Cone-beam computed tomography evaluation of impacted and transmigrated mandibular canines: a retrospective study

Oral Radiology - The purpose of this study is to evaluate CBCT images of impacted mandibular canines in detail and to discuss implications for diagnosis and treatment. CBCT images of dental...     

Affective temperaments in pregnancy

Aim: There are many studies on the mood disorders that occur during pregnancy, but no studies that question how affective temperaments, which are the antecedents of the mood disorders, are influenced by pregnancy. This study aims to examine the affective temperaments in women without any psychiatric diagnoses during the pregnancy period.

Method: The study included 100 pregnant women at the third trimester of their pregnancy (pregnant group) and 75 non-pregnant women (control group). Structured Clinical Interview for DSM Axis-I Disorders (SCID-I) was used for the evaluation of psychiatric disorders; Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris and San Diego Auto-questionnaire (TEMPS-A) was used for the evaluation of affective temperaments.

Results: The cyclothymic, irritable and anxious temperament scores of the pregnant women were significantly lower than that of the non-pregnant women (p?Conclusion: The third trimester of pregnancy is associated with significantly lower affective temperament. Future studies may help to understand the biological background of the present findings.     

Circulating adhesion molecules and arterial stiffness

Damage to or stimulation of the endothelium leads to the increased expression and release of molecules that trigger leukocyte homing, adhesion and migration into the subendothelial space, which are fundamental stages of the development and progression of atherosclerosis.1 Among these, adhesion molecules play a key role. Adhesion molecules are substances that mediate the interaction between cells, their extracellular matrices and endothelial surfaces. They function as receptors that trigger intracellular pathways and participate in the control of vital processes.2Once expressed on the endothelial surface, soluble forms of adhesion molecules may be found in the circulation, released either via shedding or proteolytic cleavage, and are considered markers of increased expression of membrane-bound adhesion molecules.3-5 Vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM-1) and intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) are two important members of the immunoglobulin gene superfamily of adhesion molecules and their potential role as biomarkers of diagnosis, severity and prognosis of cardiovascular disease has been investigated in a number of clinical studies.6Decreased arterial compliance is one of the earliest signs of adverse structural and functional changes within the vessel wall.7 Increased arterial stiffness represents a physiological aspect of ageing, however, this process can be accelerated by cardiovascular risk factors, and has been shown to be an independent predictor of cardiovascular morbidity and all-cause mortality in various populations.8-10Although studies have also demonstrated that increased arterial stiffness is associated with inflammation, data on the association between aortic distensibility and soluble adhesion molecules are sparse.11 The purpose of the present study was to determine the relationship between circulating ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 levels as inflammatory markers, and aortic stiffness in patients referred for echocardiographic examination.     

Two neurofibromatosis type 1 cases associated with rhabdomyosarcoma of bladder, one with a large deletion in the NF1 gene

Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is the most common neurogenetic disorder, affecting approximately 1 in 3,500 individuals worldwide. Mutations of the NF1 tumor suppressor gene predispose individuals to a variety of benign and malignant tumors. Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is an uncommon malignant soft tissue sarcoma and is also a rare tumor type in NF1 patients. We report two cases of NF1 with RMS. The first is that of an infant with overlapping phenotypic features of NF1 and Noonan syndrome (NS) who presented with RMS of the bladder. The second infant likewise exhibited NF1 features and was also associated with bladder RMS. DNA samples were extracted from peripheral blood and tumor tissue samples. We performed loss of heterozygosity (LOH) analysis of the NF1 gene by using seven intragenic markers (IVS27AAAT2.1, IVS27EVI-20, IVS27AC24.8, IVS27AC28.4, M98509, IVS27AC33.1, IVS38TG53.0) and one extragenic polymorphic marker (3'NF1). A large deletion was detected in the NF1 gene in the NF1-Noonan syndrome (NF-NS) case associated with RMS.     

Analysis of ΔF508 Mutation in Cystic Fibrosis Pathology Specimens

Incidence of ΔF508, a severe mutation of the CFTR gene is found to be 36.3% in paraffin block cystic fibrosis liver tissues. Samples are histologically grouped according to severity of pancreatic involvement. Two families where ΔF508 was detected postmortem and who have no living children, will have the chance for a prenatal diagnosis in the future pregnancies.     

Mutation analysis in Turkish phenylketonuria patients.

Forty-four classical PKU patients have been screened for various mutations. The newly identified IVS 10 splicing mutation was found in 32% of the mutant alleles and comprises 74.5% of the mutations that could be typed: 261arg-gln (6.8%), 158arg-gly (2.3%), 252arg-trp (1.1%), 280glu-lys (-), and 272gly-stop (-) were the other mutations that were screened.