Neural fibrolipoma of the ulnar nerve in the hand: a case report.

The author reports an unusual case of neural fibrolipoma (lipofibromatous hamartoma) of the ulnar nerve in the hand. A 20-year-old man presented with a fusiform soft tissue mass in his right hand. Neurological examination was normal except to minimal pain on palpation. Surgical exploration revealed that ulnar nerve and its digital branches were infiltrated by fibrofatty tissues. Fibrofatty tissues were dissected and removed from the nerve by microsurgical technique. Histological examination confirmed the diagnosis as a lipofibromatous hamartoma of the nerve. The result of surgical debulking was satisfactory.     

Low Complement C1q/TNF-related Protein-13 Levels are Associated with Childhood Obesity But not Binge Eating Disorder

Objective:C1q/tumor necrosis factor-related proteins (CTRPs) are recently described members of the adipokine family. CTRP-13, a new member of this family, has been shown to increase insulin sensitivity and had an anorexigenic effect on food intake in experimental studies. The aim was to investigate serum CTRP-13 levels in children with obesity, and its relationship with other adipokines, metabolic parameters, or binge eating disorder (BED).Methods:A cross-sectional study was conducted with 105 pubertal children attending a single center. Clinical (metabolic syndrome, BED) and biochemical (glucose, insulin, lipids, leptin, adiponectin, CTRP-13 levels) parameters were assessed.Results:Sixty children with obesity [24 males (40%); median age 14.7 (13.0-16.4) years] and 45 healthy controls [15 males (33.3%); median age 15.2 (14.1-16.5) years] were included. Serum adiponectin and CTRP-13 levels were significantly lower in children with obesity than controls (7.1 vs 20.1 μg/mL, p<0.001; 64.7 vs 103.8 ng/mL, p<0.001, respectively). CTRP-13 levels correlated negatively with body mass index (Spearman rho=-0.230, p=0.018) and positively with high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol levels (Spearman rho=0.218, p=0.026). There was no significant difference in serum CTRP-13 concentrations in terms of the presence of metabolic syndrome or BED.Conclusion:Childhood obesity seems to be causing dysregulation in adipokine production and function, including the down-regulation of CTRP-13. The positive correlation between CTRP-13 and HDL-C levels suggested a possible effect of this adipokine on lipid metabolism. Thus CTRP-13 may be a novel biomarker for dyslipidemia in childhood obesity.     

Digoxin intoxication: An old enemy in modern era

Objectives Although development of new treatment modalities limited digoxin usage, digoxin intoxication is still an important issue which could be easily overlooked. In this report we analyzed a case series definitively diagnosed as digoxin intoxication in the modern era. Methods We analyzed 71 patients hospitalized with digoxin intoxication confirmed by history, complaints, clinical and electrocardiograph (ECG) findings, and serum digoxin levels > 2.0 ng/mL, during a five year period. The demographic and clinical data, indications for digoxin use, digoxin dosage, concurrent medications, laboratory data, hospital monitoring, and ECG findings were obtained from all patients. Results Thirty-eight of 71 patients (53.5%) had symptoms of heart failure during admission or later. Sixty-four percent of patients were older than 75 years. The percentage of females was 67%. Atrial fibrillation, hypertension and gastrointestinal complaints were more frequent in the females (64% in females, 30% in males, P = 0.007; 81% in female, 52% in males, P = 0.01; 50% in female, 17.3% in males, P = 0.008, respectively). The mortality rate during the hospital course was 7%. Conclusion This report demonstrated the reduced mortality rates in patients with digoxin intoxication over the study period. Gastrointestinal complaints are the most common symptoms in this population.     

Does Familial Mediterranean Fever Provoke Atherosclerosis in Children? Evaluation of Arterial Stiffness and Serum Endocan Levels

Clinical Rheumatology - This study aimed to evaluate the risk for atherosclerosis by using echocardiographic arterial stiffness (AS) parameters and serum endocan levels, as a biomarker of...