Can telomere alterations predict biochemical recurrence in prostate adenocarcinoma? A preliminary study.

Telomeres function in human somatic tissues to stabilize chromosome ends. Telomere shortening can be one of the ways that cause chromosomal instability in the pathogenesis of prostatic carcinoma. In the current study, we evaluated telomere length (TL) in normal and malignant prostate tissues, and its association with prognostic factors and with time to biochemical tumor recurrence.

Systemic administration of interleukin-10 attenuates early ischemic response following spinal cord ischemia reperfusion injury in rats.

Background: The aim of this experimental study was to investigate the early effects of interleukin-10 (IL-10) and interleukin-1beta antagonist (anti-IL-1beta) against cellular damage, inflammatory reactivity, lipid peroxidation (LPO), and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity induced by spinal cord ischemia reperfusion injury (IRI).

Methods: Thirty-two single strain female Albino rats were divided into four groups: control (sham-operated), IRI-alone, IL-10-treated (100 mug/kg), and anti-IL-1beta-treated (1 mg/kg) groups after IRI. IRI was induced by balloon occlusion of the aorta and simultaneous hypovolemia during occlusion.

Age-related changes in the incidence of pineal gland calcification in Turkey: A prospective multicenter CT study.

The goal of this cross-sectional observational study was to determine the incidence of pineal gland calcification (PGC), to investigate the interaction of PGC and aging, and to compare the incidence of PGC among the populations living in Turkey. In a prospective study the rate of PGC on CT scans of 1376 individuals in six referral centers from different regions of Turkey was investigated, with emphasis on effects of climatological parameters and aging on PGC. It was found that the incidence of PGC increased rapidly after first decade and the increase remains gradual thereafter, higher in males than in females for all age groups.

Prognostic significance of lymphovascular invasion in clinically localized prostate cancer after radical prostatectomy.

Whether lymphovascular invasion (LVI) is an independent prognostic factor in prostate cancer is still controversial. We retrospectively investigated its predictive role in disease progression following radical prostatectomy. The histological sections of radical prostatectomies from 71 clinically localized, prostatic adenocarcinoma patients were reviewed for LVI.

Complications and limitations related to periprostatic local anesthesia before TRUS-guided prostate biopsy.

Purpose: To assess the frequency of complications specifically related to local anesthetic infiltration prior to transrectal ultrasound (TRUS)-guided prostate biopsy.

Methods: A total of 200 patients receiving 10 cm(3) (5 cm(3) on each side) of 2% lidocaine injected around the periprostatic nerve plexus under TRUS guidance before prostate biopsy were included. Various complications presumed to be associated with local anesthesia were noted during and after the biopsy procedure.

Preoperative ultrasonographic evaluation of testicular volume and blood flow in patients with inguinal hernias.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether an inguinal hernia would have an impact on the testicular volume and blood flow by scrotal ultrasonography.

Methods: Twenty-six male patients with unilateral inguinal hernias with a mean age of 48.1 years were included in the study.

Power Doppler ultrasonography of the feeding arteries of the prostate gland: a novel approach to the diagnosis of prostate cancer?

Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess the role of spectral Doppler ultrasonographic parameters of the feeding arteries of the prostate for the detection of prostate cancer.

Methods: A total of 55 patients referred for prostate biopsy with a mean age of 66.4 years (range, 46-82 years) were included.

Evaluation of parenchymal changes at the operation site with early postoperative brain diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging.

Purpose: To evaluate diffusion changes in the brain parenchyma at the operation site during the first 24 hours following surgery.

Materials And Methods: The study group consisted of 52 patients, 39 who had tumor resection surgery and 13 who had epilepsy surgery. Early postoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) included diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and routine contrast-enhanced cranial MRI, together with T2* weighted images on a 3T system.

Screening for psychological distress in Turkish cancer patients.

The distress thermometer (DT) is a useful measure of psychological distress in cancer patients. Our objective was to investigate distress impact on oncology patients in Turkey and determine the optimal cut-off score on the DT for identifying clinically significant distress. One hundred and eighty two cancer patients completed the DT, Problem List (PL), and Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale (HADS), The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30 version 3.

Epidemiologic characteristics of rhinitis in Turkish children: the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) phase 2.

Rhinitis is a common problem with important comorbidities. In order to search the association between rhinitis, allergic phenotypes and other risk factors in Turkish children, a parental questionnaire about allergic diseases and risk factors, and skin prick test (SPT) with 13 inhalant allergens were performed in a population-based sample of 2774 children aged 9-11 yr. Bronchoprovocation testing with hypertonic saline (HS)and total IgE analysis were limited to a subsample of 350 children.

Causes of chemoreduction failure in retinoblastoma and analysis of associated factors leading to eventual treatment with external beam radiotherapy and enucleation.

Purpose: To evaluate the causes of chemoreduction failure in retinoblastoma and to analyze the associated factors for eventual treatment with external beam radiotherapy and enucleation.

Design: Prospective noncomparative case series.

Participants: Seventy-one patients with 105 eyes with intraocular retinoblastoma that underwent chemoreduction therapy between October 1998 and January 2003.

Random urine protein-creatinine ratio to predict proteinuria in new-onset mild hypertension in late pregnancy.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of random urine protein-creatinine ratio for prediction of significant proteinuria (> or = 300 mg/24 h) in patients with new-onset mild hypertension in late pregnancy.

Methods: Medical records of 185 consecutive pregnant patients with new onset of mild hypertension in late pregnancy were reviewed. Random urine samples were taken before 24-hour urine collection.

Time distribution of seizures during long-term video-EEG monitoring.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the duration of monitoring, number of seizures recorded, and date and time of occurrence of seizures in different patient groups during video-EEG monitoring (VEEGM). Patients with partial or psychogenic seizures who were admitted to our VEEGM unit between September 1996 and March 2002 were retrospectively evaluated. Duration of monitoring, date and time of occurrence of seizures were identified in each patient.

MR imaging determination of the normal level of conus medullaris.

The location of conus medullaris according to age and sex was retrospectively evaluated with a 0.5-T magnetic resonance (MR) imaging system. A total of 639 subjects without any conspicuous spinal canal pathology on the lumbar MR imaging examination were selected.