Alterations in plasma miR-21, miR-590, miR-192 and miR-215 in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and their clinical importance.

BACKGROUND: Many studies have revealed that microRNA (miRNA) molecules may take part in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). But, the role of miRNAs in the development of IPF is not yet clear. METHODS: We investigated the plasma levels of miR-21, miR-590, miR-192, and miR-215 in IPF (n = 88) and healthy control (n = 20) groups in this study. We compared the expression levels of target miRNAs in patients with IPF and healthy participants. We grouped the patients with IPF according to age, forced vital capacity, carbon monoxide diffusing capacity (DLCO), gender-Age-pulmonary physiology (GAP) score, the presence of honeycombing and compared the expression levels of target miRNAs in these clinical subgroups. RESULTS: 82 (93.18%) of the patients with IPF were male and the mean age was 66.6 ± 8.6 years. There was no significant difference between the gender and age distributions of IPF and the control group. The mean plasma miR-21 and miR-590 levels in IPF group were significantly higher than in the control group (p < 0.0001, p < 0.0001, respectively). There was no significant difference between the miR-192 and miR-215 expression levels of the IPF and control group. Both miR-21 and miR-590 correlated positively with age (p = 0.041, p = 0.007, respectively) while miR-192 and miR-215 displayed a negative correlation with age (p = 0.0002, p < 0.0001, respectively). The levels of miR-192 and miR-215 increased as the GAP score decreased. The levels of miR-192 in patients with honeycombing were significantly lower than in those without honeycombing (p = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: Our study showed that both miR-21 and miR-590 were overexpressed in IPF. The miR-21 and miR-590 were associated with DLCO, while miR-192 and miR-215 were associated with the GAP score and honeycombing.

Is ASA Classification Useful in Risk Stratification for EBUS-TBNA?

OBJECTIVE: The efficiency and safety of American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) in predicting peri-bronchoscopic morbidity and mortality is an increasing concern as endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) gains popularity. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether the ASA classification is useful in risk stratification for EBUS. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The patients who underwent EBUS and had anesthesia assessment before the procedure, were enrolled. Data about the age, gender, comorbidity, ASA score, and complications were collected retrospectively from their medical files. RESULTS: A total of 221 patients with ASA class documentation in anesthesia assessment before EBUS, were enrolled in the study. The study population comprised 125 (56.6%) male and 96 (43.4%) female patients with a mean age of 59.08 ± 11.15 years. Comorbidity was present in 161 patients (72.9%), of which hypertension (64%) was the most common. There was no significant difference between the pre-bronchoscopic and post-bronchoscopic values of oxygen saturation (SpO2), systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and heart rate (respectively P = .83, P = .12, P = .15, P = .89). The most frequent complication during EBUS was desaturation that happened in 109 (49.3%) patients. There was no correlation between ASA score and complications (P > .999). There was no statistically significant difference in ASA scores with respect to complications (P = .14). The sensitivity and the specificity of pre-bronchoscopic evaluation in predicting the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU)/intensive care unit (ICU) requirement, were 83.3% and 61%, respectively. The significant deciding factors for post-bronchoscopic follow-up sites were found to be as ASA and age (respectively, P = .025, P < .001). CONCLUSION: There was no correlation between ASA and complications. To organize PACU/ICU beds more efficiently, a better scoring system is required.

Are 25(OH) D concentrations associated with asthma control and pulmonary function test?

BACKGROUND: The relationship between vitamin D and asthma is still under investigation. We aimed to evaluate the association between serum vitamin D levels and clinical characteristics of asthma, and the impact of vitamin D deficiency on the clinical manifestations, as them being the issues of debate. METHODS: Patients who were admitted to the outpatient clinics of Chest Diseases Department of Akdeniz University Hospital between January 2014 and December 2014, have been diagnosed as asthma according to the GINA 2014 guidelines were included in this study. Subjects with COPD, bronchiectasis, pneumonia or tuberculosis were excluded. Asthma exacerbation was defined, according to the GINA guidelines, as episodes of progressive shortness of breath, cough, wheezing or chest tightness accompanied by PFT abnormalities such as decreased PEF or FEV1. RESULTS: A total of 158 patients with mean age of 48.8 years were included in the study. Twenty-seven (17.08%) of the patients demonstrated sufficient vitamin D serum levels (i.e. ≥30 ng/mL), while the remaining 131 (82.92%) patients had vitamin D insufficiency (i.e. <30 ng/mL). When these two patient groups (vitamin D sufficient vs. insufficient) were compared with each other, the patients showing sufficient levels of vitamin D were found to reveal significantly higher FEV1 (L) and FVC (L) values. When the patients were grouped into 4 categories with regard to their serum vitamin D measurements, hospitalization numbers were found to significantly increase with decreasing vitamin D levels. CONCLUSION: Vitamin D deficiency was significantly associated with poorer pulmonary functions and higher hospitalization numbers.

