Syntheses and antifungal activities of some 3-(2-phenylethyl)-5-substituted- tetrahydro-2H-1,3,5-thiadiazine-2-thiones.

Ten new 3-(2-phenethyl)-5-substituted-tetrahydro-2H-1,3,5-thiadiazine-2- thiones were synthesized by the reaction of phenylethylamine with carbon disulfide and potassium hydroxide, followed by formaldehyde and appropriate amino acids. The structures of these compounds have been confirmed by UV, IR, 1H-NMR and elementary analysis. The antifungal activities of the compounds were tested by tube dilution method against yeast-like fungi (Candida albicans, C. parapsilosis, C. stellatoidea and C. pseudotropicalis) and minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimal fungicidal concentration (MFC) values were determined. All compounds proved to be highly effective against yeast-like fungi (MFC range: 1.56-12.5 micrograms/ml).     

Failure of ablation of a mediastinal parathyroid adenoma by repeated contrast staining

In a patient with primary hyperparathyroidism an attempt was made to ablate a middle mediastinal parathyroid gland by forceful staining with radiographic contrast material. The gland was stained on two separate occasions, two weeks apart. Both times the serum calcium level temporarily fell to the normal range but reverted to abnormal levels. The patient ultimately required surgery for correction of hypercalcemia. The mechanism of staining and possible reasons for failure as well as potential complications are discussed.     

The effect of preventive use of alanyl-glutamine on diaphragm muscle function in cecal ligation and puncture-induced sepsis model

BACKGROUND: Low muscle glutamine levels during sepsis are associated with reduced protein synthesis and elevated protein breakdown, in particular myofibrillar protein breakdown. Thus, in a cecal ligation and puncture (CLP)-induced sepsis model in the rat, we hypothesized that glutamine pretreatment would protect the diaphragm muscle function. METHODS: Eighty-four male Wistar rats weighing between 180 g and 200 g received standard amino acid solution 1.2 g kg(-1) per day intraperitoneally (IP) or standard amino acid solution 1.2 g kg(-1) per day plus alanyl-glutamine (GLN) 0.25 g kg(-1) per day (IP) during the first 6 days of the experiment. On the seventh day, CLP or sham procedures were applied. The sham and CLP groups were equally divided into 3 subgroups according to the termination of the experiment, which took place at either the 24th hour, 48th hour, or 72nd hour. After the compound muscle action potentials (CMAP) were recorded from the diaphragms of the rats at these selected times, they were decapitated under ketamine/xylazine anesthesia, and diaphragms were harvested for biochemical and histopathological examination. RESULTS: The mean area and amplitude of CMAP were significantly larger in sham+GLN groups when compared with CLP and CLP+GLN groups at all times (p < .05). Diaphragm Ca+2 -ATPase levels were found to be significantly decreased in CLP group at all times compared to sham groups (p < .05). Diaphragm reduced glutathione levels were significantly higher in sham+GLN groups when compared with CLP and CLP+GLN groups at all times (p < .05). In histopathologic assessment, moderate neutrophil infiltration, which was observed in CLP48, was significantly reduced with alanyl-glutamine supplementation in CLP+GLN48 group (p < .05). CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that glutamine pretreatment did not improve diaphragm muscle function, but prevented the biochemical and histopathological changes in diaphragmatic muscle in CLP-induced sepsis. However, further studies are needed to clarify whether a higher dose of glutamine supplementation might protect the diaphragmatic muscle functions.     

Videothoracoscopy versus intrapleural streptokinase for management of post traumatic retained haemothorax: a retrospective study of 65 cases

BACKGROUND: Post traumatic retained haemothorax (PRH) may cause pulmonary restrictions or septic pleural complications. Currently, minimally invasive procedures such as videothoracoscopy or intrapleural fibrinolysis have replaced open surgery in an effort to avoid these complications. OBJECTIVE: We have reviewed retrospectively our use of videothoracoscopy versus intrapleural streptokinase for the management of PRH over the last 10 years. PATIENTS AND METHOD: There were 56 males and nine females in the study. Thirty-one cases had been managed by intrapleural streptokinase (group I), and videothoracoscopy was performed on 34 cases (group II). Therapeutic results for both groups were determined by chest radiographs. RESULTS: In the population from which we drew our study group, retained haemothoraces occurred in 10.9% of 596 cases with traumatic haemothorax. In group I, 22 patients had radiological improvement; the others underwent thoracotomy. In this group, mean hospitalisation time was 14.5(+/-4.2) days, and three cases were complicated by empyema. In group II, all patients except four had complete radiological improvement; two of them required a decortication. In this group, mean hospital stay was 9.8(+/-3.7) days. There were no deaths in either group. The differences between group I and group II for length of hospital stay and number of thoracotomies was statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Videothoracoscopy is therefore a more effective procedure than intrapleural streptokinase for the management of PRH.     

