Cyclooxygenase-2 and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Expression and Their Correlation with Angiogenesis in Gastric Carcinomas

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in gastric carcinomas and lymph node metastasis and their relationship with angiogenesis and prognostic histopathological parameters. Materials and Methods: COX-2 and VEGF expression and microvessel density (MVD) grade identified by antibodies against CD34 were investigated immunohistochemically in 33 patients with gastric carcinoma. Results: The expression of COX-2 was 96.9% in normal mucosa and 87.8% in gastric carcinoma. Although COX-2 expression in mucosa was higher than in carcinoma, the difference was not statistically significant. The COX-2 positivity rates in lymph nodes were significantly higher in patients with vascular invasion (p<0.01). The expression of VEGF was 100% in normal mucosa and 93.9% in gastric carcinoma. VEGF levels in mucosa were significantly higher than in carcinoma (p=0.05). MVD grade in mucosa was significantly higher than in gastric carcinoma (p<0.01). MVD values were significantly higher in poorly differentiated carcinomas than in well and moderately differentiated carcinomas (p<0.05). There was no association between COX-2 and VEGF expression and MVD grade in tumor tissues and metastatic lymph nodes. There was no correlation of clinicopathological parameters with COX-2 and VEGF expression and MVD grade. Conclusion: Our results suggest that the MVD in gastric carcinoma may correlate with tumor grade, but the precise roles of COX-2 and VEGF in gastric cancers are not yet fully understood. Further studies with large series are needed to clarify the importance of COX-2, VEGF and MVD in cancer progression

Türkiye genç erkek basketbol grup müsabakalarında oynayan basketbolcular ile aynı yaş grubu sedanter gençlerin beslenme bilgileri ve alışkanlıklarının karşılaştırılması

The aim of the study performed is to determine nutritional information and habits of sedentary young people in the same age group with basketball players in young men's basketball group matches in Turkey and to detect whether there is a difference between two groups. A total of 189 subjects consisting of 84 basketball players playing in young men's basketball group matches in Turkey and 105 sedentary young men in the same age group with them were enrolled in the study. Of the basketball players, mean age was 16.9±0.8, mean height was 184±8.4 and mean weight was 73.05±9.74. Of the sedentary men, mean age was 16.2±1.1, mean height was 170.9 ± 0.3 and mean weight was 61.3 ± 10.98. The questionnaire consisting of 31 questions was administered to the subjects in young men's basketball group match in Turkey. The data obtained were evaluated by determining the percentage distributions. When the nutritional information of the subjects was compared, it was determined that basketball players were informed by 65.5% and sedentaries were informed by 27.6%. In determination whether the subjects pay attention to nutrition, basketball players answered yes by 67.9% and sedentaries answered yes by 59%. In detection of the number of meals the subjects ate, it was reported that 65.5% of basketball players ate three meals a day while 70.5% of sedentaries ate meals a day. In determination of whether the subjects made breakfast in the morning, basketball players answered yes by 67.9% and sedentaries answered yes by 68.6%. When asked whether the subjects had non-meal habits, basketball players answered yes by 72.6% and sedentaries answered yes by 79%. It was observed that although youth engaged in sports actively had more information about nutrition and had to pay more attention to nutrition when compared to sedentary group, the effect was not at the desired level.Yapılan &ccedil;alışmanın amacı, T&uuml;rkiye gen&ccedil; erkek basketbol grup m&uuml;sabakalarında oynayan basketbolcular ile aynı yaş grubu sedanter gen&ccedil;lerin beslenme bilgileri ve alışkanlıklarının belirlenmesi ve iki grup arasında bir fark olup olmadığını tespit etmektir. Araştırmamıza T&uuml;rkiye gen&ccedil; erkek basketbol grup m&uuml;sabakalarında oynayan 84 basketbolcu ile aynı yaş grubundan 105 sedanter gen&ccedil; erkekten oluşan toplam 189 denek katıldı. Basketbolcuların yaşları ortalamaları 17&plusmn;0,9, boy ortalamaları 184&plusmn;8,37, ağırlıkları ortalamaları 72,8&plusmn;9,84 olarak belirlendi. Sedanter erkeklerin ise yaşları ortalamaları 16&plusmn;1,2, boy ortalamaları 171&plusmn;9,34, ağırlıkları ortalamaları 60,87&plusmn;11,77 olarak belirlendi. Deneklere 31 sorudan oluşan anket T&uuml;rkiye gen&ccedil; erkek basketbol grup m&uuml;sabakalarında uygulandı. Elde edilen veriler y&uuml;zdelik dağılımları belirlenerek değerlendirildi. Beslenme konusundaki bilgileri karşılaştırıldığında bayanlarda %25,9, erkeklerde ise %36.6 oranında bilgiye sahip oldukları belirlenmiştir. Deneklerin beslenmelerine dikkat edip etmediklerinin belirlenmesinde bayanlarda %16,1 dikkat ederim ve %24,1 bazen cevapları alınırken, erkeklerde %27,7 dikkat ettikleri, %25 bazen dikkat ettikleri cevabı alınmıştır. Deneklerin yedikleri &ouml;ğ&uuml;n sayılarının tespitinde ağırlıklı olarak bayanlarda %34,8&rsquo;i 3 &ouml;ğ&uuml;n yemek yediklerini belirtirken, erkelerde 44.6&rsquo;sı 3 &ouml;ğ&uuml;n yediklerini belirtmişlerdir. Bayan ve erkek basketbolcularda genelde &uuml;&ccedil; &ouml;ğ&uuml;n yemek yedikleri sonucu ortaya &ccedil;ıkarken aralarında bir fark olmadığı g&ouml;zlenmiştir. Deneklerin sabah kahvaltısı yapıp yapmadıklarının tespitinde bayanlarda %13.4 evet, %22.3 ise bazen cevabı alınırken, erkeklerde bu değerler 18.8 evet ve 28.6 bazen olarak tespit edilmiştir. Deneklerin &ouml;ğ&uuml;n dışı beslenme alışkanlıklarının olup olmadığı sorgulandığında bayanlarda 36,6&rsquo;sı evet, erkeklerde 49,1&rsquo;i evet cevabını vermişlerdir. Bayan ve erkek sporcuların &ouml;ğ&uuml;n dışı beslenme alışkanlıklarına sahip oldukları tespit edilmiştir

