Oxidative stress markers in laparoscopic vs. open appendectomy for acute appendicitis: A double-blind randomized study.

BACKGROUND: Oxidative stress is a complicated process, which was defined as an increase in prooxidants and decrease in antioxidants caused by various mechanisms, including inflammation and surgical trauma. The association between acute appendicitis and oxidative stress has been showed in previous studies. However, comparison of oxidative stress in laparoscopic or open appendectomy (OA) has not been established. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients who were diagnosed as acute appendicitis between October 2012 and January 2013 were randomized to open (OA, n = 50) and laparoscopic appendectomy (LA, n = 50). Blood samples for oxidative stress markers (total oxidant status [TOS] and total antioxidant status [TAS]), C-reactive protein (CRP) and white blood cells (WBC's) were collected just before the surgery and 24 h after surgery. RESULTS: There were no differences in preoperative values of WBC and CRP between LA and OA groups (P = 0.523 and 0.424), however, in postoperative 24(th) h, CRP was reduced in LA group (P = 0.031). There were no differences in preoperative levels of TOS, TAS, and oxidative stress index (OSI) between LA and OA groups. In the postoperative 24(th) h, TOS and OSI were found to be significantly higher in OA group when compared to LA group (P = 0.017 and 0.002) whereas no difference was detected in TAS level in the postoperative 24(th) h (P = 0.172). CONCLUSIONS: This double-blind, randomized clinical trial provides evidence that LA for uncomplicated appendicitis is associated with significantly lower oxidative stress compared with OA. Some of the advantages of LA may be attributed to the significant reduction of oxidative stress in these patients.

Expression of FHIT, p16, p53 and EGFR as prognostic markers in thyroid tumors of uncertain malignant potential.

PURPOSE: Thyroid tumors of uncertain malignant potential (TT-UMP) constitute a relatively new diagnosis. The purpose of this study was to analyze the relationship between immunohistochemical panels, prognostic parameters and TT-UMP. METHODS: Group I was composed of patients diagnosed as differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) and Group II of patients diagnosed as TT-UMP. The prognostic scores of patients were calculated using data according to the well-known prognostic scoring systems MACIS, AMES, AGES. Evaluations of antibodies were based on the presence of nuclear staining for p16 and p53, membranous and cytoplasmic staining for epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and cytoplasmic staining for fragile histidine triad (FHIT). RESULTS: Statistically significant difference was noted (p< 0.05) between Group I and Group II according to MACIS and AMES. No statistical difference was found in terms of immunostaining between groups when stained with p16, p53 and FHIT. On the other hand, in Group II a moderate positive correlation was detected between MACIS and EGFR. CONCLUSION: According to our findings p53 was not important in tumor genesis at early stages in well-differentiated thyroid carcinomas and p16 loss of expression could be used as a finding to help in difficult microscopic diagnosis. TT-UMP is a gray zone of lesions requiring specific therapeutic procedures and postoperative follow-up. A positive correlation was detected between EGFR and TT-UMP, leading to assume that this situation could be used as a new tool in the follow-up of these patients in the future.

Evaluation of nasal mucociliary activity in iatrogenic hypothyroidism.

Our aim was to evaluate the effects of iatrogenic, acute and deep hypothyroidism on nasal mucociliary clearance. A total of 46 patients undergoing total or near total thyroidectomy for differentiated thyroid cancer between March and June 2012, and scheduled to undergo radioactive iodine (I-131) ablation therapy followed with an induced hypothyroidism for routine screening were included in the study. Mucociliary clearance test was made during hypothyroid and euthyroid periods in all the patients included in the study. Of the 46 patients included in the study, 37 (%80.4) were females, 9 (%19.6) were males, and the average mucociliary clearance times were 16.78 and 9.58 min during hypothyroid and euthyroid periods, respectively. When the results were compared statistically, mucociliary clearance time measured during hypothyroidism period was found to be significantly longer than the one measured during euthyroid period. Mucociliary clearance time was found to be long during iatrogenic acute and deep hypothyroid periods. During these periods, patients should be followed closely for lower and upper respiratory tract infections.

Is the Anal Component of the Anogenital HPV-Related Disease Overlooked During the Surveillance of Patients Treated for Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia?

AIM: To investigate the anal component of the anogenital Human Papillomavirus (HPV) related disease during surveillance of patients treated for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN). METHODS: Patients were analyzed within two groups according to the histopathological examination of the cervical biopsies: Low-Grade Squamous Intraepithelial Lesion (LSIL) and High-Grade Squamous Intraepithelial Lesion (HSIL) groups. Anal specimens were also collected in the first-year follow-up visit. RESULTS: All patients had cervical high-risk HPV (HR HPV) infection at admission. At the first-year follow-up, positive HR HPVs were found in 47% of cervical samples. Despite this clearance, the anal HPV infection rate after the first year was 42.5% and 39.6% in LSIL and HSIL groups. Amongst the HSIL group, anal HR HPV positivity was observed in 29.6% of cases without any cervical HPV infection. CONCLUSION: A group of women cured of high-grade lesions have ongoing anal HPV infection. It is reasonable to propose that detecting anal HPV could impact the patient's treatment process. Therefore, prospective studies are needed to investigate this group of women's clinical outcomes and define the clearance rate of cervical HPV infection when anal HPV persists.

