Solitary median maxillary central incisor: a report of 2 cases

A single median maxillary central incisor (SMMCI) is a rare dental anomaly that may occur alone or be associated with growth deficiency or other systemic abnormalities. The best known association is with holoprosencephaly (HPE). HPE is a complex brain malformation that affects both the forebrain and the face. Early diagnosis of SMMCI is important, since it may be a sign of other severe congenital or developmental abnormalities. Therefore, systematic follow-up and close monitoring of the growth and development of SMMCI patients is crucial. The purpose of this paper was to report the cases of 2 children, each with a single median maxillary central incisor, and describe important symptoms of this syndrome that have not yet been reported.     

Kidney transplantation for end‐stage renal disease secondary to familial Mediterranean fever

Although kidney transplantation (KT) is widely used for treating renal amyloidosis secondary to familial Mediterranean fever (FMF), data concerning transplant outcome are limited and inconsistent. The aim of this study was to determine the long‐term outcome of KT in patients with amyloidosis secondary to FMF. Kidney transplantation outcome in 24 patients with FMF was compared to that in 72 controls matched for age, gender of recipient, and type of the donor that underwent KT due to end‐stage renal disease (ESRD) not caused by FMF. Mean follow‐up time was 80.3 ± 55.1 months in the FMF group, vs. 86.5 ± 47.6 months in the control group. Death‐censored graft survival at five and 10 yr in the FMF group was 95.8% and 78.4%, respectively, and was comparable to that in the control group. In the FMF group, five‐ and 10‐yr patient survival (87.5 and 65.6%) was shorter than in the control group, but the difference was not statistically significant. The findings show that long‐term outcome of KT in the patients with amyloidosis secondary to FMF was comparable to that in patients with ESRD not caused by FMF. Recurrence of amyloidosis in the allograft, gastrointestinal intolerance, and fatal infections remain as major complications during the post‐transplant period.     

Scrotal pouch as a urinary reservoir: A surgical revolution or bizarre hypothesis?

INTRODUCTION: Despite of the tissue engineering efforts to substitute the bladder, almost all the urinary diversion techniques still need gastrointestinal segments that have many well documented complications including the life threatening ones such as renal insufficiency and electrolytes imbalances. In this preliminary incomplete animal model, we aimed to introduce the idea of the possibility of scrotal urinary diversion via inguinal canal and speculate its clinical advantages with its low morbidity and surgical technique of human application. TECHNICAL CONSIDERATIONS: After a laporotomy and its left ureter dissection, a male rabbit underwent urinary diversion from kidney to the scrotum via catheter through the inguinal canal. Abdominal and scrotal incision closed with sutures but a potential gap was left at the scrotum for urinary leakage. Urinary leakage was observed from the ipsilateral scrotum postoperatively. THE HYPOTHESIS: Although this study can be regarded as just a hypothesis, we would like to introduce the idea of scrotal pouch as a urinary reservoir. We speculated that scrotal urinary diversion is better and applicable technique with many advantages and low morbidity, mortality and short operation time over the intestinal ones especially in selected patients. Further human studies may improve this novel technique.     

Melatonin protects against epirubicin-induced cardiotoxicity

We investigated the cytoprotective effect of melatonin in epirubicin-induced cardiotoxicity using four experimental groups of male Wistar rats: untreated control rats, epirubicin-treated rats, epirubicin+melatonin-treated rats, and melatonin-treated rats. We examined the histopathological and biochemical effects of melatonin on the epirubicin-induced changes and measured the levels of the lipid peroxidation end-product (malondialdehyde, MDA), an indicator of nitric oxide (NO) synthesis (nitrite/nitrate production), and reduced glutathione (GSH) in the heart. We also studied the extracellular matrix components (fibronectin, laminin) in the heart. Vacuole formation, mitochondrial deformation and degeneration, and disordered myofibrillary structures were detected ultrastructurally in the epirubicin-treated group. The degeneration was reduced in the heart tissues of the epirubicin+melatonin group. Epirubicin increased the nitrite/nitrate production, but did not change the MDA and GSH levels significantly. Melatonin treatment lowered the nitrite/nitrate concentrations, while increasing the GSH levels, which exceeded the levels in epirubicin+melatonin-treated rats. We conclude that the epirubicin increased the nitrozative stress, not the oxidative stress, in heart tissue, and the cardioprotective effect of melatonin was partially attributed to the suppression of epirubicin-induced nitrozative stress. These results suggest that melatonin partially protects against epirubicin-induced cardiotoxicity.     

The relationship between the severity of erectile dysfunction and aortic stiffness

Aortic stiffness increases in patients with erectile dysfunction (ED) but it is not known whether aortic stiffness affects the degree of ED. In the present study, we aimed to determine whether there is any relationship between aortic stiffness and the severity of ED. Patients with ED were divided into 3 groups according to the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) scores. Mild ED was named as group 1, moderate ED as group 2 and severe ED as group 3. The values of fasting blood glucose (FBG), serum lipid values, total testosterone (T. tes), and free testosterone (F tes) were recorded. Aortic stiffness was determined by pulse wave velocity (PWV) and augmentation index (AIX) measurements. The mean or median values of the laboratory parameters among the groups were similar (p > .05). No statistical difference was found between the groups in terms of AIX value (p = .386). Mean PWV values were calculated as 7.26, 8.30 and 8.78 in group 1, group 2 and group 3 respectively. PWV values were significantly different between groups (p < .0001). PWV values were found to be increased with increasing severity of erectile dysfunction.