Balkan Medical Journal最新文献

{"title":"Epidemiology of Parvovirus B19 in Türkiye: A Descriptive Analysis of National Surveillance Data (2020-2024).","authors":"Kamer Kalip, Melik Toptaş, Gönül Çulha, Mehmet Balcı, Erdoğan Öz, Muhammed Emin Demirkol","doi":"10.4274/balkanmedj.galenos.2025.2025-1-50","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4274/balkanmedj.galenos.2025.2025-1-50","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Parvovirus B19 (B19V) infection occurs worldwide seasonally, especially in school-age children. Due to limited surveillance, clinicians report an increase of cases to identify outbreaks, while labs determine seropositivity rates. In 2024, B19V outbreak occurred in Türkiye and many other countries.</p><p><strong>Aims: </strong>To estimate incidences of B19V infection in Türkiye from 2020 to 2024 using National Infectious Disease Surveillance and Early Warning System (IZCI) and to determine case fatality rate (CFR) during the 2024 outbreak period.</p><p><strong>Study design: </strong>Retrospective descriptive study.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The number of cases was obtained from the syndromic surveillance of rash diseases in national database. All notifications with International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision diagnosis code \"erythema infectiosum\" within the syndromic surveillance were included in the study. All age groups were included in the study and no specific group was excluded. Annual estimated incidences were calculated for past 5 years. The distribution of cumulative incidence for the outbreak by age group and geographical regions was analysed. CFR was calculated for the outbreak period by using the proportion of people who have been diagnosed with B19V. Disease indicators were calculated as crude rates.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The estimated incidence in 2024 was 15.24 per 100,000. The peak of the outbreak was in May. The regions with the highest cumulative incidences during the outbreak period were the Black Sea, Marmara, and Central Anatolia. The highest cumulative incidence was 102.64 per 100,000 in 5-9 age group. The CFR was calculated as 0.0184% in the outbreak with 2 deaths out of 10,898 cases.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Türkiye has experienced the largest B19V outbreak between February and June 2024. This study showed the unusual scale of B19V post-pandemic, suggesting that such outbreaks can be expected after pandemics. The establishment of syndromic surveillance has proved critical for early outbreak detection and response.</p>","PeriodicalId":8690,"journal":{"name":"Balkan Medical Journal","volume":"42 3","pages":"254-261"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12060596/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143957391","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Association Between Serum Pentraxin-3 Level at Admission and the Functional Outcome of Patients After Acute Ischemic Stroke: A Meta-Analysis.","authors":"Yanrong Zhu, Kui Fan, Xujuan Zhao, Kaiwen Hou","doi":"10.4274/balkanmedj.galenos.2025.2025-1-36","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4274/balkanmedj.galenos.2025.2025-1-36","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Acute ischemic stroke (AIS) remains a leading cause of disability worldwide, placing a significant burden on patients' quality of life and healthcare systems. Pentraxin-3 (PTX-3), an inflammatory biomarker, may be associated with AIS prognosis; however, existing evidence is inconclusive.</p><p><strong>Aims: </strong>To examine whether serum PTX-3 levels at admission are linked to the likelihood of poor functional outcomes in AIS patients.</p><p><strong>Study design: </strong>Systematic review and meta-analysis.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A comprehensive search of PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and Wanfang databases was conducted to identify studies evaluating PTX-3 levels in AIS patients. Eligible studies included those that measured PTX-3 within 48 h of admission and evaluated outcomes using the modified Rankin Scale, with scores > 2 defined as poor outcomes. A random-effects model was used to calculate pooled odds ratios (ORs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Ten cohort studies involving1202 AIS patients were included. Higher PTX-3 levels at admission were significantly associated with an increased risk of poor functional outcomes (OR, 2.06; 95% CI, 1.72-2.47; <i>p</i> < 0.001), with no significant heterogeneity (I² = 0%). Meta-regression showed that using higher PTX-3 cutoff values reported stronger associations (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Subgroup analyses confirmed consistent associations across study designs, patient characteristics, and timing of outcome assessment. The association was more pronounced in studies using a PTX-3 cutoff ≥ 3.3 ng/mL compared to those with a cutoff < 3.3 ng/mL.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Elevated serum PTX-3 levels at admission may serve as a prognostic biomarker for poor functional outcomes in AIS. Differences in PTX-3 cutoff values and potential residual confounding should also be considered. Further multicenter studies involving diverse populations are necessary to confirm these results and establish PTX-3 as a reliable prognostic indicator in clinical practice.</p>","PeriodicalId":8690,"journal":{"name":"Balkan Medical Journal","volume":"42 3","pages":"201-211"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12060599/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143975611","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Potential Roles of Serum Exosomal CD155 and its Impact on NK Cell Immunosuppression in Hepatocellular Carcinoma.","authors":"Wenzheng Han, Jinrong Lv, Mintuo Wang, Xiaoxin Wu, Dongdong Sun, Wenwen Chen, Yingying Wang, Wenjie Zhou, Yuxuan Yang, Jia Bao, Qingzhen Han, Xiaopeng Chen, Fei Guo, Gang Feng, Min Li, Qing Chen","doi":"10.4274/balkanmedj.galenos.2025.2025-1-129","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4274/balkanmedj.galenos.2025.2025-1-129","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Targeted therapies directed at tumor immune checkpoint, like programmed death-ligand (PD-L)1/programmed death (PD)-1, have shown remarkable progress. Nevertheless, treatment efficacy in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is notably compromised due to the intricate immune microenvironment. Exploring alternative checkpoints beyond PD-L1/PD-1, including those not located on the cell surface, may improve our understanding of their roles in areas like diagnostic potential and immune tolerance in HCC.