Effects of oral continuous 17beta-estradiol plus norethisterone acetate replacement therapy on abdominal subcutaneous fat, serum leptin levels and body composition.

AIM: To evaluate the effects of oral continuous 17beta-estradiol plus norethisterone acetate (E2/NETA) replacement therapy on abdominal subcutaneous fat, serum leptin level (SLL) and body composition in postmenopausal women. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A 6-month, prospective, randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study was conducted. Forty-three healthy naturally postmenopausal women aged 43-65 years were randomly assigned to receive E2/NETA (2 mg E2 plus 1 mg NETA, n = 22) or placebo (n = 21). Fasting SLL by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, subcutaneous abdominal fat thickness (STh) by ultrasound and the anthropometric indices of body weight (BW), body mass index (BMI), waist and hip circumference (WC, HC) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) were recorded at the beginning and the end of the study. RESULTS: After 6 months of therapy, BW and SLL increased in the placebo group (p = 0.043 and 0.033, respectively). WC, HC and STh decreased significantly in the E2/NETA group (p = 0.002, 0.006 and 0.000, respectively) and they were also significantly lower in women receiving E2/NETA than in women taking placebo (p = 0.000, 0.034 and 0.000, respectively). At baseline, SLL and STh were positively correlated with all anthropometric indices except WHR. CONCLUSION: Oral continuous combined regimen of E2/NETA significantly reduced central fat accumulation as assessed by WC and STh, and attenuated the increase in SLL. The observed changes in SLL were highly and positively related to changes in STh. The oral continuous combined E2/NETA regimen appears to have protective effects on cardiovascular function and probably on metabolic diseases by its slimming effect upon WC in postmenopausal women.     

Synovial chondromatosis of four compartments of the knee: medial and lateral tibiofemoral spaces,patellofemoral joint and proximal tibiofibular joint

A case of synovial chondromatosis of the proximal tibiofibular joint in addition to lateral and medial tibiofemoral spaces and patellofemoral joint has been presented.     

下肢深静脉瓣功能不全的二维及彩色多普勒超声诊断

目的 探讨下肢深静脉瓣功能不全的二维及彩色多普勒超声声像图改变。方法 应用二维及彩色多普勒超声检查下肢深静脉瓣功能不全36例，47条腿，观察下肢静脉血管及瓣膜的解剖结构和血流动力学改变。结果 有静脉瓣功能不全的患肢静脉管腔内径均有不同程度增宽，瓣膜均有不同程度的改变，脉冲多普勒显示返流频谱返流时间大于0.5s。结论 该检查对诊断下肢深静脉瓣功能不全有较高的实用价值。     

Correction of camptodactyly with an external fixator

Camptodactyly is a flexion deformity of the proximal interphalangeal joint. Because of unsatisfactory results, treatment is not recommended for mild deformities, and in severe deformities surgery has been disappointing. A specially designed external fixator providing gradual distraction was used in a severe case. With this mildly aggressive method, an acceptable result was obtained. Received: 5 June 1997/Accepted: 2 February 1998     

The use of tissue expanders in syndactyly repair

The syndactyly repairs of 11 hands in seven patients (average age 20.4) who had simple complete syndactyly between the third and fourth fingers were done by the use of tissue expanders in order to obtain adequate skin closure. At the first stage, a wedge type, 7 cc tissue expander was placed beneath the dorsal skin of the syndactylous digits via a vertical dorsal hand incision under local anesthesia. Inflation was begun on the 15th postoperative day. After the inflation period (average 32 days), syndactyly repair similar to the Littler technique was performed using axillary block anesthesia. During the expansion period one tissue expander became exposed and this hand was repaired by the classical skin grafting technique. In the remaining ten hands the expanded dorsal skin ensured skin closure of the digits and web reconstruction without any need for skin grafting. No complications were encountered during the postoperative period. Active and passive abduction angles, tip-to-tip length, active range of motion of the digits, and two point discrimination tests were done at follow-up (average six months). The web appearances were normal in all patients. Active abduction angles and active range of motion of the digits was always normal at the third postoperative month. Two point discrimination was 8.7 mm on the interdigital sides of the digits and there was no tip-to-tip length differences of the digits. No contractures were seen.Presented at the International Congress of Surgery of the Hand and Upper Extremity, Izmir, Turkey, September 25, 1994.     

Incisional healing in rats treated with diethyl maleate

Diethyl maleate (DEM) which binds and thus depletes tissue glutathione levels was used to aggravate the injury and to determine its effect on incisional healing. A 5 cm dorsal midline skin incision was performed on 40 albino Wistar rats in two groups and then closed by interrupted sutures. Groups received 0.9% NaCl and DEM at a dosage of 1 mg/kg/day intraperitoneally for seven days, respectively. On postoperative days 7 and 14, histopathological assessment and tensile strengths were measured. The DEM treated group had a marked inflammation with poorly defined collagen formation and the tensile strength measurements revealed a significant decrease (p <0.001) on the 7t day. On the other hand, the first group showed better collagenization and a lesser degree of inflammation. However, on the 14th day, there was no noticeable histopathological difference between the two groups; but, tensile strength values of the second group were still lower (p <0.05). In this animal model, DEM postponed the healing process and reduced the tensile strength.     

Systemic lupus erythematosus and thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) is a multisystem disorder characterised by platelet aggregation causing microvascular occlusion. Early diagnosis and utilization of plasmapheresis can provide an improvement in prognosis. CASE REPORT: A 17 year old male with classical findings of TTP was later diagnosed as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Plasmapheresis resulted in the significant amelioration of the course. CONCLUSION: The coexistence of TTP and SLE may facilitate a better understanding of in the pathophysiology of TTP. These association may provide the role of autoimmunity in TTP. SLE should be considered in the differential diagnosis of patients with TTP because of therapeutic implications.