An unusual approach to a ruptured hydatid cyst case which had been treated with a wrong diagnosis

A twenty-three year old male patient who was on antituberculosis treatment for one year reported to our clinic with persistent complaints of cough and hemoptysis. Bronchoscopy had been performed in order to identify the lesion at another center and with a provisional diagnosis off mass, surgery was suggested to him. After physical examination and radiological examinations (CXR, thoracic CT), rigid bronchoscopy was planned for the patient who declined surgical intervention at bronchoscopy analysis of the left bronchus made us think that there was a germinative membrane of the ruptured hydatid cyst and was removed. The patient was discharged and no problems were detected in the follow-ups in the following year.     

Lipoma of the interpeduncular fossa: Demonstration by CT and MRI

A case of intracranial lipoma located in the interpeduncular fossa of a young woman is presented. Since the patient suffers only nonspecific headache, no treatment was performed. To our knowledge this is the only which was demonstrated by magnetic resonance images (MRI) in the English language literature.     

The IL-33 gene is related to increased susceptibility to systemic sclerosis

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by widespread fibrosis of the skin and several visceral organs. The pro-fibrotic potential of interleukin (IL)-33 has been demonstrated by in both in vitro and in vivo settings; moreover, increased level of IL-33 has also been reported in patients with SSc. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to detect the potential association of IL-33 gene polymorphisms on the susceptibility of SSc. A total of 300 SSc patients and 280 healthy controls (HC) were enrolled in this multicentric preliminary candidate gene study. DNA samples were harvested using an appropriate commercial DNA isolation kit. Four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of IL-33 gene (rs7044343, rs1157505, rs11792633 and rs1929992) were genotyped using the appropriate commercial primer/probe sets on real-time PCR. There was no significant difference in terms of the allelic distributions and minor allele frequencies of evaluated four IL-33 polymorphisms between the SSc and HC groups (P > 0.05 for all). Moreover, the genotypic distributions of rs1157505, rs11792633 and rs1929992 polymorphisms were not significantly different (P > 0.05 for all). However, CC genotype of rs7044343 SNP was significantly higher in the SSc group compared to the HC group (P = 0.013, OR 1.75, 95 % CI 1.12–2.72). This preliminary candidate gene study demonstrates that rs7044343 polymorphism of IL-33 gene is associated with the susceptibility to the SSc in Turkish population. It may be suggested that IL-33 gene may be a candidate gene to research in SSc.     

Laparoscopic Repair of Parastomal Hernia Using a Porcine Dermal Collagen (Permacol?) Implant

Background Surgical repair of parastomal hernias is usually performed through a laparotomy (stoma translocation) or a peristomal incision (mesh repair). Laparoscopic approach may minimize the risks of mesh infection and, thus, represents an attractive alternative. Permacol™ (Tissue Science Laboratories plc, Aldershot, Hampshire, U.K.) is a new biomaterial implant, which combines the strength and biocompatibility. Technique Case 1: A 67-year-old patient presented with paracolostomal hernia causing discomfort and intermittent obstructive episodes, 12 months after a proctectomy for severe radiation proctitis. Case 2: A 74-year-old patient presented with a symptomatic paracolostomal hernia 18 years after abdominoperineal amputation. Results Both procedures took less than 120 minutes. Patients were started on a liquid and solid diet on postoperative Day 1 and discharged to home on the sixth and seventh postoperative days. There was no evidence of hernia recurrence or mesh-related complication at the time of last follow-up: nine months and three months postoperatively. Conclusions Compared with the traditional open technique, the technique described has two potential benefits: 1) the laparoscopic approach provides a means to avoid operating in a contaminated field and may reduce the risks of mesh infection; and 2) the use of a biologic graft may minimize the incidence of synthetic mesh-related complications, such as erosion into viscera and fistula. The use of biologic implants in this indication seems promising and deserves further evaluation. The online version of this article (DOI: ) contains supplementary material which is available to authorized users. This multimedia article (video) has been published online and is available for viewing at . As a subscriber to Diseases of the Colon & Rectum, you have access to our SpringerLink electronic service, including Online First. Presented at the meeting of the Swiss Surgical Society, Lugano, Switzerland, June 21 to 23, 2006, and the meeting of the International Colorectal Disease Symposium, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, February 15 to 17, 2007. Reprints are not available.     

Effects of melatonin on acute necrotizing pancreatitis in rats

The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of melatonin on acute necrotizing pancreatitis (ANP) induced by glycodeoxycholic acid in rats. The induction of ANP resulted in significant increases in mortality rate, pancreatic necrosis and increased serum activity of amylase, alanine aspartate transferase (ALT), interleukin 6 (IL-6), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid, serum concentration of urea, tissue activity of myeloperoxidase (MPO) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in the pancreas and lung, and significant decrease of concentrations of calcium, blood pressure, urine output and pO (2). Melatonin inhibited the changes in blood pressure, urine output, pO (2), serum concentration of urea, and calcium, tissue activity of MPO and MDA in the pancreas and lung, LDH level in BAL fluid, and partially reduced serum activity of IL-6. Melatonin did not change serum activity of amylase, ALT, pancreatic damage and the mortality rate. The use of melatonin has a limited value on the course of ANP. It may be useful as a supportive treatment during ANP.     

