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SUMMARY OBJECTIVE: To verify the association between metabolic syndrome and its components, and intake of antioxidant nutrients in adolescents. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study of the data of 327 adolescents in a high school in Teresina, Piauí, Brazil, pertaining to their socioeconomic background, anthropometric measurements, dietary intake (selenium; copper; zinc; vitamins A, C, and E), hemodynamics, and biochemical tests. The criteria for diagnosing metabolic syndrome in adolescents were applied. Binary logistic regression was used to verify the association between metabolic syndrome and its components, and intake of antioxidants. The level of significance was established at p<0.05. RESULTS: Prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 7.0%, with a significant association between body mass index and blood pressure. Lower tertiles of copper and vitamins A and E intake were associated with high triglyceride and glycemic levels. The association with vitamins A and E remained after adjustment. CONCLUSIONS: A significant association between lower vitamins A and E intake and metabolic syndrome components (altered triglycerides and glycemic levels) was found. Besides further studies on this issue, the need for health interventions was found, which ensures the appropriate intake of antioxidant nutrients during adolescence.

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SUMMARY OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the search for health information on the Internet and to determine the frequency and main means of spreading fake health news. METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted through the virtual distribution of questionnaires on social media platforms in 2019 by using the snowball technique. The questionnaire collected information regarding sociodemographics, means used to clarify doubts about health, implementation of information obtained through the Internet, receipt of fake news, and means of transmission of fake news. Quantitative variables are described as means and standard deviations, and categorical variables are described as frequencies and percentages. The chi-square and Fisher’s exact tests were used. RESULTS: Out of 1,195 respondents, 53% had followed Internet guidance without consulting a health professional, especially young people and individuals with low education levels (p<0.05). The resources most used to answer questions about health were a physician (78%) and Google (51%), and searches using the latter were more predominant among younger age groups (p<0.05). A large part of the sample (89.4%) had received fake news, and the main means of receipt were Facebook and WhatsApp. CONCLUSIONS: The Internet was the second most commonly used means to search for health information. A significant portion of the population adopts actions based on this information. The frequency of broadcasting fake news through this digital medium is high.

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SUMMARY OBJECTIVE: A small portion of the asthmatic population (3.6%) has severe asthma (SA), presenting high morbimortality rates and demanding more financial resources than other asthmatic populations. The use of immunobiological therapy is an effective tool in controlling symptoms, decreasing the number of exacerbations, and reducing the use of systemic corticosteroids in these patients. In Brazil, epidemiological data regarding this asthmatic population using immunobiologicals and their evolution are scarce. METHODS: This is an observational, analytical, cross-sectional, and retrospective study. The sample consisted of adult patients with SA in follow-up at the pulmonology service of the Complexo Hospital de Clínicas of the Federal University of Paraná, from January 2011 to August 2019. The analyzed variables were as follows: the number of exacerbations that required hospitalization in the previous year, forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), and asthma control test (ACT) scores before and after the start of immunobiological therapy. RESULTS: We studied 20 patients with SA using omalizumab or mepolizumab. We observed an increase in the mean ACT score of 4.8 points, a nonsignificant reduction in the number of exacerbations that required hospitalization, and a slight improvement in the FEV1. Regarding the patients using chronic systemic corticosteroid therapy, 14.2% (n=1) of patients had the medication discontinued and 57% (n=4) of patients had the dose reduced by half. CONCLUSION: The use of omalizumab and mepolizumab as additional therapy in SA provided a significant improvement in the ACT and allowed the dose reduction of systemic corticosteroids, without significant improvement in FEV1 and in the frequency of severe exacerbations.

