Tracheobronchial variations in Turkish population.

The tracheobronchial tree exhibits highly individualistic features and many variations. As the anatomic variations among Turkish population have not been studied previously, we aimed to evaluate the type and frequency of tracheobronchial variations (TBVs) in our bronchoscopy population. In a 3-year period, 1,114 patients underwent flexible bronchoscopy (FB).

Gastric signet-ring cell adenocarcinoma presenting with left arm deep-vein thrombosis and bilateral chylothorax.

A 28-year-old housewife, a life-long nonsmoker, presented with 3 weeks of pleuritic chest pain along with swollen right leg, left arm, and left breast. Six months previously she had left subclavian vein thrombosis. On admission, bilateral supraclavicular lymphedema on right leg and left arm and breast was observed and bilateral pleural fluid, chylous exudates, was detected.

Diagnostic accuracy of cytokine levels (TNF-alpha, IL-2 and IFN-gamma) in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of smear-negative pulmonary tuberculosis patients.

Background: The determination of cytokine concentrations in serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) may contribute to the diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) since cytokines have been ascribed an important role in TB pathogenesis.

Objective: To assess the diagnostic accuracy of TNF-alpha, IFN-gamma and IL-2 levels in serum and BALF of smear-negative pulmonary TB patients.

Method: BALF was obtained from the affected lobe in patients with smear-negative TB or other pulmonary diseases (OPD), and from the right middle lobe in healthy controls.

Impact of TNF-alpha and IL-6 levels on development of cachexia in newly diagnosed NSCLC patients.

Objectives: We investigated the role of cytokines tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in cachexia development in newly diagnosed nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients.

Methods: : We evaluated 44 (M/F:41/3) NSCLC patients and 12 (M/F:10/2) age matched healthy smokers. NSCLC cases with a weight loss of > or =10% consisted the cachectic group (n:23, M/F:21/2) and the ones with <10% weight loss consisted the noncachectic group (n:21, M/F:19/2).

Neuron-specific enolase and lung cancer.

Objective: Serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) neuron-specific enolase (NSE) levels in lung cancer have been investigated widely; however, their diagnostic values have not yet been clarified. The authors investigated the diagnostic validity of NSE in BALF and serum in lung cancer.

Materials And Methods: In this prospective case-control study, NSE levels in BALF (B-NSE) and serum (S-NSE) of 3 groups of subjects were analyzed: control subjects (group 1, n = 15), patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD; group 2, n = 15), and lung cancer (group 3, n = 35).

Does dipyrone have any effect on respiratory function in COPD patients?

Objective: Dipyrone (Novalgin) is an effective analgesic, antipyretic agent also with spasmolytic effects on various types of smooth muscles. It has recently been reported that dipyrone relaxes tracheal smooth muscle of guinea pig. In this present study, we aimed to investigate whether this and previously reported in vitro results have any consequences on the respiratory function of normal healthy volunteers and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients.

Postoperative pulmonary embolism in a young female accompanying with Factor V Leiden mutation and hereditary sypherocytosis.

A 20 year-old female, heterozygous for Factor V Leiden mutation (FVLM) is presented. Her personal history was prominent for severe anaemia during her gestation. Aetiology of anaemia was found to be hereditary spherocytosis (HS).

Hypereosinophilic syndrome with pulmonary and cardiac involvement in a patient with asthma.

Idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome is characterized by prolonged eosinophilia without an identifiable underlying cause and multiple-organ dysfunction, most frequently involving the heart, the central or peripheral nervous system and the lungs. We describe a case in which a patient with asthma who had idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome with pulmonary involvement presented with symptoms of pulmonary embolism and left ventricular thrombus.

Treatment of Chlamydia pneumoniae infection and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD) is a general term for chronic, irreversible lung disease that combines qualities of emphysema and chronic bronchitis. The standard definition of chronic bronchitis is a productive cough for three months per year (for at least two consecutive years) without an underlying aetiology. Acute exacerbation of chronic bronchitis (AECB) represents a common complaint that leads patients to seek medical attention.

Reactivation of pulmonary tuberculosis in malignancy.

Aims And Background: Deterioration of immunity due to local or systemic effects of the tumor itself and/or administered chemotherapeutics or radiotherapy may play roles in the reactivation of tuberculosis, increasing the mortality in patients with various malignancies. In a country with a high prevalence of tuberculosis such as Turkey, most people have inactive tuberculous lesions and tuberculin test positivity. Therefore, a prospective study was carried out to investigate the frequency of tuberculosis reactivation in patients with a malignancy.