Ayşe Esra Koku Aksu
Current Organizations / Institutes
The organizations/institutes from the scholar's latest article
Research Subjects
Research Interests
Ayşe Esra Koku Aksu has a total of 80 co-authors. Here are the top co-authors by number of shared publications:
- Cem Leblebici
Department of Pathology, University of Health Sciences, Istanbul Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey
10 shared publications - Asude Kara Polat
Department of Dermatology University of Health Sciences, Istanbul Training and Research Hospital Istanbul Turkey
9 shared publications - Vefa Aslı Erdemir
Department of Dermatology, Istanbul Medeniyet University, Istanbul, Turkey
8 shared publications - Duygu Erdil
Department of Dermatology, University of Health Sciences, Istanbul Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey
7 shared publications - Mehmet Salih Gurel
Dermatology Department, Istanbul Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey
7 shared publications - Dilara İlHan Erdil
Department of Dermatology, University of Health Sciences, Istanbul Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey
5 shared publications
Latest Publications
- Open Access
- 21 May 2026
- Published by MDPI AG in Bioengineering
- Vol. 13 (5) , 591
Artifact-Aware Fungal Detection in Dermatophytosis: A Transformer-Based Approach for KOH Microscopy
Dermatophytosis is commonly assessed using potassium hydroxide (KOH) microscopy, yet accurate recognition of fungal hyphae is hindered by preparation-related artifacts, heterogeneous keratin clearance, and notable inter-observer variability. This study presents a transformer-based object detection framework using the RT-DETR architecture for precise, query-driven localisation of fungal structures in high-resolution KOH images. A dataset of 2540 routinely acquired microscopy images was manually annotated using a multi-class strategy that explicitly distinguishes fungal elements from confounding artifacts, enabling the model to actively suppress false detections arising from visually similar mimics. To assess architectural trade-offs, RT-DETR was benchmarked against two CNN-based detectors (YOLOv11 and Faster R-CNN) under identical training and inference conditions. Five-fold stratified cross-validation was performed, and each fold-level model was evaluated on the same independent held-out test set (n = 254). Across the five evaluations, RT-DETR achieved a mean AP@0.50 of , a mean recall of , and a mean precision of . At the image level, the model achieved a mean sensitivity of on the independent test set, with a mean of missed positive cases across the five evaluations. These results demonstrate the technical feasibility of a transformer-based artificial intelligence (AI) system as a decision-support aid for fungal region detection in KOH microscopy, pending prospective multi-center validation to establish clinical generalisability.- 21 May 2026
- Published by MDPI AG in Bioengineering
- Vol. 13 (5) , 591
Open AccessArtifact-Aware Fungal Detection in Dermatophytosis: A Transformer-Based Approach for KOH Microscopy
Dermatophytosis is commonly assessed using potassium hydroxide (KOH) microscopy, yet accurate recognition of fungal hyphae is hindered by preparation-related artifacts, heterogeneous keratin clearance, and notable inter-observer variability. This study presents a transformer-based object detection framework using the RT-DETR architecture for precise, query-driven localisation of fungal structures in high-resolution KOH images. A dataset of 2540 routinely acquired microscopy images was manually annotated using a multi-class strategy that explicitly distinguishes fungal elements from confounding artifacts, enabling the model to actively suppress false detections arising from visually similar mimics. To assess architectural trade-offs, RT-DETR was benchmarked against two CNN-based detectors (YOLOv11 and Faster R-CNN) under identical training and inference conditions. Five-fold stratified cross-validation was performed, and each fold-level model was evaluated on the same independent held-out test set (n = 254). Across the five evaluations, RT-DETR achieved a mean AP@0.50 of , a mean recall of , and a mean precision of . At the image level, the model achieved a mean sensitivity of on the independent test set, with a mean of missed positive cases across the five evaluations. These results demonstrate the technical feasibility of a transformer-based artificial intelligence (AI) system as a decision-support aid for fungal region detection in KOH microscopy, pending prospective multi-center validation to establish clinical generalisability. - Open Access
