Effect of Tropicamide on Laser Flare Meter Measurements in Patients with Pseudoexfoliation

ABSTRACT

Purpose

To investigate the effect of 1% tropicamide on anterior chamber aqueous flare (ACAF) measurements acquired with laser flare meter in patients with pseudoexfoliation.     

Effect of Nitroglycerin Inhalation on Patients with Pulmonary Hypertension Undergoing Mitral Valve Replacement Surgery

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the postoperative hemodynamic effects of nitroglycerin inhalation on patients with pulmonary hypertension undergoing mitral valve replacement surgery.

Methods: Twenty patients who underwent mitral valve replacement surgery were included in the study. In the surgical intensive care unit, at T0 (before the inhalation of nitroglycerin), basal systemic and pulmonary hemodynamics were recorded. Then, 2.5 [mu]g [middle dot] kg-1 [middle dot] min-1 nitroglycerin liquid nebulized by a 2-l gas flow of 40% oxygen and air mixture was administered to the patients who were diagnosed as having pulmonary hypertension (mean pulmonary arterial pressures > 25 mmHg). The same parameters were measured at the first (T1), third (T2), and fifth (T3) hours after the beginning of this treatment and 1 h after the end of nitroglycerin inhalation (T4).

Results: There were no statistically significant differences at T0, T1, T2, T3, or T4 with respect to heart rate, mean arterial pressure, systemic vascular resistance, cardiac index, mixed venous oxygen saturation, arteriovenous oxygen content difference, or arterial carbon dioxide tension. However, mean pulmonary artery pressure, pulmonary vascular resistance, and intrapulmonary shunt fraction were significantly lower, and the arterial oxygen tension/fraction of inspired oxygen ratio was higher at T1, T2, and T3 when compared to that of T0 and T4.     

Effect of dietary selenium and vitamin E on the biomechanical properties of rabbit bones

Summary It is generally agreed that combined deficiency of selenium and vitamin E leads to several abnormalities including Kashin-Beck disease which is an endemic and chronic degenerative osteoarthrosis. The abnormalities can be reversed by the administration of various forms of selenium and vitamin E.The present study was designed to investigate the effects of dietary selenium and vitamin E on bone tissue and on the biomechanical properties of bone. Young rabbits of both sexes were fed with either a selenium- and vitamin E-adequate diet (control group), or a selenium- and vitamin E-deficient diet or a selenium-excess diet. The selenium-deficient diet resulted in a significant decrease in plasma selenium level and the selenium-excess diet resulted in a significant increase in the plasma selenium level with respect to the corresponding control values (p<0.05). The diets did not affect the blood cell counts considerably but erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase activity increased (decreased) relatively when the plasma selenium level increased (decreased) (p<0.05). The light microscopic investigations of the bone tissues of the two experimental groups indicate that the findings of the present work are compatible with osteomalacia. The biomechanical properties of the bones from the three groups were determined experimentally with bending tests. Both the Se-and vitamin E-deficient diet and the Se-excess diet decreased the biomechanical strength of the bones significantly while the bones belonging to the control group always had the largest modulus of elasticity (p<0.05).     

The role of gastric Helicobacter pylori infection in laryngopharyngeal reflux disease.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the role of Helicobacter pylori (H pylori) infection in laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR). STUDY DESIGN: A prospective multidisciplinary clinical study. METHODS: Forty-four adult patients who applied to our ENT clinic with LPR symptoms were evaluated. Then these patients underwent upper gastrointestinal system endoscopy and double probe pH monitoring. In addition, during the endoscopy multiple biopsies from the stomach were obtained to detect H pylori. RESULTS: Results from 32 LPR positive patients were assessed (10 male and 22 female). There were no statistically significant differences between the presence of H pylori and sex, age, degree of gastritis and esophagitis, and also the number of reflux, fractional acid exposure time regarding proximal probe readings. Similarly for both proximal and distal probe readings, the average score of esophageal acid clearance was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). In addition, no statistically significant difference was found between the presence of H pylori and GERD (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study demonstrated that there is no relationship between gastric H pylori infection and LPR. EBM rating: B-3b.     

