We previously reported antigen frequency differences for HLA-DR4 and HLA-DRw6 between idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (IDC) patients and healthy controls in a pilot study. To confirm these findings, we undertook an independent study with a prospective hypothesis regarding the frequencies of DR4 and DRw6; typing for a second family of class II antigens (HLA-DQ) was included because of the prox...

BACKGROUND We investigated adhesion receptor levels on red blood cells, reticulocytes and erythroid progenitors from children with sickle cell disease treated or not with hydroxyurea. DESIGN AND METHODS Four groups of patients were investigated: (i) children receiving hydroxyurea for severe vaso-occlusive events (n=26); (ii) untreated children with a history of vaso-occlusive events (n=20); (...

Hoarding disorder (HD) is increasingly viewed as distinct from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). In particular, some researchers have suggested that HD is characterized by substantial problems of neurocognitive function; however, HD patients have not yet been compared to OCD patients in this respect. The aim of the present study was to compare neuropsychological test performance in HD patien...

Methods Seventy-two prepubertal children from the ages of 6 years to 10 years were recruited in the study. They comprised: asthmatic with EIB (n=24), asthmatic without EIB (n=21), and healthy controls (n=27). We measured exhaled nitric oxide (eNO) and serum eosinophilic cationic protein (ECP), leptin, adiponectin and cytokines. The urinary concentrations of LTE4 and 9a,11b-PGF2 were measured. T...

BACKGROUND T cells that express Cutaneous Lymphocyte-Associated antigen (CLA) have the potential of migrating to the skin, and are hypothesized to play a role in cutaneous atopic disease. AIM To investigate the immune phenotype and cytokine responses to Der p 1 stimulation of CLA+ T cells in extrinsic atopic dermatitis (EAD). DESIGN In vitro testing, with controls. METHODS Peripheral bloo...

Background: Preliminary evidence suggests abnormal basal ganglia and cerebellar loops in schizophrenia. Few studies have examined the striatocerebellar system in never-treated schizophrenia. Objective: The study objective was to examine the striato-cerebellar system using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) in never-treated schizophrenia. Methods: MRI was done in never treated, right-handed, schiz...

The frequency and the distribution of HLA-B27 subtypes in spondylarthropathy (SpA) patients and controls were investigated in a sample Turkish population. B27 subtyping was performed by PCR-SSP method in two groups: 49 unrelated HLA-B27 positive Turkish patients with the diagnosis of SpA according to the European Spondyloarthropathy Study Group Criteria, and 55 HLA-B27 positive healthy controls...

OBJECTIVES The Loudness Dependence of Auditory Evoked Potentials (LDAEP) is considered as an indicator of central serotonergic activity. Alteration of serotonergic neurotransmission was reported in bipolar disorders and schizophrenia. In line with previous reports on clinically manifest disorders, we expected a weaker LDAEP in subjects at risk for bipolar disorders and schizophrenia compared to...

Background: This study was performed to evaluate periodontal status in patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and assessment of periodontal diseases prevalence in these patients. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, data on 100 patients were collected with mean age of 51 ± 11 years. The case group included of 50 patients with confirmed CVD who referred to Ali-ibn ...