Person: MUMCU, GONCA
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MUMCU
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GONCA
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Publication Metadata only Femoral vein wall thickness measurement: A new diagnostic tool for Behcet's disease(OXFORD UNIV PRESS, 2021) ALİBAZ ÖNER, FATMA; Alibaz-Oner, Fatma; Ergelen, Rabia; Yildiz, Yasin; Aldag, Mustafa; Yazici, Ayten; Cefle, Ayse; Koc, Ertan; Esen, Bahar Artim; Mumcu, Gonca; Ergun, Tulin; Direskeneli, HanerObjectives. Diagnosing Behcet's disease (BD) is a challenge, especially in countries with a low prevalence. Recently, venous wall thickness (VWT) in lower extremities has been shown to be increased in BD patients. In this study, we aimed to investigate the diagnostic performance of common femoral vein (CFV) thickness measurement in BD and whether it can be used as a diagnostic tool. Methods.. Patients with BD (n=152), ankylosing spondylitis (n=27), systemic vasculitides (n=23), venous insufficiency (n=29), antiphospholipid syndrome (APS; n=43), deep vein thrombosis due to non-inflammatory causes (n=25) and healthy controls (n=51) were included in the study. Bilateral CFV thickness was measured with ultrasonography by a radiologist blinded to cases. Results. Bilateral CFV thickness was significantly increased in BD compared with all control groups (P < 0.001 for all). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for bilateral CFV thicknesses in all comparator groups was >0.95 for the cut-off value (0.5 mm). This cut-off value also performed well against all control groups with sensitivity rates >90%. The specificity rate was also >80% in all comparator groups except APS (positive predictive value: 79.2-76.5%, negative predictive value: 92-91.8% for right and left CFV, respectively). Conclusion. Increased CFV thickness is a distinctive feature of BD and is rarely present in healthy and diseased controls, except APS. Our results suggest that CFV thickness measurement with ultrasonography, a non-invasive radiological modality, can be a diagnostic tool for BD with sensitivity and the specificity rates higher than 80% for the cut-off value >= 0.5mm.Publication Metadata only Oral health is a mediator for disease severity in patients with Behcet's disease: A multiple mediation analysis study(WILEY, 2019) AKSOY, AYSUN; Yay, Meral; Celik, Zulal; Aksoy, Aysun; Alibaz-Oner, Fatma; Inanc, Nevsun; Ergun, Tulin; Direskeneli, Haner; Mumcu, GoncaObjectivesThe aim of the study was to examine whether oral health as an infection focus could mediate disease course in patients with Behcet's disease (BD). MethodsIn the study, oral health of 194 BD patients was examined at baseline and follow-up periods. The reasons for last dental visits were recorded as tooth extraction or regular control visits/planned treatments at the end of follow-up period. The Behcet's disease severity score was calculated with higher scores indicating a more severe course. Mediation analysis was carried out to assess the effects of oral health on disease severity score at follow-up period in the study. ResultsDental and periodontal indices were found to be higher at follow-up visit compared to those of baseline (P<0.05). Disease severity score was found to be higher in males (5.32.4) compared to females (4.4 +/- 2.5) in the whole group (P=0.005). Moreover, patients having tooth extraction at their last dental visit and patients with dental caries had a more severe disease course (5.4 +/- 2.4; 5.5 +/- 2.5) compared to others (4.2 +/- 2.3; 4.4 +/- 2.4; P<0.0001). In multiple mediation analysis, disease severity score was a dependent variable and was directly mediated by male gender (B=-0.8822, P=0.0145) and indirectly mediated through the presence of dental caries (B=0.9509 P=0.0110) and need of tooth extraction (B=0.8758, P=0.0128). ConclusionBoth presence of dental caries and need of tooth extraction were observed to be effective mediators for a more severe disease course in BD. Therefore, better oral health should be aimed to eliminate microbial factors, which are a part of pathogenic processes.Publication Open Access Oral ulcer activity in Behcet's disease: Poor medication adherence is an underestimated risk factor(AVES, 