The smoking prevalence and the determinants of smoking behaviour among students in Cukurova University, Southern Turkey.

Objectives: To determine the smoking prevalence and its determinants in students at Cukurova University, Southern Turkey.

Design: The sample was selected from the first and final year students of all faculties in Cukurova University. The students who were present on the day of the survey were all included in the study.

Life-threatening gastrointestinal system bleeding in Hodgkin disease: multidetector CT findings and review of the literature.

Acute lower gastrointestinal system (GIS) bleeding is a life-threatening condition. Immediate determination of the origin of the bleeding is crucial, since hemostatic management must be initiated as rapidly as possible. Colonoscopy, radionuclide studies, and conventional angiography are considered the most important methods for assessing the origin of the bleeding.

The antibiotic prescribing behaviourof physicians for acute tonsillopharyngitis in primary care.

Objectives: Acute tonsillopharyngitis is one of the most common reasons for antibiotic use although it is mostly viral. There seems to be a large variation between physicians in prescribing antibiotics. The aim of this study was to explore the antibiotic prescribing behaviour of physicians while treating cases with acute tonsillopharyngitis.

Liver imaging findings of Wilson's disease.

Wilson's disease is a rare, autosomal-recessive inherited disorder of copper metabolism resulting in accumulation of copper in liver. The form of liver disease varies, depending on the severity of the disease at the time of diagnosis and pathological findings include fatty changes, acute hepatitis, chronic active hepatitis, cirrhosis and occasionally fulminant hepatic necrosis. Liver imaging findings reflect a wide range of physiopathological processes of the disease and also demonstrate the associated findings of cirrhosis in cases with advanced disease.

Biliary cystadenoma and cystadenocarcinoma: two rare cystic liver lesions.

A case of hepatobiliary cystadenoma with mesenchymal stroma and a case of biliary cystadenocarcinoma are presented. Hepatobiliary cystadenoma and cystadenocarcinoma are rare liver lesions that are difficult to diagnose preoperatively. Regardless of the diagnostic modalities used these two pathologies cannot be differentiated with accuracy.

Multidetector CT and MRI findings in periportal space pathologies.

Periportal region is an anatomic space around portal vein comprising hepatic artery, bile duct, nerves, lymphatics and a potential space. Periportal pathologies may involve any of these structures diffusely or focally with characteristic radiologic findings. Radiologic findings can be helpful in differential diagnosis of pathologies of periportal structures including periportal cavernomatous transformation, hepatic artery aneurysm, biliary diseases, neurofibromatosis, lymphoma, langerhans' cell histiocytosis, periportal fatty infiltration and other causes of periportal halo in adult and pediatric patients.

Bleeding pulmonary artery pseudoaneurysm secondary to squamous cell lung cancer: computed tomography findings and endovascular management.

A case of bleeding pulmonary artery pseudoaneurysm secondary to squamous cell lung cancer is reported. The patient presented with massive hemoptysis, diagnosis was made with multidetector computed tomography, and the pseudoaneurysm was successfully embolized with platinum coils. Hemoptysis ceased following the procedure.

Unenhanced multidetector CT evaluation of urinary stones and secondary signs in pediatric patients.

Purpose: This retrospective study evaluated the unenhanced multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) findings of urinary system calculi and the secondary signs associated with ureteral stones in children.

Materials And Methods: The study included 87 children (54 boys, 32 girls) with a mean age of 89 months (range: 5 months to 16 years) who were referred to us from various departments and were evaluated with unenhanced MDCT between January 2004 and June 2005. The patients were retrospectively evaluated by 2 radiology specialists by means of PACS (picture archiving and communication systems) with regard to the presence of stones, and localization and secondary signs associated with ureteral stones, such as hydronephrosis, proximal ureteral dilatation, unilateral renal enlargement, perinephric edema, tissue rim sign, decreased renal density, and periureteral edema.

Avian influenza in Turkey--will it influence health in all Europe?

Avian influenza is an infection caused by avian influenza (bird flu) viruses, which occur naturally among birds. Wild birds worldwide carry the viruses in their intestines, but usually do not get sick. However, avian influenza is very contagious among birds and can cause illness and death in some domesticated birds, including chickens, ducks, and turkeys.

Bilateral scrotal extraperitoneal herniation of ureters: computed tomography urographic findings and review of the literature.

Scrotal herniation of the ureter is an extremely rare and often misdiagnosed condition with possible serious surgical complications. Most reported cases occur in obese men during the fifth and sixth decades of life. Two types of ureteroinguinal hernias are defined: paraperitoneal (more frequent and acquired form with a peritoneal hernia sac in which other abdominal structures are found) and extraperitoneal (uncommon and congenital form without a peritoneal sac that is almost always composed of the ureter and fat tissue).

Spontaneous recanalization of superior mesenteric artery occlusion following angioplasty and stenting of inferior mesenteric artery.

