Soluble CD40 ligand and prolactin levels in migraine patients during interictal period

The relationship of migraine with cardiovascular diseases has been clarified by many studies, and currently, migraine is suggested to be a systematic vasculopathy. Inflammation, thrombosis and impaired vascular reactivity are the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms of the vasculopathy. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the relationship between prolactin levels and subclinical atherosclerosis risk factors such as soluble CD40 ligand (sCD40L) and high-sensitivity CRP (hsCRP) in migraine patients during interictal period. Fifty female migraine patients and age-matched 25 female control cases were enrolled in the study. Migraine diagnosis was settled according to the ICHD-II diagnostic criteria. A questionnaire was completed about the existence of vascular risk factors. Serum samples were used to measure sCD40L, hsCRP and prolactin levels. No difference was found between the prolactin levels of the migraine patients and the controls. The sCD40L levels were significantly higher in migraine patients (p < 0.001). High-sensitivity CRP levels showed no difference between the groups. There was no correlation between prolactin, sCD40L, and hs-CRP levels in migraine patients. We consider that the migraine patients are prone to subclinical atherosclerosis, but this tendency is independent of prolactin levels

Large Cell Neuroendocrine Carcinoma of the Ovary and its Skin Metastases: A case report and review of the literature Ovarian Large Cell Neuroendocrine Carcinoma

Large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma in the gynaecological organs affects the uterine cervix and ovary. Large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the ovary is extremely rare, and prognosis is quite poor even when diagnosed at an early stage. These tumours respond poorly to standard chemotherapy regimens. The clinical observation of skin metastasis in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer is relatively uncommon, occurring in only 3.5% of patients. These lesions are observed mostly in skin of the abdominal wall adjacent to the primary ovarian tumours. Metastatic skin lesions on extremities are much more rare; it is reported that only 12% of epithelial ovarian carcinoma skin metastases occur on the limbs. Skin metastasis due to large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the ovary has not been previously reported. We report the case of a large cell neuroendocrine tumour of the ovary with skin metastases on extremities appearing two months after surgery in a 68-year old woman

Impact of adjuvant treatment modalities on survival outcomes in curatively resected pancreatic and periampullary adenocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND: We examined the impact of adjuvant modalities on resected pancreatic and periampullary adenocarcinoma (PAC). METHODS: A total of 563 patients who were curatively resected for PAC were retrospectively analyzed between 2003 and 2013. RESULTS: Of 563 patients, 472 received adjuvant chemotherapy (CT) alone, chemoradiotherapy (CRT) alone, and chemoradiotherapy plus chemotherapy (CRT-CT) were analyzed. Of the 472 patients, 231 were given CRT-CT, 26 were given CRT, and 215 were given CT. The median recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) were 12 and 19 months, respectively. When CT and CRT-CT groups were compared, there was no significant difference with respect to both RFS and OS, and also there was no difference in RFS and OS among CRT-CT, CT and CRT groups. To further investigate the impact of radiation on subgroups, patients were stratified according to lymph node status and resection margins. In node-positive patients, both RFS and OS were significantly longer in CRT-CT than CT. In contrast, there was no significant difference between groups when patients with node-negative disease or patients with or without positive surgical margins were considered. CONCLUSIONS: Addition of radiation to CT has a survival benefit in patients with node-positive disease following pancreatic resection