Behçet's disease is a multisystemic inflammatory disorder as a triad of symptoms including recurrent oral and genital aphthous ulceration and uveitis with unknown pathogenesis. IL-8, a proinflammatory cytokine, has been found increased in the active stage of BD. DNA samples were obtained from 88 patients with BD and 112 healthy control subjects in Denizli province of Turkey. All genotyping experiments of SNPs in IL-8 gene were performed using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment polymorphism. We found that IL-8 -845 T > C and -738 T > A sites are non-polymorphic. There were no differences in the polymorphisms of IL-8 +396 G/T, +781 C/T, and +1633 C/T sites except IL-8 -251 T > A in between patients and healthy controls. Analysis of IL-8 polymorphisms indicates that the distribution of frequencies seems to be associated with -251 T > A and gender, -251 T > A and erythema nodosum, -251 T > A and ocular involvement, +781 C > T and erythema nodosum, +396 G > T and pathergy positivity, and +1633 C > T and papulopustular lesion. We demonstrated that the frequencies of IL-8 haplotypes were significantly different with BD patients than control group. We found that the distribution of IL-8 haplotypes was significantly different with genital ulcers, ocular involvement, positive pathergy test, erythema nodosum, papulopustular lesions, and arthritis with BD patients than healthy control individuals. Our study suggests that IL-8 gene polymorphisms may affect susceptibility to BD and increase the risk of developing disease. In order to confirm and assess the association of IL-8 and other cytokine gene polymorphisms in the pathophysiology of BD, large cohort studies are needed.

In this study we presented 92 cases with regional lymphadenitis (over 1 cm in diameter) which was caused by BCG vaccination generally performed a few days after birth. The patients were divided into four therapy groups. In group I, the lymphadenitis in 26 cases was excised totally by a surgical operation and they improved in a median period of four weeks (average: 4.4). No therapy was applied in 33 patients constituting group II and their periods of improvement were 28 weeks (average: 29.1). Sixteen cases in group III were given isoniazid (INH) 10 mg/kg for six months in addition to total surgical excision and their healing period was 4.5 weeks (average: 4). Seventeen cases in group IV were administered only INH for six months and the median improvement period was found to be 27 weeks (average: 28.2). The statistical differences in terms of the improvement periods between groups I and III, and groups II and IV were found to be insignificant (p greater than 0.05) but these differences were significant between groups I and II, groups I and IV, groups II and III, and groups III and IV (p less than 0.05). These results show that spontaneous healing is possible. Total excision is the best therapy for BCG lymphadenitis in suppurative forms and INH has no effect in shortening the therapy period.

The significantly impaired SBPR and decreased HRR values we observed in patients with IH may indicate that the autonomic dysfunction in IH is a systemic disorder with cardiovascular effects, rather than a merely local disease. Both HRR and SBPR values may provide additional information about predicting adverse cardiovascular events in the future even in apparently healthy young patients with IH.

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is usually associated with cardiovascular disease and reduced endothelial function. The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of tadalafil and statin on the endothelial function of cavernous and brachial arteries in healthy men and in patients with ED. The cases included in the study were as follows: 150 men with ED complaints for at least 6 months, and 50 healthy volunteers without sexual problems. Patients were randomly divided into four groups of equal numbers. Group 1 received 20 mg of tadalafil on alternate days, Group 2 received 10 mg of statin a day, Group 3 received tadalafil on alternate days and 10 mg of statin a day, and the last group served as controls. Noninvasive evaluation of brachial artery flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) and percentage of increase in cavernosal arteries diameter (PICAD) was conducted via ultrasound at baseline and 4 weeks after administration of tadalafil or atorvastatin. Before drug administration, FMD and PICAD values did not significantly differ among the three treatment groups. After drug administration, FMD and PICAD values significantly increased in patients receiving tadalafil and tadalafil+statin (P < 0.001), but not in patients receiving only statin. These findings suggested that use of tadalafil alone and tadalafil combined with statin improved endothelial function of cavernous and brachial arteries.

Kolorektal cerrahi geçiren hastalar Yara yeri enfeksiyonları (YYE) açısından yüksek riske sahiptir (1,2). Yara yeri komplikasyonlarının yakından izlemi yara iyileşmesi ve hasta sağ kalımı üzerinde olumlu etki yapmaktadır (3-8). Bu çalışmadaki amaçlar kolorektal cerrahide YYE gelişmesine neden olan faktörleri araştırmak, YYE şiddetini ve iyileşme sürecini yara skorlama yöntemi olan ASEPSIS ile izlemek ve YYE riskini belirlemek amacıyla kullanılan NNIS (National Nosocomial Infections Surveillance System) ve SENIC (The Study on the Efficacy of Nosocomial Infection Control) yöntemlerini karşılaştırmaktır (4-12). HASTA VE YÖNTEM ASEPSIS yöntemiyle yapılan prospektif yara izlemi daha önceki çalışmalarımızdaki prensiplere göre uygulandı (8, 9). Günübirlik cerrahi tedavi uygulanan hastalar çalışmaya alınmadı. Veri ana-lizleri 1 Şubat 2007 ile 31 Eylül 2007 tarihleri arasında sınırlandırıldı. K. T. Ü. Tıp Fakültesi Genel Cerrahi Anabilim Dalı'nda çalışan 6 genel cerrahi uzmanı kolorektal cerrahi işlemleri gerçekleştirdi. Cerrahi protokol için 18 Ocak 2007 tarihinde 06 numaralı klinik çalışma etik onayı Klinik Çalışmalar Etik Kurulu'ndan alındı. YYE İzlemi Kliniğe başvurarak elektif ve acil kolorektal cerrahi işlem geçiren hastalar prospektif bilgi formları kullanılarak takip edildi. Hastaların risk indeksleri hesaplandı ve ameliyat sonrası yara izlemi yapıldı. Bütün formlar çalışma ekibi tarafından dolduruldu. YYE İçin Risk İndeksleri SENIC risk indeksi hesaplamasında intraabdominal işlem varlığı 1 puan, 2 saatten uzun süren işlemler 1 puan, kontamine ve kirli yaralar ARAŞTIRMA YAZISI

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Spontaneous choledochoduodenal fistula is a rare complication of peptic ulcer disease, and surgical is generally directed towards the ulcer itself. We present 2 cases with spontaneous choledochoduodenal fistula due to peptic ulcer disease. One of our cases is a 27-year-old male who had a 3-year history of duodenal ulcer, while the other patient is a 56-year-old female who had a 5-year history of peptic ulcer and developed pyloric stenosis in the last month before hospitalization. Both these patients were successfully treated by truncal vagotomy with antecolic gastrojejunostomy. They were asymptomatic for follow-up periods of 8 months and 6 years, respectively.