Ruthenium (II) complexes of thiosemicarbazone: synthesis, biosensor applications and evaluation as antimicrobial agents.

A conformationally rigid half-sandwich organoruthenium (II) complex [(η(6)-p-cymene)RuClTSC(N-S)]Cl, (1) and carbonyl complex [Ru(CO)Cl(PPh3)2TSC(N-S)] (2) have been synthesized from the reaction of [{(η(6)-p-cymene)RuCl}2(µ-Cl)2] and [Ru(H)(Cl)(CO)(PPh3)3] with thiophene-2-carboxaldehyde thiosemicarbazon (TSC) respectively and both novel ruthenium (II) complexes have been characterized by elemental analysis, FT-IR and NMR spectroscopy. The peripheral TSC in the complexes acts as an electrochemical coupling unit providing the ability to carry out electrochemical deposition (ED) and to form an electro-deposited film on a graphite electrode surface. The biosensing applicability of complexes 1 and 2 was investigated by using glucose oxidase (GOx) as a model enzyme. Electrochemical measurements at -0.9V versus Ag/AgCl electrode by following the ED Ru(II) reduction/oxidation due to from the enzyme activity, in the presence of glucose substrate. The designed biosensor showed a very good linearity for 0.01-0.5mM glucose. The in vitro antimicrobial activities of complexes 1 and 2 were also investigated against nine bacterial strains and one fungus by the disc diffusion test method. No activity was observed against the Gram-negative strains and fungus, whereas complex 1 showed moderate antibacterial activities against Gram-positive bacterial strains.

Injury patterns and psychological traits of patients with self-inflicted wounds produced by punching glass.

BACKGROUND: Self-inflicted injuries are among the preventable forms of hand injury. Psychologic factors underlying these injuries have not been studied sufficiently. This study aims to reveal the extent of injury and the morbidity as well as the psychologic factors in a population of patients who intentionally injured themselves by punching glass. METHODS: Patients seen and treated for glass punching injuries during a 4.5-year period were reviewed. The demographic data included the extent of injury, postoperative hospitalization time, and full recovery time. Their psychologic traits were analyzed by two questionnaires (Symptom Distress Check List and State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory) and through a psychiatric interview. The results were compared with a sex- and age-matched control group with accidental hand injuries. RESULTS: The study group consisted of 36 patients. Mean age was 24.7 years. Most were men (n = 28), not married (n = 28), and living with their families. Half of them were unemployed. Twelve had only skin lacerations. The remaining 24 patients had a total of 45 tendon, 15 nerve, and 9 artery injuries. On an average, 46 days were required for full recovery. A second attempt of self-infliction was not reported. Twenty-one patients underwent questionnaires and psychiatric interview. The study group felt significantly higher levels of psychologic distress and hostility (p = 0.018 and p = 0.002, respectively). They also had higher levels of anger in daily life (p = 0.002). Clinical psychiatric evaluation failed to reveal any significant psychiatric disorder. CONCLUSION: Self-inflicted hand injuries increase the workload of emergency services and clinics involved in the treatment. Prevention is very difficult, especially when alcohol is not an underlying cause. A typical patient has hostile and disobedient characteristics and who easily expresses his anger. Happily, having suffered enough during their treatment these patients do not attempt a second self-infliction.

Computed tomography in the management of cervical lymph node pathology.

Computerised tomography (CT) is a useful adjunct in the diagnosis of cervical pathology in head and neck carcinoma. However, different criteria used in CT analysis make the comparison of outcome studies difficult. This study compares two different CT criteria (two different lymph node sizes) for detection of cervical lymph node pathology for head and neck tumours in the same patient population. A prospective study was performed on 55 patients, with minimum T2 intraoral squamous cell carcinoma and high risk extraoral malignancies, who underwent 65 neck dissections. Sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of clinical palpation, CT considering lymph nodes larger than 10mm as positive and CT considering lymph nodes larger than 15 mm as positive are compared. The results are as follows: sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of clinical palpation are 86, 84 and 85%, respectively; sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of CT with lymph nodes exceeding 10 mm are 95, 47 and 63%, respectively; sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of CT with lymph nodes exceeding 15 mm are 86, 81 and 83%, respectively. The outcomes of the study reveal that CT evaluation of cervical lymph nodes with a cutoff value of 15 mm should be preferred to a cutoff value of 10mm in order to prevent over-treatment in cervical management of head and neck tumours. When accuracy of the results is considered, CT alone does not have an advantage over clinical palpation in this study.

Patients' perspectives on the ocular symptoms of facial paralysis after gold weight implantation.

SUMMARY: Upper lid loading for the treatment of lagophthalmos resulting from facial paralysis is a simple and effective procedure with relatively few side effects and complications. A detailed patient-based self assessment, focusing on subjective complaints after upper lid weight implantation is scarce. In this study, a population of facial palsy patients with lid weights is asked about their subjective complaints in order to find out the patients' point of view. Patients with upper lid weights were asked questions indicating the degree of soreness, tearing, redness, visual acuity, lid closing during the day, lid closing during sleep, aesthetic appearance, artificial tear utilisation and outdoor comfort. All questions were evaluated by an analogue scale in reference to the opposite eye, where a score of '10' corresponds to the best outcome (no symptoms at all or appearance comparable to the contralateral eye) and a score of '1' corresponds to the worst outcome. Thirty patients filled in the questionnaire and 22 of them were seen in the outpatient clinic. The most pleasing result was obtained in the lid closing during the day (score 8.8+/-1.9), during sleep (7.7+/-3.0) and in the aesthetic appearance of the eye (score 7.6+/-2.7), whereas visual acuity received the lowest score (score 5.7+/-1.5). Complication and re-operation rates were 23% and 13%, respectively. In conclusion, upper lid weights solve the problem they are used to address. They provide a satisfactory lid closure and aesthetic appearance in the patients' point of view. However, the ocular symptoms of facial paralysis still persist to some extent and the procedure is not without its complications.