Alparslan Merdin

Can ratio of neutrophil-tolymphocyte count and erythrocyte sedimentation rate in diabetic foot infection predict osteomyelitis and/or amputation?

The aim of this study was to search for any relations between the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and the development of osteomyelitis and the need for amputation in patients with diabetic foot infection (DFI). All data included DFI patients who were hospitalized in our Infectious Diseases Clinic between 2012 and 2015 and who were classified according to International Classification Disease Code System. 75 patients were analyzed in the study. The DFI patients were stratified into 3 groups of whom had amputation procedure, whom had only debridement/drainage procedure and whom had any surgery procedure. Sidac post hoc analysis was used to perform the effects of NLR, C-reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate and glycosylated hemoglobin on the surgery procedure status. The DFI patients were also stratified into two another separate group for another analysis to search for the effect of NLR values on the development of osteomyelitis. The mean value of NLR in the amputated patients’ group (15.7±10.3 was significantly higher than those with debridement procedure (9.9±5.6) and those without any surgery (6.0±2.8) (P=0.001). NLR values were also found significantly higher in patients with osteomyelitis in the second analysis (P=0.004). In this study, the NLR was found to have a predictive value on the development of osteomyelitis and on the progression to amputation in patients with DFI.

Pilomatrix carcinoma of the scalp with pulmonary metastasis: A case report of a complete response to oral endoxan and etoposide.

Pilomatrix carcinoma is an extremely rare skin tumor derived from basaloid cells in the hair follicles; it often exhibits locally aggressive behavior with a tendency toward local recurrence. The average age of occurrence is 45 years, and there appears to be a male to female incidence ratio of 4:1. Although pilomatrix carcinomas are predominantly identified in the neck and scalp, there are studies in the literature reporting other tumor development sites, including the upper extremities, torso and popliteal fossa. If diagnosed at an early stage, this malignant tumor is generally treated with wide surgical resection. However, for the advanced-stage tumors, there are no standard treatment procedures known to produce good results. The current study presents the case of a 76-year-old male with pilomatrix carcinoma originating from the scalp with metastases to the lung. The patient had a rapid and complete clinical response following an oral combination chemotherapy regimen of cyclophosphamide and etoposide.

The effect of autoimmunity on the development time of microvascular complications in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus

Background Type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM) is an autoimmune disease with chronic complications that is becoming more frequent as life expectancy of diabetics has increased owing to improved methods of detection and better management. In this study, we investigated whether the presence of autoimmunity can be used in predicting the development time of microvascular complications. Material/Methods Our study included 52 patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM). The subjects had developed microvascular complications and they had been tested for anti-GAD (glutamic acid decarboxylase) antibodies and/or islet-cell antibodies (ICA). In the assessment of microvascular complications, we used ocular fundus examination, electromyography (EMG), and 24-h urine microalbuminuria tests. Results Of the patients included in the study, 30 were female and 22 were male. Of all patients characterized for the existence of diabetic complications, 36 of 52 had both diabetic retinopathy and diabetic nephropathy, 5 patients had diabetic neuropathy, and 11 patients had diabetic retinopathy only. At the diagnosis of diabetes, 20 in 52 patients tested negative for autoantibodies (anti-GAD and anti-ICA), while 32 of 52 tested positive for anti-GAD and/or anti-ICA. The mean HbA1C level of autoantibody-negative patients was 7.7%, while antibody-positive patients had slightly higher HbA1c levels (7.9%). However, this difference was not statistically significant (p>0.05). The mean development time of microvascular complications in autoantibody-positive patients was calculated as 11: 40±6.46 years, and in patients with negative autoimmunity results it was 10.91±6.70 years. Conclusions The presence of diabetes-related autoantibodies (DRAs) in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus does not have a significant effect on the development time of diabetic microvascular complications.

Evaluation of febrile neutropenic episodes in adult patients with solid tumors

The clinical use of cytotoxic chemotherapeutic agents has increased survival in cancer patients. However, treatment-associated bone marrow suppression and neutropenia often render patients prone to life-threatening infections. The aim of this study was to evaluate episodes of febrile neutropenia (FN) in patients with solid tumors, and identify the microorganisms and the factors affecting mortality. A total of 100 primary febrile attacks in cancer patients who were followed up at the Department of Oncology of the Akdeniz University Medical Faculty Hospital between January, 2011 and May, 2012, were retrospectively investigated. FN attacks were classified in three groups as follows: Fever of unknown origin, clinically documented infections and microbiologically documented infections. We found that prolonged neutropenia, Multinational Association for Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC) score <21 and the presence of metastasis increased mortality. We also compared the three groups of infection categories according to mortality rate, but did not observe any significant differences among these groups. Patients with malignancies should be assessed individually during the FN episodes. It is crucial to keep possible infectious pathogens in mind and evaluate the MASCC score, neutropenia duration and metastatic status of the patients, and start empirical antibiotic therapy immediately.

Chronic Total Uterine Inversion in a Young Adult Patient.

Patient: Female, 17 Final Diagnosis: Chronic total uterine inversion Symptoms: Abdominal pain • vaginal bleeding Medication: — Clinical Procedure: After manual vaginal procedure to turn the uterus into normal position had failed, surgery was done Specialty: Obstetrics and Gynecology Objective: Rare disease Background: Chronic uterine inversion is a very rare and life-threatening disease. It requires emergent treatment. Case Report: We present the case of a 17-year-old patient with chronic uterine inversion. A fragile, bleeding, and soft mass, which filled the entire vagina, was seen during vaginal inspection. There was also a hard and tight cervical ring palpated behind the mass. She was operated on with Haultain technique. She was treated in the first post-partum year. She had normal menstrual bleeding and normal sexual intercourse after 1 month of outpatient control. Conclusions: Immediate diagnosis and treatment of isolated chronic inversion decreases maternal morbidity and mortality.

