Does atopy affect the course of viral pneumonia?

BACKGROUND: The presence of atopy is considered as a risk factor for severe respiratory symptoms in children. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of atopy on the course of disease in children hospitalised with viral pneumonia. METHODS: Children between the ages of 1 and 6 years hospitalised due to viral pneumonia between the years of 2013 and 2016 were included to this multicentre study. Patients were classified into two groups as mild-moderate and severe according to the course of pneumonia. Presence of atopy was evaluated with skin prick tests. Groups were compared to evaluate the risk factors associated with severe viral pneumonia. RESULTS: A total of 280 patients from nine centres were included in the study. Of these patients, 163 (58.2%) were male. Respiratory syncytial virus (29.7%), Influenza A (20.5%), rhinovirus (18.9%), adenovirus (10%), human metapneumovirus (8%), parainfluenza (5.2%), coronavirus (6%), and bocavirus (1.6%) were isolated from respiratory samples. Eighty-five (30.4%) children had severe pneumonia. Atopic sensitisation was found in 21.4% of the patients. Ever wheezing (RR: 1.6, 95% CI: 1.1-2.4), parental asthma (RR: 1.5, 95% CI: 1.1-2.2), other allergic diseases in the family (RR: 1.8, 95% CI: 1.2-2.9) and environmental tobacco smoke (RR: 1.6, 95% CI: 1.1-3.5) were more common in the severe pneumonia group. CONCLUSIONS: When patients with mild-moderate pneumonia were compared to patients with severe pneumonia, frequency of atopy was not different between the two groups. However, parental asthma, ever wheezing and environmental tobacco smoke exposure are risk factors for severe viral pneumonia in children.

Evaluation of cognitive functions in gestational diabetes mellitus.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association between cognitive functions and metabolic status in cases with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). METHODS: In this study 44 patients with GDM and 45 normal pregnant were included. Depression was evaluated with Beck's depression inventory (BDI). Cognitive functions were evaluated with Montreal cognitive assessment (MOCA), paced auditory serial addition test (PASAT), spatial recall test (SRT), symbol digit modalities (SDMT), and word list generation (WLG). RESULTS: The mean gestational age, educational level and account of previous birth of the subjects in the study were not statistically different between the groups. The mean scores of BDI of the 2 groups were not statistically different. MOCA score and SDMT was significantly decreased in GDM in comparison to NP (p=0.005, p=0.04 respectively). Also, SDMT score was inversely correlated with number of pregnancies, postprandial blood glucose and HbA1c.The scores of PASAT, SRT, SPART and WLG were statistically similar between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings may be a clue for early onset of impairment in cognitive functions in cases with new onset diabetes during pregnancy.

Epidemiology of pertussis in adolescents and adults in Turkey.

Two hundred and fourteen patients who had a cough illness lasting at least 2 weeks were studied to investigate Bordetella pertussis as a cause of prolonged cough in adolescents and adults. Medical history and nasopharyngeal swab specimens for culture and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were obtained at presentation. Three (1·4%) patients were B. pertussis culture-positive; 15 (7%) were B. pertussis PCR-positive (including the culture-positive patients) and 11 (5·1%) were Bordetella spp. PCR-positive. Symptom combinations were significantly high both in patients with pertussis and patients with indeterminate results (P < 0·05). We conclude that B. pertussis should be considered among differential diagnoses of prolonged cough in adolescents and adults and PCR and culture should be used to detect these cases and facilitate public health response.

Characterization and comparison of shear and extensional flow of sodium hyaluronate and human synovial fluid.

The focus of this work is on a comparative rheological characterization of sodium hyaluronate (NaHA) samples from fermentative production (NaHA-1, Mw = 1.7 × 106 g/mol) and from rooster comb (NaHA-2, Mw = 4.6 × 106 g/mol) with synovial fluid (SF) taken post mortem from different patients above 60 years. Steady state shear flow and uniaxial extension experiments were carried out for different concentrations of NaHA in 0.01 M phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) and on several SF samples.The synovial fluid of older patients was found to have a viscoelasticity comparable to that of younger patients investigated in earlier studies. Comparison of steady state shear experiments revealed a comparable progression for the viscosity curves of NaHA-2 and SF. This behavior was also observed in extensional flow, where comparable results for NaHA-2 and different SF samples were obtained.

