Determination of netrin-1 levels and its relationship with neurotoxicity in carbon monoxide poisoning.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to assess netrin-1 levels in carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning to determine its relationship with poisoning severity and neurotoxicity. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional prospective study. The patients older than 18 years with CO poisoning were included. The patients were categorized into two groups on the basis of neurological involvement. Both the patient and the control groups were sampled for netrin-1 at 0th hour, and the patient group only was sampled for netrin-1 at 4th hour. RESULTS: A total of 84 patients and 50 healthy controls were enrolled. The median 0th hour netrin-1 level of the patient group (765.1 pg/mL (619.8-983.1) was significantly higher than the control group (484 pg/mL (376-1031.6)) ( p < 0.001). There was also a significant difference between the 0th hour and 4th hour netrin-1 (888.9 pg/mL (700.3-1175.5)) levels in the patient group ( p < 0.001).There was no significant statistical difference between patients with and without neurological involvement ( p = 0.62) and between those who underwent hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) and those who did not ( p = 0.76) with respect to 4th hour netrin-1 levels. CONCLUSION: The significantly higher netrin-1 levels in patients with CO poisoning, suggests that netrin-1 is elevated as a stress marker. Although there is no significant difference in netrin-1 levels in patients with neurological impairment in CO poisonings, netrin-1 may show subclinically neurological effects. Hence, we believe that netrin-1 cannot be used as a marker of poisoning severity.

Intradural cement leakage: a rare complication of percutaneous vertebroplasty.

Percutaneous vertebroplasty (PV) is one of the alternative treatments for vertebral fractures. Reported significant complications include pain, radiculopathy, spinal cord compression, pulmonary embolism, infection and rib fractures. In this report, we highlight intradural cement leakage which is a rare complication of the procedure. A 49 year old man with a T12 compression fracture due to multiple myeloma was referred to the neurosurgery department from the orthopaedics and traumatology clinic after developing a right lower limb weakness following percutaneous vertebroplasty with polymethylmethacrylate. An urgent thoraco-lumbar magnetic resonance imaging was performed. The T1 and T2-weighted images demonstrated intradural extramedullary and epidural cement leakages which were hypointense on both sequences. Total laminectomy was performed at T12 and L1 and two epidural cement collections were excised on the right. Then, a dural incision from T12 to the body of L1 was done and cement material seen in front of the rootlets excised without any nerve injury. The patient was discharged after a week and referred to the haematology clinic for additional therapy of multiple myeloma. Although the cement leakage was extensive, the right leg weakness improved significantly and he began to walk with assistance 3 months later. Good quality image monitoring and clear visualisation of cement are essential requirements for PV using polymethylmethacrylate to prevent this complication from the treatment.

Bilateral disc edema and unilateral macular hole in a patient with retinitis pigmentosa.

PURPOSE: A unique case of retinitis pigmentosa (RP) associated with bilateral disc edema and unilateral macular hole is presented. METHODS: A 49-year-old woman, a known RP patient, was found to have bilateral disc edema and a macular hole in the left eye during routine clinical examination. Fluorescein angiography revealed hyperfluorescent leakage of the optic nerve head significantly OD and minimally OS. There was staining in the macular regions which was consistent with retinal pigment epithelium atrophy OD and cystoid macular edema (CME) OS. Cerebrospinal fluid pressure and examination by lumbar puncture was normal. Disc edema spontaneously decreased bilaterally during follow-up. DISCUSSION: Bilateral disc edema was thought to be secondary to inflammation caused by rapid degeneration of photoreceptors and retinal pigment epithelium and macular hole was secondary to CME. CONCLUSIONS: Inflammatory response in the course of retinitis pigmentosa may result in disc edema and cystoid macular edema, which may further progresses to macular hole.

Pigmented congenital vitreous cyst.

PURPOSE: To describe the clinical findings in a case with a typical pigmented congenital vitreous cyst and to discuss its differential diagnosis. METHODS/CASE REPORT: A 24-year-old woman complaining of floaters and blurring of vision during eye movements in the right eye was examined. RESULTS: A diagnosis of congenital vitreous cyst was made after detailed vitreoretinal examination, B-scan ultrasonography (eye and abdomen), computerized tomography of brain, chest radiogram, serologic tests for Echinococcosis and Cysticercosis in the serum, and complete blood count for eosinophilia. Clinical presentation and the patient's complaints remained unchanged during 3 years of follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Congenital vitreous cysts are benign lesions. Differential diagnosis from acquired cysts requires careful clinical examination and appropriate laboratory tests.

Cardiac or pulmonary dyspnea in patients admitted to the emergency department.

