Objective The musculoskeletal system is one of the most commonly affected systems in brucellosis. The objective of this study was to determine the frequency, types, and clinical features of osteoarticular involvement among cases with brucellosis in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey and to establish the differences between patients with and without osteoarticular involvement. Methods Included in this study were 202 patients with Brucellosis presented between June 2003 and June 2009. The diagnosis of osteoarticular system complications was established by physical examination and radiological findings obtained by diagnostic imaging tools. Magnetic resonance images of thoracic, lumbar or sacral vertebrae were acquired from patients with back pain, low back pain and sacro-iliac joint pain. Results Osteoarticular involvement was noted in 94 patients (46.5%). The most common sources of infection are employment in farming and/or consumption of un-pasteurized milk or dairy products, especially fresh cheese in 53 (75.7%) cases. The mean age is 46.7±18 years. Sacroiliitis is the most frequent osteoarticular involvement (60.6%), 82.4% of which is bilateral. Sacroiliitis was followed by spondylodiscitis in 36 (38.3%), peripheral arthritis in 15 (16%), bursitis in 1(1.1%) case. Patients with osteoarticular involvement received medical treatment for at least three months. Conclusion The ratio and anatomical region of osteoarticular involvement in brucellosis show variability among countries. In this study, it is demonstrated that sacroiliitis is the most common form of osteoarticular involvement in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey. In endemic countries such as Turkey, this disease should be included in the differential diagnosis for patients with symptoms of sacroiliitis, spondylodiscitis or those with articular pain.

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Although, nucleoplasty appeared to be a safe minimally invasive procedure, the value of this new technique for the treatment of discogenic low-back pain remains as yet unproven. Further randomised placebo-controlled studies with longer follow-up are needed to elucidate the effects of nucleoplasty on discogenic low back and leg pain.

Background Further research is required for evaluating the use of ADC histogram analysis in more advanced stages of cervical cancer treated with definitive chemoradiotherapy (CRT). Purpose To investigate the utility of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) histogram derived from diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance images in cervical cancer patients treated with definitive CRT. Material and Methods The clinical and radiological data of 50 patients with histologically proven cervical squamous cell carcinoma treated with definitive CRT were retrospectively analyzed. The impact of clinicopathological factors and ADC histogram parameters on prognostic factors and treatment outcomes was assessed. Results The mean and median ADC values for the cohort were 1.043 ± 0.135 × 10 mm/s and 1.018 × 10 mm/s (range, 0.787-1.443 × 10 mm/s). The mean ADC was significantly lower for patients with advanced stage (≥IIB) or lymph node metastasis compared with patients with stage

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