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Background: Behçet's disease is a systemic vasculitis affecting both arteries and veins, as well as causing recurrent inflammatory multiorgan disease. Vascular involvement is associated with increased mortality and morbidity. Matrix metalloproteinases are released at sites of inflammation and degrade various components of the extracellular matrix. Increased levels of metalloproteinase-9 and metalloproteinase-2 have been previously reported in Behçet's disease. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, metalloproteinase-2 and metalloproteinase-3 serum levels were investigated in 103 patients with Behçet's disease and 69 healthy controls, using Invitrogen immunoassay human metalloproteinase-2 and metalloproteinase-3 ELISA kits. Results: Serum metalloproteinase-2 and metalloproteinase-3 levels were significantly higher in the Behçet's disease group compared to healthy controls. Besides, serum metalloproteinase-3 levels were significantly higher in subgroups of Behçet's disease with aneurysmal vascular involvement and with neurological involvement. However, metalloproteinase-2 and metalloproteinase-3 serum levels did not show a positive correlation with disease activity. Conclusion: Metalloproteinase-2 and -3 may contribute to the complex pathogenesis of Behçet's disease. More importantly, the detection of very high serum levels of metalloproteinase-3 may predict the formation of an aneurysm, or possibly the presence of neurological involvement in Behçet's disease and may lead the clinician to make an earlier diagnosis of these complications in young male patients with high risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Neuroendocrine breast carcinoma (NEBC) is a rare subgroup of breast cancer, which makes up 2-5% of all invasive breast cancers. The aim of this retrospective analysis is to present and analyze our own data of primary NEBCs. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed clinical, pathological, and radiological characteristics of 36 patients diagnosed with neuroendocrine differentiated breast cancer between 2008 and 2019 compared to that of 925 patients with invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC/NOS) along with a literature review. Results: In this study, 36 patients with neuroendocrine differentiated breast carcinoma and 961 patients with (IDC/NOS), as the comparison group, were identified between 2008 and 2019. In NEBC patients, seven were premenopausal and 29 postmenopausal. Patients whose ultrasound (USG), magnetic resonance, and mammographic (MMG) images available in our hospital, high-density masses were detected in the MMG with irregular (77%), microlobulated (80%) and spiculated margins (63%), unaccompanied by asymmetry and structural distortion. Calcifications were less common than invasive breast cancer, present only in four patients (17%). When NEBC were compared to ductal carcinomas (n=925), NEBC were more often human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 negative (p=0.039), estrogen receptor positive (p=0.05), progesterone receptor positive (0.03), and the NEBC patients were older (p=0.02). Age, grade, metastatic status, lymph node number, and molecular type were identified as prognostic factors that significantly affect survival in both groups (p<0.05). Conclusion: NEBC is a subtype that is both histopathologically and radiologically distinct from other breast cancer subtypes, and neuroendocrine differentiation may be an important predictive marker in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Women diagnosed with breast cancer at young ages (≤35 years) have a substantially shorter overall survival durations. According to molecular pathological classification, triple negative and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2) positive breast cancer subgroups are related with poorer prognosis compared to luminal disease. Based on this rational, the primary objective was to evaluate the impact of age on determining molecular subgroups and whether the different outcomes of patients ≤35 years and >35 years of age are caused by the diversity of molecular subgroups. Methods: A total of 216 patients ≤35 years and randomly selected 212 patients of all breast cancer patients >35 years, presented to Ege University Department of Oncology were enrolled in the study. Molecular subtyping was based on estrogen, progesterone receptors (ER, PR), cerb-B2 and Ki-67 proliferation index assessed by immunohistochemistry. Luminal A disease was defined as ER (+), PR (+), cerb-B2 (-), Ki-67 ≤15. Patients with ER/PR (+), cerb-B2 (-)/(+), Ki-67 ≥15 were classified as Luminal B. If all three receptors were negative, it was accepted as triple negative disease and HER-2 positive disease was characterized by lack of hormone receptors and presence of cerb-B2. Results: Fifty-two percent in younger group were Luminal B and 19% were triple negative, which composed the largest proportion of the young group. Among the >35 years group the majority was Luminal B (39%) as similar in very young population, however, this was followed by Luminal A (31%) that has favorable prognostic features. Statistically, there was no significant difference in molecular subtypes between the two age groups. However, triple negative subtype and Ki-67 ≥15% which