Very preterm birth is a risk factor for increased systolic blood pressure at a young adult age

Children born very prematurely who show intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) are suggested to be at risk of developing high blood pressure as adults. Renal function may already be impaired by young adult age. To study whether very preterm birth affects blood pressure in young adults, we measured 24-h ambulatory blood pressure (Spacelabs™ 90207 device) and renin concentration in 50 very premature individuals (<32 weeks of gestation), either small (SGA) or appropriate (AGA) for gestational age (21 SGA, 29 AGA), and 30 full-term controls who all were aged 20 years at time of measurement. The mean (standard deviation) daytime systolic blood pressure in SGA and AGA prematurely born individuals, respectively, was 122.7 (8.7) and 123.1 (8.5) mmHg. These values were, respectively, 3.6 mmHg [95% confidence interval (CI) −0.9 to 8.0] and 4.2 mmHg (95% CI 0.4−8.0) higher than in controls [119.6 (7.6)]. Daytime diastolic blood pressure and nighttime blood pressure did not differ between groups. We conclude that individuals born very preterm have higher daytime systolic blood pressure and higher risk of hypertension at a young adult age.     

Septated pericarditis associated with Kawasaki disease: a brief case report

Kawasaki disease (KD) is primarily the systemic vasculitis of childhood that affects mainly the medium-sized arteries, such as the coronary arteries. KD is the leading cause of acquired heart disease, whereas the incidence of rheumatic fever has declined. The most serious complication is coronary artery involvement. Among the children with KD who developed cardiac complications, pericarditis is a rare complication, with an incidence of 0.07%. We report our experience in a 5.5-year-old child with KD complicated with aneurysm of the left anterior descendant coronary artery and septated pericardial effusion, which has not been reported in the literature. The pericardial effusion disappeared very dramatically with intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) therapy. We would like to point out that septated pericardial effusion in cases of KD do not need any further therapy other than IVIG and high-dose acetylsalicylic acid.     

Brainstem evaluation in children with primary nocturnal enuresis

We investigated the brainstem integrity in children with primary nocturnal enuresis (PNE) using auditory brainstem responses (ABR), blink reflex and exteroceptive suppression of the masseter muscle. We examined 23 children with PNE (16 male, 7 female; mean age: 10.4 years) and 19 control subjects (11 male, 8 female; mean age: 11.8 years). ABR parameters such as wave latencies, amplitudes and interpeak latencies and blink reflex parameters such as R1 and R2 amplitude and latencies were not significantly different between the 2 groups. Although S2 parameters of the exteroceptive suppression of the masseter muscle were easily and completely obtained from the control subjects, in the PNE group S2 onset latency and duration were not recorded in 26% of the study children (n = 6) (P = 0.01). S2 duration time was significantly lowered in the enuretic group (left side: P = 0.001 and right side: P = 0.003). S2 duration time changes in the enuretic group supports a possible brainstem dysfunction in children with PNE.     

Effects of vitamin E supplementation on oxidative stress in streptozotocin induced diabetic rats: investigation of liver and plasma

This experimental study was designed to investigate the effects of vitamin E supplementation, especially on lipid peroxidation and antioxidant status elements 3/4 namely, glutathione (GSH), CuZn superoxide dismutase (CuZn SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH Px), both in blood and liver tissues of streptozotocin (STZ) diabetic rats. The extent to which blood can be used to reflect the oxidative stress of the liver is also investigated. In diabetic rats, plasma lipid peroxide values were not significantly different,from control,whereas erythrocyte CuZn SOD (p < 0.01), GSH Px (p < 0.001) activities and plasma vitamin E levels (p < 0.001), were significantly more elevated than controls. Vitamin E supplementation caused significant decreases of erythrocyte GSH level (p < 0.01) in control rats and of erythrocyte GSH Px activity (p < 0.05) in diabetic rats. Liver findings revealed significantly higher lipid peroxide (p < 0.001) and vitamin E (p < 0.01) levels and lower GSH (p < 0.001), CuZn SOD (p < 0.001) and GSH Px (p < 0.01) levels in diabetic rats. A decreased hepatic lipid peroxide level (p < 0.01) and increased vitamin E/lipid peroxide ratio (p < 0.001) were observed in vitamin E supplemented, diabetic rats. A vitamin E supplementation level which did not cause any increase in the concentration of the vitamin in the liver or blood, was sufficient to lower lipid peroxidation in the liver. Vitamin E/lipid peroxide ratio is suggested as an appropriate index to evaluate the efficiency of vitamin E activity,independent of tissue lipid values. Further, the antioxidant components GSH, GSH Px and CuZn SOD and the relationships among them, were affected differently in the liver and blood by diabetes or vitamin E supplementation.     

