Comparison of N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide levels in critically ill children with sepsis versus acute left ventricular dysfunction.

Objective: N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide has been shown to be a marker for cardiac dysfunction. The peptide level is also elevated in patients with sepsis. The purpose of this study was to assess whether N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide levels can differentiate pediatric patients with sepsis from patients with acute left ventricular dysfunction.

A Rhizopus oryzae strain isolated from resected bone and soft tissue specimens from a sinonasal and palatal mucormycosis case. Report of a case and in vitro experiments of yeastlike cell development.

We report a histologically and mycologically proven sinonasal mucormycosis case causing palatal necrosis in a nondiabetic patient with renal failure. Mycological examination of Giemsa stained imprinted tissue preparations revealed abundant yeast-like cells besides the typical mucoraceous hyphae. The fungus was isolated from surgical specimens and identified as Rhizopus oryzae by phenotypic and genotypic tests.

Mid-term angiographic comparison of sequential and individual anastomosis techniques for diagonal artery.

Objective: The mid-term patency rates for individual and sequential grafts as coronary bypass conduits for diagonal arteries were angiographically compared; the impact of native coronary vessel and type of the conduit characteristics are investigated.

Methods: Between March 1992 and April 2000, we performed a total number of 811 distal anastomosis on diagonal arteries of left anterior descending (LAD) artery in 296 patients who underwent coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG) distal anastomosis in our clinic. The patients were divided into two groups in this prospective study.

Neonatal transport of very low birth weight infants in Jerusalem, revisited.

Background: Maternal transport, rather than neonatal transport, to tertiary care centers is generally advocated. Since a substantial number of premature deliveries still occur in hospitals with level I and level II nurseries, it is imperative to find means to improve their outcome.

Objectives: To compare the neonatal outcome (survival, intraventricular hemorrhage and bronchopulmonary dysplasia) of inborn and outborn very low birth weight infants, accounting for sociodemographic, obstetric and perinatal variables, with reference to earlier published data.

N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide levels in acute versus chronic left ventricular dysfunction.

Objectives: To determine whether acute left ventricular dysfunction (LVD) causes significantly higher elevation of N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels than comparable chronic LVD.

Study Design: Plasma levels of NT-proBNP were measured in 10 pediatric patients diagnosed with acute LVD, in 7 pediatric patients with stable chronic dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and comparable levels of echocardiographic dysfunction, and during 5 episodes of acute exacerbation in patients with heart failure. Levels were compared using Mann-Whitney and analysis of variance for rank tests.

Cardiac myxoma: an unusual cause of sudden death in childhood.

Primary tumors of the heart and pericardium are rare in autopsy series. Considering all age groups, the most common cardiac tumor is the myxoma. They may arise in any of the four chambers or, rarely, on the heart valves.

The R110C mutation in Notch3 causes variable clinical features in two Turkish families with CADASIL syndrome.

Mutations in Notch3 gene are responsible for the cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL). It is a late onset neurological disorder recognized by recurrent strokes and dementia. We describe here the clinical and molecular findings of three unrelated Turkish families with CADASIL syndrome.

Preservation of pleural integrity during coronary artery bypass surgery affects respiratory functions and postoperative pain: a prospective study.

Objective: To evaluate the role of preserved pleural integrity in postoperative pain and respiratory functional status in patients undergoing coronary revascularization.

Methods: Two hundred forty patients undergoing on-pump coronary artery bypass grafting between March 2004 and February 2005 were included in the present study. The patients were prospectively randomized and divided into either an opened pleura (OP) group (n=120, patients with an OP) or a closed pleura (CP) group (n=120, patients whose pleural integrity was preserved).

Is it necessary to use a drain after harvesting radial artery? A randomized prospective study.

Background: Radial artery (RA) is a second choice after internal thoracic artery in coronary artery bypass operations. There are some complications in forearm after harvesting RA. We have prospectively compared the necessity of inserting drain in the forearm cavity after RA harvesting to prevent such complications.

Differential diagnosis of polyuria and polydipsia in a patient with spinal cord injury.

