Unusual intraocular foreign bodies after an explosion: patient's hand bone fragments.

A 26-year-old Turkish Army soldier underwent full ophthalmoscopic examination after a penetrating ocular injury in the left eye due to the accidental explosion of a detonating fuse during handling. Visual acuity of the left eye was hand motion level. Funduscopy revealed foreign bodies suspended in the vitreous gel and accompanying vitreous haemorrhage. B-scan ultrasonography, CT of the orbits and microscopic examination of the intraocular foreign bodies (IOFBs) were performed prior to removal of bone fragments and pars plana vitrectomy. The IOFBs were fragments of the patients' bone tissue. Bone fragments from victim's body may cause IOFBs after an explosion in military personnel.

Effect of bilirubin in ischemia/reperfusion injury on rat small intestine.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to determine the effects of bilirubin in experimental small intestinal ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury in rats. METHODS: Thirty rats were divided into 5 groups (n = 6). In group S, saline and in group B, bilirubin, 20 mg/kg were infused via the jugular vein without an additional procedure. In groups S-IR, saline, B(1)-IR and B(2)-IR, 10 and 20 mg/kg/h of bilirubin were infused for 2 hours, respectively. In these groups, an I/R procedure was done after infusions by occluding the superior mesenteric artery for 45 minutes followed by 1 hour of reperfusion. After reperfusion, the small intestines were resected for histopathologic and malondialdehyde (MDA) assessments. Mucosal lesions were scored between 0 and 5. Malondialdehyde levels and histopathologic grades were analyzed statistically. RESULTS: Mucosal injury was severe in S-IR (grade 4 to 5), mild in B(1)-IR (grade 0 to 3) and none in B(2)-IR group (grade 0). Grades of group S-IR were higher than those of B(1)-IR and B(2)-IR statistically (P <.05). Tissue MDA levels of the S-IR group were significantly higher than those of B(1)-IR and B(2)-IR groups (U = 36, P <.05). Bilirubin levels correlated inversely with MDA levels (r = -0.94). CONCLUSIONS: Bilirubin effectively prevents intestinal I/R injury in rat. This observation is consistent with the hypotheses regarding bilirubin as an antioxidant, having a role in the body defense. J Pediatr Surg 36:1764-1767.

The effects of propofol or halothane on free radical production after tourniquet induced ischaemia-reperfusion injury during knee arthroplasty.

BACKGROUND: Ischaemia-reperfusion injury following tourniquet release is a good in vivo model for evaluating acute conditions. The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of propofol or halothane anaesthesia on oxidative stress by determining malondialdehyde (MDA) levels during knee arthroplasty. METHODS: Thirty patients undergoing orthopaedic surgery were divided into two groups. Anaesthesia was induced with either fentanyl 100 microg and propofol 2 mg kg(-1) (Group 1) or fentanyl 100 microg and thiopentone 5 mg kg(-1) (Group 2) and maintained with infusion of propofol in Group 1 or inhalation of halothane in Group 2. ECG, SpO2, EtCO2, and mean arterial pressure (MAP) were monitored. Venous and arterial blood samples were obtained at different measurement times for MDA and blood gas analyses. RESULTS: There was a significant decrease in MAP in the 1st and 5th minutes after tourniquet release (ATR) when compared with the 5th minute before tourniquet release (BTR) in both groups. Heart rate (HR) increased significantly in the 1st minute ATR in Group 1 only. EtCO2 increased significantly in the 1st and 5th minutes ATR, SpO2 decreased in the 1st minute ATR in both groups. There was a significant decrease in pH and increase in pCO2 at 1, 5 and 30 min ATR in both groups. pO2 values decreased in the 1st minute ATR in Group 1 only and returned to control values at 5 min ATR and decreased at 30 min ATR in the recovery room in both groups. The differences in SaO2 were similar to SpO2. MDA levels decreased before and after release of tourniquet when compared to baseline in both groups. However, there was a statistically significant decrease only in Group 1. CONCLUSION: Propofol may be a good choice of anaesthetic when an ischaemia-reperfusion injury is anticipated as in orthopaedic surgery requiring a tourniquet, due to its antioxidant properties, but halothane needs further study.

The effect of pentoxifylline on the healing of intestinal anastomosis in rats with experimental obstructive jaundice.

