INTRODUCTION: In this study,the effect of mesalazine was studied on TNF alpha IL-1 beta, IL-6, and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels and inflammatory changes in rat lungs with experimental peritonitis.
METHODS: In total, 24 male Sprague–Dawley rats weighing 250–280 g were used in the study.The rats were divided into three groups based on no irrigation or irrigation with isotonic solution or mesalazine. Secondary peritonitis was generated by cecum penetrations. Group I, no irrigation was given after the development of peritonitis; Group II, irrigation was performed using isotonic solution 24 h after the development of peritonitis; Group III: irrigation was performed using mesalazine 24 h after the development of peritonitis. Blood samples were taken in the 48th hour for measuring TNF alpha, IL-1 beta, IL-6, and CRP levels. Lung tissue samples were taken for examining the effect of mesalazine in the development of systemic sepsis.
RESULTS: TNF alpha, IL-1 beta, and CRP levels were significantly low in Group III than in the other groups (p<0.005). In the histologic examination, leucocyte infiltration in the lung was found low in Group III.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: TNF alpha, IL-1 beta, and CRP levels and leucocyte infiltration in the lung were found to be low in rats that were administered peritoneal irrigation using mesalazine after the development of secondary peritonitis. Peritoneal irrigation using mesalazine may be useful in patients requiring surgery due to secondary peritonitis.

INTRODUCTION: Sciatic nerve neuropathy can be observed following intramuscular gluteal injections. The histopathological examination of sciatic nerve damage following intramuscular injection in the gluteal region for acute pain treatment is not feasible in humans due to the inability to dissect and examine the nerve tissue. To overcome this issue, we used a rat model for demonstrating damage to the sciatic nerve tissue after the application of commonly used drug injections.
METHODS: We investigated possible damage following the intramuscular injection of diclofenac, lornoxicam, morphine, and pethidine in a rat model based on histopathological characteristics such as myelin degeneration, axon degeneration, epineurium degeneration, fibrosis, epineurium thickening, perineurium thickening, lymphocyte infiltration, vacuolization, and edema.
RESULTS: All the analgesic drugs used in our study induced histopathological changes in the sciatic nerve. Anti-S100 positivity, showing nerve damage, was found to be the lowest in the group treated with diclofenac. Neurotoxic effects of diclofenac on the sciatic nerve were greater than those of the other drugs used in the study. Lornoxicam induced the least histopathological changes in the nerve.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Diclofenac induced severe nerve damage not only after direct injection in the sciatic nerve but also after injection in the area around the nerve. Thus, we recommend restricting the use of intramuscular gluteal injections of diclofenac. Intramuscular use of morphine and pethidine should also be overviewed.

INTRODUCTION: Pathological studies have suggested that local inflammation, particularly eosinophilic infiltration of the adventitia, could be related to nonatherosclerotic spontaneous coronary artery dissection (NA-SCAD). However, the role of systemic inflammation in the pathogenesis of NA-SCAD remains unknown. Our aim was to investigate systemic inflammatory activation in patients with an acute coronary syndrome (ACS) secondary to NA-SCAD.
METHODS: The institutional electronic medical database was reviewed, and 22 patients with NA-SCAD-ACS were identified after the review. Furthermore, 30 random patients with CAD-ACS and 30 random subjects without any history of CAD or ACS with demographic and clinical characteristics similar to those of NA-SCAD-ACS patients were identified from the institutional database to be included in the study.
RESULTS: Patients with NA-SCAD-ACS and those with CAD-ACS both had higher white blood cell and neutrophil counts than controls. Neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were only significantly higher in the NA-SCAD-ACS group [2.01 (1.54–6.17) for NLR and 0.70 (0.13–2.70) for CRP] than in the controls [1.55 (1.27–2.13), p=0.03 for NLR and 0.15 (0.10–0.43), p=0.049 for CRP]; however, there were no differences between the NA-SCAD-ACS and CAD-ACS groups [1.91 (1.41–2.78) for NLR and 0.41 (0.09–1.10) for CRP, p>0.05 for both comparisons] regarding all tested parameters.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: The degree of inflammatory activation in NA-SCAD-ACS patients was similar to, or even greater than, that in CAD-ACS patients; thus, suggesting a role of inflammation in the pathophysiology of NA-SCAD-ACS.

