A Rare Stoma-Related Complication: Parastomal Evisceration

Defunctioning stoma is a commonly used colorectal surgical procedures. The stomal complications recorded are usually classified as early and late complications. Parastomal hernia is a common complication of stomal surgery. We present a very rare stoma-related complication developed after parastomal hernia and described parastomal evisceration.     

Taurine attenuates lung ischemia–reperfusion injury after lung transplantation in rats

Purpose

Taurine, the major intracellular free amino acid found in high concentrations in mammalian cells, is known to be an endogenous antioxidant and a membrane-stabilizing agent. It was hypothesized that taurine may be effective in reducing ischemia–reperfusion injury after lung transplantation and an experimental study was conducted in a rat model.

Methods

The number of Sprague–Dawley rats used in the study was 35. Animals were randomized into five groups of 7 rats each, including control, donor I, donor II, ischemia–reperfusion injury, and treatment groups. All animals were exposed to the same experimental conditions in the preoperative period. Rats were fixed in a supine position after the induction. After the rats were shaved, a left pneumonectomy was performed following sternotomy in control, donor I, and donor II groups. The harvested grafts in donor I and donor II groups were transplanted to the rats of the ischemia–reperfusion group and treatment group, respectively. However, taurine was administered intraperitoneally for 3 days before the harvesting procedure in donor II. All harvested lungs were kept in a Euro-Collins solution at +4 °C for 24 h in a half-inflated manner. After harvesting and transplantation, lungs were sampled for histopathological and biochemical analysis.

Results

Malondialdehyde and superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and catalase levels were lower in the treatment group than the other groups (p < 0.05). Histopathological findings were better in treatment group than the ischemia–reperfusion group (p < 0.05).

Conclusion

It was demonstrated that donor treatment with taurine resulted in preservation of transplanted lung tissue in respect to histopathological and biochemical findings.     

Production of chlorine-containing functional group doped graphene powders using Yucel's method as anode materials for Li-ion batteries

In this study, the one-step electrochemical preparation of chlorine doped and chlorine-oxygen containing functional group doped graphene-based powders was carried out by Yucel''s method, with the resultant materials used as anode materials for lithium (Li)-ion batteries. Cl atoms and ClO_x (x = 2, 3 or 4) groups, confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis, were covalently doped into the graphene powder network to increase the defect density in the graphene framework and improve the electrochemical performance of Li-ion batteries. The microscopic properties of the Cl-doped graphene powder were investigated by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analyses. TEM analysis showed that the one-layer thickness of the graphene was approximately 0.33 nm. Raman spectroscopy analysis was carried out to determine the defect density of the graphene structures. The G peak obtained in the Raman spectra is related to the formation of sp² hybridized carbons in the graphene-based powders. The 2D peak seen in the spectra shows that the synthesized graphene-based powders have optically transparent structures. In addition, the number of sp² hybridized carbon rings was calculated to be 22, 19, and 38 for the Cl-GP1, Cl-GP2, and Cl-GOP samples, respectively. As a result of the charge/discharge tests of the electrodes as anodes in Li-ion batteries, Cl-GP2 exhibits the best electrochemical performance of 493 mA h g⁻¹ at a charge/discharge current density of 50 mA g⁻¹.

In this study, the one-step electrochemical preparation of chlorine doped and chlorine-oxygen containing functional group doped graphene-based powders was carried out by Yucel''s method, with the resultant materials used as anode materials for lithium (Li)-ion batteries.     

Is Endocan a Novel Diagnostic Marker for the Severity of Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia in Very Low Birth Weight Infants?

