Is the increased ozone dosage key factor for its anti-inflammatory effect in an experimental model of mesenteric ischemia?

BACKGROUND: Ischemia/reperfusion injury of the intestines is a severe surgical condition. This study aimed to reveal ozone therapy effects with relatively increased ozone dosage in a created ischemia/reperfusion injury model. METHODS: In this study, 24 albino Wistar rats were examined in three groups. Rats in the control group (CG, n=8) underwent only a laparotomy. In the sham group (SG, n=8) and ozone group (OG, n=8), the superior mesenteric artery (SMA) of the rats was occluded for 1 h. After deoccluding the SMA, the abdomen was closed, physiological saline was infused intraperitoneally in the SG, and an increased ozone/oxygen mixture dose (from 0.7 mg/kg to 1 mg/kg) was infused intraperitoneally in the OG. Small intestine samples were obtained at the 24th h for histopathological examination of intestinal mucosal injury and evaluated according to the Chiu score. In addition, Malondialdehyde and Myeloperoxidase levels were evaluated for oxidant levels, whereas, Glutathione (GSH) enzyme activity was measured to evaluate the tissue antioxidant system. RESULTS: Histopathologically, the Chiu score was the lowest in the CG. It was lower in the OG compared to the SG showing the ameliorating effect of ozone on the intestinal mucosa. Chiu score in the OG was higher compared to that in the CG, but not statistically significant. A significantly higher GSH level was observed in the OG compared to the SG, proving antioxidant activity. CONCLUSION: In this experimental model of ischemia/reperfusion in rats, treatment with an increased ozone level decreased the inflammatory process through antioxidant mechanisms and reduced intestinal mucosal damage. However, the effectiveness of ozone therapy depends on its dosages.

A rare cause of intestinal obstruction in children: signet-ring cell adenocarcinoma of the colon.

BACKGROUND: Signet-ring cell adenocarcinoma of the colon is well-recognized in adult patients who are extremely rare and not well-documented in children. Our study aims to raise awareness about this rare disease and its long-term outcomes. METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated patients with signet-ring cell colon adenocarcinoma. RESULTS: Six patients, three boys and three girls, with a mean age of 14.83 (range, 13-17 years), presented with signs of intesti-nal obstruction and were diagnosed with signet-ring cell colon adenocarcinoma. All patients had air-fluid levels on abdominal X-ray. Abdominal ultrasonography of all patients revealed subileus. Abdominal computed tomography was performed in five patients, and pre-operative colonoscopy was conducted in two patients before the emergency intervention. All of the patients underwent emergent exploratory laparotomy with the preliminary diagnosis of acute abdomen. In two patients, debulking surgery followed by a stoma was performed. The remaining four patients were treated with anastomosis following intestinal resection. All girls had metastases on the ovary. One of the patients died due to the burden of multiple metastases in the early period, and three died in the sixth post-operative year. We have been following the remaining two patients since then. CONCLUSION: Although signet-ring cell carcinomas (SRCCs) are rare, they should be considered in the differential diagnosis of acute abdomen and intestinal obstruction in pediatric patients. Despite early diagnosis and treatment, SRCC has a poor prognosis in the pediatric population.

Comparison of hyperbaric oxygen and ozone treatment for ischemia/re-perfusion injury in an experimental testicular torsion model.

BACKGROUND: This study aims to compare the effects of medical ozone (MO) therapy and hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy in an experimental testicular torsion model by measuring the oxidant and antioxidant markers and examining the histopathological tissue damage findings. METHODS: Thirty-two Wistar rats are used and are divided into four groups; (1) sham group (SG), (2) only ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) by testicular torsion, (3) HBO administered group, and (4) MO administered group. No torsion was conducted in the SG. In all other groups, rats underwent testicular torsion followed by detorsion to create an I/R model. After I/R, HBO was injected in the HBO group, and in the MO group, intraperitoneal ozone was applied. At the end of 1 week, testicular tissues were obtained for biochemical analyzes and histopathological examinations. Biochemically, malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were measured for oxidant activity, and superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) levels were measured for antioxidant activity. Furthermore, the testicles were evaluated histopathologically. RESULTS: Both HBO and MO have significantly decreased MDA levels, compared with sham and I/R groups, resulting in decreased oxidation effects. The antioxidant GSH-Px levels in the HBO and MO groups were significantly higher than in the sham and I/R groups. In addition, the antioxidant SOD levels in the HBO group were significantly higher than sham, I/R, and MO groups. Therefore, the antioxidant effect of HBO was observed to be superior to MO, specifically considering SOD levels. Histopathologically, there was no significant difference between the groups (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: The study may extrapolate that both HBO and MO are antioxidant agents that can be used in testicular torsion. HBO treatment might improve the cellular antioxidant capacity due to increased antioxidant marker levels more than MO therapy. However, further studies are needed with a larger sample size.

