Local rhBMP-2 injection after drill-hole injury in rats: does it have systemic effects?

The aim of this study is to investigate the histopathological findings of drill hole healing and interactions of parathyroid hormone (PTH), β-catenin and transcription factor-4 (TCF7L2/Tcf-4) after local application of recombinant human bone morphogenic protein-2 (rhBMP-2). Sprague Dawley rats were used in two groups of ‘femoral cortex hole model’. In the non-treated group, a hole was opened with a 3 mm K-wire in the distal and mid third junction of the right femur. In the treated group, local rhBMP-2 protein was injected into the similar femoral hole. Sterile 18M H2O was injected into the femoral hole at contralateral femur. There was more subperiosteal membranous bone reaction in the group treated with rhBMP-2 injection compared to the non-treated group. This was also proven immunohistochemically in both ipsilateral and contralateral femur with increased anti bone morphogenic protein-2 (anti BMP-2) expression. Moreover, there was an increased subperiosteal reaction at the contralateral femur. Also, in the treated group, PTH expression was increased in cells that form callus, and nuclear beta-catenin expression was increased in chondrocytes of periosteal ossification. Future studies should try to find whether the effects of rhBMP-2 on PTH and Wnt signaling pathway changes with different fracture models, also the systemic effects of local rhBMP-2 application should be investigated.

Therapeutic potential of cristobalite in the treatment of calf diarrhea.

Calf diarrhea continues to be the major problem of calves in the neonatal period. The effect of zeolites has been increasingly studied in ruminant health in recent years. In the present study, the efficacy of cristobalite, a zeolite, in neonatal calf diarrhea was studied first time. For this purpose, twenty-five neonatal calves with diarrheas were divided into two groups, and Group 1 (n=12) received conventional treatment and Group 2 (n=13) received cristobalite (Zoosorb 10 mg/kg) orally 3 times a day in addition to conventional treatment. Escherichia coli k99 and CS31a, bovine rotavirus and bovine coronavirus were isolated from fecal samples at the beginning of the treatment, on the third day and before discharge. It was determined that the recovery period in Group 2 was 0.95 (20.6%) days shorter than in Group 1 (p⟨0.05) while no viral agents were found on the fifth day in Group 2, viral shedding continued in 4 of 5 calves in Group 1. In conclusion, the study revealed that cristobalite speeds the recovery time and possibly decreases viral shedding in neonatal calf diarrhea, demonstrating a remarkable efficiency in the treatment.

Evaluation of JPEG and JPEG2000 compression algorithms for dermatological images.

BACKGROUND: Some image compression methods are used to reduce the disc space needed for the image to store and transmit the image efficiently. JPEG is the most frequently used algorithm of compression in medical systems. JPEG compression can be performed at various qualities. There are many other compression algorithms; among these, JPEG2000 is an appropriate candidate to be used in future. OBJECTIVE: To investigate perceived image quality of JPEG and JPEG2000 in 1 : 20, 1 : 30, 1 : 40 and 1 : 50 compression rates. METHODS: In total, photographs of 90 patients were taken in dermatology outpatient clinics. For each patient, a set which is composed of eight compressed images and one uncompressed image has been prepared. Images were shown to dermatologists on two separate 17-inch LCD monitors at the same time, with one as compressed image and the other as uncompressed image. Each dermatologist evaluated 720 image couples in total and defined whether there existed any difference between two images in terms of quality. If there was a difference, they reported the better one. Among four dermatologists, each evaluated 720 image couples in total. RESULTS: Quality rates for JPEG compressions 1 : 20, 1 : 30, 1 : 40 and 1 : 50 were 69%, 35%, 10% and 5% respectively. Quality rates for corresponding JPEG2000 compressions were 77%, 67%, 56% and 53% respectively. CONCLUSION: When JPEG and JPEG2000 algorithms were compared, it was observed that JPEG2000 algorithm was more successful than JPEG for all compression rates. However, loss of image quality is recognizable in some of images in all compression rates.