The Importance and Place of Methemoglobin and Carboxyhemoglobin Levels in the Diagnosis and Prognosis of Pulmonary Embolism.

BACKGROUND: This is a retrospective study to investigate the effects of Carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) and Methemoglobin (MetHb) levels in the diagnosis and prognosis of Pulmonary Thromboembolism (PTE). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cases that were confirmed with PTE diagnosis using CT Pulmonary Angiography (CTPA) or Ventilation/Perfusion Scintigraphy were accepted as pulmonary embolism. And patients which were excluded using the same methods were accepted as the control group. Patients with carbon monoxide poisoning, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), sepsis, pneumonia, asthma, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, bronchiectasis, decompensated cardiac failure or those who used drugs that cause methemoglobinemia (sulphanomides, dapson, phenacetin, primacine, benzocaine) were not included in the study. RESULTS: In our study, 462 patients were examined with an initial PTE diagnosis. Among these patients, 107 patients who met the inclusion criteria were included in the study. The mean age of all patients was 56.44 ±17.3 years (21-86) and the mean age of patients with PTE diagnosis was 55.3 years and the mean age of excluded patients was 59 years (p:0.27). When the blood gas parameters of both groups were compared, COHb levels in the groups with PTE diagnosis were statistically significantly higher (p=0.001), and the PO2 levels in the group excluded for PTE diagnosis were statistically significantly higher (p=0.028). In our study, six of our patients (8.1%) died in the early stages because of PTE. CONCLUSION: In our study, COHb level was found to be statistically significant in the group with PTE. However, this value was not higher than the normal COHb level in the blood. We found that MetHb and COHb levels were not statistically significant in the prognosis of PTE.

Benefits of omalizumab on anxiety and depression in patients with severe asthma.

BACKGROUND: Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases and may cause psychiatric disorders affecting the patients' quality of life. In our study, we evaluated the effect of omalizumab treatment on anxiety disorder and depression using Beck Depression Scale (BDS) and State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). METHODS: Anxiety level was determined with STAI, whereas depression level was evaluated by BDS. Patients were asked to mark the questionnaires to reflect their emotional state before treatment, and to reflect their emotions they are feeding in the current moment. All patients receiving omalizumab treatment were included in the study. Patients with known neuropsychiatric disorder were excluded from the study. RESULTS: A total of 20 patients with mean age of 50.25 years were enrolled in the study. Gender distribution was: 5(25%) male patients and 15(75%) female patients. All patients with severe asthma received omalizumab treatment. The omalizumab treatment period was shown for mean 17.6 months (2-40 months). In anxiety scales, there was statistically significant difference compared with pretreatment and posttreatment periods. Depression (moderate to severe) was present in 12 patients before omalizumab treatment and 3 patients after omalizumab treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Uncontrolled asthma as a chronic disorder can cause depressive symptoms and worsen quality of life. We believe by controlling asthma, quality of life will improvein such patients. In appropriate indication, omalizumab can improve depression and anxiety in asthma patients.

Patient and physician delay in the diagnosis and treatment of non-small cell lung cancer in Turkey.

