A review of 43 cases of tetanus neonatorum.

Forty-three patients with neonatal tetanus admitted to the Infectious Diseases Ward of the Istanbul University Faculty of Medicine Children's Hospital at Capa from 1982-1989 are presented. Thirty-two (74.4%) of the subjects were boys. The overall mortality was found to be 60 percent and the mean incubation period 6.1 +/- 20 days. The mean period between onset of symptoms and hospital admission was 1.7 days. Thirty-nine (90.7%) of the 43 patients were unhygienic home deliveries and only two cases were delivered with a midwife in attendance. None of the mothers of the children in our series had been immunized with tetanus toxoid. The incidence of neonatal tetanus in Turkey is on the decline, but a fraction of the population, the so-called urban poor, is still at high risk for preventable diseases. Every contact an unvaccinated person has with a health care professional should be viewed as an opportunity for tetanus immunization.     

The role of surgery in intraabdominal Burkitt's lymphoma in children.

The role of surgery in intraabdominal Burkitt's lymphoma remains controversial and different opinions are present in the literature. In our institution, forty patients (30 boys and 10 girls) with intraabdominal Burkitt's lymphoma with ages ranging from 3 to 12 years have been treated and followed from 1989 through 2000. In ten cases, the patients underwent surgery because of their acute abdominal diseases (intestinal obstruction in 5, intussusception in 3, intestinal perforation in one, and acute appendicitis in one). The remaining thirty patients were referred to our clinic because of their abdominal masses, pain, anorexia and fatigue. Twelve children had localized tumors and total resection could be performed. There was one death in this group due to central nervous system involvement during chemotherapy. In the remaining 28 children, extensive intraabdominal diseases were detected. In four of them, debulking procedures were performed, while in 24 children only biopsies could be made; 8 of them underwent a second-look operation. In the debulking procedures group, two children were lost (50 %) due to tumorlysis and acute renal failure. In the biopsy group, there were six deaths (25 %). All patients received chemotherapy after operative recovery. In conclusion, our results suggest that when the tumor is localized, total resection results in a good outcome. However, in the presence of extensive intraabdominal diseases instead of resection, the operation should be limited to biopsy only.     

Traumatic rupture of hydatid cyst with unusual localization without liver involvement: a case report.

Primary hydatid disease of the intestinal mesentery is rare. We report on a 12-year-old male patient who presented with abdominal pain and urticaria lesions after blunt abdominal trauma. At laparotomy the cyst was found to be ruptured and was totally removed from the surrounding mesenteric tissue.The postoperative course was uneventful. This case is the first child reported with traumatic rupture of a hydatid cyst in a mesenteric location.     

Will the new cytogenetics replace the old cytogenetics?

With the advent of array-based comparative genomic hybridization technology, the analog cytogenetic analysis that has been used for the past 100 years could be replaced by the quantitative, microarray-based molecular analysis. Major advantages of the new array-based cytogenetic technologies are the high resolution and the high throughput. This technology is the first to offer an autonomous whole-chromosome analysis in one hybridization reaction for the detection of submicroscopic gains/losses. However, as with any new technology, it needs to be validated with regard to its performance in various applications (e.g. clinical genetic testing and cancer applications), comparative cost, and the data interpretation.     

The effect of polycythemic hyperviscosity on ischemic bowel necrosis

It is known that polycythemia decreases the fluidity of the blood and impairs tissue perfusion due to red-cell sludging in the microcirculation. In this study, the effect of polycythemic hyperviscosity (PH) on bowel necrosis was evaluated in an experimental model of intestinal ischemia. Twenty-eight Wistar albino rats (90–170 g) were divided into two groups: group 1 was transfused to create hyperviscosity and then intestinal ischemia was produced (n = 16); in group 2 ischemia was produced without transfusion (n = 12). Intestinal ischemia was produced by clamping the superior mesenteric artery and the collateral arcades of the right colic artery for 30 min. Gross and histopathologic evaluations were performed by either immediate necropsy or relaparotomy 24 h later. Microscopic findings were graded from 0 to 3 according to the degree of ischemic changes. In group 1, 2 animals (12.5%) died before 24 h postoperatively; coagulation necrosis with grade 2 or 3 ischemic changes was observed in 10 animals (62.5%). In group 2 only a few hypertrophied Peyer's patches and capillary dilation were found, and all histopathologic changes were between grades 0 and 1. The difference between the histopathologic gradings of the two groups was significant (P < 0.001). It appears that in addition to reduced splanchnic blood flow, a secondary effect of PH is needed to induce ischemic coagulation necrosis. PH of the newborn must be considered a risk factor for necrotizing enterocolitis, so-called spontaneous intestinal perforations, and even intestinal atresia.Presented at the 1st European Congress of Pediatric Surgery, Graz/Austria, May 4–6, 1995     

Day-case laparoscopy: a comparison of prophylactic opioid, NSAID or local anesthesia for postoperative analgesia

