The relationship between particulate matter and childhood respiratory complaints and peak expiratory flows in Harran agricultural area.

BACKGROUND: In recent years, many studies have evaluated the increasing incidence of asthma and chronic respiratory diseases among children living close to rural areas with pesticide application. Pesticide exposure in 266 children (126 girls and 140 boys) in Sanliurfa, a cotton-producing province in Turkey, was explored in this work. Four different villages spread over 40 km2 were included. METHODS: Measurements of peak expiratory flow (PEF) in 266 children were conducted in late June, before intensive pesticide applications in the cotton-producing fields. The measurements were repeated for 72 of 266 children after pesticide application in late August. PEF, particulate matter with diameter less than 2.5 µm (PM < sub > 2.5 < /sub > ), particulate matter with diameter less than 10 µm (PM < sub > 10 < /sub > ), temperature, humidity, and wind speed were measured. RESULTS: After pesticide application, mean PM < sub > 2.5 < /sub > and PM < sub > 10 < /sub > values were significantly increased compared to before pesticide application (p < 0.001 for both parameters). After pesticide exposure, nasal discharge, sneezing, burning and itching in the eyes, cough, sputum production, wheezing, shortness of breath and chest tightness were significantly increased (p < 0.001). The mean PEF value was demonstrated to decrease significantly after pesticide application (p < 0.001). Moreover, significant negative correlations were noted between PEF and PM < sub > 10 < /sub > and between PEF and PM < sub > 2.5 < /sub > (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Intensive pesticide application causes respiratory dysfunction and increased respiratory complaints in children living near the affected agricultural areas, and impacts quality of life adversely. The results of this work can be used to develop an early warning system and methods to prevent respiratory disorders in children residing in the study area.

What should be the appropriate minimal duration for patient examination and evaluation in pulmonary outpatient clinics?

INTRODUCTION: Patient examinations performed in a limited time period may lead to impairment in patient and physician relationship, defective and erroneous diagnosis, inappropriate prescriptions, less common use of preventive medicine practices, poor patient satisfaction, and increased violent acts against health-care staff. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine the appropriate minimal duration of patient examination in the pulmonary practice. METHODS: A total of 49 researchers from ten different study groups of the Turkish Thoracic Society participated in the study. The researchers were asked to examine patients in an almost ideal manner, without time constraint under available conditions. RESULTS: A total of 1680 patient examinations were reviewed. The mean duration of patient examination in ideal conditions was determined to be 20.4 ± 9.6 min. Among all steps of patient examination, the longest time was spent for "taking medical history." The total time spent for patient examination was statistically significantly longer in the university hospitals than in the governmental hospitals and training and research hospitals (P < 0.001). Among different patient categories, the patients with a chronic disorder presenting for the first time and were referred from primary or secondary to tertiary care for further evaluation have required the longest time for patient examination. CONCLUSION: According to our study, the appropriate minimal duration for patient examination is 20 min. It has been observed that in university hospitals and in patients with chronic pulmonary diseases, this duration has been increased to above 25 min. The durations in clinical practice should be planned accordingly.

Surgical approach for patients with unusually located hydatid cyst.

INTRODUCTION: Hydatid cyst is a parasitic disease caused by Echinococcus granulosus whose people is the intermediate host. Although this parasite can settle in any part of the human body, it is frequently seen in liver and lungs. The rate of unusual located hydatid cyst outside of liver and lungs is 13,9%. In this study, we aimed presenting unusual located hydatic cysts regarding 51 patients. MATERIAL AND METHOD: In this retrospective study, the files of the patients operated in our department between 2005 and 2012 with the diagnosis of hydatid cyst, characterized be an additional location besides liver and lung involvement and located outside of liver and lung were controlled. FINDINGS: We had a total of 51 patients between the ages of 6-79 (average age 35,34), 20 of them were men (39%) and the others were women (61%) (men/women = 1.56). The cysts outside of liver and lung were frequently seen in spleen (24/51), ovarium (9/51), intraabdominal (8/51), brain (8/51), kidney (6/51), psoas muscle (1/51), bladder (1/51), cervical lymph node (1/51), the heart(1/51) respectively. The most frequent symptom in our patients was stomachache. Besides, symptoms of cough, fever, respiratory disorder were present; only one patient suffered from hemophtysis. While 32 patient out of 51 were treated by laparotomy, 8 patients were operated with laparotomy and thoracotomy in the same session; the patient with 2 ovarian cysts was submitted to cystectomy through laparoscopic surgery. As a patient had a cyst both in brain and liver, he was submutted to laparotomy and craniotomy. 46 cysts in 9 patients with lung involvement were treated with lung resections: 7 wedges resection and 2 segmentectomies. The other lung cysts of the analysed patients were treated by cystectomy and capitonnage. Bile leakage was detected in a total of 7 patients: 3 of them were treated with T tube drainage and the others were endoscopically healed by means of ERCP. CONCLUSION: The incidence of hydatid cyst, which is an important health problem in endemic areas, can be reduced by means of simple preventive measures. Its basic treatment is surgery. Main objective of the surgery should be parenchyma sparing while taking off completely the cysts. Although the disease is frequently seen in liver and lung, other organ involvements should be considered. Thus, it does not matter where hydatid cyst is seen, abdomen and thorax should be attentively controlled by the simplest imaging method also outside of clinical symptoms. Abdomen and thorax imaging should be carried out at least once in the two following years to have an early detection of an eventual recurrence.

Fibrinolytic therapy for parapneumonic empyema during pregnancy.

Pneumonia and parapneumonic complicated effusion during pregnancy is uncommon but poses potentially serious risks to both mother and fetus. Enzymatic debridement of the pleural cavity with fibrinolytic agents is a noninvasive option that can facilitate drainage and prevent the need for surgery. Herein, we describe the cases of two pregnant women with parapneumonic empyema who were successfully treated with intrapleural fibrinolytic therapy.