Complete remission of psoriasis following bevacizumab therapy for colon cancer.

Bevacizumab is a monoclonal antibody against vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which is used to treat several cancers. Currently, experience with anti-VEGF treatment for psoriasis is limited, and no published reports on this use exist. We describe a patient with metastatic colon cancer and psoriasis who experienced complete remission of psoriasis during treatment with bevacizumab and combination chemotherapy without any other treatment for psoriasis. These data suggest that bevacizumab may be a promising therapeutic agent for the treatment of psoriasis.

Recurrent bullous lesions associated with familial Mediterranean fever: a case report.

Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is an inherited, recurrent, inflammatory disease. Of its various cutaneous features, erysipelas-like erythema is the best known and most common skin lesion. We present a new case of FMF with recurrent bullous lesions. A 41-year-old woman was admitted to our clinic with tense bullae, 20 x 20 mm in diameter on the left shin. The patient had a history of fever, abdominal pain, peritonitis attacks and infertility. A lesional skin biopsy revealed subepidermal bullae and neutrophilic infiltration around dermal vessels. Direct immunofluorescence analysis was negative. Over the period of investigation, the lesion regressed spontaneously; 1 month later, a similar lesion appeared on the right wrist. Diagnosis of FMF was made according to the Tel-Hashomer criteria. Recognition of this peculiar skin lesion may lead to an earlier diagnosis of the disease.

Progressive symmetrical erythrokeratoderma: report of a Turkish family and evaluation for loricrin and connexin gene mutations.

We report here the first Turkish patient with progressive symmetric erythrokeratoderma. The patient's skin lesions appeared in the axillae at 3 months of age, and gradually spread to other flexural areas and to the trunk. Dermatological examination of the boy at 3.5 years of age revealed symmetric, hyperkeratotic plaques with erythematous outlines on the neck, wrists, armpits, trunk and posterior knees. The histopathological changes were nonspecific, including marked hyperkeratosis, irregular acanthosis, focal papillomatosis and perivascular lymphocytic infiltrates. Molecular studies of the loricrin (LOR), connexin 31 (GJB3) and connexin 30.3 (GJB4) genes did not identify a disease-causing mutation. These results further underline the genetic heterogeneity of the erythrokeratodermas.

Periodontal status in patients with pemphigus vulgaris.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the periodontal status of pemphigus vulgaris (PV) patients and compare it with that of healthy controls. We also analysed the association between the periodontal condition and the clinical severity of the disease in PV patients. STUDY DESIGN: Twenty patients (nine women, 11 men; mean +/- s.d. age, 42.9+/-9.8 years) with PV and 22 healthy subjects (eight women, 14 men; mean +/- s.d. age, 40.5 +/- 12.1 years) were included in the study. The periodontal status of all subjects was evaluated according to the Community Periodontal Index of Treatment Needs (CPITN). PV patients were also assessed for Clinical Severity Score (CSS). RESULTS: The mean CPITN values were observed to be higher in PV patients (2.8 +/- 0.7) compared with those of healthy controls (1.0 +/- 0.8) (P < 0.001). Nevertheless, there was no statistically significant difference in CPITN values according to the CSS (P = 0.4). The number of carious teeth was significantly higher in PV patients than that in healthy subjects. CONCLUSIONS: Our results showed that periodontal status is worse in PV patients. Moreover, PV might contribute to the development and / or progression of periodontitis. PV patients should be encouraged for long-term periodontal follow up.

Relationship between periodontal findings and the TNF-alpha Gene 1031T/C polymorphism in Turkish patients with Behçet's disease.