The aims of this study were (1) to investigate the effect of experimental obstructive jaundice on the healing of intestinal anastomosis, and (2) to investigate the effect of pentoxifylline on the healing of intestinal anastomosis in rats with obstructive jaundice. Obstructive jaundice was induced in rats by the ligation and division of the common bile duct. Four days after this operation, either pentoxifylline or isotonic saline solution was administered intraperitoneally to these jaundiced rats and controls, and then intestinal anastomosis was performed. The concentrations of serum tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) and serum triglyceride of jaundiced and nonjaundiced rats were measured, and the quality of healing was evaluated by measuring the bursting pressure and hydroxyproline content of the anastomoses on the fifth and tenth days of anastomotic healing. Obstructive jaundice resulted in an impaired wound healing of the intestinal anastomosis in the rats. The administration of pentoxifylline to the jaundiced rats resulted in better anastomotic wound healing. The beneficial effects of pentoxifylline on anastomotic healing in rats with obstructive jaundice was attributed to its inhibitor effect on the endotoxin-induced TNF-alpha release from macrophages and monocytes, and the stabilizing effect on the neutrophils.

Selenium levels and glutathione peroxidase activities in patients with acute myocardial infarction.

OBJECTIVE: Selenium (Se) is part of the enzyme glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) that plays an important role in the antioxidant defence of the body, including the myocardium, against the deleterious actions of free radicals and lipid peroxides. In order to evaluate the Se status and the GSH-Px activity in ischaemic heart disease, plasma, erythrocyte and urinary Se concentrations together with plasma and erythrocyte GSH-Px activities were determined in 27 patients diagnosed as acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The control group consisted of 24 age-matched healthy individuals. METHODS AND RESULTS: Fasting blood and urine samples were collected within 24 hours after the onset of chest pain. Mean plasma, erythrocyte and urine Se concentrations were significantly lower in the patient groups (63.7 +/- 12 micrograms/l, 0.48 +/- 0.04 microgram/g Hb and 49.6 +/- 27.7 micrograms/g creatinine, respectively), compared to controls (82.2 +/- 14.6 micrograms/l, 0.51 +/- 0.03 microgram/g Hb and 93.4 +/- 62.6 micrograms/g creatinine, p < 0.001, p < 0.02 and p < 0.003, respectively). No statistically significant difference was found between mean plasma GSH-Px activity in patients (0.36 +/- 0.1 U/ml) and controls (0.35 +/- 0.09 U/ml), whereas erythrocyte GSH-Px activity was higher in patients (48.1 +/- 10.2 U/g Hb) than in the controls (35.3 +/- 9.1 U/g Hb, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Our findings confirm the previous studies and demonstrate that patients suffering from AMI exhibit lower plasma, erythrocyte and urinary Se than the controls. Since the erythrocyte Se level represents a measure of the Se status over a period of several weeks due to its long biological half-life, low Se levels observed in the patient group might have been present before the acute event, thereby suggesting an aetiologic relevance. The presence of increased erythrocyte GSH-Px activity in these patients may be interpreted as an antioxidant defence against the chronic oxidant stress present before the AMI, presumably due to the process of coronary atherosclerosis.

The effect of EGb 761 on the doxorubicin cardiomyopathy.

Doxorubicin (Dx) is used to treat a number of types of cancer. The drug produces many toxic reactions and cardiomyopathy. Many drugs have been used to prevent this myocardial damage caused by peroxidative alterations. EGb 761 is being used to prevent arrhythmias in ischemic myocardium. We decided to establish the tissue protective effect of EGb 761 against myocardial toxic effects of Dx in three groups of rats. Cardiotoxicity signs of Dx were found to be dose-related, beginning at 30 mg/kg dose and being apparent at 45 mg/kg dose. 48 hr after a single i.v. injection, myocardial tissues showed a marked edema, vacuolization and fragmentation. We compared the changes in heart tissue biochemically and histopathologically among the control, Dx treated and EGb 761 (100 mg/kg/d.x 4, i.p.) + Dx treated groups. Biochemical results of CK-MB and MDA values showed a significant decrease in Dx + EGb 761 group when compared with Dx treated group. Histopathologically, myocardial tissues of Dx + EGb 761 treated group were found to have diminished vacuolization and fragmentation. These results suggest that EGb 761 might have the same therapeutic potential in Dx related cardiomyopathy.