An Evaluation of the Efficacy of Systemic Immune-Inflammation Index in Predicting Enterobius-Associated Appendicitis Preoperatively.

Objective Our study aimed to retrospectively evaluate Enterobius-associated appendicitis cases and compare them with acute appendicitis cases in terms of parameters such as the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), C-reactive protein (CRP)-to-lymphocyte ratio (CLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and systemic immune-inflammation index (SII). We primarily aimed to evaluate the utility of SII in the differential diagnosis of Enterobius-associated appendicitis. Methods The appendectomy specimens of pediatric patients who were operated on for acute appendicitis between June 2016 and August 2022 were retrospectively evaluated. Enterobius-associated appendicitis cases were included for analysis. All patients were evaluated regarding age, gender, blood count, surgery, and pathology reports. Pathology reports were evaluated for the presence of histological signs of acute appendicitis. The patients were classified into an Enterobius-associated appendicitis group and a regular acute appendicitis group. CRP, white blood cell (WBC), red cell distribution width (RDW), neutrophils, lymphocytes, NLR, monocytes, eosinophils, platelet (PLT), PLR, CLR, and SII values were compared between the two groups. Results Eleven cases of Enterobius-associated appendicitis were identified out of 430 total cases (2.55%) examined. The mean age of the group with acute appendicitis was 12.83 ±3.16 years, while the mean age of the group with Enterobius-associated appendicitis was 8.55 ±2.54 years. There was no statistically significant difference in terms of CRP, WBC, RDW, lymphocytes, neutrophils, NLR, monocytes, eosinophils, PLT, PLR, and CLR values between the two groups (p>0.05). However, when the SII values of the participants were analyzed, it was observed that the SII values of the participants in the regular appendicitis group were significantly higher than those of the participants in the Enterobius group (p<0.05). Among the 11 Enterobius-associated appendicitis patients, seven appendectomy specimens revealed no inflammation and were regarded as negative appendectomy (63.63%). Conclusion This is the first study to demonstrate the utility of preoperative SII evaluation in Enterobius-associated appendicitis. SII is a simple, easy-to-calculate indicator of Enterobius-associated appendicitis and aids in the preoperative differential diagnosis of acute appendicitis.

Long-term Follow-up of a Toddler with Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma: A Case Report with a Literature Review of Patients Under 5 Years of Age

Papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) is extremely rare in children. Herein, we present a case diagnosed with PTC at 15 months of age. We conducted a literature review of the published cases with PTC under five years of age. A 1.25-year-old male patient had initially presented with a complaint of progressively enlarging cervical mass that appeared four months earlier. On physical examination, a mass located in the anterior cervical region with the largest measurements of around 3x3 cm was detected. Cervical and thyroid ultrasonography showed a 50x27 mm solid mass in the right lateral neck. Excisional biopsy revealed a follicular variant of PTC with capsular invasion. Subsequently, he underwent a complementary total thyroidectomy. He was diagnosed with intermediate-risk (T3N0M0) PTC. He developed permanent hypoparathyroidism. In the first year of the operation, he was treated with radioiodine ablation (RAI) since basal and stimulated thyroglobulin (Tg) levels tended to increase. Whole-body scintigraphy was normal in the first year of RAI ablation. On levothyroxine sodium (LT4) treatment, levels of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and Tg were adequately suppressed. He is now 8.5-years-old and disease-free on LT4 replacement therapy for seven years and three months. Pediatric PTC has different biological behavior and an excellent prognosis compared to adults. The optimal treatment strategy for pediatric TC is total thyroidectomy, followed by RAI ablation. Post-operative management should include regular follow-up, TSH suppression by adequate LT4 therapy, serial Tg evaluation, and radioiodine scanning when indicated.

The Effects of Bladder Diverticulum on the Pathophysiology of Bladder Outlet Obstruction: An Experimental Study in Guinea Pigs.