BACKGROUND: Genetic factors that predispose individuals to Behçet's disease (BD) and periodontal disease. Tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of both BD and periodontal disease. The relationship with periodontitis and the pathogenesis of BD has not yet been determined. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to investigate the possible relation of the periodontal scores and single nucleotide polymorphism of TNF-alpha-1031T/C with BD compared with healthy controls (HC) and recurrent aphtous stomatitis (RAS). We also sought to determine the effects of periodontal condition and TNF-alpha-1031T/C polymorphism on clinical severity of BD. METHODS: Eighty-two unrelated patients with BD, 42 RAS patients and 77 HC were enrolled in the study. Periodontal status of all subjects was evaluated according to the World Health Organization community periodontal index of treatment needs (CPITN). For genotyping, polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism was employed. RESULTS: The mean CPITN was observed to be higher in patients with BD compared with HC and RAS (P < 0.001). TNF-alpha-1031C allele was significantly higher in patients with BD (P = 0.023) and RAS (P = 0.007) compared with HC. Mean CPITN was higher in CC genotype compared with other genotypes (P = 0.004). Moreover, CPITN and CC genotype was found to be correlated with the severity of the disease. CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicate that the TNF-alpha-1031T/C gene polymorphism (CC genotype) is a risk factor for periodontitis, RAS and BD patients and also suggests that long-term periodontal follow-up and education of oral hygiene in patients with BD may help to prevent the development and/or progression of the disease.

Evaluation of hyaluronic matrix efficacy in sinus augmentation: a randomized-controlled histomorphometric and micro-computed tomography analysis.

The objective of the present study was to test the hypothesis that the addition of hyaluronic acid-based matrix to collagenated heterologous bone graft for sinus augmentation would enhance bone formation compared to collagenated heterologous bone graft alone in the early healing period, by micro-computed tomography and histomorphometry. Thirteen systemically healthy patients requiring bilateral two-stage maxillary sinus augmentation (residual crest height≤4mm) were enrolled in this split-mouth prospective randomized controlled study. One sinus side as a control group was grafted with only collagenated heterologous bone graft; the other region as a test group was grafted with hyaluronic matrix and collagenated heterologous bone graft. Bone biopsy samples were taken after 4 months during the dental implant surgery and analyzed using micro-computed tomography and histomorphometric parameters. According to the micro-computed tomography and histomorphometric results, a significantly higher percentage of new bone was observed in the test group when compared to the control group after 4 months of healing. This study confirmed the hypothesis that the addition of hyaluronic matrix to collagenated heterologous bone graft for sinus augmentation enhances bone formation compared to collagenated heterologous bone graft alone in the early healing period.

Effect of wind instrument playing on intraocular pressure.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effect of wind instrument playing on intraocular pressure. METHODS: In a prospective, nonrandomized clinical trial, 24 eyes of 24 wind instrument players with no history of any ocular or systemic disease were evaluated. The musicians were members of Bilkent Academic Symphony Orchestra of Bilkent University in Ankara. A complete eye examination, including best-corrected visual acuity, slit-lamp examination, and fundus examination, was performed. The intraocular pressure was measured before and after a 90-minute rehearsal of a piece by Wagner. All intraocular pressure measurements were carried out by the same researcher using Goldmann applanation tonometry. The difference in intraocular pressure measurements before and after the 90-minute wind instrument-playing performance was analyzed. RESULTS: The mean intraocular pressure was 13.79 +/- 1.93 mm Hg before and 15.12 +/- 2.44 mm Hg after the performance. Wind instrument playing significantly increased the mean intraocular pressure by 9.6% (P = 0.0149). CONCLUSION: These results indicate that wind instrument playing may significantly increase intraocular pressure in healthy patients. The significance of this finding for patients with suspected normal-tension or high-tension glaucoma needs further evaluation.

Effect of lodoxamide on tear leukotriene levels in giant papillary conjunctivitis associated with ocular prosthesis.