We report the case of a 35-yr-old tetraplegic man who experienced increased water intake, constant thirst, and a copious amount of urine excretion after his spinal cord injury and in whom an intermittent catheterization program was unmanageable. Laboratory evaluation revealed low serum and urine osmolality, which were suggestive of psychogenic polydipsia, and hypokalemia, which might lead to polyuria with a compensatory polydipsia. His water intake was reduced with antidepressant therapy and potassium supplementation and normalized on the third month of the treatment.

Autocrine motility factor receptor expression implies an unfavourable prognosis in resected stage I pulmonary adenocarcinomas.

Background: Pulmonary adenocarcinomas constitute a different histological subtype among the histological subtypes of non small cell lung carcinomas by showing comparably unfavourable rates of prognosis and different immunobiological features. Autonomous motility of tumour cells plays an important role in the regulation of local invasion and distant metastasis of tumour lesions which have great impact on overall survival. AMF (Autocrine motility factor) is a tumour secreted cytokine that stimulates motility during invasion and metastasis via its receptor, AMFR.

Unusual cause of dysphagia: inflammatory pseudotumor of the lung.

Inflammatory pseudotumor (IPT) is a rare disease that usually occurs in the lung. Patients with IPT are usually asymptomatic, with a solitary pulmonary nodule or mass detected on routine chest roentgenogram. IPT can behave as a malignant tumor both clinically and radiologically.

Pedunculated localized fibrous tumor of the pleura presenting as a moving chest mass.

Localized fibrous tumor of the pleura is a rare primary pleural neoplasm. The tumors are usually discovered incidentally on routine chest radiography. A change in the lesion's position with respiration and/or posture of the patient indicates a pedunculated pleural lesion.

Osteogenesis imperfecta: a case with hand deformities.

In a 51-year-old woman with a history of fractures and dislocations after low intensity trauma in childhood, intensive blue sclera, short stature, and hearing loss, the diagnosis of osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) was suspected. She was referred to our clinic with hand deformities and left knee pain and stiffness. She had difficulty in walking and reported a history of immobilization for 6 months because of knee pain.

MR Imaging of pial melanosis secondary to a posterior fossa melanotic ependymoma.

A 36-year-old man presented with trouble speaking and bilateral progressive hearing loss. MR imaging and histopathologic results revealed a posterior fossa melanotic ependymoma. Pial surfaces appeared hyperintense on T1-weighted images and hypointense on T2-weighted images.

Metamizol (dipyrone, optalgin) in pregnancy, is it safe? A prospective comparative study.

Aim: To assess the teratogenic effect of metamizol when used during the first trimester of pregnancy.

Methods: One hundred and eight women who used metamizol during the first trimester of pregnancy were recruited from 4 teratogen information centers in Israel (3) and in Italy (1). The study group was paired for age, smoking habits and alcohol consumption with a comparative group exposed to acetaminophen.

Maternal hyperthermia and the risk for neural tube defects in offspring: systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: In animals, excessive core body temperatures have been documented to cause malformations; neural tube defects (NTDs) are among the most frequently reported. In humans, data are inconclusive and often conflicting. The objective of our report is to determine the risk for neural tube defects associated with maternal hyperthermia in early pregnancy.

Preservation of anterior leaflet chordae with modified miki technique: how to do it.

During mitral valve replacement, total chordae preservation is very important for left ventricular functions. But leaving anterior leaflet and chordae may cause serious complications, such as left ventricular outflow tract obstruction and impairment in prosthetic valve functions. In this article, we present the anterior leaflet preservation technique by excising the central portion of the anterior leaflet.

True aneurysm formation in axillofemoral bypass with a reinforced ePTFE graft-a case report.

Since improvement in reinforced expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) grafts, true aneurysm and pseudoaneurysm formation have become relatively rare complications after axillofemoral reconstruction. This is a case report of a true aneurysm of an axillofemoral graft. The true aneurysm occurred 29 months after insertion of a reinforced ePTFE graft for aortoiliac occlusive disease.

Re-do aortic valve replacement: does a previous homograft influence the operative outcome?

Background And Aim Of The Study: Late reoperation for failed aortic homograft is widely regarded as a high-risk procedure. A review is presented of the authors' experience of redo-aortic valve replacement (re-do AVR) examining factors which affect, and whether a previous aortic homograft replacement influences, operative outcome.

Methods: A retrospective review was conducted of consecutive re-do AVR performed at the authors' institution between 1998 and 2002.