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SUMMARY OBJECTIVE: To analyze the public data of hysterectomies performed in the only health system in the city of São Paulo between 2008 and 2018. METHODS: The following public health system data were extracted and analyzed: age, technique, number of surgeries, mortality during hospitalization, length of stay in the establishment (days), and amounts paid by the public network. RESULTS: A total of 20,119 procedures were analyzed. The most prevalent procedure was total hysterectomy (43.2%), followed by vaginal hysterectomy (26.7%), subtotal hysterectomy (24.3%), and laparoscopic hysterectomy (5.8%). Early discharge (hospital stay of up to 1 day) was more prevalent in cases of vaginal hysterectomy (39%). We observed a marked downward trend in the number of total hysterectomies. Total hysterectomy was the most expensive procedure; no significant difference was noted in the cost of vaginal versus laparoscopic hysterectomy. We noticed a trend of rising costs over the years. The most frequent hospital admission code was that of leiomyoma of the uterus in cases of total, subtotal, and laparoscopic hysterectomy. CONCLUSION: Despite the decrease in the number of hysterectomies over the 11-year study period in São Paulo, it remains in high demand mainly for the treatment of uterine leiomyomatosis. Laparoscopic hysterectomy has been gaining ground and showed a slightly upward trend with a shorter hospital stay. Laparoscopic and vaginal hysterectomy required less financial support from the health system than open surgery.

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SUMMARY OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the prevalence of burnout syndrome (BS) in physicians working during the COVID-19 pandemic in Paraíba and to investigate the association between BS and the sociodemographic and labor variables of these professionals. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study including physicians who were active during the pandemic in Paraíba, whether they were on the front line (group 1) or not (group 2). Sociodemographic and labor variables were collected, and the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS) questionnaire was applied. RESULTS: A total of 126 physicians were included, including 82 who were on the front line. Among the professionals with results compatible with BS, 85.5% were in group 1, compared with 14.5% in group 2, and this difference was statistically significant. At the 5% level, the variables associated with BS were age (24–33 years), not having children, working on the front line, working in the COVID-19 ICU, being on duty, and having contracted COVID-19. CONCLUSIONS: This case series found a positive association between the development of BS and medical action on the front line of the COVID-19 pandemic in Paraíba.

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SUMMARY OBJECTIVE: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is characterized by lack of estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) expression and accounts for 15–20% of all breast cancers. This study aims to analyze prognostic factors related to a reduction in overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), and risk of mortality and recurrence in TNBC. METHODS: This is a retrospective observational cohort study. Medical records of 532 patients with breast cancer diagnosed from 2007 to 2020 were analyzed. Of these patients, 93 (17%) were women with TNBC. Ten medical records were excluded, and the final sample was composed of 83 women with TNBC. OS and DFS were estimated by the Kaplan-Meier model. Univariate analysis (log-rank test) and multivariate analysis (Cox regression) were used to examine prognostic factors related to a statistically significant reduction (p<0.05) in OS and DFS and increased risk of mortality and tumor recurrence. RESULTS: Smoking, advanced clinical stage, larger tumor size, angiolymphatic invasion, positive sentinel lymph node, axillary node involvement, higher cancer burden, surgical treatment with mastectomy, and recurrence were related to a significant decrease in OS and/or DFS and increased risk of mortality and/or recurrence in TNBC. The 10-year OS and DFS was around 61 and 65%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Advanced clinical stage, positive sentinel lymph node, axillary node involvement, surgical treatment with mastectomy, and higher residual cancer burden were related to a significant reduction in OS and DFS and increased risk of mortality and recurrence in TNBC.

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SUMMARY OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to analyze the results of microsurgical testicular sperm extraction (micro-TESE) and investigate the potential factors that may affect the successful sperm retrieval and timing of micro-TESE. METHODS: A total of 56 patients with nonobstructive azoospermia (NOA) who underwent micro-TESE procedure between January 2017 and December 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. The patient age, marriage duration, infertility duration, smoking, chronic illness, varicocele status, previous scrotal surgeries, and the presence of genetic disease were noted by an urologist for all patients. RESULTS: The mean age of patients was 33.28±4.4 (22–44) years. Our total sperm-retrieval rate was 55.4% (n:31). Sixteen (28.6%) pregnancies were achieved and 15 (26.8%) healthy live births could be managed. Only the marriage duration (p=0.016) and infertility duration (p=0.015) were detected to be the significant factors to manage successful sperm retrieval. Men with NOA younger than 35.2 years and having a female partner younger than 36.9 years seemed to have the best chance to have a living healthy baby. CONCLUSIONS: The fertility decreased by both male and female age and for men with NOA. The early visit to doctor seemed to have positive effect.