INTRODUCTION: Gallbladder cancer (GBC) is a rare clinical entity that has a poor prognosis. Radical resection with meticulous lymph node dissection is the only treatment option. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the efficacy of radical resection for GBC in the early postoperative period with the viewpoint of clinicopathological correlation.
METHODS: Patients (n=24) who underwent radical resection with lymph node dissection for GBC between 2015 and 2017 were included. Demographic data, histopathologic tumor type, preoperative tumor markers, pathologic tumor size/stage (depth of invasion), lymph node metastasis and metastasis rates, and postoperative early mortality were evaluated. The patients were grouped in two groups according to lymph node metastases: Group 1 (without lymph node metastasis) and Group 2 (with lymph node metastasis).
RESULTS: The median age of the patients in Group 1 and Group 2 was 65 (range, 42–89) years and 68 (range, 48–87) years, respectively (p>0.05). The female/male ratio in Group 1 and Group 2 was 4/4 and 13/3, respectively (p>0.05). There was a tendency for increased metastasis in Group 2 compared with Group 1 (31% vs. 0%) (p>0.05). Also, 88% of the tumors in Group 2 were in the advanced stage, whereas the rate was 37% in Group 1 (p<0.05). There was early postoperative mortality in seven patients who underwent resection. Four of the seven patients (43%) were from Group 2 and three (37%) from Group 1 (p>0.05).
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Lymph node metastasis in GBC indicates advanced tumor stage. This causes a more complex surgical resection and therefore results in higher early postoperative mortality.

INTRODUCTION: Physicians’ personal (P) drugs, which were ranked by priority, may show variations even for the same indication. We aimed to evaluate physicians’ knowledge and attitudes regarding P-drug list preparation with respect to the rational use of medicine context.
METHODS: A total of 1062 family physicians (FPs) and 562 specialist physicians (SPs) were interviewed and questioned about their knowledge and attitude regarding P-drug list preparation.
RESULTS: Compared with SPs (64.9%), significantly more number of FPs (72.8%) prepared a P-drug list. Women were more likely to prepare the P-drug list in both groups; gender comparison showed that significantly more number of female FPs (75.9%) exhibited this attitude than female SPs (67.8%) (p=0.002). Among SPs, the trend for P-drug list preparation attitude decreased with increasing age (p=0.006), and significantly less number of senior physicians showed this attitude compared with junior physicians (p=0.007). The most common source of information referred to by FPs (78.9%) and SPs (74.3%) during P-drug list preparation was “pharmaceutical company activities.” More than 80% of responders (80.9% of FPs and 83.6% of SPs) specified that a difference “exists” or “partially exists” between original and generic drugs. Approximately one in 10 physicians in both groups stated that they “rarely/never” consider their patients’ “liver/kidney disease” during prescribing.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: More prominently in male and senior physicians, the attitude of P-drug list preparation remained lower than expected. Moreover, it is remarkable that pharmaceutical company promotions are the most common source of information for drug selection. These findings disclose the need for the rational use of medicine dissemination interventions for all physicians focusing on more effective use of P-drug list.

INTRODUCTION: Solid pseudopapillary tumor (SPT) of the pancreas is an extremely rare primary tumor in the pediatric age group. It has a low malignant potential and the prognosis is good if radical resection of the tumor is performed. Local recurrence and distant metastasis has only rarely been reported following incomplete resection.
METHODS: A retrospective review of the medical records of 6 patients diagnosed as SPT according to a histopathological examination at the Children’s Hospital of Erciyes University School of Medicine between 2010 and 2017 was performed. Demographic characteristics, tumor localization and size, diagnostic method, immunohistochemical staining features, and medical and surgical treatments employed were recorded.
RESULTS: There were 4 girls and 2 boys with the diagnosis of SPT included in this study. The mean age of the patients was 14 years (min-max: 13–16 years). The most common presenting complaint was abdominal pain. The mass lesion was at the head of the pancreas in 3 cases (50%) and the tail of the pancreas in the remaining 3 patients (50%). A Whipple procedure was performed in 3 cases, a distal pancreatectomy in 1, a distal pancreatectomy plus splenectomy in 1, and a subtotal pancreatectomy in 1patient. Immunohistochemistry revealed positive staining for beta-catenin, keratin, CD56, vimentin, and CD10 in all cases.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: SPT is a rarely seen pancreatic mass with low rate of malignancy. Diagnosis may be delayed due to its asymptomatic nature in most cases and a lack of descriptive symptoms. The survival rate is quite high after radical resection.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to review the management of pediatric cases of vitelline duct pathology (VDP) detected surgically or incidentally during the neonatal period and the outcomes.
METHODS: The data of newborns who were symptomatic and underwent VDP resection or who were incidentally diagnosed with VDP at a single institution between 1985 and 2015 were retrospectively analyzed in terms of age, sex, clinical features, treatment, perioperative findings, ectopic tissue pathology, and postoperative follow-up information.
RESULTS: Among the 36 newborns enrolled in this study, 26 were male and 10 were female (2.6: 1). The median weight was 2400 g (range: 800–3090 g). In 16 cases (14 males and 2 females; 7: 1) the VDP was surgically repaired. Pathological evaluation indicated that 43% (n=7) of the cases had ectopic gastric mucosa. VDP was incidentally discovered in 12 males and 8 females (1.5: 1). VDP was removed in 10 cases (50%) and left intact in others. Ectopic gastric mucosa was observed in 10% of the VDP removal cases. Ectopic gastric tissue was more prevalent in the surgical VDP cases than in the incidentally discovered and VDP removal cases (p<0.05). Male predominance was greater in the surgically repaired cases than in the incidentally discovered cases (p<0.05). One patient whose VDP was discovered incidentally was admitted 3 years later with obstruction due to intussusception caused by Meckel’s diverticulum, and 1 patient was admitted with rectal bleeding at 11 years of age.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Symptomatic VDP in the newborn demonstrates a significant gender difference. Symptomatic cases are more likely to have ectopic gastric tissue than non-symptomatic cases. Incidentally detected cases without removal should be followed closely for future complications.

