Regulatory T cells and monocytes crosstalk in patients with gastric cancer

© 2022, Edizioni Luigi Pozzi. All rights reserved.INTRODUCTION: Primary function of regulatory T(Treg) cells is to control and regulate the immune responses. In many patients with tumor tissues, increased Treg cell numbers have been reported. In this study, we aimed to measure the cellular content of blood samples in patients with gastric cancer (GC) and define their role in tumor progression. METHODS: We prospectively evaluated 34 gastric cancer cases and 20 healthy control samples. The blood was collected from both the gastric coronary and peripheral veins of the patients and only from the peripheral vein of the control group. Cellular content and lymphocyte subset including, regulatory T cells, were determined by flow cytometric analysis. RESULTS: The GC patients revealed similar percentages of T cells, B cells, neutrophils, and eosinophils in the venous samples from periphery vein and gastric coronary. The percentage of monocytes from the tumor-draining gastric coronary vein was significantly lower than monocytes from the peripheral vein in gastric cancer patients (p=0.03). T-regulatory cells had a higher percentage in samples obtained from gastric cancer patients compared with the control group. CONCLUSION: Our findings confirmed that patients with gastric cancer have a significantly higher percentage of regulatory T cells than the control group, suggesting that they may contribute to the tumor progress. Regulatory T cells and monocytes interact in patients with GC, which can be used as a parameter in the clinical follow-up of patients with GC.-ONLY COPPROHIBITE

The Knowledge and Practice of Breast Self-examination Among Healthcare Workers in Kayseri, Turkey

Breast cancer is the most common cancer type and cause of death among women in many countries. Monthly breast self-examination (BSE) is an effective diagnostic method for breast cancer. This study aimed to determine the knowledge level and practice frequency of BSE among healthcare workers in Kayseri, Turkey. Data were collected via a questionnaire that was prepared based on information in the literature. The questionnaire was composed of 2 sections: sociodemographic characteristics and practice and knowledge related to BSE. The sample group included 246 healthcare workers. Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal-Wallis H, (post hoc) Dunn, and chi(2) tests were used in the analyses of data. The mean (SD) age of the respondents was 29.0 (5.6) years. Most (58.1%) were married, and a family history of breast cancer was reported by 12.2%. Of the respondents, 35% stated that they did not know how to conduct an examination of their breasts. Although 52.4% (n = 129) of the women reported that they performed BSE, only 17.0% (n = 22) reported doing so on a monthly basis. The practice of BSE was significantly associated with older, more educated medical secretaries; a positive personal history of breast problems; and a positive family history of breast cancer (P < .05). Healthcare workers had a low mean level of knowledge about the practice of BSE (mean [SD] score, 11.70 [10.07]; range, 0-40). The scores of the women who stated that they practiced BSE were significantly higher (P = .000) than those who reported that they did not. Healthcare workers need to improve their knowledge of and sensitivity toward BSE

The Presence of Hemorrhagic Shock on Admission Is the Strongest Predictor of Mortality in Trauma Patients Who Require Packing

The aim of this study was to evaluate patients who had to be applied with packing because of abdominal trauma and to identify the factors affecting mortality from the findings on admission and the laboratory values that can be immediately examined. A retrospective analysis of 42 patients accepted to our level one trauma center between January 1998 and December 2017 was carried out. The patients were evaluated in respect of demographic characteristics, vital parameters, trauma type, injury severity score (ISS), the presence of additional injuries, transfusion amount, the need for intensive care, mortality rates, complications, the number and types of operations performed, the number of packings, the need for re-laparotomy, imaging methods, and radiological interventions. Of these parameters, the effects on mortality of findings on admission and the laboratory values that could be immediately tested were examined in particular. Packing was applied to 27 patients due to blunt trauma and to 15 patients due to penetrating trauma. Thirty-one patients had hypotension, and 24 of them had hemorrhagic shock status upon admission. Average ISS value was 34.5 +/- 9.9 (16-59). Twenty of the 42 patients died (47.6%). ISS level, hypotension, and hemorrhagic shock on admission were found to be significant risk factors of death in univariate analysis. In multivariate analysis however, only the presence of hemorrhagic shock was a statistically significant factor related to mortality. The presence of hemorrhagic shock on admission is a strong predictor of mortality in patients undergoing damage control surgery

A giant intrathyroidal parathyroid adenoma posing diagnostic dilemma

The success of surgery depends on accurate localization of abnormal parathyroids. The accuracies of numerous methods of imaging such as ultrasonography, radionuclide imaging, magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography have been reported extensively. Ultrasonography and sestamibi scanning are currently the most widely used methods. We report a case of a giant parathyroid adenoma, representing to our knowledge the largest parathyroid mass documented in the literature. Despite its clinical and laboratory findings suggestive of primary hyperparathyroidism, preoperative imaging studies of this giant adenoma were not presumptive of a definitive diagnosis

Surgical Treatment in Liver Cyst Hydatic Cases: Analysis of 276 Patients

Purpose: Hepatic hydatid disease is still a significant public health problem in Turkey. It is a parasitic infection, which liver is the most frequently infected organ. Surgical treatment has been controversial for a long time

A case of cholelithiasis in a patient with situs inversus totals

Situs inversus is a rare condition in which the major organs are recersed from left to right Situs inversus presenting wnth cholelithiasis is very rare. We suggest that laparoscopic cholecytectomy is a safe and effective choice in the treatement of the cholelithiasis, and also for situs inversus patients. However the surgans must be aware of the details of left-right reversal and associated abnormalities. In this article we report a case of cholelithiasis in a patient with situs inversus totalis