Internship experience in architecture and interior architecture departments from students’ point of views

Internship is an important part of the education system which enables students to consolidate the knowledge gained from practical and theoretical courses by various field experiences and implementations. Despite the proven great advantages of the internship training for the education process, it is observed that the architecture and interior architecture education system in Turkey give less importance to the internship compared to the western countries and it has also been observed that there is a large gap in terms of the studies and researches related to this field in Turkey. For this purpose, a survey study was conducted with 2nd and 3rd grade students who completed their summer internship at Antalya Bilim University in 2019. The survey was aimed to raise awareness of the place of the internship in the education system with all the positive and negative experiences that might be contributed to the students. The survey was carried out according to three phases of the internship process. First phase is related to the pre-internship period in order to understand the students’ experiences before finding the internship institutions. The second stage is about the internship period for recognizing student experiences during the internship implementations. The third stage is related to the post-internship period to get the experiences gained after the internship. Accordingly, the survey results were evaluated in terms of the role of the internship experience in the architecture and interior architecture education processes and its importance in the professional life were examined.No sponso

Clinical Significance of Serum Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Levels in Patients with Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung cancer

Objective: Due to poor prognosis in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), new markers and more effective treatment methods are needed in the monitoring of the disease. The purpose of our study is to evaluate the clinical significance of serum vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels in patients with advanced NSCLC on prognosis and survival.Materials and method: Sixty seven patients (62 men and 5 women) and 20 healthy volunteers (16 men and 4 women) were included in our study. The demographic and laboratory data and serum VEGF levels of two groups were compared.Results: A statistically significantly high level of VEGF (p=0.0001) was detected in patients compared to the control group. The high level of serum VEGF has a statistically significant relationship with the short disease-free survival time (p=0.05). While the median progression free survival (PFS) time in patients with high VEGF levels was 157 days, the median PFS time in those with normal VEGF levels reached up to 340 days. This difference was statistically significant (p=0.003). When overall survival (OS) times was evaluated, it was 472 days in patients with low VEGF levels and 180 days in those with high levels and the difference was statistically significant (p=0.001).Conclusion: In our study, the serum VEGF levels were determined to be statistically significant increased in the NSCLC patient group compared to the control group. In addition, a significant inverse relationship was discovered between the serum VEGF level and all survival times in the NSCLC patient group

New immunohistochemical markers in the differential diagnosis of nonsmall cell lung carcinoma

Background/aim: The aim of this study was to investigate Napsin-A, NTRK-1, NTRK-2, Desmoglein-3, and Desmocollin-3 in the differential diagnosis and prognosis of nonsmall cell lung cancer. Materials and methods: The expression of Napsin-A, NTRK-1, NTRK-2, and Desmoglein-3 was examined by immunohistochemistry in 50 squamous cell carcinomas and 50 adenocarcinomas. Desmocollin-3 was investigated in 29 squamous cell carcinoma and 29 adenocarcinoma cases. Associations between expression profiles of Napsin-A, NTRK-1, NTRK-2, Desmoglein-3, and Desmocollin-3 in lung cancers and clinicopathological variables were analyzed. Results: Napsin-A staining was statistically significant in detecting adenocarcinomas versus squamous cell carcinomas. The sensitivity of Napsin-A for adenocarcinomas was 96% and the specificity was 100%. NTRK-2 and Desmocollin-3 staining were statistically significant in detecting squamous cell carcinomas versus adenocarcinomas. Desmoglein-3, Napsin-A, and NTRK-2 had no effect on survival. Disease-free survival time was significantly shorter in cases that were moderately positive with NTRK-1. Conclusion: Our data suggest that Napsin-A, NTRK-2, and Desmocollin-3 are useful markers in the differentiation of nonsmall cell lung cancer. © TÜBİTAK

Effects of serum leptin and resistin levels on cancer cachexia in patients with advanced-stage non-small cell lung cancer

Intr oducti on: Cancer cachexia is one of the most frequent effects of malignancy, is often associated with poor prognosis, and may account for up to 20% of cancer deaths. The aim of our study was to evaluate the relationship of cancer cachexia and serum levels of resistin and leptin in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer. Met hods: A total of 67 chemotherapy-naïve patients with advanced-stage non-small cell cancer and a control group containing 20 healthy individuals without a known chronic disease were enrolled in this study. All individuals in the control group were age and sex matched. Demographic, anthropometric, laboratory data and serum levels of adipokines were measured for 2 groups. Progression-free survival and overall survival were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Survival among various factors was calculated using the log-rank test. Res ults : Patients presented significantly higher serum resistin (P =.0001) and lower serum leptin levels (P =.025) than the control group. Lower serum levels of leptin were correlated with overall survival (P =.011). Concl usi ons : Serum leptin and resistin levels play key role as proinflammatory cytokines in lung cancer and cancer cachexia; however, their use as diagnostic or prognostic markers is not possible yet, and further large-scale studies are required to confirm our findings. © The Author(s) 2017

