<Emphasis Type="Italic">TP53</Emphasis>mutation status and gene expression profiles are powerful prognostic markers of breast cancer

Introduction  

Gene expression profiling of breast carcinomas has increased our understanding of the heterogeneous biology of this disease and promises to impact clinical care. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of gene expression-based classification along with established prognostic markers and mutation status of the TP53 gene (tumour protein p53) in a group of breast cancer patients with long-term (12 to 16 years) follow-up.     

A multicentre (double-blind) comparative study to assess the safety and efficacy of fluconazole and griseofulvin in the treatment of tinea corporis and tinea cruris

In a double-blind, parallel group study we compared fluconazole 150mg once weekly with griseofulvin 500 mg once daily for 4–6 weeks in the treatment of tinea corporis or tinea cruris. Eighty-four of 114 patients (74%) (39% after 3 weeks) were clinically cured in the fluconazole group compared with 72 of 116 (62%) (39% after 3 weeks) in tbe griseofulvin group (P = 0·06). In tbe fluconazole group 78% were mycological cured compared with 80% in the griseofulvin group. In the fluconazole group nine patients (7·5%) had treatment related adverse events and in tbe griseofulvin group 15 patients (12·5%) had adverse events. Fluconazole 150 mg once weekly for 6 weeks is botb clinically and mycologically effective in the treatment of tinea corporis and tinea cruris and few side-effects were reported.     

The assessment of the effect of different intraabdominal pressures used for laparoscopic cholecystectomy surgery on optic nerve sheath diameter: a prospective observational cohort study

Background/aimDuring laparoscopic cholecystectomy operations, increases in intraabdominal, intrathoracic, and intracranial pressures (ICP) can be seen after pneumoperitoneum created for surgical imaging. Orbital ultrasonography (USG), which has been developed in recent years, is a method that can evaluate the ICP by measuring the optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) from the eyeball.In our study, we aimed to evaluate whether different intraabdominal pressure values created during laparoscopic cholecystectomy operations correlate with ICP by measuring ONSD.Materials and methodsThe study included a total of 90 patients with American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status classification I (ASA I) and II (ASA II) and ages from 18 to 65 years with laparoscopic cholecystectomy planned.After the patients were intubated, at the 5th min, bilateral ONSD measurements were performed. The same measurements were performed at the 15th and 30th min after CO2 insufflation and additionally 10 min after CO2 was released at the end of the operation. During intrabdominal CO2 insufflation, patients with 10 mmHg pressure applied comprised Group 1, patients with 12 mmHg pressure applied comprised Group 2, and patients with 14 mmHg pressure applied comprised Group 3.Results The study was completed with 89 patients, 51 female and 38 males. One patient was excluded from the study due to erroneous values. The variations in ONSD measured in the right-left eye before pneumoperitoneum and at the 15th and 30th min after abdominal CO2 insufflation were observed to be statistically significant (p < 0.01). In all three groups, the right and left eye ONSD values were not identified to be statistically significantly different (p > 0.01).A significant increase was observed in ONSD values in direct proportion to the increase in intraabdominal pressure in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy surgery.Conclusion USG-guided ONSD measurements appear be a guide to ensure optimization of intraabdominal pressures and safe anesthesia administration for patients, especially those at risk of ICP increase, during laparoscopic surgery.     

Assessment of psychometric properties,cross-cultural adaptation,and translation of the Turkish version of the ICU mobility scale

Background/aim The aim of the study was to carry out the cultural adaptation and translation of the ICU mobility scale (IMS) into Turkish and research the psychometric properties.Materials and methods This study was based on methodological design. The IMS was translated from English to the Turkish through a regularised translation process. Two physiotherapists assessed patients independently in the coronary intensive care unit. The measures such as construct validity, intra and interrater reliability, and internal consistency of the IMS Turkish version were assessed. Results A total of 70 intensive care patients were included in the study. The intrarater and interrater reliability of the IMS was excellent. The weighted Kappa value was 0.92 (0.87–0.96) for the intrarater reliability, and 0.87 (0.80–0.93) for the interrater reliability. There were significant correlations between the IMS and functional status score for the intensive care unit (r = 0.83), Perme intensive care unit mobility score (r = 0.84), Katz activities of daily living (r = 0.73), handgrip strength (r = 0.62), knee extension strength (r = 0.46), and age (r = –0.44).Conclusion This study suggests that the IMS Turkish version is a reliable and valid scale for assessing functional status and mobility level in ICU patients.     

Is microRNA 1910-3p (miR-1910-3p) a really distinctive marker for psoriasis?

Background/aimAlthough the cause of immune activation in the pathogenesis of psoriasis is still unclear, miRs are thought to have an effect on psoriasis. This work aimed to evaluate the role of miRs (miR-4649-3p, miR-6867-5p, miR-4296, miR-210, and miR-1910-3p) that target the FOXP3 mRNA and IL-17A mRNA in psoriasis. Materials and methods Forty-four psoriasis patients and 44 healthy controls were included in the study. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was used for the measurement of miRs. Serum IL-17A levels were determined by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method. Results Plasma miR-1910-3p levels were significantly lower in the patient group than the controls (P = 0.000, fc: 0.10). ROC analysis showed that plasma miR-1910-3p levels could significantly differentiate psoriasis patients from healthy controls [AUC = 0.912 (0.848–0.975), P = 0.000]. The plasma miR-4649-3p level was significantly higher in the psoriasis group compared to the controls (P = 0.000, fc: 2.99). Conclusion Decreased expression of miR-1910-3p increases the risk of developing psoriasis by approximately 50-fold and was able to use for the significant differentiation of psoriatic patients from healthy controls.     

