Antiinflammatory, analgesic, and antipyretic effects of an aqueous extract of Erythraea centaurium

Erythraea centaurium is a plant which is used in the treatment of various inflammatory conditions in popular medicine. The aqueous extract of the plant has been examined for its antiinflammatory, analgesic, and antipyretic effects in several animal models. The extract exhibited antiinflammatory and antipyretic activity although no analgesic activity was observed.     

Clinical and ethical perspective of neurosurgical care in patients from beyond the southern border of Turkey: challenges of patients in war

Journal of Public Health - Because an increasing number of patients travel internationally to seek medical care, Turkey offers comprehensive and outstanding services under extraordinary conditions...     

Effect of the body mass index on outcomes of flexible ureterorenoscopy

The aim of the study to compare outcomes of flexible ureterorenoscopy in patients with different body mass index (BMI) scores and to explore whether the BMI has an effect on outcomes of RIRS. Five hundred and two patients who underwent flexible URS in 3 centers between 2008 and 2012 for the management of single upper urinary tract calculi were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were categorized as normal weight BMI 18.5 to 24.99 kg/m², overweight 25 to 29.99 kg/m², obese 30 to 39.99 kg/m² and morbid obese >40 kg/m².The groups were assessed in terms of demographic parameters including age, gender, stone size, intraoperative and postoperative variables. The mean patient age was 41.3 ± 15.51 (18–81) years and with an average BMI 26.68 ± 5.2 kg/m² (16.64–55.15 kg/m²). Of the patients, 43.2 % had normal weight (NW), 32.2 % were overweight (OW), 21.9 % were obese (O) and 2.5 % were morbidly obese (MO). Stone-free rates after single procedure in NW, OW, O, MO groups were 60.8, 61.7, 73.6, 61.5 %, respectively (p = 0.079). Overall targeted stone-free rates were also similar in four groups (88.9, 90.1, 93.6, 90.4 %, p = 0.586). There were no statistically significant differences in the frequency of complications and mean hospitalization time among the groups (p > 0.05). In conclusion, this study demonstrated that flexible URS is a valuable option for the treatment of kidney stone in both obese and non-obese patients. BMI did not influence the postoperative outcomes.     

Evaluation of the efficacy of 99mTc-labeled ascorbic acid on common cold–cough drugs in rats

Multiple-drug therapy is common in current clinical practice. Because of this, people have been ready to embrace simplistic approaches to cold treatment, such as vitamin C and zinc. Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) is mostly administrated together with cough–cold drugs. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of cough–cold drugs on the uptake of ascorbic acid using ^99mTc-ascorbic acid (^99mTc-AA) in male albino Wistar rats. Ascorbic acid was labeled with Tc-99m and the distribution of ^99mTc-AA was investigated. The uptake of ^99mTc-AA was evaluated when administrated alone (group I), with chlorpheniramine maleate (CPR) (group II), with phenylpropanolamine hydrochloride (PPA) (group III), and with acetaminophen (APAP) (group IV). In some organs (apart from kidneys, intestinal system, and stomach) the uptake of ^99mTc-AA was not significantly affected by the administration of ^99mTc with CPR or ^99mTc with APAP at 120 min. On the other hand, there was significant difference in the uptake of ^99mTc-AA between groups I and III. The administration of ^99mTc-AA with PPA in rats caused an increase of the uptake of ^99mTc-AA at 120 min in the investigated organs compared to the administration of ^99mTc-AA alone. The present data show that vitamin C might be more effective for the treatment of common cold when coadministered with PPA compared to with CPR, with APAP, or alone.     

Treatment of pneumothorax in newborns: Use of venous catheter versus chest tube

BACKGROUND: The traditional treatment for pneumothorax is tube thoracostomy. Chest tube placement often involves complications, particularly in newborns. The aim of this study is to introduce the method of air drainage with venous catheter and to compare two different methods, chest tube placement and venous catheter insertion, in the treatment of pneumothorax in newborns. METHODS: We treated 72 newborn patients with pneumothorax over a 4-year period in neonatal intensive care units at two different medical centers. We randomly divided the patients into two groups. In group I, we treated the patients with chest tube placement technique. We used 18-gauge venous catheter connected to an underwater system to drain air in group II patients. The duration of the procedure, the period of time that the chest tube or catheter was left in place, and the complications associated with the two different procedures were statistically compared. RESULTS: The time required to perform the venous catheter procedure was significantly shorter than that for chest tube placement (P < 0.05). The duration of the device in place was also significantly shorter in group II than group I (P < 0.05). Only two minor complications were recorded in patients who underwent venous catheter placement, and this group's complication rate was significantly lower than the rate in the chest tube group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Insertion of a venous catheter is a safe alternative to chest tube placement as a method of draining air from newborn patients with pneumothorax. This is an easy and quick bedside procedure and is particularly useful for newborn patients that require immediate air drainage.     

Stab wound of the cervical spinal cord and ipsilateral vertebral artery injury

Stab wound of the cervical spinal cord with ipsilateral vertebral artery injury is rare. We report a case of a penetrating injury by scissors to the cervical spinal cord and right vertebral artery. The management is discussed and literature reviewed.     

An unusual case of birdshot embolism.

There are numerous cases of arterial and venous bullet embolism to the heart. An unusual case of birdshot embolus to the right ventricle from the femoral vein caused diagnostic confusion. Distant migration of the foreign bodies via blood vessels has to be taken into consideration after gunshot wounds.