ABSTRACT
Introduction: Limited data are available on the relationship between nutritional status and tuberculosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the body mass index [BMI] and serum albumin level in patients with active tuberculosis [ATB] and latent tuberculosis [LTB]
Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 17 patients newly diagnosed with pulmonary TB who were referred in Iran, during September 2011 to March 2012 and 17 latent tuberculosis infection individuals. Standard method was performed to collect an early morning fasting blood sample for albumin [by the bromocresolgreen method]. Also [BMI] was calculated as body weight divided by height squared [kg/m2]
Results: One-sample Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used to check normal distribution data The mean +/- Standard deviation[SD] for albumin in the patients and controls were 3.62 +/- 0/56 and 4.68 +/- 0.25, respectively. BMI in the patients and controls were 19.46 +/- 2.79 and 25.4 +/- 3.46, respectively. The serum albumin level was significantly lower in the patient group, compared to the control group [P<0.001].BMI was significantly lower in the patient group, compared to the control group [P<0.001]
Conclusion: Our findings demonstrated that BMI and serum Albumin were significantly lower in the active tuberculosis patients than latent tuberculosis groups
ABSTRACT
Introduction: The overlap syndrome, consisting of obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome [OSAHS] and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD] is a major problem in COPD patients. OSHAS corresponds to the likelihood of systemic hypertension. The present study was aimed to evaluate the association between apnea-hypopnea index and diastolic blood pressure [DBP] in overlap patients
Materials and Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study involving overnight polysomnography after measurement of resting diastolic blood pressure [DBP] in patients with overlap syndrome in Sleep Laboratory of Imam Reza Hospital, Mashhad, Iran from November 2010 to July 2012. Participants were divided into four subgroups regarding to their Apnea-Hypopnea Index [AHI] [AHI <5, AHI: 5-15, AHI: 15-30 and AHI >30]. Descriptive statistics included age, body mass index [BMI], OSA, Apnea-Hypopnea Index [AHI], DBP, and neck circumference
Results: Sixty participants ranged between from 46 to 82 years old were entered into this study. There was statistically significant difference in mean DBP among different AHI subgroups [80 +/- 0.50, 95 +/- 0.60, and 105 +/- 0.65, respectively] [P<0.001]. Additionally, there was statistically significant correlation between AHI and DBP [r= 0.60, P=0.01]
Conclusion: According to the findings of our study, DBP is an important cardiovascular concern in COPD patients with OSAHS and has a direct correlation with AHI
ABSTRACT
Introduction: Growth, proliferation, survival, and differentiation are the prominent characteristics of cells, which are affected by cancer. Epidermal growth factor receptor [EGFR] plays a pivotal role in the effective control of these features. Given the significance of EGFR signaling pathway in non-small cell lung cancer [NSCLC], EGFR expression is influential on these cell characteristics. In this paper, we studied EGFR expression and its association with demographic factors, clinicopathological features, and prognosis of NSCLC patients
Materials and Methods: In this retrospective cohort study which was done during 2009-12 at Ghaem Hospital, Mashhad, Iran. EGFR expression was evaluated in 96 patients with formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded NSCLC tissues [43 adenocarcinomas, 48 squamous-cell carcinomas, and 5 large-cell carcinomas] using immunohistochemistry [IHC]. Data analysis was performed by SPSS version 20.0
Results: Out of 96 specimens, approximately 53% were classified as positive for EGFR expression. The study group consisted of 68% [N=65] male and 32% [N=31] female subjects, with the mean age of 61.1 +/- 9.03 years. There was no difference between EGFR-positive and EGFR-negative patients in terms of the overall survival rate [P=0.49]. In addition, no association was observed between tumor histology and EGFR expression [P=0.08], while EGFR-positive adenocarcinoma [N=28, 29%] was more prevalent compared to other subtypes of NSCLC. Moreover, there were no differences between tumor subtypes and the overall survival rate of the patients [P=0.21], and no association was found between EGFR expression and the patients' demographic factors [e.g. age and gender]
Conclusion: The results of this study indicated that EGFR expression could not be a prognostic marker in NSCLC patients; however, it seems that using standardized IHC scoring is likely to yield more reliable data in this regard
ABSTRACT
