Vincristine as an Adjunct to Therapeutic Plasma Exchange for Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura: A Single-Institution Experience.

Background: Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura is a potentially life-threatening condition. Although the introduction of therapeutic plasma exchange has reduced mortality rates from over 90% to 10%-20%, approximately 40% of patients relapse, and outcomes may be fatal in refractory patients. There is clearly a need for additional therapeutic approaches.

Minimally invasive management of esophageal perforation.

Esophageal perforation is a medical emergency associated with high morbidity and mortality. There is no consensus on the optimal treatment of this life-threatening condition. Conventional treatment of esophageal perforation is surgical.

10 W-level gain-switched all-fiber laser at 2.8 μm.

We report a simply designed gain-switched all-fiber laser emitting a maximum average output power of 11.2 W at 2.826 µm.

High-energy picosecond pulses from a 2850 nm fiber amplifier.

We report the demonstration of a 2850 nm diode-pumped Ho, Pr co-doped fluoride fiber amplifier that delivers pulses with an average power of 2.45 W, 122 μJ energy, and 500 ps duration at a repetition rate of 20 kHz. To the best of our knowledge, the average power and pulse energy are the highest to be obtained from a sub-nanosecond fiber source operating in the 3 μm spectral region.

Lung Hydatid Cyst Treatment With Laparotomy: A New and Different Technique.

This report presents the case of a patient with a pulmonary hydatid cyst. The patient underwent laparotomy for hepatic and splenic cysts, and cystotomy and capitonnage were perfomed using a transdiaphragmatic intervention. The pulmonary hydatid cyst was located at the base of the lung and near the diaphragm.

Comparison of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery and thoracotomy in the treatment of mediastinal cysts.

Background: This study aims to compare the results of videoassisted thoracoscopic surgery and thoracotomy in the treatment of mediastinal cystic lesions.

Methods: Sixty patients (28 males, 32 females; mean age 36.1±19.

Thoracic perforations-surgical techniques.

Esophageal perforation may occur spontaneously, iatrogenically or in connection with traumas. Sepsis may develop in connection with mediastinal and pleural exposure in a very short time as a consequence of disintegration of the esophagus. Esophageal perforation is an emergency accompanied with a high level of mortality and morbidity.

Interferon-alpha-induced hepatitis C virus clearance restores p53 tumor suppressor more than direct-acting antivirals.

The mechanism why hepatitis C virus (HCV) clearance by direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) does not eliminate the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) among patients with advanced cirrhosis is unclear. Many viral and bacterial infections degrade p53 in favor of cell survival to adapt an endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-stress response. In this study, we examined whether HCV clearance by interferon-alpha or DAAs normalizes the ER stress and restores the expression of p53 tumor suppressor in cell culture.

Effect of combined exercise training on serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor, suppressors of cytokine signaling 1 and 3 in patients with multiple sclerosis.

Background: Suppressors of cytokine signaling (SOCS) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) are important immunologic, and neurotrophic factors for MS pathogenesis. The impact of exercise on these factors is yet to be fully elucidated in patients with MS.

Objective: The primary aim of this study is to investigate the effect of 8-week combined exercise training on serum concentrations of SOCS1, SOCS3, and BDNF.

Retrospective Evaluation of Hairy Cell Leukemia Patients Treated with Three Different First-Line Treatment Modalities in the Last Two Decades: A Single-Center Experience.

Objective: In this study, we retrospectively analyzed the clinical outcome, treatment responses, infectious complications, and survival rates of 71 hairy cell leukemia (HCL) cases.

Materials And Methods: Sixty-seven patients received a first-line treatment and 2-chlorodeoxyadenosine (cladribine-2-CdA) was administered in 31 cases, 19 patients received interferon-alpha (INF-α), splenectomy was performed in 16 cases, and rituximab was used in one.

Results: Although the highest overall response rate (ORR) was observed in patients receiving 2-CdA upfront, ORRs were comparable in the 2-CdA, INF-α, and splenectomy subgroups.

Does the treatment of proton pump inhibitors reduce dysplasia or adenocarcinoma development in Barrett's esophagus?

Besides reducing the reflux symptoms, the benefit of proton pump inhibitors (PPI) in the treatment of Barrett's esophagus (BE) is not exactly known. The data in the literature show that although the PPI treatment does not reduce the Barrett's segment length, it can reduce dysplasia or the development of early-stage adenocarcinoma (odds ratio (OR): 0.46).

How should we describe, diagnose and observe the Barrett's esophagus?

Barrett's esophagus (BE) is one of the major complications of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) commonly encountered in gastroenterology clinics. A consensus has not been achieved yet with respect to the definition of BE in published guidelines. It is advised to use the Prague classification and not to use the definition of short and long segments for the endoscopic standardization of BE.

