The role of miRNAs as a predictor of multicentricity in breast cancer.

Expression profiles of miRNAs are shown to be different in various cancers to regulate expression of mRNA or to have a role in inhibition of translation, thus it shows the possible effect in progression, invasion and metastasis of breast cancer cells. The effect of breast conserving treatment in local recurrence and survival rates for the patients who have multicentric breast cancer is still controversial. In our study, we intended to evaluate the foresight of 84 miRNAs which are identified in breast cancer for having differentiated expressions. Thirty-one patients with unifocal and 26 patients with multicentric breast cancer were included in this study. These tissue samples of both malignant and normal breast tissues were kept in RNA later solution at - 80 °C. Eighty-four miRNAs were studied with miScript miRNA PCR Array Human Breast Cancer kit. Fold change, cut off value was accepted as four. In unifocal group, there were 13 upregulated and five downregulated miRNAs and in multicentric group, there were three upregulated and seven downregulated miRNAs. To reach better results for breast cancer diagnosis and treatment, it is important to enlighten tumor biology, and pay attention to target and individual therapy. Thus, miRNAs have potential role in identifying tumor characteristics in supporting diagnosis and resulting with better evaluated disease for better treatment results with individual strategies.

"Biomimetic-electrochemical-sensory-platform" for biomolecule free cocaine testing.

A biomimetic cocaine sensor was fabricated by using poly(p-phenylene) (PPP) with cyclodextrin (CD) units in the backbone and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) side chains (PPP-CD-g-PEG). The sensory platform was constructed by one step surface modification of glassy carbon electrode with PPP-CD-g-PEG by drop coating. The electrochemical measurements are based on the formation of CD-cocaine inclusion complex on the surface resulting in a significant decrease in electron transfer capacity of the selected redox probe. The changes in the surface features due to cocaine binding were explored via electrochemical techniques such as differential pulse voltammetry, cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectrometry. The sensor exhibited linearity in the range of 25-200 nM cocaine, LOD was calculated as 28.62 nM (n = 5) according to 3Sb/m formula. Finally, the sensory platform was successfully applied for the cocaine analysis in synthetic urine samples and correlated with the chromatographic method.

Transvaginal Small Bowel Evisceration following Abdominoperineal Resection.

Abdominoperineal resection (APR) is one of the surgical techniques performed for the distal rectal cancer. The perineal herniation is one of the complications of APR surgery. In this report, we aim to demonstrate a rare case of small bowel evisceration and strangulation secondary to the transvaginal herniation evolved in the late stage after perineal hernia repair following laparoscopic APR.

Rare Entities of Histopathological Findings in 755 Sleeve Gastrectomy Cases: a Synopsis of Preoperative Endoscopy Findings and Histological Evaluation of the Specimen.

BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) is the most preferred technique in morbidly obese patients for weight loss. There is a controversy about the routine preoperative evaluation of the stomach and the routine microscopic examination of all LSG specimens. Our aim is to analyze the results of both preoperative upper gastrointestinal endoscopy and endoscopic biopsies and also the results of histopathological examination of LSG specimens. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The data of patients who underwent LSG from January 2011 to November 2016 were analyzed retrospectively from a prospectively collected database. Seven hundred fifty five of 819 patients who met the inclusion criteria were included in this study. Data on patients' demographic variables [age, gender, BMI (kg/m2)], preoperative upper GI endoscopy and biopsy results, postoperative histopathological results of the specimens, and the process of the patients with malignant histopathological investigation in the follow-up period were collected. RESULTS: This study involves 755 patients with a mean age of 39.6 ± 11.7 years and has 496 (65.6%) to 259 (34.4%) female to male ratio. None of the patients harbored macroscopic or microscopic malignant pathological finding in the preoperative assessment. Hiatal hernia was detected in 78 (10.2%) patients and gastric/duodenal ulcers were detected in 52 (6.8%) patients in endoscopy. Incidental malignant and/or premalignant histopathological findings-intestinal metaplasia (1.4%) and malignant lesions (0.5%)-were rarely found in the evaluation of the surgical specimens. CONCLUSIONS: Both preoperative endoscopic assessment and postoperative histopathological examination of the specimen are mandatory in LSG patients.

The Place of Elastography in Evaluating the Efficacy of Radiofrequency Ablation of Thyroid Nodules.