AIM: The early diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer are important for the prognosis of patients with lung cancer. This study was undertaken to investigate patient and doctor delays in the diagnosis and treatment of NSCLC and the factors affecting these delays. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 1016 patients, including 926 (91.1%) males and 90 (8.9%) females with a mean age of 61.5±10.1 years, were enrolled prospectively in this study between May 2010 and May 2011 from 17 sites in various Turkish provinces. RESULTS: The patient delay was found to be 49.9±96.9 days, doctor delay was found to be 87.7±99.6 days, and total delay was found to be 131.3±135.2 days. The referral delay was found to be 61.6±127.2 days, diagnostic delay was found to be 20.4±44.5 days, and treatment delay was found to be 24.4±54.9 days. When the major factors responsible for these delays were examined, patient delay was found to be more frequent in workers, while referral delay was found to be more frequent in patients living in villages (p<0.05). We determined that referral delay, doctor delay, and total delay increased as the number of doctors who were consulted by patients increased (p<0.05). Additionally, we determined that diagnostic and treatment delays were more frequent at the early tumour stages in NSCLC patients (p<0.05). DISCUSSION: The extended length of patient delay underscores the necessity of educating people about lung cancer. To decrease doctor delay, education is a crucial first step. Additionally, to further reduce the diagnostic and treatment delays of chest specialists, multidisciplinary management and algorithms must be used regularly.

The role of nitric oxide in predicting revisit of patients with exacerbated chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

BACKGROUND: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is associated with high mortality and morbidity. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to determine the role of nitric oxide (NO) and other possible factors in predicting the revisit of patients with COPD exacerbation to the emergency department (ED). METHODS: This is a prospective cohort study on patients with exacerbated COPD in the ED setting. Bedside nasal NO values were measured with a hand-held analyzer device. Revisit to the ED has been defined as any unscheduled visit to an ED or to primary physician's office within 2 weeks of the initial ED visit for worsening COPD symptoms. A follow-up survey via telephone was conducted on all patients at the end of 2 weeks. RESULTS: The data from 64 patients who visited the ED once was compared to 28 revisits. Total of 92 patients were analyzed and variables were compared. The rate of revisits to the ED was 30%. Nasal NO measurement could not predict the revisits of patients with COPD exacerbation to the ED. The mean respiratory rate, exacerbations in previous year, home nebulizer therapy, prescribed antibiotic at discharge, home oxygen therapy, and abnormal chest x-ray studies were associated with increased rate of revisits to ED in univariate analysis. After multivariate analysis, only the mean respiratory rate at presentation and the prescribed antibiotic at discharge were significant determinants. CONCLUSIONS: There was no statistically significant difference measured in NO level at presentation or before discharge between the groups. The mean respiratory rate at presentation and the prescribed antibiotic at discharge may predict the return of a COPD-exacerbated patient within 14 days to ED.

Metachronous malignant mesothelioma and pulmonary adenocarcinoma.

The prevalence of multiple primary malignant neoplasms in a single patient is reported in a wide variation. The co-existence of malignant mesothelioma and pulmonary carcinoma is a rare entity. Herein, we reported a 60-year-old man who was a retired employee and heavy smoker. He had a suspicious history of asbestos exposure. He complained of chest pain and computerized tomography revealed a mass in the lower lobe of left lung. The patient underwent a left lower lobectomy and was diagnosed as pulmonary adenocarcinoma. During follow-up two years after surgery, the patient complained of dyspnea and chest computerized tomography scan revealed right pleural effusion and diffuse pleural thickening. For the differential diagnosis, the patient underwent wedge biopsy from the right lower lobe and was diagnosed as epithelial diffuse malignant mesothelioma. The development of malignant pleural mesothelioma and lung carcinoma could be associated with asbestos exposure. However, a history of asbestos exposure is not required for the diagnosis. The influence of effective anticancer therapies that improve the survival rates and increase the population ages could be related to the occurrence of a second malignancy.

Determination of right ventricular dysfunction using the speckle tracking echocardiography method in patients with obstructive sleep apnea.

