Diagnostic Performance Comparison of Liquid-Based Preparation Methods in Thyroid FNAs.

Introduction: Fine needle aspiration (FNA) is recognized worldwide as the primary diagnostic method for evaluating thyroid nodules. Samples collected by FNA can be spread directly onto slides, prepared for cell blocks, or processed as liquid-based cytology. Advocates of the traditional smear technique emphasize that background material such as colloid, cell sequencing characteristics in cell clusters, and cellularity is important in cytological diagnosis. They state that these properties are not observed in liquid-based liquids. Liquid-based cytology techniques aim to provide standardized slides of homogeneous cellular smears with well-preserved cell morphology, producing more precise visualization, shorter interpretation time, and more reproducible results. This study aimed to investigate and compare the diagnostic performance of liquid-based thyroid FNA samples prepared with SurePath and Cytospin over the last 6 years. Methods: Patients who underwent ultrasound-guided FNA between January 2015 and December 2021 were included in the study. Cytology reports, pathology reports, and demographic information of the patients were collected from the Hospital Information Management System. The programs "SPSS for Windows 21" and "MedCalc Diagnostic Test Evaluation Calculator" were used for data analysis. Chi-square tests were used in crosstab analysis. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov two-sample test, two proportions test, and the confidence interval tests were used to analyze the variables of the methods. P < .05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The study population comprised 4,855 patients, 83.8% female and 16.2% male. There were no statistical differences in age and gender distribution in the population of both methods. Nondiagnostic outcome rates were 11.2% for SurePath and 12.8% for Cytospin. Sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy values for SurePath and Cytospin methods were determined as 58.57%, 98.28%, and 91.12% and 79.07%, 96.88%, and 94.03%, respectively. Conclusion: In our study, although the qualitative analytical results were slightly in favor of the cytospin method, we think both ways can be used safely, especially in hospitals where the clinics performing sampling activities are variable and many, as well as in pathology laboratories where the workload is intense.

Association of serum sex steroid levels and bone mineral density with CYP17 and CYP19 gene polymorphisms in postmenopausal women in Turkey.

Many clinical conditions, including osteoporosis, are associated with serum levels of sex steroids. Enzymes that regulate rate-limiting steps of steroidogenic pathways, such as CYP17 and CYP19, are also regarded as significant factors that may cause the development of these conditions. We investigated the association of two common polymorphisms, in the promoter region (T→C substitution) of CYP17 and exon 3 (G→A) of CYP19, with bone mineral density (BMD) in the lumbar spine and femoral neck and serum androgen/estradiol, in a case-control study of 172 postmenopausal women aged 62.3 ± 9.6 years (mean ± SD). The CYP17 TC genotype was significantly overrepresented in patients compared to controls, and TC genotype neck T-score and lumbar T-score values were significantly higher in patients compared to controls. CYP17 TC and TT genotype testosterone and DHEA-SO(4) levels were lower in patients compared to controls. All three genotypes of CYP19 had almost the same distribution among patients. The CYP19 AG genotype, however, was most frequent among controls. CYP19 lumbar BMD levels were close to each other among the different genotypes; however, AA and AG genotypes were significantly lower in patients. Testosterone and DHEA-SO(4) levels in the CYP19 GG genotype were higher compared to those of the other genotypes in patients but not in controls. CYP19 GA individuals had lower E(2) levels and lower BMD in controls and patients. Femoral neck BMD and lumbar T-score were also diminished with GA transition. In conclusion, CYP17 and CYP19 gene polymorphisms were found to be associated with osteoporosis in postmenopausal women in Turkey.

Relation between paroxysmal atrial fibrillation and left ventricular diastolic function in patients with acute myocardial infarction.

The relation between left ventricular filling pattern and the occurrence of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation was evaluated using Doppler echocardiography in a prospective series of 157 patients with acute myocardial infarction. Paroxysmal atrial fibrillation after acute myocardial infarction was often associated with a higher restrictive filling pattern.

Insecticide resistance in Anopheles sacharovi Favre in southern Turkey.

We report the resistance to 12 insecticides of specimens of Anopheles sacharovi, both in laboratory cultures and those collected in the malarious areas of Adana, Adiyaman, Antalya, Aydin, and Mugla in southern Turkey. Mortality was higher 24 h after exposure than immediately after exposure but was unaffected by temperature (24 degrees C or 29 degrees C) or the position of the test kit (horizontal or vertical). In Adana, Adiyaman and Antalya, A. sacharovi was susceptible only to malathion and pirimiphos-methyl. In Aydin it was susceptible to both these insecticides as well as to dieldrin, lambda-cyhalothrin, and etofenprox; and in Mugla it was susceptible to dieldrin, fenitrothion, lambda-cyhalothrin, cyfluthrin and etofenprox, as well as to malathion and pirimiphos-methyl.

Sandflies (Diptera: Psychodidae) associated with epidemic cutaneous leishmaniasis in Sanliurfa, Turkey.

