Objective: Patients with solid malignancies are more vulnerable to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection than the healthy population. The outcome of SARS-CoV-2 infection in highly immunosuppressed populations, such as in patients with hematological malignancies, is a point of interest. We aimed to analyze the symptoms, complications, intensive care unit admissions, and mortality rates of patients with hematological malignancies infected with SARS-CoV-2 in Turkey. Materials and Methods: In this multicenter study, we included 340 adult and pediatric patients diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 from March to November 2020. Diagnosis and status of primary disease, treatment schedules for hematological malignancies, time from last treatment, life expectancy related to the hematological disease, and comorbidities were recorded, together with data regarding symptoms, treatment, and outcome of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Results: Forty four patients were asymptomatic at diagnosis of SARSCoV-2 infection. Among symptomatic patients, fever, cough, and dyspnea were observed in 62.6%, 48.8%, and 41.8%, respectively. Sixtynine (20%) patients had mild SARS-CoV-2 disease, whereas moderate, severe, and critical disease was reported in 101 (29%), 71 (20%), and 55 (16%) patients, respectively. Of the entire cohort, 251 (73.8%) patients were hospitalized for SARS-CoV-2. Mortality related to SARS-CoV-2 infection was 26.5% in the entire cohort; this comprised 4.4% of those patients with mild disease, 12.4% of those with moderate disease, and 83% of those with severe or critical disease. Active hematological disease, lower life expectancy related to primary hematological disease, neutropenia at diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2, ICU admission, and first-line therapy used for coronavirus disease-2019 treatment were found to be related to higher mortality rates. Treatments with hydroxychloroquine alone or in combination with azithromycin were associated with a higher rate of mortality in comparison to favipiravir use. Conclusion: Patients with hematological malignancy infected with SARS-CoV-2 have an increased risk of severe disease and mortality.

Objective: Surgical excisional biopsy is accepted as the standard of care approach in the diagnosis of lympho- mas. Financial issues related to the increased cost and the invasive nature of the procedure forced physicians to use some alternative diagnostic methods. Percutaneous core needle biopsy, which gained a reputation for the diagnosis of lymphomas with the advent of improved pathological, immunohistochemical, and molecular analysis, made it possible to have an accurate diagnosis with limited tissue samples. In this retrospective study, we aimed to compare the diagnostic yield of surgical excisional biopsy and core needle biopsy. Materials and Methods: This study included 131 patients who were diagnosed with lymphoma with a nodal biopsy which was acquired via surgical excisional biopsy or core needle biopsy between 2014 and 2020 in our center. Around 68 patients underwent surgical excisional biopsy and the remaining 63 underwent core needle biopsy. Samples that allowed to the identification of the exact tumor type and/or subtype were accepted as fully diagnostic. Sufficient amount of tissue that the pathologist could have any suspicious findings considering malignant lymphoma was classified as partial diagnostic group. Inadequate samples were the ones who were not enough to report any final diagnosis. Results: The patients who underwent a core needle biopsy were significantly older than the patients who underwent to surgical excisional biopsy (56.8 vs. 47.6, P = .003). Despite the full diagnostic ability of surgical excisional biopsy outperformed core needle biopsy (95.2 % vs. 83.8 %, P=.035), in 92.6% of the patients whose tissue samples were obtained via core needle biopsy were accepted to have a sufficient diagnosis to initiate the treatment and not required a second biopsy, which was comparable with the ones achieved by surgical excisional biopsy (92.6% vs. 95.2%, P = .720). Conclusion: According to the results obtained in our study, we may conclude that core needle biopsy is a viable and comparable alternative to surgical excisional biopsy, offering a less invasive and less-expansive approach. Cite this article as: Gül Mutlu Y, Balık Aydın B, Çakır A, Canöz Ö, Erol C, Gökmen Sevindik Ö. Should core needle lymph node biopsy be a relevant alternative to surgical excisional biopsy in diagnostic work up of lymphomas? Eurasian J Med., 2023;55(2):114-119.

Aims: Hereditary thrombophilias are genetic conditions that increase thromboembolic risk, with heightened thrombotic potential during pregnancy due to the associated hypercoagulable state. These conditions are recognized as significant risk factors for recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL), defined as the loss of two or more consecutive pregnancies before the 20th gestational week, affecting approximately 1-2% of women of reproductive age. RPL is multifactorial, influenced by genetic, environmental, and hormonal factors, with advanced maternal age and previous pregnancy loss being prominent risk factors. While the role of hereditary thrombophilias in adverse pregnancy outcomes remains controversial, studies have reported inconsistent findings regarding their association with RPL. Methods: This retrospective cohort study included 736 women with a history of RPL and aimed to investigate the relationship between genetic thrombophilia variants and recurrent pregnancy loss, focusing on their impact on miscarriage risk. Genetic testing using PCR panels identified common mutations such as Factor V Leiden, MTHFR, PAI-1, and prothrombin G20210A. Results: Statistical analyses revealed no significant associations between these variants and RPL. Conclusion: The findings suggest that, despite the prevalence of certain mutations, their contribution to miscarriage risk may be limited, underscoring the importance of selective genetic testing. This study highlights the need to optimize genetic screening practices to avoid unnecessary testing and reduce healthcare costs, supporting a more targeted approach in managing patients with RPL.