Effect of Nitroglycerin Inhalation on Patients with Pulmonary Hypertension Undergoing Mitral Valve Replacement Surgery

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the postoperative hemodynamic effects of nitroglycerin inhalation on patients with pulmonary hypertension undergoing mitral valve replacement surgery.

Methods: Twenty patients who underwent mitral valve replacement surgery were included in the study. In the surgical intensive care unit, at T0 (before the inhalation of nitroglycerin), basal systemic and pulmonary hemodynamics were recorded. Then, 2.5 [mu]g [middle dot] kg-1 [middle dot] min-1 nitroglycerin liquid nebulized by a 2-l gas flow of 40% oxygen and air mixture was administered to the patients who were diagnosed as having pulmonary hypertension (mean pulmonary arterial pressures > 25 mmHg). The same parameters were measured at the first (T1), third (T2), and fifth (T3) hours after the beginning of this treatment and 1 h after the end of nitroglycerin inhalation (T4).

Results: There were no statistically significant differences at T0, T1, T2, T3, or T4 with respect to heart rate, mean arterial pressure, systemic vascular resistance, cardiac index, mixed venous oxygen saturation, arteriovenous oxygen content difference, or arterial carbon dioxide tension. However, mean pulmonary artery pressure, pulmonary vascular resistance, and intrapulmonary shunt fraction were significantly lower, and the arterial oxygen tension/fraction of inspired oxygen ratio was higher at T1, T2, and T3 when compared to that of T0 and T4.     

A mature cystic teratoma in pineal region mimicking parietal encephalocele in a newborn

Objective Teratoma is the most frequently encountered intracranial tumor at birth and constitutes 18–20% of all germ cell tumors. They are usually located in pineal and suprasellar regions. The authors aim to report an extremely unusual presentation, location, and appearance of a teratoma in a newborn. Case report A soft tissue swelling in the vertex was detected in a 1-month-old girl. Neurological examination was normal. A big, cystic–solid lesion beginning from pineal region and extending to the scalp was detected in magnetic resonance imaging. It is interesting to note that cerebral venous angiography showed that the superior sagittal sinus (SSS) was divided into three branches at the level of the lesion and they joined together distally. The tumor was excised totally. Histopathological examination revealed the diagnosis of a mature cystic teratoma. Conclusion A mature cystic teratoma mimicking parietal encephalocele is extremely rare. Germ cell tumors should be kept in mind in the differential diagnosis of all midline lesions with unusual radiographic appearance. Cerebral venous angiography or MR angiography must be performed for the diagnosis and the surgical planning in lesions located near SSS.     

Sodium Hydroxide Chemical Matricectomy for the Treatment of Ingrown Toenails: Comparison of Three Different Application Periods

Objective Sodium hydroxide matricectomy is a successful method for the treatment of ingrown toenails. This study was designed to evaluate the optimal sodium hydroxide application period providing high success rates with minimal postoperative morbidity.
Materials and Methods Sixty-six patients with 225 ingrown nail edges were treated in three groups receiving 30-second, 1-minute, and 2-minute applications of sodium hydroxide. Each patient was reviewed postoperatively for pain, drainage, and tissue damage. The median long-term follow-up period was 14 months.
Results The success rate of the therapy was 70.9% in the first group, 92.7% in the second group, and 94.4% in the third group. In all groups, about half of the patients experienced minimal pain within 48 hours following the operation, but only in the third group, 20% of the patients had minimal pain, which continued about 1 week. Drainage and tissue damage were minimal or mild in all groups and disappeared within 3 weeks in the first and second groups but were prolonged to 6 weeks in the third group.
conclusion The success rate of 30-second application is significantly lower than 1-minute and 2-minute applications. Although the success rates of the latter two procedures are similar, the prolonged healing time is the disadvantage of the 2-minute application. We conclude that 1-minute application of 10% sodium hydroxide is simple, safe, and highly effective for the treatment of ingrown nails.     