Occurrence of an intrathoracic desmoid tumor following breast cancer treatment: A case report

Desmoid tumors are rarely observed tumors that develop from deep muscle and aponeurotic tissues. They are histologically intermediate, and exhibit a local aggressive course. These tumors have been observed in the abdominal region, and are rarely encountered in the thoracic wall. The most effective treatment appears to be surgery. A 59-year-old female patient was admitted with the complaint of right breast pain and a palpable mass. The patient had undergone a modified radical mastectomy surgical procedure of the right breast due to invasive breast carcinoma 10 years before. A mass with a soft tissue density and a size of 44x22 mm was detected in the thoracic computed tomography of the patient, which subsequently resulted in biopsy followed by surgery. As a result of the pathological examination of the mass, the diagnosis was determined as desmoid tumor. Due to the closeness of the tumor to the surgical margin, the patient was administered radiotherapy and maintenance imatinib treatment was started

Effects of tamoxifen on plasma tissue factor levels

Cancer patients have a high risk of thromboembolic disease. Although the increased levels of tissue factor (TF) in cancer patients have been reported in various studies, the effect of hormonal therapy i.e. tamoxifen on this manner has not been illuminated yet. In this pilot study, ten patients with localized breast cancer receiving adjuvant tamoxifen were studied for plasma tissue factor levels by the ELISA method, and test results were compared with the results of ten patients with localized breast cancer who not receiving adjuvant tamoxifen treatment. There was a slightly increase of plasma tissue factor levels in tamoxifen terated group compared with control group, but this increase was not statistically significant. Mean plasma TF level of the tamoxifen treated group was 63,87 pg/ml SEM23,63) (range 12,59 to 267,11) and of the control group was 42,83 pg/ml SEM7,56) (range 5,43 to 78,88).Nothrombotic complications were observed in both groups. According to these results, it is not possible to say that tamoxifen treatment can lead to the increase in plasma tissue factor levels and thereby hypercoagulability in patients with breast cancer. Further studies including more patients are needed to show the difference between two arms.Kanser hastaları tromboembolik olaylar açısından yüksek riske sahiptir. Kanserli hastalarda artmış doku faktörü düzeyleri rapor edilmesine rağmen tamoksifen gibi hormonal tedavilerin bu konudaki etkisi henüz netleştirilememiştir. Bu pilot çalışmada, adjuvan hormonal tedavi olarak tamoksifen alan erken evre meme kanserli 10 hastada prospektif olarak, ELISA yöntemiyle plazma doku faktörü düzeyleri ölçülmüş ve tamoksifen almayan erken evrememekanserli 10 hastanın plazma doku faktörü düzeyleri ile karşılaştırılmıştır. Kontrol grubu ile karşılaştırıldığında, tamoksifen ile tedavi edilen grupta plazma doku faktörü düzeylerinde hafif yükseklik gözlendi. Ancak bu yükseklik istatistiksel olarak anlamlı değildi (p=0.5). Tamoksifen ile tedavi edilen grupta ortalama plazma doku faktörü düzeyi 63,87 pg/ml ± SEM 23,63 (12,59- 267,11) iken kontrol grubunda 42,83 pg/ml ± SEM 7,56 ( 5,43-78,88) idi. Grupta hiçbir hastada trombotik komplikasyon gözlenmedi. Mevcut sonuçlarla tamoksifen alan erken evre meme kanserli hastalarda izlenebilen trombotik komplikasyonların gelişiminde doku faktörünün de rolü olabilir demek mümkün değildir, daha fazla hasta içeren çalışmalara ihtiyaç vardı

An old woman with weight loss and chest pain

Pulmonary sarcomas constitute only 0.1-0.5% of all primary lung malignancies. These tumors may derive from the lung parenchyma, bronchial tree or pulmonary arteries. The most important entity in the differential diagnosis is metastatic synovial sarcoma. A 76-years-old woman was admitted for investigation of a fever, productive cough, dyspnea, weight loss and left-sided chest pain which had been present for one month. A chest computerised tomography showed enlarged mediastinal lymph nodes were observed, as well as a left-sided pleural effusion. Thoracentesis revealed hemorrhagic pleural effusion which was exudate and lymphocyte predominant, closed pleural biopsy showed chronic inflammation. Left sided thoracoscopy was performed under local anesthesia, total collapse of left lung and multiple pleural nodules were observed on the visceral pleura multiple biopsies were obtained from those nodules. Pathologic examinations revealed "synovial sarcoma". As skeleton single photon emission tomography was unremarkable, primary pleuropulmonary synovial sarcoma was decided as diagnosis and chemotheraphy was planned for the patient. Primary pleuropulmonary synovial sarcoma is a rare neoplasm of lung and pleura but it is rare entity

