Nasal carriage of Staphylococcus aureus in healthy preschool children

To evaluate the prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus carriage among healthy preschool children in our region, nasal swabs were collected from 5- to 7-year-old healthy children who were attending a day care center. Sociodemographic features and the data related with risk factors were obtained from the children's parents. Of the 200 children, S. aureus was isolated in 36 (18%) subjects. Methicillin-resistant S. aureus was isolated in 2 (5.6%) of these subjects, neither of whom had any identified risk factors. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing revealed that all tested strains were sensitive to gentamicin, vancomycin, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, rifampicin, and mupirocin. Erythromycin, clindamycin, fusidic acid, and tetracycline resistance were determined to be 16.6, 8.3, 5.6, and 8.3%, respectively.     

Trisomy 7 in synovial fluid cells of patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Objective Recent studies revealed trisomy 7 as a chromosomal abnormality in non-neoplastic disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In the present study, we investigated the presence of trisomy 7 in the synovial fluid cells of patients with RA using fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH) analysis.Methods Synovial fluid from 15 patients with RA was collected from knee joints. The control group consisted of seven patients with traumatic synovial effusion in their knee joints. The arthrocenteses were performed under aseptic conditions. Dual-colour FISH analysis was performed using chromosome-7-specific LSI D7S522 (7q31) and chromosome-5-specific LSI EGR1 (5q31)/D5S721 (5p15.2) probes on the slides prepared from synovial fluid of RA patients and controls.Results The slides of our cases were analysed using two different DNA probes. When the slides hybridised with chromosome-5-specific probes were analysed, no trisomic or monosomic cells were revealed in both patients and controls. However, in eight of 15 patients, trisomy 7 occurred in variable percentages of cells (23% to 48%) of synovial fluid. No monosomic 7 cells were detected in these specimens. All control cases were disomic for chromosome 7.Conclusion The results of the present investigation suggest that trisomy 7 may play a role in the pathogenesis of synovial hyperproliferation in RA.     

Fish detected p53 deletion and N-MYC amplification in colorectal cancer

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Data about p53 condition in sporadic colorectal cancer and its impact on clinical features is controversial, and studies regarding N-myc gene in colorectal cancer are limited in number. Our aim was to determine the frequency of p53 deletion and N-myc amplification by fluorescence in situ hybridization method in colorectal cancer and their relationship with clinical parameters. METHODOLOGY: The study was prospectively derived from 40 patients who were diagnosed as having colorectal cancer (Dukes' stages: 11 B, 18 C, 11 D) and went to surgery. Fresh tumor samples from all patients and adjacent normal tissue from 16 patients as control specimens were obtained. Locus specific fluorescence in situ hybridization probes was used for p53 and N-myc gene. For each sample, hundred interphase nuclei were analyzed based on their fluorescence phenotype. RESULTS: Both p53 allelic loss and N-myc amplification were found in 21 cancer tissues, while p53 allelic loss was not observed in any of control tissue, and N-myc amplification only in 1 (p<0.001, p<0.01). Mutations were significantly related with metastasis. CONCLUSIONS: Our study indicates that p53 and N-myc mutations are frequently found in tumor tissue of colorectal cancer and both gene alterations are correlated with the more aggressive tumor phenotype.     

Is there any cardioprotective role of Taurine during cold ischemic period following global myocardial ischemia?

Background  

The aim of the present study was to investigate the cardioprotective effect of Taurine on the donor hearts during cold ischemic period.     

The effect of consanguinity on the reproductive wastage in the Turkish population

Analysis of data from 56,664 marriages in Turkey studied from 1970 to 1988 showed an overall rate of consanguineous marriages, of 21.25%, and increases in the rates of abortions, stillbirths, prenatal losses and neonatal deaths.     

Nail discoloration induced by doxycycline

All tetracyclines are deposited in calcifying areas of the bones and teeth and may cause discoloration. Although hyperpigmentation of the skin, teeth and nails have been reported and well documented due to other tetracycline intake, it has been rarely reported that discolored nails induced by doxycycline in pediatric patients. Here we report an 11-year-old-boy with nail discoloration caused by doxycycline intake.     

The potential effect of cardiac function on pulmonary hypertension,other risk factors,and its impact on survival in dialysis patients

Introduction

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a recently recognized as a complication of chronic kidney disease and end-stage renal disease. The pathogenesis of pulmonary hypertension in this group of patients is not fully understood, probably due to the interaction of multiple aspects of the altered cardiovascular physiology and also hormonal and metabolic disorders. The present study aimed to determine the prevalence of PH, correlation with cardiac function and other risk factors and its impact of survival in chronic hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis patients.