Tissue oxidative stress level and remote organ injury in two-hit trauma model of sequential burn injury and peritoneal sepsis are attenuated with N-acetylcysteine treatment in rats.

BACKGROUND: The second hit in trauma leads to an exaggerated inflammatory response and multiple organ failure. Infection following burn injury is a useful model for two-hit trauma studies. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) treatment as an antioxidant in a two-hit trauma model. METHODS: 30% scalding burn injury was performed in 45 rats and cecal ligation-puncture (CLP) was performed 72 hours later. Groups were allocated as follows: Group I: No treatment was performed; Group II: Rats were treated with 150 mg/kg/day i.p. NAC for 72 h following CLP; Group III: Rats were treated with 150 mg/kg/day i.p. NAC for 6 days following thermal injury. Tissue samples were collected to study the tissue malonyldialdehyde (MDA) and glutathione (GSH) levels, and for histopathological examination on day 7. RESULTS: No difference in mortality between groups was detected. Tissue MDA levels significantly decreased in the liver (p=0.01, p=0.02) and ileum (p=0.01, p=0.02) in the treatment groups. Lung tissue GSH levels were found to be significantly increased in Group II (p=0.02). Lung injury scores were decreased in Group II (p=0.005) compared to the control group. CONCLUSION: NAC attenuated tissue oxidative stress level and remote organ injury in two-hit trauma. Further experimental and clinical studies on this subject are necessary.

Comorbidity Index as a Selection Tool for Living Donor Liver Transplantation in Elderly Patients.

BACKGROUND: Previously published data have shown that age alone is not a contraindication for living donor liver transplantation (LDLT). However, careful evaluation is needed to identify the patients who are unlikely to benefit from LDLT. We hypothesized that the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) could be used as one of the criteria for risk stratification in elderly patients undergoing LDLT. PATIENTS AND METHODS: There were 951 patients who underwent LDLT between October 2004 and February 2018. All recipients who were older than 60 years of age at the time of transplantation were identified. The comorbidity score was retrospectively assessed for each elderly patient according to the Charlson Comorbidity Index. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed to identify independent predictive factors for survival in elderly patients after LDLT. RESULTS: There were 96 patients (10.1%) in the age of > 60 years. All patients received the right lobe of their donor. Out of these patients, 18 (18.7%) died in the median time of 4 months. The remaining 78 patients (81.2%) are alive, with a median survival of 33 months. The CCI of these patients was significantly lower compared to the other 18 patients (2 versus 4). None of the patients with a CCI above 4 survived longer than 12 months. The results of the multivariate Cox regression analyses have shown that pulmonary disease, renal disease, and CCI are independent negative predictive factors for survival. CONCLUSION: The results of our study show clearly that the CCI has a significant influence on survival after LDLT in elderly patients and can be used as one of the selection criteria for LDLT in elderly patients.

The effects of sildenafil in liver and kidney injury in a rat model of severe scald burn: a biochemical and histopathological study.

BACKGROUND: Severe burn induces systemic inflammation and reactive oxygen species leading to lipid peroxidation which may play role in remote organs injury. Sildenafil is a selective and potent inhibitor of cyclic guanosine monophosphate specific phosphodiesterase-5. Sildenafil reduces oxidative stress and inflammation in distant organs. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of different dosages of sildenafil in remote organs injury. METHODS: A total of thirty-two rats were randomly divided into four equal groups. The groups were designated as follows: Sham, Control, 10, and T20 mg/kg sildenafil treatment groups. Levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), VEGF receptor (Flt-1), activities of glutathione peroxidase (Gpx), levels of total antioxidative capacity (TAC), and total oxidant status (TOS) were measured in both tissues and serum, and a semi-quantitative scoring system was used for the evaluation of histopathological findings. RESULTS: Sildenafil increased levels of Gpx, and Flt-1, and decreased MDA and VEGF levels in tissues. Sildenafil also increased serum levels of TAC and Flt-1 and decreased TOS, OSI, and VEGF. CONCLUSION: Sildenafil decreased inflammation scores in remote organs in histopathological evaluation. It has protective effects in severe burn-related remote organ injuries by decreasing oxidative stress and inflammation.

The protective effects of sildenafil in acute lung injury in a rat model of severe scald burn: A biochemical and histopathological study.