The usage of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) therapy and elastography to treat thyroid nodules has been increasing recently. Elastography specifically measures the stiffness of tissue using ultrasonography (US). The aim of the present study was to evaluate the relationship between the elastography values of thyroid nodules and the efficacy of RFA therapy. Ultrasonography was performed on 49 patients who had a thyroid nodule with a diameter of 1 cm or greater before RFA therapy. The RFA was performed under local anesthesia, and elastography was used to measure the stiffness of the normal thyroid tissue, sternocleidomastoid muscle (SCM) and thyroid nodules three months after RFA. The nodule diameter significantly decreased three months after RFA (P < 0.05). According to a cross-evaluation of the mean elastography rates, the thyroid/SCM and nodule/thyroid elastography rates had an inverse relationship (P: 0.009). However, the thyroid/SCM elastography rates and nodule/SCM elastography rates (P: 0.022) and the thyroid/SCM elastography rates and the rates of reduction (%) of the nodule diameter before and three months after RFA (P: 0.016) had positive relationships. In conclusion, RFA therapy is more effective in patients with thyroid nodules if there are high thyroid tissue/SCM rates in elastography.

Is surgery necessary to confirm diagnosis of right-sided diverticulitis in spite of relevant clinical and radiological findings?

BACKGROUND: Diverticulosis of the right colon is an uncommon entity. Aim of the present study was to report outcome in patients with right-sided diverticulitis diagnosed using computed tomography (CT) and treated conservatively. METHODS: Twelve patients with clinical and radiological diagnosis of cecal or right-sided diverticulitis who were treated conservatively between February 2013 and December 2014 were included. Demographic and clinical data were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: Female to male ratio was 1:1 with mean age of 45.08±14.4 years. Mean length of symptom history before admission was 2.08±1.3 days. Most common presenting symptom was right lower abdominal pain, seen in 72.7% of the patients. Abdominal ultrasound alone was performed for 10 patients, and 2 also had abdominal CT. Mean duration of hospitalization was 2.8±1.5 days. All patients were successfully treated with medical therapy. There was no recurrence during mean follow-up period of 8.2±5.6 months. CONCLUSION: If uncomplicated diverticulitis of the right colon is correctly diagnosed with radiological evaluation, antibiotic therapy and bowel rest should be considered as treatment modality, as there was no recurrence observed in short-term follow-up period and this option presents advantage of avoiding surgical intervention.

Bioconjugation and Applications of Amino Functional Fluorescence Polymers.

Synthesis and novel applications of biofunctional polymers for diagnosis and therapy are promising area involving various research domains. Herein, three fluorescent polymers, poly(p-phenylene-co-thiophene), poly(p-phenylene), and polythiophene with amino groups (PPT-NH2 , PPP-NH2 , and PT-NH2 , respectively) are synthesized and investigated for cancer cell targeted imaging, drug delivery, and radiotherapy. Polymers are conjugated to anti-HER2 antibody for targeted imaging studies in nontoxic concentrations. Three cell lines (A549, Vero, and HeLa) with different expression levels of HER2 are used. In a model of HER2 expressing cell line (A549), radiotherapy experiments are carried out and results show that all three polymers increase the efficacy of radiotherapy. This effect is even more increased when conjugated to anti-HER2. In the second part of this work, one of the selected polymers (PT-NH2 ) is conjugated with a drug model; methotrexate via pH responsive hydrazone linkage and a drug carrier property of PT-NH2 is demonstrated on neuroblastoma (SH-SY5Y) cell model. Our results indicate that, PPT-NH2 , PPP-NH2 , and PT-NH2 have a great potential as biomaterials for various bioapplications in cancer research.

Polypeptide with electroactive endgroups as sensing platform for the abused drug 'methamphetamine' by bioelectrochemical method.

Affinity-type sensors have emerged as outstanding platforms in the detection of diagnostic protein markers, nucleic acids and drugs. Thus, these novel platforms containing antibodies could be integrated into the monitoring systems for abused drugs. Herein, we established a novel detection platform for the analysis of a common illicit drug; methamphetamine (METH). Initially, a fluorescent-labeled polypeptide (EDOT-BTDA-Pala), derived from L-alanine N-carboxyanhydride (L-Ala-NCA) via ring-opening polymerization using 4,7-bis(2,3-dihydrothieno[3,4-b][1,4]dioxin-5-yl)benzo[c][1,2,5]thiadiazole-5,6-diamine (EDOT-NH2-BTDA) as initiator, was employed as a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) covering host, in order to immobilize the METH-selective antibody. Prior to the examination of analytical features, GCE/EDOT-BTDA-Pala/Antibody surface was successfully characterized in the way of electrochemical (cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy) and microscopic techniques (scanning electron microscopy and fluorescence microscopy). As for the analytical characterization, linearity and limit of detection (LOD) were found as 10-100µg/mL with an equation of y=0.0429x-0.2347, (R2=0.996) and 13.07µg/mL, respectively. Moreover, sample application using artificial urine, saliva and serum samples spiked with METH (10, 25, 50µg/mL) were performed and LC-MS/MS system was used for further confirmation. The described platform can be adapted to monitor the other types of abused drugs by using suitably selected biorecognition elements.