- 31 July 2025
- Published by Mattioli1885 in Dermatology Practical & Conceptual
- Vol. 15 (3) , 5455
Clinical and Histopathological Insights into Acantholytic Dyskeratotic Acanthoma: A Case Series
- 31 July 2025
- Published by Mattioli1885 in Dermatology Practical & Conceptual
- Vol. 15 (3) , 5455
Open AccessClinical and Histopathological Insights into Acantholytic Dyskeratotic Acanthoma: A Case Series
- Open Access
- 18 January 2025
- Published by Elsevier in Anais Brasileiros de Dermatologia (Versão em Português)
- Vol. 100 (1) , 150-155
Dermatofibroma: análise clinicopatológica de 239 casos
- 18 January 2025
- Published by Elsevier in Anais Brasileiros de Dermatologia (Versão em Português)
- Vol. 100 (1) , 150-155
Open AccessDermatofibroma: análise clinicopatológica de 239 casos
- 13 December 2024
- Published by Jurnal of Continuing Medical Education in STED / Sürekli Tıp Eğitimi Dergisi
Olgu Sunumu: Werner Sendromu
Werner sendromu (WS), hızlandırılmış yaşlanmayı düşündüren klinik özellikler sergileyen nadir bir genetik hastalıktır. İlk olarak 1904'te Alman tıp öğrencisi Otto Werner tarafından tanımlanmıştır. Nadir ve otozomal resesif bir erken yaşlanma bozukluğu olan WS, boy kısalması, alopesi, iki taraflı katarakt, cilt ülserleri, diyabet, osteoporoz, arterioskleroz ve kromozomal instabilite gibi yaşlanmayla ilişkili hastalıkların erken başlangıcıyla karakterizedir. Bu makalede, erken yaşlanma, büyüme gelişme geriliği belirtileri taşıyan ve Werner Sendromu tanısı konulan 45 yaşındaki kadın olgu ele alınmıştır.
- 13 December 2024
- Published by Jurnal of Continuing Medical Education in STED / Sürekli Tıp Eğitimi Dergisi
Olgu Sunumu: Werner Sendromu
Werner sendromu (WS), hızlandırılmış yaşlanmayı düşündüren klinik özellikler sergileyen nadir bir genetik hastalıktır. İlk olarak 1904'te Alman tıp öğrencisi Otto Werner tarafından tanımlanmıştır. Nadir ve otozomal resesif bir erken yaşlanma bozukluğu olan WS, boy kısalması, alopesi, iki taraflı katarakt, cilt ülserleri, diyabet, osteoporoz, arterioskleroz ve kromozomal instabilite gibi yaşlanmayla ilişkili hastalıkların erken başlangıcıyla karakterizedir. Bu makalede, erken yaşlanma, büyüme gelişme geriliği belirtileri taşıyan ve Werner Sendromu tanısı konulan 45 yaşındaki kadın olgu ele alınmıştır.
- Open Access
- 8 November 2024
- Published by Elsevier in Anais Brasileiros de Dermatologia
- Vol. 100 (1) , 150-155
Dermatofibroma: clinicopathological analysis of 239 cases
- 8 November 2024
- Published by Elsevier in Anais Brasileiros de Dermatologia
- Vol. 100 (1) , 150-155
Open AccessDermatofibroma: clinicopathological analysis of 239 cases
- Open Access
- 1 November 2024
- Published by Elsevier in Anais Brasileiros de Dermatologia (Versão em Português)
- Vol. 99 (6) , 833-839
Monitoramento dermatoscópico de nevos melanocíticos pediátricos quanto a alterações de padrão e diâmetro
- 1 November 2024
- Published by Elsevier in Anais Brasileiros de Dermatologia (Versão em Português)
- Vol. 99 (6) , 833-839
Open AccessMonitoramento dermatoscópico de nevos melanocíticos pediátricos quanto a alterações de padrão e diâmetro
- Open Access
- 14 July 2024
- Published by Elsevier in Anais Brasileiros de Dermatologia
- Vol. 99 (6) , 833-839
Dermoscopic monitoring of pediatric melanocytic nevi regarding pattern and diameter changes
- 14 July 2024
- Published by Elsevier in Anais Brasileiros de Dermatologia
- Vol. 99 (6) , 833-839
Open AccessDermoscopic monitoring of pediatric melanocytic nevi regarding pattern and diameter changes
- 5 April 2024
- Published by Galenos Yayinevi in Journal of Ankara University Faculty of Medicine
