Peripheral seventh nerve palsy due to transorbital intracranial penetrating pontine injury

The case of a child injured by a knitting needle penetrating transorbitally and intracranially, resulting in carotid cavernous fistula and pontine injury, is reported. After receiving medical and endovascular treatment, the only remaining abnormal neurological manifestation was right peripheral facial nerve palsy. The clinical sequences of events and the demonstration of a pontine lesion leading to peripheral facial palsy are presented. Facial nuclear injury with a penetrating trauma is an extremely rare condition. It is important to identify the anatomical regions injured in penetrating traumas. The lesions must be identified by computerized tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, clinical and laboratory investigation.     

Serum fructosamine correlates with gingival index in children with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM)

Abstract Fructosamine assay, which is used in diagnosing and monitoring diabetic patients, is compared with the hemoglobin and plasma glucose assays in children and adolescent insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus patients. We demonstrated that the gingival index scores were correlated with fructosamine values in insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus patients but not in non-diabetic controls. We also found that there was no correlation between gingivitis scores and fasting plasma glucose and HbAlc values. Periodontitis was found to be rare in diabetic children and adolescents.     

Tension-type headache in children: A clinical evaluation

BACKGROUND: Headache Society (IHS) criteria for episodic tension-type headache were included in the present study. Pain characteristics, associated symptoms, and stress-triggering factors were evaluated. Psychiatric and psychosocial evaluations were performed according to DSM-IV criteria. RESULTS: Pain was bilateral in 93.7% of patients and bitemporal in 50% of children. The intensity of pain increased with motion and stress in more than half of the patients, while pain decreased with rest and massage in 43.7% of patients. Ten of the 16 (62.5%) patients were diagnosed as having a psychiatric disorder. The most common stress-triggering factors were difficulty in adaptation at school and relationship problems with family members. All of the children reported 26 stress factors. Of these stress factors, 20 (76.9%) were reported by children diagnosed with psychiatric disorder. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that in children with tension-type headache a thorough psychiatric evaluation should be performed to rule out underlying psychiatric disorders.     

Effects of octreotide and propranolol on colonic mucosa in rats with portal hypertensive colopathy

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The aim of the study is to clarify the effects of octreotide and propranolol, agents used in the treatment of portal hypertension, on mucosal changes in portal hypertensive colopathy. METHODOLOGY: Portal hypertension was induced in all rats by partial portal vein ligation, and after the operation all rats were caged for a 10-week period. Then, animals were divided into three groups and for two weeks medical treatment were administered to the individual groups as follows: Control group, saline 0.5 mL/day, intraperitoneally. Octreotide group, octreotide 100 micrograms/kg/12 hours, subcutaneously. Propranolol group, propranolol 20 mg/kg/day, intraperitoneally. In order to assess the portal hypertensive colopathy, criteria such as mean diameters of dilated vessels in colonic mucosa, and the existence of mucosal edema, capillary ectasia, hyperemia and hemorrhage, inflammation were used. RESULTS: When parameters were compared for the control versus propranolol groups, mucosal edema and hyperemia and hemorrhage criteria were found to be significant for the propranolol group; control versus octreotide groups, mucosal edema, capillary ectasia, and hyperemia and hemorrhage criteria were found to be significant for the octreotide group; octreotide versus propranolol groups, capillary ectasia and mucosal edema criteria were found to be significant for the octreotide group. CONCLUSIONS: The mucosal changes in portal hypertensive colopathy could be corrected by drugs modifying portal blood flow, octreotide may find a place in the treatment of portal hypertensive colopathy.