The evaluation of the changes of voice registers in trainee singers by using the two-channel signal processing method.

This study was done at the ENT Department of the Ege University Medical Faculty on twenty trainee singers. Using the two-channel signal processing method, the electroglottographic (EGG) signals and the voice signals were digitized with an analog-digital converting card during an ascending and descending glissando exercised by the trainee singer. These signals were recorded on the computer's hard disk and the obtained data was analysed. It has been determined that the EGG signals were more irregular the singing formant of the voice signal was very weak or absent and the change of register was more significant in less trained singers. This method can be used to evaluate objectively the change of voice registers in the training of the singers and be easily performed by adding an analog-digital converting card to a PC computer, without the need of expensive modern devices.     

Conservative treatment of isolated medial orbital wall fractures.

The decision to use surgical or nonsurgical treatment for orbital blow-out fractures is still controversial. Previously, it was advocated that all blow-out fractures should be treated surgically based on the conception that extraocular muscles were blown out and trapped in the fracture area. However, a shift to a more conservative approach occurred gradually, most likely due to the evidence of spontaneous improvement. The medical records of two patients who were diagnosed as having an isolated medial wall fracture with medial rectus muscle displacement into the ethmoid sinus, as demonstrated by computed tomography, were reviewed. Both patients showed improvement only with conservative therapy.     

Changes in the concentrations of inflammatory and oxidative status biomediators (MIP-1 α, PMN elastase,MDA, and IL-12) in depressed patients with and without posttraumatic stress disorder

Background

Both proinflammatory cytokines and oxidative stress are considered an imbalance between the cellular production of reactive oxygen species and the antioxidant defense mechanisms. An inflammatory response that occurs in depression leads to a synergy between pro-inflammatory cytokines and oxidative stress. This synergy induces common signal transduction pathways that boost the inflammatory cascade. The object of this study was to assess the concentrations of inflammatory and oxidative status biomediators such as MIP-1α, PMN elastase, MDA, and IL-12 in depressed patients with and without posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and with PTSD alone.

Enteroliths developed in a chronically obstructed afferent loop coexisting with gastric remnant carcinoma: Case report and review of the literature

A case of gastric remnant carcinoma coexisting with a chronic afferent loop syndrome harboring multiple enteroliths in a grossly dilated and elongated afferent loop is presented herein. The patient had undergone a Polya type antecolic Billroth II reconstruction for a stenosing duodenal ulcer 40 years previously. A concise review of the relevant literature is also presented.     

Maxillary myxoma: surgical treatment and reconstruction with buccal fat pad flap: a case report

Myxoma is a benign tumor that arises from mesenchymal tissue and is found less commonly in the bone than in soft tissue. The majority of bony myxomas occur in the jaws. When compared with other odontogenic tumors, myxoma of the jaws is a rare entity. Numerous types of treatment have been used for these tumors including simple curettage, enucleation, curettage with peripheral ostectomy, and en bloc resection with or without immediate reconstruction. The buccal fat pad (BFP) is a lobulated mass of fatty tissue in the oromaxillofacial region, which has long been a source of grafts in facial augmentation. A case of an odontogenic myxoma in the left maxillary molar area of a 34-year-old female that was treated by curettage and peripheral ostectomy is presented. The surgical defect was successfully repaired with a pedicled BFP flap.     

Incidental calcifying fibrous tumor of the stomach presenting as a polyp

Calcifying fibrous tumor (CFT) is an uncommon lesion of uncertain cause and pathogenesis that has a unique histological appearance. These lesions are described mainly in the subcutaneous or deep soft tissues, followed by subserosal locations. Intrinsic visceral CFT is extremely rare. Herein is described a rare case of CFT that involved the gastric wall, along with a review of the literature. An incidental small polypoid lesion was excised during urgent surgery for penetrating injury at the lesser curvature in a 25-year-old man, previously healthy. The lesion was a well-demarcated, small (10 mm) tumor that occupied the submucosa. The characteristic histopathological features and the presence of spindle cells that express factor XIIIa allowed a diagnosis of CFT to be made. The present case and the review revealed that, despite their frequent subperitoneal location, intra-abdominal CFT might present as intrinsic visceral lesions and might be found incidentally. These lesions tend to be smaller when compared to their symptomatic counterparts. The diffuse factor XIIIa expression in CFT might be useful to differentiate this entity from other intra-abdominal soft-tissue tumors in problematic cases. Although rarity of intrinsic visceral CFT necessitates new cases to determine their exact biological behavior, the present case highlights their presence in the stomach as a symptomless small polypoid lesion.     

A useful predictor of early atherosclerosis in obese children: serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein

Childhood obesity seems to contribute to the development of vascular inflammation and the progression of arterial wall changes. High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) has recently emerged as a useful biomarker for vascular inflammation associated with atherosclerosis. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the association of the serum hs-CRP level with ultrasonic findings of early atherosclerosis, carotid intima-media wall thickness (IMT) and brachial flow-mediated dilation (FMD), in obese children. Thirty eight obese children and 45 sex/age-matched healthy control children were recruited. Serum CRP levels were measured by the high-sensitive latex turbidimetric immunoassay, and we measured carotid IMT and brachial FMD using high-resolution B-mode ultrasonography. Obese children had significantly higher hs-CRP levels (1.40+/-0.74 mg/L vs. 0.55+/-0.49 mg/L, p<0.01), as well as increased IMT (0.52+/-0.09 mm vs. 0.41+/-0.07 mm, p<0.01) and impaired FMD (7.35+/-7.78% vs. 20.34+/-16.81%, p<0.01) compared to healthy controls. Serum hs-CRP correlated positively with IMT (r=0.413, p<0.05) and inversely with FMD (r=-0.350, p<0.05) in the obesity group. Measurement of the serum hs-CRP level is a simple, cheap, and highly reproducible assay and correlates with IMT and FMD in obese children. Thus, it would be a useful marker for evaluating and estimating the degree of atherosclerosis in children.