Serum CCL-18 level is a risk factor for COPD exacerbations requiring hospitalization.

Introduction: Chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 18 (CCL-18) has been shown to be elevated in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. This study primarily aimed to evaluate whether the serum CCL-18 level differentiates the frequent exacerbator COPD phenotype from infrequent exacerbators. The secondary aim was to investigate whether serum CCL-18 level is a risk factor for exacerbations requiring hospitalization.

Catheter-Directed Therapy in Acute Pulmonary Embolism with Right Ventricular Dysfunction: A Promising Modality to Provide Early Hemodynamic Recovery.

BACKGROUND Catheter-directed therapy (CDT) for pulmonary embolism (PE) is considered as an alternative to systemic thrombolysis (ST) in patients with hemodynamically unstable acute PE who are considered at high bleeding risk for ST. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of CDT in the management of acute PE with right ventricular dysfunction (RVD). The primary outcomes were mortality, clinical success, and complications.

The relationship between driving simulation performance and obstructive sleep apnoea risk, daytime sleepiness, obesity and road traffic accident history of commercial drivers in Turkey.

Background: Driving performance is known to be very sensitive to cognitive-psychomotor impairment. The aim of the study was to determine the relationship between obesity, risk of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), daytime sleepiness, history of road traffic accident (RTA) and performance on a driving simulator, among commercial drivers.

Methods: We examined commercial vehicle drivers admitted to Psycho-Technical Assessment System (PTAS), which is a computer-aided system that includes a driving simulator test and tests assessing psychomotor-cognitive skills required for driving.

Association between self reported snoring, STOP questionnaire and postoperative pulmonary complications in patients submitted to ortophaedic surgery.

Background: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) may increase perioperative complications. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship among postoperative pulmonary complication, snoring and STOP questionnaire in patients with ortophaedic surgery.

Methods: 1,406 consecutive records of patients who had undergone elective ortophaedic surgery during the period January 2005-December 2008 were investigated retrospectively.

The relationships of serum prealbumin levels with parameters that indicate severity of disease and emphysema pattern in patients with stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Objective: Malnutrition, which is a complication frequently observed in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and negatively affects prognosis, has become a parameter that must be monitored. Even though various methods are applied to assess malnutrition, biochemical parameters, especially serum prealbumin levels, are useful.

Materials And Methods: The relationships between serum prealbumin levels, which we used as an indicator of malnutrition, with the severity of disease and the parameters predicting emphysema in stable COPD patients with no additional health problems were determined in this prospective study.

Ghrelin, leptin, adiponectin, and resistin levels in sleep apnea syndrome: Role of obesity.

Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship among plasma leptin, ghrelin, adiponectin, resistin levels, and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS).

Methods: Fifty-five consecutive newly diagnosed OSAS patients and 15 age-matched nonapneic controls were enrolled in this study. After sleep study between 8:00 AM and 9:00 AM on the morning, venous blood was obtained in the fasting state to measure ghrelin and adipokines.

Immune thrombocytopenia associated with pulmonary tuberculosis.

Many hematological abnormalities, such as pancytopenia, anemia, and leukocytosis, can be associated with tuberculosis (TB). Immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) is an extremely rare event in TB. We report a 46-year-old male patient who was admitted to hospital with a history of weight loss, combined with hemoptysis, fever, cough, sputum, general malaise, and night sweats.

Relationship between disease severity and D-dimer levels measured with two different methods in pulmonary embolism patients.

Pulmonary embolism (PE) is diagnosed with increasing frequency nowadays due to advances in the diagnostic methods and the increased awareness of the disease. There is a tendency to use non invasive diagnostic methods for all diseases. D-dimer is a fibrin degradation product.

Evaluation of thyroid hormone levels and somatomedin-C (IGF-1) in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and relation with the severity of the disease.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has recently become a significant cause of mortality and morbidity. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the relationship between the severity of the disease and levels of serum thyroid hormones and somatomedin-C [Insulin-Like Growth Factor (IGF-1)]. Sixty one COPD cases (group 1) were enrolled.

Association between serum neopterin, obesity and daytime sleepiness in patients with obstructive sleep apnea.

Objective: Obesity and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and systemic inflammation may interact through biochemical pathways. Neopterin (NP) is a monocyte/macrophage activation marker produced by macrophages in response to interferon-gamma secreted by activated T-lymphocytes. This study examines the association between NP, obesity and OSA.

[Homocysteine levels in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome].

The exact mechanism of development of cardiovascular disease in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) remains to be unknown. The role of homocysteine in atherosclerotic disease process has become well established over the past ten years. Our aim was to study to compare homoscysteine levels between OSAS and control levels.

Breast and osteoarticular tuberculosis in a male patient.

Breast tuberculosis is an uncommon illness. It is predominant in young women. To our knowledge, only 7 cases of tuberculous mastitis in men have been reported in the English literature since 1945.

Interleukin-10 (IL-10) gene polymorphism as a potential host susceptibility factor in tuberculosis.

Several genes encoding for different cytokines may play crucial roles in host susceptibility to tuberculosis (TB), since the cytokine production capacity varies among individuals and depends on the cytokine gene polymorphism. The association of the cytokine gene polymorphisms with the development of TB was investigated in this study. DNA samples were obtained from a Turkish population of 81 patients with the different clinical forms of TB, and 50 healthy control subjects.

Clinical effectiveness of nebulised budesonide in the treatment of acute asthma attacks.

Nebulized budesonide (NB) might offer topical anti-inflammatory activity and be an alternative to systemic corticosteroid (SC) in the treatment of acute asthma. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of NB with SC on lung function and clinical findings of adult patients with acute asthma. Thirty patients admitted to clinic with asthma attack (F/M: 26/4; mean age: 47.

Matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) elevated in serum but not in bronchial lavage fluid in patients with lung cancer.

Aims And Background: Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) family member MMP-9 degrades type IV collagen, which is one of the main constituents of the basement membrane. MMP-9 is closely associated with the invasive and metastatic potential of most types of lung cancer. In this study we investigated the levels of MMP-9 in serum and bronchial lavage fluid from lung cancer patients and compared them with the levels in patients with nonmalignant lung disease.

Primary pulmonary amyloidosis associated with multiple myeloma.

Amyloidosis is a syndrome characterized by the deposition of an insoluble proteinaceous material in the extracellular matrix of one or several organs. Respiratory tract involvement with amyloid is rare and deposition of lower respiratory tract has been recognized in a variety of situations with different presentations. Primary idiopathic amyloidosis may be a diagnostic problem because of its low incidence and its variable manifestations.

The evaluation of soluble Fas and soluble Fas ligand levels of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid in lung cancer patients.

Fas-Fas Ligand (FasL) is one of the major mediator system that activates programmed cell death. Cleavage of membranebound FasL by a metalloproteinase-like enzyme resulted in the formation of soluble FasL (sFasL). sFasL as well as the transmembrane form of FasL binds to Fas and transduces apoptotic signal in Fas-expressing cells.

[Obstructive sleep apnea and cardiovascular diseases].

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is a disorder characterized by repetitive episodes of apnea or hypopnea during sleep. Apnea and hypopnea cause temporary elevations in blood pressure associated with blood oxygen desaturation, arousal, and sympathetic activation and may cause elevated blood pressure during the daytime. Numerous studies have shown that OSAS was associated with an increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.