Introduction: Capnography, is an easy, fast and practical method which its application in the diagnosis of Pulmonary Thromboendarterectomy [PTE] has recently been studied. This study aimed to assess the diagnostic value of end-tidal CO2 [ETCO2] and the alveolar dead space [AVDS] in the diagnosis of patients suspected to PTE who have been referred to the emergency department
Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted during one year in the emergency department of Ghaem Hospital on patients with suspected PTE who scored less than 4 for the Wells' criteria during the initial evaluation. After excluding other differential diagnoses, all patients underwent CT pulmonary angiography CTPA to confirm PTE. Following that, arterial blood gas sampling, ETCO2 and AVDS were requested for all the patients based on capnography. Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistical tests in SPSS software version 11.5. The sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of AVDS and ETCO2 were measured based on [CTPA] results
Results: The study was performed on 78 patients [mean age of 47.08 +/- 15.6 years, 43 males/35 females] suspected to PTE. According to the results of CTPA, 37 patients did not develop PTE while 41 patients were with PTE. There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of age and gender [P=0.999], while a statistically significant difference was found between the mean values of ETCO2 and AVDS between the two groups [P<0.001]. The best cut-off points for PTE diagnosis were 0.17 [based on AVDS, with sensitivity and specificity of 78.0% and 56.8%, respectively], and 26.5 [based on ETCO2, with sensitivity and specificity of 67.6% and 75.6%, respectively]. In addition, the negative predictive values for AVDS and ETCO2 were estimated as 70.0% and 71.43%, respectively
Conclusion: According to the results of this study, capnography could be effective to promptly rule out PTE in emergency situations. Given its negative predictive value to rule out PTE, ETCO2 is considered as the most valid criterion among capnography parameters
ABSTRACT
Introduction: Sentinel node mapping is a new technique of lymph nodal staging in solid tumors, which can decrease the morbidity of regional lymph node dissection considerably. Intra-thoracic tumors including non-small cell lung cancer [NSCLC] and esophageal carcinoma [EC] are among the solid tumors in which sentinel node [SN] mapping has been applied. In the current systematic review, we gathered the best available evidence [systematic reviews] in this regard and presented the results in a systematic review format
Material and methods: We searched MEDLINE and SCOPUS since the inception till 13 December 2014 using the following keywords: [lung OR esophagus OR esophageal] AND sentinel AND [systematic review OR meta-analysis OR metaanalysis]. No language limit was imposed on the search strategy. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses on SN mapping in EC or NSCLC were included in the current study. Narrative review articles were excluded from the study
Results: Overall five systematic review were included. One of the included studies was on SN mapping in NSCLC and four were on EC. Overall detection rate and sensitivity for EC and NSCLC were high and both were related to mapping technique, pathological involvement of the mediastinal nodes, size and location of the tumors
Conclusion: SN mapping is feasible and highly accurate in EC and NSCLC. Attention to the technique [using radiotracers, peri-tumoral injection] and restriction of the patients to less advanced cases [cN0 and T1, 2] would ensure the best results with high detection rate and sensitivity
ABSTRACT
Different etiologies of pleural effusion are diagnosed based on serum and plural fluid characteristics. The aim of this study was to assess and compare the serum and pleural fluid protein to lactate dehyrogenase [Pr/LDH] ratio in exudative pleural effusions. This study was conducted on 60 patients with exudative pleural effusion including: 20 cases with parapneumonic, 20 cases with Tuberculosis [TB], and 20 cases with malignancy. The serum and pleural Pr/LDH were measured and compared among 3 groups. The mean age of the patients was 55 +/- 19SD [years] and male to female ratio was 36/24. There was no statistically significant difference in mean age of the patients among 3 groups [p=0.08]. There were statistically significant differences in serum and pleural Pr. /LDH ratios among groups [p=0.04 and p= 0.1, respectively]. Additionally the comparisons of serum and pleural Pr. /LDH ratios between malignancy and tuberculosis groups were significant [p=0.02 and p=0.001, respectively]. The serum and pleural Pr. /LDH ratios were higher in TB group. The results of our study showed that serum and pleural Pr. /LDH ratio can be used in differentiating the etiology of exudative pleural effusion, but needs to be confirmed by larger study