2017-06-12) ALİBAZ ÖNER, FATMA; Mumcu, Gonca; Alibaz-Oner, Fatma; Oner, Sibel Yilmaz; Ozen, Gulsen; Atagunduz, Pamir; Inanc, Nevsun; Koksal, Leyla; Ergun, Tulin; Direskeneli, HanerObjective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between oral ulcer activity and medication adherence according to gender in Behcet's disease (BD) patients. Material and Methods: The study group included 330 BD patients (F/M: 167/163, mean age: 38.5 +/- 10.5 years). Oral ulcer activity and medication adherence were evaluated in the previous month. Medication adherence was evaluated using the 8-item Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS-8) having a score range of 0 to 8 with high scores indicating better adherence. Low adherence was defined as < 6 points on MMAS-8. Results: Over half of the group had active oral ulcers (n= 219, 66.4%) within the month preceding the visit. The number of oral ulcers was significantly higher in female patients with low medication adherence (2.39 +/- 3.24) than in the rest of the female group (1.28 +/- 2.05; p= 0.023). Although a similar trend was also observed in male patients (2.14 +/- 3.3 vs. 1.81 +/- 2.31), a significant relationship was not observed (p= 0.89). The frequency of medication intake per day was lower in patients with high medication adherence than in the rest of the study group (p= 0.04). Conclusion: Low medication adherence is a hidden risk factor in the management of BD. Poor adherence was associated with oral ulcer activity in female BD patients.Publication Metadata only Does illness perception associate with disease symptoms in Behcet's disease?(SPRINGER-VERLAG ITALIA SRL, 2019) ALİBAZ ÖNER, FATMA; Mumcu, Gonca; Yagar, Fedayi; Alibaz-Oner, Fatma; Inanc, Nevsun; Direskeneli, Haner; Ergun, TulinThis study aims to assess the relationship between illness perception and disease course and symptoms in Behcet disease (BD). One hundred ten consecutive BD patients (F/M 50/60, mean age 38.5 +/- 9.88years) and 57 patients with Psoriasis as a disease control group (F/M 28/29, mean age 48.12 +/- 15.52) are included in this cross-sectional study. Illness perception is evaluated using a revised version of the Illness Perception Questionnaire (IPQ-R). In IPQ-R, the identity score reflecting the number of symptoms is higher in BD patients with musculoskeletal involvement than the others (6.77 +/- 2.91 vs. 5.08 +/- 3.3, respectively, p=0.007). The consequences score for musculoskeletal involvement (19.52 +/- 7.03) and timeline (acute/chronic) score for eye involvement (26.67 +/- 4.32) are also higher compared to patients without them (16.37 +/- 5.82 and 22.09 +/- 8.68) (p=0.011 and p=0.038), reflecting negative beliefs about the illness. The score of psychological attribution is higher in patients with psoriasis than BD (p=0.039), whereas the other subgroup scores are lower in patients with psoriasis compared to those of BD (p<0.05). This study provides a patient's perspective in the disease management process of BD using the IPQ-R questionnaire. A patient's own personal beliefs and emotional responses to their symptoms might affect the outcome measures, especially with musculoskeletal symptoms and eye involvement in BD. However, psychological attribution is found to be a prominent issue in psoriasis.Publication Open Access The assessment of contributing factors to oral ulcer presence in Behcet's disease: Dietary and non-dietary factors(AVES, 2018-11-27) AKSOY, AYSUN; Iris, Merve; Ozcikmak, Ezgi; Aksoy, Aysun; Alibaz-Oner, Fatma; Inanc, Nevsun; Ergun, Tulin; Direskeneli, Haner; Mumcu, GoncaObjective: The aim of this study was to assess the contributing factors for oral ulcer activity in Behcet's disease (BD). Methods: Ninety-two patients with BD (F/M: 42/50, mean age: 38.7 +/- 10.02 years) participated in this cross-sectional study. Data regarding disease-related factors, smoking patterns, and self-reported dietary/non-dietary triggering factors for oral ulcer activity were collected by a questionnaire. Treatment protocol was categorized as mild and intensive groups associated with organ involvements. Results: A mild treatment protocol was more common in females (52.4% vs 20%) than in males (p=0.002). During the last three months, the number of oral