Epidemiological features of Turkish patients with sarcoidosis.

Epidemiological characteristics of sarcoidosis differ according to geographical distribution. The aim of our study was to disclose epidemiological characteristics in our country. The data was collected from investigators, who sent information on newly-diagnosed patients via internet. In 2 years 198 female and 95 male patients were enrolled to the study (f/m:2.08). Mean age of patients was 44+/-13 years (17-90). Mean age of male patients was 38+/-12 while mean age of female patients was 48+/-13 (p<0.001). 73.4% of patients were nonsmokers (85.4% of females; 48.4% of males; (p<0.001)). About 50% of our 293 patients were housewives. Familial sarcoidosis was found in 3 patients' first degree relatives. Estimated annual incidence of sarcoidosis for Turkey was calculated as 4 per 100,000 person. According to our study, 2/3 of sarcoidosis patients were women; mean age of patients was 45 and the disease began 10 years later in female patients. 80% of patients were nonsmokers; negative relation between sarcoidosis and smoking was evident especially in women. Familial sarcoidosis frequency was lower compared to other studies in the literature. There was no occupational exposure history in our patients. Our incidence rate, is similar with the results of other European studies.

NRAMP1 (SLC11A1) gene polymorphisms that correlate with autoimmune versus infectious disease susceptibility in tuberculosis and rheumatoid arthritis.

NRAMP1 gene has multiple pleiotropic effects on macrophage activation pathways. These pleiotropic effects may increase resistance to infections such as tuberculosis (TB), but may also lead to susceptibility of autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA). It has been hypothesized that allele 3 would be associated with autoimmune diseases, whereas allele 2 would be associated with infectious diseases, and genetic factors that enhanced survival in the epidemics of TB might have led to susceptibility for the development of RA. We analysed four NRAMP1 gene polymorphisms including 5' promoter (GT)(n) (rs34448891), INT4 (469 + 14G/C) (rs3731865), 3'UTR (1729 + 55del4) (rs17235416) and D543N (codon 543, Asp to Asn) (rs17235409) in 112 patients with TB, 98 patients with RA, 80 healthy controls for TB and 122 healthy controls for RA using ARMS-PCR and PCR-RFLP. We found a significant association between INT4 and RA (P = 0.004, odds ratio: 2.06, 95% CI: 1.24-3.41), but no significant differences between 5' promoter, D543N, 3'UTR polymorphisms and RA. There were no associations between NRAMP1 gene polymorphisms and TB. Similarly, no significant differences were observed between NRAMP1 polymorphisms and rheumatoid factor positivity and erosive disease in RA and localization of TB. INT4 polymorphism may be associated with RA in Turkish patients.

Endoscopic removal of a chondromatous hamartoma by bronchoscopic electrosurgical snare and argon plasma coagulation.

A 31-year-old woman presented with a cough, pain on the left side on deep inspiration, dyspnea, and fever. A chest x-ray showed pneumonic infiltration of the left middle and lower lung and decreased left hemithorax volume. A computed tomography (CT) revealed an occlusion of the left main bronchus by an intraluminal tumour. Bronchoscopic biopsy specimens suggested an endobronchial hamartoma. Therefore, we resected the tumour endobronchially using a bronchoscopic electrosurgical snare and argon plasma coagulation.

The relation of the pleural thickening in tuberculosis pleurisy with the activity of adenosine deaminase.

BACKGROUND: Residual pleural thickening (RPT) still occurs in most patients with tuberculosis pleurisy despite advances in the treatment of tuberculosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the significance of RPT in tuberculosis pleurisy with the patients clinical findings, biochemical and microbiological properties of pleural effusion and with the total adenosine deaminase (ADA) and isoenzymes levels. METHODS: 121 tuberculosis pleurisy patients were evaluated retrospectively. According to posteroanterior chest x-rays, the 63 (52%) cases with the thickness 2 mm or more in lower lateral hemithorax were grouped as I and the 58 (48%) cases without pleural thickness were grouped as II. The amount of pleural effusion was classified into small, medium or massive according to their chest x-rays. In both groups; sex, age, symptoms score, bacteriological and biochemical tests and ADA levels were recorded. RESULTS: 81 (67%) male and 40 (33%) female, overall 121 patients were enrolled into the study. RPT was found higher in males (p=0.014) and the increase ran parallel with the amount of cigarette smoking (p=0.014). RPT was found to be lower in small effusions (p=0.001). The group with RPT, the serum albumin was found lower (p=0.002), pleural fluid total protein (p=0.047) and the ratio of pleural fluid protein to serum protein (p=0.002) were found higher. In group I, total ADA: 69.5 +/- 38.9 IU/L and ADA2: 41.3 +/- 31.6 IU/L were higher than the cases without RPT (p=0.032, p=0.017, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that the immunological mechanisms are effective in the development of pleural thickening.

