Preoperative diagnosis of thyroid tuberculosis is important because of the availability of medical treatment and the limited role of surgery. This condition should be kept in mind in evaluating patients with a thyroid nodule, in communities where the prevalence of tuberculosis is high.

There is a growing amount of evidence to suggest that besides motor features, patients with essential tremor (ET) may exhibit significant nonmotor features, such as mild cognitive deficits, fatigue, neuropsychiatric symptoms, and sleep disturbances. The goal of this study was to examine nonmotor features in young patients with ET and their impact on quality of life. 45 patients (24.55 ± 7.16 years old) with ET and 35 controls were evaluated using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Epworth Sleepiness Scale, Beck Depression Inventory, Beck Anxiety Scale, Fatigue Severity Scale, and Short Form-36. Cognitive functions were evaluated using the Turkish version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment Battery (MoCA). We ruled out other possible causes of the tremor. The tremor rate was evaluated using the Fahn-Tolosa-Marin Tremor Rating Scale. Poor sleep quality, fatigue, anxiety, and depressive symptoms were more common, and MoCA total scores were lower in the patient group. Fatigue, depressive symptoms, and higher anxiety levels were seen to have a negative effect on physical and mental health. Excessive daytime sleepiness had a negative effect on physical health. There is an emerging interest in nonmotor features of ET. This study showed that even young patients have nonmotor features that decrease their quality of life. This might tell us that nonmotor symptoms could be a part of the disease in the early stages.

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) constitute an endopeptidase family involved in various physiological and pathological processes. It was demonstrated that plasma MMP-9 level was increased in patients with acute ischemic stroke. In this study, it was investigated whether there was a relationship between the levels of plasma MMP-9 and the severity of stroke and infarct volume in patients with acute ischemic stroke. A total of 32 patients with acute ischemic stroke, (16 males and 16 females) and 30 healthy controls were included in the study. Plasma MMP-9 levels were measured using ELISA method. Computed tomography was performed at 48th hour and infarct volume was calculated using the Cavalieri method. The National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) was checked at baseline, 12, 24, and 48th hour. Plasma MMP-9 levels of the patient group at baseline, 12, 24, and 48th hour were found significantly higher compared to the control group (p < 0.05). An important correlation between MMP-9 levels and the infarct volume was observed at baseline, 12, 24, and 48th hour (p < 0.001). Furthermore, a positive correlation was recorded between plasma MMP-9 levels and NIHSS scores at baseline, 12, 24, and 48th hour (p < 0.001). Plasma MMP-9 levels of those of suffering medium and heavy damages were found significantly higher when compared to those of having slight damage (p < 0.05). A significant relationship was also observed between infarct volumes and neurological deficits (p < 0.05). Plasma MMP-9 levels of the patients at 48th hour were found to be significantly lower in recovered patients compared to those who did not improved or worsened (p < 0.05). A positive correlation was recorded between the infarct volume and infarct progression (p < 0.05). In conclusion, this study showed that plasma MMP-9 level substantially increased during the acute period of ischemic cerebrovascular disease and correlated with the severity of the disease and infarct volume. The definition of the exact role of plasma MMP-9 after ischemic stroke will have important diagnostic implications for stroke and for the development of therapeutic strategies aimed at modulating plasma MMP-9.

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Objective To evaluate the effect of acupuncture on the serum matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) level and activity in patients with migraine.