All issues
Volume 204 (2004)
- Issue 4 Pages 243-
- Issue 3 Pages 173-
- Issue 2 Pages 99-
- Issue 1 Pages 1-
Volume 204, Issue 3
November
Displaying 1-10 of 10 articles from this issue
- |<
- <
- 1
- >
- >|
Regular Contributions
-
Mehmet Akif Buyukbese, Nurhan Koksal, Aytekin Guven, Ali Cetinkaya2004 Volume 204 Issue 3 Pages 173-178
Published: 2004
Released on J-STAGE: October 21, 2004
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSIn Turkey, “Maras Powder,” which is a kind of powder yielded from the shields of tobacco, is widely used as smokeless tobacco through buccal mucosa or together with cigarette. Maras powder, composed of ash and a plant named Nicotiana Rustica Linn, is sometimes used to give up smoking. The present study was aimed to investigate the effects of Maras powder use on respiratory functions of healthy subjects who do not have any chronic disease. We found statistically significant differences in percentage of forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1%) (p = 0.001), the ratio of FEV1 to forced vital capacity (FEV1/FVC) (p = 0.024), percent of maximum expiratory flow rate (FEF25-75%) (p = 0.002) and percent of peak expiratory flow (PEF%) (p = 0.037) between cigarette smokers with Maras powder use (n = 23) and control subjects (n = 24). Likewise, when cigarette smokers (n = 24) and control subjects were compared, the differences for all these parameters were significant (p = 0.022, p = 0.048, p = 0.011 and p = 0.047, respectively). Only FEV1% and FEF25-75% were significantly lower in cigarette smokers with Maras powder use than in Maras powder users (n = 28) (p = 0.011 and p = 0.022, respectively). There was a negative correlation between forced vital capacity and Maras powder use (r = −0.315, p = 0.03). The present study suggests that Maras powder does not cause serious bronchial obstruction. This may be due to usage of the smokeless tobacco through buccal mucosa but not through inhalation as in case of cigarette smoking.View full abstractDownload PDF (273K) -
Aylin Yucel, Bumin Degirmenci, Murat Acar, Ramazan Albayrak, Alpay Hak ...2004 Volume 204 Issue 3 Pages 179-187
Published: 2004
Released on J-STAGE: October 21, 2004
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSThe aim of this study was to evaluate the changes in abdominal fat distribution in the fasting month of Ramadan. Thirty-eight healthy volunteers (17 women and 21 men) who fasted in the month of Ramadan in 2002 were included in this prospective study. Waist, hip and thigh circumferences, weight and height of all subjects were measured. Waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), waist-to-thigh ratio (WTR) and body mass index (BMI) were calculated for each subject. For assessing the fat distribution in the abdomen, computed tomography (CT) was performed. Both subcutaneous and visceral fat areas were calculated by the CT scanning technique. All of the calculations were done before (first measurement) and after (second measurement) Ramadan fasting and the changes were evaluated. No statistically significant differences were found in all subjects between the first and second measurements, which include total, subcutaneous and visceral fat areas, waist, hip and thigh circumferences, weight, BMI, WHR, and WTR (p > 0.05). In females and the individuals in their twenties, there was a significant decrease in visceral fat area (p < 0.05). Despite of the general opinion that supposes the change of weight during the fasting month of Ramadan, there were no significant differences in weight and abdominal fat distribution. However in female and young individuals, there was a reduction in visceral fat compartment. This could be due to fat redistribution, because they have more physical activity than males and older individuals.View full abstractDownload PDF (382K) -
Sefa Kelekci, Bulent Yilmaz, Serdar Oguz, Sema Zergeroglu, Ismet Inan, ...2004 Volume 204 Issue 3 Pages 189-194
Published: 2004
Released on J-STAGE: October 21, 2004
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSThe current study was designed to investigate the efficacy of a hyaluronate/carboxymethylcellulose membrane for the prevention of post-operative adhesion in a rat uterine horn model. This is a prospective double-blinded controlled study. Nineteen injured uterine horns were treated with a hyaluronate/carboxymethylcellulose membrane as a barrier and 19 injured uterine horns without any treatment served as a control group. Two weeks later, second look laparotomies were performed in order to assess the degree of the adhesion. Total adhesion scores, histopathological analysis of inflammation process and vascularization of adhesions were compared with control group. P values of 5% or less were considered statistically significant. Animals treated with a hyaluronate/carboxymethylcellulose membrane had significantly reduced post-surgical adhesion scores when compared with control group. In histopathological examination, there was less vascularization in the treatment group. The types and extent of inflammation were similar in two groups. Clinically and histopathologically, a hyaluronate/carboxymethylcellulose membrane is effective in reducing postoperative adhesion formation in the rat uterine horn model.View full abstractDownload PDF (297K) -
Meral Aban, Leyla Cinel, Murat Arslan, Umut Dilek, Mustafa Kaplanoglu, ...2004 Volume 204 Issue 3 Pages 195-202
Published: 2004
Released on J-STAGE: October 21, 2004