Usefulness of various diagnostic techniques during fiberoptic bronchoscopy for endoscopically visible lung cancer: should cytologic examinations be performed routinely?

BACKGROUND: The question of which combination of procedures gives the best diagnostic yield following fiberoptic bronchoscopy is controversial. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the value of various diagnostic techniques following fiberoptic bronchoscopy in the diagnosis of endoscopically visible lung cancer. METHODS: The study included 98 patients found to have endobronchially visible tumor during routine daily bronchoscopy. Endobronchial lesions were classified as mass, submucosal lesion and infiltration. Washings, brushings and forceps biopsies were obtained in all subjects. Transbronchial needle aspirations were performed in 67 of 76 cases with mass or submucosal lesions. RESULTS: Bronchoscopy was diagnostic for cancer in 88 (89.8%) of the 98 patients. Forceps biopsy specimens gave positive result in 82.7% of cases, transbronchial needle aspirates in 68.6%, brushings in 68.4%, and washings in 31.6%. Combination of forceps biopsy and brushing cytology yielded a positive result for lung cancer in 87 patients. The addition of brushings increased the diagnostic yield of bronchoscopy from 82.7% to 88.8% (p < 0.05). Collection of washing specimens in addition to forceps biopsy did not increase the yield of forceps biopsy. Transbronchial needle aspiration gave an additional yield of 1%. CONCLUSIONS: Routine cytological examination of bronchial washings does not increase the yield of forceps biopsy specimens. Transbronchial needle aspiration may give an additional positive yield to forceps biopsy. We conclude that a combination of forceps biopsy and brushing is the best strategy in the diagnosis of bronchoscopically visible lung cancer.

Determination of the etiological organism during acute exacerbations of COPD and efficacy of azithromycin, ampicillin-sulbactam, ciprofloxacin and cefaclor. Turkish Thoracic Society COPD Working Group.

Acute exacerbations, most of which are due to lower respiratory tract infections, cause great morbidity and mortality in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and most of these are due to lower respiratory tract infections. The aim of this study was to determine the causative organism and the effects of azithromycin, ampicillin sulbactam (sultamicillin), ciprofloxacin and cefaclor monohydrate therapy in COPD. One hundred and six patients with COPD in acute exacerbation were randomized into four groups for empiric antibiotic treatment following lung function tests and sputum examination. The most common strains isolated from sputum were Haemophilus influenzae (30.8%), Streptoccocus pneumoniae (12%) and Moraxella catarrhalis (7.7%). Azithromycin, sultamicillin, ciprofloxacin and cefaclor monohydrate were found to be effective in treating COPD exacerbations.

Dealing with a hemophilia-A patient undergoing cerebral aneurysm surgery.

In this article anesthesiologic and hematologic aspects of a patient with Hemophilia-A, who underwent craniotomy for a right middle cerebral artery aneurysm, are discussed.

Intrathoracic tuberculous lymphadenopathy: clinical and bronchoscopic features in 17 adults without parenchymal lesions.

BACKGROUND: Whilst intrathoracic lymphadenitis is a characteristic sign of primary tuberculosis in children, its presence without parenchymal lesions in adults is unusual and makes the diagnosis using noninvasive techniques difficult. The diagnostic role of bronchoscopy in adults with intrathoracic tuberculous lymphadenitis is reported. METHODS: Seventeen patients with intrathoracic lymphadenopathy seen during 1993 who had all undergone bronchoscopy and had been found to have tuberculosis in the absence of any parenchymal lung lesions were evaluated retrospectively. RESULTS: Right paratracheal lymphadenopathy was observed on the plain chest radiograph in all the patients. Fifteen of the 17 patients had an endobronchial abnormality and samples taken at bronchoscopy gave a definitive diagnosis in nine (53%) of the 17. Four patients had ulcerating endobronchial granuloma and all had biopsy samples positive for tuberculosis. Transbronchial or transcarinal needle aspiration samples were diagnostic in five of 11 patients (45%) subjected to the procedure. Peripheral lymph node biopsy diagnosed tuberculosis in two cases and in the remaining six patients the diagnosis wa achieved by mediastinoscopy or thoracotomy. CONCLUSIONS: Bronchoscopy has an important role in the diagnosis of intrathoracic tuberculous lymphadenopathy in adults and should be considered before other invasive procedures.