BACKGROUND/AIMS:The study sought to examine the impact of rosuvastatin and L-arginine, alone or in combination, on hyperglycemiacaused oxidative stress in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). MATERIALS AND METHODS:HUVECs were divided into five groups: (1) control, (2) hyperglycemia, (3) hyperglycemia + rosuvastatin, (4) hyperglycemia + L-arginine, and (5) hyperglycemia + L-arginine + rosuvastatin.The incubation period was 24 hours for all study groups.Cytotoxicity assays were performed for L-arginine and rosuvastatin.After incubation with glucose, L-arginine, and rosuvastatin, malondialdehyde (MDA) level, an oxidative stress marker, and catalase activity were measured. RESULTS:In cytotoxicity tests, the highest non-cytotoxic concentration of L-arginine and rosuvastatin was 12.5 M.Under hyperglycemic conditions, catalase activity was significantly decreased in HUVECs (p=0.0007versus control).L-arginine alone (p=0.0016 vs. control) and L-arginine combined with rosuvastatin (p=0.0099 vs. control) resulted in a partial increase in catalase activity.Hyperglycemia caused a significant elevation in MDA levels in HUVECs (p=0.0054 vs. control).L-arginine induced a partial reduction in MDA levels (p=0.03 vs. control), whereas the combination of rosuvastatin and L-arginine restored the altered MDA levels. CONCLUSION:These results indicate that combined incubation with rosuvastatin and L-arginine is more effective in reducing hyperglycemiainduced oxidative stress than administration of either agent alone.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a non-homogeneous pulmonary disease characterized by chronic symptoms (dyspnea, cough, sputum, and/or exacerbations) due to abnormalities of the airways and/ or alveoli that cause persistent, often progressive, airflow obstruction. 1 However, COPD cannot be defined in a single sentence.Even though new evidence has emerged, COPD requires further research from aetiology to classification and from diagnosis to treatment.COPD is a disease, or more accurately a syndrome, that cannot be explained by a single mechanism and involves numerous gene-environment interactions and many confounding factors, such as comorbidities.COPD, the third-most common cause of mortality, carries a high comorbidity burden owing to shared aetiological factors and pathophysiological characteristics. 2 Comorbidities are important in COPD because they increase the risk of exacerbation and mortality. 3The majority of mild-to-moderate COPD patients die from non-respiratory causes. 4day, COPD is recognised as a multimorbid disease.Comorbidities, which are increasingly emphasised in GOLD reports, are important because they share a common aetiology with COPD and contribute to difficulties in disease management.An understanding of comorbidities requires a multifaceted perspective.Just as we consider the impact of comorbidities on COPD, specialists in other fields also consider Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) remains among the leading causes of death.The systemic characteristics of COPD are becoming clearer every day, and the importance of comorbidities is increasingly well understood.Comorbidities are one of the main causes of mortality in COPD.Although there are specific guidelines for each disease, there is limited literature explaining the effects of comorbidities on one another.Non-respiratory comorbidities associated with mortality in COPD include cardiovascular disease (CVD), metabolic, musculoskeletal, and psychiatric disorders.Both COPD and these comorbid conditions share a common aetiology and are associated with complex clinical and therapeutic interactions.CVD and metabolic comorbidities are more symptomatic and can be easily recognised by patients and physicians.However, osteoporosis, anxiety, and depression are often asymptomatic, despite the fact that these are more common than other comorbidities.Current data suggest that diagnosis and treatment of comorbidities improve prognosis in COPD.Instead of focusing solely on COPD treatment, we should adopt a holistic approach to patient care.This narrative review aims to summarise the bidirectional relationships between COPD and its most common fatal extrapulmonary comorbidities.Another aim of the study is to compile a substantial body of scattered information to provide clinicians with an overview.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Mandibular fractures are a common type of maxillofacial fracture.Clinical symptoms of mandibular fractures include pain, swelling, difficulty chewing, and malocclusion.Collecting long-term epidemiological data on mandibular fractures can provide essential information for developing and evaluating preventive measures to reduce the incidence of these facial injuries. MATERIALS AND METHODS:Ethical approval for the study was obtained prior to data collection.Patient information was retrieved from hospital records, radiological images, official reports, and the institutional information management system.Data from a single tertiary care center were reviewed, including demographic characteristics, fracture sites, and treatment methods for mandibular fractures in 185 patients treated between February 2014 and February 2024.Only patients with complete clinical and radiographic documentation were included, and the data were independently assessed by two researchers to ensure accuracy and consistency.RESULTS: Among the 185 patients examined, fractures were most frequently observed in the 20-29 age group.Assault was identified as the leading cause of mandibular fractures in men, while falls were the most common cause in women.The incidence of fractures increased during the summer months.The mean number of fractures per person was 1.34.The region most frequently associated with mandibular fractures was the angle of the mandible. CONCLUSION:Mandibular fractures commonly occur in young males.Properly planned treatments for these fractures yield high success rates.The findings of this study provide insights to surgeons, physicians, and health policymakers on addressing mandibular fractures.