INTRODUCTION: The present study aimed to assess the validity and reliability of Geriatric Depression-15 Scale (GDS-15) in Turkish older adults and to compare the results with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-fifth edition (DSM-5) depression criteria.
METHODS: A total of 329 outpatients were enrolled. In the first step, the patients underwent the Mini-Mental State Examination. After assessing whether the patients meet the diagnosis of depression based on DSM-5 diagnostic criteria, another researcher applied the long form of GDS. After sorting the items of short form out of the long form, two separate scores were obtained. The scores of GDS-30 and GDS-15 scales were compared with the scores of DSM-5.
RESULTS: The correlation of GDS-30 with GDS-15 was r=0.966 (p<0.001). The analysis performed considering DSM-5 criteria revealed that the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of GDS-15 in determining depression were 92%, 91%, 76%, and 97%, respectively, when the cutoff value was taken as ≥5. The area under the receiver operating characteristics curve [95% confidence interval (CI)] was 0.97 (95% CI=0.947–0.996) for GDS-15 (p<0.001). The Cronbach alpha coefficient for the total scale was 0.920.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: GDS-15, just as GDS-30, is a beneficial scale in determining depression in older adults. This study provides an evidence for the validity and reliability of GDS-15 in Turkish elderly population and primary care centers.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of ruptured aneurysm on morbidity and mortality in patients with ischemic colitis (IC) and resection following infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) surgery.
METHODS: Between January 2012 and December 2016, patients who underwent resection for ischemic colitis in our clinic were retrospectively reviewed. Data on the ruptured condition of the aneurysm, the emergency or elective form of aneurysm surgery, treatment method for the aneurysm (EVAR-open) were obtained. The patients were compared and divided into two groups as those with ruptured aneurysm and those without.
RESULTS: A total of 275 infrarenal AAA cases were treated by the cardiovascular surgery clinic between January 2012 and December 2016. Fourteen patients (5%) developed ischemic colitis requiring resection. Four (1.8%) patients with EVAR and 10 (17.5%) patients with open surgery were operated because of IC. No statistically significant difference was observed between the two groups in terms of demographic data and surgical procedures. The intergroup comparison did not reveal any statistically significant difference among gastrointestinal (GIS) symptoms, the time period until surgery, the involved colon segment, and the surgical procedures performed. The mortality rate in ruptured AAA group was 83.3%, while it was 62.5% in the non-ruptured AAA group. In spite of the fact that the mortality rate was high in the ruptured group, it was not statistically significant (p=0.393).
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: IC is a complication of AAA surgery with a high mortality rate. Rupture in abdominal aortic aneurysm increasing mortality in IC patients. This complication with a high mortality rate following open AAA surgery should be noted by surgeons and we believe that the liberal utilization of laparotomy and early intervention in suspected cases will decrease mortality rates.