A patient with ankylosing spondylitis who presented with chronic necrotising aspergillosis

Upper lobe fibrobullous disease is a well-known finding in advanced stages of ankylosing spondylitis (AS). In this report, we present a 57-year-old male patient who was diagnosed with a right apical cavitary lesion after coming to us with the complaint of haemoptysis. The patient underwent upper lobe segmentectomy and an aspergilloma was detected. Histologic findings were in favour of necrotising Aspergillus pneumonia. It was interesting that the patient had not been diagnosed with AS before and presented initially with chronic necrotising Aspergillus pneumonia. In the literature, there are recently published series of pulmonary high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) in AS which claim that parenchymal abnormalities are quite frequent. Although the clinical significance of these abnormalities is not known with certainty, it has been reported that they might be seen even in early-stage patients. It is suggested that the pulmonary involvement in AS might be affected by mechanical factors related to limitation of motion of the thoracic cage and also by parenchymal inflammation. Here, we review the series of pulmonary HRCT in AS patients.     

Pustular irritant contact dermatitis caused by dexpanthenol in a child

Pustular irritant contact dermatitis is rare and unusual clinic form of contact dermatitis. Dexpanthenol is the stable alcoholic analogue of pantothenic acid. It is widely used in cosmetics and topical medical products for several purposes. We present the case of 8-year-old girl with pustules over erythematous and eczematous areas on the face and neck. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case reported that is diagnosed as pustular irritant contact dermatitis caused by dexpanthenol.     

Performance of the new American College of Rheumatology classification criteria in Turkish systemic sclerosis patients: a multicenter study

In our study, we compared the sensitivity and specificity of the new ACR/EULAR 2013 criteria to the ACR 1980 criteria in our systemic sclerosis (SSc) population. Three rheumatology centers from Turkey participated into this study. The medical records of SSc patients diagnosed between 2008 and 2014 were retrospectively reviewed, and their features at disease onset were recorded. Patients admitted to each center within the same time period for conditions other than SSc, in whom ANA was positive and was deemed necessary within the diagnostic workup, were included as controls. One hundred and ninety-seven SSc patients (174 females, 23 males) and 103 controls (96 females, 7 males) were included. Limited cutaneous SSc was present in 68 % of patients, and 30.5 % had diffuse SSc. The sensitivity of ACR/EULAR 2013 and ACR 1980 criteria were, respectively, 94.4 and 85.3 % (p?=?0.003). The specificity of ACR/EULAR 2013 and ACR 1980 criteria were, respectively, 98.1 and 100 %. According to the new criteria, 13 patients were misclassified; however, according to the ACR 1980 criteria, 29 patients were misclassified (p?=?0.005). The sensitivity of ACR/EULAR 2013 criteria was significantly better than that of the ACR 1980 criteria in limited cutaneous SSc group (94.8 vs. 82.8 %). In patients whose disease duration was <3 years, the new criteria had better sensitivity than the previous criteria (92.7 vs. 78.1 %, p?=?0.006). The new ACR/EULAR 2013 criteria for SSc had better sensitivity in Turkish SSc patients, and less patients were misclassified.     

Mid to long-term results of circumflex coronary artery revascularization with left internal thoracic artery grafts

The current trend in coronary artery surgery is to revascularize the left coronary artery branches with bilateral internal thoracic arteries (ITA). For this procedure, the right ITA is usually grafted to the left anterior descending coronary artery while the circumflex coronary artery is revascularized by the left ITA. The mid to long-term results of the left ITA on the circumflex system were examined in this study. Forty of 48 patients operated on between 1996 and 1998 who had undergone revascularization of the left coronary artery with both ITAs and who fulfilled the study criteria underwent control coronary arteriography to determine the mid to long-term patency of LITA grafts on the circumflex artery. The median time for follow-up was 53 months (range, 49 to 70 months). Of the 40 angiographically controlled patients, 35 had patent left ITA to circumflex artery anastomosis (87.5%). One graft stenosis and four graft occlusions were observed. In the same group, right ITA to left anterior descending coronary artery anastomoses were patent in 38 patients (95%). Left ITA grafts seem to be the conduit of choice for revascularization of the circumflex coronary artery. In combination with the in situ right ITA to left anterior descending coronary artery anastomosis, in situ left ITA grafting to the circumflex system can be done with acceptably low mortality and excellent long-term patency rates. Its utilization is particularly advised in young patients where the importance of left coronary artery revascularization by bilateral ITA grafts is increased.