Cell cycle markers have different expression and localization patterns in neuron-like PC12 cells and primary hippocampal neurons

Recent studies have indicated that bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) have significant tropism towards glioma which makes them play an important role in carrying genes/drugs to inhibit the growth of glioma as cell vehicles. But BMSCs may differentiate into neural cells under entocranial environment and few researches support the idea that neurally differentiated bone marrow stromal cells (N-D-BMSCs) still hold the capacity of migrating to the tumor sites. The aim of our study was to investigate the tropism of N-D-BMSCs towards C6 glioma. In vitro migration assay was employed by transwell co-culture system and Student's t-test analysis indicated that N-D-BMSCs had the significant tropism towards C6 glioma-conditioned medium (GCM) (P < 0.01). Furthermore, the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) bioactivity of the C6 GCM was neutralized by the anti-rat VEGF antibody and our data suggested that the VEGF from C6 GCM hold chemoattraction for N-D-BMSCs and some other cytokines from the C6 GCM may be responsible for the chemoattraction for N-D-BMSCs. In vivo migration assay was carried out with cells transplantation and one way ANOVA analysis indicated that the tropism of N-D-BMSCs towards C6 glioma sites presented time variation (P-value = 2.9E−20). Moreover, multiple comparisons for the time variables with the Student's t-test and the results suggested that the migration capacity of N-D-BMSCs towards C6 glioma sites reach the peak on the 7th day after transplantation. These results demonstrate that N-D-BMSCs as well as BMSCs have significant tropism towards C6 glioma.     

Is human kallikrein-11 in gastric cancer treated with surgery and adjuvant chemoradiotherapy associated with survival?

Human kallikreins (hKs) have been reported to be involved in human cancers, and several hKs are promising biomarkers of various cancers, such as prostate, ovarian, breast, and testicular cancer. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of immunohistochemical expression of hK11 in patients with gastric cancer. The study included 55 (36 men and 19 women; 58 ± 10 years of mean age) patients with gastric cancer treated with surgery and adjuvant chemoradiotherapy. Tissue sections were evaluated immunohistochemically with a monoclonal anti-hK11 antibody. Of the 55 patients, 35 (63.6%) were hK11-positive and 20 (36.4%) were hK11-negative. Disease-free and overall survival rates were significantly higher in patients with hK11 positive than in those with hK-11 negative expression (24 months vs. 11 months, p: 0.043; 29 months vs. 13 months, p: 0.038, respectively). In conclusion, hK11 expression in gastric cancer appears to be associated with a better prognosis. hK11 may be a prognostic biomarker of gastric cancer. On the other hand, it is needed to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the regulation of hK11 expression in gastric cancer.     

The effect of different levels of pneumoperitoneum pressures on regional cerebral oxygenation during robotic assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy

Background/aimThis study aimed to evaluate the effect of low- and high-pressure pneumoperitoneum pressures applied during robotic-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy (RALP) using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) on regional cerebral oxygenation saturation (rSO₂). Materials and methodsThe prospective, comparative, and observational study included patients aged 18–80 years, with the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status I-II, who would undergo elective RALP. The patients were divided into two groups (12 mmHg of pneumoperitoneum pressure group, n=22 and 15 mmHg of pneumoperitoneum pressure group, n=23). Patients’ demographic data, durations of anesthesia, surgery, pneumoperitoneum, and Trendelenburg position, intraoperative estimated blood loss, fluid therapy, urine output, hemodynamic and respiratory data, and rSO₂ values were recorded at regular intervals.Results The rSO₂ values increased significantly during the pneumoperitoneum combined with steep Trendelenburg position (from t 3 to t 6 ) and at the end of the surgery ( t 7 ) in both groups, compared to the values 5 min after the onset of pneumoperitoneum in the supine position ( t 2 ) (P < 0.05), but no statistical significance was observed between the two groups. No cerebral desaturation was observed in any of our patients. Hemodynamic and respiratory parameters were preserved in both groups. The blood lactate levels were significantly higher in patients operated at high-pressure pneumoperitoneum, compared to those with low-pressure pneumoperitoneum (P < 0.05). Conclusion We believe that low-pressure pneumoperitoneum, especially in robotic surgeries, such as robotic-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy (RALP), can be applied safely.     

The seroprevalence of Helicobacter pylori and nitric oxide in acne rosacea

BACKGROUND: Acne rosacea is a dermatosis with unknown etiology. Some studies have reported a high prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection in acne rosacea. Other studies have reported a decrease in the severity of the lesions of acne rosacea after eradication of H. pylori. H. pylori is a Gram-negative bacterium which colonizes the gastric mucosa and increases the synthesis of oxygen radicals, such as superoxide and proinflammatory cytokines. These cytokines have been demonstrated to stimulate the synthesis of the inflammatory species nitric oxide (NO). In this study, we examined the role of NO in the possible effect of H. pylori in acne rosacea. METHODS: Thirty-three acne rosacea patients were included in the study and the control group comprised 20 healthy individuals. The levels of immunoglobulin G antibodies against H. pylori in the serum samples were measured using the enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent assay method. Measurement of nitrate was performed using chemiluminescence in accordance with the method described by Braman and Hendrix (Braman RS, Hendrix SA. Nanogram nitrite and nitrate determination in environmental and biological materials by vanadium(iii) reduction with chemiluminescence detection. Anal Chem 1989; 61: 2715-2718). For statistical analysis, the t-test was used. RESULTS: The seropositivity of H. pylori in acne rosacea patients was found to be high; however, the serum nitrate levels were found to be normal. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the study indicate that the inflammatory species NO, which has been hypothesized to be associated with H. pylori, has no role in the inflammatory mechanism of acne rosacea.