Prenatal Diagnosis and Intrapartum Management of Congenital Ranula.

A foetal sublingual cystic lesion was diagnosed by routine prenatal ultrasonography at 27 weeks of gestation. Foetal growth and amniotic fluid volume were normal. An ex utero intrapartum treatment (EXIT) procedure was performed, and the cyst was aspirated to allow breathing during planned Caesarean section. The cyst was totally excised when the newborn was 60 days old, and histopathological examination revealed a mucous cyst of the mouth floor.

The Prognostic Value of Serum Semaphorin3A and VEGF Levels in Patients with Metastatic Colorectal Cancer.

PURPOSE: Despite new treatment options in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC), new prognostic markers are still needed to determine optimal chemoregimen especially for anti-angiogenesis drugs. In this study, we evaluated the serum semaphorin and VEGF-A levels as prognostic factors in patients with mCRC. METHODS: Patients with diagnosed mCRC who were treated with first-line bevacizumab plus chemotherapy were included in the study. Venous blood samples of 37 patients with metastatic colon cancer were taken, and serum semaphorin 3A and VEGF-A levels were studied in pre-treatment and the 1st and third months after the treatment was initiated. RESULTS: Totally, 37 patients were enrolled in the study. The patients' mean age was 62 years. Twenty-eight (49%) of the patients were male, and 19 (51%) were female. Serum semaphorin3A (sema3A) levels of the patients were 5.4 ± 7.4 ng/ml before the treatment, 3.5 ± 3.3 ng/ml at the first month, and 3.5 ± 3.7 ng/ml at the third month. Serum VEGF-A levels were 27.7 ± 32.9 ng/l before the treatment, 23.1 ± 28.1 ng/l at the first month, and 28.9 ± 30.2 ng/l at the third month. There was no significant correlation between the survival and pre-treatment VEGF-A level (p = 0.064). Overall survival (OS) was statistically significantly higher in patients with pre-treatment semaphorin 3A levels below 5.4 ng/ml than higher than 5.4 ng/ml (10.5 months vs 4.5 months, respectively, HR 0.23, 95% CI 19.635-11,391, p = 0.012). CONCLUSION: Pre-treatment semaphorin 3A level can be a prognostic marker for the mCRC patients who were treated with bevacizumab in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer.

Anti-inflammatory effects of hyperbaric oxygen on irradiated laryngeal tissues.

INTRODUCTION: To manage the complications of irradiation of head and neck tissue is a challenging issue for the otolaryngologist. Definitive treatment of these complications is still controversial. Recently, hyperbaric oxygen therapy is promising option for these complications. OBJECTIVE: In this study, we used biochemical and histopathological methods to investigate the efficacy of hyperbaric oxygen against the inflammatory effects of radiotherapy in blood and laryngeal tissues when radiotherapy and hyperbaric oxygen are administered on the same day. METHODS: Thirty-two Wistar Albino rats were divided into four groups. The control group was given no treatment, the hyperbaric oxygen group was given only hyperbaric oxygen therapy, the radiotherapy group was given only radiotherapy, and the radiotherapy plus hyperbaric oxygen group was given both treatments on the same day. RESULTS: Histopathological and biochemical evaluations of specimens were performed. Serum tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-1ß, and tissue inflammation levels were significantly higher in the radiotherapy group than in the radiotherapy plus hyperbaric oxygen group, whereas interleukin-10 was higher in the radiotherapy plus hyperbaric oxygen group. CONCLUSION: When radiotherapy and hyperbaric oxygen are administered on the same day, inflammatory cytokines and tissue inflammation can be reduced in an early period of radiation injury.

Melatonin prevents possible radiotherapy-induced thyroid injury.

PURPOSE: We aimed to investigate the protective effect of melatonin in radiotherapy-induced thyroid gland injury in an experimental rat model. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-two rats were divided into four groups: the control group, melatonin treatment group, radiotherapy group and melatonin plus radiotherapy group. The neck region of each rat was defined by simulation and radiated with 2 Gray (Gy) per min with 6-MV photon beams, for a total dose of 18 Gy. Melatonin was administered at a dose of 50 mg/kg through intraperitoneal injection, 15 min prior to radiation exposure. Thirty days after the beginning of the study, rats were decapitated and analyses of blood and thyroid tissue were performed. RESULTS: Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1ß), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and nitric oxide (NO) levels in the radiotherapy group were significantly higher than those in the melatonin plus radiotherapy group (p < .05), whereas interleukin-10 (IL-10) and glutathione (GSH) values were higher in the melatonin plus radiotherapy group (p < .05). The infiltration of inflammatory cells and percentage of apoptosis in the radiotherapy group were significantly higher than those in the melatonin plus radiotherapy group (p < .05). CONCLUSIONS: Melatonin helped protect thyroid gland structure against the undesired cytotoxic effects of radiotherapy in rats.