Clinical, sociodemographic and tobacco-use factors associated with smoking cessation rates at three years follow-up, Ankara, Turkey.

Introduction: Smoking is a well-known major cause of early preventable mortality and morbidity. Maintenance of smoke-free status is important after a smoking cessation attempt. The present study aims to compare the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of subjects participating in a smoking-cessation program, according to the duration of smoking cessation.

A surgical technique for ascending aorta, aortic arch and descending aorta replacement without cross-clamp, circulatory arrest or hypothermia.

Treatment of the aneurysms comprising the aortic arch is challenging. Surgical reconstruction usually requires aortic cross-clamping, cardiac arrest, and even deep hypothermia for a bloodless field. In this report, we present our surgical technique providing normothermic ascending aorta, aortic arch, and proximal descending aorta replacement with selective cannulation and perfusion of the whole body.

Patients with COPD who underwent pulmonary rehabilitation in Turkey: prevalence, distribution, and mortality.

Background: Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) is an effective, evidenced-based treatment. Despite its proven effect, it is still underused. The aim of this study was to present the number of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who underwent PR, general mortality percentages, the rate of patients prescribed PR by pulmonologists, and the distribution of institutions where PR was performed between 2008 and 2016 in Turkey.

Comparison of unsupervised home-based pulmonary rehabilitation versus supervised hospital outpatient pulmonary rehabilitation in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

: Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) is an effective treatment in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) but still underutilized. The aim of this study was to compare unsupervised home PR with supervised outpatient PR in terms of various clinical variables in COPD patients.: We conducted retrospective study consisting of 247 patients with COPD who were categorized into three group.

How Does Regional Hypertrophy Affect Strain Measurements With Different Speckle-Tracking Methods?

Background: In this study, we evaluate the impact of abnormal myocardial shapes, such as regional hypertrophy, on longitudinal strain measurements with different tracking approaches.

Methods: We selected 40 patients with normal ejection fraction and prominent septal bulge. We assessed longitudinal strain with full wall (FW) tracking, (GE EchoPAC) as well as endo-, mid-, and epicardial (EME) tracking (Tomtec ImageArena), on the same image acquired with a GE machine (using raw data and full frame rate DICOM data, respectively).

The Levels of Serum Biomarkers in Stable Asthma Patients with Comorbidities.

The effects of comorbidities on systemic inflammation markers in stable asthmatics and the consequences of such effects have not been well evaluated. We aimed to evaluate the effect of comorbidities on clinical manifestations and systemic inflammation in asthmatic patients under control. The study group consisted of asthmatic patients who applied to our pulmonology outpatient clinic and volunteered to participate.

Clinical characteristics and prognosis of cardiac tamponade patients: 5‑year experience at a tertiary center.

Background: Cardiac tamponade (CT) is characterized by compression of the cardiac chambers due to pericardial fluid accumulation. The etiology and prognosis may vary in different regions, and thus patient series from various regions can be useful for exploring the etiological and prognostic disparities. The aim of this study was to determine the clinical characteristics of patients with imminent CT, to evaluate the diagnostic performance of biochemical, microbiologic, and pathologic laboratory analysis, and to ascertain the prognosis of CT patients.

Comparison of the International Classification of High-resolution Computed Tomography for occupational and environmental respiratory diseases with the International Labor Organization International Classification of Radiographs of Pneumoconiosis.

The International Classification of High-resolution Computed Tomography for Occupational and Environmental Respiratory Diseases (ICOERD) has been developed for screening and diagnosis of occupational lung diseases. We evaluated the association of icoerd with the International Labor Organization (ILO) classification and respiratory functions in pneumoconiosis. Chest x-rays of patients with pneumoconiosis were classified with ilo and icoerd using hrct, irregular opacity, pleural pathology, and emphysema was detected in 78, 19, and 53 patients, and using chest x-rays in 47, 4, and 14 patients, respectively.

Long-term vitamin-K antagonist use and coronary artery calcification.

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of vitamin K antagonist (VKA) therapy on coronary artery calcification (CAC) by comparing long-term VKA users with metallic prosthetic valves (MPVs) and VKA-free patients undergoing coronary calcium scoring for cardiovascular (CV) risk stratification.

Methods: A total of 108 patients (43 VKA users with MPV and 65 gender-, age-, and risk-factor-matched VKA-free patients) were included in the study. CAC was determined via computed tomography (CT) and quantified on the basis of the Agatston score.

Broncholithiasis presenting with lithoptysis.

Broncholithiasis is defined as calcified or ossified material in the bronchial lumen. The most frequently seen symptoms are a non-productive cough and hemoptysis. Occasionally, broncholytic expectoration can be seen, which is known as lithoptysis.

Triple test with tumor markers CYFRA 21.1, HE4, and ProGRP might contribute to diagnosis and subtyping of lung cancer.

Background And Aim: Early diagnosis and histological subtyping are important issues in the management of patients with lung cancer (LC). The aim of this study is to investigate the diagnostic value of a panel of serum tumor markers in newly diagnosed patients with LC.

Methods: Venous blood samples were collected from 99 patients with LC (42 adenocarcinoma, 35 squamous, and 22 small cell carcinoma) and 30 patients with benign lung disease.

The Comparison of Clinical Variables in Two Classifications: GOLD 2017 Combined Assessment and Spirometric Stage of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Background: There are limited number of studies that investigate clinical variables instead of chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD) management according to Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) 2017 classification. The aim of the study was to investigate whether there was a difference between GOLD 2017 classification and spirometric stage in clinical variables in patients with COPD. The data of 427 male patients with stable COPD were investigated retrospectively.

