The effect of preoperative anxiety on postoperative analgesia and anesthesia recovery in patients undergoing laparascopic cholecystectomy

Purpose

In patients who are hospitalized for surgery, anxiety disorders are frequently observed. Anxiety affects the patient’s perception of postoperative pain and has a negative impact on recovery from anesthesia. This study attempted to compare the effect of preoperative anxiety on postoperative pain control and recovery from anesthesia in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

Methods

A total of 80 patients were enrolled who were undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Demographic characteristics of the patients were recorded. Beck’s anxiety ?nventory (BAI) was administered to the patients: patients with anxiety were included in the high-anxious patient group (group H) and patients without anxiety were enrolled in the low-anxious group (group L). Duration of surgery, duration of anesthesia, extubation time, and adverse effects were recorded. During the postoperative period, patient-controlled analgesia with tramadol was used for pain control. Visual analog scale (VAS) scores and tramadol consumption of all patients were recorded.

Results

Among all patients, 31 (38.75 %) patients had preoperative anxiety, and significant correlation was found between the days of hospitalization and preoperative score of BAI. In group L, extubation time, the time for the modified Aldrete score to reach 9, was seen as significantly shorter and fewer postoperative side effects were determined. Also in group L, postoperative VAS score and tramadol consumption were significantly lower, and less tenoxicam was needed.

Conclusion

A high preoperative anxiety level negatively affects recovery from anesthesia and control of postoperative pain. In this patient group, the increased need for postoperative analgesia must be adequately met.     

Cestoda and monogenea of some teleost fishes off the Mudanya Coast (Sea of Marmara,Turkey)

Summary  The following helminths are reported from the Sea of Marmara off the Mudanya coast. Cestoda: Didymobothrium rudolphii in Solea solea, Clestobothrium crassiceps in Merluccius merluccius, tetraphyllidean larvae in Gobius niger, G. cobitis, M. merluccius, Eutrigla gurnardus, S. solea, Scorpaena scrofa and Progrillotia dasyatidis in G. niger. Monogenea: Trochopus pini in E. gurnardus, Ligophorus confusus in Liza ramada, Tetraonchoides paradoxus in Uranoscopus scaber, Microcotyle mugilis in L. ramada and Anthocotyle merluccii in M. merluccius.     

Cavernous malformations of the central nervous system (CNS) in children: clinico-radiological features and management outcomes of 36 cases

Background

Cavernous malformations (CMs) of the central nervous system (CNS) are angiographically occult vascular lesions that affect approximately 0.5 % of the general population, and one quarter of all CMs occurs in children.

Methods

We retrospectively analyzed demographic, clinical, radiological, management, and follow-up data of 36 pediatric patients with CMs from a single institution.

Results

The mean age of the children at first presentation and at operation was 8.7 and 9.6 years, respectively. However, a bimodal age distribution was found with peak under 4 years and above 12 years. Seizure was the most common single presenting symptom (38.9 %), and 61.1 % of patients had at least one seizure before the admission. Focal neurological deficits (410.7 %), intracranial hypertension (27.8 %), and headache (2.8 %) were the other manifestations. Acute/subacute hemorrhage was evident at presentation in 63.9 %. The patients under 6 years of age were found to have significantly more giant cavernomas (69 vs 20 %; p?=?0.011), and more overt hemorrhages (81 vs 47 %; p?=?0.065) at diagnosis than those patients above 12 years. Surgery was performed in 31 patients (32 CMs), with 26 total and 6 incomplete resections. Mean follow-up duration was 6.9?±?4.1 years. Of all patients, 63.8 % had excellent and 30.5 % had good clinical outcomes, and also 90.9 % of the epileptic patients were seizure-free (Engel Class I) at the last follow-up.

Conclusions

Younger children tend to harbor larger CMs and present with hemorrhage more frequently than older ones. Microsurgical resection should be the treatment of choice in symptomatic and accessible CMs.     

HLA alleles and haplotypes in the Turkish population: relatedness to Kurds, Armenians and other Mediterraneans

Turkish and Kurdish HLA profiles are studied for the first time. The comparative study of their allele frequencies, characteristic haplotypes, genetic distances with other Mediterraneans is complemented by neighbor-joining dendrograms and correspondence analyses. Turks, Kurds, Armenians, Iranians, Jews, Lebanese and other (Eastern and Western) Mediterranean groups seem to share a common ancestry: the older "Mediterranean" substratum. No sign of the postulated Indo-European (Aryan) invasion (1200 B.C.) is detected by our genetic analysis. It is concluded that this invasion, if occurred, had a relatively few invaders in comparison to the already settled populations, i.e. Anatolian Hittite and Hurrian groups (older than 2000 B.C.). These may have given rise to present-day Kurdish, Armenian and Turkish populations.     

Left Ventricular Diastolic Functions in Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis

Cardiac involvement as pericarditis, myocarditis, and endocarditis is common in juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA). Though there are many reports concerning systolic and diastolic functions of adults with rheumatoid arthritis, there are no studies on children with JRA. Thirty patients with JRA without any cardiac symptoms and 30 sex- and age-matched controls were included in the study. M-mode and pulsed-wave Doppler echocardiography were performed on each participant to assess the systolic and diastolic functions of the left ventricle. Left ventricular end-systolic diameter and volume were larger and ejection fraction and fractional shortening were decreased in the JRA group. Among the diastolic parameters, increased late flow velocity, decreased early flow velocity, and prolonged isovolumic relaxation time reflected an abnormal relaxation form of diastolic dysfunction. Mortality rate is increased in adults with rheumatoid arthritis, and ischemic heart disease is the leading cause of cardiovascular mortality. The abnormal relaxation form of diastolic dysfunction found in children with JRA is seen in ischemic heart disease. These children can therefore be candidates for ischemic heart disease in the future even though they are fully asymptomatic at present. In conclusion, children with JRA should be assessed for systolic and diastolic functions with serial echocardiography. In this way it may be possible to reduce the mortality and morbidity of the disease from cardiac causes.     

Preoperative embolization in surgical treatment of a primary hemangiopericytoma of the rib: a case report

Primary hemangiopericytoma of the rib is extremely rare and only a few cases have been reported. A 62-yr-old man presented with an aching chest pain and dyspnea. Thoracic computed tomography revealed a homogenous mass expanding the right seventh rib. A diagnosis of hemangiopericytoma was established by percutaneous needle biopsy. Preoperative embolization of the feeding vessels of the tumor was performed in order to prevent perioperative bleeding. There was no significant bleeding during the surgery, where complete resection of the tumor with 7th to 9th ribs with a surgical margin of 5 cm was performed. Postoperative course was uneventful and there has been no recurrence for thirteen months. To our knowledge, there has been no report to apply a preoperative embolization of a primary hemangiopericytoma of the rib.     

Stature estimation based on hand length and foot length

This study was carried out to estimate the relationship between hand length, foot length and stature using multiple linear regression analyses based on a sample of male and female adult Turks residing in Adana. Measurements of hand length, foot length and stature were taken from 155 adult Turks (80 male, 75 female) aged 17-23 years. The participants were students of the Medical Faculty of Cukurova University. A multiple linear regression model was fitted to the observed data. Stature was taken as the response or dependent variable, hand length and foot length were taken as explanatory variables or regressors. All possible (simple and multiple) linear regression models for each of males, females and both genders together were tested for the best model. The multiple linear regression model for both genders together was found to be the best model with the highest values for the coefficients of determination R2 = 0.861 and R2adjusted = 0.859, and multiple correlation coefficient R = 0.928.