Gastric signet ring cell carcinoma presenting with widespread osteoblastic metastases.

Gastric cancer infrequently metastasizes to the bone. These metastases are generally osteolytic. On the other hand, osteoblastic metastases are very rare. In this case report, a patient with signet ring cell gastric carcinoma presenting with diffuse osteoblastic bone metastases who had no laboratory abnormalities at the time of diagnosis is described. To our knowledge, our patient represents the longest surviving case compared with the similar cases in literature.

Efficiency of inferior petrosal sinus sampling in the diagnosis of Cushing's disease and comparison with magnetic resonance imaging.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to assess the efficiency of inferior petrosal sinus sampling (IPSS) in the diagnosis of adrenocorticotropic hormone-dependent Cushing's disease and to compare it with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). METHODS: The diagnostic efficiency of IPSS in the differentiation of pituitary Cushing's disease from ectopic Cushing's disease was retrospectively evaluated in 37 patients who had IPSS in our clinic. Six patients were excluded from the study due to missing data. Hypophysis MRI examinations of 31 patients before IPSS were also evaluated. The contributions of MRI and IPSS to the detection of pituitary adenoma and the determination of lateralization were researched. RESULTS: Bilateral IPSS was successfully performed in 30 patients of the 31 patients in the study group. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy of IPSS in differentiating between central and ectopic Cushing's syndrome before corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH) stimulation were 93.3%, 100%, 100%, 33.3%, and 93%, respectively, whereas after CRH stimulation were 100%, 100%, 100%, 100%, and 100%, respectively. The accuracy of both the rates was significantly higher compared with MRI. CONCLUSION: IPSS has the highest diagnostic efficiency in differentiating central Cushing's disease from ectopic Cushing's disease.

Calcification of breast artery as detected by mammography: association with coronary and aortic calcification

Background/aim: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9740-3580 Materials and methods: A total of 404 female patients above 40 years of age who, within a 6-month period, had undergone thoracic computed tomography and mammography for various reasons were screened retrospectively at our clinic. Mammographies were assessed for BAC and thoracic CT investigations were assessed for CAC and AC. Patients included in the study were scored as 0 (none), 1 (mild), 2 (moderate), or 3 (severe) depending on the number and shape of CAC, AC, and BAC lesions observed. Results: Four hundred and four females were enrolled in the study. While BAC was detected in 123 patients, no BAC was observed in the other 281 patients. In the BAC-positive patients, the rates of CAC (45.5% vs. 19.9%, P < 0.001) and AC (67.5% vs. 32.4%, P < 0.001) were notably higher than in the BAC-negative patients. In addition, multivariate regression analysis detected the presence of BAC as an independent variable for both CAC and AC. Conclusion: The presence of BAC appeared to be a significant risk factor for CAC and AC, and the BAC grade was considered an independent risk factor for CAC.

Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio for the assessment of hospital mortality in patients with acute pulmonary embolism.

INTRODUCTION: Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), which is an essential marker of inflammation, has been shown to be associated with adverse outcomes in various cardiovascular diseases in the literature. In this study we sought to evaluate the association between NLR and prognosis of acute pulmonary embolism (APE). MATERIAL AND METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated blood counts and clinical data of 142 patients with the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism (PE) from Ondokuz Mayis University Hospital between January 2006 and December 2012. The patients were divided into two groups according to NLR: NLR < 4.4 (low NLR group, n = 71) and NLR ≥ 4.4 (high NLR group, n = 71). RESULTS: Massive embolism (66.2% vs. 36.6%, p < 0.001) and in-hospital mortality (21.1%, 1.4%, p < 0.001) were higher in the high NLR group. In multivariate regression analysis NLR ≥ 5.7, systolic blood pressure (BP) < 90 mm Hg, serum glucose > 126 mg/dl, heart rate > 110 beats/min, and PCO2 < 35 or > 50 mm Hg were predictors of in-hospital mortality. The optimal NLR cutoff value was 5.7 for mortality in receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Having an NLR value above 5.7 was found to be associated with a 10.8 times higher mortality rate than an NLR value below 5.7. CONCLUSIONS: In patients presenting with APE, NLR value is an independent predictor of in-hospital mortality and may be used for clinical risk classification.