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SUMMARY OBJECTIVE: This study aims to analyze inflammatory markers among patients with endometrial cancer, hyperplasia with atypia/endometrial intraepithelial neoplasia, hyperplasia without atypia, and normal controls, thus observing the stage at which inflammation becomes the most significant. METHODS: A total of 444 patients who had endometrial sampling were included in the study (endometrial cancer, n=79; endometrial hyperplasia with atypia/endometrial intraepithelial neoplasia, n=27; endometrial hyperplasia without atypia, n=238; and normal controls, n=100). Neutrophil count, lymphocyte count, platelet count, platelet distribution width, neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio, platelet/lymphocyte ratio, CA-125, and endometrial thickness of the patients were recorded. RESULTS: Comparing the groups for neutrophil count, the hyperplasia with atypia group had higher values compared with both the hyperplasia without atypia group and the control group (p=0.003). When compared for the lymphocyte count, the hyperplasia with atypia group had lower values compared with the control group (p=0.014). Neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio of the hyperplasia with atypia group was higher than all other groups, and neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio of the cancer group was higher than the control group (p=0.001). Platelet count, mean platelet volume, platelet distribution width, and platelet/lymphocyte ratio values were not significantly different among groups (p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Considering the inflammatory markers, the most prominent result was that the hyperplasia with atypia group had neutrophilia, lymphopenia, and increased neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio compared with other groups.

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SUMMARY OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to evaluate the early results of robotic surgery-assisted low anterior resection for rectal cancer and transvaginal specimen extraction, regarding the operative time, operative and early postoperative complications, hospital stay, and pathological reports in a series of 10 patients. METHODS: From November 2016 to October 2019, case series study on patients diagnosed with RC was included in this study. All robotic-assisted low anterior resection of the rectum, vaginal removal of the specimen, colorectal anastomosis, and loop ileostomies were performed using the Da Vinci XI system. RESULTS: The mean age of patient was 64.8 (58–72) years. Low anterior resection was performed to seven patients, and very low anterior resection was performed to three patients. Total mesorectal excision of the rectum, transvaginal specimen extraction, transanal anastomoses, and protective ileostomy were performed in all 10 patients. The mean operative time was 275±30.50 min, and estimated blood loss was 50±10.50 mL. No patient required conversion to conventional surgery. Negative circumferential resection, proximal, and distal margins were accomplished negative. Mean number of lymph nodes harvested was 20±5.5. According to the pathological reports, all were adenocarcinoma. T1 stage was 80.0%, and T2 stage was 20.0%. Lymph node metastasis accounted for 80.0%. CONCLUSIONS: To our literature search, this is the first study reporting the early outcomes of the novel robotic surgery-assisted low anterior resection for rectal cancer and transvaginal specimen extraction by using the Da Vinci Xi system. It can be performed safely and successfully in selected patients by providing an excellent cosmetic body image, which may be important for women.

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SUMMARY OBJECTIVE: Gliomas are tumors originating from glial cells. Gliomas are the most common primary neoplasms of the central nervous system, with astrocytomas being the most prevalent glioma subtype. Progesterone regulates several reproductive processes, such as ovulation and sexual behavior, and influences neuronal excitability, learning, and the neoplastic proliferation of glial cells. Progesterone functions mainly by interacting with intracellular progesterone receptors to modify the expression of the genes involved in cell proliferation, angiogenesis, and epidermal growth factor production. As not many studies on the hormone receptors in glial tumors have been reported, the objective of this study was to evaluate the expression of these proteins in astrocytomas and to determine whether their expression levels vary according to the tumor grade. METHODS: This was a retrospective study using glial tumor paraffin blocks obtained from the São Marcos Hospital Pathology Department archives. Forty cases were divided equally into two groups, based on histological types and the World Health Organization criteria (low- and high-grade tumors). Progesterone receptor expression was analyzed by immunohistochemistry. The data were statistically analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test and Spearman's correlation coefficient; results with p<0.05 were considered statistically significant. RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences between the mean nuclear progesterone receptor expression of low-grade (0.1495) and high-grade (0.0937) astrocytomas (p=0.2). CONCLUSION: Progesterone receptors are present in both low- and high-grade gliomas; however, there is no significant difference in the levels of progesterone receptor expression between the tumor grades.

