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Backgrounds/AimsInflammatory mediators of the innate immune response play fundamental roles in the pathogenesis of acute pancreatitis. The correlation between interleukin-8 (IL-8) gene polymorphism with types of acute pancreatitis and severity of pancreatitis, was evaluated in this study.MethodsAccording to the diagnostic criteria, 176 patients with acute pancreatitis were grouped into biliary (n=83) and nonbiliary pancreatitis (n=93). Healthy blood donors (n=100) served as controls. Serum alanine transaminase, aspartate transaminase, total and direct bilirubin, amylase, lypase, white blood cell count and c-reactive protein levels were evaluated to correlate with IL-8 rs4073 (-251T/A) polymorphism, which was analyzed using a real-time polymerase chain reaction method with melting point analysis.ResultsThe IL-8 AA genotype was detected with a significantly higher frequency among the patients with acute biliary pancreatitis having higher alanine transaminase levels than the median range. Homozygote alleles were significantly higher among patients with acute biliary pancreatitis having amylase levels higher than the median range.ConclusionsDetermination of the frequency of IL-8 polymorphism in acute pancreatitis is informative and provides further evidence concerning the role of IL-8 in laboratory tests.

Background/aim: Microcalcifications are generally accepted as highly specific for thyroid malignancy, especially for papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). The aim of this study was to determine the significance of microcalcification within nodules that were classified as being of "indeterminate cytology" (IC) according to fine-needle aspiration biopsy. Materials and methods:Patients who underwent thyroidectomy between January 2010 and 2013 were included in the study. Nodules identified as "atypia/follicular lesion of undetermined significance", "follicular neoplasm/suspicious for follicular neoplasm", or "suspicious for malignancy" were categorized as IC. Patients were subcategorized depending on the presence of microcalcification (Group 1) or its absence (Group 2). The relationship between microcalcification and PTC was evaluated in the IC group retrospectively.Results: Indeterminate cytology was detected in 135 (28.5%) of 473 patients. Microcalcification was detected in 27 (20%) of 135 nodules and classified as Group 1, while the remaining 108 (80%) patients were classified as Group 2. According to the final pathology results, PTC was diagnosed in 13 of 27 (48.1%) patients in Group 1 and 29 of 108 (26.8%) patients in Group 2. A statistically significant relation between microcalcification and malignancy was determined in the IC group (P < 0.05). Conclusion:Surgery might be considered primarily for patients harboring nodule(s) with IC accompanied by microcalcification due to increased risk of PTC.

A splenic artery aneurysm is the third most frequent intraabdominal aneurysm, accounting for 60% of all visceral artery aneurysms. There is a rupture rate of 2% with an associated mortality rate of 36%. Treatment of splenic artery aneurysm may include laparotomy, laparoscopy, or endovascular techniques. Excellent results have been reported with laparoscopic techniques recently. Presently described is a case of symptomatic, non-ruptured proximal and middle segment splenic artery aneurysm treated with laparoscopic surgery. A 27-year-old female patient applied to the general surgery polyclinic complaining of abdominal pain and dyspepsia. After evaluating all of the clinical findings, a diagnosis of splenic artery aneurysm was made and a laparoscopic splenectomy and aneurysmectomy were performed. The patient was discharged on postoperative day 8. During the postoperative follow-up period, she recovered very well with no clinical problem.

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