Objectives: This study is the first to urodynamically and histopathologically evaluates the effects of bladder diverticulum (BD) secondary to bladder outlet obstruction (BOO). Methods: Guinea pigs (n=32) weighing 900-1,000 g were divided randomly into four groups: Sham, BD, BOO, and BD combined with BOO. All guinea pigs in the four groups underwent urodynamic evaluation preoperatively and at 1 month postoperatively. The bladders were removed and examined histopathologically. Results: The post-operative filling detrusor pressure was lower in the Sham group (7.1±1.6 cm H2O) than in the BD (21.4±5.6 cm H2O) and BD with BOO groups (23.6±9.3 cm H2O) (p<0.05). There was no difference between the Sham and BOO (9.5±4.0) groups. Post-operative bladder compliance was better in the Sham group (2.3±0.8 ml/cm H2O) than in the BD (0.9±0.22 ml/cm H2O) and BD with BOO groups (0.6±0.3 ml/cm H2O) (p<0.05). Involuntary detrusor contraction was not observed in the Sham or BOO groups, but was observed in 37.5% of subjects in the BD and BD with BOO groups. On histological examination, the bladder wall was thicker (3.75±0.68 mm) (p=0.601), and the connective tissue volume was significant increased (p=0.046), in the bladder muscularis mucosa in the BD groups compared to the BOO group. Conclusion: Physiological and histopathological changes in the bladder with BD combined with BOO are more evident than with BOO alone.

Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography in children: Retrospective series with a long-term follow-up and literature review.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: To investigate the safety and long-term results of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) in children with a literature review. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All patients within the age range of 6-17 years who underwent ERCP between 1994 and 2014 at our institution were retrospectively evaluated. RESULT: Twenty-four patients with a median age of 15 years underwent ERCP. Cannulation of the papilla was achieved in all patients (100%) without the use of needle-knife papillotomy. Before 1999, ERCP was used as a diagnostic method only in 7 patients (29%). In 17 (71%) patients, the procedure was used for therapeutic purposes. The indications were choledocholithiasis (10 cases, 42%), postoperative complications (5 patients, 21%), and recurrent pancreatitis (2 cases, 8%). In 2 patients (8%), the therapeutic effect was not achieved, thus requiring subsequent operations. There were no major complications. Mild pancreatitis occurred in only 1 patient (4%). Long-term follow-up information was obtained in 16 (67%) patients (median, 18 years; range, 3.5-22.5 years), and no long-term complications were detected. CONCLUSION: Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography is a valuable tool in the diagnosis and treatment of pancreatobiliary disorders in the pediatric population. Large-scale studies are required to create evidence-based guidelines specific to children.

Simultaneous Presentation of Wilms' Tumor and Contralateral Ganglioneuroma in a Child: Case Report and Literature Review.

We demonstrate a 4-year-old girl who presented with progressive, asymmetrical, firm abdominal distention and was diagnosed with synchronous Wilms' tumor and left para-aortic ganglioneuroma (GN). Although synchronous tumors in the pediatric population are commonly associated with malignancy-predisposing syndromes, the patient in question was found to be otherwise healthy and had no clinical evidence nor family history of a syndrome. This case is the second one in the literature diagnosed with synchronous presentation of Wilms' tumor and GN in a previously healthy child. In addition, a GN foci presumed to be a previous metastasis of a neurogenic tumor that subsequently matured to GN was depicted within a left para-aortic lymph node. We aimed to emphasize an extremely rare synchronous occurrence of these embryonal tumors, increase the awareness of physicians, and discuss the radiologic differential diagnosis and management.

Early myotomy and fundoplication in achalasia in childhood: a single-centre experience for 22 years.

Introduction The aim of this study was to review a single institution's experience with surgical interventions in children with achalasia and to determine treatment strategies for this rare disorder. Patients and methods This study is a retrospective analysis of 22 cases of childhood achalasia from 1991 to 2013. The patients were evaluated in terms of age, symptoms, interventions, intraoperative complications, and recurrent dysphagia. Results There were 13 boys and nine girls (7 months to 17 years old). The clinical symptoms were vomiting (68%), dysphagia (36%), wheezing (18%), coughing (13%), and weight-loss (13%). The mean duration of symptoms was 2.4 years (1 month to 6 years). A barium contrast X-ray study was performed in all of the patients. Oesophageal manometry was performed in eight patients. Six patients underwent multiple oesophageal dilatations (ED) as a first intervention. A Heller myotomy (HM) and fundoplication were performed in all the patients except two patients who recovered with dilatation. In the long term, one patient had a stricture due to the operation and had to undergo a reoperation. Of the Heller myotomy patients, one had a recurrent stricture that responded to dilatation. No other complications were present. All the patients are now asymptomatic. Conclusion Early diagnosis and prompt surgical treatment is important to prevent growth impairment in childhood achalasia cases. A Heller myotomy followed by a partial anti-reflux procedure is an effective treatment for achalasia in children. Based on our experience, it is superior to oesophageal dilatation therapy.

