Browsing by Author "Saygin, Murat"

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Bibliometric Analysis of Neurocysticercosis Case Reports and Evaluation of Presented Cases
(Academic Press Ltd- Elsevier Science Ltd, 2025) Gurbuz, Esra; Aydemir, Selahattin; Barlik, Fethi; Saygin, Murat; Yildiz, Rahmi; Alkan, Sevil; Ekici, Abdurrahman
Neurocysticercosis (NCC) has been classified as a neglected tropical disease by the World Health Organization (WHO), with the condition being regarded as the most significant parasitic disease affecting the nervous system. Hence, the aim of this study was to conduct a review of previously published case reports on this topic in order to ascertain whether there is an increasing trend of NCC worldwide and evaluate the cases that have been presented. After a comprehensive search of the Web of Science Core Collection using the keywords "neurocysticercosis" and "case reports", studies were selected by applying inclusion criteria. Important data attributes that were extracted in plain text format included the document titles, publication years, journal names, author(s) name(s), keywords, institutions, and countries. In addition, to evaluate the cases, the age and gender of the patients, complaints on admission, localization of the cyst, and treatment procedure used were recorded in an Excel file. The bibliometric analysis was conducted using Biblioshiny. Additionally, GraphPad and Excel were employed for the creation of graphical representations. The dataset analyzed included 297 documents, 162 from various sources, with an average age of 12.2 years and 6.3 citations per document. The number of case reports tended to increase over the years. India and the USA were the leading contributors to NCC case reports, with 78 (26.3 %) and 64 (21.5 %), respectively. This was followed by Brazil, France, and Spain with 31 (10.4 %), 14 (4.7 %) and 13 (4.4 %) case reports, respectively. Moreover 55.5 % of the patients in the cases presented in the articles were male and 12.9 % were in the 21-25 age group. In regard to the cysts, 81.2 % were located in the brain and 15.1 % were in the spine. The most common complaints were headache and seizures in brain localized NCC cases and back pain and numbness or weakness in extremities in spine localized NCC cases. Albendazole was used in 174 (54.5 %) cases, praziquantel in 22 (6.9 %) cases, and ivermectin in five (1.6 %) cases. In conclusion, NCC continues to be an increasingly serious public health problem in India as well as developed countries such as the USA and European countries. NCC can be seen in all age groups, males are more susceptible than females, cysts are more localized in the ventricular system, and albendazole and/or paraziquentel are used in treatment. In addition, more comprehensive studies on the use of ivermectin in the treatment of NCC should be conducted, as success was achieved in cases where ivermectin was used in treatment.
Frequency of Intestinal Protozoa in Patients Receiving Treatment at Van Special Physioactive Special Education and Rehabilitation Center
(2025) Saygin, Murat; Aydemir, Selahattin; Ekici, Abdurrahman; Yilmaz, Hasan
Objective: The aim of this study is to determine the frequency of intestinal protozoa in disabled patients attending a rehabilitation center, thereby highlighting the significance of intestinal protozoa in individuals with disabilities. Methods: The study included a total of 300 individuals, comprising 200 disabled patients and 100 non-disabled individuals. Stool samples were collected from all participants and examined using the native-Lugol and modified acid-fast methods. Results: In the study, intestinal protozoa were detected in 41% of disabled individuals and in 9% of individuals in the control group (p=0.001). Blastocystis was detected in 18% of patients, Cryptosporidium spp. in 15%, Giardia intestinalis in 9%, Cyclospora cayetanensis in 5%, and Entamoeba coli in 4%. Among the subgroups, spina bifida patients had a protozoan infection rate of 83.3%, while the rates in other groups were lower. A significant relationship was detected between the presence of parasites and diarrhea, constipation, and loss of appetite (p<0.05). Conclusion: Disabled individuals, especially those with spina bifida, are at risk for intestinal protozoa, and regular screening for opportunistic protozoa is essential for these patients.; Amaç: Bu çalışmanın amacı, bir rehabilitasyon merkezine devam eden engelli hastalarda intestinal protozoonlarınsıklığını belirleyerek intestinal protozoonların engelli bireylerdeki önemini ortaya koymaktır. Yöntemler: Çalışmaya, 200 engelli hasta ve 100 engelsiz birey olmak üzere toplam 300 kişi dahil edildi. Çalışmaya dahil edilen tüm bireylerden dışkı örnekleri alınarak, nativ-Lugol ve modifiye asit fast yöntemleriyle incelendi. Bulgular: Çalışmada, engelli bireylerin %41’inde ve kontrol grubundaki bireylerin %9’unda bir ya da daha fazla intestinal protozoon saptandı (p=0,001). Hastaların %18’inde Blastocystis, %15’inde Cryptosporidium spp., %9’unda Giardia intestinalis, %5’inde Cyclospora cayetanensis ve %4’ünde Entamoeba coli saptandı. Hasta alt gruplarından spina bifida hastalarının %83,3’ünde intestinal protozoon bulunurken diğer gruplardaki oranlar daha düşük bulundu. Ayrıca engelli bireylerde protozoon varlığı ile ishal, kabızlık ve iştahsızlık arasında anlamlı bir ilişki olduğu belirlendi (p<0,05). Sonuç: Engelli bireylerin, özellikle de spina bifida hastalarının intestinal protozoonlar açısından risk altında olduğu ve bu hastaların özellikle fırsatçı protozoonlar yönünden düzenli olarak taranması gerektiği kanaatine varıldı. This record is sourced from MEDLINE/PubMed, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
Increase in Scabies Cases and Permethrin Nonresponse in Türkiye
(Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications, 2025) Aydemir, Selahattin; Kul, Zubeyde; Barlik, Fethi; Saygin, Murat; Ekici, Abdurrahman; Yilmaz, Hasan
Background: There has been an increase in scabies cases in T & uuml;rkiye, and is considered to be an epidemic. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess scabies cases and the current status of scabies treatment by comparing patients who received scabies diagnosis and treatment before the COVID-19 pandemic, during the pandemic, and the normalization process. Materials and Methods: In this study, data of patients who applied to Van & Idot;pekyolu 1st Family Health Center and received a scabies diagnosis were evaluated retrospectively. Demographic data such as age, sex, application dates, and treatment methods were received from the electronic registration database of Van & Idot;pekyolu 1st Family Health Center. Categorical variables were presented as numbers (n) and percentages (%). The "two proportions Z-test and Fisher's exact" test of the ratios were used for categorical variables. Results: Before the pandemic, among 4009 patients with dermatology complaints, 56 (1.4%) received a scabies diagnosis. An increase in scabies cases has been observed since 2018, and the annual case count has further increased during the pandemic. Before the pandemic, 10 (17.9%) out of 56 patients diagnosed with scabies and 70 (31.1%) out of 225 patients diagnosed with scabies during and after the pandemic experienced recurrence after permethrin treatment. Patients who did not respond to permethrin treatment were successfully treated with ivermectin. Conclusions: An increase in scabies cases has been identified in conjunction with the COVID-19 pandemic and the recurrence of scabies in patients treated with permethrin after the pandemic has raised concerns about the potential development of resistance to permethrin.
Prevalence of Blastocystis Infection in Humans in Turkiye: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
(Academic Press Ltd- Elsevier Science Ltd, 2024) Aydemir, Selahattin; Barlik, Fethi; Yurekturk, Sehriban; Saygin, Murat; Unlu, Ahmet Hakan; Ekici, Abdurrahman; Yilmaz, Hasan
Although Blastocystis, a protozoan, is commonly found in all species of animals and in humans, there remains a lack of clear information about its epidemiology and routes of transmission. The aim of this meta-analysis study was to determine the changes in Blastocystis prevalence and subtype distribution in humans in T & uuml;rkiye according to geographical regions. Databases were searched using the Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, EBSCO, and TRDizin to identify studies on the prevalence of Blastocystis in humans in T & uuml;rkiye published from 2009 to 2023. As a result of this systematic search, 117 of 730 articles were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled prevalence of human Blastocystis infection in T & uuml;rkiye was 13.08 %. The prevalence of the pool was higher in the Black Sea region, which is the most humid region in T & uuml;rkiye, than in other regions. Blastocystis subtypes were identified in a total of 885 positive samples. The most common subtypes (ST) in T & uuml;rkiye were ST3, ST1 and ST2, respectively. In addition to these ST4, ST5, ST6 and ST7 were also detected in humans in T & uuml;rkiye. In conclusion, the prevalence of Blastocystis in humans is high in T & uuml;rkiye, especially in the Black Sea region.
Role of Chronic Toxoplasmosis in Substance Abuse in Humans and Its Effect on Dopamine Levels
(Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications, 2025) Gürbüz, Esra; Kara, Aysu; Yürektürk, Şehriban; Saygin, Murat; Aydemi̇r, Selahattin; Ekici, Abdurrahman
Background: Toxoplasma gondii is a common parasitic infection agent that, in its chronic phase, forms persistent tissue cysts in neuronal cells, potentially leading to neurological and behavioral alterations. Aim: To investigate the role of chronic toxoplasmosis in human substance abuse and investigate its effect on dopamine levels, which is associated with substance abuse. Materials and Methods: The study was designed with a substance abuse group comprising 90 patients with substance addiction and a control group consisting of 75 individuals without substance addiction. The substance abuse group consisted of patients who were addicted to alcohol, cannabis, cocaine, heroin, or amphetamines. Anti-Toxoplasma gondii IgG and dopamine levels in the blood sera and anti-T. gondii immunoglobulin G (IgG) levels in the blood samples taken from the participants were analyzed via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: T. gondii IgG was detected in 52 (57.8%) of 90 patients in the substance abuse group and 22 (29.3%) of 75 patients in the control group. There was a statistically significant relationship between T. gondii positivity and substance addiction (P = 0.001). However, no correlation was found between T. gondii positivity and the subgroups for the addiction type, criminal offense, imprisonment, or suicide attempt. Dopamine levels were statistically different between the groups. In the pairwise comparison of the groups, the dopamine levels in the T. gondii-positive substance abuse group were lower than in the other three groups, and this was statistically significant. Conclusion: In conclusion, the prevalence of T. gondii was higher in those with substance addiction than in those without. The fact that T. gondii alters dopamine levels was among the results. Since T. gondii can affect some behaviors of the host through changes in neurotransmitter levels, it was concluded that there is a significant relationship between T. gondii infection and substance abuse. © 2025 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.