Application of biotechnologies in the treatment of haemorrhoidal disease and optimisation of patient management.

Introduction: Haemorrhoidal disease is one of the most common nowadays. It is often associated with a sedentary lifestyle. The leading cause of its development is also a functional disorder of the intestine and chronic constipation. To date, there is a steady growth rate of this disease, leading to its "rejuvenation". The current stage of development indicates the need for further improvement of surgical treatment and optimisation of patient management methods and the creation of uniform standards of care for this contingent of patients. Aim: To evaluate the clinical effectiveness of the use of platelet-rich plasma therapy and the biologically active substance "ozoyl" in the treatment of haemorrhoidal disease. Material and methods: The main group included 100 patients with chronic haemorrhoids who were operated on in the period from March 2021 to March 2022. For this group, autoplasma was used during surgery, and an ozoyl-based drug in the postoperative period. The remaining 100 participants of this study, assigned to the control group, underwent a conventional haemorrhoidectomy operation and standard patient management using a hydrophilic ointment based on chloramphenicol. Results: After the conducted clinical studies, it was established that in the main group, the pain syndrome decreased by about 30%, considering the period from the first day of the postoperative period compared to the control group. The postoperative wound healed in the main group in the third week after the operation, unlike the control group, in which this event was noted in the fourth week. The patients did not complain during the examination 3 months later. Conclusions: This study is of practical significance because haemorrhoidal disease today has a high prevalence, and an integrated approach is required for the treatment of such patients. Ozoyl is a powerful cell and tissue repairer.

Patient Satisfaction and Scar Quality Following Upper Blepharoplasty Using a Simplified Preoperative Marking Technique.

One of the most popular plastic surgical interventions both abroad and in Kazakhstan is blepharoplasty. Plastic surgeons continue to debate various methods for performing this operation; however, some of the methods used by plastic surgeons for preoperative marking of the upper eyelid skin may not be suited to the type of incision that should be used on the eyelids of individuals from Kazakhstan. For this reason, the surgery may not achieve the desired results. We conducted a study of patients from Kazakhstan who underwent upper blepharoplasty using a simplified technique for eyelid marking that we developed at our plastic surgery center. We used the Patient-Reported Outcome Measure Questionnaire (PROM-Q) to measure patient satisfaction and the Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scale (POSAS) to measure scar quality. The results of our study showed that the majority of patients who underwent upper blepharoplasty performed by surgeons using our method of preoperative marking were extremely satisfied with the effect. The patients noted rapid tissue repair and minimal scarring. We concluded that the use of a simplified marking technique can significantly help aesthetic surgeons performing upper blepharoplasty by reducing the risk for negative postoperative effects.

Early and midterm results of treatment of giant internal carotid artery paraclinoid aneurysms with trapping and flow diverters.

BACKGROUND: Flow diverter devices (FDD) carry risks of postoperative complications when treating aneurysms with wide necks, stenosis, and severe tortuosity of the parent vessel. In this study, we evaluated early and midterm results for the treatment of giant paraclinoid aneurysms managed by trapping and endovascular deployment of FDD. METHODS: Medical records were analyzed for patients with giant paraclinoid aneurysms treated between July 2008 and December 2017 at National Centre for Neurosurgery with either a flow diverter or by trapping the aneurysm with or without extracranial-intracranial (EC-IC) bypass surgery. We recorded age, sex, clinical presentation, treatment modality, morbidity, and mortality. Clinical outcomes were assessed using a modified Rankin scale (mRS). RESULTS: Among 29 consecutive patients, 13 were treated with FDD, and 16 patients were managed by trapping the aneurysm, where 7/16 cases had preliminary EC-IC bypass. Of 16 trapping patients, six were trapped endovascularly and ten were trapped surgically. During the follow-up period (mean 33 months, range 6-96), total exclusion of the aneurysm from the circulation was observed 100% of aneurysms in the trapping group and 84.6% in the FDD group (P = 0.192). Early postoperative morbidity was observed in three (23%) cases in the FDD group, and four (25%) in trapping group (P = 0.525). The FDD group had one (7.7%) fatal complication due to stent occlusion and severe ischemic stroke after three months postoperatively, despite appropriate antiplatelet therapy. There were no mortalities in the trapping group (P = 0.149). The rate of mRS 0-2 did not differ significantly across groups at discharge (81.3% vs. 69.2%; P = 0.667), and all patients had mRS 0-2 at follow-up (P = 1.000). CONCLUSIONS: FDD deployment for giant paraclinoid aneurysms results in comparable angiographic and clinical outcomes to aneurysm trapping. Despite implementation of modern endovascular treatment methods, aneurysm trapping remains a valuable treatment option in carefully selected patients with giant paraclinoid aneurysms.