Management strategies for patients with nipple discharge

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The aim of this study was to assess management strategies for patients with nipple discharge (ND). PATIENTS AND METHODS: The records of 13,443 women with breast-related complaints who were examined by the same surgeon between 1 January 1960 and 31 December 2000 were retrospectively assessed. Patients with ND were grouped according to whether they had had a spontaneous or provoked discharge. The parameters investigated in each group were age, physical findings, number of pregnancies, duration of lactation, duration of discharge, colour of discharge, and histopathological features. Chi-square and Mann-Whitney U-tests were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: ND was the presenting symptom in 603 (4.5%) of the cases. Two hundred and eighty-seven (48%) of the 603 patients showed spontaneous nipple discharge (SND group) and the other 316 (52%) showed provoked nipple discharge (PND group). In the SND group, 124 (43%) tissue specimens were obtained by either biopsy or sub-areolar exploration. Histopathological examination revealed that the most frequent causes of ND in these cases were intraductal papilloma (49 patients; 40%), intraductal carcinoma (35 patients; 28%), and cystic disease (15 patients; 12%). Twenty tissue specimens were obtained from the group with PND. In these cases, the most frequently identified causes of ND were cystic disease (seven patients; 35%), intraductal papilloma (six patients; 30%), ductal ectasia (two patients; 10%), and carcinoma (one patient; 5%). The SND and PND groups differed significantly with respect to age (P = 0.001) and duration of ND (P = 0.008). The incidence of cancer was higher in the SND specimens than in the PND specimens (28% vs 5%, respectively; P = 0.01). The number of pregnancies was significantly higher and the duration of lactation was significantly longer in the SND group (P = 0.03 and P = 0.02, respectively). CONCLUSION: The study confirms previous reports that patients with SND have a higher incidence of carcinoma than those with PND. The results suggest that older age, higher number of pregnancies, and longer duration of lactation may predispose to cancer development in patients with SND. The possibility of breast cancer should also be kept in mind when one is assessing patients with PND. Careful physical examination and close follow-up is the optimal management strategy for patients with any type of ND.     

The comparison of the efficacy of scoring systems in organophosphate poisoning

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II and Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS) II scoring systems for organophosphate poisoning (OPP) in an intensive care unit (ICU). The following data were collected on all consecutive patients who were admitted to the ICU between June 1999 and December 2004. Demographic data, GCS, APACHE II and SAPS II scoring systems were recorded. Predicted mortality was calculated using original regression formulas. Standardized mortality ratio (SMR) was computed with 95% confidence intervals (CI). The sensitivity and specificity for each scoring system were evaluated by calculating the Area Under the Receiver Operating Characteristic Curves. The actual mortality in OPP was 21.9%. Predicted mortality by all systems was not significantly different from actual mortality [SMR and 95% CI for GCS: 1.00 (0.65 1.35), APACHE II: 0.87 (0.54-1.03), SAPS II: 1.40 (0.98-1.82)]. The area under the ROC curve for APACHE II is largest, but there is no statistically significant difference when compared with SAPS II and GCS (GCS 0.900 +/- 0.059, APACHE II 0.929 +/- 0.045 and SAPS II 0.891 +/- 0.057). In our ICU group of patients, in predicting the mortality rates in OPP, the three scoring systems, which are GCS, APACHE II and SAPS II, had similar impacts; however, GCS system has superiority over the other systems in being easy to perform, and not requiring complex physiologic parameters and laboratory methods.     

Management of airway obstruction in a severe case of juvenile hyaline fibromatosis

Juvenile hyaline fibromatosis (JHF) is an extremely rare, genetic disease with unknown etiology. It is characterized by cutaneous nodules and flexural joint contractures, along with hypertrophy of the gingival and oral mucosa, which is probably the most striking and morbidity-related feature of the disease. An advanced case of JHF with prominent growth retardation, recurrent respiratory tract infections, and impending upper respiratory tract obstruction due to severe hypertrophy of the oral mucosa and gingiva is presented. Surgical excision of the hypertrophic oral mucosa and cutaneous nodules in the scalp was performed. No major recurrence of the mucosal lesions was observed at the first postoperative year.     

Surgical Repair of a Post-traumatic Arteriovenous Fistula Complicated by Stent-Graft Misplacement

An arteriovenous fistula (AVF) is an abnormal connection between an artery and a vein which may result from a traumatic injury or occur as a congenital abnormality. It may be asymptomatic or may present with a variety of symptoms. Surgical or endovascular treatment can be preferred. We present a case of unsuccessful percutaneous treatment of a femoral AVF due to misplacement of the stent-grafts, necessitating surgical correction.