitamin B12 deficiency (21.1 vs. 6.5%; p=0.007), hyperlipidemia (26.3 vs. 5.7%; p<0.001), and asthma (15.8 vs. 5.7%; p=0.035) were more common in patients with recurrence. Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified only hyperlipidemia as a risk factor, raising the risk of recurrence approximately 3.7-fold (OR 3.71; 95%CI 1.36–10.13; p=0.011). CONCLUSION: Consideration of underlying comorbidities and systemic factors, effective management of existing comorbidities, and individualized treatment strategies are crucial in order to reduce benign paroxysmal positional vertigo recurrence rates and improve patients’ quality of life.

Altıparmak, Serkan; Kars, Ayhan

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to evaluate the demographic and clinical characteristics of cases consulted with the ear, nose, and throat department in a tertiary hospital, the consultation indications, and independent factors associated with the need for procedural intervention. METHODS: This retrospective single-center study included patients undergoing ear, nose, and throat consultation. Demographics, consultation characteristics, indications, imaging, procedures, and hospitalization were recorded. Procedural intervention rates and independent factors associated with intervention requirements were also examined. RESULTS: Consultations for 1,366 patients were analyzed. The great majority of consultations (76.5%) originated from the emergency department, and procedural interventions were performed in approximately half the cases (48.8%). The most common reasons for consultation were suspected foreign bodies (n=248, 18.2%), nasal fracture (n=231, 16.9%), and epistaxis (n=132, 9.7%). The highest procedural intervention requirements were in the soft tissue trauma group (n=118; 90.7%) and in the epistaxis (87.9%) and nasal fracture (78.3%) cases. Consultation indication was the strongest independent predictor. Epistaxis, trauma-related consultations, and suspected foreign bodies were significantly associated with the need for procedural intervention. CONCLUSION: Consultation indication was the main determinant of intervention. Epistaxis, trauma-related conditions, and suspected foreign bodies were significantly independently associated with intervention requirements. Early identification of these high-risk indications may assist in the optimization of ear, nose, and throat emergency resource planning and consultation triage.

Tuncer, Sevinç Köse; Karakurt, Papatya; Özdemir, Selen; Bilgin, Sonay

OBJECTIVE: In today’s world, with the prolongation of human life span, a significant part of women’s lives is spent in the menopausal period. Factors that negatively affect the health and quality of life of women experiencing this process constitute an important problem in terms of women’s health. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between spousal support and quality of life among menopausal women. METHODS: The cross-sectional study was conducted with 300 women aged 45–65 years, who were in menopausal period and volunteered to participate in the study, registered in four family health centers located in eastern Türkye. The data were collected using the “Personal Information Form,” “Menopause Spousal Support Questionnaire,” and “Menopause-Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire.” RESULTS: The mean total score of the women on the spousal support questionnaire was 116.39±17.88. In the subdimensions, the highest score belonged to valuing support (41.35±7.21) and the lowest score belonged to sexual intimacy support (21.52±3.91). Quality of life questionnaire subfield mean scores were as follows: vasomotor 5.43±3.24, psychosocial 10.83±5.23, physical 17.84±13.03, and sexual 2.02±3.16. Spousal support and quality of life levels differed significantly according to demographic characteristics (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Increased support from husbands decreases menopause-related complaints and improves quality of life. On the other hand, smoking, irregular exercise, not receiving hormone therapy, and a lack of information increase complaints. The results show that spousal support and healthy living habits are determinants of quality of life during menopause.

Bayramoğlu, Atıf; Tekin, Erdal; Kurt, Engin; Kaşali, Kamber; Kurt, Nezahat

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate whether there is a difference in serum nitric oxide levels between patients who return spontaneously after cardiopulmonary resuscitation and those who do not. We also examined the potential of using serum nitric oxide levels as a marker to make an accurate decision about patient survival. METHODS: We included 100 consecutive patients who were brought to the emergency clinic due to cardiac arrest. Blood samples were taken from these patients at admission, 30 min after admission, and when resuscitation was terminated. RESULTS: We found that there was a significant difference in NO1 and NO3 values between the group of patients who did not return after cardiopulmonary resuscitation and the group in which spontaneous circulation returned. The NO1 value was significant in the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, while the NO3 value was not. A higher NO1 value provided a higher rate of survival. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that nitric oxide may be a useful parameter to support the decision about patient survival. A higher NO1 value is associated with a better prognosis and survival rate. Therefore, serum nitric oxide levels may be a suitable indicator to support the decision-making process regarding patient survival.

Koc, Kubra; Aysin, Ferhunde; Ozek, Nihal Simsek; Geyikoglu, Fatime; Taghizadehghalehjoughi, Ali; Abuc, Ozlem Ozgul; Cakmak, Ozge; Deniz, Gulsah Yildiz

OBJECTIVE: Crude oil extracts, components of extracts, and ethanolic extracts of Inula graveolens possess various pharmacological activities on various cancer cells including antioxidative and antiproliferative effects. Aqueous extract of this species has not been investigated on the liquid malignancies and solid tumors with a high incidence of treatment refractoriness and poor survival outcomes such as glioblastoma and leukemia. Hence, the present study aimed to evaluate the cytotoxic efficiency of I. graveolens aqueous extracts on human glioblastoma multiforme and chronic myelogenous leukemia cell lines in comparison to non-cancerous primary rat cerebral cortex and human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. METHODS: The cells were treated with the extracts of I. graveolens (125-1000 μg/mL) for 48 h, the cellular viability was identified using 3'-(4,5dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide assay, and lactate dehydrogenase release was measured to determine the cytotoxic potential. Total oxidant status and apurinic/apyrimidinic endodeoxyribonuclease 1 assays were used to determine the oxidative status of cells and DNA damage, respectively. RESULTS: I. graveolens showed selective cytotoxicity toward human glioblastoma multiforme and chronic myelogenous leukemia cell lines and exhibited a higher antiproliferative effect against cancer cells in comparison to non-cancerous cells. Moreover, it significantly reduced the apurinic/apyrimidinic endodeoxyribonuclease 1 levels on both cancer cell lines as compared with their control cells without changing the levels of an oxidative stress marker. CONCLUSION: The extracts of I. graveolens have anti-cancer potential on human glioblastoma multiforme and chronic myelogenous leukemia cell lines without causing oxidative stress.