Association of preoperative levels of selected blood inflammatory markers with prognosis in gliomas.

BACKGROUND: Red cell distribution width (RDW), neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and platelet count (PLT) routinely tested as part of the complete blood count are indicative of systemic inflammation. The prognostic significance of NLR and PLT in cancer was demonstrated in many studies while the role of RDW has been hardly investigated. The present study aimed to assess the association of RDW, NLR, and PLT with survival and tumor grade in glioma patients. METHODS: Clinical data from 178 patients with primary gliomas treated in a single institution were retrospectively analyzed. Receiver operating characteristic curves for cutoff value determination, Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, various bivariate tests, and univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed. RESULTS: Patients with high RDW (≥13.95) and NLR (≥4) levels had worse overall survival (OS) (Wilcoxon test, P<0.026 and P<0.003, respectively) while the effect of thrombocytosis (≥400×109/L) on prognosis was not significant. Besides, a strong association between RDW and NLR was found (Spearman's rho =0.230, P<0.02; χ2=8.887, P<0.03; Mann-Whitney U-test, P<0.017). Moreover, RDW and NLR were significantly associated with tumor grade. In univariate Cox analysis, elevated NLR (hazard ratio, HR 1.385; confidence interval, CI 1.020-1.881, P<0.037), older age (HR 0.452, CI 0.329-0.621, P<0), and higher tumor grade (HR 1.624, CI 1.187-2.223, P<0.002) were associated with poor outcomes. In the multivariate analysis, tumor grade, age, and Karnofsky performance score were identified as being independently prognostic for OS. CONCLUSION: Preoperative NLR and RDW values can help to evaluate disease progression and outcomes in patients with gliomas, thereby contributing to patient follow-up optimization.

Introduction of Questionnaires for Quality of Life of Patients with Malignant Tumors of the Central Nervous System into Neurosurgical Practice in the Republic of Kazakhstan.

BACKGROUND: Studies of quality of life (QoL) of oncological patients is carried out using questionnaires approved in many international clinical studies. The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer EORTC QLQ-C30 (Quality of Life Questionnary-Core 30) and its special brain cancer module EORTC QLQ-BN20 are widely used in the world neurooncologic practice. They are available in more than 80 official versions of 30 languages of the world. Previously we used the official versions in Russian, which often causes difficulty in understanding for native Kazakh language speakers, who comprise more than 60% of our respondents. This was the reason for creating a version of Kazakh language. Therefore, in 2014 for the first time the process of adaptation of questionnaires to the Kazakh language was initiated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The translation process of questionnaires to Kazakh language was held in accordance with the requirements of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer EORTC on QoL and consisted of the following stages: preparation - translation - pilot testing - approval. The official permission of authors and "Guideline on translation" was obtained which was developed by the working group of the EORTC on QoL. The pilot testing of EORTC QLQ-C30 and QLQ-BN20 questionnaires was conducted on the basis of the Department of Central Nervous System Pathology of the "National Centre for Neurosurgery" in patients with malignant tumors of the central nervous system. RESULTS: The official versions of the EORTC QLQ-C30 and QLQ-BN20 questionnaires in Kazakh language were introduced and adapted in practical neurosurgical operations in Kazakhstan. CONCLUSIONS: The approved versions of the questionnaires in Kazakh language are now available for mainstream use on the official website EORTC.com. The versions of these questionnaires can be used in domestic cohort studies and clinical practice in the Republic of Kazakhstan. The use of these tools for assessing QoL will help professionals in the planning of individual treatment strategies and selection of the necessary therapy.

Magnetic resonance spectroscopy detection of high lipid levels in intraaxial tumors without central necrosis: a characteristic of malignant lymphoma.

