Retroperitoneal Extragonadal Nonseminomatous Germ Cell Tumor with Synchronous Orbital Metastasis

A huge retroperitoneal tumor with a right orbital mass was detected and proved to be an extragonadal nonseminomatous germ cell tumor on biopsy. BEP chemotherapy caused some regression in orbital mass however no change in retroperitoneal tumor size as well as serum tumor marker levels occurred. Herein, we present a rarely seen entity of extragonadal retroperitoneal nonseminomatous germ cell tumor with synchronous orbital metastases and discuss its diagnosis and management

Functional assessment for clinical use of serum-free adapted NK-92 cells

Natural killer (NK) cells stand out as promising candidates for cellular immunotherapy due to their capacity to kill malignant cells. However, the therapeutic use of NK cells is often dependent on cell expansion and activation with considerable amounts of serum and exogenous cytokines. We aimed to develop an expansion protocol for NK-92 cells in an effort to generate a cost-efficient, xeno-free, clinical grade manufactured master cell line for therapeutic applications. By making functional assays with NK-92 cells cultured under serum-free conditions (NK-92(SF)) and comparing to serum-supplemented NK-92 cells (NK-92(S)) we did not observe significant alterations in the viability, proliferation, receptor expression levels, or in perforin and granzyme levels. Interestingly, even though NK-92(SF) cells displayed decreased degranulation and cytotoxicity against tumor cells in vitro, the degranulation capacity was recovered after overnight incubation with 20% serum in the medium. Moreover, lentiviral vector-based genetic modification efficiency of NK-92(SF) cells was comparable with NK-92(S) cells. The application of similar strategies can be useful in reducing the costs of manufacturing cells for clinical use and can help us understand and implement strategies towards chemically defined expansion and genetic modification protocols

Neogene Uplift and Magmatism of Anatolia: Insights from Drainage Analysis and Basaltic Geochemistry

It is generally agreed that mantle dynamics have played a significant role in generating and maintaining the elevated topography of Anatolia during Neogene times. However, there is much debate about the relative importance of subduction zone and asthenospheric processes. Key issues concern onset and cause of regional uplift, thickness of the lithospheric plate, and the presence or absence of temperature and/or compositional anomalies within the convecting mantle. Here, we tackle these interlinked issues by analyzing and modeling two disparate suites of observations. First, a drainage inventory of 1,844 longitudinal river profiles is assembled. This geomorphic database is inverted to calculate the variation of Neogene regional uplift through time and space by minimizing the misfit between observed and calculated river profiles subject to independent calibration. Our results suggest that regional uplift commenced in the east at 20 Ma and propagated westward. Secondly, we have assembled a database of geochemical analyses of basaltic rocks. Two different approaches have been used to quantitatively model this database with a view to determining the depth and degree of asthenospheric melting across Anatolia. Our results suggest that melting occurs at depths as shallow as 60 km in the presence of mantle potential temperatures as high as 1400°C. There is evidence that potential temperatures are higher in the east, consistent with the pattern of sub-plate shear wave velocity anomalies. Our combined results are consistent with isostatic and admittance analyses and suggest that elevated asthenospheric temperatures beneath thinned Anatolian lithosphere have played a first order role in generating and maintaining regional dynamic topography and basaltic magmatism

High-K volcanism in the Afyon region, western Turkey: from Si-oversaturated to Si-undersaturated volcanism

Volcanic rocks of the Afyon province (eastern part of western Anatolia) make up a multistage potassic and ultrapotassic alkaline series dated from 14 to 12 Ma. The early-stage Si-oversaturated volcanic rocks around the Afyon city and further southward are trachyandesitic volcanic activity (14.23 ± 0.09 Ma). Late-stage Si-undersaturated volcanism in the southernmost part of the Afyon volcanic province took place in three episodes inferred from their stratigraphic relationships and ages. Melilite– leucitites (11.50 ± 0.03 Ma), spotted rachyandesites, tephryphonolites and lamproites (11.91 ± 0.13 Ma) formed in the first episode; trachyandesites in the second episode and finally phonotephrites, phonolite, basaltic trachyandesites and nosean-bearing trachyandesites during the last episode. The parameter Q [normative q-(ne + lc + kls + ol)] of western Anatolia volcanism clearly decreased southward with time becoming zero in the time interval 10–15 Ma. The magmatism experienced a sudden change in the extent of Si saturation after 14 Ma, during late-stage volcanic activity of Afyon volcanic province at around 12 Ma, though there was some coexistence of Si-oversaturated and Si-undersaturated magmas during the whole life of Afyon volcanic province