Complex Structured Fluorescent Polythiophene Graft Copolymer as a Versatile Tool for Imaging, Targeted Delivery of Paclitaxel, and Radiotherapy.

Advances in polymer chemistry resulted in substantial interest to utilize their diverse intrinsic advantages for biomedical research. Especially, studies on drug delivery for tumors have increased to a great extent. In this study, a novel fluorescent graft copolymer has been modified by a drug and targeting moiety and the resulting structure has been characterized by alterations in fluorescent intensity. The polythiophene based hybrid graft copolymer was synthesized by successive organic reactions and combination of in situ N-carboxy anhydride (NCA) ring opening and Suzuki coupling polymerization processes. Initially, targeted delivery of the graft copolymer was investigated by introducing a tumor specific ligand, anti-HER2/neu antibody, on the structure. The functionalized polymer was able to differentially indicate HER2-expressing A549 human lung carcinoma cells, whereas no signal was obtained for Vero, monkey kidney epithelial cells, and HeLa, human cervix adenocarcinoma cells. After integrating paclitaxel into the structure, cell viability, cell cycle progression, and radiosensitivity studies demonstrate HER2/neu targeting polymers were most effective to inhibit cell proliferation. Importantly, the graft copolymer used had no cytotoxic effects to cells, as evidenced by cell viability and cell cycle analysis. This work clearly confirms that a specially designed and fabricated graft copolymer with a highly complex structure is a promising theranostic agent capable of targeting tumor cells for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes.

Polypeptide Functional Surface for the Aptamer Immobilization: Electrochemical Cocaine Biosensing.

Electroanalytical technologies as a beneficial subject of modern analytical chemistry can play an important role for abused drug analysis which is crucial for both legal and social respects. This article reports a novel aptamer-based biosensing procedure for cocaine analysis by combining the advantages of aptamers as selective recognition elements with the well-known advantages of biosensor systems such as the possibility of miniaturization and automation, easy fabrication and modification, low cost, and sensitivity. In order to construct the aptasensor platform, first, polythiophene bearing polyalanine homopeptide side chains (PT-Pala) was electrochemically coated onto the surface of an electrode and then cocaine aptamer was attached to the polymer via covalent conjugation chemistry. The stepwise modification of the surface was confirmed by electrochemical characterization. The designed biosensing system was applied for the detection of cocaine and its metabolite, benzoylecgonine (BE), which exhibited a linear correlation in the range from 2.5 up to 10 nM and 0.5 up to 50 µM for cocaine and BE, respectively. In order to expand its practical application, the proposed method was successfully tested for the analysis of synthetic biological fluids.

Single-session radiofrequency ablation on benign thyroid nodules: a prospective single center study : Radiofrequency ablation on thyroid.

PURPOSE: The activity of the application of single-session ultrasonography (US)-guided percutaneous radio frequency ablation (RFA) in benign thyroid nodules was investigated in this prospective clinical study. METHODS: RFA treatment was applied to 100 nodules in 100 patients (78 women, 22 men; average age 44.5 years old; age range 18-71) who had euthyroid condition, nodule size larger than 1 cm in the ultrasonography, proven to be benign by fine needle aspiration cytology. The nodules were separated into three groups according to the content: solid, cystic and mixed. In first 73 cases, the process performed under local anesthesia and the other 27 cases were performed under general anesthesia. RFA process was standardized to 70 W in all of the patients, and a moving shot technique was used. The results acquired in the third and sixth months of the controls were evaluated, and the volume of the nodules was screened. RESULTS: No differences between the thyroid function tests performed before and after RFA were detected (p > 0.05). The mean volume of the nodules before the process, in the third month after the process, and in the sixth month were 16.8, 4.8, and 2.6 ml, respectively (p < 0.001). The decrease in cystic nodules was greater than solid and mixed structures. Temporary hoarseness occurred in one case and skin edema was detected in a patient at the isthmus. CONCLUSIONS: RFA is an option for treatment, with minimal invasiveness and a low complication rate, and it is effective primarily in cases with benign nodules and nodular goiter. In cases with good compliance, the likelihood of success is greater. General anesthesia can be a good option for anxious cases to gather better results.

Poly(p-phenylene) with Poly(ethylene glycol) Chains and Amino Groups as a Functional Platform for Controlled Drug Release and Radiotherapy.