Imiquimod 5% cream for isolated lichen planus of the lip

Lichen planus (LP) of the lips is a rare condition that is generally associated with other parts of the oral mucosa. Lip localization has an increased risk, since external trauma, smoking and ultraviolet light trigger malignant transformation. Only a few cases of isolated LP of the lips have been reported up to now, but results of larger series on oral LP suggest that it might be underestimated. Treatment of oral LP is usually difficult and lesions are generally resistant or recur, so that novel therapy alternatives are necessary. Here we report four cases of isolated LP of the lip successfully treated with imiquimod 5% cream. It was applied twice daily, 5 days a week, for 2 weeks. Two weeks after therapy, complete clinical and histopathological resolution was observed. No recurrence was observed during the 5, 10 and 18 months' follow-up period in cases 4, 3 and 1, respectively. Clinical and histopathological cure was also observed in case 2, but the patient showed clinical activation after 6 months. We suggest that imiquimod 5% cream is a safe and effective therapeutic treatment for oral LP

Demonstration Control Agents Evaluation of 64 Cases After Massive Use in Istanbul

An uncontrolled use of "demonstration control agents" commonly known as "teargas agents" has recently been a common practice in Turkey. One of the first massive uses of these agents had been during a meeting of the North Atlantic Council and NATO in 2004, in Istanbul. After the demonstrations, 64 patients were evaluated and treated by the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey. Their files have been reviewed retrospectively and were classified regarding age, sex, physical findings related of chemical agents, and other injuries

A novel iridoplasty suture technique to repair iris defects and traumatic mydriasis

A new iridoplasty method is described, which uses the U-suture technique to repair traumatic mydriasis and large iris defects. Two 0.9 mm opposing corneal incisions were made. The needle was inserted through the first incision, passed through the iris leaflets, and removed through the second incision. The needle was reinserted through the second incision and removed through the first incision by re-passing the needle through the iris leaflets to form a U-shaped suture. The modified Siepser technique was applied to fix the suture. Thus, with a single knot, the iris leaflets were brought closer (shrinking like a pack), fewer sutures were used and fewer gaps were left. Satisfactory aesthetic and functional results were obtained in all cases in which the technique was applied. There was no suture erosion, hypotonia, iris atrophy, or chronic inflammation during the follow-up

A significant diagnostic method in torture investigation: Bone scintigraphy

Torture appears to be a permanent feature in countries, which have experienced military coups or ruled by oppressive governments in the past, such as Turkey. The Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (HRFT) was established in 1990 to serve torture victims, mainly those who were the victims of the 1980 military regime. Since then the HRFT has been providing rehabilitation and documentation for torture survivors. Bone scintigraphy can be one of the diagnostic methods to reveal trauma, particularly after several years when it is challenging to find any physical or radiological evidence. The HRFT's Istanbul Branch referred 97 of their applicants for bone scintigraphy between 1992 and 2010. In this retrospective survey of 97 cases, 17 of them were female and 80 of them were male. Several aspects were evaluated, including working conditions, change of torture methods practiced in certain time periods, time since torture and duration of exposure to torture in comparison with findings of bone scintigraphies. The torture methods varied from beating to falanga, electric shock, suspension and several other types of torture within the period of practice, although beating was a common denominator among all. The findings were classified according to time since torture and duration of exposure to torture. More than half of the cases (59%) had a detectable bone lesion on bone scintigraphy, and the detectable bone lesion on scintigraphy increased significantly with the duration of exposure to torture, particularly among cases who had been subjected to torture for a longer period (8 days and more). Bone scintigraphy should be considered as a valuable non-invasive diagnostic method to assess and document long term torture practices and/or cases with no detectable marks upon physical examination. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved

COMPLICATIONS AND MIDTERM OUTCOMES OF HEMIARTHROPLASTY IN HEMODIALYSIS PATIENTS

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the functional results, complications, and morbidity and mortality rates in patients with end-stage chronic renal failure (ESCRF) with collum femoris fractures who were treated with hemiarthroplasty. Methods: From 2005 to 2013, patients with ESCRF admitted to our hospital with collum femoris fracture and treated with hemiarthroplasty were retrospectively evaluated, and 44 hips in 42 patients were included in the study. Duration of hospital stay, bleeding, complications, morbidity and mortality were recorded for each patient. At the last control evaluation, patients were assessed via pelvis x-ray and functional status according to Harris Hip Score (HHS). Results: Patients required a mean 2.7 units of erythrocyte suspension. Mean hospital stay was 19.74 days. The most common complication was bleeding. The complication rate was 38.1%; mortality rate at first-year follow-up was 42.8%, and mean HHS was 74.5. Conclusion: Collum femoris fractures are more common in ESCRF patients due to metabolic bone disease, and these patients had many comorbidities which may exacerbate high complication and mortality rates. Orthopedic surgeons should consider these higher complication rates and inform patients about the consequences of this treatment

The protective effect of avocado soybean unsaponifilables on brain ischemia/reperfusion injury in rat prefrontal cortex

Object. We investigated the protective effects of avocado/soybean unsaponifiables (ASU) on the prefrontal cortex (PFC) after global brain ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury in rats. Methods. Rats were randomly divided into three experimental groups as follows: Group I was control rats, Group II was ischemia rats, Group III was Isch+ASU rats. Brain ischemia was produced via four-vessel occlusion model. These processes followed by reperfusion for 30 min for both II and III groups. Rats were sacrificed and their brains were removed immediately. Malondialdehyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were measured in left PFC, levels of TNF-alpha concentration were measured in the plasma. The number of apoptotic neurons was assayed in histological samples of the right PFC. Results. MDA and TNF-alpha levels as well as the number of apoptotic neurons were observed to have decreased significantly in Group III compared to Group II, while SOD activities have been found to have increased significantly in Group III in comparison to Group II, significantly. Conclusions. We think that ASU might have an antioxidant and neuroprotective effects in brain I/R injured rats.Kocatepe University Scientific Research CommitteeAfyon Kocatepe University [051.TIP.14]This study was supported by the Kocatepe University Scientific Research Committee (Project no. 051.TIP.14). The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper

Intra-ovarian stem cell transplantation in management of premature ovarian insufficiency: towards the induced Oogonial Stem Cell (iOSC)

The specialized resident-stem cells in gonads are tasked with restorating damaged ovarian cells following injury to maintain sequential reproductive events. When we talk about premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) we accept the existence of decreased stem cell and their regenerative abilities. The present study was to explain how restorating damaged ovarian cells following injury to maintain sequential reproductive events in evidence-based medicine indexed in PubMed and Web of Science. The exact mechanism is unclear stem cells transfer may improve compromised ovarian function and fertility outcome in women with POI. Soluble factors secreted by stem cell may rescue impaired mitochondrial function in oogonial stem cells, enhance metabolic capacity of resident stem cells, induce local neovascularization in the ovary, and activate gene shifting between transferred stem cells and germ cell precursors. This review may provide insight into how stem cells show some of their beneficial effects on compromised ovarian microenvironment and germ cell niche and paves the way for clinical trials for improving ovarian function of women with POI. We also had the opportunity to share our hypothesis about the design and development of induced oogonial stem cell (iOSC) and its use in POI

Avokado/soya fasülyesinin sabunlaşmayan ekstresi verilen köpeklerin dizlerinde osteokondral defekt iyileşmesi: Bir karşılaştırmalı morfometrik analiz]

Objectives: This study aims to determine the effects of avocado/soybean unsaponifiables (ASU) on healing in a canine osteochondral defect model. Materials and methods: Fourteen dogs were included in the study and randomly divided into two groups. Two osteochondral defects were produced in the lateral aspect of the trochlear groove of the knee joint. The treatment group (group 1; n=7) was given 300 mg ASU capsules every three days whereas the control group (group 2; n=7) was given a normal diet. Animals were then allowed to ambulate normally until euthanasia at 15 weeks. The knees were dissected and the trochlear grooves with defects were removed for pathological examination. The amount of regenerated tissue was determined quantitatively using image analysis and the tissue content was evaluated semi-quantitatively using Safranin-O and Masson trichrome histochemical stains. Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) increase was evaluated semi-quantitatively with immunohistochemical staining methods. Results: Morphometric analysis revealed a significantly more immature repair tissue in group 1 (p<0.002). Both collagen and chondral tissue content of the regenerated tissue were significantly increased in group 1 (p<0.002). Compared to that in group 2, cartilage tissue in group 1 showed a much more marked immunostaining reaction of TGF-beta. Conclusion: Avocado/soybean unsaponifiables treatment stimulates the healing of the osteochondral defects in canine knee possibly by increasing TGF-beta in the tissues