- Vol. 77 (1) , 61-67
Clinicoepidemiologic Characteristics and Prevalence of Venous Insufficiency in Patients with Pigmented Purpuric Dermatosis
- 5 April 2024
- Published by Galenos Yayinevi in Journal of Ankara University Faculty of Medicine
- Vol. 77 (1) , 61-67
Clinicoepidemiologic Characteristics and Prevalence of Venous Insufficiency in Patients with Pigmented Purpuric Dermatosis
- Open Access
- 1 January 2023
- Published by Elsevier in Anais Brasileiros de Dermatologia (Versão em Português)
- Vol. 98 (1) , 59-67
Doença sistêmica na vasculite leucocitoclástica: foco nos achados de imunofluorescência direta
- 1 January 2023
- Published by Elsevier in Anais Brasileiros de Dermatologia (Versão em Português)
- Vol. 98 (1) , 59-67
Open AccessDoença sistêmica na vasculite leucocitoclástica: foco nos achados de imunofluorescência direta
- 5 December 2022
- Published by Wiley in International Journal of Dermatology
- Vol. 62 (2) , 250-256
The clinical effect of botulinum toxin on pigmentation
Background: Botulinum toxin injection is a common cosmetic procedure often used to treat dynamic wrinkles, but it has also been observed to have a lightening effect on the skin. It is thought that this lightening effect develops due to muscle innervation blockage; however, the change in the amount of melanin levels has not been quantified.Method: Thirty‐one patients who presented to the dermatology clinic of a tertiary hospital for botulinum toxin injection for wrinkle treatment were included in the study. A standard dose of botulinum toxin was injected to each patient's forehead, glabellar, and crow's feet region, and then the melanin index (MI) was measured with the Mexameter® MX 18 (Courage + Khazaka Electronic, Köln).Results: After botulinum toxin treatment, a statistically significant decrease was found in the forehead and upper face MI. The upper face total baseline MI was significantly lower in the Glogau 1 group than in the Glogau 2 group (P = 0.033). The forehead 15th day MI was significantly lower in the Glogau 1 group than in the Glogau 2, 3, and 4 groups (P = 0.030).Discussion: Botulinum toxin application to healthy skin for wrinkle treatment can cause facial skin lightening by reducing MI. It was also remarkable that this decrease was more pronounced in the forehead, which is a region that is particularly vulnerable to sun exposure, compared to other regions. Younger people, who are included in the Glogau type 1 group, may benefit more from this lightening effect.
- 5 December 2022
- Published by Wiley in International Journal of Dermatology
- Vol. 62 (2) , 250-256
The clinical effect of botulinum toxin on pigmentation
Background: Botulinum toxin injection is a common cosmetic procedure often used to treat dynamic wrinkles, but it has also been observed to have a lightening effect on the skin. It is thought that this lightening effect develops due to muscle innervation blockage; however, the change in the amount of melanin levels has not been quantified.Method: Thirty‐one patients who presented to the dermatology clinic of a tertiary hospital for botulinum toxin injection for wrinkle treatment were included in the study. A standard dose of botulinum toxin was injected to each patient's forehead, glabellar, and crow's feet region, and then the melanin index (MI) was measured with the Mexameter® MX 18 (Courage + Khazaka Electronic, Köln).Results: After botulinum toxin treatment, a statistically significant decrease was found in the forehead and upper face MI. The upper face total baseline MI was significantly lower in the Glogau 1 group than in the Glogau 2 group (P = 0.033). The forehead 15th day MI was significantly lower in the Glogau 1 group than in the Glogau 2, 3, and 4 groups (P = 0.030).Discussion: Botulinum toxin application to healthy skin for wrinkle treatment can cause facial skin lightening by reducing MI. It was also remarkable that this decrease was more pronounced in the forehead, which is a region that is particularly vulnerable to sun exposure, compared to other regions. Younger people, who are included in the Glogau type 1 group, may benefit more from this lightening effect.