Turk J Med Sci
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Background/aim: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of certain maternal, fetal, and umbilical cord blood unit factors on storage and/or discard incidence of collected cord blood units from perinatal medicine patients. Materials and methods: A total of 273 cord blood units collected between January 2011 and December 2016 in the Division of Perinatology of Hacettepe University Hospital were evaluated retrospectively in this study. Results: Of the collected cord blood units, 53.8% (147/273) were stored. ⋯ Conclusion: Infant birth weight, cord blood unit volume, total nucleated cell count, and CD34+ cell count were significantly different between the eligible and discarded cord blood unit groups. The low rate of specimen storage was most likely because of the unique characteristics of perinatal medicine patients. Physicians should choose appropriate donors for cord blood collection to increase the rate of cord blood utilization.
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Background/aim: Impaired lymphatic function is associated with pathological conditions. The presence of placental lymphatics is still under debate. This study evaluates the placental podoplanin expression in normotensive and preeclamptic women with and without HIV. ⋯ HIV- cases regardless of pregnancy and villi type. Irrespective of pregnancy type, podoplanin immunoexpression within exchange villi was different (P = 0.008) between the HIV+ and HIV- groups. Conclusion: Placental fluid homeostasis is maintained by a podoplanin reticular-like complex within conducting and exchange villi, being upregulated in HIV-positive pregnancies.
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Background/aim: This study was performed to assess the diagnostic accuracy of shear wave elastography by virtual touch tissue imaging quantification in patients with diffuse thyroid gland pathology and to differentiate Graves' disease from Hashimoto's thyroiditis. Materials and methods: Thirty patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis and 22 patients with Graves' disease were evaluated with conventional ultrasonography and shear wave elastography by virtual touch tissue imaging quantification. Thirty healthy participants formed the control group. ⋯ Results: The mean shear wave velocity of the controls (1.92 ± 0.14 m/s) was significantly lower than that of the patients with Graves' disease (2.71 ± 0.22 m/s) and Hashimoto's thyroiditis (2.50 ± 0.20 m/s). Patients with Graves' disease had significantly higher shear wave velocities than those with Hashimoto's thyroiditis (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Shear wave elastography by virtual touch tissue imaging quantification can be used to discriminate a normal thyroid gland from diffuse thyroid gland pathology after conventional sonography and may assist in the diagnosis of Graves' disease and Hashimoto's thyroiditis.
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Background/aim: Malignant melanoma is the most common cause of death due to skin cancers. The most common mutations in RAFRAS pathway from tumor oncogenes are BRAF and NRAS. In this study, we analyzed the frequency of BRAF and NRAS gene mutations and investigated their association with clinicopathological features of melanomas in the Turkish population. ⋯ Conclusion: We found lower mutation rate when compared to regional studies. NRAS mutation was common in men. This is the first study from our region evaluating the prognostic value of clinical stage and necessity of adjuvant treatment with the presence of BRAF and NRAS mutations.
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Ginger ( Zingiber officinale ) prevents severe damage to the lungs due to hyperoxia and inflammation
Hyperoxia- and inflammation-induced lung injury is an important cause of the development of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in premature infants. We aimed to ascertain the beneficial effects of ginger ( Zingiber officinale ) on rat pups exposed to hyperoxia and inflammation. ⋯ Ginger efficiently reduced the lung damage and protected the lungs from severe damage due to hyperoxia and inflammation. Therefore, ginger may be an alternative option for the treatment of BPD.