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Iodine is an essential element for the production of thyroid hormones. In recent years, it has been suggested that excessive consumption of iodine may play a role in the pathogenesis of papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). In addition, studies have suggested that high iodine consumption is an important risk factor for the formation of a BRAF mutation in the thyroid gland. A prospectively designed study included 132 cases scheduled for thyroidectomy for various reasons. Urine iodine levels of all patients were examined before the operation. The iodine excretion levels of the patients were grouped according to the median urinary iodine concentration determined in community screenings (those with <100 μg L-1 low iodine excretion, those with 100-199 μg L-1 normal iodine excretion, those with 200-299 μg L-1 high iodine excretion). Patients were divided into 3 groups according to the post-operative pathology results. As a result of thyroid histopathology, benign (n: 44), PTC (n: 88) (BRAF (+): 44 and BRAF (-): 44) cases were included in the study. BRAF mutations in patients diagnosed with PTC were evaluated using the “Real Time PCR Melting Curve Analyzer” method. The relationship between urinary iodine excretion levels and clinical, histopathological and BRAF positivity was examined. In our study, no difference was found in urinary iodine excretion between patients with and without PTC. Hashimoto’s thyroiditis was observed more frequently in patients with PTC (p=0.023). In addition, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis was statistically more frequently detected in the BRAF (-) group compared to the BRAF (+) and control group (p=0.034). Despite studies suggesting that high iodine consumption is important in PTC pathogenesis, we did not find a relationship between the mutation and iodine consumption, which plays an important role in the development of PTC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency of renal calculi in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and to determine its relationship with disease assessment variables. METHODS: The study was designed retrospectively, and it included a cohort of 320 patients with AS diagnosed using the Modified New York Criteria. A total of 119 patients who underwent renal ultrasonography (USG), in who the erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, blood calcium, phosphorus, Vitamin D, parathormone, and urinary calcium excretion were measured, and who also had lateral cervical and lumbar radiography in the same time period were extracted from the cohort. All patients' demographic characteristics and the results of blood and urine tests were recorded. The Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI), Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI), Ankylosing Spondylitis Mobility Index (BASMI), and Modified Stoke Ankylosing Spondylitis Spinal Score (mSASSS) were evaluated in all patients. RESULTS: Thirteen of the 119 patients had renal calculi confirmed by USG data. The frequency of nephrolithiasis detected by USG was 10.9% in patients with AS. The disease lasted significantly longer in patients with renal calculi ([nephrolithiasis (+): 18.39±8.72 years; nephrolithiasis (-): 12.02±8.43 years, p=0.01]). The BASMI total score was significantly higher in the group of patients with renal calculi. There was not any significant difference in terms of blood samples, HLA-B27, BASDAI, BASFI, and mSASSS between groups. CONCLUSION: The frequency of renal stones is increased in patients with AS compared to healthy population. Especially patients who had AS for a long time and higher BASMI values are more susceptible to renal calculi. It is important to point out that the results of this type of studies would be more reliable if the study is conducted on large patient groups and population- based prevalence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Purpose Clear cell renal cell cancers frequently harbor Von Hippel-Lindau gene mutations, leading to stabilization of the hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs) and their target genes. In this study, we investigated the relationship between vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), HIF-1α, HIF-2α, p53 positivity, microvessel density, and Ki-67 rates with prognostic histopathologic factors (Fuhrman nuclear grade, stage, and sarcomatoid differentiation) and survival in clear cell renal cell carcinomas. Material and Methods Seventy-two nephrectomy specimens diagnosed as clear cell renal cell carcinoma between 2000 and 2012 were reevaluated. Immunohistochemically VEGF, HIF-1α, HIF-2α, p53, CD34 (for microvessel density evaluation), and Ki-67 antibodies were applied to the tumor areas. The relationships of these antibodies with prognostic factors and survival rates were evaluated with statistical analyses. Results Mean survival time was 105.6 months in patients with ccRCC. Patients with high expression of VEGF, HIF-1α and HIF-2α positivity, a high Ki-67 proliferation index, and a high microvessel density evaluation score had a shorter survival time (p

