Efficacy of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy in Diabetic Foot Ulcers Based on Wagner Classification

Diabetic foot ulcer is a common chronic complication of diabetes mellitus. In addition to conventional primary therapy, there are adjuvant therapy methods such as hyperbaric oxygen therapy for the healing of diabetic foot ulcer wounds. The present study aimed to determine the efficacy of hyperbaric oxygen therapy in diabetic foot ulcers based on Wagner classification. It was performed retrospectively from prospectively collected data. One hundred thirty patients with diabetic foot ulcers were assessed in 2 groups: 1 group received hyperbaric oxygen therapy; the other group did not. Patients were examined according to age, sex, ulcer grade based on Wagner classification; ulcer healing status; whether hyperbaric oxygen therapy was received; duration of diabetes in years; HbA1C, sedimentation, C-reactive protein levels; and presence of accompanying diseases, including peripheral arterial disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, hypertension, chronic kidney disease, neuropathy, and retinopathy. The mean follow-up period was 19.5?±?4.45 months (range 12 to 28 months). Seventy-one (54.6%) patients received hyperbaric oxygen therapy, and 59 (45.4%) patients did not. All patients in Wagner grade 2 healed in both groups. In the group that received hyperbaric oxygen therapy for grade 3 and 4 patients, 35 (87.5%) and 11 (84.6%) healed, respectively. In total, 60 (84.5%) patients in the group that received hyperbaric oxygen therapy healed. The subgroup comparison conducted according to Wagner classification revealed no differences between the 2 groups of grades 2 and 5 patients. It also revealed that treatment had higher levels of efficacy in the healing of ulcers in grade 3 and 4 patients.     

Single-Port Laparoscopic Surgery Technique in Children Using Glove-Port and Conventional Rigid Instruments

Single-port laparoscopic surgery (SPLS) is a surgical technique with many advantages over conventional laparoscopy. Its range of indications has expanded alongside the development of its unique tools and equipment. We are able to safely perform SPLS with the low-cost glove-port method without need of any specially developed SPLS port or the TriPort Access System. For this study, the files of patients who underwent laparoscopic surgeries performed between the dates of January 2013 and December 2014 at our clinic were reviewed. Umbilical access single-port abdominal surgeries which were performed using glove-port technique were included in the study. Two hundred nineteen patients who underwent SPLS surgery were included in the study. Of these patients, 158 (72.1%) were male and 61 (27.8%) were females. 58.4% of the cases were appendectomies (n = 128), 20% were orchidopexies (n = 44), 8.6% were orchiectomies (n = 19), 5.4% were ovarian cyst excisions (n = 12), 3.6% were varicocelectomies (n = 8), 2.2% were peritoneal dialysis catheter placements (n = 5), and 1.3% were nephroureterectomies (n = 3). In 67 cases (30.4%), Kirschner wire was used to eliminate the need for a second port. The study concludes that glove-port SPLS, which can readily be performed using conventional tools and Kirschner wire rather than expensive specially developed instruments, is a preferable technique because it is reliable, more cost-effective, and results in a scarless recovery.     

Laparoscopic Radical Prostatectomy Alone or With Laparoscopic Herniorrhaphy

Background and Objectives:

Prostate cancer and inguinal hernia are common health issues in men aged more than 50 years. Recently, more data are accumulating that laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (LRP) and laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair (LIHR) can be performed in the same operation. The purpose of this study was to compare patients who underwent simultaneous extraperitoneal LRP (E-LRP) and LIHR with control patients who underwent only E-LRP in a matched-pairs design.

Methods:

Medical records of 215 patients were evaluated, and 20 patients who underwent E-LRP+LIHR were compared with 40 patients who underwent only E-LRP in a matched-pairs analysis. Preoperative clinical parameters (age, body mass index, prostate-specific antigen, clinical stage, Gleason score of the prostate biopsy, and prostate volume) and operative data (operation time, duration of catheterization, length of hospital stay, estimated blood loss, time to perform the anastomosis and its quality, and the percentage of patients with bilateral lymphadenectomy) were evaluated, as well as postoperative parameters (pathological stage, Gleason score, specimen weight, follow-up duration, biochemical recurrence, complication rates, and duration of postoperative analgesic treatment).

Results:

No statistically significant differences were found in the preoperative and operative parameters between the 2 study groups. Pathological parameters and the follow-up period and complication rates were similar between the 2 groups.

Conclusion:

Performing LIHR and E-LRP during the same operation is safe and feasible in the treatment of patients with prostate cancer and inguinal hernia.     