BK virus-associated hemorrhagıc cystitis in patients wıth allogeneıc hematopoıetıc cell transplantation: report of three cases

BK viras is a human polyoma viras. It is acquired in early childhood and remains life-long latent in the genitourinary system. BK virus replication is more common in receiving immunosuppressive therapy receiving patients and transplant patients. BK virus could cause hemorrhagic cystitis in patients with allogeneic stem cell transplantation. Hemorrhagic cystitis is a serious complication of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Hemorrhagic cystitis could cause morbidity and long stay in the hospital. Diagnosis is more frequently determined by the presence of BK virus DNA detected with quantitative or real-time PCR testing in serum or plasma and less often in urine. The reduction of immunosuppression is effective in the treatment of BK virus infection. There are also several agents with anti-BK virus activity. Cidofovir is an active agent against a variety of DNA viruses including poliomyoma viruses and it is a cytosine nucleotide analogue. Intravenous immunoglobulin IgG (IVIG) also includes antibodies against BK and JC (John Cunningham) viruses. Hereby, we report three cases of hemorrhagic cystitis. Hemorrhagic cystitis developed in all these three cases of allogeneic stem cell transplantation due to acute myeloid leukemia (AML). BK virus were detected as the cause of hemorrhagic cystitis in these patients. Irrigation of the bladder was performed. Then levofloxacin 1 x750 mg intravenous and IVIG 0.5 gr/kg were started. But the hematuria did not decreased. In the first case, treatment with leflunomide was started, but patient died due to refractory AML and severe graft-versus-host disease after 4th day of leflunamide and levofloxacin treatments. Cidofovir treatment and the reduction of immunosuppressive treatment decreased the BK virus load and resulted symptomatic improvement in the second case. Initiation of cidofovir was planned in the third case. Administration of cidofovir together with the reduction of immunosuppression in the treatment of hemorrhagic cystitis associated with BK virus in allogeneic stem cell transplant recipients could be a good option.

Coexistence of chronic lymphocytic leukemia and multiple myeloma, do the roots of these entities originate from the same place?

Multiple myeloma is a plasma cell disease, whereas CLL (Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia) affects mature B‐cell lymphocytes. Even though the coexistence of those two conditions is extremely rare, as both cell types differentiate from the same multipotent stem cells, the clinician should evaluate patients carefully not to misdiagnose such a concomitancy.

Chronic total uterine inversion in an adolescent.

Uterine inversion is rarely seen in adolescents in western countries. But it might be seen in teenagers and adolescents due to poor conditions and early pregnancies in Africa. And early troubleshooting chronic uterine inversion represents an early resolution of the problem and allows planning pregnancy without complications.

General Features of Three Common Types of Cancer In a Southern Province of Turkey: Data From Antalya Province

Background amp Aims: We aimed to evaluate the generalnbsp featuresnbsp ofnbsp threenbsp common types of cancer in a southern province of Turkey. Methods: All patients werenbsp diagnosed with Malignancynbsp between the yearsnbsp 2005 and 2010 (the year 2005 and 2010 included) , and registered by Antalya Provincial Health Directorate Cancer Registry Center (Antalya Il Saglik Muumlduumlrluumlguuml Kanser Kayit Merkezi) (AISMKKM).The study included patients diagnosed with breast, lung ornbsp prostate cancer between the defined time intervalnbsp and patients with a history of breast, lung ornbsp prostate cancer followed by anbsp subsequent Malignancy diagnosed between the defined time interval.nbsp The study was a retrospective study. The study included 1977 breast cancer patients, 2680 lung cancer patients and 1840 prostate cancer patients. All the data included in the study were given by AISMKKM.nbsp We stratified data according to age, sex, stage and subtype of primary tumor of the patients. Results: 1442 of the patients with breast cancernbsp had invasive ductal type. Median age at the time of diagnosis were 51, 62, 69nbsp for breast, lung and prostate cancer patients, respectively. Lastly, percentage of patients with advanced metastatic disease at the time of diagnosis for breast, lung and prostate cancer patients were 8.74%, 60.5% and 11.85%, respectively. Conclusion: People should be encouraged to participate in screening programs.nbsp

A 80-year-old woman with B-cell prolymphocytic leukemia

Prolymhocytic leukemia (PLL) is a rare subtype of lymphocytic leukemias and its cells are immature lymphocytes. It is divided into 2 subgroups: T-PLL and B-PLL according to the lymphocytic origin of the cells. Discriminating B-PLL from other diseases with clinically-similar features is important because of the different treatment approaches and follow-up programs. Hereby, we report a 80-year-old woman presenting with fatigue, leucocytosis and mild anemia. Her peripheral blood smear evaluation revealed 85% prolymphocytes with moderately condensed nuclear chromatin, prominent nucleoli, and a faintly basophilic cytoplasm. Positron emission tomography-computed tomography showed mediastinal lymph nodes with cervical lymph nodes. There was no pathological FDG involvement in the spleen. Bone marrow aspiration smear exhibit atypical wide lymphocytes with prominent nucleoli and abundant agranular cytoplasm. Flow cytometry analysis revealed positive CD5+, CD19+, CD20+, CD22+, CD11c+, CD25+, CD79a+ and CD79b+. Fluorescence in situ hybridization technique analysis reveals no t(11;14). Bone marrow biopsy revealed interstitially distributed atypical cells with wide nucleus and prominent nucleolus.