Long-term outcomes of children with transanal endorectal pull-through and a review of the literature.

INTRODUCTION: The transanal endorectal pull-through (TERPT) procedure, the latest advancement in the surgical treatment of Hirschsprung's disease, has replaced most other surgical techniques in the last decade. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between October 2002 and March 2014, a total of 22 patients diagnosed with Hirschsprung's disease underwent a one-stage TERPT operation. RESULTS: Resected segments included the rectosigmoid (seven patients), the descending colon (10 patients), and the transverse colon (five patients). The minimum length of the resected segments was 15 cm and the maximum length was 65 cm. The mean length was 39.18 ± 12.05 cm. Following surgery, the start of oral ingestion was 1-8 days (mean 3 ± 1.69 days) and the hospital stay after the operation lasted 4-11 days (mean 7.04 ± 2.05 days). The mean follow-up period was 48 ± 6 months (range of 24-166 months). Out of 22 patients, three patients had an anal stricture, which responded to anal dilatations; three patients had an enterocolitis episode that required hospitalization; two patients experienced constipation; and two patients had incontinence/soiling. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that the TERPT operation can be safely performed in terms of long-term complications.

Sleeve resection for bronchial carcinoid tumour in two children under six years old.

BACKGROUND: Paediatric tracheobronchial tumours are very rare, and pneumonectomy and lobectomy procedures are rarely indicated due to their surgical difficulties and high sequelae. Bronchoplastic techniques preserving lung parenchyma allow the resection and reconstruction of the main bronchi and carina. CASE PRESENTATION: Here, we present a 6-year-old boy suffering from a carcinoid tumour of the right main bronchus which was successfully managed with a right upper sleeve lobectomy and a 4-year-old girl with an endobronchial carcinoid tumour narrowing the left main bronchus that received a sleeve resection of that bronchus. CONCLUSION: Bronchoplastic techniques are widely used in adults, can be very successful in paediatric patients where the preservation of the lung parenchyma is more important.

Pulmonary metastasectomy in pediatric patients.

BACKGROUND: This study aims to evaluate the outcomes of pulmonary metastasectomy resections in pediatric patients. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 43 children who were operated on in the Pediatric Surgery Clinic between January 1988 and 2014. Forty-three children (26 boys; 17 girls; mean age 10±4.24 years, range 6 months-18 years) who underwent pulmonary metastasectomy resection were included in the study. The patients were evaluated based on age, gender, history of disease, surgical procedures, complications, duration of hospitalization, duration of chest tube placement, and procedure outcome. RESULTS: Indications for pediatric resections were oncological. Metastasis was secondary to Wilms' tumor in 14 patients, osteosarcoma in 7 patients, Ewing's sarcoma in 5 patients, rhabdomyosarcoma in 5 patients, lymphoma in 3 patients, hepatoblastoma in 2 patients, and other tumors in 7 patients. A total of 59 thoracotomies were performed. Approaches utilized included unilateral posterolateral thoracotomy (n=33), bilateral posterolateral thoracotomy (n=8), and sternotomy (n=2). Wedge resection was the procedure of choice (n=44). In selected cases, 11 segmentectomies, 3 lobectomies, and 1 pneumonectomy were performed. There was no perioperative mortality. One patient suffered prolonged air leak and three patients from fever. All patients received chemotherapy. Radiotherapy was administered to 16 patients (37.2%). Of those 16 patients, 7 had Wilms' tumor, 6 had Ewing's sarcoma/PNET, and 3 were rhabdomyosarcoma patients. During a median follow-up of 3 years, the overall survival was 74.4%. CONCLUSIONS: Multidisciplinary treatment involving pediatric oncologists, surgeons, and radiation oncologists is necessary to obtain positive results in children who have pulmonary metastases of oncological diseases. Wedge resection is a suitable option for children because less lung tissue is resected.