A novel NPHS2 gene mutation in Turkish children with familial steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome

We report in this paper two siblings aged 8 and 17 months who were clinically diagnosed with familial steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome (SRNS). By mutation screening of the NPHS2 gene, a homozygous missense mutation, P118L, was detected in both children. This study is the first systematic investigation of NPHS2 gene mutations in Turkish children with familial SRNS. If this mutation is a hot spot of mutation in the Turkish population, screening this novel mutation in Turkish children with SRNS may be of great clinical use to prevent unnecessary treatment modalities, provide accurate genetic counselling and predict the prognosis of the disease.     

A research on the level of urine neopterin to see if it may provide a vital clue for a provisional diagnosis of breast cancer in menopausal women

Objectives: To search the relation between the level of neopterin in urine and breast cancer developed in menopause. Methods: In this study, urine samples were collected from randomly selected menopausal and post-menopausal women who attended hospital, and from a control group. The participants were classified into two representative sample groups and a control group; 1st group: 30 menopausal and post-menopausal women whose ages varied from 45 to 80 and who suffered from breast cancer but had no viral infections, chronic inflammatory diseases and smoking habit; 2nd group: 30 menopausal and post-menopausal women aged between 48 and 63 with no complaint of any type of tumors, viral infections or chronic inflammatory diseases and with no smoking habit; 3rd group: A control group with 20 women aged between 20 and 28, who did not take part in sexual activities yet, and had no complaint of any type of tumors, viral infections or chronic inflammatory diseases and had no smoking habit. Urinalysis was carried out for each sample in order to measure the level of neopterin. Results: The mathematical results of neopterin levels for the groups showed that group I was significantly higher than group II and III (P=0.0001); group II was significantly higher than group III (P=0.003). Conclusions: If the results of this study were not confounded by another factor, then can we deduce that this relationship can be used as a risk factor that should warrent further investigation of breast cancer during the care and treatment of menopausal women.     

Xylitol enhances bacterial killing in the rabbit maxillary sinus

OBJECTIVES: Factors that alter airway surface liquid (ASL) ionic concentrations may influence the course of sinusitis. Xylitol has been shown to effect ASL ionic composition in vitro and to reduce nasal bacterial carriage, otitis media, and dental caries in vivo. We examined the effect of xylitol on experimental sinusitis in the rabbit model. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective randomized controlled study of xylitol, saline, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa administration to the rabbit maxillary sinus. METHODS: P. aeruginosa was administered to the sinuses of 26 New Zealand white rabbits. Saline was placed in the left maxillary sinus and xylitol in the right. The rabbits were randomly assigned to one of three groups: one, simultaneous administration of bacteria and solutions with bacterial analysis at 20 minutes, 11 rabbits; two, preadministration of solutions 1 hour before bacterial infection with analysis at 20 minutes, 11 rabbits; three, established sinusitis, 4 rabbits had daily injections of solutions for 5 days starting 7 days after P. aeruginosa administration. RESULTS: In group 1, 6.96% of injected bacteria were retrieved on the left (saline), whereas 0.095% were retrieved on the right (xylitol) (P = .034). In group 2, 5.64% of inoculum was recovered from the left and 2.89% from the right (P = .188). Group 3 demonstrated evidence of sinusitis with recovery of noninoculate bacteria. with no difference between right and left. CONCLUSIONS: Xylitol reduces experimental sinusitis when administered simultaneously with bacteria. Its effect in established sinusitis is less clear. A role may exist for xylitol in nasal irrigation fluid in human disease.     

A new approach to define dynamics of the ion channel gates

Voltage-gated ion channels are of great importance in the generation and propagation of electrical signals in the excitable cell membranes. How these channels respond to changes in the potential across the membrane has been a challenging problem, and different approaches have been proposed to address the mechanism of voltage sensing and gating in these channels. In this study, we attempt a new approach by considering a simple two-state gate system and applying the path probability method to construct a nonequilibrium statistical mechanical model of the system. The model which is based on the principles of statistical physics provides a firm physical basis for ion channel gating.     