Relationship between metabolic syndrome and nodular thyroid diseases.

Nodular thyroid diseases are common in Turkey. Insulin resistance (IR) is considered as the most important component of metabolic syndrome (MetS), and it is thought to directly affect thyroid diseases, together with other components of MetS. The aim of this study was to evaluate potential factors associated with thyroid nodularity.

Third-line treatment with second-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors (dasatinib or nilotinib) in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia after two prior TKIs: real-life data on a single center experience along with the review of the literature.

Objectives: Newer tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) (bosutinib, ponatinib) and allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) can be utilized as a salvage therapy in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) who failed two lines (imatinib → nilotinib or imatinib → dasatinib) of TKI therapy. However, these TKIs are not available in many countries and not all patients can undergo allo-HSCT.

Methods: In this study, CML patients who received dasatinib or nilotinib as a third-line treatment were retrospectively evaluated.

Is there a relationship between blood lipids and lumbar disc herniation in young Turkish adults?

Introduction: Atherosclerosis might diminish the nutrient supply to intervertebral discs (IVD), leading to disc herniation. Therefore, there is interest in determining the possible association between the blood lipid profile and lumbar disc herniation (LDH). We aimed to evaluate the association between blood lipids and LDH in a homogeneous group of patients, controlling for age- and sex-specific effects.

Outcomes of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Patients With Early Molecular Response at 3 and 6 Months: A Comparative Analysis of Generic Imatinib and Glivec.

Background: The molecular response at 3 months of the original imatinib (OI) in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia has prognostic significance; however, this has never been tested for generic imatinib (GI).

Patients And Methods: We evaluated the BCR-ABL1 [international reporting scale (IS)] transcript levels at 3 and 6 months to determine whether an early molecular response (EMR) had a prognostic effect on the outcome among chronic myeloid leukemia patients receiving GI. Ninety patients were divided into 2 groups, according to the imatinib they received, as OI (group A) and GI (group B).

Activation of PERK-Nrf2 oncogenic signaling promotes Mdm2-mediated Rb degradation in persistently infected HCV culture.

The mechanism of how chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection leads to such a high rate of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is unknown. We found that the PERK axis of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress elicited prominent nuclear translocation of Nrf2 in 100% of HCV infected hepatocytes. The sustained nuclear translocation of Nrf2 in chronically infected culture induces Mdm2-mediated retinoblastoma protein (Rb) degradation.

The New Anatomical Classification System for Orbital Exenteration Defect.

Background: The unique anatomy of the orbita and the different behavior of each malignant tumor cause us to perform the various types of orbital exenteration that yields to varying defect each of which has own specific demands in terms of the reconstruction. Current classification of orbital exenteration defects seems not to be adequate to provide detailed description. This study reviews 50 exenteration defects to offer a more effective anatomical classification system.

Nailfold videocapillaroscopy results in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

We aimed to analyse the nailfold capillaryscopy findings morphologically and examine their relationship with disease activity and demographic characteristics in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. In accordance with the 2010 ACR/EULAR classification criteria, 201 patients diagnosed with Romatoiad artrit (RA) and 50 healthy controls were included. We analysed capillaroscopic abnormalities such asmegacapillaries, haemorrhages, ramifications and avascular areas in patients affected with rheumatoid arthritis.

The toxic effects of polychlorinated biphenyl (Aroclor 1242) on Tm3 Leydig cells.

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are ubiquitous and persistent environmental contaminants that disrupt endocrine function in biological systems, especially in the male reproductive system. Previous studies on the reproductive toxicity of PCBs have focused on the impairment of spermatogenesis, disruption of steroidogenesis, decreased sperm number, and infertility. Aroclor 1242 is a commercial mixture with an average of 42% chlorine by weight.

Thymectomy in Myasthenia Gravis.

In recent years, thymectomy has become a widespread procedure in the treatment of myasthenia gravis (MG). Likelihood of remission was highest in preoperative mild disease classification (Osserman classification 1, 2A). In absence of thymoma or hyperplasia, there was no relationship between age and gender in remission with thymectomy.

Chaperone-mediated autophagy compensates for impaired macroautophagy in the cirrhotic liver to promote hepatocellular carcinoma.

Macroautophagy and chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA) represent two major lysosomal degradation processes and often compensate for one another to facilitate cell survival. The aim of this study was to determine whether these autophagy pathways could compensate for one another to promote HCC cell survival in the cirrhotic liver. Analysis of normal liver tissue showed no expression of glypican-3 or p62 proteins, suggesting that macroautophagy is the major contributor to autophagic flux under non-pathological conditions.