Hiccup and neurosurgeons: a report of 4 rare dorsal medullary compressive pathologies and review of the literature

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to present 4 rare cases of medullary compressive lesions presenting with IH, to discuss the indications for neurosurgical decompression in such cases, and to review the possible etiologies of IH briefly. METHODS: The reported cases include (1) a 19-year-old adolescent boy and a 21-year-old man with Chiari I malformation and cervical syrinx compressing or tightening the cervico-medullary junction; (2) a 35-year-old man with ependymoma extending from the lower half of the fourth ventricle to C1/C2 junction and compressing this part of the medulla; and (3) a 16-year-old adolescent boy who was referred to the emergency department in severe distress because of IH, occurring as a result of a distal PICA aneurysm located on the floor of the lower triangle of the fourth ventricle. RESULTS: Surgical decompression in all the cases was successful in withholding the hiccups. CONCLUSION: The dorsal medullary area is not an unusual location for genesis of hiccup. When encountering a case of IH, appropriate CNS imaging studies should be included in the evaluation protocol.     

Ameloblastic fibrosarcoma of the maxillary sinus in an infant: a case report with long-term follow-up

Ameloblastic fibrosarcoma (AFS) or ameloblastic sarcoma is an extremely rare odontogenic neoplasm. The authors report AFS in the maxillary sinus of a 4-month-old boy. The tumor was composed of odontogenic epithelium, resembling that of ameloblastoma, and a mesenchymal part exhibiting features of fibrosarcoma. We also found some areas with deposition of dentinoid material closely adjacent to the ameloblastic epithelium. Although AFS has occurred in a wide age range, this is the first report of this tumor in infancy with long-term follow-up.     

Survey of Hazardous Organic Compounds in the Groundwater, Air and Wastewater Effluents Near the Tehran Automobile Industry

Potential of wastewater treatment in car industry and groundwater contamination by volatile organic compounds include perchloroethylene (PCE), trichloroethylene (TCE) and dichloromethane (DCM) near car industry was conducted in this study. Samples were collected in September through December 2011 from automobile industry. Head-space Gas chromatography with FID detector is used for analysis. Mean PCE levels in groundwater ranged from 0 to 63.56 μg L^?1 with maximum level of 89.1 μg L^?1. Mean TCE from 0 to 76.63 μg L^?1 with maximum level of 112 μg L^?1. Due to the data obtained from pre treatment of car staining site and conventional wastewater treatment in car factory, the most of TCE, PCE and DCM removed by pre aeration. Therefor this materials entry from liquid phase to air phase and by precipitation leak out to the groundwater. As a consequence these pollutants have a many negative health effect on the workers by air and groundwater.     

Effects of Neuromobilization Maneuver on Clinical and Electrophysiological Measures of Patients with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

[Purpose] The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of neuromobilization combined with routine physiotherapy in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome through subjective, physical, and electrophysiological studies. [Subjects and Methods] Twenty patients with carpal tunnel syndrome (totally 32 hands) were assigned two groups: treatment and control groups. In both groups, patients received the routine physiotherapy. In addition to the routine physiotherapy, patients in the treatment group received neuromobilization. The symptoms severity scale, visual analogue scale, functional status scale, Phalen’s sign, median nerve tension test, and median nerve distal sensory and motor latency were assessed. [Results] There were significant improvements in the symptoms severity scale, visual analogue scale, median nerve tension test, and Phalen’s sign in both groups. However, the functional status scale and median nerve distal motor latency were significantly improved only in the treatment group. [Conclusion] Neuromobilization in combination with routine physiotherapy improves some clinical findings more effectively than routine physiotherapy. Therefore, this combination can be used as an alternative effective non-invasive treatment for patients with carpal tunnel syndrome.Key words: Carpal tunnel syndrome, Neuromobilization, Electrophysiological measures     

Assessment of Pubertal Development in Iranian Girls

Objective

We estimated pubertal development of 7,493 normal Iranian girls aged 6 to 20 years in a cross-sectional study.

Methods

Pubertal stages were assessed according to Tanner. The mean ages to achieve secondary sexual characteristics as well as the mean age at menarche were estimated. Weight and height were measured and body mass index (BMI) was calculated. Reference curves for different breast stages and menarche were constructed. The percentiles for attaining each stage were compared to data proposed by Tanner.

Findings

The mean age at breast bud stage (B2) was 10.10, pubic hair stage (P2) was 9.83, and menarche age was 12.55 years. The anthropometric variables were interpreted in different maturity stages. The mean age at attainment of puberty was compared with those of other populations.

Conclusion

Not only the onset of puberty in Iranian girls but also the duration of puberty is similar to data from most other countries. A lower age limit for the definition of precocious puberty than the traditional 8 years is documented for Iranian girls. However, it should be noted that considering the rate of evolution of pubertal findings is more important than the age of their appearance.     

Congenital rubella syndrome in Iran

Background  

Congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) can be prevented with appropriate vaccination programs. The prevalence rates of rubella and CRS in Iran are unknown; therefore, the risk of exposure in pregnant women is not clear. The prevalence of CRS in the pre-vaccine period can be estimated by evaluating the proportion of children in the population with sensorineural hearing loss attributable to rubella.     

The Effect of Ondansetron and Meperedin on Preventing Shivering After Off-pump Coronary Artery Bypass Graft

One of the most common complications of operation and anesthesia is shivering. The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of Ondanseton and Meperedine in preventing shivering after off-pump coronary artery bypass graft (OPCAB). In this double-blind randomized clinical trial, the sample consisted of 90 patients, who were candidates of CABG under general anesthesia. These patients were assigned to three groups, each containing 30 subjects: meperedine group (A), ondansetron group (B) and control group (C). Group (A) received 0.4 mg/Kg/IV of meperedine, group (B) received 8mg/IV of ondansetron and group (C) received Normal Saline. All these drugs were injected 15 minutes before the end of surgery. After the end of surgery, the intubated patients were transferred to the ICU and their body temperature was assessed through eardrum by a specialist who was blind to the research. The incidence of shivering in groups A, B, and C was 46.48%, 31.18%, and 60.83%, respectively (P=<0.01). The incidence of shivering was 64.4% in males and 35.6% in females (P=0.222). Also, the amount of incidence of shivering up to 3 hours after surgery was 75.87 % (P=0.064). Bradycardia was 3.3% in group (A) and 0.0 % in group (B). Other variables (myoclonus, seizure and rash) showed no statistically significant difference (P=0.353). According to the findings, it was demonstrated that ondansetron is more effective in preventing shivering after Off-pump CABG than meperedine.     

Comparison of blood flow velocity through the internal carotid artery based on Doppler ultrasound and numerical simulation

Doppler ultrasound is a usual non-invasive method to estimate the stenosis percentage in large arteries such as carotid by measuring maximum velocity of blood flow. Based on clinical investigations, because of vessel wall motions, Doppler positioning and angle correction, some errors can arise in Doppler results which lead to incorrect diagnosis. The aim of this study was to compare the results of Doppler test and the numerical simulation of blood flow in the same case. For this evaluation, two patients including an 87-year-old man and a 72-year-old woman suffering from stenosis in the internal carotid artery were selected. First, clinical information of each patient such as CT-Angio scan images and Doppler ultrasound results on different locations of the stenosed artery were obtained. Then, the geometries were reconstructed and numerical simulations were carried out using ANSYS software. Results showed that the velocity profile of Doppler test and numerical simulation were in good agreement at the regions of pre-and post-stenosis. However, the value of maximum velocity at the stenotic region had significant differences.