Does advanced lung inflammation index (ALI) have prognostic significance in metastatic non-small cell lung cancer?

Background: Lung cancer is the most commonly diagnosed and death-related cancer type and is more frequent in males. Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for about 85% of all case. In this study, it was aimed to research the relationship between advanced lung inflammation index (ALI) and the primary mass maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) and C-reactive protein (CRP) at initial diagnosis and the prognostic value of ALI in determining the survival in metastatic NSCLC.

Timing of myocardial shortening determines left ventricular regional myocardial work and regional remodelling in hearts with conduction delays.

Aims: The interaction between asynchronous regional myocardial activation and left ventricular (LV) wall remodelling has not been well established. We investigated the relationship between time of onset of longitudinal shortening (Tonset), regional myocardial work, and segmental LV wall thickness (SWT) in patients treated with cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT).

Methods And Results: We analysed 26 patients with sinus rhythm, non-ischaemic cardiomyopathy (63 ± 9 years, 69% male, QRS duration 174 ± 18 ms) and positive response to CRT (15% reduction in end-systolic volume).

The impact of volume overload on right heart function in end-stage renal disease patients on hemodialysis.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of volume overload on echocardiographic parameters used for the assessment of the right ventricle (RV) and right atrium (RA), to determine volume-independent parameters and to noninvasively investigate the physio-mechanics of RV and RA by examining end-stage kidney patients before and after hemodialysis (HD).

Methods: The echocardiographic images were obtained from 67 patients (49.2 ± 17.

Prognostic Value of the Neutrophil to Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR) in Lung Cancer Cases.

Haemogram assessment is a cheap and easy method which can be readily performed for almost all patients. Leucocyte, neutrophil and lymphocyte counts and the neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) are markers of systemic inflammation. We here aimed to evaluate haemogram parameters of our patients with lung cancer according to the pathologic diagnosis of small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Mounier-Kuhn syndrome (tracheobronchomegaly): An analysis of eleven cases.

Background And Aim: Mounier-Kuhn syndrome (MKS) is a congenital disorder characterized by tracheobronchomegaly resulting from the absence of elastic fibers in the trachea and main bronchi or atrophy and thinning of the smooth muscle layer. In this syndrome, dead space associated with tracheobronchomegaly increases and discharge of secretions decreases because of ineffective coughing. The most common complications are recurrent lower respiratory tract infections and bronchiectasis.

Results of bronchoscopic excision in typical carcinoid tumors of the lung in Turkey.

Aim Carcinoid tumors of the lung are the tumors originating from the neuroendocrine cells. Surgical excision remains the gold standard for the treatment. Treatment with interventional bronchoscopic excision has also been reported as an alternative option in typical carcinoid tumors of the lung.

Relation between neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio and primary tumor metabolic activity in patients with malign pleural mesothelioma.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship of the pre-treatment blood neutrophil/lymphocyte count ratio (NLR) with the maximum standard uptake value (SUVmax) of primary masses on positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) taken before treatment in patients diagnosed with malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) and to evaluate the contribution to prognosis. A retrospective evaluation was made of 73 patients diagnosed with MPM in our hospital between January 2006 and January 2014. The SUVmax value of the primary mass on pre-treatment PET/CT, the haemogram parameters (Hb, Hct, NLR, MPV, PLT) at the time of diagnosis, the progression history, the date of the final visit, and the date of death of exitus patients was recorded from patient files PET/CT.

Simultaneous Chronic Invasive Fungal Infection and Tracheal Fungus Ball Mimicking Cancer in an Immunocompetent Patient.

Fungal infections of the lung are uncommon and mainly affect people with immune deficiency. There are crucial problems in the diagnosis and treatment of this condition. Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis and candidiasis are the most common opportunistic fungal infections.

Comparison of the effects of Mitomycin-C and sodium hyaluronate/carboxymethylcellulose [NH/CMC] (Seprafilm) on abdominal adhesions.

Introduction: Intra-abdominal adhesions (IA) may occur after abdominal surgery and also may lead to complications such as infertility, intestinal obstruction and chronic pain. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of Mitomycin-C (MM-C) and sodium hyaluronate/carboxymethylcellulose [NH/CMC] on abdominal adhesions in a cecal abrasion model and to investigate the toxicity of MM-C on complete blood count (CBC) and bone marrow analyses.

Methods: The study comprised forty rats in four groups (Control, Sham, Cecal abrasion + MM-C, and Cecal abrasion + NH/CMC).

Prognostic significance of standardised uptake value (SUV ) measured on 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography in patients with small cell lung cancer.

Certain prognostic factors for small cell lung cancer (SCLC) have been validated, but the prognostic role of 18F-FDG PET/CT still remains unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic significance of 18F-FDG PET/CT in patients with SCLC. We reviewed 142 patients with pathologically proven SCLC who underwent pre-treatment 18F-FDG PET/CT.

Patient and physician delay in the diagnosis and treatment of non-small cell lung cancer in Turkey.

Aim: The early diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer are important for the prognosis of patients with lung cancer. This study was undertaken to investigate patient and doctor delays in the diagnosis and treatment of NSCLC and the factors affecting these delays.

Materials And Methods: A total of 1016 patients, including 926 (91.