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SUMMARY OBJECTIVE: With the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) continuing to spread all over the world, although there is no specific treatment until now, hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin have been reported to be effective in recent studies. Although long-term use of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin has been reported to cause QT prolongation and malign arrhythmia, there is not enough data about the effect of short-term use on arrhythmia. Therefore, this study aims to assess the effect of hydroxychloroquine alone and hydroxychloroquine + azithromycin on corrected QT (QTc). METHODS: A baseline electrocardiogram and on-treatment baseline electrocardiogram were retrospectively collected in COVID-19 patients who received hydroxychloroquine and/or azithromycin. The QTc interval was calculated, and the baseline and peak QTc intervals were compared. In addition, the peak QTc intervals of monotherapy and combination therapy were compared. RESULTS: Of the 155 patients included, 102 (65.8%) patients were using hydroxychloroquine, and 53 (34.2%) patients were using hydroxychloroquine + azithromycin combination. The use of both hydroxychloroquine alone and hydroxychloroquine + azithromycin combined therapy significantly prolonged the QTc, and the QTc interval was significantly longer in patients receiving combination therapy. QTc prolongation caused early termination in both groups, 5 (4.9%) patients in the monotherapy group and 6 (11.3%) patients in the combination therapy group. CONCLUSION: In this study, patients who received hydroxychloroquine for the treatment of COVID-19 were at high risk of QTc prolongation, and concurrent treatment with azithromycin was associated with greater changes in QTc.

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SUMMARY OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the levels of physical activity (PA) and quality of life (QOL) in adults and elderly individuals with lower limb amputation (LLA). METHODS: This was a cross-sectional observational study. Participants completed three surveys as follows: a demographic survey, the International Physical Activity Questionnaire, and the World Health Organization Quality of Life. Thirty-six individuals with lower limb amputation were separated into two different groups as follows: Adults-lower limb amputation (n=12), composed of individuals with lower limb amputation who aged from 18–59 years, and Elderly-lower limb amputation (n=24), composed of individuals with lower limb amputation who aged 60 years and above. Statistical differences were determined as p<0.05. RESULTS: Age and number of individuals with a low level of functional independency were higher in the Elderly-lower limb amputation group (p<0.05). The International Physical Activity Questionnaire scores were reduced in the Elderly-lower limb amputation group (p<0.05). The Pearson's correlation test between low metabolic equivalent task (MET), time since amputation, and family income presented positive significant results in the Elderly-lower limb amputation (p<0.05). Adults-lower limb amputation just presents a positive significant correlation with the low family income (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Elderly individuals with lower limb amputation are more susceptible to present negative health outcomes than adults with lower limb amputation.

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SUMMARY INTRODUCTION: Congenital syphilis is caused by the vertical transmission of bacteria, Treponema pallidum, from nontreated or inappropriately treated pregnant to the fetus. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical aspects of Congenital syphilis in Brazil, between 2009–2018. METHOD: It is an analytical cross-sectional study whose data were collected from the Department of Chronical Conditions and Sexually Transmitted Infections of Brazilian Health Ministry. Clinical variables were analyzed using the software Joinpoint Regression, which makes a segmented linear regression. RESULTS: In the study period, 156,969 cases of Congenital syphilis and 1642 deaths by this disease were reported. The trend analysis indicates growing in diagnosis of maternal syphilis during prenatal care, appropriate treatment of pregnant, realization of prenatal care, maternal partner treatment, diagnosis of syphilis in children under seven days, and diagnosis of recent syphilis. CONCLUSIONS: Although the trend analysis presents relative improvement in Congenital syphilis panorama in Brazil, the disease still related to high numbers of evitable perinatal morbidity and mortality. Therefore, the prenatal assistance with quality is fundamental to have a possible change in this field in the country.