Various types of suprameatal spines and depressions in the human temporal bone

Since it covers the lateral wall of the mastoid air system, the suprameatal triangle is of importance to otologic surgeons during mastoidectomy. Because of this clinical importance, topographic anatomy of the suprameatal spine and depression was studied on Anatolian skulls. In all, 363 male and 231 female skulls were studied. The most prevalent type of suprameatal spine resembled a crest and was found in both sexes on the right (77.6%) and left (80%) sides. The absence of a suprameatal depression was significantly higher in females (right 9.1%; left 8.7%) than in males (right 1.7%; left 2.5%). Suprameatal depressions were mostly shallow in female subjects, but were mostly observed in males to be at a medium depth or deep. Received: 5 January 1998 / Accepted: 19 March 1998     

Chromatin interactions in differentiating keratinocytes reveal novel atopic dermatitis– and psoriasis-associated genes

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Multiple regenerative nodular hyperplasia in the left infrarenal vena cava accompanied by abernethy malformation

The current study presents the case of a 19-year-old male patient who was detected with an increased alanine aminotransferase and aspartate transaminase levels during a preoperative evaluation of the right inguinal hernia operation and was later found to have Abernethy malformation accompanied by multiple regenerative nodular hyperplasia and left intra renal inferior vena cava. Regenerative nodular hyperplasia accompanying these two abnormalities is extremely rare and to the best of our knowledge, such a case has not been reported to date. Abdominal ultrasound (US) and color Doppler US, dynamic abdominal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and portography examinations were performed and a type 2 abernethy malformation, partial malrotation of the inferior vena cava, and regenerative nodular hyperplasia were detected. We aimed to discuss the radiological signs of these two accompanying abnormalities with a literature review.     

A Contemporary 20-Year Cleveland Clinic Experience of Nonbacterial Thrombotic Endocarditis: Etiology,Echocardiographic Imaging,Management, and Outcomes

BackgroundNonbacterial thrombotic endocarditis, or marantic endocarditis, is rare. Contemporary data on the etiology, echocardiographic evaluation, and management of nonbacterial thrombotic endocarditis are limited.MethodsA single-center retrospective cohort study was performed. Electronic medical records and echocardiographic records were searched for patients ages ≥18 years with a confirmed diagnosis of nonbacterial thrombotic endocarditis between January 1999 and November 2019. Demographic, echocardiographic, and management data were collected.ResultsOf 600,577 transthoracic echocardiograms (TTEs) and 89,264 transesophageal echocardiograms (TEEs), 42 patients had nonbacterial thrombotic endocarditis (mean age: 54 ± 14.5 years; 66.7% were female). The median duration of follow-up was 8.2 (interquartile range 3.3-24.4) months. Seventeen patients (40.5%) had malignancy, 33.3% had systemic lupus erythematosus, and 35.7% had antiphospholipid antibody syndrome. Stroke was the most common presentation (59.5%).TTE enabled the diagnosis in 19 cases (45.2%), compared with TEE, which identified the condition in 33 of 34 (97.1%) cases in which it was utilized. Three-dimensional echocardiography was performed in 17 TEEs. The most common valves involved were mitral (61.9%), and aortic (23.8%) valves. Thirty-two patients were managed with anticoagulation. Ten patients underwent surgery. Sixteen (38.1%) patients died, most of whom had a diagnosis of advanced malignancy.ConclusionIn a contemporary 20-year cohort, TTE and TEE played important roles in diagnosis, with superior diagnostic performance of TEE for nonbacterial thrombotic endocarditis. Mortality was high, and advanced malignancy portended a worse prognosis. Management in most cases was therapeutic anticoagulation. In select cases, surgery provided favorable outcomes.     

A multicenter retrospective study defining the clinical and hematological manifestations of brucellosis and pancytopenia in a large series: Hematological malignancies, the unusual cause of pancytopenia in patients with brucellosis

The aim of the study is to review the clinical manifestations and the hematological findings of brucellosis and pancytopenia, with or without hematological malignancies. The records of 202 patients with brucellosis were evaluated retrospectively. Among these cases of brucellosis seen in a 6 year period between April 1999 and June 2005, 30 patients with pancytopenia were identified. The most common manifestation was fever, followed by weight loss, anorexia, malaise, arthralgia, and hepatosplenomegaly. Bone marrow biopsies revealed hypercellularity or normocellularity. The most common findings in the bone marrow evaluation were histiocytic hemophagocytosis and granulomas. Among all cases, we diagnosed 5 hematological malignancies (1 acute myelogenous leukemia, 2 acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and 2 multiple myeloma) concurrently with brucellosis. The clinical symptoms and findings were similar in patients with and without malignancies. In cases with malignancies, the bone marrow biopsy revealed predominant primary disease involvement. Significant increases in ESR and CRP, severe anemia and thrombocytopenia were observed in patients with malignancies. Peripheral blood counts in patients without malignancies returned to normal after antibiotic treatment for brucellosis. However, pancytopenia in two patients with malignancies did not recover because of primary resistant disease. We conclude that while histiocytic hemophagocytosis may be considered as a major cause of pancytopenia, leukemic infiltration can also be an extreme and unusual cause of pancytopenia in patients in whom brucellosis was concurrently diagnosed with hematological malignancies.