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    Atilla Akkoclu

    Technetium-99m-tetrofosmin, an agent that is widely used in myocardial imaging, has been reported to accumulate in several types of malignancies, including lung tumors. Yet, there is limited knowledge about its role in imaging infection... more
    Technetium-99m-tetrofosmin, an agent that is widely used in myocardial imaging, has been reported to accumulate in several types of malignancies, including lung tumors. Yet, there is limited knowledge about its role in imaging infection or inflammatory lesions. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of 99mTc-tetrofosmin scintigraphy in pulmonary tuberculosis in cases with active and inactive tuberculosis in comparison with radiological and microbiological findings. Twenty-seven patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis (APTB) and 6 patients with inactive pulmonary tuberculosis (IPTB), proven by sputum smears and cultures, were included in this study. Mean age of the group was 42.6+/-13 yr. Nine months after therapy, 99mTc-tetrofosmin scintigraphy was repeated in 6 patients with APTB to evaluate response to therapy. Ten-minute anterior and posterior chest images were acquired 20 and 60 min after the injection of 370 MBq (10 mCi) 99mTc-tetrofosmin. The images were evaluat...
    We describe a rare case of extranodal marginal zone/low-grade B-cell lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) combined with areas of well-differentiated adenocarcinoma. In addition, the MALT lymphoma was synchronously... more
    We describe a rare case of extranodal marginal zone/low-grade B-cell lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) combined with areas of well-differentiated adenocarcinoma. In addition, the MALT lymphoma was synchronously systemic, with involvement of the lung, stomach and duodenum.
    The role of survivin that regulates the biological behavior of non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) is still controversial. We aimed to investigate survivin expression in NSCLC and to define any correlation with expressions of p53,... more
    The role of survivin that regulates the biological behavior of non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) is still controversial. We aimed to investigate survivin expression in NSCLC and to define any correlation with expressions of p53, bcl-2, bax, apoptotic index (AI), tumor cell proliferation, clinicopathologic variables, and overall survival. Tumors of 63 patients with NSCLC were examined for expressions of survivin, p53, bcl-2, bax, and Ki-67 by immunohistochemistry. AI was also evaluated. Results for each antibody were correlated with each other, and with clinicopathologic variables including age, sex, histologic subtype, TNM (T: primary tumor, N: regional lymph node metastasis, M: distant metastasis) stage, lymph node status, smoking history, and prognosis. Nuclear survivin expression was inversely correlated with p53 expression (P = 0.04, r = - 0.367), and tumor stage (P = 0.03, r = - 0.273), and positively correlated with tumor cell proliferation (P = 0.009, r = 0.329). Cytoplasmic survivin expression positively correlated with smoking history (P = 0.02, r = 0.282). Survivin/bax ratio was inversely correlated with AI (r: - 0.004). By Kaplan-Meier analysis, TNM stage (P < or = 0.001), lymph node metastasis (P = 0.04), and Ki-67 index (P < or = 0.001) were associated with survival, whereas survivin was not. In multivariate analysis, only TNM stage was an independent predictor. Although survivin and other apoptosis-related protein expressions fail to predict the clinical outcome, the present findings suggest that survivin is involved in tumor cell apoptosis and proliferation and may play a role in critical steps of cancer progression in NSCLC.