Hemoglobinopathies in the District of Antalya, Turkey

A screening program was conducted to ascertain the incidence of hemoglobinopathies in the district of Antalya, Turkey. The survey sample was selected from the household registration forms of health centers by systematic random sampling. Heparinized blood samples were collected from 1,616 subjects from 884 families.

The prevalence of p thalassemia traits with increased Hb A2 was 10.2%. This is higher than that found in previous studies performed in Antalya. The prevalence of abnormal hemoglobins (Hbs) was found to be 0.8%. Four subjects had Hb AS; five had Hb D-Los Angeles (B 121 [GH4] Glu-Gln); one had Hb Ube-2 (68 [E1] Asn-Asp), one had Hb P-Nilotic (fusion between B 22 and) and two had Hb D-like variants.     

Effects of intrathecal administration of FK506 after sciatic nerve crush injury

Although various administration routes of FK506 have been published, intrathecal administration of FK506 has not previously been reported in the literature. A daily dose of 0.05 mg/kg of FK506 was given (a small dose compared with those reported in the available literature). The authors used this small dose to obtain lower immunosuppression and neurotoxicity, and a higher axonal regeneration rate. A total number of 40 female Wistar rats were used and randomly divided into four groups: control, sham, FK506-treated, and vehicle-treated. Sciatic nerve regeneration was evaluated by walking track analysis, an electrostimulation test, and light microscopic evaluation. There was a statistically significant difference ( P < 0.05) between FK506-treated and vehicle-treated groups at the end of 6 weeks according to both the walking track analysis and the electrostimulation test. Comparing the stimulus thresholds of the sham and FK506-treated group, no significant difference ( P > 0.05) was observed. Evaluation of the data revealed that FK506 had a beneficial effect on sciatic nerve regeneration.     

Multidisciplinary Management of Limited Interocclusal Space: A Clinical Report

Prosthetic management of partial edentulism can be challenging with the presence of limited interocclusal space. The extrusion of opposing teeth combined with the alveolar extrusion of the edentulous areas reduces the space needed for fabricating a removable or fixed prosthesis when edentulous areas are present in the maxilla. This clinical report describes the treatment provided to a patient who presented with a limited interocclusal space on the posterior right quadrant. Before prosthetic rehabilitation, mandibular right posterior teeth were intruded, and the maxillary right posterior alveolar crest was reduced by alveoloplasty. After gaining adequate space, prosthetic rehabilitation was completed with a maxillary removable partial denture. During the 2‐year follow‐up period, the patient's chewing functions and physical appearance improved, and no complications occurred.     

Treatment of aortocoronary graft lesions with graft-stents

OBJECTIVE: Previous controlled trials do not indicate a superiority of the polytetrafluoroethylene membrane-covered stent graft compared with a conventional stent with respect to acute results, restenosis, or clinical event rates. We evaluated the outcome of stenting aortocoronary bypass grafts with polytetrafluoroethylene-covered stent. METHODS: The study included 64 patients who had 73 saphenous graft-stent implants. Clinical follow-up was obtained for a median of 6.2 months (1-9 months) for 54 patients. RESULTS: The mean age of the grafts was 9.2+/-6 years (2-14 years). Procedural success was achieved in 72 of 73 lesions (98.6%). One patient having an anterior Q-wave myocardial infarction died on the second day of procedure. Four patients (6.2%) sustained distal embolization and no reflow. No reflow was overcome after intracoronary administration of nitroglycerine and verapamil in two cases. At follow-up, stable angina pectoris had developed in 10 patients (18%), unstable angina pectoris in two patients (3.7%), acute myocardial infarction in two patients (3.7%), and cardiac death in one patient (1.8%). A total of 45 patients had a coronary angiogram at 6 months of follow-up or earlier, and restenosis at the target site was detected in eight of 53 lesions (15%). CONCLUSIONS: Saphenous graft lesions can be managed successfully with polytetrafluoroethylene-covered stents with acceptable long-term clinical outcome. Further and larger studies are needed to compare conventional stents, polytetrafluoroethylene-covered stents, drug eluting stents, and additional benefit of distal protection devices in these subgroups.     

Prosthodontic treatment of a patient with hemimandibular elongation: a clinical report

This clinical report describes prosthodontic treatment of a patient with hemimandibular elongation that resulted in significant dentofacial asymmetry. A maxillary metal-ceramic fixed dental prosthesis and crowns were fabricated. To eliminate the negative horizontal overlap, 3 mandibular teeth were reduced to the gingival level. The mandibular prosthetic restoration was completed with metal and composite resin using an electroforming technique.     

Plasma cell dyscrasia with kappa light-chain crystals in proximal tubular cells: a histological, immunofluorescent, and ultrastructural study

This is a case report of a 56-year-old man with plasma cell dyscrasia who presented with proximal tubulopathy manifested as kappa light-chain crystal deposition in the proximal convoluted tubular cells. This was associated with mild cellular damage. The crystals were seen as negative images with the hematoxylin-eosin and periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) stains. They were identified as kappa light-chains by immunofluorescent imaging and confirmed by immunoelectron microscopy. Ultrastructurally, the crystals appear to be located within lysosomes. No deposits of light-chains were seen elsewhere in the kidney biopsy.     

Basilar artery angulation and vertigo due to the hemodynamic effect of dominant vertebral artery

Vertebral arteries form the basilar artery at the pontobulbar junction. The vertebral artery may have dominancy in one of them. The branches of basilar arteries supply blood for the vestibular nuclei and its connections. Vertigo is seen generally in the upper middle aged patients. Vertigo can be observed in dolichoectasia of basilar artery such as angulation and elongation, because of the diminished blood supply and changed hemodynamic factors of vestibular nuclei and its connections. We hypothesized that angulation or elongation of basilar artery can be estimated according to the unilateral vertebral artery dominant hypertensive patients. The basilar artery can angulate from the dominant side of vertebral artery to the recessive side. These angulation and elongation can effect the hemodynamic factors in absence of growing collateral arteries. So, the vertigo attacks may occur in these patients.