Matrix Metalloproteinases 2 and 9 Polymorphism in Patients With Myeloproliferative Diseases: A STROBE-Compliant Observational Study

Chronic myeloproliferative disorders such as polycythemia vera (PV), essential thrombocytosis (ET), and idiopathic myelofibrosis arise from clonal proliferation of neoplastic stem cells in the bone marrow. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are a family of zinc-dependent endopeptidases that have potential to degrade all types of extracellular matrix (ECM) and also play a role in remodeling of the ECM. It is known that MMPs play a role in bone marrow remodeling.The primary goal of our study is to explore the relationship between chronic myeloproliferative diseases and some of MMP gene polymorphisms. The demonstration of a relationship will help to understand whether these polymorphisms may be a potential early diagnosis marker of the diseases.Patients were selected from outpatient clinics of Turgut Ozal University Hospital, Ankara, Turkey, between December 2010 and May 2011. Twenty-eight patients that previously diagnosed and followed-up with PV, 17 with secondary polycythemia (SP), and 12 with ET were enrolled in the study, along with a control group of 22 healthy people.DNA was isolated from peripheral blood. Using polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism method, MMP2 and MMP9 gene polymorphisms were analyzed with agarose gel electrophoresis. There was a statistically significant difference between the study groups and the control group in terms of Gln279Arg polymorphisms rates of MMP9. The highest MMP9 Gln279Arg polymorphism rate was observed in the ET group. But nobody from the control group had polymorphic MMP9. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups in terms of MMP2-735 C > T polymorphism rates.In conclusion, MMP9 gene Gln279Arg polymorphism was associated with ET, SP, and PV diseases. Hence, we believe that these gene polymorphisms may play a role in the mechanism of bone marrow fibrosis and may be a factor that increases the risk of thrombosis. Illumination of the molecular basis of the relationship between MMP-thrombosis and MMP-fibrosis provides a better understanding of the pathophysiology of PV and ET diseases and will allow new approaches to diagnosis and treatment.     

Imaging in secondary tumors of the ovary

Abdominal Radiology - Metastatic involvement of the ovaries is not rare. The most common tumor types metastasizing to the ovaries, from non-gynecological organs, are breast, colorectal, gastric,...     

Genetic and epigenetic alterations of the EGFR and mutually independent association with BRCA1, MGMT,and RASSF1A methylations in Vietnamese lung adenocarcinomas

Genetic and epigenetic alterations importantly contribute to the pathogenesis of lung cancer. In the study, we measured the frequency and distribution of molecular abnormalities of EGFR as well as the aberrant promoter methylations of BRCA1, MGMT, MLH1, and RASSF1A in Vietnamese lung adenocarcinomas. We investigated the association between genetic and epigenetic alteration, and between each abnormality with clinicopathologic parameters. Somatic EGFR mutation that was found in 49/139 (35.3%) lung adenocarcinomas showed a significant association with young age, female gender, and non-smokers. EGFR overexpression was identified in 82 tumors (59.0%) and statistical relationships with EGFR or BRCA1 methylation but not EGFR mutation. In addition, EGFR, BRCA1, MGMT, MLH1, and RASSF1A methylations were found in 33 (23.7%), 41 (29.5%), 46 (33.1%), 28 (20.1%), and 41 (29.5%) cases of a total of 139 lung adenocarcinomas, respectively. The RASSF1A methylation was found to be linked to the smoking habit. Methylations in MGMT and RASSF1A were also found to correlate with metastasis status. Furthermore, the distribution of EGFR mutation and that of BRCA1, MGMT or RASSF1A methylation were significantly exclusive in lung adenocarcinomas. The main finding of our study demonstrate that epigenetic abnormalities might play a critical role for the lung tumorigenesis in patients with smoking history and metastasis, and partly affect the predictive value of EGFR mutations through blocking expression due to promoter EGFR hypermethylation. Mutually exclusive distribution of genetic and epigenetic alterations reflects differently biological characteristics in the etiology of lung adenocarcinomas.     

A comparison of double single suture-button fixation,suture-button fixation,and screw fixation for ankle syndesmosis injury: A retrospective cohort study

Different methods have been used throughout the years for syndesmotic injury but there is no consensus on the ideal treatment. Some methods are expensive and some have more complications. The aim of this study is to compare single suture endobutton with double suture endobutton and screw fixation for syndesmotic injury.Sixty nine patients with syndesmotic injury with fibular fractures whom were treated with a single interosseous suture endobutton system (ZipTight^TM, Zimmer Biomet), a double interosseous suture endobutton system (ZipTight^TM, Zimmer Biomet) and 1 syndesmotic screw (TST, Istanbul, Turkey) were included in this study. Functional and radiological results from patient records between 2015 and 2018 were retrospectively evaluated.Twenty patients were treated with the double interosseous suture endobutton, 23 were treated with the single interosseous suture endobutton, and 26 were treated with traditional AO screw fixation. Three patients from the screw fixation group (11.5%) required revision surgery (P < .05). All the radiologic and clinical outcomes were statistical similar in all 3 groups.Our findings showed that the interosseous suture endobutton system is at least as safe as the screw fixation technique for treatment of syndesmosis joint injuries and can be used as an alternative to the screw method. The interosseous suture endobutton system eliminates the need for a second surgery to remove the hardware, which minimizes the probability of re-diastasis. Since our results showed no statistical difference between single and double interosseous suture endobutton systems, the less costly single endobutton system may be the better alternative.     

Burden of illness among patients with severe aplastic anemia who have had insufficient response to immunosuppressive therapy: a multicenter retrospective chart review study

Annals of Hematology - This study assessed treatment patterns and healthcare resource utilization (HRU) of patients with severe aplastic anemia (SAA) with insufficient response to immunosuppressive...