Associations of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in breast milk and dietary habits and demographic factors in Taiwan.

The aim of this study was to examine levels of PBDEs in breast milk associated with seafood consumptions of Taiwanese mothers. Our participants were selected from healthy women recruited between December 2000 and November 2001 from a medical center in central Taiwan. The congeners of PBDEs in 20 milk samples were analyzed by a gas chromatograph with a high resolution mass detector. The mean level of BDE47 in breast milk from mothers with pre-pregnant BMI <22.0kg/m2 had a significantly higher magnitude compared to those with pre-pregnant BMI > or = 22.0kg/m2 (1.59 vs. 0.995ng/g lipid, p=0.041). We did not find significant correlations between PBDEs exposure levels and women's age, parity, blood pressure, annual household income, and education level. Women who ate more fish and meat did not show significantly higher PBDE levels than those who ate less, but a significant difference in PBDE levels was demonstrated between the higher (2.15ng/g lipid) and lower (3.98ng/g lipid) shellfish consuming subjects (p=0.002) after an adjustment for the confounders. The ratios of PCB153/BDE47, PCB153/BDE153, and PCB153/PBDEs were significantly correlated with frequent consumption of fish and shellfish. The PCB153/BDE153 ratio was not associated with the other dietary habits (i.e. meat). The ratios of PCB153/PBDEs may therefore be a new indicator for exposure as a result of seafood consumption.

Traumatic dissection of the vertebral artery: a case report.

This report concerns a patient suffering from a severe neck pain on the third day after a traffic accident. This condition was followed by a lateral medullary infarction on the next day. One week later, he was transferred to this hospital and dissection of the vertebral artery was disclosed. It should be emphasized that in case of acute cervical spine injury or severe neck pain after a major trauma, vertebral artery dissection should be considered, as its early diagnosis may have crucial therapeutic implications. In addition, the advantages of the combination of magnetic resonance imaging and magnetic resonance angiography as diagnostic tools-of-choice are emphasized.

[Embolization of an arteriovenous fistula in the posterior fossa: report of a case].

We report a case of posterior fossa arteriovenous fistula with a possible arterial aneurysm. The patient was a 15-year-old female. She was transferred to us because of a sudden onset of dyspnea, severe headaches, and loss of consciousness. The CT scan found an abnormal vascular lesion in the posterior fossa. Calcification was noted in the wall of the largest abnormal vascular structure. The angiogram showed a focal aneurysmal dilatation of the hemispheric branch of the right posterior inferior cerebellar artery, followed by an arteriovenous fistula, which drained to the right transverse sinus. Embolization was performed by implanting a detachable balloon into the proximal end of the aneurysm. These abnormal vascular structures disappeared completely on the angiogram after the embolization. CT scan one week after embolization showed increased density in these abnormal vascular structures, with no enhancement after contrast, indicating thrombosis or the formation of a blood clot in their lumen. The CT half a year after embolization showed reduction in size and a low density change in the largest vascular structure with calcification in the wall. All other abnormal vascular structures disappeared. An angiogram half a year after the embolization confirmed no recurrence of the aneurysm or arteriovenous fistula.