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSPreeclampsia affects 7-10% of all pregnancies, and is a major cause of maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. Although enhanced apoptosis is well known in placentas with preeclampsia, the role of transcription factor nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) in the process is still being debated. In this work, we investigate the relationship between NF-κB expression and trophoblastic cell apoptosis in pregnancies complicated with preeclampsia or intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) by immunohistochemical analysis of NF-κB and three apoptosis related markers: bcl-2, caspase-3, and M30 CytoDeath antibody that identifies early apoptotic changes in the cytoskeleton related to action of caspase. The study was conducted on placental samples from 19 preeclamptic, 5 IUGR-complicated and 10 normal pregnant women. The three conclusions from the statistical analysis of the data are obtained; (i) Significantly higher expression of NF-κB in IUGR-complicated (p = 0.003) and preeclamptic placentas (p = 0.004) than the control placentas, (ii) significantly higher M30 index and caspase 3 expression in IUGR and preeclampsia placentas (p = 0.003), and (iii) decreased expression of bcl-2 in IUGR and preeclampsia placentas (p = 0.001). Based on these observations, we suggest that increased trophoblastic apoptosis is at least partially induced by NF-κB and reduced bcl-2 expression.View full abstractDownload PDF (435K) -
Gonul Olmez, Sevin Soker Cakmak, Ihsan Caca, M. Kaan Unlu2004 Volume 204 Issue 3 Pages 203-208
Published: 2004
Released on J-STAGE: October 21, 2004
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSThe aim of this study was to compare the effects of ropivacaine with those of lidocaine on the intraocular pressure (IOP) and the quality of the blockade in peribulbar anesthesia for cataract surgery. Fifty patients were allocated randomly into two groups and received 7-10 ml of 0.75% ropivacaine or 2% lidocaine with adrenaline, though the peribulbar two-point injection. The quality of the blockade was assessed by ocular and eyelid akinesia, pain during the peribulbar injection, and surgical satisfaction. The duration of the motor block was also evaluated after surgery. The IOP was measured using a Tonopen before the blockade (control) and at 1, 5, and 10 min after injection of the anesthetic. Lidocaine induced significantly lower akinesia scores at 6, 8, and 10 min post-injection than did ropivacaine. The mean IOP (mmHg) was significantly lower with respect to the baseline level at 10 min after blockade in the ropivacaine group compared with the lidocaine group. Ropivacaine also caused less pain on injection. There was no difference in surgical satisfaction between the groups. The duration of the motor block obtained with ropivacaine was longer than that obtained with lidocaine. Our data indicate that ropivacaine has efficacy similar to lidocaine, with slightly longer onset and duration of the motor blockade. In addition, ropivacaine (0.75%) induces lower IOP and less pain on injection than does lidocaine (2%) when used in peribulbar anesthesia for cataract surgery.View full abstractDownload PDF (268K) -
Suna Büyüköztürk, Asli Akkor Gelincik, Sema Gen&cc ...2004 Volume 204 Issue 3 Pages 209-213
Published: 2004
Released on J-STAGE: October 21, 2004
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSAcute phase reactants have been implicated for their involvement as proinflammatory molecules in various inflammatory diseases. However, little is known regarding their role in the allergic airway disease. The aim of the present study was to examine the blood concentrations of three acute-phase proteins, namely C-reactive protein (CRP), serum amyloid A (SAA) and fibrinogen in patients with allergic rhinitis and asthma. Three study groups include: non-smoker allergic rhinitis (n = 50), non-smoker asthma (n = 20), and non-allergic, non-smoker healthy control subjects (n = 20). Patients who have had recent upper or lower respiratory tract infection and trauma, any rheumatological illnesses, malignancy or obesity were excluded. Blood samples were obtained from all the patients and control subjects and were analyzed for serum CRP, SAA and plasma fibrinogen. The mean CRP and fibrinogen values in the rhinitis and asthma groups were not significantly different when compared to the control group. However, the mean SAA levels of both groups were found to be significantly higher than those of the control group (p = 0.002 for rhinitis, p = 0.02 for asthma). There was no significant correlation between the FEV1 values and the levels of the serum markers. This study demonstrates that acute phase reactant SAA rises in patients with allergic rhinitis and patients with asthma. We therefore suggest that SAA may have a role in the inflammatory airway disease.View full abstractDownload PDF (227K) -
Besir Erdogmus, Burhan Yazici, Betul Ayca Ozdere, Yusuf Akcan2004 Volume 204 Issue 3 Pages 215-219
Published: 2004
Released on J-STAGE: October 21, 2004
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSMultiseptate gallbladder is one of the rare congenital malformations of the gallbladder. We present clinical and ultrasonographic findings in seven patients with multiseptate gallbladder. One of them had nausea and right upper quadrant pain, three had recurrent abdominal pain, while the remaining three patients had no symptoms, physical finding and laboratory abnormality which could be attributable to the biliary system. In patients with multiseptate gallbladder, disturbed motility of the gallbladder may be an etiopathogenetic factor for stasis of bile flow and in turn for development of cholelithiasis, cholecystitis and right upper quadrant pain.View full abstractDownload PDF (385K) -
