Sociodemographic, clinical, and laboratory features of cases of organic phosphorus intoxication who attended the Emergency Department in the Southeast Anatolian Region of Turkey

In this study, sociodemographic, laboratory, and clinical features of cases of organic phosphorus (OP) intoxication in the Southeast Anatolian region of Turkey were investigated. Patients with OP intoxication admitted to the Emergency Service of Dicle University Hospital in Diyarbakyir City between May and August 1998 were evaluated. This prospective cohort study included five male (M) and 19 female (F) consecutive patients. Five cases were accidental intoxication; however, 19 cases were suicide attempts. Mean age of cases was 24+/-11 years; 54.2% of them were under the age of 20 years and 83.3% of them were under the age of 30 years. The M/F ratio was 1.0/3.8. The cases of suicidal purposeful intoxications were mostly determined in singles (58.3%, P<0.05). Most of the cases had a primary education level (16, 66.7%) and a lower socioeconomic status (14, 58.3%); 79.2% of cases admitted to our emergency service received atropine in primary health care centers. In emergency service, pralidoxime (PAM) was administered to only 29.2% of cases. According to ECG examination, tachycardia (14, 58.3%), ST changes (13, 54.2%), and T changes (3, 12.5%) were mostly seen; bradycardia and serious ventricular arrhythmias were not seen in any case. Patients who received atropine plus PAM had higher rates of arrhythmias, but this was not statistically significant (P>0.05). The most observed biochemical features of cases were leukocytosis (21 cases), hypokalemia (18 cases), and hyponatremia (4 cases). Other biochemical features were not evidently altered. In present cases, the most frequently seen symptoms and findings were vomiting (18, 75%), feeling faint (17, 70.8%), and tachycardia and dozing off (14, 58.3%). Serious ventricular arrhythmias were not observed, and in our region, OP intoxication especially affected young unmarried females, and most of them resulted from a suicidal purpose.     

The effects of spirulina on allergic rhinitis

The prevalence of allergic rhinitis is increasing globally due to various causes. It affects the quality life of a large group of people in all around the world. Allergic rhinitis still remains inadequately controlled with present medical means. The need of continuous medical therapy makes individuals anxious about the side effects of the drugs. So there is a need for an alternative strategy. Effects of spirulina, tinospora cordifolia and butterbur were investigated recently on allergic rhinitis in just very few investigations. Spirulina represents a blue-green alga that is produced and commercialized as a dietary supplement for modulating immune functions, as well as ameliorating a variety of diseases. This double blind, placebo controlled study, evaluated the effectiveness and tolerability of spirulina for treating patients with allergic rhinitis. Spirulina consumption significantly improved the symptoms and physical findings compared with placebo (P < 0.001***) including nasal discharge, sneezing, nasal congestion and itching. Spirulina is clinically effective on allergic rhinitis when compared with placebo. Further studies should be performed in order to clarify the mechanism of this effect.     

The neocartilaginous formation with hydroxyl-apatite in injection laryngoplasty: an experimental study on rabbit model

Adductor paralysis or the pathologies occurring after laryngeal surgery such as scarring or atrophy of the vocal cords cause glottic insufficiency during phonation. Injection laryngoplasty has been a widely accepted technique due to lower morbidity of the procedure and the applicability via endoscope in the treatment of these pathologies. Various materials have been used in injection laryngoplasty. The primary expectations in these techniques are the persistence of injected material long enough, without resorbtion or any cause of serious tissue response and having beneficial effects in reinforcing the glottic tissue. In the present study, we used large molecular-sized calcium hydroxyl-apatite (CaHA) particles in injection laryngoplasty to observe the effects of the material in the laryngeal tissues under the light microscopic examination. The study was performed on 12 rabbits in four groups. After injecting Ca₁₀ (PO4)₆(OH)₂ (Coaptite^®) into their vocal folds, the rabbits were killed at certain intervals, in the 1st week (group 1) in the 1st month (group 2) in the 3rd month (group 3) and in the 6th month (group 4). Larynges were removed and processed for light microscopic observations. Our observations revealed that this material induced the new cartilage formation without a serious tissue response in the larynges. Formation of a new cartilage tissue was the most significant, but an unexpected outcome of the study. The injected material inducing a neocartilage formation without any tissue reaction persisted long enough in the laryngeal tissues. Although neocartilage formation may interfere the vocal fold vibrations, providing glottic closure in the phonation with a durable material will be an important gain.     

Bone mineral density in live related kidney transplant children and adolescents

Successful kidney transplantation corrects many of the metabolic abnormalities associated with development of renal osteodystrophy, but despite a well-functioning graft, osteopenia, remains prevalent in adult and pediatric kidney recipients. The factors that affect the bone mineral density (BMD) and the long term course of BMD after transplantation in children is still unknown. We performed a cross sectional study to determine BMD in 83 recipients who received living renal allotransplants in Mansoura Urology & Nephrology Center between 1981 and 2002 (mean age at transplantation 13.2 ± 3.1 years) by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry at various time intervals up to 16 years after transplantation (mean duration after transplantation was 48 ± 34 months, range 12–192 months). The mean ± SD for BMD was −2.28 ± 2.06 for lumbar 2-4 spine and −1.44 ± 1.44 for the total body BMD as corrected for body surface area. Osteopenia/osteoporosis were present in about two thirds of our kidney transplant recipients. The significant risk factors for osteopenia/osteoprosis using univariate analysis were the cyclosporine based immunosuppressive regimen, cumulative dose of steroids/m² surface area, graft dysfunction and the urinary deoxypyridinoline. Using logistic regression analysis the cumulative steroid dose/m² surface area and the urinary deoxypyridinoline were the major significant predictors for bone loss. In conclusion, osteopenia and osteoprosis are common in pediatric and adolescent renal transplant patients. The cumulative steroid dose and the urinary deoxypyridinoline were the major predictors for bone loss. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Scaphoid fracture associated with distal radius fracture in children:a case report

Te forearm distal bone fracture is the most com-mon fracture in children. Scaphoid frac-ture is rare because the scaphoid is largely car-tilaginous in children. Some cases associating both distal radius and scaphoid fractures were reported in the literature. Scaphoid fracture often occurs without displacement and can be easily overlooked. We re-ported a case of children wrist injury combining scaphoid fracture with ipsilateral distal fracture.     

Kaposi' s sarcoma. A series of 65 cases

Kaposi sarcoma (SK) is characterized by proliferation of vascular and spindle-shaped cells with variable clinical presentations. The association with AIDS modifies the profile of this disease. The pathophysiology seems to be based on the major role HHV-8. The goal of this work was to specify the profile of this disease in our region through a retrospective study of 65 cases of SK over a 23-year period (1981-2003). In our series, the classic form prevailed 163 cases (96.9%)]. One patient had a secondary form due to steroid therapy and another patient had a KS associated with AIDS. A male prevalence was noticed (M/F: 2.8). Cutaneous lesions were dominated by papulo-nodular lesions (90.9%) of the lower limbs (92.3% of the cases). Mucous lesions were present in 15.4% of the cases. Therapeutic abstention was decided in 38.4%. Surgical excision was indicated in 35.4% of cases, radiotherapy in 4.6% of the cases and chemotherapy in 23% of the cases. The classic form of KS is the most frequent in our area; the other forms remaining rare.