The clinical relevance of an inflamed appendix in Crohn's disease.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS An appendectomy for appendiceal inflammation has been suggested to ameliorate the clinical course of patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). In contrast, for Crohn's disease (CD) an inverse association has been suggested with a higher incidence of CD and worse prognosis after appendectomy. The aim of this study was to analyse the clinical relevance of an inflamed appendix in CD patients undergoing ileocoecal resection (ICR). METHODS All consecutive patients undergoing primary ICR between 2007 and 2018 were considered for inclusion. Microscopic data of available appendiceal resection specimens (n=99) were revised by a dedicated IBD-pathologist and scored as inflamed or not inflamed. Eighteen patients had a previous appendectomy. Pathological findings were correlated with disease characteristics and recurrence rates (clinical, endoscopic and intervention-related). RESULTS In total, 117 patients were included: 77 (65.8%) females with a median age of 30 years [IQR 24 - 43] with a median follow up of 102 months [IQR 76-114]. Of patients without previous appendectomy (n=99), 39% had an inflamed appendix. No significant differences in disease characteristics (e.g. disease location, behaviour, time to surgery) or prognosis could be demonstrated between the two groups. In contrast, previous appendectomy (n=18) was associated with penetrating disease and numerically shorter disease duration at the time of resection. Furthermore, a trend was seen towards a stronger association with postoperative recurrence. CONCLUSION The current study could not confirm a different prognosis for CD patients with and without an inflamed appendix. In contrast, in patients with a previous appendectomy a trend was seen towards increased postoperative recurrence, which might be related to the higher incidence of penetrating disease

Dual Nuclear/Fluorescence Imaging Potantial of Zinc(II) Phthalocyanine in MIA PaCa-2 Cell Line

WOS: 000390228800005PubMed ID: 27363481Background and Objective: Pancreatic cancer is very common and difficult to diagnose in early stage. Imaging systems for diagnosing cancer have many disadvantages. However, combining different imaging modalities offers synergistic advantages. Optical imaging is the most multidirectional and widely used imaging modality in both clinical practice and research. Methods: In present study, Zinc(II) phthalocyanine [Zn(II) Pc] was synthesized, labeled with iodine-131 and in vitro study was carried out. The intracellular uptake studies of radiolabeled Zn(II) Pc were performed in WI-38 [ATCC CCL-75 (TM), tissue: human fibroblast lung] and MIA PaCa-2 [ATCC CRL-1420 (TM), tissue: human epithelial pancreas carcinoma] cell lines. Results: The intracellular uptake efficiency of radiolabeled Zn(II) Pc in MIA PaCa-2 cells was determined two times higher than WI-38 cells. Also, fluorescence imaging (FI) efficiency of synthesized Zn(II) Pc was investigated in MIA PaCa-2 cells and significant uptake was observed. Conclusion: Zn(II) Pc might be used as a new agent for dual fluorescence/nuclear imaging for pancreatic cancer.Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey, TUBITAKTurkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Arastirma Kurumu (TUBITAK) [112T565]The authors gratefully acknowledge financial support by The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey, TUBITAK (Grant no: 112T565)

Investigation of DNA repair gene variants on myelodysplastic syndromes in a Turkish population

The aim of this study was to assess the possible influence of genetic polymorphisms in hOGG1, XRCC1, XRCC3, XPD, XPG and APE1 on the observed DNA damage in a group of Turkish myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) patients. A total of 39 patients with myelodysplastic syndrome and 78 age-matched healthy control subjects were included in our study. Polymerase chain reaction/restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis was performed for the detection of DNA repair gene variants. No significant differences in DNA repair enzymes APE1, XRCC1 and XPG were found between MDS patients and controls. On the other hand, XRCC3, XPD and hOGG1 were associated with an increased risk of MDS (p = 0.004, p = 0.000, p = 0.017, respectively). Specifically, Thr/Met genotype was more relevant in patients (p = 0.026) in XRCC3; in hOGG1, Cys+ genotype was found higher in patients (p = 0.017); and in XPD, Gln/Gln genotypes were found higher in the patient (p = 0.001). In conclusion, XRCC3, XPD and hOGG1 genotypes are associated with an increased MDS risk, suggesting their possible involvement in the pathogenesis and biology of this disease

Investigation of DNA repair gene variants on myelodysplastic syndromes in a Turkish population

The aim of this study was to assess the possible influence of genetic polymorphisms in hOGG1, XRCC1, XRCC3, XPD, XPG and APE1 on the observed DNA damage in a group of Turkish myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) patients. A total of 39 patients with myelodysplastic syndrome and 78 age-matched healthy control subjects were included in our study. Polymerase chain reaction/restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis was performed for the detection of DNA repair gene variants. No significant differences in DNA repair enzymes APE1, XRCC1 and XPG were found between MDS patients and controls. On the other hand, XRCC3, XPD and hOGG1 were associated with an increased risk of MDS (p = 0.004, p = 0.000, p = 0.017, respectively). Specifically, Thr/Met genotype was more relevant in patients (p = 0.026) in XRCC3; in hOGG1, Cys+ genotype was found higher in patients (p = 0.017); and in XPD, Gln/Gln genotypes were found higher in the patient (p = 0.001). In conclusion, XRCC3, XPD and hOGG1 genotypes are associated with an increased MDS risk, suggesting their possible involvement in the pathogenesis and biology of this disease

Vaccine hesitancy and refusal among parents: An international ID-IRI survey

Introduction: Although vaccines are the safest and most effective means to prevent and control infectious diseases, the increasing rate of vaccine hesitancy and refusal (VHR) has become a worldwide concern. We aimed to find opinions of parents on vaccinating their children and contribute to available literature in order to support the fight against vaccine refusal by investigating the reasons for VHR on a global scale. Methodology: In this international cross-sectional multicenter study conducted by the Infectious Diseases International Research Initiative (ID-IRI), a questionnaire consisting of 20 questions was used to determine parents' attitudes towards vaccination of their children. Results: Four thousand and twenty-nine (4,029) parents were included in the study and 2,863 (78.1%) were females. The overall VHR rate of the parents was found to be 13.7%. Nineteen-point three percent (19.3%) of the parents did not fully comply with the vaccination programs. The VHR rate was higher in high-income (HI) countries. Our study has shown that parents with disabled children and immunocompromised children, with low education levels, and those who use social media networks as sources of information for childhood immunizations had higher VHR rates (p < 0.05 for all). Conclusions: Seemingly all factors leading to VHR are related to training of the community and the sources of training. Thus, it is necessary to develop strategies at a global level and provide reliable knowledge to combat VHR