Yoriko Abe, Kiyoshi Ito, Chikako Okamura, Hitoshi Niikura, Yukihiro Te ...2004 Volume 204 Issue 3 Pages 221-228
Published: 2004
Released on J-STAGE: October 21, 2004
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSRecently, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare proposed that cervical cancer screening should be conducted for women aged 20 to 29 years old in Japan. However, there are insufficient data available in Japan concerning the screening conducted for women under the age of 30. Therefore, we made a survey of the results of cervical cytologic examination for pregnant women. 28 616 pregnant women were examined as subjects of a study group. A group of 108 289 women, subjected to group screening for cervical cancer in Miyagi Prefecture, were studied as a control group. The rate of subjects who required close examination in the pregnant women's group was significantly higher than that in the mass screening group (1.12% vs. 0.84%). The rate of close examination was significantly higher in the women 19 years old or younger compared to those in the age group of 25 to 39 years old. The rate was also significantly higher in women aged 20 to 24 years old than those who are 25 to 34 years old. Of the 321 subjects who required close examination, 34 cases underwent treatment, and 17 cases were under age 30. Moreover, all three cases of microinvasive and/or invasive carcinoma were under the age of 30 years (23, 23, 27 years old, respectively). Our results suggest that screening for cervical cancer in pregnancy is a useful means to find cervical neoplasia in young women and is effective in reducing the cervical cancer morbidity rate.View full abstractDownload PDF (339K) -
Hiroshi Kunikata, Yoichi Nakagawa, Makoto Tamai2004 Volume 204 Issue 3 Pages 229-236
Published: 2004
Released on J-STAGE: October 21, 2004
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSProliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) is a leading cause of visual loss in adults in industrialized countries. PDR patients with light perception (LP) or hand movement (HM) acuity due to severe vitreous hemorrhage require vitreous surgery. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the visual acuity of PDR patients with LP or HM can be graded into finer steps with the Low Vision Evaluator (LoVE). In addition, we determined whether the LoVE results are correlated with the amplitude of the electroretinogram (ERG), the presence of retinal detachment (RD), or postoperative visual prognosis. The LoVE instrument is a subjective device that measures the thresholds for light stimulus and is equipped with a pair of goggles with white light-emitting diodes as the stimulus. We measured the LoVE thresholds of 19 PDR patients, whose fundi could not be observed due to vitreous hemorrhage and whose visual acuity was LP or HM. The 13 patients with HM vision had LoVE thresholds that ranged from 25.0 and 40.0 dB, and the 6 patients with LP vision had LoVE thresholds that ranged from 20.0 and 40.0 dB. The LoVE thresholds of 9 patients with RD were significantly lower than those of 10 patients without RD (p < 0.001). The LoVE thresholds were correlated with the amplitude of the a- and b-waves of the ERG and the postoperative best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) (a-wave: r = 0.70, p < 0.001; b-wave: r = 0.71, p < 0.001; postoperative BCVA: r = 0.46, p < 0.05). These results indicate that the LoVE is capable of grading the visual function of PDR patients with conventional LP and HM vision into finer steps. Thus, the LoVE is an invaluable device in predicting the postoperative visual acuity of patients with vitreous hemorrhage.View full abstractDownload PDF (432K)
Case Report
-
Koji Tsugawa, Hiroshi Tanaka, Tohru Nakahata, Etsuro Ito2004 Volume 204 Issue 3 Pages 237-241
Published: 2004
Released on J-STAGE: October 21, 2004
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSWe report here the case of a 9-year-old Japanese boy with nephrotic syndrome caused by focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, which was refractory to treatment. Although aggressive immunosuppressive therapy consisting of methylprednisolone pulse therapy combined with cyclosporine A (CsA) and intermittent low density lipoprotein apheresis was effective in overcoming his steroid-resistant state, the child became persistently steroid-dependent, that is, more than 0.75 mg/kg per day of prednisolone combined with CsA was required to maintain a negative test for proteinuria. Since adverse effects of prednisolone, such as short stature, obesity, osteoporosis and cataract, were noted, CsA in his treatment regimen was replaced with tacrolimus at the dose of 0.1 mg/kg per day, with the trough blood level of the drug maintained at around 10 ng/ml. Within 4 months of the inclusion of tacrolimus in the treatment regimen, complete remission was achieved, with no recurrence of the proteinuria, while the prednisolone dose could be tapered to 0.3 mg/kg per day. No adverse effects of tacrolimus were observed. These clinical results suggest that tacrolimus may be the drug of choice in selected patients with refractory nephrotic syndrome, even if pediatric-onset cases, at least those in whom the steroid-sparing effects of CsA is unsatisfactory.View full abstractDownload PDF (247K)
- |<
- <
- 1
- >
- >|