INTRODUCTION: It is controversial whether medical or surgical treatment options have more successful results in ectopic pregnancy treatment. Although high pretreatment serum hCG levels have been known to be the most important predictor, the appropriate treatment modality for a specific range of hCG level remains unclear. Furthermore, the variables that make a patient a bad candidate for single-dose methotrexate treatment is unclear.
The aim of this study was to identify predictive factors associated with the success of single-dose methotrexate treatment in women with ectopic pregnancy.
METHODS: In this retrospective study, 101 women with tubal ectopic pregnancies who had been treated with single-dose methotrexate were selected. The gestational ages, pretreatment hCG values, ectopic mass size, and fluid presence in the abdomen were compared between the groups.
RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 30.6±5.8 (range, 19–42) years, and the gestational age at first injection was 7.0±2.13 (range, 2.3–13.6) weeks. The overall treatment success rate was 77.2% (n=79). The mean duration of hospital stay was 4.21±1.89 days in the successfully treated group and 6.92±2.13 days in the failure group (p<0.05). The rate of treatment failure in patients with abdominal fluid was 37.8%, and it was 12.7% in the non-fluid group (p=0.03). hCG values on days 1, 4, and 7 were significantly higher in the unsuccessful group (3887–2589 mIU/mL, 2814–1287 mIU/mL, and 1119–285 mIU/mL, respectively; p<0.05). The cutoff hCG value, which determined the failure of methotrexate treatment, was found to be 1362 mIU/mL.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: In present study, patients with hCG value <1362 mIU/mL were found to be good candidates for methotrexate treatment. Although not strictly decisional, this hCG threshold level can be used to decide on the likelihood of methotrexate success or failure. Detection of abdominal fluid on ultrasonography also can be assessed as a bad prognostic factor, but size of ectopic mass does not correlate with methotrexate treatment success.

INTRODUCTION: Joint hypermobility (JH) is a clinical condition in which the joints move beyond the expected physiological range of motion. JH can be accompanied by many musculoskeletal complaints. One of the common causes of musculoskeletal pain is shoulder pain. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between subacromial impingement syndrome (SAIS), shoulder adhesive capsulitis (AC), and JH in patients with shoulder pain.
METHODS: Patients aged between 18 and 70 years who presented at the physical medicine and rehabilitation outpatient clinic and who were diagnosed with SAIS or AC in a clinical and physical examination were included in the study. Patients in the same age group without musculoskeletal system pain were included in a control group. All of the cases were assessed for hypermobility using the Beighton score for generalized joint hypermobility (GJH), and the revised 1998 Brighton criteria for benign joint hypermobility syndrome (BJHS).
RESULTS: Of the 124 cases included in the study, 71 (57.3%) were female and 53 (42.7%) were male. There was no case of GJH in the AC group. There were 2 (4.50%) cases in the SAIS group and 3 (7.5%) in the control group. BJHS was found in 4 (10%) cases in the AC group, 6 (13.63%) in the SAIS group, and 2 (5%) cases in the control group. There was no statistically significant difference between groups in terms of JH (p>0.05). The Beighton scores of the AC group were statistically lower those of the control group (p<0.05).
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicated no significant difference between the SAIS group, the AC group, and the control group in terms of GJH and BJHS. The fact that Beighton scores were lower in the AC group than in the control group suggests that the probability of developing AC in those with JH may be lower.

INTRODUCTION: The molecular events underlying ear development involve numerous regulatory molecules; however, the role of microRNAs (miRNAs) has not been explored in patients with ear atresia. Here, we aimed to investigate the expressions of 20–22 nucleotide noncoding RNAs.
METHODS: We selected 12 miRNAs that function to control post-transcriptional gene expression in different pathways, including apoptosis, angiogenesis, and chondrogenesis. The altered miRNA expressions were analyzed by real-time PCR from serum samples of 7 patients with ear atresia and 8 controls.
RESULTS: We found that the expression of apoptosis-regulating miRNAs was significantly downregulated in patients with ear atresia. TThe expressions of miR126, miR146a, miR222, and miR21 were significantly decreased by 76.2-(p=0.041), 61.8-(p=0.000), 30.5-(p=0.009), and 71.21-fold (p=0.042), respectively, compared with controls.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Abnormal ear development in ear atresia patients, could possibly be due to the reduced expression of apoptosis regulating miRNAs. Changes in the regulation of tumor protein p53 (TP53), p53 upregulated modulator of apoptosis (PUMA), Fas cell surface death receptor (FAS), FAS ligand (FasL), and phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) directly or within the apoptosis-related cascades may play important roles during development, particularly in the external ear. This is the first report to present the possible association between apoptosis-regulating miRNAs and ear atresia/microtia.