The effect of weather variables on the severity,duration, and frequency of headache attacks in the cases of episodic migraine and episodic tension-type headache

Background/aimAlthough many headache patients report that the frequency and severity of attacks vary according to the season or weather in clinical practice, the relationship between the characteristics of the attacks and the weather is not very clear in episodic headaches. We aimed to compare the effects of weather variables (temperature, wind speed, wind direction, humidity, pressure, ultraviolet index, and sunshine duration) on episodic migraine (EM) and episodic tension-type headache (ETTH) attacks (incidence, duration, and severity).Materials and methodsFifty patients with EM and fifty patients with ETTH diagnosed according to International Classification of Headache Disorders-II are included in the study. Patients were given one diary for headache follow-up. The evaluation form on the relationship between the duration, frequency, and severity of the pain and the findings obtained from the headache diaries were compared with the daily weather data, and the two headache groups were compared with each other in terms of the effect of meteorological data on the pain characteristics.ResultsIt is determined that mean wind velocity in EM attacks is significantly higher when compared to the tension-type headache (TTH) attacks and mean UV index is significantly higher in TTH attacks (p = 0.018 and 0.039). Mean UV index in TTH attack days was reported higher in women than men (p = 0.044). Mean sunshine duration in TTH attack days was reported longer in women than men (p = 0.050). When mean age gets higher in patients with migraine, mean temperature in the days of attack gets lower (r = –0.146 and p = 0.046).Conclusion During the treatment of migraine and TTH patients, recommendations and warnings about weather conditions can be made. This information can guide patients to regulate their daily living activities. The importance of considering the weather-headache relationship during the review of the current treatment in cases of unresponsiveness to treatment should be kept in mind.     

A rare case of Moraxella lacunata producing combined native mitral and aortic valve endocarditis

We describe a case of infective endocarditis due to Moraxella lacunata involving the native mitral and aortic valves, complicated by cerebral emboli and resultant hemiparesis. The patient was treated with ceftriaxone and gentamicin and improved. This appears to be the first case reported in the medical literature of native multivalvular endocarditis produced by this rare organism.     

Breastfeeding among Turkish Mothers Living in Suburbs of Istanbul and Stockholm–A Comparison

ABSTRACT. The infant feeding pattern among 96 Turkish mothers living in a suburb of Istanbul and 30 living in a suburb of Stockholm, both with working class characteristics, was determined. The duration of breastfeeding among the Turkish immigrant group living in the Stockholm suburb was significantly reduced compared with the group with a similar social background but living in a native urban area. Infant feeding pattern among the Turkish immigrant mothers was more similar to that of Swedish populations. Attitudes to breastfeeding among the immigrant group had changed. Early weaning, reliance on commercially available infant foods and bottle feeding characterized their infant feeding practices. The majority of the infants of this group showed a tendency to overweight.     

Evidence of both ontogeny and transplant dose-regulated expansion of hematopoietic stem cells in vivo

Recent assessment of the long-term repopulating activity of defined subsets of hematopoietic cells has offered new insights into the characteristics of the transplantable stem cells of this system; however, as yet, there is very little known about mechanisms that regulate their self-renewal in vivo. We have now exploited the ability to quantitate these cells using the competitive repopulating unit (CRU) assay to identify the role of both intrinsic (ontological) and extrinsic (transplanted dose-related) variables that may contribute to the regulation of CRU recovery in vivo. Ly5.1 donor cells derived from day-14.5 fetal liver (FL) or the bone marrow (BM) of adult mice injected 4 days previously with 5-fluorouracil were transplanted at doses estimated to contain 10, 100, or 1,000 long-term CRU into irradiated congenic Ly5.2 adult recipient mice. Eight to 12 months after transplantation, there was a complete recovery of BM cellularity and in vitro clonogenic progenitor numbers and a nearly full recovery of day-12 colony-forming unit-spleen numbers irrespective of the number or origin of cells initially transplanted. In contrast, regeneration of Ly5.1+ donor-derived CRU was incomplete in all cases and was dependent on both the origin and dose of the transplant, with FL being markedly superior to that of adult BM. As a result, the final recovery of the adult marrow CRU compartment ranged from 15% to 62% and from 1% to 18% of the normal value in recipients of FL and adult BM transplantation, respectively, with an accompanying maximum CRU amplification of 150- fold for recipients of FL cells and 15-fold for recipients of adult BM cells. Interestingly, the extent of CRU expansion from either source was inversely related to the number of CRU transplanted. These data suggest that recovery of mature blood cell production in vivo may activate negative feedback regulatory mechanisms to prematurely limit stem cell self-renewal ability. Proviral integration analysis of mice receiving retrovirally transduced BM cells confirmed regeneration of totipotent lymphomyeloid repopulating cells and provided evidence for a greater than 300-fold clonal amplification of a single transduced stem cell. These results highlight the differential regenerative capacities of CRU from fetal and adult sources that likely reflect intrinsic, genetically defined determinants of CRU expansion but whose contribution to the magnitude of stem cell amplification ultimately obtained in vivo is also strongly influenced by the initial number of CRU transplanted. Such findings set the stage for attempts to enhance CRU regeneration by administration of agents that may enable full expression of regenerative potential or through the expression of intracellular gene products that may alter intrinsic regenerative capacity.