Large-Sized Bilateral Atherosclerotic Axillary Artery Aneurysms: A Case Report.

Axillary artery aneurysms are most commonly caused by trauma, while atraumatic cases are very rare. Atherosclerosis, collagen tissue diseases, and mycotic infections are additional etiological factors for this type of aneurysms. Once developed, an aneurysm poses risk for hand ischemia or neurologic complications due to embolic events and neural compression. Due to this, diagnosis and treatment of an aneurysm are crucial. We report a case of giant bilateral axillary artery aneurysms developed as a consequence of atherosclerosis.

Giant Congenital Pelvic AVM Causing Cardiac Failure, Diplegia, and Neurogenic Bladder.

BACKGROUND: Pelvic arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) are uncommon lesions and only a rare number of male cases have been reported. Their clinical presentations are variable and imaging modalities have an important place in diagnosis and treatment planning. CASE REPORT: We present the imaging findings of a giant congenital pelvic AVM that was diagnosed in a 30-year-old male patient eight years ago and which progressed despite follow-up and treatment, causing cardiac failure, diplegia, and neurogenic bladder. CONCLUSIONS: Pelvic AVMs are uncommon lesions and they can present with various symptoms based on their locations and sizes. Delays in the diagnosis and treatment can cause local and systemic complications. Imaging is very important in the diagnosis of pelvic AVM.

Serum neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin levels are correlated with the complexity and the severity of atherosclerosis in acute coronary syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) is a novel inflammatory marker that is released from neutrophils. In this study, we evaluated the correlation between serum NGAL level and clinical and angiographic risk scores in patients diagnosed with non-ST elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS). METHODS: Forty-seven random NSTE-ACS patients and 45 patients with normal coronary arteries (NCA) who underwent coronary angiography were enrolled in the study. GRACE risk score and SYNTAX and Gensini risk scores were used, respectively, for the purpose of clinical risk assessment and angiographic risk scoring. Serum NGAL level was measured via ELISA in peripheral blood samples obtained from the patients at the time of admission. RESULTS: Serum NGAL level was significantly higher in the NSTE-ACS group compared to the control group (112.3±49.6 ng/mL vs. 58.1±24.3 ng/mL, p<0.001). There was a significant positive correlation between serum NGAL levels and the GRACE (r=0.533 and p<0.001), SYNTAX (r=0.395 and p=0.006), and Gensini risk scores (r=0.575 and p<0.001). The intermediate-high SYNTAX (>22) group had statistically significantly higher serum NGAL levels compared to the low SYNTAX (≤22) group (143±29.5 ng/mL vs. 98.7±43.2 ng/mL, p=0.001). CONCLUSION: NGAL level was positively correlated with lesion complexity and severity of coronary artery disease in patients with NSTE-ACS. Serum NGAL levels on admission are associated with increased burden of atherosclerosis in patients with NSTE-ACS.

The effect of blood cell count on coronary flow in patients with coronary slow flow phenomenon.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The coronary slow flow phenomenon (CSFP) is a coronary artery disease with a benign course, but its pathological mechanisms are not yet fully understood.The purpose of this controlled study was to investigate the cellular content of blood in patients diagnosed with CSFP and the relationship of this with coronary flow rates. METHODS: Selective coronary angiographies of 3368 patients were analyzed to assess Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) frame count (TFC) values. Seventy eight of them had CSFP, and their demographic and laboratory findings were compared with 61 patients with normal coronary flow. RESULTS: Patients' demographic characteristics were similar in both groups. Mean corrected TFC (cTFC) values were significantly elevated in CSFP patients (p<0.001). Furthermore, hematocrit and hemoglobin values, and eosinophil and basophil counts of the CSFP patients were significantly elevated compared to the values obtained in the control group (p=0.005, p=0.047, p=0.001 and p=0.002, respectively). The increase observed in hematocrit and eosinophil levels showed significant correlations with increased TFC values (r=0.288 and r=0.217, respectively). CONCLUSION: Significant changes have been observed in the cellular composition of blood in patients diagnosed with CSFP as compared to the patients with normal coronary blood flow. The increases in hematocrit levels and in the eosinophil and basophil counts may have direct or indirect effects on the rate of coronary blood flow.