A simple and quick way of discrimination between cardiac and pulmonary causes of dyspnea is essential in patients admitted to the emergency department. We aimed to assess the utility of easily applicable diagnostic tools in the differential diagnosis of cardiac and pulmonary causes of dyspnea in patients presenting with shortness of breath. Clinical and radiologic evaluation, peak expiratory flow (PEF), PaO2, PaCO2 measurements were performed in 94 patients admitted to the emergency room with dyspnea. All the patients were hospitalized for accurate diagnosis and later were categorized into cardiac and pulmonary dyspnea groups. PEF, %PEF (percent of predicted PEF), dyspnea differentiation index (DDI = PEF x PaO2/1000), %DDI (%PEF x PaO2/1000), PaO2 and PaCO2 measurements were compared between the two groups. When cardiac and pulmonary dyspnea groups were compared, considering 1.6 as the cut-off value for DDI, measurements above this value imply cardiac pathology with 76.7% sensitivity and 67.2% specificity. The sensitivity and specificity for cardiac dyspnea calculated according to the cut-off values were 96.7% and 40.6% for %DDI; 86.7% and 60.9% for PEF; 86.7% and 54.7% for %PEF; 66.7 and 68.7 for PaO2. Also for pulmonary dyspnea, sensitivity and specificity values for PaCO2 were 50% and 93%. We conclude that DDI, %DDI, PEF, %PEF, PaO2 and PaCO2 are simple and easily applicable tools for differential diagnosis of cardiac and pulmonary dyspnea. Adjunctive utility of these tests in the emergency department with clinical and radiologic evaluation contributes to this discrimination.

Hemoptysis: a retrospective analysis of 108 cases.

A retrospective analysis of 108 patients admitted to the hospital for hemoptysis in the year 2000 was performed. The aim of the study was to clarify the etiologic distribution of hemoptysis and the relation of etiology to the severity and recurrence of it. Of the cases, 79 were men and 29 were women, and the mean age was 51.74 +/- 17.51. In 77 of the cases it was the first attack, while in 31 it was recurrent. According to the severity of hemoptysis, it was classified as "mild" (<30 cm3), "moderate" (30-100 cm3), "severe" (100-600 cm3) and "massive" (>600 cm3). Lung cancer was the leading cause of hemoptysis (34.3%) followed by bronchiectasis (25.0%), tuberculosis (17.6%), pneumonia (10.2%) and pulmonary embolism (4.6%). Statistical analysis by chi-square test revealed that most of the lung cancer patients had mild hemoptysis (odds ratio 3.5; P<0.05), and the most frequent etiology in recurrent hemoptysis was bronchiectasis (odds ratio 3.25; P=0.01). Most of the lung cancer patients were male (P=0.002). The two leading causes of hemoptysis in our study are similar to many previous reports. The high rate of tuberculosis in our study is probably due to the high prevalence of tuberculosis in our country.

Thorax and lung injuries arising from the two earthquakes in Turkey in 1999.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To make a descriptive analysis of the frequency and the type of thorax and lung injuries among the casualties of the two devastating earthquakes that occurred in Turkey in 1999. DESIGN: Records of the hospitalized patients injured in the earthquakes were examined retrospectively. RESULTS: Among the total of 356 hospitalized patients, 21 (9.7%) in the Izmit earthquake and 6 (7.6%) in the Duzce earthquake had thorax and lung injuries. Pneumothorax and rib fractures were the two most frequent pathologies and accounted for 50% and 33.3% of the injuries, respectively. CONCLUSION: Approximately 10% of the casualties of a great earthquake may be expected to have thorax and lung injuries, and traumatic chest diseases should be considered in planning the medical response strategies.

Are the stool characteristics of preterm infants affected by infant formulas?

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the type of formula consumed and the stool characteristics and gastrointestinal symptoms of preterm infants prospectively. Seventy-five preterm infants weighing < 2000 g in our neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) were investigated. Four groups of 15 each were fed one of four commercial formula preparations (Prematil, Neonatal, Humana-0 and S-26) and the fifth group was breast-fed in a prospective, randomized, double-blind study. The stool characteristics and gastrointestinal problems were recorded daily from the first day till the time they were discharged by the nurses of NICU. No significant differences of daily weight gain was observed between the groups. No significant difference was observed in daily frequency of stool, distention, vomiting and gas passage between the groups during the enteral + parenteral and full-enteral nutrition periods. The infants fed by Prematil during the enteral + parenteral nutrition period had a higher percentage of hard stool occurrence than infants receiving Humana-0 and breast milk. In the full-enteral nutrition period, infants receiving Prematil had a higher percentage of hard stool occurrence than all the other groups, whereas breast-fed infants had a lower percentage of hard stool than all the other groups. While the group fed with Humana-0 had a higher percentage of green stool occurrence in the enteral + parenteral nutrition period, no significant difference was observed in the full-enteral nutrition period. In the enteral + parenteral nutrition period no additional therapy affected stool characteristics or the gastrointestinal system except in the case of the infant receiving phototherapy for whom the daily number of detections was significantly high. In this study, it was shown that the color and consistency of stool in preterm infant differs according to the preterm infant formulas, but no differences were observed in the frequency of defecation or in gastrointestinal system problems. When the infant formulas were compared with breast milk, it was shown that they cause a higher percentage of hard stool occurrence. An increased number of formula feedings are necessary to obtain a similar daily weight gain, but the color and the frequency of the stool and the gastrointestinal system problems were similar for breast-fed and formula-fed infants.