The effects of bupivacaine and neostigmine on articular cartilage and synovium in the rabbit knee joint.

We investigated the effects of intra-articular injections of bupivacaine and neostigmine on articular cartilage and the synovial membrane of rabbit knee joints. Saline, bupivacaine or neostigmine were each administered intra-articularly into 15 knee joints. Five joints per drug treatment were prepared for histopathological examination 24 h, 48 h and 10 days after injection. A pathologist examined the histological samples for inflammation of the articular cartilage, inflammatory cell infiltration, hypertrophy and hyperplasia of the synovial membrane, in a blinded manner. There no histopathological in the saline-treated control joints. Joints treated with bupivacaine and neostigmine showed significantly more histopathological changes than control joints. Joints treated with neostigmine showed significantly more histopathological changes than those treated with bupivacaine, except for articular cartilage inflammation on day 10. We conclude that intra-articular bupivacaine and neostigmine cause histopathological changes in rabbit knee joints, with neostigmine having a greater effect than bupivacaine.

Clinical and biochemical outcome of renal amyloidosis.

AA amyloidosis is a relatively rare disease which complicates chronic inflammatory diseases, chronic infections, familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) and malignant diseases. Although amyloid deposition may be found in many organs, renal involvement dominates the clinical picture. We reviewed 63 patients with AA amyloidosis who presented to our nephrology department between 1995 and 2000. Prognostic markers, detailed history, physical examination and laboratory tests were evaluated. The causes of AA amyloidosis were as follows: FMF 42 (66.6%), pulmonary tuberculosis 9 (14.2%), chronic osteomyelitis 4 (6.3%), bronchiectasia 4 (6.3%), rheumatoid arthritis 1 (1.5%), juvenile idiopathic arthritis 1 (1.5%), inflammatory abdominal aortic aneurysm 1 (1.5 %), unknown aetiology 1 (1.5%). The diagnosis was made on renal biopsies in 63.4% of the patients, while the remaining 36.6% were diagnosed as a result of rectal biopsies. Sixteen patients died. A low serum albumin, high creatinine and high 24-hour urine albumin excretion were associated with high mortality.

Epstein-Barr Virus in Hodgkin's Disease Patients in Northeast Anatolia.

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is implicated as an etiologic factor in Hodgkin's disease (HD). The proportion of HD patients with EBV is high in developing countries but low in developed countries. In the present study, the EBV association with HD in Northeast Anatolia was investigated. Thirty-six formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded cases of HD were analysed for the presence of EBV and, for the latent membrane protein (LPM-1) by immunohistochemistry. There were 26 males and 10 females; age distribution ranged from 12 to 73 years (mean ± standard deviation, 34.1 ± 15.2 years). Overall, LPM-1 was detected in 27 of the 36 cases (75%). LPM-1 expression varied according to the istological subtype of HD (9/55 cases of lymphocyte predominance subtype, 3/4 cases of nodular sclerosis, 18/18 cases of mixed cellularity subtype, and 1/5 cases of lymphocyte depletion subtype). In this study, the EBV-positivity ratio in HD was found extremely high in Northeast Anatolia.

A case of a large dentigerous cyst containing a canine tooth in the maxillary antrum leading to epiphora.

A case of a large dentigerous cyst containing a canine tooth in the maxillary antrum is presented. This case is of interest due because of its extensiveness and the presence of a canine tooth in the roof of the maxillary sinus. In addition, this caused a right-sided epiphora. Enucleation of the cyst containing the ectopic tooth was made.