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Production of the defect-free casting of aluminium alloys is the biggest challenge. Porosity is known to be the most important defect. Therefore, many cast parts are subjected to several non-destructive tests in order to check their acceptability. There are several standards, yet, the acceptance limit of porosity size and distribution may change according to the customer design and requirements. In this work, the aim was targeted to evaluate the effect of size, location, and distribution of pores on the tensile properties of cast A356 alloy. ANSYS software was used to perform stress analysis where the pore sizes were changed between 0.05 mm to 3 mm by 0.05 mm increments. Additionally, pore number was changed from 1 to 5 where they were placed at different locations in the test bar. Finally, bifilms were placed inside the pore at different sizes and orientations. The stress generated along the pores was recorded and compared with the fracture stress of the A356 alloy. It was found that as the bifilm size was getting smaller, their effect on tensile properties was lowered. On the other hand, as bifilms were larger, their orientation became the dominant factor in determining the fracture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND Perivascular epitheloid cell neoplasm (PEComa) is a rare mesenchymal tumor that is evaluated in the same tumor family as angiomyolipoma, sugar cell tumor of the lung, and lymphangioleiomyomatosis. Immunohistochemically, the disease can express melanocytic and myogenic markers, such as HMB45, HMSA1, MelanA/Mart1, and actin. The disease can be seen in almost every organ, especially the uterus and retroperitoneum. Adrenal gland-derived PEComa is extremely rare and leads to difficulties in diagnosis. Here, we present a case of a adrenal gland PEComa in which we applied postoperative radiation therapy. CASE REPORT A 24-year-old female patient visited the doctor in April 2022 due to abdominal pain that had been increasing steadily for the previous few months. Abdominopelvic computed tomography shows a solid mass of 10 cm on the right adrenal gland. Right adrenal gland mass excision surgery was performed in May 2022. The pathology was reported as malign PEComa. The patient was admitted for postoperative radiotherapy because of uncertainty about the surgical boundaries. Systemic treatment was not required. A fraction dose of 4680 cGy/26 was applied by 8-field IMRT to the tumor bed area. In December 2022, the patient's radiotherapy was completed. No acute adverse effects from the radiotherapy were observed. The patient's follow-up after treatment continued, without disease and long-term adverse effects. CONCLUSIONS Surgical resection is the primary treatment approach in the treatment of localized disease. Although the literature is far from making a clear recommendation on adjuvant therapy, pathologic risk factors should be considered when deciding on adjuvant therapy.

Purpose: Syrian refugees (SRs) have had difficulties in the diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up of chronic diseases, such as cancer, because of the conflict in the region. The cancer diagnosis and treatment process of SR are also a matter of curiosity. We aimed to compare the demographic characteristics and survival outcome data of SRs and Turkish citizens (TCs), and colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common cancer types seen with similar frequency globally., Materials and Methods: A total of 421 patients with CRC were included. Overall survival (OS) was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method, and the log-rank test was used for comparison. Patient demographic data were compared using the Pearson Chi-square test and independent t test., Results: In total, 421 patients (282 TCs and 139 SRs) were included in this study. The mean age was 52.9 ± 14.3 years for the entire population: 55.3 ± 14.1 years for TCs and 47.9 ± 13.4 years for SRs. Forty (29%) SRs and 60 (21.4%) TCs had de novo metastatic disease ( P = .08). The median OS in the general population was 57.9 months (95% CI, 40.1 to 75.7), whereas it was 80.9 months (95% CI, 56.5 to 97.2) in TCs and 42.2 months in SRs (95% CI, 27.0 to 57.4; P = .006). In the nonmetastatic group, the median OS did not reach (NR) in TCs, and it was 52.6 months (95% CI, 43.7 to 61.5) in SRs ( P = .02). In the metastatic group, the median OS was 21 months (95% CI, 8.5 to 29.2) in TCs, and it was 18.9 months in SRs (95% CI, 16.3 to 25.7; P = .93)., Conclusion: The survival rate was lower in the SR group. Since CRC is also common among refugees, developing and implementing methods to improve the welfare of vulnerable populations is necessary.

Metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) remains a challenging condition to treat despite recent advancements. This retrospective study aimed to assess the activity and tolerability of Lutetium-177 (Lu-177) PSMA-617 radioligand therapy (RLT) in mCRPC patients across multiple cancer centers in Turkey. The study included 165 patients who received at least one cycle of Lu-177 PSMA-617 RLT, with the majority having bone metastases and undergone prior treatments. Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels were assessed before each treatment cycle, and the biochemical response was evaluated in accordance with the Prostate Cancer Work Group 3 Criteria. The PSA decline of ≥50% was classified as a response, while an increase of ≥25% in PSA levels was indicative of progressive disease. Neither response nor progression was considered as stable disease. The Lu-177 PSMA-617 RLT led to a significant PSA response, with 50.6% of patients achieving a >50% decrease in PSA levels. Median overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival were 13.5 and 8.2 months, respectively. Patients receiving Lu-177 PSMA-617 RLT in combination with androgen receptor pathway inhibitors (ARPIs) had a higher OS compared to those receiving Lu-177 PSMA-617 RLT alone (18.2 vs 12.3 months, P = .265). The treatment was generally well-tolerated, with manageable side effects such as anemia and thrombocytopenia. This study provides real-world evidence supporting the effectiveness and safety of Lu-177 PSMA-617 RLT in mCRPC patients, particularly when used in combination with ARPIs. These findings contribute to the growing body of evidence on the potential benefits of PSMA-targeted therapies in advanced prostate cancer., (© 2023 UICC.)

