The difference between pre- and postchemotherapy MMP-9 levels in responders was more prominent than that in nonresponders. Whether the decline in serum MMP-9 levels might be used as a marker of response to chemotherapy should be investigated in larger studies.

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Mounier-Kuhn syndrome is a rare syndrome characterized by tracheobronchomegaly resulting from the loss or atrophy of musculo-elastic fibers within the trachea and main bronchi wall. This syndrome is more common in the third or fourth decades of life. The diagnosis can usually be made by measuring the diameters of trachea and main bronchi radiologically. A 52-year-old male patient was referred to our outpatient clinic with chronic productive cough and recurrent respiratory tract infections. We detected tracheobronchomegaly, tracheal diverticula, and bronchiectasis in the chest CT scans. This rare case is presented due to later onset than expected and very demonstrative radiological findings.

BackgroundAlthough bevacizumab has deleterious effects on the healing of colonic anastomoses, trapidil improves wound healing of colonic and tracheal anastomoses.ObjectiveWe aimed to assess the effects of bevacizumab and trapidil on wound healing after tracheal transection.Materials and methodsWe evaluated 35 rats divided in 5 groups: bevacizumab (Group I, n = 7), trapidil (Group II, n = 7), trapidil + bevacizumab (Group III, n = 7), controls (Group IV, n = 7), and sham (Group V, n = 7). Anastomotic healing was assessed by measurement of bursting pressure and inflammation score at the anastomotic region on the seventh day.ResultsThe bursting pressures of Group II, Group III, and Group V were significantly higher than controls (P = 0.001, P = 0.033, and P = 0.035, respectively). Fibrosis was significantly high in the sham group when compared with the other four groups (P = 0.047).ConclusionsAlthough bevacizumab seems to impair anastomotic healing, trapidil can be suggested to improve tracheal anastomoses.