Neurobrucellosis as an exceptional cause of transient ischemic attacks.

We report a series of four cases presented with transient ischemic attacks (TIA) or ischemic stroke as the predominant manifestation of neurobrucellosis (NB). Three of the patients were 20-28 years of age, and one patient was 53 years old. They all used to consume unpasteurized milk or its products. Two patients had systemic brucellosis in the past and received antibiotic treatment. Other causes of TIA including cardiac embolism, hypercoagulability, vascular malformations, systemic vasculitis, and infective endocarditis were excluded. NB was diagnosed with serological tests or cultures for Brucella in the cerebrospinal fluid. None of the patients had any further TIA after the initiation of specific treatment. NB should always be sought in young patients with TIA or ischemic stroke, especially if they have no risk factors for stroke and live in an endemic area for brucellosis, even if they do not have other systemic signs of brucellosis.

Brucellar spondylitis: a rare cause of spinal cord compression.

STUDY DESIGN: A case report. OBJECTIVES: To present and discuss some of the difficulties in the diagnosis of brucellar spondylitis. SETTING: Ankara University, Ibni Sina Hospital, Turkey. METHODS: We report a patient with paraplegia, misdiagnosed as having a malignancy or tuberculosis who actually suffered from brucellar spondylitis. Diagnosis was established by her history and a compatible clinical picture together with a standard tube agglutination (Wright test) titer of > or =1/160 of antibodies for brucellosis. The patient was treated with oral doxycycline, rifampicin, and ciprofloxacin combination. RESULTS: At the end of the treatment, the blood Brucella Wright and anti-human globulin T titer levels decreased. Her lower limb weakness improved. She could walk, and climb stairs with the help of a cane. Urinary retention and fecal incontinence also resolved. CONCLUSION: Brucellosis is a systemic infection involving the musculoskeletal and nervous systems. Spondylitis frequently occurs in elderly patients. An early diagnosis of brucellar spondylitis can often be difficult. In endemic regions, as in the case of our country, brucellar spondylitis should always be considered in the differential diagnosis of older patients with back pain and constitutional symptoms. An early diagnosis will help to prevent the development of more severe complications such as spinal cord compression.

Medically treated intraspinal "Brucella" granuloma.

BACKGROUND: Although there have been reports of Brucella granuloma or abscess in the literature, they were all localized extradurally except one, and most patients underwent surgery. CASE REPORT: A 40-year-old female presented with urinary and fecal incontinence and a two-month history of progressive weakness of the right leg and numbness of the left leg. Four months previously, she had been diagnosed with systemic brucellosis with a period of radiculomeningoencephalitis; she was treated successfully with rifampicin, doxycycline, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (TMP/SMZ), and streptomycin, and was discharged symptom-free on rifampicin and doxycycline. Neurological examination revealed spastic paraparesis, globally hyperactive deep tendon reflexes (DTRs) and sensory level at T6. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the spinal cord revealed a 10 x 30 mm intradural-intramedullary mass lesion at the T5 level with surrounding edema that enhanced with contrast. The cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was xanthochromic with lymphocytic pleocytosis and elevated levels of albumin, immunoglobulins, and antibody titers for Brucella. The medications were modified to rifampicin 1200 mg, doxycycline 400 mg, and TMP/SMZ 480/2400 mg daily, and methylprednisolone 100 mg in decremental doses (for 6 weeks). After 2 months, the patient was almost symptom-free and her medication doses were decreased. After 5 months, the mass lesion resolved almost completely. The treatment was discontinued after 2 years. CONCLUSIONS: The case is presented because of its uniqueness. In cases of Brucella granuloma, the authors recommend a trial of medical treatment with adequate dosages for a reasonable length of time before considering surgical intervention.

The one-and-a-half syndrome in systemic lupus erythematosus.

We report a case of one-and-a-half syndrome occurring as the first manifestation of central nervous system (CNS) involvement in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The lesion in the pons was documented with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The patient responded quite satisfactorily to high-dose i.v. methyl-prednisolone therapy.