Potential utility of p63 expression in differential diagnosis of non-small-cell lung carcinoma and its effect on prognosis of the disease

Background: P63 is a gene located in chromosome 3q27-29, which has been implicated in regulation of stem cell commitment and promotion of squamous differentiation in various tissues. The aim of this study was to investigate whether there was a correlation between p63 expression, differential diagnosis of lung carcinoma, and prognosis. Material/Methods: Immunohistochemical expression of p63 in 62 lung carcinomas was investigated and mRNA analysis using RT-PCR method was done in 6 selected cases. Results: When cases were evaluated for p63 staining, 24 of 25 (96%) squamous cell carcinomas were strongly positive. Six of 20 adenocarcinomas (25%) and 1 (100%) large cell carcinoma (except neuroendocrine carcinoma) were mildly positive. p63 staining was statistically significant in favor of squamous cell carcinoma than other tumors (p<0.001). Forty percent of squamous cell carcinomas had squamous carcinoma in situ, whereas adenocarcinomas had none. There was a significant statistical difference between squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma (p=0.002). p63 was strongly positive in all of 12 squamous carcinoma in situ cases. In 6 cases where mRNA analysis was performed by RT-PCR method, DNp63 was strongly positive in 3 squamous cell carcinomas, mildly positive in 1 adenocarcinoma, and negative in 1 carcinoid tumor. TAp63 was strongly positive in non-tumoral lung tissue but negative in all tumors, except 1 squamous cell carcinoma. Conclusions: Our data suggest that poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma had strong and widespread staining for immunohistochemical expression of p63. Therefore, p63 can be a useful marker in differentiating squamous cell carcinoma from poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma from large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma. © Med Sci Monit

The presence of upper extremity problems and the effect on quality of life in breast cancer patients who undergone breast surgery and axillary dissection

Aim: The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of upper extremity problems in patients who had undergone breast cancer surgery, to compare the risk factors associated with these problems and to investigate their effects on quality of life. Materials and Methods: One hundred thirty-two patients who had undergone either modified radical mastectomy or breast conserving surgery (lumpectomy) were enrolled to the study. Lymphedema, shoulder pain and restriction of shoulder motion were considered as upper extremity problems. Type of surgery, body mass index (BMI), radiotherapy, chemotherapy, disease stage and dominant hand involvement were recorded. The World Health Organisation (WHO) Quality of Life-BREF-Turkish Version (WHOQOLBREF- TR) was used for the assessment of quality of life. Results: Shoulder pain was the most common symptom (45.5%), followed by lymphedema (34.8%) and shoulder motion restriction (22%). No significant relation was found between lymphedema and age, type of surgery, restriction of shoulder motion, pain and dominant hand involvement. Increased BMI, treatment with chemotherapy or radiotherapy, advanced-disease stage and lymph node involvement were associated with lymphedema (p< 0.05). It was seen that doing regular exercise had positive effect on lymphedema, pain and shoulder motion restriction reduction (p<0.05). Lymphedema, pain and shoulder motion restriction were related with physical and psychological subgroups of WHOQOL-BREF TR, whereas shoulder motion restriction was also associated with the environmental subgroup (p<0.05). When lymphedema, pain and shoulder motion restriction was searched for to determine which one was more effective on quality of life shoulder pain had negative effect in the physical and psychological subgroups; motion restriction had negative effect in the physical subgroup, whereas lymphedema did not affect the quality of life subgroups. Exercise also had positive contribution to environmental and psychological subgroups of quality of life (p<0.05). Conclusion: Arm problems are frequently encountered following breast surgery and affect the daily living of patients by decreasing their quality of life. The major aim in these patients must be taking preventive precautions and preserving the quality of life by minimizing complications with regular follow-up. Turk J Phys Med Re hab 2011;57:186-92. © Turkish Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Published by Galenos Publishing

Prognoztic factors in non-small cell lung cancer: Review

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality in both genders worldwide. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) represents about 80% of all lung cancers. Less than one-third of these patients present at an early stage, and substantial relapses are observed despite curative surgical treatment. For the most part, recurrences occur at extrathoracic sites as distant metastases. The remaining patients have advanced disease and treatment is only marginally effective in such patients. Thus, prognoztic factors continue to play a critical role in the prediction of outcome in such patients. Early investigations that mostly focused on clinical characteristics of the tumor and the patient were followed by a number of clinical laboratory tests. Recently, studies that investigate the prognoztic significance of novel factors related to cellular and molecular biology of lung cancer have increased. The aim of this study was to review the literature with regard to prognoztic factors in patients with NSCLC. Copyright © 2007 by Türkiye Klinikleri