Turk J Med Sci
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Cancer gene therapy emerged as a promising treatment modality 3 decades ago. However, the failure of the first gene therapy trials in cancer treatment has decreased its popularity. Likewise, immunotherapy has followed a similar course. ⋯ Immunotherapy became one of the main options for cancer treatment with the successful use of immune checkpoint inhibitors in clinics approximately 10 years ago. The success of immunotherapy has increased even more with the introduction of cancer gene therapy methods in this area. With the identification of the oncolytic herpes simplex virus and Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cells, immune gene therapy has become an essential modality in cancer treatments such as surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and targeted therapies.
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Behçet’s disease (BD) is a systemic and inflammatory disorder that is mainly present along the ancient Silk Road, from the Mediterranean Sea to East Asia. A wide range of prevalence figures (0.1–420/100,000) have been reported for BD, also among Turkish populations of similar genetic background living in different countries. ⋯ It was hypothesized that a decline in infectious diseases, especially dental/periodontal infections, associated with the improvement in oral health, could be a part of these changes in the disease expression. Further epidemiological studies in other populations might demonstrate whether there is a worldwide similar trend and may provide a better understanding of the triggering factors for the onset and course of BD.
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Liver transplantation (LT) remains the only therapeutic option offering gold standard treatment for end-stage liver disease (ESLD) and acute liver failure (ALF), as well as for certain early-stage liver tumors. Currently, the greatest challenge facing LT is the simple fact that there are not enough adequate livers for all the potential patients that could benefit from LT. Despite efforts to expand the donor pool to include living and deceased donors, organ shortage is still a major problem in many countries. ⋯ However, the majority of patients with severe alcoholic hepatitis who fail medical therapy will not live long enough to meet this requirement. Besides, the initial results of early liver transplantation (ELT) without waiting for 6 months of abstinence period are satisfactory in severe alcoholic hepatitis (SAH). It will be important to take care of these patients from a newer perspective.
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The success of treatment of bone fracture and defects are based on a proper contact and compression between the bone fracture fragments. Intraoperative manipulations such as bone compression or distractions are generally done in order to achieve this. However, none of the bone plates currently in routine use allow these manipulations after fixation to the bone, requiring refixation and repeated drilling, and screwing operations. Based on this shortcoming, we designed a novel adjustable bone plate (ABP) system which allows bone shortening and lengthening even after fixation to the bone surface. The aim of the paper is to clarify the unique properties of the novel bone plate. ⋯ The potential of the new generation ABP plate for use in bone compression, distraction, and the segmental bone transfer is a promising invention for clinical applications in the future.
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Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is an autosomal dominant, multisystem disorder that is characterized by cellular and tissue dysplasia in several organs. With the advent of genetic and molecular techniques, mutations in the TSC1 or TSC2 genes were discovered to be responsible for mTOR overactivation, which is the underlying mechanism of pathogenesis. TSC is a highly heterogenous clinical entity with variable presentations and severity of disease. ⋯ The TAND checklist is a useful tool for routine use in the clinical evaluation of TSC patients. A multidisciplinary treatment plan, based on the specific problems and needs of individuals, is the key to management of this genetic condition. Ongoing research studies have been providing promising leads for developing novel mechanistic strategies to address the pathophysiology of TSC.