BACKGROUND: The speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) method shows the presence of right ventricular (RV) dysfunction before the advent of RV failure and pulmonary hypertension in patients with cardiopulmonary disease. We aimed to assess subclinical RV dysfunction in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) using the STE method. METHOD: Twenty-one healthy individuals and 58 OSA patients were included. According to severity as determined by the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), OSA patients were examined in three groups: mild, moderate and severe. RV free wall was used in STE examination. RESULTS: Right ventricle strain (ST %) and systolic strain rate (STR-S 1/s) were decreasing along with the disease severity (ST - healthy: -34.05 ± -4.29; mild: -31.4 ± -5.37; moderate: -22.75 ± -4.89; severe: -20.89 ± -5.59; p < 0.003; STR-S - healthy: -2.93 ± -0.64; mild: -2.85 ± -0.73; moderate: -2.06 ± -0.43; severe: -1.43 ± -0.33; p < 0.03). Correlated with the disease severity, the RV early diastolic strain rate (STR-E) was decreasing and the late diastolic strain rate was increasing (STR-E - healthy: 2.38 ± 0.63; mild: 2.32 ± 0.84; moderate: 1.66 ± 0.55; severe: 1 ± 0.54; p < 0.003; STR-A - healthy: 2.25 ± 0.33; mild: 2.32 ± 0.54; moderate: 2.79 ± 0.66; severe: 3.29 ± 0.54; p < 0.03). The STR-E/A ratio was found to be in a decreasing trend along with the disease severity (healthy: 1.08 ± 0.34; mild: 1.06 ± 0.46; moderate: 0.62 ± 0.22; severe: 0.34 ± 0.23; p < 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: Subclinical RV dysfunction can be established in OSA patients even in the absence of pulmonary hypertension and pathologies which could have adverse effects on RV functions. In addition to the methods of conventional, Doppler and tissue Doppler echocardiography, using the STE method can determine RV dysfunction in the subclinical phase.

Diagnostic value of transbronchial needle aspiration cytology in sarcoidosis.

OBJECTIVE: Sarcoidosis is a systemic granulomatous inflammation that occurs as a result of disturbed immune regulation in individuals exposed to certain environmental agents. Although tissue sampling is considered the "gold standard" for the diagnosis of sarcoidosis, a medically treated disease, minimally invasive diagnostic methods are preferred instead of surgical tissue sampling. Transbronchial needle aspiration has been reported as an effective diagnostic method. MATERIAL AND METHOD: In this study, transbronchial needle aspiration cytology samples were assessed from 38 patients where sarcoidosis was suspected clinically and radiologically. The existence of epithelioid histiocytes and/or giant cells that formed granulomas was used as a cytological diagnostic criterion for chronic granulomatous inflammation. The presence of lymphocytes and/or germinal center cells, and of histiocytes in lymph nodes was regarded as adequate sampling criteria. RESULTS: A total of 31 out of the 38 patients were diagnosed as sarcoidosis with clinical, radiological and microbiological findings, after chronic granulomatous inflammation was considered by cytologic assessment. Cytologic diagnosis was achieved in: 4 of 7 patients with sampling from a single lymph node region, 25 of 28 patients with sampling from two different lymph node regions and 2 of 3 patients with sampling from three different lymph node regions. Two of the 7 patients who could not be diagnosed cytologically underwent a transbronchial parenchyma biopsy and the rest were diagnosed histologically from mediastinoscopic lymph node sampling. CONCLUSION: We would like to emphasize that transbronchial needle aspiration is a successful diagnostic method. We highlighted the adequacy criteria of cytological sampling and the encountered cytological findings of chronic granulomatous inflammation.

Lung involvement in patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome: what are the predictors?

The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence, predictors and radiological findings of primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS)-associated lung involvement. This retrospective cohort study included 123 patients with demographic, clinical, laboratory and radiological data who were diagnosed with pSS. Lung involvement was defined based on the presence of pulmonary signs/symptoms and/or impaired pulmonary function tests along with alterations in high-resolution computerized tomography (HRCT). Thirty patients (24.4%) had pulmonary signs/symptoms at the initial presentation and/or during the follow-up period. Based on the criteria, 14 patients (11.4%) were defined as having pSS with lung involvement. The smoking rate, male/female ratio and the mean ages were found to be higher in patients with lung involvement (P < 0.05). Positive IgM-rheumatoid factor (RF), anti-La and anti-Ro results, the presence of hypergammaglobulinemia and lymphopenia had high specificity despite the low sensitivity rates to detect pSS-associated lung disease. A significant difference was found in forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV(1)) results between the patients with and without lung involvement. Impaired FEV(1) had high specificity and positive predictive value compared to impaired FVC, particularly in non-smoker patients. The most frequent HRCT finding was ground-glass attenuation (64.3%). Other common findings were bronchiectasis, reticular pattern and honeycombing. The lesions involved predominantly the lower lobes. In conclusion, the presence of hypergammaglobulinemia and lymphopenia, positivity for RF, anti-La and anti-Ro, and impaired (FVC) and/or FEV(1) values could be the predictive parameters with a high specificity despite the low sensitivity rates. Smoking history, male gender and age are also risk factors. These parameters may be helpful to distinguish pSS-associated lung involvement from lung disorders unrelated to pSS.