An 84-year-old woman with a history of hypertension and coronary artery disease was admitted with a progressively worsening diffuse abdominal pain. Computed tomography scan of the abdomen and angiography revealed occlusion of the origin and proximal portion of superior mesenteric artery. Aortography also showed severe origin stenosis of inferior mesenteric artery and that the distal part of the superior mesenteric artery was supplied by a prominent marginal artery of Drummond.

Measurement of chimerism in cynomolgus monkeys using human-specific short tandem repeat-based assay.

Preclinical testing of a mixed chimerism mediated organ transplant tolerance strategy, in a cynomolgus macaque model, would be facilitated by the establishment of a reliable technique for quantitative assessment of chimerism. Among various techniques used for measurement of chimerism in humans, microsatellite DNA profiling has been considered the most versatile one that can discriminate between two individuals. We adopted a commercially available short tandem repeat profiling methodology to cynomolgus monkeys using two human specific alleles, TPOX and CSF1PO.

Targeted T-cell depletion or CD154 blockade generates mixed hemopoietic chimerism and donor-specific tolerance in mice treated with sirolimus and donor bone marrow.

Background: The administration of donor specific bone marrow (DSBM) to mice conditioned with antilymphocyte serum (ALS) and sirolimus can result in stable multilineage mixed chimerism and long-term graft survival. This study seeks to determine if either the targeted depletion of CD4 and/or CD8 pos T cells or costimulation blockade can substitute for ALS and preserve the efficacy of this regimen.

Methods: C57BL/6 recipients of BALB/c skin allografts were treated with DSBM (150 x 10(6) cells), sirolimus (24 mg/kg intraperitonealy), and either ALS or various monoclonal antibodies (alphaCD4, alphaCD8, alphaCD154 alone or in combination).

Utility of covered stents for extracranial internal carotid artery stenosis.

To our knowledge, the utility of coronary covered stents in the treatment of atherosclerotic carotid artery stenosis has not been defined in the English-language literature. Covered stents may prevent microembolic complications in select atherosclerotic carotid lesions, as they exclude the atherosclerotic lesion from the circulation by pressing the plaque against the vessel wall. Our early clinical experience has shown that use of these stents can be a therapeutic option in select cases of atherosclerotic stenosis of the cervical internal carotid artery.

Bifid mandibular condyle: a case report.

A case of left bifid mandibular condyle (BMC) is reported in a 36-year-old female. The patient had a history of trauma in childhood. From the radiological examination, the left condyle was seen to have two anterioposteriorly situated heads.

Cellular congenital mesoblastic nephroma with contralateral medullary nephrocalcinosis.

Congenital mesoblastic nephroma is the most common renal mass in the newborn period and can present with atypical findings. Certain associated conditions such as hypercalcaemia, hypertension and reninism have been described. We report a cellular variant of congenital mesoblastic nephroma with hypercalcaemia and contralateral medullary nephrocalcinosis.

[Pneumosinus dilatans].

Pneumosinus dilatans is a localized abnormal dilatation of paranasal sinuses which contains only air and is covered with normal epithelium. We presented the X-ray, CT and MRI findings of three cases with pneumosinus dilatans secondary to arachnoid cyst and meningioma. When evaluating the patients with long-lasting symptoms, pneumosinus dilatans should be considered.

The relationship between cholesterol levels and depression in the elderly.

Objective: This study was undertaken to evaluate the possible association between low levels of serum cholesterol and depression in the elderly.

Background: The alteration of cholesterol content of synoptosomal membrane in response to low serum cholesterol levels has been shown to decrease the serotonin receptors in depressed patients. Previous studies suggest that low levels of serum cholesterol may be associated with the increased risk of depression in the elderly.

Predictors of smoking behavior of first year university students: questionnaire survey.

Aim: To assess the prevalence of smoking and sociodemographic factors related to smoking behavior of first year university students in Adana, Turkey.

Methods: The sample was selected from two faculties (Faculty of Engineering and Architecture and Faculty of Agriculture) using the method of simple cluster sampling, representing the university student population. The students filled out an anonymous questionnaire comprising 17 questions related to their sociodemographic characteristics and smoking behavior.

Right internal iliac vein joining the left common iliac vein: case report demonstrated by CT angiography.

An unusual variation of the iliac veins was detected by computed tomography (CT) angiography in a 35-year-old man. In coronal CT reconstructions, it was shown that the right internal iliac vein of this patient crossed to the left side and drained to the left common iliac vein. This variation is important in retroperitoneal, laparoscopic and orthopedic surgery.

Isolated splenic infarction owing to group B Salmonella: case report.

The clinical spectrum of extra-intestinal salmonellosis, comprising enteric fever and invasive infections owing to non-typhoidal Salmonellae, is well known. We report an otherwise healthy patient with isolated splenic infarction caused by group B Salmonella. She was seropositive for the O antigen of Salmonella group B and stool cultures were positive for group B Salmonellae.