is associated with poorer prognosis, was numerically higher among ≤35 years of group. Conclusion: Young women diagnosed with breast cancer have poorer prognosis. However, in our study, there was no statistically significant difference in molecular subtypes between two diverse age groups. This could be explained by small size of the study population, but also could be an indication that age is an independent prognostic factor apart from other clinicopathologic features. Yet, since Luminal B and triple negatives were the largest subgroup in very young population, worse prognosis of the disease in this group may be explained by this diversion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Health care workers' (HCWs) influenza vaccination attitude is known to be negative. The H1N1 epidemic had started in mid 2009 and made a peak in October-November in Turkey. A national vaccination campaign began on November 2nd, 2009. Despite the diligent efforts of the Ministry of Health and NGOs, the attitudes of the media and politicians were mostly negative. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether HCWs' vaccination attitudes improved during the pandemic and to assess the related factors. Methods This cross-sectional survey was carried out at the largest university hospital of the Aegean Region-Turkey. A self-administered questionnaire with 12 structured questions was applied to 807 HCWs (sample coverage 91.3%) before the onset of the vaccination programme. Their final vaccination status was tracked one week afterwards, using immunization records. Factors influencing vaccination rates were analyzed using ANOVA, t-test, chi-square test and logistic regression. Results Among 807 participants, 363 (45.3%) were doctors and 293 (36.6%) nurses. A total of 153 (19.0%) had been vaccinated against seasonal influenza in the 2008-2009 season. Regarding H1N1 vaccination, 143 (17.7%) were willing to be vaccinated vs. 357 (44.2%) unwilling. The number of indecisive HCWs was 307 (38.0%) one week prior to vaccination. Only 53 (11.1%) stated that they would vaccinate their children. Possible side effects (78%, n = 519) and lack of comprehensive field evaluation before marketing (77%, n = 508) were the most common reasons underlying unwillingness or hesitation. Among the 749 staff whose vaccination status could be tracked, 228 (30.4%) actually received the H1N1 vaccine. Some of the 'decided' staff members had changed their mind one week later. Only 82 (60%) of those willing, 108 (37%) of those indecisive and 38 (12%) of those unwilling were vaccinated. Indecisive HCWs were significantly younger (p = 0.017). Females, nurses, and HCWs working in surgical departments were more likely to reject vaccination (p < 0.05). Doctors, HCWs working in medical departments, and HCWs previously vaccinated against seasonal influenza were more likely to accept vaccination (p < 0.05). Being younger than 50 and having been vaccinated in the previous season were important predictors of attitude towards pandemic influenza vaccination. Conclusions Vaccination rates increased substantially in comparison to the previous influenza season. However, vaccination rates could have been even higher since hesitation to be vaccinated increased dramatically within one week (only 60% of those willing and the minority of those indecisive were finally vaccinated). We speculate that this may be connected with negative media at the time.

Abstract Background According to the surveillance system in Turkey, most diseases are notified only by clinicians, without involving laboratory notification. It is assumed that a considerable inadequacy in notifications exists; however, this has not been quantified by any researcher. Our aim was to evaluate the completeness of communicable disease surveillance in the province of Izmir, Turkey for the year of 2003 by means of estimating the incidences of diseases. Methods Data on positive laboratory results for the notifiable and serologically detectable diseases hepatitis A, B, C, brucellosis, syphilis, measles and HIV detected in 2003 in Izmir (population 3.5 million) were collected from serology laboratories according to WHO surveillance standards and compared to the notifications received by the Provincial Health Directorate. Data were checked for duplicates and matched. Incidences were estimated with the capture-recapture method. Sensitivities of both notifications and laboratory data were calculated according to these estimates. Results Among laboratories performing serologic tests (n = 158) in Izmir, 84.2% accepted to participate, from which 23,515 positive results were collected. Following the elimination of duplicate results as well as of cases residing outside of Izmir, the total number was 11,402. The total number of notifications was 1802. Notification rates of cases found in laboratories were 31.6% for hepatitis A, 12.1% for acute hepatitis B, 31.8% for brucellosis, 25.9% for syphilis and 100% for HIV confirmation. Conclusions It was discovered that for hepatitis A, B, C, brucellosis and syphilis, there is a considerable under-notification by clinicians and that laboratory data has the potential of contributing greatly to their surveillance. The inclusion of laboratories in the surveillance system of these diseases could help to achieve completeness of reporting.