A case of primary Sjögren's syndrome with pulmonary-limited Wegener's granulomatosis.

A 60-year-old woman had a history of dyspnea for 5-6 weeks. The chest radiograph and computed tomography scans revealed bilateral patchy reticulonodular pattern. The patient had positive test results for antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody against proteinase-3 (c-ANCA), antinuclear antibody and anti-Ro antibody. According to European Study Group on Classification Criteria for Sjögren's Syndrome, the patient was diagnosed as primary Sjögren's syndrome based on the presence of clinical features, positive findings on Schirmer's test and parotis scintigraphy. Lung biopsy obtained by wedge resection showed granulomatous inflammation with extensive multinuclear giant cells involving the lung parenchyma and vascular structures. There was neither upper airway nor renal involvement. Thus, the patient was simultaneously diagnosed as pulmonary-limited Wegener's granulomatosis. With this unique case, we would like to emphasize that the awareness of ANCA-associated vasculitis as a diagnostic possibility in primary Sjögren's syndrome is important during the work-up of lung lesions.

Decoy receptor-2 small interfering RNA (siRNA) strategy employing three different siRNA constructs in combination defeats adenovirus-transferred tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand resistance in lung cancer cells.

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) selectively induces apoptosis in cancer cells but not in normal cells. However, studies have indicated that more than half of human tumors exhibit TRAIL resistance. Although the mechanism of TRAIL resistance is not understood, it represents a barrier to any TRAIL-mediated gene therapy approach. In addition, no correlation between TRAIL receptor (TRAIL-R) expression profile and TRAIL resistance has been demonstrated in cancer cells. In this study, three different lung cancer cell lines and three different primary cell cultures established from patients with lung cancer (two patients with squamous cell lung carcinoma and one with adenocarcinoma) were screened for sensitivity to adenoviral delivery of TRAIL. Whereas TRAIL-resistant primary lung cell cultures and the A549 lung cancer cell line exhibited high levels of surface decoy receptor-2 (DcR2/TRAIL-R4) expression, TRAIL-sensitive lung cancer cell lines (HBE and H411) failed to express it. A DcR2 short interfering RNA (siRNA) approach involving three different siRNA constructs in combination downregulated DcR2/TRAIL-R4 expression and sensitized lung cancer cells to TRAIL-induced apoptosis. Immunohistochemical staining of samples from 10 patients with lung carcinoma suggested that high-level DcR2/TRAIL-R4 expression is a common phenotype observed in patients with non-small cell lung carcinoma.

The effects of recurrent Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection on pulmonary parenchyma and vasculature in rats fed on a cholesterol-rich diet.

It has been demonstrated that both hypercholesterolemia and infectious agents are contributing factors in atherosclerosis but their combined effect on the pulmonary vascular bed is not known. To answer this question, the authors tried to demonstrate the effects of recurrent infection on pulmonary parenchyma and vascular system in cholesterol-fed rats. Sixty-six rats were randomly divided into 4 groups: Groups I (control), II (cholesterol-rich diet), III (recurrent pulmonary Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection), IV (cholesterol-rich diet + recurrent infection). After 6 months serum cholesterol levels didn't increase in any of the groups. Central pulmonary artery wall thickness was increased in group IV (P < .0001). Although not significant, peripheral pulmonary artery wall thickness was increased in group IV. In rats fed on a cholesterol-rich diet, recurrent infection caused a significant increase in atherosclerosis, although serum cholesterol levels didn't increase. Infection and cholesterol-rich diet have a synergistic effect on atherosclerosis in the pulmonary vascular system in rats even in the absence of hypercholesterolemia.

Doppler ultrasonography versus venography in the detection of deep vein thrombosis in patients with pulmonary embolism.