As part of a project to study the possible impact of environmental change on health in southeastern Turkey, we evaluated sandfly species diversity, abundance, and habitat associations in an urban area where cutaneous leishmaniasis was undergoing epidemic re-emergence. Houses and caves in and around the city of Sanliurfa, Turkey, were sampled using mechanical aspirators, sticky papers, and CDC light traps. Of 1,649 sandflies captured, including 6 Phlebotomus and 1 Sergentomyia species, nearly all were P. papatasi (Scopoli) (967) or P. sergenti Parrot (674). Sandflies were active during June-September (hot dry season), but not during January (cool rainy season). Resting phlebotomines were abundant inside houses. Houses sampled in 3 neighborhoods with a high cutaneous leishmaniasis incidence (9-65 cases per 1,000 population) had > 10 times more flies than at a comparison site where few cases (0.2 per 1,000) have been reported. Results indicated that P. sergenti or P. papatasi were the probable vectors of cutaneous leishmaniasis during this outbreak and that control of these sandflies may eliminate transmission.

Insecticide resistance gene frequencies in Anopheles sacharovi populations of the Cukurova plain, Adana Province, Turkey.

In Turkey, the mosquito Anopheles sacharovi has been under field selection pressure sequentially with DDT, dieldrin, malathion and pirimiphosmethyl over a period of 30 years for the purpose of malaria control. In 1984, the field population of An.sacharovi in the malarious Cukurova plain of Adana Province contained an altered acetylcholinesterase-based resistance gene giving broad spectrum resistance against organophosphorus and carbamate insecticides. The cross-resistance spectrum from this mechanism conferred resistance to malathion but not to the organophosphorus insecticide pirimiphos-methyl. Over the 6 years that pirimiphos-methyl has been applied for malaria vector control in this area, the frequency of the altered acetylcholinesterase resistance gene has declined, although in 1989 and 1990 it was still present at measurable frequencies in An.sacharovi from Cukurova. In addition to the acetylcholinesterase resistance mechanism there is evidence of an increased level of glutathione S-transferase in some of the An.sacharovi populations tested. This is known to be correlated with DDT resistance in other anophelines. In Turkish An.sacharovi, DDT resistance and elevated glutathione S-transferase occur in the same populations at similar frequencies. The continued prevalence of resistance to DDT and dieldrin, long after the 1971 cessation of DDT spraying for malaria control in Turkey, suggests that the DDT resistance gene has insufficient reduced fitness associated with it to have been lost from the field population during the past two decades. The implications of the slow decline in resistance gene frequencies in this field population are discussed in relation to mathematical models for managing resistance.

Residual efficacy of pirimiphos methyl (Actellic) on Anopheles sacharovi in Cukurova, Turkey.

Village-scale trials of 50% emulsifiable concentrate (EC) and 40% wettable powder (WP) formulations of pirimiphos methyl (Actellic) were carried out against Anopheles sacharovi in Cukurova, Turkey. Susceptibility tests with wild caught, gonoactive and composite aged An. sacharovi over a range of chemical concentrations resulted in 100% mortality after exposure for 60 min to a 0.5% active ingredient concentration. Surface treatments of Actellic 50% EC at 0.9 g/m2 caused a significant decrease in parous rate and a 96.9% reduction in resting density. Persistence on concrete, wood, zinc and plywood was still high at the time of the second spray round, more than 7 wk postspray and ranged from 73% (zinc) to 98% (plywood). More than 50% mortality was still recorded 8 wk postspray using 1.6 g/m2 WP on wood, plywood, zinc and thatch substrates.

Comparison of experimental infectivity and development of Plasmodium vivax in Anopheles sacharovi and An. superpictus in Turkey.

A study has been made of the infectivity and the sporogenic development of Plasmodium vivax in Anopheles sacharovi and An. superpictus under experimental conditions. An. superpictus showed a slightly lower rate of feeding on human bait, oocyst development, and sporozoite infection of the salivary glands, with ratios of 89.3:100, 89:100, and 98:100, respectively. An. superpictus completed sporogony in 10-14 days with an average of 11.7 days, and An. sacharovi within 8-12 days with an average of 9.8 days. The survival of infected An. superpictus averaged 16.5 days postinfection while An. sacharovi averaged 11.6 days. Under laboratory conditions, An. sacharovi was a more competent vector of P. vivax than An. superpictus.

Development of Plasmodium vivax in Anopheles superpictus under experimental conditions.

The susceptibility of Anopheles superpictus for Plasmodium vivax was described quantitatively under laboratory conditions. Of the 697 laboratory females studied in 16 groups, 513 (73.5%) females took a bloodmeal, of which 88.4% developed ookinetes on day 1, 56.1% oocysts between days 3 and 11, and 52.5% sporozoites in the salivary gland on days 15 to 63 post-infection. Sporogony was completed in 10-11 days post-infection. There was no difference in the longevity of uninfected and infected females. Infected females survived an average of 30 days (maximum 63 days). Sporozoites survived up to 50 days in the salivary glands without any observable changes in structure and motility. These data indicate that An. superpictus is an efficient laboratory vector of P. vivax and should not be ignored in future entomological field studies.