Assessment of both serum S-100B protein and neuropeptide-Y levels in childhood breath-holding spells.

OBJECTIVE: Breath-holding spells are common paroxysmal events in children. Although the spells have a benign prognosis in the long term, they may be complicated by loss of consciousness, tonic-clonic movements, and occasionally seizures. Hence, this study aimed to measure the levels of serum S-100B proteins and neuropeptide-Y in the blood of children who experience breath-holding spells. METHODS: The study groups consisted of 45 patients (13 females, 32 males) with breath-holding spells and a control group of 32 healthy individuals (12 females, 20 males). The serum S-100B levels were measured using commercially available ELISA kits. The neuropeptide-Y levels in the serum were measured with RayBio® Human/Mouse/Rat Neuropeptide Y ELISA kits. RESULTS: The mean serum S-100B protein level of the breath-holding spells group was 56.38 ± 13.26 pg/mL, and of the control group, 48.53 ± 16.77 pg/mL. The mean neuropeptide-Y level was 62.29 ± 13.89 pg/mL in the breath-holding spells group and 58.24 ± 12.30 pg/mL in the control group. There were significant differences between the groups with respect to serum S-100B protein levels (p = 0.025), while there was no statistically significant difference in neuropeptide-Y levels between the breath-holding spells group and the control group (p = 0.192). CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study suggest that frequent and lengthy breath-holding may lead to the development of neuronal metabolic dysfunction or neuronal damage which is most likely related to hypoxia. In light of these findings, future studies should be conducted using biochemical and radiological imaging techniques to support these results.

Association of serum calcium levels with clinical severity of acute ischemic stroke.

BACKGROUND: Calcium (Ca) plays an important role in the pathogenesis of ischemic cell damage. Intracellular Ca accumulation leads neuronal damage by triggering the cycle of cytotoxic events, however the relationship of serum Ca levels and the pathways involved in ischemic injury is unclear. To investigate the effect of serum Ca on clinical features of ischemic stroke; the association of serum Ca levels measured in the first 24 hours with the severity of clinical symptoms on admission and short-term prognosis is evaluated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 158 consecutive patients who admitted to the hospital with ischemic stroke in the first 24 hours after the onset of symptoms were enrolled to the study. Serum total Ca levels, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) and modified Rankin Scale (mRS) scores on admission and mRS scores at discharge were recorded. Patients were classified according to serum total Ca levels into three groups and compared in terms of stroke risk factors, etiology, severity of clinical symptoms on admission and short term prognosis. RESULTS: A total of 158 patients with acute ischemic stroke including 84 women and 74 men were enrolled in the study prospectively. NIHSS scores were higher in the groupl which consist of lower Ca levels compared with others (p < 0.05, p < 0.001 respectively), and they were found to be higher in group 2 than group 3 (p = 0.029). mRS scores at discharge showed no differences between groups. Except for coronary artery disease was more common in group 2, no statistically significant differences were determined in terms of stroke risk factors and etiology of stroke. CONCLUSIONS: The results of our study reveal that lower Ca levels may be associated with more severe clinical symptoms on admission in acute stroke patients.

Brain metabolite values in children with breath-holding spells.

Breath-holding spells are benign, paroxysmal events with apnea and postural tone changes after a crying episode in infants. The objective of this study was to investigate the pathologies in brain metabolite values in the absence of seizure in children with breath-holding spells by using magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). Brain MRS examination was performed on 18 children with breath-holding spells and 13 neurologically normal children who were included as the control group. There was no significant difference in terms of N-acetyl aspartate (NAA), choline (Cho), creatine (Cr), and myoinositol (mI) levels and also in terms of NAA/Cr, Cho/Cr, and mI/Cr ratios between the patients and the control group (all P>0.05). Our study suggested that there is no permanent neuronal damage in patients with breath-holding spells. This result confirms the previous studies, which reported no permanent neuronal damage in patients with breath-holding spells.

An evaluation of serum paraoxonase together with arylesterase activities and oxidative stress in children with intractable epilepsy: a cross-sectional study.

Epilepsy is the most common chronic neurological illness in childhood and adolescence. The aim of this study was to investigate paraoxonase and arylesterase activities along with oxidative status parameters in children with intractable epilepsy. The study comprised 42 subjects with intractable epilepsy and a control group of 35 healthy subjects. Serum paraoxonase and arylesterase activities, and lipid hydroperoxide levels were determined. All paraoxonase and arylesterase activities were significantly lower in the intractable epilepsy subjects than in the controls (P<0.001), whereas lipid hydroperoxide levels were significantly higher (P<0.05). In conclusion, paraoxonase and arylesterase activities were decreased and the lipid hydroperoxide level was increased in patients with intractable epilepsy. These results showed that intractable epilepsy subjects may be more prone to the development of atherosclerosis.