The effect of long-term use of methylphenidate on cardiac autonomic functions and ventricular arrhythmogenesis: a prospective case-control study.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to assess cardiac autonomic balance with heart rate variability by using 24-hour Holter electrocardiography and also to assess susceptibility to ventricular arrhythmias by using microvolt T wave alternance in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. METHOD: This study was conducted with age- and gender-matched groups of 40 patients taking long-acting methylphenidate for more than a year and 55 healthy controls. Heart rate variability analysis for cardiac autonomic functions and microvolt T wave alternance measurements for susceptibility to ventricular arrhythmias were evaluated by 24-hour Holter electrocardiography. RESULTS: The mean age 10.9 ± 2.7 years, mean duration of therapy 22.76 months, and mean methylphenidate doses were 37.64 mg/day. The study group had considerably higher rMSSD, higher HF, and a lower LF/HF ratio (respectively, p : 0.02, p : 0.001 and p : 0.01). While parasympathetic activity parameters were elevated, sympathetic activity parameters were low during the sleep period. Increase in the microvolt T wave alternance values of the study group was not found to be statistically significant (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: In children taking long-acting methylphenidate, the autonomic balance was shown to be in favour of the parasympathetic system. Determination of the vulnerability to life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias has been evaluated for the first time in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Accordingly, microvolt T-wave alternance values give the notion that drug use is safe.

The impact of the preoperative red blood cell distribution width on weight loss prediction after sleeve gastrectomy.

AIM: We aimed to evaluate whether RDW has a predictive impact on weight loss after obesity surgery. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This was a single-institution retrospective study. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to determine the variables affecting the %EBMIL and %EWL values. Surgery of patients with %EMBIL > 50% and %EWL > 25% was considered successful. RESULTS: Hundred and ten patients were included in the study. The %EBMIL and %EWL values of patients with RDW>14.5% were lower. In the evaluation of successful surgeries, the probability of failure for those with RDW>14.5% is 10.93 times higher for %EBMIL and 21.55 times for %EWL. DISCUSSION: After the linear regression analysis, it was observed that the %EBMIL and %EWL were higher in the patients whose RDW values were 14.5 and below in the preoperative period. In these patients, it is an indication that more weight loss has occurred. Similar to our study, Wise et al. showed that weight loss was greater with a decrease in the RDW value 10. CONCLUSION: Preoperative RDW value can be used as a predictor of weight loss and surgical success. It can provide an idea about whether the patient will lose enough weight and the success of the surgery. KEY WORDS: Prediction, RDW, Sleeve Gastrectomy.

Rectosigmoidectomy and Douglas Peritonectomy in the Management of Serosal Implants in Advanced-Stage Ovarian Cancer Surgery: Survival and Surgical Outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the outcomes of rectosigmoid resection (RR) and Douglas peritonectomy (DP) on postoperative complications and survival in advanced-stage ovarian cancer surgery. METHODS/MATERIALS: Patients who underwent optimal cytoreductive surgery including RR and DP between January 2007 and January 2013 were included. Patients with deeper invasion into the muscularis and mucosal layer reported in pathology results and colon wall injury necessitating suturing or resection suggesting invasion of implants into the colon wall were excluded. The decision for RR or DP was made according to the surgical team and patients' preference. Resections were performed with the suspicion of colon wall invasion. The collected data were age, previous operations, preoperative cancer antigen 125 and albumin levels, surgical procedures, duration of surgery, tumor histology, recurrence, hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy, and length of hospital stay. Kaplan-Meir survival estimates were calculated and compared between the groups using the log-rank test. Cox proportional models were built to evaluate factors that affected disease-free and overall survival. RESULTS: Age, body mass index, preoperative cancer antigen 125 levels, albumin levels, and amount of ascites were similar between the groups. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by interval debulking surgery was performed in 15% of both groups. End colostomy was performed in 23.7% of the RR group, and only 5.08% of the patients underwent diverting ileostomy procedures. There was no significant difference in terms of surgical complications between the groups. Recurrence occurred in the RR and DP groups at rates of 42% and 47%, respectively. Only primary debulking surgery had an effect on overall survival (odds ratio, 0.5; 95% confidence interval, 0.31-0.88). Overall survival and disease-free survival were similar in the RR and DP groups. CONCLUSIONS: Douglas peritonectomy showed similar survival and surgical outcomes to RR and provided shorter hospital stay and earlier admission to chemotherapy in the management of serosal implants during advanced-stage ovarian cancer surgery.

