Do children with primary nocturnal enuresis have a retarded bone age? A cross‐sectional study

OBJECTIVE: Nocturnal enuresis is a common pediatric problem, the etiology of which is unclear. In recent years, various studies have been published stating that children with nocturnal enuresis exhibit growth and skeletal maturation retardation. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, we included 27 patients (16 boys, 11 girls) between the ages of 6 and 14 years who had presented with primary nocturnal enuresis (PNE) complaints. We included in the evaluation 19 healthy subjects (12 boys, 7 girls), who were the siblings of the children with PNE, as the control group. RESULTS: The patients in both groups were similar in chronological age, bone age, height and weight, with no significant difference between groups (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: The two groups in our study consisted of the same genetic background. Thus, our results were found to be different from the previous studies. We have concluded that there is no direct relationship between enuresis nocturnal and skeletal maturation.     

The Effects of Babesiosis on Oxidative Stress and DNA Damage in Anatolian Black Goats Naturally Infected with Babesia ovis

Background

A reactive oxygen and nitrogen intermediate produced during an inflammatory response is the important part of host-defense strategies of organisms to kill the parasite. However, it is not well known whether these intermediates cause DNA damage and oxidative stress in goats infected with Babesia ovis. The purpose of this study was to clarify the effects of babesiosis on basal levels of DNA damage and oxidative status of goats naturally infected with B.ovis.

Methods

DNA damage and antioxidant parameters were determined in B. ovis infected goats. Ten infected Anatolian Black Goats with B. ovis diagnosed via clinical signs and microscopic findings and ten healthy were used in the study.

Results

The Babesia infection increased the levels of DNA damage, malondialdehyde (MDA), protein carbonyl content (PCO) and plasma concentration of nitric oxide metabolites (NOx), and decreased total antioxidant activities (AOA) and reduced glutathione (GSH). A significant positive correlation between DNA damage, MDA, PCO, and NOx concentrations was found in the infected goats. DNA damage showed a negative association with AOA and GSH concentrations in the infected goats.

Conclusion

The Babesia infection increases oxidative stress markers and DNA damage and decreases AOA in goats. These results suggest that the increases in the production of free radicals due to Babesia infection not only contribute to host-defense strategies of organisms to kill the parasite but also induce oxidative damage in other cells.     

An unusually distal and complete additional flexor profundus muscle to the index finger

Anomalous muscles in the first flexor compartment of the forearm are quite common. Flexor digitorum superficialis (FDS) is a well known example (Kernohan et al. 1984; Ametewee et al. 1985; Elias et al. 1985; Tonkin & Lister, 1985). However, the anatomical variations of muscles, for example flexor digitorum profundus (FDP) in the second flexor compartment, are not rare (Hollinshead, 1969; Williams & Warwick, 1980; Honing et al. 1995; Williams et al. 1995). These muscles are usually asymptomatic and discovered incidentally during anatomical dissection or at operation. However, they may be symptomatic, presenting as an enlarging tumour-like mass simulating a ganglion (Vichare, 1970; Hayes, 1974; Murakami & Todani, 1982) or may cause a compression neuropathy (Hutton & Kernohan, 1981; Simodynes & Cochran, 1981).     

Determining the In‐Hospital Cost of Bleeding in Patients Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

Background: The economic impact of bleeding in the setting of nonemergent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is poorly understood and complicated by the variety of bleeding definitions currently employed. This retrospective analysis examines and contrasts the in‐hospital cost of bleeding associated with this procedure using six bleeding definitions employed in recent clinical trials. Methods: All nonemergent PCI cases at Christiana Care Health System not requiring a subsequent coronary artery bypass were identified between January 2003 and March 2006. Bleeding events were identified by chart review, registry, laboratory, and administrative data. A microcosting strategy was applied utilizing hospital charges converted to costs using departmental level direct cost‐to‐charge ratios. The independent contributions of bleeding, both major and minor, to cost were determined by multiple regression. Bootstrap methods were employed to obtain estimates of regression parameters and their standard errors. Results: A total of 6,008 cases were evaluated. By GUSTO definitions there were 65 (1.1%) severe, 52 (0.9%) moderate, and 321 (5.3%) mild bleeding episodes with estimated bleeding costs of $14,006; $6,980; and $4,037, respectively. When applying TIMI definitions there were 91 (1.5%) major and 178 (3.0%) minor bleeding episodes with estimated costs of $8,794 and $4,310, respectively. In general, the four additional trial‐specific definitions identified more bleeding events, provided lower estimates of major bleeding cost, and similar estimates of minor bleeding costs. Conclusions: Bleeding is associated with considerable cost over and above interventional procedures; however, the choice of bleeding definition impacts significantly on both the incidence and economic consequences of these events.     

Microalbuminuria as a possible marker of risk of Balkan endemic nephropathy

Aim: To evaluate whether microalbuminuria could be a marker of early tubular damage in individuals at risk of developing Balkan endemic nephropathy (BEN). Methods: A cross-sectional study was used to determine urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR) in a test group of 61 participants from a BEN endemic region and control group of 64 participants from a nearby non-endemic region, both recruited from the general population of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The correlation between UACR and urinary b2 microglobulin-to-creatinine ratio (UBCR) and the receiver operating characteristic curve for UACR were analyzed in the test groups of 58 participants. The correlation analysis was also performed in a subset of nine subjects with elevated UBCR. Results: Medians, interquartile ranges and confidence intervals (CI) for medians of UACR in the test and control groups were 2 mg/mmol, 0.975–8.247 mg/mmol, 1.3472–3.2691 mg/mmol and 1 mg/mmol, 0.695–1.41 mg/mmol, 0.8466–1.2053 mg/mmol, respectively (P = 0.0001). Microalbuminuria was found in 30 of the 61 examinees in the test group, in contrast to six of the 64 examinees in the controls (P < 0.0001). Participants from the endemic region had 9.3 times the odds of having microalbuminuria in contrast to participants from the non-endemic region. Pearson's correlation coefficients r of the log-transformed ratios and Kendall–tau coefficients of rank correlation in the group of 58 and in a subset of nine subjects with elevated UBCR were: 0.55 (P < 0.0001); 0.317 (P = 0.0005) and 0.59 (P = 0.045); 0.48 (P = 0.037), respectively. The area under the curve for UACR was 0.882 (P = 0.0001), sensitivity 100% and specificity 67.3%. Conclusion: Microalbuminuria may be a useful marker of early tubular injury in individuals at risk of developing BEN.