Selenium improves cardiac function by attenuating the activation of NF-kappaB due to ischemia-reperfusion injury

Although selenium, an essential trace element and a component of glutathione peroxidase, is known to protect the heart from ischemia-reperfusion (I/R)-induced injury, the mechanisms of this protection are not fully understood. For this purpose, isolated rat hearts were subjected to 30 min of global ischemia followed by 30 min of reperfusion; sodium selenite (25-1,000 nM) was added in the perfusion medium 10 min prior to ischemia, as well as during reperfusion. Selenium caused a dose-dependent improvement in cardiac performance and attenuated the decrease in the ratio of reduced glutathione to oxidized glutathione, as well as the increased level of malondialdehyde in I/R heart. Elevated ratios of nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) in particulate and cytosolic fraction and of phosphorylated NF-kappaB and total NF-kappaB in I/R hearts were reduced by selenium. Cardiac dysfunction in hearts perfused with xanthine plus xanthine oxidase mixture, as well as hydrogen peroxide, or subjected to Ca2+ paradox was also attenuated by selenium. These data suggest that selenium protects the heart against I/R injury due to its action on the redox state and deactivation of NF-kappaB in I/R hearts.     

An inactivated temperature-sensitive mycoplasma gallisepticum mutant for protection against airsacculitis

A formalinised temperature-sensitive (TS) mutant of Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) emulsified in complete Freund's adjuvant was capable of protecting chickens against airsacculitis after intra-air sac challenge with the virulent S6 strain at a statistically significant level. Formalinised TS MG vaccine without the addition of adjuvant yielded inconsistent results, and the outcome may have been dependent upon the dosage used.     

Phenotypic evaluation of the basal-like subtype of invasive breast carcinoma.

Microarray profiling of invasive breast carcinomas has identified five distinct subtypes of tumors (luminal A, luminal B, normal breast-like, HER2 overexpressing, and basal-like) that are associated with different clinical outcomes. The basal-like subtype is associated with poor clinical outcomes and is the subtype observed in BRCA1-related breast cancers. The aim of this study was to characterize the histologic and immunophenotypic properties of breast basal-like carcinomas that were first positively identified using DNA microarray analysis. Detailed histologic review was performed on 56 tumors with known microarray profiles (23 basal-like, 23 luminal, and 12 HER2+). Immunohistochemistry for estrogen receptor (ER), HER2, EGFR, smooth muscle actin (SMA), p63, CD10, cytokeratin 5/6, cytokeratin 8/18, and vimentin was performed on 18 basal-like, 16 luminal, and 12 HER2+ tumors. The basal-like tumors were grade 3 ductal/NOS (21/23) or metaplastic (2/23) carcinomas that frequently showed geographic necrosis (17/23), a pushing border of invasion (14/23), and a stromal lymphocytic response (13/23). Most basal-like tumors showed immunoreactivity for vimentin (17/18), luminal cytokeratin 8/18 (15/18), EGFR (13/18), and cytokeratin 5/6 (11/18), while positivity for the myoepithelial markers SMA (4/18), p63 (4/18) and CD10 (2/18) was infrequent. All basal-like tumors tested were ER- and HER2-. Morphologic features significantly associated with the basal-like subtype included markedly elevated mitotic count (P<0.0001), geographic tumor necrosis (P=0.0003), pushing margin of invasion (P=0.0001), and stromal lymphocytic response (P=0.01). The most consistent immunophenotype seen in the basal-like tumors was negativity for ER and HER2, and positivity for vimentin, EGFR, cytokeratin 8/18, and cytokeratin 5/6. The infrequent expression of myoepithelial markers in basal-like carcinomas does not support a direct myoepithelial cell derivation of these tumors. These findings should further assist in the identification of basal-like carcinomas in clinical specimens, facilitating treatment and epidemiologic studies of this tumor subtype.     

Prevalence of hepatitis B virus infection in pregnant Turkish women and their families

A total of 5,366 pregnant Turkish women were screened for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and 225 (4.2%) of them were found to be positive. Hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) was detected in 6.2% of HBsAg-positive pregnant women. The overall prevalence of HBsAg and antibody to HBsAg (anti-HBs) among the spouses, previous children, mothers and first degree relatives of the HBsAg-positive pregnant women was 56%, 49%, 79% and 74% respectively. The prevalence of HBsAg is thus high in pregnant Turkish women with familial clustering of hepatitis B virus infection.