rare cause of ileus: napkin

Foreign bodies are one of the rare cause of mechanical intestinal obstructions. 75 years old female patient presented to emergency department complaining about abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting. Patient underwent to surgery for mechanical intestinal obstruction. Obstruction due to necrosis in 30 centimeters of terminal ileum detected. Resection and end to end anastomosis performed. A napkin seen inside of the specimen. We are presenting a patient with mechanical intestinal obstruction due to a napkin

Anti-inflammatory efficiency of Ankaferd blood stopper in experimental distal colitis model

Ankaferd blood stopper [ABS] is a herbal extract that enhances mucosal healing. In this study, we aimed to investigate the efficiency of ABS in the treatment of experimental distal colitis. Twenty one male albino rats were divided into three groups: Sham control [Group 1], colitis induced by acetic acid and treated with saline [Group 2], colitis induced by acetic acid and treated with ABS [Group 3]. At end of the 7[th] day of induction, all the rats were lightly anesthetized with intramuscular ketamine [8 mg/kg] and thereafter laparotomy and total colectomy were performed. The distal colon segment was assessed macroscopically and microscopically. In addition malondialdehyde [MDA], superoxide dismutase [SOD] and nitric oxide [NO] levels of the colonic tissue and changes in body weight were measured. The MDA and NO levels of the colonic tissues and weight loss were significantly higher in Group 2 compared to Group 1 and Group 3. Microscopic and macroscopic damage scores were significantly higher in Group 2 and Group 3 than Group 1 [P: 0.001, P: 0.004, respectively]. Although the microscopic and macroscopic damage scores in Group 3 were slightly lower than Group 2, the difference was not statistically significant. The SOD levels of the colonic tissues were not different between the three groups. Weight alterations and high-levels of the colonic tissue MDA and NO suggested that ABS might have anti-inflammatory effects on experimental distal colitis. However, this suggestion was not supported by histopathological findings

Predictive Role of Acute Phase Reactants in the Response to Therapy in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Infection

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Biochemical parameters and acute-phase proteins (APPs) may provide complementary data in patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC). We aimed to evaluate the predictive role of APPs in the response to antiviral therapy. METHODS: Forty-five patients underwent antiviral therapy. Serum ferritin, C-reactive protein (CRP), transferrin, albumin, alpha-1 acid glycoprotein (A1AG), and alpha-2 macroglobulin (A2MG) levels were examined at the initial evaluation and at the 4th, 12th, and 48th weeks. HCV RNA levels were examined at the initial evaluation and at the 12th and 48th weeks. RESULTS: Ferritin, transferrin, A1AG, and A2MG levels were significantly higher in the patient group (p<0.05). CRP, ferritin, A1AG, and A2MG levels were significantly increased from baseline to the 4th week (p<0.05). The responders and nonresponders to antiviral therapy had insignificantly but remarkably different levels of CRP, ferritin, transferrin, A1AG, A2MG, and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) both at the initial evaluation and at the 12th week. CONCLUSIONS: Variations in ferritin, A1AG, A2MG, albumin, CRP, and transferrin levels are not alternatives to virological and biochemical parameters for predicting an early response to therapy in patients with CHC. However, the investigation of ALT levels and hepatitis C virus RNA in combination with acute-phase reactants may provide supplementary data for evaluating responses to antiviral therapy.

Outcomes of laparoscopic versus open splenectomy / 대한외과학회지

PURPOSE: Laparoscopic techniques have gained wide clinical acceptance in surgical practice today. The laparoscopic approach has been established as the technique of choice for elective splenectomies performed on normal sized spleens. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the outcome of patients undergoing laparoscopic splenectomy (LS) at the TOBB University of Economics and Technology (ETU) Hospital and Kecioren Training and Research Hospital. METHODS: One hundred and thirty-five patients underwent splenectomy between January 2000 and July 2010. For comparison, the records of 130 patients undergoing splenectomy were evaluated for age, gender, hospital stay, time to start of diet, conversion rate, operation time and wound infection. RESULTS: Mean operation time means the time interval between surgeon commencing operation to end of operation. Mean operation time in patients treated by LS was 132 minutes and 121 minutes in open splenectomy (OS). Mean hospital stay was 5.65 days in patients undergoing LS and starting of diet was 1.21 days. In patients treated by OS, mean hospital stay was 9.17 days, starting of diet was 2.37 days. Four patients were converted to open surgery. Conversion rate was 6.4 percent. In the early post operative period (within 10 days of surgery) 9.2%, LS group had lower incidences of wound infection rate after surgery than OS group (4.8%, 7.4%, respectively; P = 0.06). CONCLUSION: LS is a safe and effective alternative to OS for treatment of splenic diseases in patients of all ages.

An Unusual Cause of Acute Pancreatitis: Annular Pancreas and Papillary Opening of the Cystic Duct

No abstract available.

An Unusual Cause of Inguinal Hernia in a Male Patient: Endometriosis

No abstract available.

No significant association between halitosis and upper gastrointestinal endoscopic findings: a prospective study / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Previous studies have focused on the relationship between halitosis, gastroesophageal reflux disease and Helicobacter pylori. In this study we aimed to investigate the interaction between halitosis and upper gastrointestinal endoscopic findings.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Patients who previously had dyspepsia and had undergone endoscopic examination were included in the study. Symptoms of dyspepsia were investigated by means of a questionnaire that investigated halitosis. Patients who suffered from objective halitosis (confirmed by questions both to the patient and their relatives) were further investigated. Patients with known local or systemic causes of halitosis or structural disorders at endoscopy were excluded.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The study included 358 patients (121 men and 237 women) with dyspeptic symptoms. The patients with and without halitosis had mean ages of (39.4 ± 13.5) and (43.1 ± 14.9) years, respectively. Patients without halitosis were significantly older than those in the halitosis group (P < 0.05). Patients in the halitosis group had significantly higher frequencies of regurgitation, bloating and nausea (P < 0.05) when compared to patients without halitosis. Endoscopic findings, including esophagitis, open cardia, hiatal hernia, gastritis and duodenitis, were comparable in the two groups.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The frequency of halitosis was high in patients with dyspepsia who underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. Halitosis had a close relationship with several upper gastrointestinal symptoms, including regurgitation, nausea and bloating. There was no significant association between upper gastrointestinal endoscopic findings and halitosis.</p>