The role of group education on quality of life in patients with a stoma.

Stoma education has been traditionally given in a one-to-one setting. Since 2007, daily group education programmes were organised for stoma patients and their relatives by our stoma therapy unit. The programmes included lectures on stoma and stoma care, and social activities in which patients shared their experiences with each other. Patients were also encouraged to expand interaction with each other and organise future social events. A total of 72 patients [44 (61.1%) male with a mean (± SD) age of 56.8 ± 13.6 years] with an ileostomy (n= 51, 70.8%), a colostomy (n= 18, 25.0%) or a urostomy (n= 3, 4.2%) were included in the study. Patients were asked to answer a survey (SF-36) face-to-face before the initiation of the programme, which was repeated 3 months later via telephone call. The comparison of pre-education and post-education SF-36 scores revealed a statistically significant improvement in all 8-scale profiles, but not in vitality scale, and both psychometrically-based and mental health summary measures. Analyses disclosed that married patients and those who were living at rural districts seem to have the most improvement in life quality particularly in bodily pain, general health and role-emotional scales and mental health summary measure. In our opinion, group educations may be beneficial for stoma patients, and stoma therapy units may consider organising similar activities.

Laparoscopy for sigmoid colon and rectal cancers in septuagenarians: a retrospective, comparative study.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the study is to analyze the results of laparoscopy in septuagenarians with sigmoid colon or rectal cancer. METHODS: Patients who underwent laparoscopic or hand-assisted laparoscopic sigmoid or rectal resections for cancer were retrospectively selected from the database of our institution. The study group (Lap > 70 group), contained the cancer patients over 70 years old who were treated with laparoscopy. Patients less than 70 years old who underwent a laparoscopic procedure (Lap < 70 group), and those over than 70 years old who underwent conventional surgery (Open > 70 group), were assigned to control groups. Demographics, information regarding tumors, perioperative data, pathological results, and survival in the three groups were compared. RESULTS: There were 56, 166, and 34 patients in the Lap > 70, Lap < 70, and Open > 70 groups, respectively. Patients in the Lap > 70 group were significantly older than other groups. The American Society of Anesthesiologists scores were higher, and the presence of the studied risk factors was more common in the Lap > 70 group than the Lap < 70 group. Intraoperative bleeding and the amount and number of perioperative transfusions required were less in the Lap > 70 group than in the Open > 70 group. The number of harvested lymph nodes was less in the Lap > 70 group than both study groups. Five-year survival in the Lap > 70 group was similar to that in the Lap < 70 group and significantly better than in the Open > 70 group. CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopy for sigmoid colon and rectal cancer in patients over 70 may be feasible and safe as it is in younger patients. The present study has revealed that laparoscopy in the elderly may be superior to conventional techniques as regards some intraoperative findings and survival.

Is there any correlation among adiponectin levels in serum, tumor tissue and normal tissue of the same patients wih breast cancer?

PURPOSE: Adiponectin is secreted from adipose tissue and is characterized by hyperinsulinemia which is related with obesity. Although serum adiponectin levels in patients with breast cancer have been studied previously, adiponectin levels in the serum, tumor and normal tissue of the same patients have not been simultaneously investigated. The aim of this study was thus to evaluate the relationship among serum, tumor and normal tissue adiponectin levels in patients with breast cancer. METHODS: Fifty-three patients with breast cancer who were operated at the Dr. Lutfi Kirdar Kartal Education and Research Hospital, Department of Surgery, between February 2008 and June 2008, were analyzed. Their serum adiponectin levels, tumor tissue and normal breast tissue adiponectin levels were compared. The correlation between postoperative histopathological parameters, insulin resistance parameters and adiponectin levels was also examined. RESULTS: The mean adiponectin levels in tumor tissue, normal breast tissue and serum were 56 ± 9.6 ng/ml, 56 ± 10 ng/ml and 43.5 ± 3.1 ng/ml, respectively. The serum adiponectin levels were inversely correlated with tumor tissue adiponectin levels (p=0.001, r=-0.43). When tumor tissue adiponectin levels were increased, serum adiponectin levels were decreased. O n the other hand, there was a positive correlation between normal breast tissue adiponectin levels and tumor tissue adiponectin levels (p=0.0001, r= 0.850). The tumor tissue adiponectin level was inversely correlated with tumor stage (p=0.037 , r= -0.29). Moreover, in early-stage and low grade tumors, both tumor tissue and normal tissue adiponectin levels were high compared with those of advanced stage or high grade tumors (p=0.027, r= -0.32 and p=0.004, r= -0.408, respectively). In the subgroup analyses, no significant relationship was found between insulin resistance parameters and adiponectin levels (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that serum adiponectin levels were inversely correlated with tumor tissue adiponectin levels, but no relationship between normal breast tissue and tumor tissue adiponectin levels was demonstrated. Adiponectin levels in breast tumor tissue increase while serum adiponectin levels decrease. Adiponectin might play an important role in the prevention of tumor progression by decreasing tissue neovascularization.