Activation kinetics of T-type calcium channel by a path probability approximation

We previously formulated dynamics of ion channel gates by the path probability method. In this study, we apply that theoretical approach to derive the activation rate kinetics of T-type calcium channel in thalamic relay neurons. We derive explicit expressions of the forward and backward rate constants and show that the proposed rate constants accurately capture form of the empirical time constant, and that they also provide its saturation to a constant value at depolarized membrane potentials. We also compare our derivations with linear and nonlinear thermodynamic models of rate kinetics obtained from the same calcium channel, and show that it is possible to capture saturation of the time constant for the depolarized membrane potentials by the only proposed rate constants.     

Topical imiquimod 5% cream in external anogenital warts: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study

The complete treatment of anogenital warts has not been obtained with any combination of methods; therefore, new methods are still under investigation. In this study the activity and side effects of imiquimod 5% cream were investigated. The study group consisted of 23 male and 11 female volunteers and the control group of 9 male and 2 female volunteers. Patients applied the cream three times a week, every other day in the evenings for a period of 12 weeks. After the treatment, patients were regularly monitored for six months for recurrences. At the end of the study, 23 (69.7%) patients (all of females and 54.5% of males) in the study group displayed a complete clearance, 9 patients displayed 50-90% clearance and 1 patient displayed less than 50% clearance. In the control group, only 1 patient displayed a complete clearance, 1 patient displayed 50-90% clearance, and the other 8 patients showed no alteration in the lesions. These results were statistically significantly different (p<0.01). In 15 patients in the study group, no side effects were reported; the most frequently seen side effects were erythema and erosion. In six patients that were observed for a period of six months, recurrences occurred. Imiquimod 5% cream is a topically applied medicament that should be considered as an effective and reliable medical option in the treatment of anogenital warts.     

Complications and outcome in left-sided endocarditis in children

We retrospectively assessed the clinical course and outcome of left-sided endocarditis in pediatric patients to find out the prognostic significance of the presence and size of echocardiographically detected vegetations. Among the children admitted to our institution with endocarditis between January 1987 and October 1999, 16 patients (mean age 9.03 +/- 4.95 years) who met the Duke criteria for the diagnosis of infective endocarditis (IE) were included in this study. Rheumatic valvular disease was the most frequent underlying heart disease (10 patients: 62.5%). Five patients were operated at a mean of 13.9 months before endocarditis, and all had residual defects. Vegetation was detected in 11 cases (69%). Ten patients had major complications (within 2 weeks in 6 patients). Three patients developed congestive heart failure (CHF), six had intracranial and one had lower extremity emboli. Among them four were operated because of complications (CHF: 3 cases, intracranial emboli: 1 case). All the operated cases are doing well. The association between intracranial embolic events and echocardiographically detected vegetations was determined by calculating specificity (40%), sensitivity (100%), positive predictive value (50%), and negative predictive value (100%). No intracranial embolism occurred in patients without vegetations. All vegetations were < or = 6 mm in patients with systemic embolism. There were four deaths, three of which were because of intracranial embolism. This study suggests that intracranial emboli have a major risk of mortality in left-sided endocarditis. The larger size of the vegetation is not a predictor of complications; furthermore, the absence of vegetations predicts that the patient is safe from embolic events. Therefore all patients with left-sided IE should be considered for earlier surgical intervention.     

Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor (inflammatory pseudotumor) of the maxillary sinus mimicking malignancy: a case report of an unusual location (is that a true neoplasm?)

The inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor (IMT) is a space-occupying lesion of unknown etiology and a distinctive but controversial lesion. This type of tumor is recently considered neoplastic rather than inflammatory. It is usually occurring during childhood, composed of fascicles of bland myofibroblastic cells admixed with a prominent inflammatory infiltrate consisting of lymphocytes, plasma cells, and eosinophils. IMT of the maxilla is very rare. The diagnosis of IMT can be made on the basis of histopathology and immunohistoche-mistry. Herein, we presented a patient who had IMT of the maxillary sinus that was initially misinterpreted as a malignant neoplasm upon clinical and radiographic examinations. We discussed the diagnostic and therapeutic procedures and may consider it a true neoplasm.