ulcers in female patients was higher in the mild treatment group (6.4 +/- 6.5) than in the intensive treatment group (3.3 +/- 4.9) (p=0.045). In patients with active oral ulcers (n=63), rate of being a non-smoker was also higher in females (86.7% vs 63.6%) than in males. Daily frequency of tooth brushing was 1.2 +/- 0.8 in patients with BD, and was higher in females (1.5 +/- 0.9 vs 0.9 +/- 0.6) (p=0.001). Stress and fatigue (78.3%) were reported as the most frequent triggering factors for oral ulcer presence in patients with BD. A total of 148 different dietary factors associated with oral ulcer presence were reported in the study. Conclusion: A mild treatment protocol and being a non-smoker were found to be the contributing factors associated with oral ulcer activity in patients with BD. Being motivated for oral hygiene and being non-smokers were positive health behaviors observed in females. Irrespective of gender, stress and fatigue were defined as the most common self-reported triggering factors for oral ulcer presence in BD. In addition, the roles of some dietary factors were also reported.Publication Metadata only Venous vessel wall thickness in lower extremity is increased in male patients with Behcet's disease(SPRINGER LONDON LTD, 2019) ALİBAZ ÖNER, FATMA; Alibaz-Oner, Fatma; Ergelen, Rabia; Mutis, Aydan; Erturk, Zeynep; Asadov, Ruslan; Mumcu, Gonca; Ergun, Tulin; Direskeneli, HanerVascular involvement, especially in young males, is seen in up to 40% of the patients with Behcet's disease (BD) and is a major cause of mortality and morbidity. In this study, we investigated vessel wall thickness (VWT) and dilatation in lower extremity veins with Doppler ultrasound (US) in male BD patients. Sixty-one male patients with BD, 37 healthy male controls (HC) and 27 male patients, with ankylosing spondylitis (AS), were included in the study. Venous Doppler US was performed by an experienced radiologist blinded to cases. Bilateral common femoral vein (CFV) wall thickness and great/small saphenous vein (SV) dilatations were assessed. All venous measurements were significantly higher in BD compared to AS and HC (p<0.001 for all). Both right and left extremity CFV thicknesses had a high area under the ROC curve (>0.8). Cut-off values for right and left CFV thicknesses for BD was 0.49 and 0.48mm, respectively. High sensitivity and specificities are observed for both measurements (right CFV: sensitivity 81%, specificity 78.4%; left CFV: sensitivity 82.8%, specificity 81.1%). We found increased CFV thickness in BD patients independent of vascular involvement. As a similar change was not observed in controls, increased CFV thickness may be a specific sign of venous inflammation in BD. Our acceptable sensitivity and specificity values of CFV measurements suggest that assessment of femoral vein thickness with US may be a candidate diagnostic tool, especially in young males suspected of BD.Publication Metadata only Th17-Inducing Conditions Lead to in vitro Activation of Both Th17 and Th1 Responses in Behcet's Disease(TAYLOR & FRANCIS INC, 2017) ALİBAZ ÖNER, FATMA; Deniz, Rabia; Tulunay-Virlan, Aysin; Ozdemir, Filiz Ture; Unal, Ali Ugur; Ozen, Gulsen; Alibaz-Oner, Fatma; Aydin-Tatli, Imren; Mumcu, Gonca; Ergun, Tulin; Direskeneli, HanerObjectives: Interleukin-17 (IL-17) has been associated with the pathogenesis of various autoimmune/inflammatory diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of Th17-related immunity in an innate immunity-dominated vasculitis, namely Behcet's disease (BD). Methods: Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 37 patients (age: 38.59.8years) with BD, and 25 healthy controls (HC) (age: 39.19.3years), were cultured in Th17-inducing conditions (IL-6, Phytohemagglutinin (PHA), IL-1, and IL-23) for 6days. Cultured cells were stained with CD4, CD8, CD3, TCR gamma/delta, CD19, interferon- (IFN-), and IL-17 antibodies to determine the intracellular cytokine secretion by flow cytometry. Results: IL-17 expression by CD8+ and + T cells was higher in BD compared to HC (p=0.004, p=0.003, respectively). No differences were observed between the groups in the IL-17 production by B cells. Under Th17-inducing conditions, production of IFN- by CD4+, CD8+, and + T cells was