Severe burn induces biochemical mediators such as reactive oxygen species that leads to lipid peroxidation which may have a key role in formation of acute lung injury (ALI). Sildenafil is a selective and potent inhibitor of cyclic guanosine monophosphate specific phosphodiesterase-5. Sildenafil preserves alveolar growth, angiogenesis, reduces inflammation and airway reactivity. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effects of different dosages of sildenafil in ALI due to severe scald burn in rats. Twenty-four rats were subjected to 30% total body surface area severe scald injury and were randomly divided into three equal groups as follow: control, 10 and 20mg/kg sildenafil groups. Levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), activities of glutathione peroxidase (Gpx), catalase (Cat), total oxidative stress (TOS), and total antioxidative capacity (TAC) were measured in both tissues and serums. Oxidative stress index (OSI) was calculated. A semi-quantitative scoring system was used for the evaluation of histopatological findings. Sildenafil increased Gpx, Cat, TAC and decreased MDA, TOS and OSI. Sildenafil decreased inflammation scores in lungs. Our results reveal that sildenafil is protective against scald burn related ALI by decreasing oxidative stress and inflammation and the dosage of 10mg/kg could be apparently better than 20mg/kg.

The impact of Ramadan on peptic ulcer perforation.

BACKGROUND: Medical treatment has played an important role in the reduction of peptic ulcer perforation (PUP). The goal of this study was to evaluate the effect of fasting on PUP. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of 229 patients who were operated due to PUP between 1999-2009 was made. Patients were divided into two groups. Group I (n=188) included the patients who were operated in other periods of the year, while Group II (n=41) included the patients who were operated during Ramadan, the Muslim period of fasting. Patients in Group II were analyzed in terms of duration of fasting. RESULTS: The increase in surgeries per group was higher in Group II than Group I (p<0.05). Predisposing factors, anti-ulcer drug usage and demographic variables were seen to have no role in this difference. Duration of fasting may have a minimal effect on the perforation. CONCLUSION: The results of this study demonstrate that PUP is detected as relatively higher during Ramadan among those who are fasting for more than 12 hours daily. We suggest that people with predisposing factors should be informed before making a decision to fast.

Effects of Ramadan fasting on peptic ulcer disease as diagnosed by upper gastrointestinal endoscopy.

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: The diagnostic methods such as upper gastrointestinal endoscopy (UGE) have played an important role in the evaluation of peptic ulcer (PU). Every year, millions of Muslims fast in Ramadan month. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of fasting on PU via UGE. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 321 patients in the period from 2009 to 2011, who underwent UGE as a diagnostic work-up mainly for epigastric pain, were analysed. Patients were divided into three groups: Patients who have been evaluated by UGE, in the month just before Ramadan (group I, n=69), in Ramadan month (group II, n=132) and in the month just after Ramadan (group III, n=120). Continuous data were expressed as the mean±SD, and were compared with one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) test amongst groups. Categorical data were given as percentages and were compared with the chi-squared test. RESULTS: Epigastric pain was the most common indication for referral in each group. Interestingly, the indication 'bleeding' was found to be the least in group II, but was far from statistical significance. The highest prevalence of duodenal ulcers and duodenitis was found in group II; the differences to the other groups were statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Duodenal ulcers and duodenitis were found more during Ramadan month. We recommend that, the patients with epigastric pain may fast by taking their medications.

A novel material in seton treatment of fistula-in-ano.

Fistula-in-ano is a common surgical problem. Various materials have been used to perform the seton technique in the treatment of fistula-in-ano. In this study, a novel material, a self-locking cable tie, was used regardless of the fistula type. Seventeen consecutive patients with anal fistula underwent surgery with the cutting seton technique using the novel material. Nine patients had high fistulas. The average tightening was 3.18, the mean fall-out time was 17.41 days, and the mean follow-up period was 8.2 months. No recurrences or incontinence were recorded. There are statistically significant differences between superficial and high fistula cases regarding the number of setons tightening, seton fall-out time, and complete healing time. The novel material presented here has some advantages: it is cheap, easily available, and easily applied, moreover, a gradual tightening can be performed. We think this novel material is a good choice in the treatment of fistula-in-ano.

Thrombolysis via an operatively placed mesenteric catheter for portal and superior mesenteric vein thrombosis: report of a case.

Mesenteric venous thrombosis (MVT) is a catastrophic form of mesenteric vascular occlusion. In the absence of peritoneal signs, anticoagulation therapy should be started immediately. For selected patients, thrombolysis through the superior mesenteric artery (SMA), jugular vein, or portal vein via a transhepatic route might be successful; however, exploratory laparotomy is mandatory when peritoneal signs develop. We report a case of acute MVT associated with protein C and S deficiency, treated successfully by limited bowel resection and simultaneous thrombolytic infusion, given via an operatively placed mesenteric vein catheter.