Reduced left uncinate fasciculus fractional anisotropy in deficit schizophrenia but not in non-deficit schizophrenia

Aims: Schizophrenia is a psychiatric disorder manifesting with heterogeneous symptom clusters and clinical presentations. The deficit syndrome is the condition defined by the existence of primarily negative symptoms, and patients with the deficit syndrome differ from non‐deficit patients on measures of brain structure and function. In the current study, by using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), we investigated the frontotemporal connectivity that is hypothesized to differ between deficit and non‐deficit schizophrenia. Methods: Twenty‐nine patients and 17 healthy controls were included in the study. The patients had deficit (n = 11) or non‐deficit (n = 18) schizophrenia and they were evaluated clinically with the Schedule for Deficit Syndrome (SDS) and Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). Diffusion‐based images were obtained with a 1.5T Siemens Magnetic Resonance Imaging machine and analyses were carried out with Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Brain Library Software – Diffusion tool box software. Results: The fractional anisotropy values in the left uncinate fasciculus of schizophrenia patients with the deficit syndrome were lower than those of non‐deficit patients and the controls. There were no differences between non‐deficit schizophrenia patients and controls. Conclusion: These findings provide evidence of left uncinate fasciculus damage resulting in disrupted communication between orbitofrontal prefrontal areas and temporal areas in deficit schizophrenia patients.     

Bilateral acute iris transillumination following a fumigation therapy: a village-based traditional method for the treatment of ophthalmomyiasis

Bilateral acute iris transillumination (BAIT) is a relatively new clinical entity characterized by bilateral acute loss of iris pigment epithelium, iris transillumination, pigment dispersion in the anterior chamber and atonic pupilla. We report herein a 50-year-old female who presented with bilateral ocular pain, severe photophobia and red eyes. One month ago, a fly hit her eye, and she instantly complained of a discomfort and sensation of a foreign body in both eyes. She used a fumigation therapy, a traditional method for the treatment of ophthalmomyiasis. During follow-up examinations, intraocular pressures increased over 40?mmHg bilaterally despite maximal medical therapy, which necessitated trabeculectomy surgery with mitomycin. This is a typical BAIT case with no antecedent fluoroquinolone use or viral disease, but a fumigation therapy. There might be a possible relationship between BAIT and traditional fumigation therapy or this association might be coincidental, both of which need further evaluation.     

Results of native and transplant kidney biopsies of children in a single center over a 15 years period

Renal biopsy is an important diagnostic procedure in pediatric nephrology. This study retrospectively investigates the indications, results and complications in a single tertiary children’s hospital in Turkey. We evaluated the native and transplant kidney biopsies in Gazi University Pediatric Nephrology Department between 2001 and 2015. A total of 196 biopsies (144 natives and 52 transplants) were included into the study. The mean age of the patients was respectively 10.8?±?3.5, 13.9?±?1.5?years. The main indication for a biopsy was non-nephrotic proteinuria with or without hematuria (n=?35), followed by steroid-resistance nephrotic syndrome (SRNS) (n?=?34) and Henoch-Schönlein purpura (HSP)–related proteinuria (n?=?20) for native kidneys. We found that focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) (11.7%) was the most common histopathologic diagnosis for native kidneys, but acute cellular rejection (7.6%) was the most common histopathologic diagnosis for transplant kidneys. The complication rate in our study was founded 6.6% totally. Different complication rates were found in other studies; however, we think that this difference comes from the inspecting methodology of the complications. Hence, we wanted to share our own experience in the context of other studies in the literature.     

Survivin expression and its potential clinical significance in gastrointestinal stromal sarcoma

This study was designed to determine the level of survivin expression and its clinical significance as a prognostic factor in gastrointestinal stromal sarcoma (GIST). Twenty patients (12 males and 8 females) ranging in age from 25 to 72, with a median age of 53 were evaluated. Failure of TKI treatment was higher in the survivin-positive group (p = 0.06). The rate of metastasis was significantly higher in the survivin positive group vs. the negative group (80% vs. 30%, p = 0.18). The median overall survival (OS) time was 114 (range 29–199) months, and the median disease-free survival (DFS) time was 88 (range 40–135) months. The median progression-free survival (PFS) time was 40 (range 24–55) months. Further, a comparison of patients with survivin positive versus negative tumors, revealed no significant difference for OS, DFS, and PFS (p = 0.45, p = 0.19, p = 0.55, respectively), number of mitoses in 50 HPF (p = 0.14), and tumor size (p = 0.94).In conclusion, survivin was highly expressed in GISTs, although we found no correlation between survivin expression and PFS, DFS and OS, survivin may be a predictive marker in GISTs for disease progression. We believe that additional studies are warranted to determine the clinical significance of survivin expression as a prognostic or predictive marker in patients with GIST.     

Abdominal sacrohysteropexy in young women with uterovaginal prolapse: results of 20 cases

OBJECTIVE: To report the results of abdominal sacrohysteropexy with polypropylene mesh in young women who wish to retain their uteri following uterovaginal prolapse. STUDY DESIGN: Twenty young women underwent abdominal sacrohysteropexy and concomitant reconstructive surgery. The preoperative and postoperative protocols included a urogynecologic history, physical examination, voiding diary, 1-hour pad test, cough stress test, multichannel urodynamic studies and administration of a validated, prolapse-specific symptom inventory and quality of life instrument. RESULTS: Of the 20 patients with marked uterovaginal prolapse, 13 had urodynamic stress incontinence. Anterior and posterior vaginal wall prolapse and urodynamic stress incontinence recurred in 1 of 20 patients (5%) at a mean follow-up of 25 months. Nineteen patients stated that their sex life had improved, although 3 of them had dyspareunia. One patient was dissatisfied owing to persistent dyspareunia. The postoperative values on the symptom inventory and quality of life scores were significantly lower than the preoperative values. The low scores suggest satisfaction and no symptoms of prolapse. CONCLUSION: Abdominal sacrohysteropexy is effective and safe in the treatment of uterovaginal prolapse in women who wish to retain their uteri. It maintains a durable anatomic restoration, normal vaginal axis and sexual function. The success rate is excellent for correcting prolapse, and the complications are minimal.