Objective: The aim of this cross-sectional study was designed in order to determine quality of life and symptoms in patients with cancer and examine the influencing factors. Methods: The sample of the study was performed with voluntary attendance of cancer patients (n=85) by using Survey form, EQ-5D Quality of Life Scale, Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS). Results: This study detected that female patients experienced more nausea than male patients statistically (p<0.05). Patients with chronic health problems had worse symptoms of fatigue, feeling sad, anxiety, lack of appetite, not feeling well and shortness of breath statistically (p<0.05). A negative significant relationship was found between quality of life scores of the patients and clinical diagnosis time and chemotherapy cure numbers (p<0.05). As clinical diagnosis time/chemotherapy cure number of patients with cancer increased, quality of life worsened. A positive significant relationship was found between quality of life scores of the patients and pain, fatigue, nausea, feeling sad, anxiety, insomnia, lack of appetite, not feeling well, shortness of breath, sores in the mouth and their scores (p<0.05). As the symptoms of patients with cancer worsened, quality of life decreased, as well. Conclusions: In line with the results of this study, we suggested to assess symptoms and quality of life and to prevent possible symptoms with evidence based nursing practices by taking into consideration female gender, the status of co-existing chronic disease, clinical diagnosis time, cure number, etc. for those patients with cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Incidental papillary thyroid carcinomas (IPTCs) consist of a significant portion of increasing incidence in papillary thyroid carcinomas. This study investigated the clinicopathological features of IPTCs from different perspectives and by comparing nonincidental PTCs (NIPTCs) in patients who underwent total thyroidectomy and lymph node dissection. Basic results were as follows. IPTC was present in 27.9% of 308 patients. IPTCs were significantly accompanied by lymphocytic thyroiditis (LT), particularly, multinodular hyperplasia (MNH). IPTCs were more common in older patients (51.3 years vs. 47.2 years) and in female patients. IPTCs significantly differed from NIPTCs in terms of smaller tumour size, lymphatic vessel invasion (2.6% vs. 97.4%), extrathyroidal extension (4.3% vs. 95.7%), lymph node metastasis (3.6% vs. 96.4%), multifocality (21.2% vs. 78.8%), bilaterality (5.3% vs. 94.7%), and BRAFV600 mutation (6.7% vs. 93.3%). Older age, bilaterality, encapsulation, and radioactive iodine (RAI) were significantly more common in IPTCs > 5 mm than in those = 5 mm. In conclusion, IPTCs are more commonly associated with LT and MNH. IPTCs may have a more favourable prognosis than NIPTCs, and tumour size > 5 mm may predict bilaterality and need for RAI. Nevertheless, the patient-based clinical approach in IPTCs may have benefits in the management of IPTCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Perception of menopausal symptom severity differs between cultures. Objective: We aimed to assess the severity of menopausal symptoms in climacteric Turkish women. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 429 women (119 premenopausal, 141 perimenopausal, and 169 postmenopausal) between 40 and 65 years of age in a cross-sectional design. Menopausal symptoms were evaluated by using the Menopause Rating Scale (MRS). Results: The mean total score of the MRS was 11.2 ± 6.4. Of the 429 women, 97.9% had at least one, and 20.3% had severe, menopausal symptoms. Total, somatic, psychological, and urogenital scores of the MRS in the peri- and postmenopausal stages were significantly higher than in the premenopausal stage (p < 0.05 for all). The rates of severe somatic, psychological, and urogenital symptoms were 8.6%, 21.9%, and 26.3%, respectively. The risks of severe menopausal symptoms increased 3.67-fold (p = 0.034) in perimenopausal and 5.68-fold (p = 0.032) in postmenopausal stages when compared to the premenopausal stage. Conclusion: Of women 20.3% had severe menopausal symptoms. The severity of menopausal symptoms increased from one stage to the next. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The number of older people is increasing in Turkey and in the world year by year and changes in demographic structure bring problems related with decrease in quality of life and social support of elderly. Aim: To investigate the social support and quality of life of Turkish older adults and to determine the relationship between social support and quality of life. Methods: This was a descriptive, cross-sectional study. The sample included 108 adults who were older than 60 years admitting two family health clinics in Edirne. Data were collected through a survey including sociodemographic characteristics of participants, EuroQol Five Dimension Scale and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. Non-parametric tests were used in statistical analyses. Results: The mean age of the group was 68.0 ± 5.90, mean quality of life scale score was 0.78 ± 0.20 and total social support score was 58.01 ± 20.01. Positive correlations were found between quality of life score and social support total score, social support scale’s subgroups of family, friends and special friend scores respectively. There was a negative correlation between number of daily medications and quality of life. Quality of life of men and married participants were better than the others. Participants living with their spouse and children had better social support family subgroup scores compared to ones living alone. Conclusions: A positive correlation was found between social support and quality of life of older adults. Future studies researching other factors affecting quality of life and social support levels of older adults and the impact of nursing interventions could be suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]