Routine calcitonin measurement in nodular thyroid disease management: is it worthwhile?

PURPOSE: To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of routine calcitonin measurement in patients with nodular thyroid disease. METHODS: Consecutive patients with nodular thyroid disease (n = 640) were studied. Serum calcitonin levels were measured under basal conditions, and when basal values were between 10-100 pg/mL, testing was repeated after pentagastrin (PG) stimulation. Patients with previously diagnosed or familial medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) were excluded. Patients were operated on when basal or stimulated calcitonin >100 pg/mL or when other surgical indications were present. RESULTS: Four cases of MTC were identified. MTC was diagnosed in 75% of patients with basal calcitonin >100 pg/mL. One out of 11 patients with basal calcitonin between 10-100 pg/mL was diagnosed with MTC. PG stimulation resulted in elevation in 4 cases, where 1 case was diagnosed with MTC. Positive predictive value for basal calcitonin levels in the preoperative diagnosis of MTC was 5% for values between 10-100 pg/mL and 100% for values >100 pg/mL. Possible reasons for false positivity were papillary thyroid cancer in 17%, renal insufficiency in 8.3%, Hashimoto thyroiditis in 17% and ß-blocker use in 33%. Positive predictive value for the PG test (>100 pg/mL) was 25% in the entire series. The cost of adding calcitonin measurement (±PG stimulation) to the preoperative work-up, resulted in €912.68 per MTC patient to detect the disease. CONCLUSION: Basal calcitonin measurement together with PG stimulation in cases of basal calcitonin >10 pg/mL detects MTC in 0.62% of patients with nodular thyroid disease.

Turkish endocrine surgery publications in international scientific journals.

OBJECTIVE: In recent years, major progress has been made in the field of endocrine surgery in Turkey, similar to that in the rest of the world. Parallel to these developments, there has been a significant increase in the number of publications in the related field. Our study aimed to evaluate Turkey's publications related to endocrine surgery in the international arena. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Members of the general surgery departments from academic centers in Turkey were determined. Using these member names, a PubMed search was performed for English papers related to "endocrine surgery." For searching papers from non-academic centers, the same engine was used. To reach manuscripts possibly missed by the PubMed search, 3 national calls were made through the website of the Turkish Society of Endocrine Surgery. The obtained papers were divided into "thyroid," "parathyroid," "adrenal," and "neuroendocrine tumors" and were listed according to the publication year. In addition, all manuscripts were listed according to the publishing journal and the 2012 impact factor of that journal. This study did not require ethical approval, because it did not involve evaluation of experimental or patient data. RESULTS: A search of Turkish general surgery clinics revealed 497 international publications, between 1976 and 2012. When listed according to the year of publication, most publications were found to be in the year 2009. Papers appeared mostly in "Surgery Today." The mean impact factor of the journals where the papers have been published was 1.9 (0.1-13.8). The rates of thyroid, parathyroid, adrenal tissue and neuroendocrine tumors related publications were 69%, 10%, 15% and 6%, respectively. Since this study is not an experimental study or a study related to patient data, we did not apply for ethical approval. CONCLUSION: The contribution of Turkish general surgeons' to world science is apparent when evaluated in terms of publications related to endocrine surgery until recently. Particularly, since 2002, with the increase in the number of publications in the field of endocrine surgery, there has been an increase in Turkey's importance on the international platform.

A rare cause of mechanical obstruction: Intestinal myeloid sarcoma.

Myeloid sarcoma is a rare aggressive tumour that originates from immature extramedullary myeloid cells. It can be seen as a relapse in patients with acute myeloid leukaemia. Sometimes it can be seen in the form of a solid tumour without any evidence of leukaemia. A case of a 44-year-old male patient who was admitted with symptoms and signs of mechanical intestinal bowel obstruction was operated on. The operation findings showed small bowel obstruction due to a mass. The mass was then resected with end-to-end intestinal anastomosis. The resected mass pathology results were consistent with myeloid sarcoma. The post-operative period was uneventful and adjuvant therapy was applied. In this case report we aimed to evaluate the clinical signs and treatment modalities of small intestinal myeloid sarcoma.