IntroductionEndocan levels were found to be associated with severity and mortality of the respiratory system diseases.ObjectiveWe aimed to figure out whether endocan was an important marker for the diagnosis, severity and follow-up of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD).Materials and methodsInfants with moderate/severe BPD, and who required hydrocortisone treatment were included in the study group. Infants without BPD were allocated in the control group. Endocan levels were compared between the control group and the study group, and before and after the treatment in the study group.ResultsA total of 148 infants, 74 infants in the control group and 74 infants in the BPD group, were included. The endocan level was higher in the BPD group than in the control group (P = .001). Endocan levels before treatment in the BPD group was found to be higher than endocan level after treatment (P = .021).ConclusionOur study found that endocan levels increased in moderate/severe BPD. Serum endocan levels may be a safe and novel indicator for the follow-up of response to treatment and the prognosis of the severity of the disease.     

Coronary lesion type, location, and characteristics of acute ST elevation myocardial infarction in young adults under 35 years of age

OBJECTIVE: In the present study, we attempted to analyze the coronary artery lesion characteristics of acute ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in young patients (aged less than 35 years). METHODS: We retrospectively surveyed 25 038 coronary angiography procedures, which were carried out at The Baskent University Adana Hospital from 1998 to present, to discover acute STEMI in young patients. We studied clinical risk factors and angiographic characteristics in 42 consecutive patients who underwent primary coronary angiography for acute STEMI. Control group (n=42) had no history of coronary artery disease and had angiographically proven normal coronary arteries. All patients were under 35 years of age. Angiographic features for STEMI group were collected and both groups were compared for coronary risk factors. RESULTS: Male sex was more prevalent in acute STEMI group when compared with control participants (83 vs. 59%, respectively; P=0.01). A significant difference was found in cigarette smoking (62 vs. 36%, respectively; P=0.007) and family history (33 vs. 16%, respectively; P=0.03) between the two groups. No statistical significance was observed between the groups in terms of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglyceride levels. Mean high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level was 33+/-8 mg/dl in STEMI group and 39+/-12 mg/dl in control participants (P=0.02). Young patients with acute STEMI showed a preponderance of single-vessel disease (69%) and acute anterior STEMI (60%) owing to occluded left anterior descending artery (P<0.001). CONCLUSION: We observed risk factors such as family history, smoking, and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels in young adults. Acute anterior STEMI owing to occluded left anterior descending artery was more frequent. Coronary atherosclerosis was characterized by higher presence of type B and proximal lesions. The handling selection was percutaneous coronary intervention in more than half of the patients.     

Microalbuminuria is associated with the severity of coronary artery disease independently of other cardiovascular risk factors

The potential early predictive value of microalbuminuria (MA) in the estimation of atherosclerosis and the relation between the degree of urinary albumin excretion and the extent of coronary artery disease (CAD) were investigated. Patients (n = 159) with stable angina pectoris and angiographically significant stenosis in at least 1 of the major coronary arteries were included. Microalbuminuria was measured by immunoturbidimetry. The extent of coronary artery stenosis was graded using the Gensini score. The Gensini score was significantly greater in patients who had MA. Also, the Gensini increased by 0.15 units with 1 unit increase in MA. In the groups who had diabetes mellitus and hypertension, there was no correlation between MA and Gensini score. The results of the present study suggest that MA is associated with the severity of CAD independent of other cardiovascular risk factors.     

Serum leptin and cholesterol levels in patients with bipolar disorder

Low cholesterol levels have been reported in patients with manic episodes. Leptin seems to be strongly associated with lipid metabolism. In the present study, therefore, serum total cholesterol and leptin levels were compared in 16 patients with manic episodes, 16 with bipolar I disorder in full remission and 16 healthy controls. The serum total cholesterol and leptin levels were measured and Young Mania Rating (YMRS) and Hamilton Depression Rating Scales (HAM-D) were administered for each subject. Both the patients with manic episodes and the patients with bipolar I disorder in full remission had markedly low serum cholesterol and leptin levels compared with controls, though the difference was more obvious in patients with manic episodes. In addition, there were negative correlations between YMRS scores and serum cholesterol or leptin levels in the patients with manic episodes. Our results suggest that the patients with manic episodes and those with bipolar I disorder in full remission seem to be associated with decreased serum cholesterol and leptin levels.