The role of cardiac biomarkers as predictors of trastuzumab cardiotoxicity in patients with breast cancer

Aim: Identification of patient with increased risk of cardiotoxicity would allow not only prevention and early diagnosis of chemotherapy related cardiotoxicity but also administration of optimal dose and duration of chemotherapy. Materials and methods: Fifty-two women with HER2+ breast cancer treated with trastuzumab were included in this study. Patients were prospectively followed with routine cardiac evaluation. Before and after administration of trastuzumab blood samples for NT-proBNP were also taken. Results: The median age was 48.5 year (range: 26–74). Hypertension and obesity were two most common co-morbidities. The median duration application of trastuzumab was 52 weeks. During median 14.5 (3–33) months follow-up cardiac adverse events occurred in 5 (9.6%) patients and 2 out of 5 was grade III–IV heart failure. Both patients had preserved left ventricular ejection fraction and no symptom of heart failure before trastuzumab but older than 65 years old and had diabetes mellitus and obesity. High level of NT-proBNP (> 300 ng/ml) was observed in both patients and heart failure recovery was not observed. There was statistically significant difference regarding body mass index (p = 0.004) and diabetes mellitus (p = 0.002) between patients with and without cardiotoxicity. Conclusion: Although, cardiac biomarkers still cannot replace routine cardiac monitoring, natriuretic peptides may provide additional tool for detection of patients with high risk of cardiotoxicity and early detection of cardiotoxicity. Key Words: breast cancer, trastuzumab, heart failure, left ventricular dysfunction, natriuretic peptides

Social marketing may help: Organ donation among college students in a developing country perspective

In the European Union (EU), USA, and Turkey 19, 30, and 6 people respectively die each day while they are waiting for organ transplants that cannot take place because of the shortage of donated organs. Organ transplantation has become an accepted medical treatment for end-stage organ failure, but unfortunately, the only way to perform these treatments is the organ donation. This study aims to determine potential organ donors’ – university students-knowledge and attitudes about organ donation. The survey was administrated to the students at Luleburgaz and Vize Vocational Colleges of Kirklareli University, Kirklareli-Turkey. A 96 question questionnaire was asked to 705 university students by convenient sampling method. The data were analyzed with logistic regression by using IBM SPSS 20 program. At the end of the study, more than half of the college students have positive attitude on cadaveric organ donation. Kidney donation constitutes the highest ratio followed by heart donation. TV has been found the most informing source about acquiring information related to organ donation. Four different regression models indicate several positive and negative relationships between “willingness to donate organ” and “major reasons to donate organ”, “the ways to increase organ donation”, “reasons of rejecting organ donation”, and “most informing source that students acquire information about organ donation”. © 2016 IABE.2-s2.0-8499237756

Orchiectomy as a result of ischemic orchitis after inguinal hernia repair

Ischemic orchitis is an established complication after open and laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair, but ischemic orchitis resulting in orchiectomy after the surgical approach is very rare. We reported a case of healthy 47 year-old man, with no previous surgery or history of trauma, who presented with right direct inguinal hernia. He is a thin, muscular male with a narrow pelvis who underwent right extraperitoneal mesh implantation with open inguinal hernia repair. The patient was discharged on the same day and doing well with minimal pain and swelling until the fifth day after surgery. That night he presented with sudden-onset of pain and swelling of his right testicle and denied both trauma to the area and any sexual activity. Scintigraphy and ultrasound of the testicle revealed no blood flow to the testicle which required exploration and subsequent orchiectomy

Fluorescence emission studies of an azlactone derivative embedded in polymer films An optical sensor for pH measurements

Azlactone molecules can be protonated in acidic media, and the process of protonation is irreversible due to ring opening in solutions. A new fully reversible pH sensor has been developed 4-(p-N,N-dimethylamino phenyl methylene)-2-phenyl-5-oxazolone (DPO), an azlactone derivative, embedded in a plasticized PVC polymer film. The sensor membrane is completely transparent and exhibits pH induced color change which is capable of measuring of pH in the range 1-7 and has a pKa value of 3.4. In agreement with crystal phase studies, DPO displays enhanced fluorescence emission quantum yield, Qf = 0.52, and fluorescence emission lifetime, ?f = 1.35ns, in immobilized PVC film matrix, compared to Qf ? 0.03 and ?f = 0.02-0.03 ns in solutions. Stokes shift decreased to 46 nm in plasticized PVC film, with respect to Stokes shift of 81 nm in acetonitrile solution. Singlet energy, Es = 60.4 kcal mol-1, of DPO in PVC film, which is 1.1-1.4 kcal mol-1 lower with respect to solutions, is taken as evidence of lessened singlet-triplet crossings in excited state of DPO in immobilized phase, and result in enhanced fluorescence emissions. © 2000 Elsevier Science B.V All rights reserved.Devlet Planlama Örgütü Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung National Council for Scientific ResearchWe acknowledge the project support funds of Research Center of Ege University (EBILTEM), to State Planning Organization of Turkey (DPT), to Scientific Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) and to Alexander von Humboldt Foundation of Germany. We thank to Professor Ugur Kokturk for providing the picture of polymer films. -

Public and Private Initiatives in Skills Training in Turkey

The priorities 9th National Development Plan (NDP) covering the 2007-2013 period relevant to HRD-OP (Human Resources Development Operational Programme) involve supporting the priority of "increasing employment" which includes improving the employability of the target groups and strengthening the capacity of public employment services. The chapter reviews several training programmes which are offered by unions to their members. An important venture in this area is the joint MESS (Metal Employers' Association of Turkey) and Turk Metal (Metal Workers' Union of Turkey) project whose main objective is to provide a mechanism for continually improving the productivity and competitiveness of the metal industry as well as to provide ongoing skills development for employees.Publisher's Versio

THE ROLE OF CARDIAC BIOMARKERS AS PREDICTORS OF TRASTUZUMAB CARDIOTOXICITY IN PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER

Aim: Identification of patient with increased risk of cardiotoxicity would allow not only prevention and early diagnosis of chemotherapy related cardiotoxicity but also administration of optimal dose and duration of chemotherapy. Materials and methods: Fifty-two women with HER2+ breast cancer treated with trastuzumab were included in this study. Patients were prospectively followed with routine cardiac evaluation. Before and after administration of trastuzumab blood samples for NT-proBNP were also taken. Results: The median age was 48.5 year (range: 26–74). Hypertension and obesity were two most common co-morbidities. The median duration application of trastuzumab was 52 weeks. During median 14.5 (3–33) months follow-up cardiac adverse events occurred in 5 (9.6%) patients and 2 out of 5 was grade III–IV heart failure. Both patients had preserved left ventricular ejection fraction and no symptom of heart failure before trastuzumab but older than 65 years old and had diabetes mellitus and obesity. High level of NT-proBNP (> 300 ng/ml) was observed in both patients and heart failure recovery was not observed. There was statistically significant difference regarding body mass index (p = 0.004) and diabetes mellitus (p = 0.002) between patients with and without cardiotoxicity. Conclusion: Although, cardiac biomarkers still cannot replace routine cardiac monitoring, natriuretic peptides may provide additional tool for detection of patients with high risk of cardiotoxicity and early detection of cardiotoxicity. Key Words: breast cancer, trastuzumab, heart failure, left ventricular dysfunction, natriuretic peptides