OBJECT: The differentiation of malignant lymphomas from gliomas or malignant gliomas by conventional MRI can be difficult. The authors studied Gd-enhanced MR images to obtain a differential diagnosis between malignant lymphomas and gliomas without central necrosis or cystic changes and investigated the diagnostic value of single-voxel proton MR spectroscopy ((1)H-MRS) using different parameters, including lipid levels. METHODS: This was a retrospective study of patients with primary malignant CNS lymphoma (n = 17) and glioma (n = 122 [Grades I, II, III, and IV in 10, 30, 33, and 49 patients, respectively]) who were treated between 2007 and 2013. The authors focused on 15 patients with homogeneously enhanced primary malignant CNS lymphomas and 7 homogeneously enhanced gliomas. Images of all the included tumors were acquired with (1)H-MRS at 3 T, and the diagnoses were histologically confirmed. RESULTS: Using a short echo time (1)H-MRS, large lipid peaks were observed in all 17 patients with a malignant lymphoma, in 39 patients (79.6%) with a Grade IV glioma, and in 10 patients (30.3%) with a Grade III glioma. A focus on homogeneously enhanced tumors revealed large lipid peaks in 15 malignant lymphomas that were free of central necrosis on Gd-enhanced T1-weighted images. Conversely, in the 7 homogeneously enhanced gliomas (glioblastoma and anaplastic astrocytoma, n = 2 each; anaplastic oligodendroglioma, diffuse astrocytoma, and pilomyxoid astrocytoma, n = 1 each), lipid peaks were small or absent. CONCLUSIONS: Large lipid peaks on (1)H-MRS images of tumors without central necrosis were characteristic of malignant lymphomas. Conversely, small or absent lipid peaks in intraaxial tumors without central necrosis were strongly suggestive of glioma.

Lymphomas and glioblastomas: differences in the apparent diffusion coefficient evaluated with high b-value diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging at 3T.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: As the usefulness of the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) obtained from diffusion-weighted images (DWI) for the differential diagnosis between glioblastoma and primary central nervous system lymphoma is controversial, we assessed whether high b-value DWI at b 4000 s/mm(2) could discriminate between glioblastoma and lymphoma. We also compared the power of high- and standard b-value (b-4000, b-1000) imaging on a 3-Tesla (3T) magnetic resonance (MR) instrument. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was approved by our Institutional Review Board. We acquired DWI at 3T with b = 1000 and b = 4000 s/mm(2) in 10 patients with lymphoma and 14 patients with glioblastoma. The ADC was measured by placing multiple regions of interest (ROI) on ADC maps of the site of enhanced lesions on contrast-enhanced T1-weighted MR images. We avoided hemorrhagic and cystic lesions by using T1-, T2-, FLAIR-, and T2* MR images. The ADC values of each tumor were determined preoperatively from several ROI and expressed as the minimum-, mean-, and maximum ADC value (ADC(MIN), ADC(MEAN), ADC(MAX)). We evaluated the relationship between ADCs and histological information including tumor cellularity. RESULTS: All ADC values were statistically associated with tumor cellularity. ADC(MIN) at b-4000 was associated with tumor cellularity more significantly than ADC(MIN) at b-1000. All ADC values were lower for lymphoma than glioblastoma and the statistical difference was larger at b = 4000- than b = 1000 s/mm(2). According to the results of discriminant analysis, the log likelihood was greatest for ADC(MIN) at b = 4000. At a cut-off value of ADC(MIN) = 0.500 × 10(-3)mm(2)/s at b-4000 it was possible to differentiate between lymphoma and glioblastoma (sensitivity 90.9%, specificity 91.7%). CONCLUSIONS: Calculating the ADC value is useful for distinguishing lymphoma from glioblastoma. The lowest degree of overlapping and a better inverse correspondence with tumor cellularity were obtained with ADC(MIN) at b-4000 s/mm(2) at 3T MRI.

Secondary anaplastic oligodendroglioma after cranial irradiation: a case report.

Secondary brain tumors rarely arise after cranial irradiation; among them, meningiomas and glioblastomas are the most common and secondary oligodendroglial tumors the most rare. We present a 48-year-old man who developed an oligodendroglial tumor 38 years after receiving 50 Gy of cranial irradiation to a pineal tumor. He underwent gross total removal of a calcified, ring-enhanced mass in the right temporal lobe. The tumor was histologically diagnosed as anaplastic oligodendroglioma. Our review of previously reported secondary oligodendroglial tumors that developed after cranial irradiation revealed that these rare tumors arose after low-dose cranial irradiation or at the margin of a field irradiated with a high dose. We suggest that secondary oligodendroglial tumors arising after cranial irradiation are more aggressive than primary oligodendrogliomas.