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OBJECTIVE: The coagulopathies that present with COVID-19 are thrombotic microangiopathy and disseminated intravascular coagulopathy (DIC). Procalcitonin (PCT) levels have been shown to be significantly increased in COVID-19 patients in comparison with healthy subjects/asymptomatic coronavirus-positive patients. In this report, our aim was to assess the associations of the PCT level with DIC and the severity of COVID-19 infection. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this cross-sectional, retrospective study, 71 consecutive patients with severe COVID-19 (21 with DIC and 50 without DIC) were enrolled in the study. The PCT level was obtained from hospital records. RESULTS: The PCT level was significantly higher in the patients with DIC than in those without DIC [1.9 (0.6-14.5) vs. 0.3 (0.2-0.4) (ng/ mL), p<0.01]. The PCT level showed a positive and significant correlation with DIC (r=0.382, p=0.001) and was an independent predictor of DIC in patients with severe COVID-19 (OR: 6.685, CI: 1.857-24.063, p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: In summary, the PCT level was increased in severe COVID-19 patients with DIC compared with those without DIC. An increased PCT level might suggest the presence of DIC and may help in predicting COVID-19 severity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: Percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) are the preferred treatment for coronary artery disease, even though the development of in-stent restenosis (ISR) continues to be an important complication. Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is indicative of the inflammatory process and can predict the short- and long-term prognosis of cardiovascular diseases. We investigated the relationship between ISR development and neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in bifurcation lesions in stable coronary artery disease (CAD) patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We analyzed the clinical and angiographic data of 181 consecutive stable CAD patients who had undergone successful PCI to the true bifurcation lesion from January 2010-December 2012. Patients were divided into two groups based on the development of ISR (group 1, ISR -; group 2, ISR +). RESULTS: NLRafter (p < 0.001) and NLRΔ (p < 0.001) were significantly higher in group 2. NLRΔ was found to be significant independent predictor of ISR in the multivariate logistic regression analysis. A NLRΔ level > 0.58 mg/dL had 81.8% sensitivity and 93.5% specificity for the prediction of ISR, as identified by the ROC curve. A NLRafter level > 3.43 predicted ISR with 45.5% sensitivity and 95.8% specificity. The comparison of ROC curve analysis demonstrated that NLRΔ was the strongest independent predictor of ISR (p = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: As a result, although drug eluting stent implantation is known to be recommended in the bifurcation lesion PCI in worldwide, we want to emphasize the usage of the NLR values in the prediction of ISR. So, we think that NLRΔ levels may be a useful marker for the prediction of ISR in patients who undergo bifurcation PCI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To study incidence, clinical outcome, and follow-up data of the gestational trophoblastic disease (GTD) in patients diagnosed in the present Department. Materials and Methods: This study included the authors' retrospective clinical records regarding the cases of GTD which were diagnosed and followed up between January 2011 and January 2015. Patients' age, gravidity and parity, obstetric history, subgroup of GTD, gestational weeks, management results, and pre-post treatment β-hCG levels was investigated and an incidence study was constituted. Results: Total of 56 GTD cases were hospitalized and clinical records of 16,840 normal spontaneous deliveries were evaluated during the study period. The incidence of GTD was 3.3/1,000 cases. After histopathological examination, nine of 47 cases were partial molar pregnancy, whereas 38 cases were complete moles. There were no choriocarcinoma and invasive moles. All cases were treated with vacuum curettage without complication. Conclusion: The GTD incidence in this clinic is high with a rate of 3.3/1,000 per pregnancy compared to Turkish literature. High birth rates of our population may play a role in high incidence results. Further investigation in this field is essential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cerebellum is the primary motor coordination centre of the central nervous system. Lesions or congenital defects of the cerebellum cause incoordination of the muscles resulting in irregular gait and falling. Recently, we reported a large family with cerebellum hypoplasia and quadrupedal locomotion as a recessive trait, which we mapped to chromosome 17p13. We identified one additional family with the same condition and mapped the underlying gene to a 14-cM interval on chromosome 9ptel using a genome-wide linkage approach. Sequencing of candidate genes identified a homozygous frameshift mutation in the very low-density lipoprotein receptor (VLDLR) gene in all affected individuals. The association of cerebellar hypoplasia with mutations in VLDLR has been reported previously in the Hutterite population and in a family from Iran. However, quadrupedal locomotion was never observed indicating that environmental factors play a major role in the pathogenesis of this form of locomotion.European Journal of Human Genetics (2008) 16, 1070–1074; doi:10.1038/ejhg.2008.73; published online 26 March 2008 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bleeding is a common complication in patients receiving anticoagulant therapy, and is mostly seen in the gastrointestinal tract. Intraspinal hematoma is a unique and dangerous complication of anticoagulant therapy. In our case, a 70 year-old male patient who had been using oral anticoagulants was admitted to the Emergency Department with nausea, neck pain and motor weakness in the right upper and lower extremities. His clinical findings resembled cerebral illness. Spontaneous spinal epidural hematoma (SEDH) was diagnosed as a result of cervical and thorachal magnetic resonance imaging. The patient received conservative treatment for a specific period of time and was discharged without any sequela. In this case, we describe the diagnostic and therapeutic approach towards acute intraspinal hematoma occurring as a complication of anticoagulant therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]