Leukotrienes have been shown to play a role in the pathogenesis of ocular inflammatory and allergic reactions like vernal keratoconjunctivitis and contact lens-associated giant papillary conjunctivitis. This study was designed to determine leukotriene B4 (LTB4) and leukotriene C4 (LTC4) levels in the tears of patients with ocular prosthesis-associated giant papillary conjunctivitis (OP-GPC) and to evaluate the effects of lodoxamide 0.1% on tear LTB4 and LTC4 levels of OP-GPC patients. Tear LTB4 and LTC4 levels were determined by an ELISA technique in the tears of ten OP-GPC patients before and after treatment with lodoxamide 0.1% for one month. The results were compared with that of ten healthy control subjects. The mean tear LTB4 and LTC4 levels of the OP-GPC patients were significantly higher than those of the control group. After treatment with lodoxamide 0.1%, tear LTB4 and LTC4 levels of the OP-GPC patients decreased significantly. This is the first report of elevated LTB4 and LTC4 levels in tears of OP-GPC patients and it points to the possible role of leukotrienes in the immunopathogenesis of OP-GPC. The results also indicate that lodoxamide 0.1%, a mast cell membrane stabilizer, is effective in significantly reducing tear LTB4 and LTC4 levels in OP-GPC patients.

Granulomatous anterior uveitis in a patient with CREST syndrome.

The CREST syndrome is a variant form of progressive systemic sclerosis. Apart from the occurrence of keratoconjunctivitis sicca, other types of ocular involvement associated with this variant are quite rare. We present the case of a 73-year-old woman with the CREST variant of progressive systemic sclerosis who developed unilateral granulomatous anterior uveitis. Systemic and laboratory testing failed to suggest evidence for any other associated systemic disease as a possible cause of the granulomatous uveitis. The inflammation was successfully controlled with topical steroids and mydriatics. While a small number of cases of uveitis have been reported in other variant forms of progressive systemic sclerosis, to date there have been no descriptions of uveitis associated with the CREST syndrome.

Effects of hypertension on the retinal vein width at the retinal arterio-venous crossings.

PURPOSE: The study was designed to quantify retinal vein width changes at the arterio-venous crossing and to evaluate the effects of hypertension on vein widths at "vein posterior to the artery" (VPA) and "vein anterior to the artery" (VAA) crossings. METHODS: The width of the retinal veins was measured at points before and after the arterio-venous crossings by a computerized image analysis system in ten normal subjects and 35 hypertensive patients. Retinal vein width changes at fixed intervals from the arterio-venous crossing points, both VAA and VPA, were measured as a function of the stage of the hypertensive retinopathy in the subjects. RESULTS: Mean retinal vein width showed significant (p < 0.05) narrowing at VPA crossings at stages 2, 3 and 4 of hypertensive retinopathy. For the VAA crossings, there was no significant decrease in the width of the vein at any stage. There was no significant narrowing of the vein at VPA crossings in normal subjects or in stage 0 and stage 1 hypertensive retinopathy patients. CONCLUSIONS: The decrease in the width of the retinal vein in stages 2, 3 and 4 hypertensive retinopathy patients at VPA crossings can cause turbulence in blood flow, leading to intimal damage and occlusion. The absence of narrowing may explain the low incidence of branch retinal vein occlusions at VAA crossings.

Optic disc measurements with the 78 diopter lens, Zeiss 4-mirror contact lens and computerized image analysing system.

We evaluated the 78 diopter (D) lens and Zeiss 4-mirror lens for the measurement of vertical and horizontal optic disc diameters during slit-lamp biomicroscopy and compared the results with the measurements made with the computerized image analysing system (IMAGEnet 640, Topcon, Japan) in 30 eyes of 30 patients. The 78D lens and Zeiss 4-mirror lens measurements both correlated well with the computerized image analysis measurements (r=0.881 for vertical and r=0.895 for horizontal disc diameter measurements with the 78D lens and r=0.883 for vertical and r=0.891 for horizontal disc diameter measurements with the Zeiss 4-mirror lens). The 78D lens measurements overestimated vertical disc diameter by 5.3% and horizontal disc diameter by 4.4%. The Zeiss 4-mirror lens underestimated the vertical disc diameter by 2.4% and horizontal disc diameter by 2.2%. Thus either lens can be used for a quick estimation of the optic disc size, since the results correlate well with the computerized image analysis measurements.

Indocyanine green angiography of optic nerve head melanocytoma.

