Evaluation of Thromboembolism Risk in Patients with Cancer; Single Center Real-life Data

Introduction:Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is an important cause of mortality and morbidity in cancer patients. Both cancer itself and its treatment have been reported to result in an increased risk of VTE. Several scoring systems have been developed to predict cancer-associated VTE risk. The aim of this study was to prospectively test the validity of the Khorana thrombosis score in predicting the risk of VTE development in cancer outpatients at a single centre.Methods:One hundred and fifty-two consecutive patients diagnosed with cancer and scheduled to receive outpatient chemotherapy at University of Health Sciences Turkey, İstanbul Training and Research Hospital between August 2012 and August 2013 were included in the study. Khorana risk scores were calculated for each patient at study entry. Patients were then followed up for at least 24 months after diagnosis or until VTE developed.Results:Thrombosis was detected in 13 of the 152 patients following cancer diagnosis. The median time from diagnosis to thrombosis was 4 months (1-48 months). Thrombosis was of venous and arterial origin in 7 and 6 patients, respectively. The Khorana score failed to differentiate high-risk patients. Scores in patients with and without venous thrombosis were not statistically different (p=0.38).Conclusion:It is important to identify cancer patients at high risk for VTE to decrease the thrombosis-associated dismal outcome. However, in an outpatient setting, the Khorana score failed to differentiate the target population. This could be partly explained by the heterogeneity and the relatively small number of patients included

Violation of the Tobacco Control Law by Drivers in Vehicles in Two Streets in Izmir: A Descriptive Study

OBJECTIVES: After signing and approving the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), Turkey amended laws on tobacco control in 2008 and also expanded the smoking ban in 2013 to include drivers in all vehicles. Four years later, this amendment does not seem as effective. The aim of this study was to observe violation of the law by the drivers and to analyze the association between gender of the driver, type of the vehicle, approximate age group definition of the passenger (either child or adult), and the law violation in two streets in Konak district, Izmir, Turkey

Inflammatory Bowel Disease Presenting with Only Joint Involvement

Inflammatory bowel disease is an idiopathic and chronic intestinal inflammation. The major symptoms of the disease are diarrhea, rectal bleeding, tenesmus, passage of mucus, and crampy abdominal pain. The severity of the symptoms correlates with the extent of the disease. Peripheral arthritis is one of the extraintestinal manifestations of inflammatory bowel disease and is detected in about 15-20% of patients. It is usually asymmetric, polyarticular, and affects migratory large joints. In this report we describe a case of inflammatory bowel disease associated with symmetric, polyarticular, small-joint involvement. The patient was an 18-year-old male who had not been diagnosed for five months because of the absence of gastrointestinal symptoms. Colonoscopic biopsy results were compatible with inflammatory bowel disease

Inflammatory Bowel Disease Presenting with Only Joint Involvement

Inflammatory bowel disease is an idiopathic and chronic intestinal inflammation. The major symptoms of the disease are diarrhea, rectal bleeding, tenesmus, passage of mucus, and crampy abdominal pain. The severity of the symptoms correlates with the extent of the disease. Peripheral arthritis is one of the extraintestinal manifestations of inflammatory bowel disease and is detected in about 15-20% of patients. It is usually asymmetric, polyarticular, and affects migratory large joints. In this report we describe a case of inflammatory bowel disease associated with symmetric, polyarticular, small-joint involvement. The patient was an 18-year-old male who had not been diagnosed for five months because of the absence of gastrointestinal symptoms. Colonoscopic biopsy results were compatible with inflammatory bowel disease