The effects of dexmedetomidine on trauma-induced secondary injury in rat brain.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of dexmedetomidine (Dex), a sedative drug with little or no depressant effect on respiratory centers, on secondary injury in rat brain tissue by means of the Na+/K+ ATPase enzyme, which maintains the cell membrane ion gradient; malondialdehyde, an indicator of membrane lipid peroxidation; glutathione, an indicator of antioxidant capacity; and histopathological analyses. METHODS: Eighteen rats were randomized into three groups: the trauma group received anesthesia, followed by head trauma with a Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Apparatus; the Trauma+Dex group received an additional treatment of 100 µg/kg intraperitoneal dexmedetomidine daily for three days; the Control group received anesthesia only. RESULTS: The highest MDA levels compared to the Control group were found in the Trauma group. Mean levels in the Trauma+Dex group were lower, albeit still significantly high compared to the Control group. Glutathione levels were similar in all groups. Na/K-ATPase levels were significantly lower in the Trauma group compared to both the Control group and the Trauma+Dex group. Histopathologic findings of tissue degeneration including edema, vascular congestion and neuronal injury, and cleaved caspase-3 levels were lower in the Trauma+Dex group compared with the Trauma group. CONCLUSIONS: Dexmedetomidine administered during the early stage of traumatic brain injury may inhibit caspase-3 cleavageHowever, the mechanism does not seem to be related to the improvement of MDA or GSH levels.

18F-FDG PET/CT Findings Overlapping Lymphoma in a Patient with Systemic Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis.

Systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (sJIA) is an important autoinflammatory disease whose first symptom is usually fever, and life-threatening conditions such as macrophage activation syndrome can develop when diagnosis and treatment is delayed. sJIA is an exclusion diagnosis, and there is no specific test that distinguishes it from other febrile diseases. We report the positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) findings of sJIA in a 12-year-old girl who presented with fever, rash, and arthralgia. 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake was observed in the spleen, bone marrow, and lymph nodes in 18F-FDG PET/CT performed to investigate the etiology of fever of unknown origin. The result of excisional biopsy performed with the suspicion of lymphoma from the left cervical lymph node with intense 18F-FDG uptake was reported as reactive hyperplasia. PET/CT is an alternative diagnostic method for patients with fever of unknown origin. In this case report, we emphasize that in patients with sJIA, there may be intense fluorodeoxyglucose-avid lymph nodes that may lead to the consideration of lymphoproliferative disease, and PET/CT findings along with spleen and bone marrow involvement may overlap with lymphoma.

Neuroprotective effects of Vaccinium myrtillus on damage-related brain injury.

Traumatic brain injury may trigger the secondary brain injury, which has the potential to be reversible and thus preventable. Anthocyanins are phylotherapeutic plants, which are reported to exhibit anti-inflammatory properties. This study aimed to evaluate the therapeutic efficiency of an anthocyanin, namely Vaccinium myrtillus, to alleviate secondary brain injury and identify possible mechanism of actions. It is hypothesized that lipid peroxidation and Na+ -K+ -ATPase activity may be involved in neuronal ischemia. Thus, brain tissue Malondialdehyde content, Na+ -K+ -ATPase content, and cleaved caspase-3 content was investigated following moderate head trauma in a rat model. Twenty-four Sprague-Dawley male rats were allocated into four groups: Control, Trauma, Solvent-Control, and Treatment. Trauma and Solvent-Control groups showed more prominent brain edema, neuronal ischemia, vascular congestion, increase in brain tissue Malondialdehyde and cleaved caspase-3 levels, and decreased Na+-K+-ATPase activity compared to the Control group. Although the Treatment group had comparable histological signs to the Trauma and Solvent-Control groups, Malondialdehyde level and Na+-K+-ATPase activity was similar to Control group, and cleaved caspase-3 levels were lower compared to Trauma and Solvent-Control groups. We conclude that anthocyanin extracts may alleviate secondary brain injury via anti-oxidative and anti-apoptotic mechanisms.

Protective effect of thymoquinone in preventing trauma-related damage: an experimental study.

BACKGROUND: Secondary injury is a potentially modifiable factor of outcome in traumatic brain injury. This study aimed to investigate thymoquinone's effects on trauma-induced neuronal damage. METHODS: Eighteen adult female Sprague-Dawley rats were assigned into three groups following ketamine and xylazine anaesthesia (n = 6): Control, Trauma, Trauma + Thymoquinone. First dose of thymoquinone was administered three hours after the trauma. RESULTS: The trauma group showed significant oedema, vascular congestion, and ischaemia. Also, caspase-3 activity and malondialdehyde content of brain tissue was significantly increased, and Na,K-ATPase activity and glutathione levels were significantly reduced. Thymoquinone significantly reduced oedema, vascular congestion, ischaemia, and caspase-3 activity compared with the trauma group. While Na,K-ATPase activity and glutathione levels was similar to the Control group, malondialdehyde content was similar to the trauma group. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that low dose thymoquinone exhibited a neuroprotective effect following severe traumatic brain injury, if administered within three hours of injury. Similar levels of glutathione and malondialdehyde suggest no antioxidant effect. Significant reduction in oedema and ischaemia in the neuron cells and partially preserved activity of Na,K-ATPase suggest that thymoquinone protects mitochondrial functions and energy levels of the neuronal cells following severe traumatic brain injury.

