Person: ALİBAZ ÖNER, FATMA
Loading...
Email Address
Birth Date
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Job Title
Last Name
ALİBAZ ÖNER
First Name
FATMA
Name
14 results
Search Results
Now showing 1 - 10 of 14
Publication Open Access Biologic treatments in Behcet's disease(AVES, 2021-11-22) ALİBAZ ÖNER, FATMA; Alibaz-Oner, Fatma; Direskeneli, HanerBehcet's disease (BD) significantly increases morbidity and mortality, especially in young men. While vascular involvement is the most frequent cause of mortality, ocular involvement, which can cause visual loss, is the most important cause of morbidity in BD. Immunosuppressive treatment is the mainstay for major organ involvement. However, despite optimal immunosuppressive treatment, relapses and disease-related damage develop in a subgroup of patients, especially among those with ocular or vascular involvement. With the recent understanding of the immuno-pathogenesis, biologic treatments targeting potential pathogenic cells, cytokines or pathways are better optimized in BD. Data from large series showed that tumor necrosis factor-alpha inhibitors and interferon-alpha are effective and safe treatment options for the treatment of refractory and major organ involvement, such as ocular, neurologic, vascular, and gastrointestinal. Anakinra and ustekinumab also seem to be promising agents for refractory mucocutaneous disease. IL-1 inhibitors and tocilizumab may be alternatives for the treatment of patients with refractory eye involvement. Still, randomized controlled trials of biologic agents, especially for the treatment of major organ involvement, are insufficient, and further prospective, long-term follow-up studies are needed to clarify the efficacy, safety, and optimal treatment duration of biologic agents in BD.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 Evaluation of asymptomatic venous disease by venous Doppler ultrasonography in patients with Behcet's disease without overt thrombosis(SPRINGER LONDON LTD, 2014) ALİBAZ ÖNER, FATMA; Alibaz-Oner, Fatma; Karatay, Emrah; Akpinar, Ihsan Nuri; Ergun, Tulin; Direskeneli, HanerOne of the major causes of mortality and morbidity in Behcet's disease (BD) is vascular involvement. Limited data suggest a high prevalence of venous insufficiency (VI) and some cases of asymptomatic thrombosis in BD. In this study, we aimed to investigate asymptomatic venous disease by venous Doppler ultrasonography (US) prospectively in patients with BD, without known vascular disease. The study included 93 patients with BD (M/F, 45/48; age, 36.4 +/- 10 years), 97 patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) (M/F, 50/47; age, 37.5 +/- 9.5 years), and 43 healthy controls (HC) (M/F, 25/18; age, 34.7 +/- 4.5 years). All patients were examined for the clinical findings of venous thrombosis. Vessels of both upper and lower extremities were examined, while the subjects were in supine position by venous Doppler US. Clinical signs (C), the various etiologies (E), anatomical sites (A), and pathophysiological disorder (P) (CEAP) severity score was used to evaluate the severity of the VI. We did not detect any silent thrombosis in any group. VI findings in lower extremity were detected in 32.2 % (n = 30) in the BD group, 28.8 % (n = 28) in AS group, and 9.3 % (n = 4) in the HC group. Both BD and AS patients had significantly higher VI rates than controls (p = 0.007 and 0.015). Similarly, CEAP severity score in BD (0.34 (0-3)) was significantly higher than controls (0, p = 0.008) but similar to AS (0.18 (0-39), p = 0.18). No correlations were present between C-reactive protein elevation (> 5 mg/L) and VI in both BD (p = 0.546) and AS (p = 0.754). A high prevalence of VI was present in both BD and AS patients without symptomatic thrombosis. Presence of VI also in AS, a disease without a major tendency to venous thrombosis, might suggest that chronic inflammation might cause a mild insufficiency detected only by Power US in venous vessels. Long-term consequences of this finding require further follow-up studies to show whether asymptomatic venous disease is a predictor of future venous thrombotic events in patients with BD.Publication Open Access Pulmonary arterial wall thickness is increased in Behçet's disease patients with major organ ınvolvement: Is it a sign of severity?(2023-03-01) KOCAKAYA, DERYA; DİRESKENELİ, RAFİ HANER; ALİBAZ ÖNER, FATMA; Ağaçkıran S. K., Sünbül M., Doğan Z., Kocakaya D., Kayacı S., Direskeneli H., Alibaz-Oner F.Objectives Behcet\"s disease (BD) is a unique systemic vasculitis mainly involving veins, in contrast to other vasculitides. Prior studies have shown that pulmonary arteries (PAs) have a similar structure to systemic veins. In this study we aimed to assess PA wall thickness by transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) in BD patients compared with healthy controls (HCs) and patients with non-inflammatory pulmonary embolism (NIPE). Methods Patients with BD (n = 77) and NIPE (n = 33) and HCs (n = 57) were studied. PA wall thickness was measured from the mid-portion of the main PA with TTE by two cardiologists blinded to cases. Results PA wall thickness was significantly lower in HCs [3.6 mm (s.d. 0.3)] compared with NIPE [4.4 mm (s.d. 0.5)] and BD [4.4 mm (s.d. 0.6)] (P < 0.001 for both). PA wall thickness was similar between BD and NIPE (P = 0.6). Among patients with BD, PA wall thickness was significantly higher in patients with major organ involvement compared with mucocutaneous limited disease [4.7 mm (s.d. 0.4) vs 3.7 (0.4), P < 0.001], HCs and NIPE (P < 0.001 and P = 0.006, respectively). PA wall thickness was comparable between patients with vascular and non-vascular major organ involvement [4.6 mm (s.d. 0.5) vs 4.7 (0.3), P = 0.3]. Conclusion We observed that PA wall thickness was significantly higher in BD with major organ involvement compared with patients with only mucocutaneous limited disease, HCs and NIPE. These results suggest that increased PA wall thickness may be a sign of severe disease with major organ involvement in 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.