Introduction: The addition of panitumumab to chemotherapy in wild-type metastatic colon cancer contributes to survival. While the skin related side effects of panitumumab are well known, we wanted to present a case where it was a possible cause of acute pancreatitis., Case Report: The FOLFOX regimen was started in a 67-year-old patient with sigmoid colon cancer and multiple liver metastases. After 2 cycles, genetic tests were concluded and panitumumab 6 mg/kg was added to the treatment. The patient who presented with abdominal pain 2 days after the treatment was hospitalized with acute pancreaatitis., Management & Outcome: Abdominal tomography of the patient was compatible with acute pancreatitis. Oral intake was stopped, IV hydration was started. The patient, whose complaints regressed, was discharged on the 3rd day of hospitalization., Discussion: Skin side effects related to panitumumab are observed quite frequently. Although panitumumab related gastrointestinal side effects have been reported, there is no data on acute pancreatitis. Panitumumab was added to the chemotherapy regimen he received, and it was thought that panitumumab might be the etiological factor in the case who developed pancreatitis.

Introduction: Approximately 20-33% of all cancer patients are treated with acid-reducing agents (ARAs), most commonly proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), to reduce gastroesophageal reflux disease symptoms. Palbociclib and ribociclib are weak bases so their solubility depends on different pH. The solubility of palbociclib dramatically decreases to < 0.5 mg/ml when pH is above 4,5 but ribociclibs' solubility decreases when pH increases above 6,5. In the current study, we aimed to investigate the effects of concurrent PPIs on palbociclib and ribociclib efficacy in terms of progression-free survival in metastatic breast cancer (mBC) patients., Patients and Methods: We enrolled hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative mBC patients treated with endocrine treatment (letrozole or fulvestrant) combined palbociclib or ribociclib alone or with PPI accompanying our observational study. During palbociclib/ribociclib therapy, patients should be treated with "concurrent PPIs" defined as all or more than half of treatment with palbociclib/ribociclib, If no PPI was applied, it was defined as 'no concurrent PPI', those who used PPI but less than half were excluded from the study. All data was collected from real-life retrospectively., Results: Our study included 217 patients, 105 of whom received palbociclib and 112 received ribociclib treatment. In the study population CDK inhibitor treatment was added to fulvestrant 102 patients ( 47%), to letrozole 115 patients (53%). In the Palbociclib arm fulvestrant/letrozole ratio was 53.3/46.7%, in the ribociclib arm it was 41.07/58.93%. Of 105 patients who received palbociclib, 65 were on concomitant PPI therapy, 40 were not. Of the 112 patients who received ribociclib, 61 were on concomitant PPI therapy, 51 were not. In the palbociclib group, the PFS of the patients using PPIs was shorter than the PFS of the patients not using (13.04 months vs. unreachable, p < 0.001). It was determined that taking PPIs was an independent predictor of shortening PFS (p < 0.001) in the multivariate analysis, In the ribociclib group, the PFS of the patients using PPIs was shorter than the PFS of the patients not using (12.64 months vs. unreachable, p = 0.003). It was determined that taking PPIs was single statistically independent predictor of shortening PFS (p = 0.003, univariate analysis)., Conclusions: Our study demonstrated that concomitant usage of PPIs was associated with shorter PFS in mBC treated with both ribociclib and especially palbociclib. If it needs to be used, PPI selection should be made carefully and low-strength PPI or other ARAs (eg H2 antagonists, antacids) should be preferred., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Background/aims: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is known to impair the quality of life (QoL). Increased levels of anxiety and depression have been found in HCV infection with a prevalence of 28% and 33%, respectively. Our aim was to investigate depression, anxiety, and QoL of chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients before and after treatment with a direct-acting antiviral agent (DAAA)., Materials and Methods: In this study, enrolled CHC patients who had undergone DAAA treatment in our out-patient clinic. We administered the Hospital Anxiety and Depression (HAD) questionnaire to measure the severity of the anxiety and depression symptoms and the Short Form-36 (SF-36) questionnaire to measure the QoL at the beginning and at the end of the treatment., Results: Pretreatment anxiety and depression scores showed a statistically significant difference from the post treatment scores (p=0.000 and p=0.029 respectively). When we compared the SF-36 subitems before and after the treatment, a statistical significance was found in physical functioning (p=0.026), physical role limitation (p=0.009), bodily pain (p=0.011), general health (p=0.017), social functioning (p=0.006), and emotional role limitation (p=0.007). Also, an improvement was seen in the vitality (p=0.488) and mental health (p=0.714), which was not statistically significant., Conclusion: Depression got minimally worse in the male group despite an improvement in CHC. Anxiety scores were improved with treatment in the cirrhotic and non-cirrhotic groups significantly. A decrease in anticipatory anxiety may be related to the high treatment success with DAAA. Nearly all the subitems of the QoL scores were improved after treatment and these were more common in the female group. Elimination of HCV may itself decrease the number of patients who need psychiatric treatment.