Myocardial bridges of the coronary arteries in the human fetal heart

During the last century, many investigators reported on myocardial bridges in the adult human heart. In the present study, 39 human fetal hearts (the mean gestastional age was 30 weeks) were studied for myocardial bridging, and the results were correlated with adult data. Among the 39 (27 male and 12 female) fetal hearts studied, 26 bridges were observed on 18 fetal hearts (46.2%). Ten of the bridges had one myocardial bridge, whereas double myocardial bridges were observed in eight fetal hearts. The most frequent myocardial bridges were observed on the left anterior descending artery (LAD), which had 13 bridges (50%). Eight (30.7%) myocardial bridges were on the diagonal artery, and on the posterior descending artery there were five (19.3%). Myocardial bridges were not observed on the circumflex artery. The data presented in this study may provide potentially useful information for the preoperative evaluation of the newborn and may have a clinical implication for sudden fetal death.     

Turkish general practitioners and complementary/alternative medicine

BACKGROUND: Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is in the spotlight of society. However, what is the position of physicians at this point? OBJECTIVES: To determine general practitioners' (GP) knowledge, attitudes, and approaches to CAM. METHODS: All GPs (n=521) practicing in Bursa Province, Turkey were surveyed by a questionnaire. RESULTS: Responses from 49% of GPs were analyzed. Altogether, most of our physicians (96.5%) had not received any education about CAM, wanted to learn more (74.4%), and their knowledge levels were low (60.8%). About half of them (51%) believed in the efficiency of CAM, whereas 38.0% did not. GPs desire more information about herbal medicine and acupuncture. Only 29% of GPs were using some type of CAM for themselves. CONCLUSIONS: GPs are aware of the subject's importance and want to learn more about CAM and improve their knowledge. It would be reasonable to provide training possibilities for GPs, primarily for the CAM types highly used by the population and most requested by the physicians.     

Lipid peroxidation and osmotic fragility of red blood cells in sleep-apnea patients

BACKGROUND: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) refers to the occurrence of episodes of complete or partial pharyngeal obstruction with oxyhemoglobin desaturation during sleep. These hypoxia/reoxygenation episodes may cause generation of reactive oxygen species. Reactive oxygen species are toxic to biomembranes and may lead to the peroxidation of lipids. We tested the hypothesis that obstructive sleep apnea is linked to increased oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation. In order to identify target tissue/cell damage, we studied the osmotic fragility of red blood cells. METHODS: Six subjects polysomnographically diagnosed as obstructive sleep apnea syndrome and 10 controls were included. After all subjects gave written informed consent, blood samples were collected in the morning between 08:00 and 09:00 a.m. following polysomnography. Blood samples were immediately transferred to the laboratory. Glutathione, lipid peroxidation and osmotic fragility of red blood cells were measured manually. RESULTS: Mean glutathione and lipid peroxidation concentrations of patients were not different than those of control subjects (105.6+/-38.6 U/g Hb and 3.1+/-2.3 nmol MDA/l vs. 100.6+/-62.1 U/g Hb and 3.2+/-2.8 nmol MDA/l, respectively). In both groups, osmotic fragility of red blood cells was not changed. CONCLUSION: The present study failed to support the hypothesis that obstructive sleep apnea is linked with increased oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation.     

Clinical utility of sonography in diagnosing plantar fasciitis.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy of sonography in the detection of plantar fasciitis (PF) compared with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings in subjects with inferior heel pain. METHODS: Seventy-seven patients with unilateral (n = 9) and bilateral (n = 68) heel pain were studied. Seventy-seven age- and sex-matched asymptomatic subjects served as a control group. Magnetic resonance imaging was used to establish a diagnosis of PF with sagittal T1-weighted, T2-weighted, and short tau inversion recovery sequences. The sonographic appearances of PF were compared with MRI findings. Plantar fascia and heel pad thickness were also measured on both imaging modalities. RESULTS: Compared with MRI, sonography showed 80% sensitivity and 88.5% specificity in assessing PF. A strong correlation was found between plantar fascia and fat pad thickness measurements done by sonography (P < .001; r = 0.854) and MRI (P < .001; r = 0.798). Compared with the asymptomatic volunteers, patients with PF had significant increases in plantar fascia and heel pad thicknesses, weight, and body mass index (P = .0001). Heel pad thickness was also significantly increased with pain duration (P = .021). CONCLUSIONS: Although MRI is the modality of choice in the morphologic assessment of different plantar fascia lesions, sonography can also serve as an effective tool and may substitute MRI in the diagnosis of PF.     