Effect of cardiac rehabilitation on left atrial functions in patients with acute myocardial infarction

AbstractBackgroundThe objective of this study was to analyze the effects of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) on the atrial function of patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) who had been successfully revascularized through percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).MethodsForty-two AMI patients having undergone CR were enrolled in this observational study. Assessments were performed before and after 6 weeks of CR. Left atrial strain analysis was carried out by two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography. Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was measured by the biplane Simpson's method. Pulsed-wave Doppler at the tip of mitral valve leaflets enabled us to measure early (E) and late (A) diastolic filling velocities, deceleration time (DT) of early filling velocity and isovolumic relaxation time (IVRT). Left ventricle tissue velocity was measured by tissue Doppler imaging of the lateral mitral annulus (e’) and E/e’ was subsequently calculated. Ratio of E/e’ to left atrium (LA) peak strain was used to estimate LA stiffness.ResultsFollowing CR, LVEF (P=0.010), LA strain (P<0.001) and LA stiffness (P=0.013) all showed improvement, while other parameters remained unchanged.ConclusionPost-AMI cardiac rehabilitation and revascularization by PCI might have favourable effects on LA function

Yaşlanmayla sıçan kemiğindeki aquaporin-1 ve aquaporin-3 ekspresyonu değişikliklerinin araştırılması

Aim: Aquaporins are membrane channel proteins that transport water and ions. The amount of aquaporins in tissue changes with age. The amount of aquaporin-1 (AQP1) and aquaporin-3 (AQP3) is considered to decrease in cartilage tissue with age. However, no age-related change has been reported regarding the amount of aquaporins in bone tissue. In this study, our aim was to examine expressions of AQP1, AQP3, and type I collagen immunohistochemically in the bone tissues of young and old rats. Material and Method: Fourteen Wistar Albino rats were included in this study. Group I (n=7) consisted of young rats that were two months old, while Group II (n=7) consisted of old rats that were eighteen months old. Bone tissue (femur) was dissected and examined histopathologically and immunohistochemically. After routine histological procedure, sections at 4-5 µm thickness were obtained from tissues embedded in paraffin. Sections were stained immunohistochemically for AQP1, AQP3, and type I collagen as well as with hematoxylin-eosin. Results: Immunohistochemically, expressions of AQP1, AQP3, and type I collagen were demonstrated in both young and old rats. AQP1, AQP3, and type I collagen amounts were found to decrease with aging. Discussion: Our findings suggest that reduced amounts of AQP1 and AQP3 may be related to age-related changes in bone tissue. © 2016, Journal of Clinical and Analytical Medicine. All rights reserved

ORIGINAL ARTICLE - ANTITHYROID ANTIBODY LEVELS IN PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER

Breast cancer is a hormone-dependent neoplasm. Conflicting results regarding the clinical correlation between breast cancer and thyroid diseases have been reported. The aim of this study was to determine the goiter prevalence, thyroid hormones and antithyroid antibody levels in patients with breast cancer. For this purpose, thyroid ultrasonography was performed and serum levels of free triiodothyronine (FT3), free thyroxine (FT4), thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), anti-thyroid peroxidase antibodies (anti-TPO ab) and anti-thyroglobulin antibodies (anti-TG ab) were determined in 50 operable breast cancer patients at the time of diagnosis and 30 healthy individuals as control group. Goiter prevalence was found to be significantly higher in the study group (50% vs 10%). FT3, FT4, and TSH levels of patients were not different compared to controls, whereas anti-TPO ab and anti-TG ab levels were significantly higher in patients than in the control group. In conclusion, goiter prevalence and thyroid antibody levels were found to be increased in breast cancer patients and thyroid functions should be monitored