CASE REPORT

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Endoscopic band ligation: Alternative treatment method in nonvariceal upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage

Background: In the treatment of acute upper gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding, endoscopic band ligation (EBL) may be performed for nonfibrotic superficial lesions. This method has recently gained popularity in the treatment of nonvariceal upper GI bleeding

The effects of melatonin on angiogenesis and wound healing

Purpose The pineal gland hormone melatonin is a well-known neoroendocrine hormone. In addition to its immunomodulator effect, it also has a positive effect on monocyte, cytokine, and fibroblast proliferations, which also influence angiogenesis. This study investigated the effects of melatonin hormone on angiogenesis in wound healing on 100 Wistar-Albino rats

Laparoscopic esophagomyotomy without an antireflux procedure for the treatment of achalasia

Various gastroenteric surgical procedures have been attempted laparoscopically. Laparoscopic esophagomyotomy (LE) with or without fundoplication, performed for achalasia, has gained popularity. In our clinic, LE (Heller's myotomy) was performed on six patients with achalasia. All patients underwent barium esophagography, endoscopy, and esophageal manometry for diagnosis. Extramucosal myotomy was started 6 cm above the cardioesophageal junction on the left anterolateral aspect of the esophagus and continued 1 cm below this area. Endoscopic control of the distal esophageal mucosa and the stomach was carried out under direct laparoscopic visualization following the completion of myotomy during the operation. EE was completed without complication in five patients. In one patient (16%), mucosal perforation occurred after myotomy during endoscopic control and was repaired with endostitches. These were no postoperative complications. The average hospital stay was 3 days. Three of the six patients agreed to 24-h pH monitoring, the results of which showed no evidence of reflux. All patients were completely symptom free in the postoperative period. The average preoperative lower esophageal sphincter pressure was 44 mm Hg, whereas in the early postoperative period and 6 months later, it was II mm Hg. There was no dysphagia or reflux esophagitis during the follow-up period (range 12 to 24 months). LE is associated with low morbidity and a high success rate, comparable with an open procedure, and can be done without an antireflux procedure

Biological considerations in locally advanced breast cancer treated with anthracycline-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy: thymidine labelling index is an independent indicator of clinical outcome

The present retrospective study aims to determine the clinical value of thymidine labelling index (TLI) together with other established clinical and biological factors in 116 locally advanced breast cancer (LABC) patients treated with anthracycline-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy, surgery, adjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy. TLI was determined in 71 LABC patients with a median of 2.62% (0-23.64%) and a mean of 4.71% +/- 5.54. As a result of neoadjuvant chemotherapy, 85 patients (73%) responded to chemotherapy (CT), whereas 31 patients were unresponsive (27%). No relationship has been found between the pretreatment biological variables including TLI, estrogen receptor (ER), progesteron receptor (PgR) status and clinical parameters such as the chemotherapy response rates and axillary lymph node involvement following chemotherapy. Median follow-up was 35 months (18-97 months) and the 3-year overall survival (OS) and disease free survival (DFS) rates were 71.6% and 52.2%, respectively. In univariate analysis, patients with inflammatory breast cancer, high TLI-index (greater than or equal to2.62%), lymph node (LN) positivity or >3 positive lymph nodes following neoadjuvant chemotherapy and without any response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy were found to have worse DFS and OS-rates and high local and systemic recurrence rates. In multivariate analysis, TLI was estimated as the most powerful independent factor affecting the OS in LABC patients among the other established clinical and biological parameters (p = 0.02). These results suggest that TLI is an important independent indicator of clinical outcome in patients with LABC and these patients with high TLI levels require more effective treatment modalities