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SUMMARY OBJECTIVE: This study aims to analyze the risk factors for in-hospital mortality in a cohort of patients admitted to a newly adapted intensive care unit in a public hospital in Rio de Janeiro. METHODS: This was an observational, retrospective, and descriptive study. Data were obtained from electronic medical records. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was diagnosed by detecting viral ribonucleic acid using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Factors associated with the risk/protection from death were determined using the odds ratio and adjusted odds ratio. RESULTS: Fifty-one patients were admitted to the hospital. The median age of the patients was 63 years, 60% were male patients, and 54% were white patients. Sixty-seven percent of the patients were diagnosed with COVID-19. Sepsis at admission increased the chance of in-hospital death by 21 times (adjusted odds ratio=21.06 [0.79–555.2]; p=0.06). The strongest risk factor for death was the development of septic shock during hospitalization (adjusted odds ratio=98.56 [2.75–352.5]; p=0.01), and one in four patients had multidrug-resistant bacteria. Mechanical ventilation, vasopressors, neuromuscular blockers, and sedatives were also the risk factors for in-hospital mortality. The in-hospital mortality rate was 41%, and the mortality rate of patients on mechanical ventilation was 60%. The diagnosis of COVID-19 was not statistically related to the adverse outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: In this cohort, the strongest risk factor for in-hospital death was the development of nosocomial septic shock. Healthcare-associated infections have a significant impact on mortality rates. Therefore, to have a better outcome, it is important to consider not only the availability of beds but also the way healthcare is delivered.

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SUMMARY OBJECTIVE: This study aims to reveal the short-term effects of exercise therapy and manual therapy plus exercise therapy on pain, quality of life, and physical examination results in the treatment of sacroiliac joint dysfunction syndrome (SIJDS). METHODS: In this study, 64 patients who were participated were divided into two groups. The first group (exercise group) was assigned with the sacroiliac joint (SIJ) home exercise program and the second group (mobilization group) with the combined SIJ manual therapy and home exercise program. Physical examination tests, visual analog scale, and SF-36 evaluation were performed at the beginning of the study, at 24 h, at 1 week, and 1 month after the treatment. RESULTS: Both groups showed that the rate of pain in the posttreatment, after the first week, and the first month; the presence of pain in the sacroiliac region; and VAS values of the patients with SIJDS compared to pretreatment values were clearly decreased (p<0.05). All tests performed in the SIJ physical examination showed significant improvement within both groups (p<0.05). However, there was no statistical difference between the two groups in 1-month period (p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: We found that the home exercise program and the manual therapy plus exercise program significantly improved pain intensity, quality of life, and the findings of specific tests in patients with SIJDS. In addition, superiority between the two groups in terms of pain intensity, quality of life, and specific tests was not determined.

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SUMMARY OBJECTIVE: This study analyzes the suboptimal health status (SHS) and influencing factors of nurses in Wuhan Hospital, China during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak. METHODS: This study was conducted through an online survey, from March 1–7, 2020, in Wuhan, China. The data collection tools, such as Suboptimal Health Status Questionnaires, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and Chinese version of the Perceived Stress Scale, were used. RESULTS: The average value of suboptimal health status was 28.44 (standard deviation=15.15). The overall prevalence of SHS was 35.1%. Suboptimal health status of the nurses was significantly different based on their gender, age, whether they directly care for COVID-19 patients, anxiety level, and stress perception expect education. Multivariate analysis found that average sleep times per day, female, age, directly participate in the rescue of COVID-19, self-infection, and anxiety were the influencing factors of suboptimal health status. CONCLUSIONS: First-line nurses have poor suboptimal health status in Wuhan.