also higher in BD compared to HC (p<0.05 in all). Conclusion: Our results suggest that under Th17-stimulating conditions, T cells express both IL-17 and IFN- in BD. More prominent IL-17 and IFN- production by all lymphocyte subsets in BD might be associated with the increased innate responses, early tissue neutrophil infiltrations and late adaptive immunity in BD.Publication Metadata only Unmet need in Behcet's disease: most patients in routine follow-up continue to have oral ulcers(SPRINGER LONDON LTD, 2014) ALİBAZ ÖNER, FATMA; Alibaz-Oner, Fatma; Mumcu, Gonca; Kubilay, Zeynep; Ozen, Gulsen; Celik, Gulce; Karadeniz, Asli; Can, Meryem; Oner, Sibel Yilmaz; Inanc, Nevsun; Atagunduz, Pamir; Ergun, Tulin; Direskeneli, HanerThe clinical course of Behcet's disease (BD) as a multisystemic disorder with a remitting-relapsing nature is insufficiently explored. As complete remission should be aimed in all inflammatory diseases, we investigated the frequency of complete remission in patients with BD followed in long-term, routine practice. In this retrospective study, 258 patients with BD who were regularly followed in outpatient clinics were assessed. The demographic and clinical data for active organ manifestations and treatment protocols were evaluated, and complete remission for this study was defined as no sign of any disease manifestation in the current visit and the preceding month. Two hundred fifty-eight patients with BD (F/M 130/128, mean age 41.1 +/- 11.5 years) were included to the study. Mucocutaneous disease was present in 48.4 % (n = 125). Mean visit number was 6.8 +/- 2.7, and mean follow-up duration was 45.8 +/- 36.5 months. Patients were clinically active in 67.2 % (n = 1,182) of the total visits (n = 1,757), which increased to 75.6 % (68.1-90.3) when the month preceding the visit was also included. The most common active manifestation was oral ulcers (39.4-63.2 %) followed by other mucocutaneous manifestations and musculoskeletal involvement. When multivariate analysis was performed, oral ulcers, which are the main cause of the clinical activity, negatively correlated with immunosuppressive treatments (beta = -0.356, p < 0.000) and age (beta = -0.183, p = 0.04). It is fairly difficult to achieve complete remission in BD with current therapeutic regimens. The reluctance of the clinician to be aggressive for some BD manifestations with low morbidity, such as mucocutaneous lesions and arthritis, might be influencing the continuous, low-disease activity state, especially due to oral ulcers, in BD patients.Publication Metadata only The assessment of work productivity and activity impairment in Behcet's disease(TUBITAK SCIENTIFIC & TECHNICAL RESEARCH COUNCIL TURKEY, 2017) ALİBAZ ÖNER, FATMA; Mumcu, Gonca; Lehimci, Fadime; Fidan, Ozlem; Guk, Hulya; Alpar, Ugur; Unal, Ali Ugur; Erturk, Zeynep; Alibaz Oner, Fatma; Inanc, Guzide Nevsun; Ergun, Safiye Atlas Tulin; Direskeneli, Rafi HanerBackground/aim: The aim of this study was to assess the relationships between the course of Behcet's disease (BD), disease-specific fears, and work productivity and activity impairment. Materials and methods: In this cross-sectional study, 110 consecutive BD patients were included. The Work Productivity and Activity Impairment questionnaire was used. Results: In the group of employed patients, 30.41% had missed work during the previous week. The mean percentages of daily activity impairment were higher in patients with musculoskeletal involvement (39.81 +/- 33.61%) compared to those without (23.48 +/- 32.45%) (P = 0.008). A greater decrease in working hours was observed in patients with eye involvement (45.52 +/- 15.29 h) compared to those without (54.15 +/- 15.29 h) (P = 0.007). More of the male patients (67.8%) were afraid of losing their jobs compared to females (30%) (P = 0.000). Conclusion: The highest levels of lost productivity and the most severe effects on daily life are consequences of eye and musculoskeletal involvement in the study population. More effective therapeutic approaches are required to improve the working lives of patients with BD. Moreover, male patients had a higher fear of losing their jobs, suggesting a match between the expected clinical course and the predictions of BD patients.