INTRODUCTION: The early-period results of our technique for performing a medial biplanar retrotubercle open-wedge proximal tibial osteotomy for the surgical treatment of varus gonarthrosis were evaluated and compared with those reported in the literature.
METHODS: The clinical and radiological results of a medial biplanar retrotubercle open-wedge proximal tibial osteotomy performed on 23 knees in 22 patients with medial gonarthrosis with varus alignment were analyzed.
RESULTS: Twenty patients were female and 2 were male. At the time of surgery, the mean age was 56.22 years (44–66 years), the mean body mass index was 31.95 kg/m2 (23.4–44.9 kg/m2), and the mean Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) score was 68.7 (48–83). The mean preoperative femorotibial anatomical axis angle was 186.39° (173–194°), and the mean Insall-Salvati index value was 1.04 (0.94–1.171). The mean length of follow-up was 30.19 months (6–42 months). At the last follow-up examination, the mean HSS score was 86.48 (74–100), the mean femorotibial anatomical axis angle was 175° (168–171°), and the mean Insall-Salvati index value was 1.06 (0.857–1.32). Comparison of the final follow-up values with the preoperative values demonstrated significant improvement in the HSS score and femorotibial anatomical axis angle, but no significant difference in the Insall-Salvati index value.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicated that frontal and sagittal plane deformities in patients with varus gonarthrosis can be treated with biplanar retrotubercle open-wedge proximal tibial osteotomy with good clinical results that achieve patellar tendon length stability and avoid patellofemoral problems.

We present a rare and interesting case of subclavian vein puncture-induced focal intraparenchymal lung hemorrhage and massive hemoptysis developed during CRT-D implantation. Clinical picture advanced to pulmonary edema in seconds. A noncontrast multiple-detector computed tomography scan revealed focal alveolar hemorrhage in the lung tissue right under the pacemaker pocket, but remarkably, there was no pneumothorax. This case shows that if cough and hemoptysis suddenly develop during subclavian puncture, injury of the adjoining lung because of parenchymal puncture should be considered as a complication.

Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), especially in ulcerative colitis (UC). The incidence and severity of CDI in IBD has shown an increasing trend in the last two decades. Patients with IBD are predisposed to CDI secondary to the recurrent use of antibiotics, corticosteroids, and immunosuppressants and secondary to dysbiosis. It is clinically challenging to distinguish the symptoms of CDI from an IBD flare. The worsening of IBD symptoms demands escalation of steroids or initiation of biologics. However, the management of CDI in IBD, not responding to antibiotics, is not well described beyond a few case reports. We report two cases of CDI with active UC flare. The patients did not respond to antibiotics or intravenous corticosteroids but had rapid resolution of CDI symptoms after receiving infliximab infusion. The optimal dosing and infusion frequency of infliximab in management of CDI in UC/IBD remains to be established.

Endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) has been widely accepted as a safe and effective treatment for abdominal aortic aneurysm. Endoleaks are the most common complication after EVAR and require urgent interventions. Usually endoleaks can be treated with endovascular procedures using a variety of techniques. Despite these interventions, if the endoleak still persists, conventional open surgery should be evaluated. A 67-year-old man had been treated with EVAR after a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm 7 years ago. Later on, a type II endoleak was detected due to the inferior mesenteric artery and treated with coil embolization at the first follow-up year. The patient was admitted to our emergency department due to abdominal pain. Computed tomography angiography demonstrated a type Ia endoleak from the posterior side of the graft with a huge abdominal aortic aneurysm sac (22.9 cm) without rupture. The patient was hemodynamically unstable, and open surgical repair was performed via left anterolateral thoracotomy and laparotomy. Here we report a case where we performed open repair of a type Ia endoleak and discuss the repairing techniques for type Ia endoleak in the light of the literature.

Spontaneous and simultaneous multivessel coronary artery spasm may present with multisite myocardial ischemia, atrioventricular block, acute lung edema, cardiogenic shock, or ventricular fibrillation. In a case of syncope caused by vasospasm, the underlying mechanism may be complex, such as atrioventricular block and/or ventricular arrhythmia. Dual implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) placement should be considered along with optimal medical treatment. This report is a description of a 57-year-old male patient who was admitted to the hospital with chest pain followed by loss of consciousness. As the patient had bradycardia, a diffuse spasm, and life-threatening ventricular arrhythmia during ischemic episodes, a dual ICD device was implanted. ICD treatment may be a good option in cases with a diffuse spasm that is hard to control with medical treatment due to the risk of life-threatening ventricular arrhythmia.

The strong magnetic field properties of magnets have led to their use in many modern technologies, as well as in the fields of medicine and dentistry. Neodymium magnets are a powerful type of magnet that has been the subject of recent research. This review provides a brief explanation of the definition, history, and characteristics of rare earth magnets. In addition, a broad overview of results obtained in studies performed to date on the effects of magnets, and neodymium magnets in particular, on body systems, tissues, organs, diseases, and treatment is provided. Though they are used in the health sector in various diagnostic devices and as therapeutic tools, there is some potential for harmful effects, as well as the risk of accident. The research is still insufficient; however, neodymium magnets appear to hold great promise for both diagnostic and therapeutic purposes.