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SUMMARY OBJECTIVE: Pulmonary metastasectomy for the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer is essential, but high ranked evidence of survival benefit is lacking. Here, we aimed to examine the prognostic factors after pulmonary metastasectomy in patients with colorectal cancer. METHODS: This is a single-center, retrospective hospital-based observational case series study. We reviewed data for 607 patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) who were treated and observed from 2012 to 2019. Of the 607 patients with mCRC, 87 were with solitary lung metastases. Of the 87 patients, 39 were not appropriate for metastasectomy, while 15 patients recognized as suitable candidates by the multidisciplinary thoracic tumor board rejected metastasectomy. Consequently, only 33 patients were included in the final analysis. RESULTS: Rectum was detected as the primary site in 16 (48.5%) patients. Over 80% of patients had metachronous lung metastases, with a median of 29.0 months from initial diagnosis. Video-assisted thoracic surgery with wedge resection was performed in 20 (60.6%) patients. Over 90% of patients had solitary metastasis resected, with 97% of R0 resection. Median tumor size was 23.0 mm (min: 10; max: 90). Adjuvant treatment was given to 31 (93.9%) patients, while neoadjuvant treatment was given only to 8 (25%) patients. Of the 33 patients, there were 25 (75.7%) relapses. The most frequent site of relapse was lung in 15 (45.5%) patients. Interestingly, there were only 4 (12.2%) patients who had a relapse in the liver after lung metastasectomy. We found that median disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were 43.0 (13.0–73.0) and 55.0 (31.6–78.4) months, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Pulmonary metastasectomy was associated with significantly long-time survival rates in mCRC (43 months of DFS and 55 months of OS). The second relapse occurred in 25 (75.7%) patients, with isolated lung metastases in nearly half of the patients (45.5%). Therefore, lung metastases in mCRC were unique and a multidisciplinary team including a thoracic surgeon should manage these patients.

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SUMMARY OBJECTIVE: Gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase-platelet ratio, system inflammation response index, and systemic immune inflammation index are three systemic immune and inflammation indexes that were investigated for their diagnostic and prognostic proficiencies in cardiovascular diseases and cancers. However, their predictive values for invasive aspergillosis have not yet been studied. The aim of this study was to evaluate Gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase-platelet ratio, system inflammation response index, and systemic immune inflammation index levels and their diagnostic values in invasive aspergillosis. METHODS: A total of 23 patients with invasive aspergillosis and 23 sex- and age-matched healthy participants were included in this study. Complete blood count parameters and liver function tests were studied. Gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase-platelet ratio, system inflammation response index, and systemic immune inflammation index were calculated. RESULTS: Leukocyte, neutrophil, lymphocyte, and monocyte levels were statistically significantly higher in IA group (p=0.031, p=0.027, p=0.033, and p=0.001, respectively). In invasive aspergillosis group, platelets were numerically lower; Aspartate transaminase, alanine aminotransferase, and lactic dehydrogenase levels were numerically higher than those in control group but differences between levels were not statistically significant (p>0.05). The γ-glutamyl transpeptidase levels of patients were statistically significantly higher (p=0.007), and in addition, statistically significant differences were found between groups in terms of gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase-platelet ratio, system inflammation response index, and systemic immune inflammation index (p<0.001, p=0.037, p=0.001, respectively). Receiver operating characteristic analysis was performed, and areas under the curves were evaluated. gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase-platelet ratio had the higher area under the curve than systemic immune inflammation index and system inflammation response index (AUC 0.849, 0.798, 0.693, respectively). The results from receiver operating characteristic analysis of the data suggested that the use of a cutoff value of 0.15 for gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase-platelet ratio would be optimum for clinical use to confirm independent predictors of patients with invasive aspergillosis. CONCLUSIONS: Gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase-platelet ratio is an independent, a useful predictor, and is superior to other evaluated markers in the diagnosis of inflammation in invasive aspergillosis. Gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase-platelet ratio may also be a helpful biomarker for clinicians to follow-up the inflammatory process of these patients.