Methods

We studied 125 stable hemodialysis and peritoneal patients (females 40%, mean age 52.42?±?11.88 years) on renal replacement therapy (RRT) for more than 3 months with a follow up 2 years. Demographic information, clinical characteristics, blood test, and thoroughly echocardiographic evaluation at the optimal dry weight were collected. After conventional echocardiographic examination, tissue Doppler echocardiographic (TDE) examination was performed to evaluate global and regional myocardial systolic as well as diastolic function, and pulmonary hypertension. PH was defined as systolic pulmonary artery pressure (sPAP)?≥?35 mmHg. To rule out secondary PH, patients with pulmonary disease, collagen vascular disease, and volume overload at the time of echocardiography were excluded. Variables were compared between two groups—subjects with PH and non-PH. Logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the risk factor for PH and its impact on survival.

Results

According to the echocardiographic findings, PH was found in 28% (35 patients) of all patients. Mean PH was 33.46?±?5.38 mmHg. The higher level of higher parathormone (PTH), C-reactive protein (CRP) and E/E’ average, lower left ventricular ejection fraction (EF), peak systolic velocity at the lateral mitral annulus (MASa) and the peak systolic velocity at the lateral tricuspid annulus (TASa) were found predictor of PH. The cardiovascular mortality rate was 15.5%. Patients evaluated with PH have a significantly lower cardiovascular survival rate [Long Rank (Mantel–Cox) p?=?0.0001]. In ROC analysis for CV mortality, the area under the curve (AUC) for PH and CRP was found 0.8; for LVM-I, E/E’ and PP, AUC?=?0.76; 0.75; 0.72 respectively while the inverse relationship was found with MASa and TASa with AUC?=?0.66 and 0.95 respectively.

Conclusion

Our study shows that PH is frequent in dialysis patients. It is influenced by inflammation, CKD-MBD biomarkers associated with diastolic and also systolic left and right ventricle dysfunction. Pulmonary hypertension, inflammation, vascular stiffness, and left ventricular hypertrophy are interrelated and all contribute to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality among dialysis patients. Easy to implement, cardiac imaging at the bedside and in outpatient clinics offers a positive perspective in early diagnosis of cardiac abnormalities and immediate approach to this condition, so is highly recommended in the dialysis population.

     

Bone mineral density in response to two different regimes in rickets

The aim of this study was to compare the bone mineral density (BMD) of two different treatment regimens in infants with nutritional vitamin D deficient rickets (VDR). Ten patients (Group 1) were treated with a single dose of 600,000 IU of oral vitamin D3 and another ten patients (Group 2) were treated with 20,000 IU/day of oral vitamin D3 for 30 days. BMD was measured in the lumbar spine twice in all infants before the treatment and on the 31st day after initiating the treatment. The increases of BMD after treatment compared to pretreatment levels were statistically significant in both groups (P = 0.005 in Group 1 and P = 0.047 in Group 2). The increments of BMD were statistically similar between Group 1 and 2 (P = 0.096). The present study suggests that these two different treatment regimens bring about similar healing in BMD.     

Prevalence and predictors of benign lesions in renal masses smaller than 7 cm presumed to be renal cell carcinoma

PurposeTo determine the association between preoperative parameters with final benign pathology in patients who underwent surgical removal of solitary renal masses <7 cm in diameter.Materials and MethodsA database of 450 patients without metastatic disease who underwent radical nephrectomy or nephron-sparing surgery (NSS) for removal of renal masses <7 cm between January 1990 and December 2009 was reviewed. Age, sex, symptoms, year and type of surgery, solid or cystic appearance, and tumor size were analyzed as presumed predictors of benign pathology. Multivariate analysis was performed to identify parameters associated with benign pathology.ResultsIn all, 88 (19.9%) of the tumors were benign, including 39 (8.7%) oncocytomas and 22 (4.9%) angiomyolipomas. The benign lesion rate for tumors ≤2, 2.1-4, and 4.1-7 cm was 30.3%, 27.1%, and 12.5%, respectively (2P < .001). For the periods of 1990-1996, 1997-2003, and 2004-2009, the frequency of benign tumors was 25%, 17.3%, and 18.4% (2P = .271), the incidental tumor rate was 48.1%, 60.4%, and 63.8% (2P = .027), mean tumor size was 5, 4.6, and 4.1 cm (2P < .001), and the NSS rate was 28.8%, 43.2%, and 52.7% (2P < .001), respectively. Logistic regression analysis revealed that female sex, NSS, surgery between 1990 and 1996, cystic components on imaging, and small tumors (<4 cm) based on radiologic examination were independently associated with benign pathology (odds ratio [OR] = 3.26, 2.56, 2.43, 2.41, and 1.96, respectively).ConclusionsThe incidence of incidental and small tumors amenable to NSS increased over time. Female sex was the strongest predictor of benign pathology.