BACKGROUND: The study was aimed to evaluate the analgesic efficacy, postoperative comfort, recovery characteristics and side effects of three different analgesic agents administered prophylactically. METHODS: Eighty patients undergoing day-case minor operative laparoscopy were randomly allocated into four groups to receive tenoxicam 20 mg i.v. (Group T), fentanyl 100 microg i.v. (Group F), 5 ml of bupivacaine 2.5 mg/ml for infiltration of trocar sites (Group B), 30, 10 and 5 min before incision respectively. Bupivacaine, 35 ml, 2.5 mg/ml was also administered into the pelvic cavity in Group B. Group P received only placebo. Postoperative pain, analgesic requirements, first response to verbal stimulus, first analgesic requirement, ability to walk without help, to drink and to void, blood pressures, SpO2 and respiration rates were recorded in the PACU. Postoperative pain was evaluated by verbal rating scale. Pain scores, analgesic requirements and side effects were evaluated by telephone calls until the 48th postoperative hour. RESULTS: Postoperative pain scores were lower and time to requirement of rescue analgesics was longer in groups F and B compared to Group P. In the PACU, analgesic requirements were lower in Group B, compared to Group P. Nausea and vomiting were increased in Group F. CONCLUSION: Tenoxicam 20 mg i.v. was found to be ineffective whereas bupivacaine was superior to other groups in reducing pain and analgesic requirements. Bupivacaine also increased time to first analgesics and obtained better recovery characteristics, underlining its value in prophylactic pain management compared to the other two agents.     

大学生色觉辨别能力与深度知觉的相关性分析

目的：评价色觉正常大学生的色觉辨别能力与深度知觉的关系。方法：选取巴什肯特大学医学专业学生52例,其中男性33例（63．46％）,女性19例（36．54％）,平均年龄21．18±2．52岁。参与学生视力正常（20／20）,且经Ishihara假同色测试法显示无先天性色觉缺陷。运用Gundogan方法确定主视眼（ DE ）。通过法－孟二氏100色度试验（FM100HT）检验色觉辨别能力,包括左右眼及双眼（TE）的总误差分（ TES ）、部分误差分（ LES ）。误差分分为三组：双眼、DE及非主视眼（ NDE ）。应用TNO检查双眼视觉与立体感,并根据480－15 arc／s范围的立体感水平分为四组。结果：FM100HT的误差分显示无性别差异的TES,蓝黄LES和红绿 LES 分别为61．22±30．32（58．50）[ mean ± SD],35．80±19.32（36．50）和25．42±14．65（24．00）。男性受试者（n＝31）分别为67．45±29．95（61．00）,40．25±18．83（39．00）和27．19±14．30（24．00）。女性受试者（n＝19）分别为51.05±28．84（47．00）,25．52±18．32（28．00）和22．52±31.13（23．00）。根据FM100 HT的误差分,得出女性颜色视觉辨别能力高于男性。通过FM100 HT将色觉辨别能力分为较高（6％,TES＝0～20）,中等（86％,TES＝20～100）和较低（8％, TES＞100）,中等水平最为常见（ P＜0.05）。 DE和NDE的红绿LES 分别为24．12±14．70和32．20±14．21, DE 和 NDE 的蓝黄 LES 分别为34．68±18.95和36．24±17．56。女性（ n＝19） DE和NDE的红绿色LES分别为21．89±15．06和31．00±22．42;男性（ n＝31）则为25．48±14．55和32．93±17．31。女性（ n＝19） DE和NDE 蓝黄色 LES 分别为29．63±18．62和33．42±17.38,男性（ n＝31）则为37．77±18．78和37．96±17．73。所有学生的TE,DE及NDE的TES和立体视觉水平均进行比较,差异均无统计学意义（P＝1）。研究表明色觉辨别能力和双眼深度知觉无关。结论：FM100 HT的TES显示：正常人不同个体立体视觉水平无差异,基于色觉分离的TNO检测的深度直觉与色觉辨别能力不相关。在之前的研究中, DE色觉辨别能力优于NDE。但目前研究表明在深度知觉方面DE并非优于NDE。     

Saccadic adaptation in Chiari type II malformation

BACKGROUND: Saccadic adaptation corrects errors in saccadic amplitude. Experimentally-induced saccadic adaptation provides a method for studying motor learning. The cerebellum is a major participant in saccadic adaptation. Chiari type II malformation (CII) is a developmental deformity of the cerebellum and brainstem that is associated with spina bifida. We investigated the effects of CII on saccadic adaptation. METHOD: We measured eye movements using an infrared eye tracker in 21 subjects with CII (CII group) and 39 typically developing children (control group), aged 8-19 years. Saccadic adaptation was induced experimentally using targets that stepped horizontally 120 to the right and then stepped backward 3 degrees during saccades. RESULTS: Saccadic adaptation was achieved at the end of the adaptation phase in participants in each group. Saccadic amplitude gain decreased by 6.9% in the CII group and 9.3% in the control group. The groups did not differ significantly (p = 0.27). Amplitude gain reduction was significantly less in the CII participants who had multiple shunt revisions. Regression analyses revealed no effects of spinal lesion level, presence of nystagmus, or cerebellar vermis dysmorphology on saccadic adaptation. CONCLUSION: The neural circuits involved in saccadic adaptation appear to be functionally intact in CII.