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Obesity has become a serious public health problem in several countries, including North Cyprus.The aim of this study was to determine the anthropometric measurements of Turkish Cypriots and evaluate the association between obesity and comorbidities. MATERIALS AND METHODS:Blood pressure, weight, height, and waist circumference (WC) measurements were obtained by the same physician during home visits to the participants.Socio-demographic characteristics, smoking and alcohol consumption habits, physical activity levels, dietary patterns, and previously diagnosed conditions, including type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia, coronary heart disease (CHD), and hypertension (HT), were assessed. RESULTS:The mean body mass index (BMI) was 26.695.65 kg/m in females and 28.324.71kg/m in males.Among participants aged 18-39, the mean BMI was 25.056.19kg/m in females and 27.634.62kg/m in males.The overall prevalence of obesity was 27.4%, with rates of 24.9% among females and 30.1% among males.The prevalence of excess weight was 64.3% overall, occurring in 55.3% of females and 74.4% of males.Abdominal obesity was present in 47.4% of participants, affecting 45.5% of females and 49.5% of males.An increase in both the prevalence and the number of cases of HT, dyslipidemia, CHD, and type 2 diabetes mellitus was observed in parallel with increases in BMI and WC. CONCLUSION:The prevalence of both general and abdominal obesity is high in North Cyprus.As BMI and WC increased, both the prevalence of comorbidities and their number increased.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection remains a worldwide public health challenge, primarily due to its disruption of immune regulation and cytokine homeostasis.As members of the interleukin (IL)-12 family, IL-27 and IL-35 contribute to immune regulation, although they may have functionally opposing roles.The objective of this study was to explore the association between IL-27 and IL-35 levels, viral load, and immune parameters in individuals living with HIV compared with healthy subjects. MATERIALS AND METHODS:A total of 45 HIV-positive individuals and 45 healthy controls, matched for age and sex, were enrolled in this cross-sectional study.Serum IL-27 and IL-35 concentrations were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.Correlations between cytokine levels, HIV-ribonucleic acid (RNA), and T-cell subsets were assessed using Spearman's rho.Logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses were conducted to identify predictors of HIV-positivity and to assess diagnostic performance, while multivariate patterns were examined using partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA).RESULTS: IL-27 levels were significantly lower and IL-35 levels were significantly higher in HIV-positive patients than in controls (p<0.01 for both).IL-27 was negatively correlated with HIV RNA (r=-0.40,p=0.02) and the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (r=-0.33,p=0.03), and positively correlated with total T-cell percentage (r=0.34,p=0.04).Conversely, IL-35 showed a strong positive correlation with HIV-RNA (r=0.66,p<0.001) and strong negative correlations with CD4 count (r=-0.47,p=0.001) and CD4 percentage (r=-0.78,p=0.001).In logistic regression, IL-35 was an independent positive predictor of HIV positivity [odds ratio (OR) =2.08, 95% confidence interval (CI) =1.29-3.34,p=0.003], whereas IL-27 was inversely associated with HIV positivity (OR =0.993, 95% CI =0.988-0.998,p=0.004).ROC analysis demonstrated high discriminative ability for IL-35 [area under the curve (AUC) =0.863] and moderate discriminative ability for IL-27 (AUC =0.717); their combination achieved the highest accuracy (AUC =0.898; sensitivity =80%; specificity =91%).PLS-DA confirmed that elevated IL-35 levels, decreased IL-27 levels, and CD4 depletion were the major contributors to HIV-related immunosuppression.CONCLUSION: IL-27 and IL-35 exhibit opposing immunomodulatory patterns in HIV infection.Decreased IL-27 and elevated IL-35 levels reflect disease activity and immune dysregulation.While IL-35 serves as an independent biomarker of immunosuppression, combined assessment of IL-27 and IL-35 increases diagnostic accuracy in distinguishing HIV-positive individuals from healthy controls.

Heterotopic pancreas (HP) is a rare congenital anomaly defined by pancreatic tissue outside the normal anatomical pancreas without ductal or vascular continuity. Although frequently asymptomatic, lesions located in the gastric antrum may produce dyspeptic symptoms and delayed gastric emptying because of their proximity to the pylorus. This study reports a case of a 40-year-old male with an exceptionally rare dual-focal Type I HP confined to the gastric antrum who recovered uneventfully following laparoscopic wedge resection. Endoscopic ultrasonography demonstrated a submucosal protrusion, and contrast-enhanced computed tomography revealed a 4-cm mass. Laparoscopic wedge resection was performed; however, intraoperative exploration revealed a second synchronous 2-cm lesion that was also excised. Histopathological evaluation confirmed Heinrich Type I HP with acini, ducts, and islets. Postoperatively, the patient recovered uneventfully and was discharged on day three. This case highlights the diagnostic challenge of antral lesions and emphasises the clinical relevance of anatomical localization, as even small lesions may cause symptoms when two foci coexist. Dual-focal antral involvement is exceptionally rare and contributes novel evidence to the literature.