Gammarus pulex as a Model Organism to Assess the Residual Toxicity of Slaughterhouse Wastewater Treated by Electrocoagulation Process

Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology - It was assessed the efficiency of the electrocoagulation (EC) in slaughterhouse wastewater (SW) treatment by using antioxidant parameters of...     

Inflammatory responses to pulmonary application of PEI-based siRNA nanocarriers in mice

Polymeric non-viral vector systems for pulmonary application of siRNA are promising carriers, but have failed to enter clinical trials because of safety and efficiency problems. Therefore, improving their transfection efficiency, as well as their toxicological profile, is the subject of intensive research efforts. Six different poly(ethylene imine) (PEI)-based nanocarriers, with hydrophilic and hydrophobic PEG modifications, were toxicologically evaluated for pulmonary application in mice. Nanocarriers were intratracheally instilled to determine their toxicological profile, with particular focus on the inflammatory response in the lungs. Nanocarriers from both groups caused an acute inflammatory response in the lungs, albeit with different resolution kinetics and cytotoxicity. Hydrophobic modifications caused a severe inflammatory response with increased epithelial barrier permeability, accompanied by an acute antioxidant response. Hydrophilic modifications, with high PEG-grafting degrees, induced less proinflammatory effects without depleting macrophages and disrupting the epithelial/endothelial barrier in the lungs, while showing only a minor oxidative stress response. For pulmonary applications, local proinflammatory effects should be optimized by further development of nanocarriers with highly grafted PEG-PEI-based carriers or Jeffamine-modified hydrophobic PEI modifications.     

Severity, type, and distribution of myotonic discharges are different in type 1 and type 2 myotonic dystrophy

To characterize and compare electrical myotonia in myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) and type 2 (DM2), 16 patients with genetically confirmed DM1 and 17 patients with DM2 underwent standardized concentric needle electromyography of deltoid, biceps, extensor digitorum communis, first dorsal interosseous, tensor fascia lata (TFL), vastus lateralis (VL), tibialis anterior, and thoracic paraspinal muscles. Eight needle insertions per muscle were made by electromyographers blinded to DM type who recorded the presence and type of myotonia (e.g., classic waxing-waning or less specific waning discharges). Manual muscle testing was performed by a physical therapist. Overall, myotonia was more elicitable in DM1 than DM2; only in VL and TFL was myotonia more elicitable in DM2 than DM1. The major type of myotonia was waxing-waning in DM1, and waning in DM2. Four DM2 (24%), but no DM1 patients had only waning myotonia. In the arms, myotonia was distally predominant in both DM1 and DM2. In the legs, it was distally predominant in DM1, but both proximal and distal in DM2. The severity of myotonia was positively correlated with muscle weakness and with the presence of waxing and waning discharges in DM1, but with neither in DM2. Thus, myotonia is qualitatively and quantitatively different in DM1 than DM2. Except for proximal leg muscles, myotonia is more evocable in DM1 than DM2. It tends to be waxing-waning in DM1 but waning in DM2, thus making electrodiagnosis of DM2 more challenging. Its severity correlates with muscle weakness and the presence of waxing-waning discharges in DM1 but not DM2.     

Relationship between airway colonization, inflammation and exacerbation frequency in COPD

RATIONALE: To evaluate bacterial colonization and the airway inflammatory response, and its relationship to the frequency of exacerbation in patients with stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). METHODS: Quantitative bacteriologic cultures, neutrophil elastase, myeloperoxidase (MPO), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin (IL)-8 were measured in bronchoalveoler lavage (BAL) in 39 patients with stable COPD [19 with frequent exacerbation (> or = 3/year), and 20 with infrequent] and in 18 healthy controls (10 smokers and 8 non-smokers). RESULTS: BAL revealed the microorganisms with potential pathogenicity above the established threshold (> or = 10(3)cfu/ml) in 68.4% of patients with frequent exacerbation, 55% of infrequent exacerbation, 40% of smokers and 12.5% of non-smokers controls (P=0.05). BAL MPO, IL-8 and TNF-alpha levels were found to be significantly higher in COPD as compared to controls (P=0.001). However, only IL-8 level was significantly higher in COPD patients with frequent exacerbation as compared to infrequent (P=0.001). Airway bacterial load correlated with levels of airway inflammation markers in COPD (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The bacterial load and airway inflammation contributes to each other in stable COPD. However, there is a link only between interleukine (IL)-8 and frequent exacerbations. Clearly, the relationship between bacterial colonization, airway inflammation and frequent exacerbations is of major importance in understanding of the COPD pathogenesis.