Pure testicular rhabdomyosarcoma is a very rare tumor and 7 cases have been reported in literature. A 20-year-old male patient presented with a painless right testicular swelling who underwent inguinal orchiectomy with suspicion of testicular malignancy. The case was regarded as an embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma according to histopathologic and immunohistochemical findings. The case is presented and the relevant literature is reviewed and discussed.

Background/aim: Allergic rhinitis (AR) and asthma are the most common allergic disorders worldwide. Aeroallergens are critical causative factors in the pathogenesis of these disorders and sensitization to aeroallergens differs in various countries and regions. Identification of the most common aeroallergen sensitization is crucial in the diagnosis and management of AR and asthma. We examined the distribution of aeroallergen sensitizations detected by skin prick tests (SPTs) in adult patients with AR and/or asthma in the city of Bursa.

Accurate risk stratification of normotensive patients with acute pulmonary embolism (PE) require further investigation. We aimed to develop a simple model using clinical (shock index) and laboratory findings (cardiac Troponin, echocardiography) to assess the risk of 30-day mortality in normotensive patients with acute PE. In this retrospective study, 489 normotensive patients with acute PE diagnosed objectively. The primary end-point was defined as a all cause 30-day mortality. Shock index was calculated on admission. The primary end-point occurred in 67 (13.7%, 95% CI 10.7-16.8) patients with acute PE. Predictors of complications included elevated cardiac troponin (OR 1.7, 95% CI 1.3-2.2) and shock index (OR 1.3, 95% CI 1.1-1.5) by multivariable analysis. Risk index point was created based on OR. The model identified stages (stage I: 0-1 point, stage II: 2 points and stage III: 3 point) with 30-day mortality rates of 4.3, 19 and 38.6 %, respectively. The shock index and cardiac troponin can be safely used in combination to determine intermediate risk in patients with PE in emergency departmant. The study provided observations that will require prospective validation before the proposed risk score is adopted in clinical practice.

Background Over-reliance on short-acting β2-agonists (SABAs) is associated with poor asthma outcomes. However, the extent of SABA use in Turkey is unclear owing to a lack of comprehensive healthcare databases. Here, we describe the demographics, disease characteristics and treatment patterns from the Turkish cohort of the SABA use IN Asthma (SABINA) III study. Methods This observational, cross-sectional study included patients aged ≥ 12 years with asthma from 24 centres across Turkey. Data on sociodemographics, disease characteristics and asthma treatments were collected using electronic case report forms. Patients were classified by investigator-defined asthma severity (guided by the 2017 Global Initiative for Asthma [GINA]) and practice type (primary/specialist care). The primary objective was to describe SABA prescription patterns in the 12 months prior to the study visit. Results Overall, 579 patients were included (mean age [standard deviation; SD]: 47.4 [16.1] years; 74.3% female), all of whom were treated by specialists. Most patients had moderate-to-severe asthma (82.7%, GINA steps 3–5), were overweight or obese (70.5%), had high school or university/post-graduate education (51.8%) and reported fully reimbursed healthcare (97.1%). The mean (SD) asthma duration was 12.0 (9.9) years. Asthma was partly controlled/uncontrolled in 56.3% of patients, and 46.5% experienced ≥ 1 severe exacerbation in the preceding 12 months. Overall, 23.9% of patients were prescribed ≥ 3 SABA canisters in the previous 12 months (considered over-prescription); 42.9% received no SABA prescriptions. As few patients had mild asthma, only 5.7% were prescribed SABA monotherapy. Therefore, most patients (61.5%) were prescribed SABA in addition to maintenance therapy, with 42.8% receiving ≥ 3 SABA canisters in the previous 12 months. Inhaled corticosteroids (ICS), ICS + a long-acting β-agonist fixed-dose combination and oral corticosteroids were prescribed to 14.5%, 88.3% and 28.5% of all patients, respectively. Additionally, 10.2% of patients purchased SABA over the counter, of whom 27.1% purchased ≥ 3 canisters in the preceding 12 months. Conclusions Despite all patients being treated by specialists and most receiving fully reimbursed healthcare, nearly a quarter of patients received prescriptions for ≥ 3 SABA canisters in the previous 12 months. This highlights a public health concern and emphasizes the need to align clinical practices with the latest evidence-based recommendations.