Esthesioneuroblastoma in a young child. Case report

Esthesioneuroblastoma is an uncommon malignant neoplasm that arises from olfactory mucosa, often with intracranial extension.A case report of the youngest victim in the literature (2-year-old boy) is presented.     

Placental teratoma: A case report

We present a rare case of a placental teratoma found within the fetal membranes of an otherwise normal placenta. Lack of a recognizable umbilical cord and no recognizable skeletal development are used as differential diagnostic criteria for a placental teratoma. In our case, an umbilical cord was absent; nevertheless, the tumor contained two vascular channels covered only by fetal membranes without Wharton's jelly.     

隔药灸对溃疡性结肠炎大鼠结肠NF-κB 和STAT3 活性的免疫调节机制

目的：观察隔药灸改善UC大鼠结肠炎症的效应,通过NF-κB通路和STAT3磷酸化参与免疫调节的作用机制。方法：将大鼠随机分成正常组、UC组和隔药灸组,每组8只。采用4% DSS诱导UC的大鼠模型,造模成功后采用隔药灸大鼠双侧天枢穴,每穴灸2壮艾炷,每天1次,共7次。通过比较组织病理学、血清学促炎症因子的蛋白浓度观察隔药灸干预UC大鼠的效应。采用Western Blot检测结肠组织NF-κB通路及STAT3活性探讨隔药灸改善UC大鼠结肠炎症反应的潜在机制。结果：UC组大鼠结肠组织病理学提示黏膜上皮表面溃疡形成,炎症反应明显,隔药灸能修复结肠上皮损伤,减轻UC大鼠结肠组织的炎症反应。与正常组比较,UC组大鼠血清IL-1β和IL-6蛋白浓度显著升高（P < 0.05,P < 0.01）,p-STAT3磷酸化水平显著增加,pIκB-α和NF-κB p65蛋白表达均显著增加,IκB-α蛋白表达显著降低;与UC组比较,隔药灸组大鼠血清IL-1β和IL-6蛋白浓度显著降低（P < 0.05）,结肠组织NF-κB p65蛋白表达和pIκB-α磷酸化水平均降低,IκB-α蛋白表达增加。结论：隔药灸可能通过抑制NF-κB通路和STAT3磷酸化,减少了促炎症因子IL-1β和IL-6的释放,从而减轻了UC大鼠的结肠炎症反应。     

Alteration of Auto-CPAP requirements in obstructive sleep apnea patients with COVID-19 history

BackgroundCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease that leads to critical respiratory problems.Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is the most common sleep-associated breathing disease and is represented by repetitive experiences of constraint of the respiratory tract prompting to reduced or deficient breathing during sleep.Auto-Continuous positive airway pressure (Auto-CPAP) is a modality of respiratory ventilation used as gold standart in the treatment of OSA.ObjectiveThis study was performed to conclude the alteration of Auto-CPAP levels in OSA patients who had COVID-19 history.MethodsNineteen OSA patients who had cured COVID-19 and used Auto-CPAP were included in this study. Nightly Auto-CPAP 95th percentile pressure (95thpp), median CPAP pressure and AHI before COVID-19 disease and one month after COVID therapy were recorded from electronic cards of Auto-CPAP devices.ResultsBefore COVID infection, average Auto-CPAP 95thpp was 8.56 ± 0.17 cm H₂O. One month after COVID-19, average Auto-CPAP 95thpp was 9.78 ± 0.21 cm H₂O (P < 0.01). While Median CPAP pressure was 7.49 ± 0.16 cm H₂O before COVID, it was found to be 8.15 ± 0.19 cm H₂O after the disease (P < 0.01).ConclusionsThe increase in need of average Auto-CPAP 95thpp and median CPAP pressure in OSA patients who have had COVID-19 disease and use Auto-CPAP shows that this disease causes problems in both the lower and upper airways.     

Investigation of auditory potentials and cognitive impairment in premenstrual syndrome

Premenstrual syndrome is a term which is used for describing of somatic, cognitive, emotional, and behavioral symptoms that occur during the luteal phase of menstrual cycle in women of reproductive age; symptoms rapidly improve at the onset of menstruation. In this study, we aimed to reveal if cognitive functions are affected or not in PMS and if the subjects are affected, we try to explain this situation by an objective diagnostic test. Ethical committee approval was taken for this project on 09.03.2012 and numbered 050.99-60. In this study, in order to determine premenstrual syndrome, “Premenstrual Syndrome Scale” that is developed by Gençdo?an (2006) with 44 items, Likert type, and 9 subgroups was used. Sample size was calculated using simple random sampling with a confidence level of 95% and confidence interval of 0.05. A total of 60 participants were included in the study (calculated sample size was 30 for each group). Each group was recorded in the ENMG-UP laboratory using the OIP auditory warning and the “oddball two-tone discrimination task” method. Latency measurements were taken from the highest point of the peak, and amplitude measurements were taken from peak to peak with a cursor. Comparisons of P300 wave latencies obtained via sparse auditory stimulus in PMS and non-PMS groups were made and findings were summarized in one of the tables. Recordings are taken from three scalp regions: parietal and central, respectively. PMS women have longer P300 wave latencies in all regions compared to non-PMS group, whereas there is no significant difference between P300 amplitude.     

Chromosomal and microsatellite instability in sporadic gastric cancer

BACKGROUND: Gastric cancer can progress through two pathways of genomic instability: chromosomal (CIN) and microsatellite instability (MSI). It is hypothesized that these two pathways are not always independent and that some tumors show overlap between these two mechanisms. METHODS: A total of 98 sporadic gastric cancers were classified based on their MSI status, using microsatellite assay with BAT26. Evidence for CIN was investigated by identifying loss of heterozygosity (LOH) events on chromosome arms, 5q, 10p, 17p, 17q, and 18q, which are regions harboring tumor suppressor genes that are significant in gastric cancer development. RESULTS: Twelve tumors (12%) showed high-frequency MSI (MSI-H). Overall, 43 of the tumors (44%) had at least one LOH event, with most frequent chromosomal losses observed on 10p and 18q (30%, respectively), followed by 5q (21%), 17p (14%), and 17q (12%). Interestingly, overlap was observed between CIN and MSI pathways. Of 43 cancers with LOH events, four (9%) were also MSI-H. It was also found that 48% of cancers without MSI-H had no LOH events identified, comprising a subgroup of tumors that were not representative of either of these two pathways of genomic instability. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that molecular mechanisms of genomic instability are not necessarily independent and may not be fully defined by either the MSI or CIN pathways in sporadic gastric cancers.     

The utility of cervical elastosonography in prediction of cervical insufficiency: cervical elastosonography and cervical insufficiency

Objective: To evaluate the utility of cervical elastosonography (ES) in prediction of cervical insufficiency (CI).

Methods: A total of 40 women, of which 20 who had previously received the diagnosis of CI and 20 healty women were included in the study. None of the women were pregnant. All subjects underwent sonographic evaluation including cervical length measurement and ES of uterine cervix. Adjacent muscular tissue was the reference point for elastosonography evaluation. Tissue strain ratio values were obtained from all the patients.

Results: The area around the internal cervical os of the group with CI was found to be significantly softer as compared to the control group (higher SR rate, p?<?0.05). Furthermore, the outer parts of the cervix (sites A and D) were also found harder in the group that had CI (lower SR rate, p?<?0.05).

Conclusions: According to our knowledge, this is preliminary study to evaluate the predictive value of cervical ES in CI and we concluded that ES can be used as reliable method to determine CI but it is necessary to be studied in different cohort groups.