Berna Aytac Vuruskan

The protective effect of L-arginine, tadalafil, and their combination in rat testes after ischemia and reperfusion injury

INTRODUCTION Nitric oxide (NO) plays an important role in the ischemia and reperfusion process. In this study, we aimed to examine the effect of L-arginine, tadalafil, and their combination for prevention of the ischemia reperfusion injury after testis torsion in rats. METHODS A total of 40 adult, male Sprague-Dawley rats were allocated into five groups. Three hours of left testicular torsion was performed in each group, excluding the control group. While the ischemia reperfusion (I/R) group had no treatment, I/R + Arg group received L-arginine, I/R + Td group received tadalafil and I/R + Arg + Td group received tadalafil and L-arginine 30 minutes before the detorsion. Then the left testis was untwisted for four hours of reperfusion. After bilateral orchiectomy, lipid peroxidation (LPx) and glutathione (GSH) activities were examined in testicular tissue. Spermatogenesis was evaluated with Johnsens score. RESULTS LPx levels of the I/R group were found to be significantly higher than for groups that received drugs for both testes (p<0.001). GSH levels of the combination group were higher than I/R group in ipsilateral testis (p<0.01) and it was significantly higher than other groups for contralateral testis (p<0.001 for I/R group, p<0.01 for I/R + Arg, p<0.05 for I/R + Td). Mean Johnsens score of the I/R group was found to be significantly lower than treatment groups in ipsilateral testis (p<0.001 for I/R + Arg + Td group, p<0.01 for other treatment goups) and contralateral testis (p<0.001). The mean Johnsen score of the combination group was significantly higher than that of other treatment groups in ipsilateral testis (p<0.05) and it was significantly higher than in the I/R + Td group in the contralateral testis (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS L-arginine, tadalafil, and combination of these two molecules showed protective effect against ischemia/reperfusion injury for both testes after unilateral testis torsion.

T2E (TMPRSS2-ERG) fusion transcripts are associated with higher levels of AMACR mRNA and a subsequent prostate cancer diagnosis in patients with atypical small acinar proliferation

Genetic rearrangements involving androgen-regulated transmembrane protease serine 2 (TMPRSS2) and genes from the ETS transcription factor family, most commonly ERG and ETV1, result in alteration that responsible for oncogenic activity in prostate cancer (PC). The aims of the present study were to: 1) investigate the frequency of these fusion transcripts in prostate tissue samples obtained from patients diagnosed with atypical small acinar proliferation (ASAP), 2) determine any clinical significance of T2E expression at the RNA level in predicting PC detection in subsequent biopsies, and 3) evaluate expression of the PC marker, alpha-methylacyl-CoA racemase (AMACR), according to T2E status by real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR). T2E transcripts were detected in 31.7% (n=20) of the patients examined, and this was significantly associated with subsequent detection of PC in ASAP patients with a prostate specific antigen (PSA) level of 4-10ng/ml (p=0.045). AMACR expression was also significantly higher in the patients who were diagnosed with PC in subsequent biopsies than in the patients who were not diagnosed with PC (p=0.034) and in T2E-positive ASAP patients (p=0.002) compared to T2E-negative ASAP patients. Although these results need to be further clinically validated, we suggest that the presence of T2E transcript, in association with higher AMACR expression, is an indicator of PC risk from a T2E-positive focus or an unsampled malignant gland adjacent to a T2E-positive site in ASAP lesions.

RNA-based markers in biopsy cores with atypical small acinar proliferation: Predictive effect of T2E fusion positivity and MMP-2 upregulation for a subsequent prostate cancer diagnosis

Atypical small acinar proliferation (ASAP) is a precursor lesion of prostate cancer (PC), and PC develops from this suspicious focus or an unsampled malignant gland nearby. However, PC‐related molecular alterations that could guide the timing of repeat biopsies and help monitor PC risk in ASAP‐diagnosed patients have not been investigated. The purpose of this study was to first investigate the expression of seven different PC‐related RNAs that included serine 2 (TMPRSS2): erythroblastosis virus E26 oncogene homolog (ERG) gene (TMPRSS2‐ERG, T2E) fusion, alpha‐methylacyl‐CoA racemase (AMACR), kallikrein related peptidase 3 (KLK3), androgen receptor (AR), prostate cancer specific antigen 3 (PCA3), and matrix metalloproteinases (MMP)‐2 and 9.

