Can E-selectin be a reliable marker of inflammation in lumbar disc disease?

The cause of sciatica and low back pain associating with lumbar disc herniation has not been clearly identified until now. Inflammation has been shown to occur via immunohistochemical and biochemical methods in herniated disc tissues. The important prognostic role of E-selectin has recently been substantiated by other studies in early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA). The important role of adhesion molecules in the initiation and progression of the inflammatory response is well known for infectious diseases and autoimmune disorders. In our study, we aimed to show the role of E-selectin as an inflammatory marker and the correlation of inflammation with straight-leg raise (SLR) test findings and subtype of disc herniation. We found that the cases with positive SLR test had higher rates of immunostaining with E-selectin. This led us to think that E-selectin might play an important role in the activity status of the disease, meaning patients with more limited movement capacity might benefit from E-selectin antagonist therapy. Among the many studies performed to identify the relationship between the inflammation markers and activity of lumbar disc herniation, this is the first investigation held with E-selectin.     

Determination of benzo[a]pyrene in charcoal grilled meat samples by HPLC with fluorescence detection

In this study, an HPLC procedure for the quantitative determination of benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) in charcoal grilled meat samples has been applied to the analysis of the Turkish meat samples. The grilled meat samples were first treated in alkaline medium, then BaP was extracted into n-hexane phase, purified on XAD-2 column and eluted with n-hexane/dichloromethane mixture (9:1,v/v). Separation and quantitative determination of BaP has been carried out by a C18 reversed phase column mounted HPLC with a fluorescence detection of 254-355 nm (excitation-emission). The BaP levels determined in grilled and over-grilled lamb and beef meats were 43.80 +/- 1.80 microg/kg, 31.33 +/- 0.94 microg/kg and 62.60 +/- 3.72 microg/kg, 37.60 +/- 3.84 microg/kg, respectively.     

End-to-side nerve coaptation: is an additional proximal coaptation useful when available?

The aim of this experimental study was to evaluate the effects of end-to-side coaptation of the proximal end of a severed nerve to the same intact nerve, in addition to traditional end-to-side coaptation of the distal end, with an aim to use the intact nerve as a nerve conduit in a rat model and to compare the functional and histologic results of this modality to those obtained after nerve grafting and traditional end-to-side nerve coaptation. In group A, a peroneal nerve defect measuring 1 cm was created in the left hind limb, and a nerve graft 1 cm long was used to bridge the defect. In group B, only the distal stump of the peroneal nerve was coapted to the intact tibial nerve. In group C, both ends of the peroneal nerve defect were coapted to the intact tibial nerve in an end-to-side fashion 1.5 cm apart from each other, and in group D, the peroneal nerve defect was left unrepaired. Group E was consisted of nonoperated peroneal nerves that were used to obtain normative data. Although significantly higher myelinated axon densities were observed in groups B and C compared with group A and group E, total number of the myelinated axons was significantly higher only in group C. Peroneal functional index assessments demonstrated that nerve recovery in the peroneal nerve was similar in groups A and C, and both were better than those observed in groups B and D. Collectively, these results suggest that end-to-side coaptation of both ends of a severed nerve to an intact nerve, in case of a nerve defect in this length, may serve as an alternative for nerve grafting.     

Pleomorphic adenoma of the external auditory canal

Pleomorphic adenoma of the external auditory canal is a rare disease. It is considered to derive from the ceruminous glands. The objective of this study is to familiarize the clinician with the clinical presentation and treatment of this disease. We report the case of a 58-year-old woman. Complete resection should be applied for cases in which magnetic resonanace imaging (MRI) and computerize tomography (CT) examination indicate no erosion in the bone and cartilage tissue. The patient should be seen regularly for recurrence.     

Influence of age of onset on clinical features in obsessive-compulsive disorder

We compared early-onset and late-onset obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) patients in terms of demographic and clinical features. One hundred sixteen outpatients whose primary diagnosis was OCD according to DSM-IV diagnostic criteria were recruited. Early-onset (n=50) and late-onset (n=66) OCD groups were compared with respect to demographic variables and scores obtained on various scales. A male gender predominance was found in early-onset OCD group. Symmetry/exactness obsessions, religious obsessions, hoarding/saving obsessions, and hoarding/collecting compulsions also were significantly more frequent in the early-onset group than in the late-onset group. The results may suggest a phenotypic difference between the two groups. Further studies are needed to investigate the differences between early-onset and late-onset OCD groups to examine the hypothesis that early-onset OCD is a distinct subtype of the disorder.     

Interdialytic weight gain and pulmonary membrane diffusing capacity in patients on hemodialysis

Background: Measurement of pulmonary diffusion capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO) may be useful for assessing disease affecting the alveolar-capillary bed or the pulmonary vasculature. It was reported that hemodialysis (HD) therapy causes DLCO reduction via decrease of pulmonary capillary blood volume components. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of interdialytic weight gain on pulmonary function and especially DLCO. We further determined whether intravascular volume status, assessed by inferior vena cava diameter (IVCD) contributes to DLCO in patients on HD. Methods: Routine pulmonary function testing including forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC), FEV1/FVC, forced mid-expiratory flow rate (FEF_25–75), DLCO IVCD index and other echocardiographic parameters were evaluated in 20 patients (mean age 48.6 ± 18.3 years, mean dialysis duration 17.4 ± 19.2 months) on chronic HD, 1 hour after HD and after an interdialytic period (1 hour before HD therapy). Single-breath DLCO measurements were corrected for hemoglobin concentration (cDLCO). Results: Routine pulmonary function tests (spirometry) showed no significant changes in FEV1, FVC and FEF_25–75 whereas a statistically significant fall in FEV/FVC was found. At the end of the interdialytic period a statistically significant increase in weight, IVCD index, left ventriculer diastolic diameter (LVDD), and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were observed (P < 0.05). Using the single-breath DLCO, we found unchanged cDLCO at the end of the interdialytic period. There was no correlation of cDLCO with increases in weight, DBP, IVCD index, LVDD (P > 0.05). Conclusion: The accumulation of body water between dialyses has no significant influence on DLCO.