PURPOSE: To determine the features of fluorescein and indocyanine green angiography of melanocytoma. METHODS: Fluorescein and indocyanine green angiography is used to assess an optic nerve head melanocytoma in a 45-year-old female. RESULTS: Fluorescein angiography revealed increased vascularity on the surface, with staining around the lesion in the late stages. The lesion was hypofluorescent in all stages of indocyanine green angiography. CONCLUSIONS: Indocyanine green angiography is helpful in identifying the benign nature of the lesion by showing hypofluorescence, indicating lack of vascularity in the tumor.

Indocyanine green angiographic findings in a case of punctate inner choroidopathy.

PURPOSE: To report indocyanine green angiographic findings in a case of punctate inner choroidopathy. METHODS: Fundoscopy, fluorescein angiography and indocyanine green angiography were carried out on a 23-year-old woman who presented with features typical of punctate inner choroidopathy. RESULTS: Fundoscopy showed multiple small yellow lesions in the retinal pigment epithelium and inner choroid in both eyes and a subfoveal choroidal neovascular membrane in the left eye. The lesions showed early hyperfluorescence with mild leakage in the late phases of the fluorescein angiogram. On indocyanine green angiography, the lesions demonstrated obvious hypofluorescence in the early, mid and late phases. CONCLUSIONS: The fluorescein and indocyanine green angiographic findings indicate that punctate inner choroidopathy affects the choriocapillaris as well as the retinal pigment epithelium and photoreceptors. However, it is still not known whether the primary pathology is in the retinal pigment epithelium, the photoreceptors or the choriocapillaris.

Glare disability in patients with hydrophilic and hydrophobic acrylic intraocular lens implants.

PURPOSE: To compare glare disability test results in patients with hydrophilic and hydrophobic acrylic intraocular lenses (IOL). METHODS: Sixty eyes of 60 patients were studied in three groups of 20. Each eye in Group 1 had a single-piece hydrophilic acrylic (Bioacryl, Biotech, France) IOL implant, and each eye in Group 2 had a three-piece hydrophobic acrylic (AcrySof, Alcon, USA) IOL implant. Group 3 was the control group, and consisted of eyes without cataracts. Glare disability was tested using the Ophthimus glare sensitivity test (Ophthimus, Sweden). For each eye, we determined log contrast sensitivity values without exposure to glare source and with exposure to glare source. The difference between these values was recorded as the threshold contrast increase. An infrared camera was used to measure pupil diameter during glare disability testing, and pupil diameter greater than 4 mm was used as an exclusion criterion to eliminate edge design as a potential contributor to glare disability. RESULTS: The respective mean log contrast sensitivity scores for Groups 1, 2, and 3 in the absence of the glare source were 0.80 +/- 0.03, 0.81 +/- 0.04, and 0.79 +/- 0.08. The corresponding findings with glare source were 0.84 +/- 0.07, 0.89 +/- 0.07, and 0.84 +/- 0.03. The threshold contrast increase in Group 2 (0.070 +/- 0.035) was significantly higher than that in both Group 1 (0.043 +/- 0.040) and the control group (0.045 +/- 0.026) (p < 0.05 for both comparisons). There were no significant differences between Group 1 and the control group regarding log contrast sensitivity values with glare source and threshold contrast increase (p > 0.05 for both comparisons). CONCLUSIONS: The eyes with hydrophilic acrylic IOL showed better glare disability results than those with hydrophobic acrylic IOL. The superior performance of the hydrophilic acrylic IOL could be related to their lower refractive index and equi-convex design.

Bilateral orbital hemorrhage induced by labor.

We describe a woman in whom bilateral orbital hemorrhage occurred during labor. She developed sudden proptosis and complete loss of vision bilaterally. After a stillbirth, she underwent total hysterectomy because of atonic uterus and postpartum hemorrhage. The location of the hematomas was confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging. Clinical resolution occurred in one month but both eyes remained blind. Fundoscopy revealed bilateral atrophy of the optic discs.