The evaluation of excessive daytime sleepiness in taxi drivers

Excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) is a common but underrecognized and preventable cause of traffic accidents. It creates a problem of particular importance for professional drivers. We performed the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) and questionnaire related to their history of traffic accidents to 118 professional taxi drivers to determine the EDS and its effects on driving performance in taxi drivers. There were 58 (49.2%) subjects with loud snoring, 8 (5.9%) subjects with cardinal symptoms due to obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) and 28 (23.7%) subjects with ESS > or =10 in the group of taxi drivers. Eighty (67.8%) drivers had been involved in a traffic accident. We found a significant relation between the number of traffic accident and EDS, witnessed apnea, cardinal symptom related to OSAS but not with snoring. The present data that sleepiness is a common symptom in taxi drivers and may be related to traffic accident.     

Verbal working memory impairments following traumatic brain injury: an fNIRS investigation

The construct of working memory and its reliance on dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) have been the focus of many studies in healthy subjects and in clinical populations. However, transfer of knowledge gained from cognitive science studies to clinical applications can be a challenging goal. This scarce cross-dissemination may be partially due to the use of ‘tools’ that are limited in their ability to generate meaningful information about impairments in clinical groups. To this end, this paper investigates the use of functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), which offers unique opportunities for recording neuroactivation. Specifically, we examine measures of the DLPFC hemodynamic response during a working memory task in adults with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and healthy controls. Analysis of hemodynamic measures showed significant differences between the two groups, even without differences in behavioral performance. Additional subtle disparities were linked to levels of performance in TBI and healthy subjects. fNIRS hemodynamic measures may therefore provide novel information to existing theories and knowledge of the working memory construct. Future studies may further define these subtle differences captured by fNIRS to help identify which components affect inter-individual variations in performance and could play a contributing role in the choice and planning of neurorehabilitation interventions targeting working memory.     

Assessment on self-care,mobility and social function of children with spina bifida in Turkey

The aim of the study was to investigate the functional performance in children with spina bifida, using the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory(PEDI) to look into capacity of twenty-eight children with spina bifida with lesions at different levels in different dimensions of selfcare, mobility and social function. Mean age of the patients was 3.5 ± 2.3(1–10) years. In the muscle test carried out, 13 patients(44.8%) had no movements including pelvic elevation in lower extremity muscles and they were at level 5. Sixteen patients(54%) were non-ambulatory according to the Hoofer ambulation classification. Raw and scale scores in the self-care, mobility and social function domains both in the functional skill scale and in the caregiver scale were found to be lower compared to the data of the normal population. A statistically significant correlation was observed in the self-care values of the Functional Skills Scales and the Caregiver Assistance Scale measurements, which was positive for age and negative for Functional Ambulation Scale and muscle test(P 0.05). A positive relation was found between the Functional Skills Scales-mobility area and age while a negative relation was observed between Functional Ambulation Scale and muscle test(P 0.005). A negative relation was also found between Caregiver Assistance Scale-mobility and Functional Ambulation Scale and muscle test(P 0.005). In our study, the functional performance of the children was found to be low. Low-level lesions, encouraging muscular strength and independence in mobility are all very important factors for functional independence.     

Endometriosis pulmonar torácica: presentación de 2 casos de una enfermedad muy poco frecuente

Endometriosis is characterized by the growth of endometrium outside the uterine cavity or myometrium. There is no specific radiologic finding that defines endometriosis. Parenchymal lesions, nodules or blebs are reported in the literature, although this clinical entity is rare. Definitive diagnosis and treatment are often possible with surgery. We report here two cases: a forty-two-year-old female patient with a 2-year history of intermittent hemoptysis associated with her menstrual cycle was diagnosed as having endometriosis and treated via thoracotomy; another 30-year-old female referred to our department due to recurrent pneumothorax caused by underlying endometriosis underwent surgical treatment which revealed endometrial foci on the diaphragm.     

Relationship between serum leptin level and disease activity in patients with systemic sclerosis

To determine the relationship between serum leptin levels and disease activity in systemic sclerosis (SSc). A total of 60 subjects (30 controls and 30 patients) were included. The inflammatory markers and leptin levels were evaluated and body mass index (BMI) was measured for both groups. The assessment of the skin involvement was performed based on the modified Rodnan skin score (mRSS). Disease activity was evaluated according to the Valentini scleroderma disease activity index. There was a significant difference between the patient and control groups in terms of BMI (p?<?0.05); however there was no difference with regards to age and gender (p?>?0.05). Valentini scores and mRSS were determined to be significantly higher in active patients (n?=?14) than in inactive patients (n?=?16) (p?<?0.05). No significant difference was determined between groups in terms of leptin levels (p?>?0.05). However, leptin levels were significantly lower in active patients than in inactive patients (p?<?0.05). We found a significant positive correlation between serum leptin and BMI (p?<?0.05), and leptin and serum C3 levels (p?<?0.05); no relationship was detected between leptin and other parameters. Leptin can be used as an activity marker in SSc. Further studies, including larger series, should be carried out to clarify this relationship.