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Identification of sentinel lymph node (SLN) in colon cancer is very important in order to increase the accuracy of lymph node staging. The number of examined lymph nodes represents a significant predictor of survival. This study aims to show the importance of SLN histological and immunohistochemical examination in adjuvant oncological treatment. The study includes 23 patients with colon cancer (44% women and 56% men) who came in our clinic for surgical intervention. In all cases, the SLN was identified and prepared for histological examination. In 13 of the cases, micrometastases were found on haematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining, there were 5 cases with positive immunohistochemistry using antibodies anti-p53, anti-VEGF-C, anti-CD34, and 5 cases with SLN negative both for HE and immunohistochemistry. Altogether we had a detection rate of 92%, an accuracy of 78,2%, a sensitivity of 90%, a false negative rate of 10% and a negative predictive value of 71,4%, good values according to the literature. Four (17,3%) patients had micrometastases exclusively in the sentinel lymph node, after performing additional histological examination, using multilevel section and immunohistochemistry. After assessing the SNL on our patients, we concluded that it is a reproducible practice for lymph node analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) represents the most severe and common infectious complication in patients suffering from liver cirrhosis. The objectives of the study were the evaluation of the risk factors responsible for the occurrence of the spontaneous bacterial peritonitis in a group of patients suffering from liver cirrhosis, the identification of the bacterial spectrum and assessing the response to antibiotic therapy. Material and method - The studied group included 64 patients suffering from liver cirrhosis, with an episode of SBP, who were admitted to the IInd Medical Clinic of the County Hospital of Craiova, within a period of 24 months. The control group included 61 patients with liver cirrhosis with an episode of decompensation of liver disease. The diagnosis of liver cirrhosis was established by using clinical, biological and imagistic criteria, and the SBP's diagnosis was based on cytological and bacteriological analysis of the ascites fluid. Patients suffering from hepatocellular carcinoma, portal vein thrombosis and other infectious conditions were excluded. The anamnesis, the duration of the disease, the alcohol intake, the complete clinical examination, the clinical, biological and imagistic evaluation were monitored. Results and conclusions - The most frequent etiology of SBP is represented in 67% of the cases by Gram negative germs, and thus, the antibiotic therapy will be orientated against this etiological segment. In what antibiotic sensitivity is concerned, most of the germs were sensitive to third generation cephalosporins, quinolones, carbapenems and vancomycin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To determine whether single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) is involved in susceptibility for acute pancreatitis. Material and Methods: Genomic DNA was extracted from blood samples collected from cases of acute pancreatitis (n=110) and normal population controls frequency matched for age and sex (n=232). iNOS - 2087A>G polymorphism was genotyped using TaqMan allelic discrimination assays. The association of the genetic polymorphism with clinical and pathological data of the patients was evaluated. Results: We have found no significant statistical association between this polymorphism and an increased risk of developing acute pancreatitis. Conclusion: In Romanian population, the risk of developing acute pancreatitis is not increased by the presence of iNOS-2087A>G polymorphism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]