Clinical importance of serum neopterin level in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis

Neopterin is a sensitive marker for cell-mediated immune response. Because of this, the neopterin levels of body fluids show cell-mediated immune response in different infectious diseases which involve T cells and macrophages. The aim of this study was to determine the clinical importance of neopterin levels in patients with tuberculosis and compare with those levels of healthy subjects. Seventy patients with tuberculosis [46 newly diagnosed cases, 15 relapse cases, and 9 multidrug-resistant tuberculosis cases] and 18 healthy adult individuals were included in the study. Neopterin concentrations were measured by the ELISA method according to the protocol of the manufacturer. Chi-square test was used in statistical analysis; p /= 10 nmol/L was accepted to be positive] and clinical symptoms of hemoptysis and weight loss. Besides statistically significant correlations between neopterin positivity and hemoglobin level, sedimentation rate, mean leukocyte count and radiological involvement [localized or diffuse] were determined. Serum neopterin levels can be used as a helper laboratory finding for the diagnosis of patients with tuberculosis. For this aim, further controlled studies are needed.

Endobronchial cryobiopsy or forceps biopsy for lung cancer diagnosis

Invasive procedures such as bronchoscopic biopsy, bronchial washing, and bronchial brushing are widely used in diagnosis of lung cancers. The mean diagnostic rate with bronchoscopic forceps biopsy is 74% in central tumors. This study was designed to evaluate the efficacy of cryobiopsies in histopathological diagnosis. Forty-one patients who had interventional bronchoscopy were included in this study. Three forceps biopsies and one cryobiopsy with cryorecanalization probe were obtained from each subject. Biopsies interpretations were done by one expert pathologist. Hemorrhage was the only complication in both procedures. There was no significant difference between these two procedures in the incidence of hemorrhage [P > 0.05]. Mean diameters of samples taken with forceps biopsy and cryoprobe biopsy were 0.2 and 0.8 cm, respectively [P < 0.001]. Thirty-two patients [78%] were diagnosed with forceps biopsies, and 38 patients [92.7%] were diagnosed with cryoprobe biopsies [P = 0.031]. We concluded that cryoprobe biopsies were more successful than forceps biopsies in diagnosis. Nevertheless, further investigations are warranted to determine an efficacy of cryoprobe biopsy procedures and a rationale to use as a part of routine flexible bronchoscopy