Conventional cancer treatments such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or combination of these two result in side effects, which lower the quality of life of the patients. To overcome problems with these methods, altering the drug properties by conjugating them to carrier polymers has emerged. Such polymeric carriers also hold the potential to make tumor cells more sensitive to radiation therapy. Herein, poly(p-phenylene) (PPP) polymer with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) chains and primary amino groups (PPP-NH2 -g-PEG) is synthesized and conjugated with anticancer drug Doxorubicin (DOX). pH dependent drug release experiments are performed at pH 5.3 and pH 7.4, respectively. Cell viability studies on human cervix adenocarcinoma cells show that lower doses of DOX inhibit cell proliferation when conjugated with nontoxic doses of PPP-NH2 -g-PEG polymer. Additionally, PPP-NH2 -g-PEG/Cys/DOX bioconjugate significantly increases radiosensitive properties of DOX. It is possible to use lower doses of DOX when conjugated to PPP-NH2 -g-PEG in combination with radiotherapy.

Polythiophene-g-poly(ethylene glycol) with Lateral Amino Groups as a Novel Matrix for Biosensor Construction.

In the ever-expanding field of conducting polymer research, functionalized graft hybrid copolymers have gained considerable interest in the biomedical engineering and biosensing applications, particularly. In the present work, a new biosensor based on conducting graft copolymer for the detection of phenolic compounds was developed. Thereby, a robust and novel material, namely "polythiophene-g-poly(ethylene glycol) with lateral amino groups" (PT-NH2-g-PEG) hybrid conducting polymer was synthesized via Suzuki condensation polymerization and characterized with (1)H NMR analysis, UV-vis spectroscopy, gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and fluorescence spectroscopy. PT-NH2-g-PEG architecture was then applied as an immobilization matrix to accomplish extended biosensing function. In a typical process, Laccase was utilized as a model enzyme for the detection of phenolic compounds. Detailed surface characterization of PT-NH2-g-PEG/Lac was performed by cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, fluorescence microscopy and scanning electron microscopy measurements. Optimum pH and polymer amount were found to be pH 6.5 and 0.5 mg polymer, respectively, with the linear range of 0.0025-0.05 mM and 132.45 µA/mM sensitivity. The kinetic parameters of PT-NH2-g-PEG/Lac are 0.026 mM for Km(app) and 7.38 µA for Imax, respectively. Furthermore, the PT-NH2-g-PEG/Lac biofilm was retained 82% of its activity for 12 days indicating excellent recovery as tested with artificial wastewater.

New thyroid fine needle aspiration biopsy needle. Prospective, randomized, clinical study.

Nodular disease of thyroid in the adult population is common [1]. Estimated prevalence of thyroid nodules on the basis of palpation ranges from 3% to 7% [2]. During the past two decades, according to widespread use of ultrasonography (US) for evaluation of thyroid and nonthyroid neck diseases prevalence of clinically inapparent thyroid nodules is increased, estimated at 20% to 76% in the general population [3,4]. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Efficacy of glycerol and flax seed oil as anti-adhesive barriers after thyroidectomy.

BACKGROUND: We evaluated the effects of local flax seed oil and glycerol application for reducing adhesion formation after thyroidectomy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We randomly assigned 18 female Wistar albino rats (median weight: 275 g, median age: 4.5 mth) to 3 groups: 0.1 ml 0.9% NaCl, glycerol, and flax seed oil were sprayed in a perithyroidal area after thyroidectomy operation on all animals as anti-adhesive barriers. Rats were sacrificed on the postoperative 14th day and adhesions were evaluated macroscopically and microscopically. RESULTS: The median macroscopic adhesion score was 3.0±0.0 in the 0.9% NaCl group, 1.33±0.52 in the glycerol group, and 1.67±0.53 in the flax seed oil group. The median histopathological fibrosis scores were 2.33±0.82, 0.67±0.52, and 0.83±0.75, respectively. Both glycerol and flaxseed oil group macroscopic and microscopic scores were significantly lower than the 0.9% NaCl group (p<0.05). There was no significant difference among the groups (p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Glycerol and flax seed oil both decrease the incidence of post-thyroidectomy adhesion in rats, but glycerol is more effective.

Colour-responsive fluorescent oxy radical sensors.

A series of fluorene-fused benzoquinones (Q1-Q5) were prepared by thermolysis of 4-fluorenyl-4-hydroxycyclobutenones. Red fluorescence observed for Q2 is switched by reduction to blue fluorescence by formation of the hydroquinone. Reaction with hydrogen peroxide restores the original fluorescence colour. The potential use of compound Q2 as a reactive oxygen species detector is discussed.