Apical lymph nodes at the root of the inferior mesenteric artery in distal colorectal cancer: an analysis of the risk of tumor involvement and the impact of high ligation on anastomotic integrity.

BACKGROUND: What level of arterial ligation is best in left-sided colon cancer and rectal cancer remains controversial. This study aims to assess the necessity and risk of high ligation from an oncological and technical perspective. METHODS: The lymph nodes at the origin of the inferior mesenteric artery (IMA) were separated as apical nodes in all patients operated for distal colorectal cancer in our department. The number and status of the nodes were prospectively assessed, and demographic and tumor-related variables were evaluated as risk factors for apical tumor invasion. Anastomotic leaks were also evaluated. RESULTS: A hundred and three patients (52 [50.5%] males, 60.3+/-12.9 years old) were included. The number of non-apical lymph nodes harvested was 14.5+/-7.1 with an additional 4.4+/-3.2 apical nodes at the high ligation site. Tumor invasion of apical nodes was observed in 6 (5.8%) patients. Two of these (1.9%) had no other positive nodes (skip metastases). Although none of the variables evaluated was found significant for predicting apical node positivity, tumor invasion was detected in 8.5 and 22.2% of patients with pT3 and pN2 cancers, respectively. Among patients, who had an anastomosis (n = 84, 81.6%), anastomotic leak was observed in 7(8.3%) and 1 (1.2%) of these patients required emergency relaparotomy. There was no mortality related to high ligation. CONCLUSIONS: High ligation of IMA may be routinely performed in patients with distal colorectal cancer, since tumor invasion of apical lymph nodes is neither rare (>5%) nor predictable, and skip metastases may also occur. This is especially true in case of an advanced disease for which apical node positivity peaks. The anastomotic leak rate is less than 10%, and mortality is low after high ligation of IMA.

The effectiveness of systemic antibiotics in preventing postoperative, intraabdominal adhesions in an animal model.

OBJECTIVE: Postoperative intraabdominal adhesions can be prevented by antibiotic lavage. We assessed whether systemic antibiotics could prevent adhesion formation in a rat model. METHODS: Cecal abrasion was performed in the peritoneal cavities of 40 Wistar albino rats. Twenty rats were treated with a 5-day course of cefepim and metronidazole; the remaining animals were given saline injections. The animals were sacrificed 14 days after surgery. Adhesion severity scores and histopathologic findings were compared. RESULTS: The median adhesion severity score was 2 (0-3) in the antibiotic group and 2.5 (1-4) in the controls (P = 0.03). In tissue specimens from controls, the adhesions were marked by mature collagen bundles. In treated rats, the adhesions were immature, characterized by early inflammatory cells, less collagen formation, and no collagen bundles. CONCLUSIONS: Postoperative systemic antibiotics slow adhesion formation and reduce the severity of the adhesions.

[Ecthyma contagiosum epidemics in Turkey]. / Ecthyma-contagiosum-Epidemien in der Türkei.

In the years 1979 and 1980 after the religious holidays of the "Feast of Sacrifice" in Izmir (Turkey), there was an epidemic-type of outbreak of 31 cases of ecthyma contagiosum. On the occasion of the sacrificial feast day the amateur butchers, their helpers, housewives, and others came into direct contact with virus-infected parts and were infected with the ecthyma contagiosum virus, which includes the paravaccinia group.