In patients with acute pulmonary embolism (PE) the frequency of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) varies between 13-93%. The aim of this study was to compare Doppler ultrasonography (DUSG) and venography in the detection of DVT in patients with PE. Fifty-one patients who were clinically diagnosed as having PE from January 1st 2001 to January 31st 2005 were entered into the study and comorbid conditions and risk factors were noted. The diagnosis of PE was confirmed by ventilation-perfusion (V/Q) scintigraphy, spiral tomography and angiotomography while the diagnosis of DVT was made by DUSG and venography. DVT was confirmed by both DUSG and venography in 19 (37,3%) patients. In the remaining 32 patients DUSG was negative. Venography confirmed DVT in 6 of these patients while in 26 no DVT was found. The sensitivity and specifity of DUSG in the diagnosis of DVT were 76% and 100% respectively and the negative and positive predictive values were 81% and 100% respectively. The mean d-dimer concentration was 1,187 in patients with DVT and 641 in patients without DVT (p > 0.05). Aquired risk factors were found in 4 of 6 patients with DVT, CRP was elevated in 5 (83%) and ALT-AST were elevated in 2 (33%). Although DUSG alone is considered sufficient for the diagnosis of DVT, venography still remains the gold standard in the diagnosis of DVT. Especially in patients with PE, where the diagnosis of DVT may increase the success of treatment, venography or other diagnostic tools may be used instead of a second DUSG if the first DUSG is negative.

Tracheal stenosis aftertracheostomy or intubation: review with special regard to cause and management.

To investigate the management outcomes of patients who developed tracheal stenosis after tracheostomy or intubation, we reviewed the courses of 45 patients who had experienced tracheal stenosis at a single institution, over 19 years from February 1985 through January 2004. There were 38 tracheal and 7 infraglottic stenoses. Twenty-nine stenoses were associated with the stoma, 12 with the cuff, and 2 with the endotracheal tube resulting in infraglottic lesions; the remaining 2 were double stenoses. Eleven patients were treated by bronchoscopic surgery, and 34 patients were treated by tracheal or laryngotracheal resection. The overall success rate was 93%. The complication rate was 18%. A 2nd operation was required in 3 patients, and 1 of the 3 died of sepsis. Our management strategy of treating tracheal stenosis with resection and end-to-end anastomosis has been associated with good outcomes. Management of infraglottic stenosis is difficult, particularly when there is a large laryngeal defect or when there have been previous surgical attempts at the same site.

The prevalence of asthma, allergic rhinitis, and atopy in Antalya, Turkey.

Bronchial asthma is a common chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways that causes serious morbidity and mortality. The prevalence of the disorder has been increasing, especially in developed countries. The population-based asthma prevalence studies provide data from Ankara, Istanbul, Gaziantep, Trabzon, Izmnir, and Kayseri in our country and asthma prevalence ranges between 1.4 and 3%. However, the prevalence of adult asthma in our city was not known. We aimed to determine the prevalence of asthma, allergic rhinitis, and atopy in the adult population of Antalya and compare the data with other countries and other regions of our country. The European Commission Respiratory Health Survey, the first study to assess the geographical variation in asthma and allergic diseases, provided comparable data from 22 countries and 140,000 individuals. Therefore, the European Commission Respiratory Health Survey protocol was preferred in our study. The first stage consisted of 1000 subjects; of these 1000 subjects, 200 subjects were randomly selected for the second stage. The response rates were 99.5 and 55.4% for stages I and II, respectively. The current prevalence of asthma, allergic rhinitis, and atopy in Antalya was 9.4, 27.7, and 31.1%, respectively. The most prevalent type of sensitization was mite allergy detected in 31 (20.9%) subjects. Sensitization to more than one allergen was frequent in subjects with asthma and allergic rhinitis. Bronchial asthma, allergic rhinitis, and atopy are frequent in our city and when compared with previous studies performed in Turkey, the highest results were in Antalya.

Acute respiratory failure and tracheal obstruction in patients with posterior giant mediastinal (intrathoracic) goiter.

The extension of a thyroid goiter into the mediastinum, commonly known as a substernal goiter, is commonly located in the anterior mediastinum. Substernal enlargement of a goiter can cause compression of several mediastinal structures including the trachea. Tracheal compression may rarely lead to acute respiratory failure. We present a patient with tracheal compression and respiratory failure due to a posterior mediastinal goiter in the light of the literature.