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SUMMARY OBJECTIVE: Many chronic diseases such as malignancy, cardiovascular diseases, endothelial dysfunction, and autoimmune diseases, which have been shown to be related to vitamin D in various studies; have similar relations with CTRP-9, TNFα, and thiol-disulfide hemostasis. We aimed to contribute to the literature by evaluating the relationship between CTRP-9, TNFα, and thiol-disulfide hemostasis and vitamin D levels, which we thought may have some effects on the pathogenesis of vitamin D deficiency. METHODS: In our study, 78 female volunteers older than 18 years were included. Volunteers were divided into three groups according to the reference values of vitamin D levels. Biochemical parameters, CTRP-9, TNFα, and thiol/disulfide hemostasis tests taken from all volunteers were studied. RESULTS: In this study, there was a significant difference in CTRP-9, TNFα, total thiol (TT), native thiol (NT), DIS (disulfide), TT/DIS, and NT/DIS levels in vitamin D groups (p<0.05). There was a significant negative correlation between vitamin D and TNFα and DIS, while a significant positive correlation was found with CTRP-9, TT, NT, TT/DIS, and NT/DIS (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: It was determined that vitamin D deficiency causes a significant decrease in CTRP-9 level and a significant increase in TNFα level, as well as an increase in thiol/disulfide hemostasis in favor of disulfide, which may be a risk factor for increased oxidative stress. We considered that these changes may play mediator roles for many chronic diseases and metabolic disorders that are increasing in frequency due to vitamin D deficiency.

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Summary OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to compare the standard and robotic-assisted laparoscopic donor nephrectomy in terms of perioperative course, short-term postoperative outcome, and to evaluate the effect of surgeon’s learning curve on these parameters. METHODS: This was a prospective randomized study including 60 patients (mean age, 47 years; age, 21–72 years; 26 males, 34 females) who had been planned laparoscopic donor nephrectomies in our clinic. For comparison of standard and robot-assisted techniques and to evaluate the impact of learning curve, patients were randomized into three groups by a computer, each group containing 20 patients. Group 1: standard laparoscopic donor nephrectomies; Group 2: the first 20 patients who underwent robot-assisted laparoscopic donor nephrectomy; and Group 3: the next 20 patients who underwent robot-assisted laparoscopic donor nephrectomy. RESULTS: Operative time was significantly higher in Group 2 (221.0±45.1 min) than both Group 1 (183.5±16.9 min, p=0.001) and Group 3 (186.5±20.6 min, p=0.002). Similarly, time for laparoscopic system setup was significantly higher in Group 2 (39.5±8.6 min), which contained the first cases of robot-assisted laparoscopic donor nephrectomy where surgeon had least experience than Group 1 (19.3±3.7 min, p<0.001) and Group 3 (24.0±9.4 min, p<0.001). On the other hand, duration of operation and time for laparoscopic system setup was similar between Groups 1 and 3. CONCLUSIONS: Learning curve extends the operative time and laparoscopic system setup time in robotic-assisted laparoscopic donor nephrectomy, however, after the learning process was completed, these parameters were similar between robotic-assisted and standard laparoscopic nephrectomy.

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Summary OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to compare the publications authored by plastic surgeons with those from other specialties’ surgeons on patient-reported outcomes of oncoplastic surgery. METHODS: A review was carried out on the Medline database, emcompassing five years (2015-2020). Studies about partial breast reconstruction after conservative treatment, immediate or delayed, by any technique, which presented patient-reported outcomes, were included. RESULTS: We found 292 articles, from which 142 met the eligibility criteria. Publications were stratified into groups 1 (plastic surgeons) and 2 (other surgical specialties), and also into groups A (only plastic surgeons), B (only other specialties) and C (both), and compared statistically. Most publications (60.6%) were attributed to specialties other than plastic surgery. Nineteen percent had only plastic surgeons as authors, 50% only other specialties’ surgeons, and 31% had both. There was no difference between groups regarding the impact factor of the journals in any of the stratifications, and the majority was published in journals with impact factor ≤2. CONCLUSION: In the last years, surgeons from specialties other than plastic surgery published more about the results of the oncoplastic surgery reported by the patients. There was no statistical difference between the groups regarding the impact factor of the journals.