Evaluation of the consistency ratios of cervical smear, cervical biopsy and conization results

Objectives: Possible discrepancies between the cervical smear, biopsy histology and loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP) results of the same patient is a matter of debate in the literature. In this study, we investigate the degree to which these results differ, and the clinical reasons for these differences. Material and methods: With a retrospective design, cervical smear, cervical biopsy and LEEP results of patients were compared in terms of consistency. One hundred sixty-four patients who underwent till LEEP procedure due to pathologic initial smear and biopsy results between January 2015 and March 2020 were included in the study. Results: Exact diagnosis discrepancy and high grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL) discrepancy were 78.9% and 50.0% between smear and cervical biopsy, 64.6% and 31.7% between cervical smear and LEEP and 43.8% and 28.1% between cervical biopsy and LEEP results, respectively. Age did not affect the consistency rates of pathologic results between smear-biopsy (p = 0.408) and biopsy-LEEP (p = 0.590). However, the probability of the consistency of smear and LEEP results exhibited a statistically significant linear relation with age (OR = 1.043, p = 0.015). HPV infections did not affect the discrepancy between smear-biopsy (p = 0.533), smear-LEEP (p = 1.000) and biopsy-LEEP (p = 0.529) Conclusions: Smear technique has a serious discrepancy and under-diagnosis problem when its results are compared with biopsy and LEEP. The consistency between smear and LEEP results appears to improve with age. When HSIL is evaluated in terms of detection, this discrepancy decreases. A smear test can detect HSIL and carcinoma with a higher accuracy than low-grade lesions

Preparation and antimicrobial activity of CS/PVA membranes containing silver nitrate

32-39Chitosan/polyvinyl alcohol (CS/PVA) membranes containing silver nitrate have been prepared and investigated for antimicrobial properties of prepared membranes. CS/PVA membranes containing silver nitrate have been successfully prepared by solution casting method. The prepared membranes have been characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) methods. The elemental composition of the membranes is studied by energy dispersive analysis of SEM-EDX. Correspondingly, the EDX analysis confirms the presence of silver ions in the chitosan matrix. The antimicrobial activities of the membranes have been tested with wide spectrum of bacteria. Efficiency of the antimicrobial effect against the selected twelve bacteria type and two yeasts is measured by disc diffusion method. Effect of the concentration of silver solutions to the developed CS/PVA membranes was investigated. It is noticed that the antimicrobial activity of membranes is improved with the increased silver concentration as a bactericidal agent, as expected. Our observations suggest that Chitosan/polyvinyl alcohol/Ag (CS/PVA/Ag) membranes have an excellent antimicrobial effect. Thus, developed membranes can easily be applied in various fields such as biomedical sector, tissue engineering and water treatment sector

Serum Presepsin Levels Are Not Elevated in Patients with Controlled Hypertension

Introduction. Hypertension (HT) is a common serious condition associated with cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The pathogenesis of HT is multifactorial and has been widely investigated. Besides the vascular, hormonal, and neurological factors, inflammation plays a crucial role in HT. Many inflammatory markers such as C-reactive protein, cytokines, and adhesion molecules have been studied in HT, which supported the role of inflammation in the pathogenesis of HT. Presepsin (PSP) is a novel biomarker of inflammation. Therefore, the potential relationship between PSP and HT was investigated in this study. Methods. Forty-eight patients with controlled HT and 48 controls without HT were included in our study. Besides routine clinical and laboratory data, PSP levels were measured in peripheral venous blood samples from all the participants. Results. PSP levels were significantly lower in patients with HT than in controls (144.98±75.98 versus 176.67±48.12 pg/mL, p=0.011). PSP levels were positively correlated with hsCRP among both the patient and the control groups (p=0.015 and p=0.009, resp.). However, PSP levels were not correlated with WBC among both groups (p=0.09 and p=0.67, resp.). Conclusions. PSP levels are not elevated in patients with well-controlled HT compared to controls. This result may be associated with anti-inflammatory effects of antihypertensive medicines