Laparoscopic Transperitoneal Radical Nephrectomy for Renal Masses with Level I and II Thrombus

BACKGROUND We aimed to report surgical and oncological outcomes of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) patients with level I and II thrombus treated with laparoscopic transperitoneal radical nephrectomy. PATIENTS AND METHODS Medical records of 13 patients were reviewed retrospectively in a single center between 2005 and 2017. Hem-o-lok® clips were used to secure renal artery and renal vein, excluding 2 patients with an attached thrombus on the right side. RESULTS Seven male and 6 female patients were treated laparoscopically, and conversion to open surgery was not required in any case. The mean age was 61.6 ± 7.8 years (range 45 to 75 years) and the mean body mass index was 27 ± 4.6 kg/m2 (range 18.8 to 34.5 kg/m2). Median tumor size was 9.5 × 7.3 cm (range 5 to 14 cm) and 5 patients who had preoperative metastases underwent cytoreductive nephrectomy. The mean operative time was 137.6 ± 45.8 minutes (range 60 to 200 minutes) and blood loss was 105 ± 34.9 mL (range 50 to 150 mL). The mean hospital stay was 4.4 ± 3.9 days (range 1 to 15 days). Splenic capsular injury occurred in 1 patient and the vena cava was injured in another. Three patients needed blood transfusions. The mean follow-up period was 25 months (range 12 to 86 months). CONCLUSION Laparoscopic transperitoneal radical nephrectomy can be reliable option for surgical management of RCC with level I and II thrombus in experienced centers.

Clinical outcomes and survival in AA amyloidosis patients

AIM Amyloid A amyloidosis is a rare complication of chronic inflammatory conditions. Most patients with amyloid A amyloidosis present with nephropathy and it leads to renal failure and death. We studied clinical characteristics and survival in patients with amyloid A amyloidosis. METHODS A total of 81 patients (51 males, 30 females) with renal biopsy proven amyloid A amyloidosis were analyzed retrospectively. The patients were divided into good and poor outcomes groups according to survival results. RESULTS Most of the patients (55.6%) had nephrotic range proteinuria at diagnosis. Most frequent underlying disorders were familial Mediterranean fever (21.2%) and rheumatoid arthritis (10.6%) in the good outcome group and malignancy (20%) in the poor outcome group. Only diastolic blood pressure in the good outcome group and phosphorus level in the poor outcome group was higher. Serum creatinine levels increased after treatment in both groups, while proteinuria in the good outcome group decreased. Increase in serum creatinine and decrease in estimated glomerular filtration rate of the poor outcome group were more significant in the good outcome group. At the time of diagnosis 18.5% and 27.2% of all patients had advanced chronic kidney disease (stage 4 and 5, respectively). Median duration of renal survival was 65±3.54 months. Among all patients, 27.1% were started dialysis treatment during the follow-up period and 7.4% of all patients underwent kidney transplantation. Higher levels of systolic blood pressure [hazard ratios 1.03, 95% confidence interval: 1-1.06, p=0.036], serum creatinine (hazard ratios 1.25, 95% confidence interval: 1.07-1.46, p=0.006) and urinary protein excretion (hazard ratios 1.08, 95% confidence interval: 1.01-1.16, p=0.027) were predictors of end-stage renal disease. Median survival of patients with organ involvement was 50.3±16 months. CONCLUSION Our study indicated that familial Mediterranean fever constituted a large proportion of cases and increased number of patients with idiopathic amyloid A amyloidosis. Additionally, it was observed that patient survival was not affected by different etiological causes in amyloid A amyloidosis.

Effects of Combination Therapy with Captopril and Angiotensin II on the Viability of Random-pattern Skin Flaps in Diabetic Rat Model

Amaç: Diabetes mellitus, eritrosit agregasyonuna ve endotel disfonksiyonuna yol açarak doku kanlanmasını olumsuz etkiler ve doku hasarının oluşmasını sağlar. Bu mekanizma ile ciltte diabetik yaraların ortaya çıkmasına neden olur. Diabetik yara tedavisinde deri flepleri sıklıkla kullanıldığı halde deri flebinde yeterli kan dolaşımının sağlanması, kan şekerinin düşürülmesi ile birlikte tedavinin başarısında en önemli unsur olarak görülmektedir. Bu çalışmada, deneysel yolla diabet oluşturulan sıçanlarda deri flebinin canlılığını koruyabilmek amacıyla, doku kanlanmasını artırdığı gösterilen captopril ve anjiotensin II’nin etkinliği araştırılmıştır.

CDX2 immunostaining in primary and metastatic germ cell tumours of the testis

Objective To evaluate the immunohistochemical staining pattern of caudal type homeobox 2 (CDX2) protein in germ cell tumours (GCTs) of the testis. Methods This study reassessed archival tissue samples collected from patients diagnosed with primary and metastatic testicular GCTs for CDX2 immunoreactivity using standard immunohistochemical techniques. Positive nuclear immunostaining was evaluated with regard to both the staining intensity and the extent of the staining. Results Tissue sections from primary and metastatic testicular GCTs (n = 104), germ cell neoplasia in situ (GCNis) (n = 5) and benign testicles (n = 15) were analysed. The GCNis and benign testicular tissues showed no immunoreactivity for CDX2. Strong and diffuse staining of CDX2 was demonstrated only in the mature colonic epithelium of teratomas in both primary and metastatic GCTs. CDX2 positivity in other tumours (one pure yolk sac tumour, one yolk sac component of a mixed GCT and one pure seminoma) was infrequent, and was only weak and focal. Conclusions CDX2 immunostaining should be interpreted based on both the staining intensity and the extent of staining so as not to cause misdiagnosis. Teratomas with colonic-type epithelium should be considered in the differential diagnosis if a metastatic tumour with an unknown primary shows prominent CDX2 immunostaining.