</p><p><strong>Aims: </strong>To explore the roles of serum exosomal CD155 (exo-CD155) in HCC.</p><p><strong>Study design: </strong>Experimental study.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We separated and analyzed serum exosomes from HCC patients. We quantified the concentrations of serum soluble CD155 (sCD155) and serum exo-CD155, and examined their association with disease progression, hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) presence, and the concentrations of α-fetoprotein fraction L3 (AFP-L3) or alpha-fetoprotein (AFP). Additionally, we assessed the diagnostic effect through the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, and the immune suppressive effect on natural killer (NK) cells of exo-CD155.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>This study reveal elevated exo-CD155 levels in all HCC patients, with a significant increase in early-stage patients, exhibiting normal AFP/AFP-L3 or HBsAg-positive status. Exo-CD155 is linked to the progression of HCC and shows significant diagnostic effectiveness for the disease. Furthermore, the incubation of NK-92MI with exosomes derived from HCC patients leads to a substantial reduction in immune function, which can be partially counteracted with an antibody that blocks T cell immune receptor immunoglobulin and ITIM domains, (TIGIT)-blocking antibody.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>These results disclose exo-CD155 shows promise for serving as a biomarker for HCC, especially in early-stage patients or those with normal AFP/AFP-L3 levels. Moreover, serum exosomes from HCC patients suppress NK cell immune functions through the TIGIT/CD155 pathway, contributing to immune tolerance in HCC.</p>","PeriodicalId":8690,"journal":{"name":"Balkan Medical Journal","volume":"42 3","pages":"242-253"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12060579/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143968538","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Harnessing the Power of Vitexin as a Vitamin D Receptor Agonist in Colorectal Cancer: A New Frontier","authors":"Manahil Mubeen, Hafsa Ali, Syeda Sabika Zehra, Aman Khan","doi":"10.4274/balkanmedj.galenos.2024.2024-10-105","DOIUrl":"10.4274/balkanmedj.galenos.2024.2024-10-105","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":8690,"journal":{"name":"Balkan Medical Journal","volume":" ","pages":"276-278"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12060592/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142982526","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Enhancing Shared Decision-Making in Cardiology with Artificial Intelligence.","authors":"Vedat Cicek, Ulas Bagci","doi":"10.4274/balkanmedj.galenos.2025.2025-1-133","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4274/balkanmedj.galenos.2025.2025-1-133","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":8690,"journal":{"name":"Balkan Medical Journal","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-04-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143955823","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Rhinoentomophthoromycosis: An Enigma in Itself.","authors":"Smrithy Sivadas K, Renita Lorina Castelino","doi":"10.4274/balkanmedj.galenos.2025.2024-12-7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4274/balkanmedj.galenos.2025.2024-12-7","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":8690,"journal":{"name":"Balkan Medical Journal","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143727660","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Strawberry Gingivitis: Rare Early Manifestation of Relapsing Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis.","authors":"Daisuke Tsukui, Hirotoshi Kikuchi, Yuko Sasajima, Hajime Kono","doi":"10.4274/balkanmedj.galenos.2025.2024-12-60","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4274/balkanmedj.galenos.2025.2024-12-60","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":8690,"journal":{"name":"Balkan Medical Journal","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143727663","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Development of an Artificial Intelligence Algorithm for Colposcopic Recognition of Cervical Features - Introduction of an Annotation Protocol.","authors":"Georgi Danielov Prandzhev, Grigor Angelov Gortchev, Dobromir Dimitrov Dimitrov, Radoslav Iliev Miltchev, Slavcho Tomov Tomov","doi":"10.4274/balkanmedj.galenos.2025.2024-12-35","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4274/balkanmedj.galenos.2025.2024-12-35","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":8690,"journal":{"name":"Balkan Medical Journal","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143690996","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Trends in Healthcare and Laboratory Medicine: A Forward Look into 2025.","authors":"Damien Gruson, Tuğba Kemaloğlu Öz","doi":"10.4274/balkanmedj.galenos.2025.2024-12-133","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4274/balkanmedj.galenos.2025.2024-12-133","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":8690,"journal":{"name":"Balkan Medical Journal","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143690997","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Crystalline Lens Extrusion Secondary to Fungal Keratitis.","authors":"Suguru Nakagawa, Takashi Miyai, Kiyoshi Ishii","doi":"10.4274/balkanmedj.galenos.2025.2025-1-140","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4274/balkanmedj.galenos.2025.2025-1-140","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":8690,"journal":{"name":"Balkan Medical Journal","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143662178","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}