Topical N-Acetylcysteine Improves Wound Healing Comparable to Dexpanthenol: An Experimental Study

In this study, we aimed to compare the effects of dexpanthenol and N-acetylcysteine on wound healing. The wound healing process is a multifaceted sequence of activities associated with tissue restoration process. A number of investigations and clinical studies have been performed to determine new approaches for the improvement of wound healing. A total of 30 rats were divided into 3 equal groups. A linear 2-cm incision was made in the rats'' skin. No treatment was administered in the first (control) group. Dexpanthenol cream was administered to the rats in the second group and 3% N-acetylcysteine cream was administered to the rats in the third group. The wound areas of all of the rats were measured on certain days. On the 21st day, all wounds were excised and histologically evaluated. The epithelialization and granulation rates between the groups were revealed to be similar in microscopic evaluations. Although the fibrosis was remarkable in the control group as compared with the other groups, it was similar in N-acetylcysteine and dexpanthenol groups. Angiogenesis rate was remarkable in the N-acetylcysteine group compared with the others. In multiple-comparison analysis, Dexpanthenol and N-acetylcysteine groups had similar results in terms of wound healing rates (P < 0.05), which were both higher than in the control group (P > 0.05). The efficacy of N-acetylcysteine in wound healing is comparable to dexpanthenol, and both substances can be used to improve wound healing.Key words: N-acetylcysteine, Dexpanthenol, Wound healingWound healing is a multifaceted sequence of activities associated with the tissue restoration process.¹ This activity takes place in 4 main steps: inflammation, proliferation, matrix deposition, and remodeling.^2,3 Moreover, there are many factors that might have harmful effects on the wound healing process. In this regard, there have been numerous analyses and clinical studies aiming to find new methods for the improvement of wound healing processes.⁴Dexpanthenol is the biologically-active alcohol of pantothenic acid, which leads to an elevation in the amount of coenzyme A in the cell. Dexpanthenol is extensively used in topical form, since it can easily penetrate the skin even at large local concentrations. When used in formulations, dexpanthenol is most effective for the stimulation of epithelialization, granulation, and the mitigation of itching.⁵N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is a prodrug that supplies bioavailable cysteine for glutathione replenishment and prevents oxidative damage as well as inflammation. It also leads to glutathione (GSH) formation in the body. Besides fostering angiogenesis, it is used to scavenge free radicals. NAC has a number of functions in the stages of repair process, including cell proliferation, migration, and scratch wound healing. Moreover, NAC has also been reported to promote wound healing in diabetic rats.⁶In this study, we aimed to compare the effects of dexpanthenol, a molecule that is widely used to improve wound healing, and NAC, a molecule that reduces oxidative stress and inflammation, on wound healing.     

Enzymatic Debridement in Necrotizing Pancreatitis

Multiple organ failure and pancreatic necrosis are the factors that determine prognosis in acute pancreatitis attacks. We investigated the effects of collagenase on the debridement of experimental pancreatic necrosis. The study covered 4 groups; each group had 10 rats. Group I was the necrotizing pancreatitis group. Group II was the collagenase group with pancreatic loge by isotonic irrigation following necrotizing pancreatitis. Group III was the collagenase group with pancreatic loge following necrotizing pancreatitis. Group IV was the intraperitoneal collagenase group following necrotizing pancreatitis. The progress of the groups was compared hematologically and histopathologically. There was no difference among the groups regarding the levels of leukocyte, hemogram, and urea. The differences in AST levels between Group I and II; and differences in glucose, calcium, LDH, AST, and amylase between Group II and III; between Group II and IV; between Group I and III; and between Group I and IV were statistically significant (P < 0.05). There were statistically significant differences between Group II and III, and Group II and IV regarding edema, acinar necrosis, inflammatory cell infiltration, hemorrhage, and fat necrosis (P < 0.05). In conclusion, the collagenase preparation used in this experimental pancreatitis model was found to be effective in the debridement of pancreatic necrosis.Key words: Acute pancreatitis, Necrose, Collagenase, DebridementAcute pancreatitis (AP) is a nonbacterial inflammatory disease of the pancreas that can range from interstitial edema to pancreatic necrosis in its severest form. In about 20% of AP attacks necrosis can develop in the pancreas while the disease limits itself and regresses in a couple of days in many patients (80%).¹The definitions that are still widely in effect today regarding the classification of acute pancreatitis were determined in 1992 at the Atlanta Conference.² The conference aimed at achieving a common classification for AP and its complications. Within severe acute pancreatitis, of which necrotizing pancreatitis is a part, organ failure and local complications can be seen (necrosis, pseudocyst, and abscess). Multiple organ failure and pancreatic necrosis are the factors that determine the prognosis. Half of the mortalities are observed within a period of 1 or 2 weeks. Necrotizing pancreatitis makes up for the 10–20% of AP cases. Severe pancreatitis has a high mortality rate and functional diseases like diabetes are seen in one-third to one-fifth of the recovered patients.³While the mortality rates are about 10% in the presence of sterile pancreatic necrosis, they go up over 30% in the existence of infected necrosis.¹ Regarding acute necrotizing pancreatitis, there is still no consensus on surgical indications and the time of surgical intervention, the surgical method to be used, and which patients need conservative treatment and which ones need surgical treatment. The goal in the surgical treatment of acute necrotizing pancreatitis is to isolate the necrotic tissue that might cause sepsis and multiple organ failure and to reduce the risk of mortality. The timing of necrosectomy as well as the way in which necrosectomy is performed is significant in necrotizing pancreatitis. The issue of the possibility that necrosectomy can be performed through minimally-invasive interventions instead of open surgery is still being discussed.³We planned to investigate the activity of collagenase clostridiopeptidase A (EC 3.424.3), which has never been attempted before in the debridement of experimental pancreatic necrosis (but which has been used for enzymatic debridement), and the enzyme preparation containing the accompanying proteases (Sterile Novuxol^®, Abbott, Uetersen, Germany). We aimed to evaluate the response of the disease to treatment through laboratory and histopathologic data, by using the enzyme preparation to treat necrotizing pancreatitis.