Prostate incidentaloma on 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography: Diagnostic value of volumetric positron emission tomography parameters.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether volumetric PET parameters such as metabolic tumor volume (MTV) and total lesion glycolysis (TLG) contributed to maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) in predicting prostate carcinoma in the prostate incidentalomas (PI) in 18F-FDG PET/CT. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective study comprised 107 patients with PI of 4723 male patients who had undergone 18F-FDG PET/CT. SUVmax and volumetric PET parameters of PIs were assessed. MTV and TLG were acquired with each SUV threshold as 2.5, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, and 5.0. RESULTS: The PI incidence was 2.3%, and the malignancy ratio of PI was 15.9%. According to further analysis results, 17 patients were in the malignant group, and 46 patients were in the benign group. Malignant PIs had higher SUVmax (10.6 vs. 6.4 and p<0.01), MTV (all p < 0.01) and TLG (all p < 0.01) than benign incidentalomas. All volumetric PET parameters had higher area under the curve (AUC) than SUVmax. SUVmax AUC was 0.835 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.728-0.942]. MTV 2.5 and TLG 2.5 had the highest performance for predicting malignant PI.MTV2.5 AUC was 0.871 (95% CI: 0.775-0.968), and TLG2.5 AUC was 0.882 (95% CI: 0.797-0.967). Using TLG 2.5 greater than 29.8 as the cut-off point, the sensitivity and specificity for malignancy prediction were 94.1% and 82.6%, respectively. CONCLUSION: In this study, in which the effectiveness of volumetric parameters in the diagnosis of PI was evaluated for the first time, it was shown that they could potentially have clinical value along with SUVmax.

Can Dexmedetomidine Be Effective in the Protection of Radiotherapy-Induced Brain Damage in the Rat?

Approximately 7 million people are reported to be undergoing radiotherapy (RT) at any one time in the world. However, it is still not possible to prevent damage to secondary organs that are off-target. This study, therefore, investigated the potential adverse effects of RT on the brain, using cognitive, histopathological, and biochemical methods, and the counteractive effect of the α2-adrenergic receptor agonist dexmedetomidine. Thirty-two male Sprague Dawley rats aged 5-6 months were randomly allocated into four groups: untreated control, and RT, RT + dexmedetomidine-100, and RT + dexmedetomidine-200-treated groups. The passive avoidance test was applied to all groups. The RT groups received total body X-ray irradiation as a single dose of 8 Gy. The rats were sacrificed 24 h after X-ray irradiation, and following the application of the passive avoidance test. The brain tissues were subjected to histological and biochemical evaluation. No statistically significant difference was found between the control and RT groups in terms of passive avoidance outcomes and 8-hydroxy-2'- deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) positivity. In contrast, a significant increase in tissue MDA and GSH levels and positivity for TUNEL, TNF-α, and nNOS was observed between the control and the irradiation groups (p < 0.05). A significant decrease in these values was observed in the groups receiving dexmedetomidine. Compared with the control group, gradual elevation was determined in GSH levels in the RT group, followed by the RT + dexmedetomidine-100 and RT + dexmedetomidine-200 groups. Dexmedetomidine may be beneficial in countering the adverse effects of RT in the cerebral and hippocampal regions.

Synthesis, investigation of biological effects and in silico studies of new benzimidazole derivatives as aromatase inhibitors.

Inhibition of aromatase enzymes is very important in the prevention of estrogen-related diseases and the regulation of estrogen levels. Aromatase enzyme is involved in the final stage of the biosynthesis of estrogen, in the conversion of androgens to estrogen. The development of new compounds for the inhibition of aromatase enzymes is an important area for medicinal chemists in this respect. In the present study, new benzimidazole derivatives have been designed and synthesized which have reported anticancer activity in the literature. Their anticancer activity was evaluated against human A549 and MCF-7 cell lines by MTT assay. In the series, concerning MCF-7 cell line, the most potent compounds were the 4-benzylpiperidine derivatives 2c, 2g, and 2k with IC50 values of 0.032 ± 0.001, 0.024 ± 0.001, and 0.035 ± 0.001 µM, respectively, compared to the reference drug cisplatin (IC50 = 0.021 ± 0.001 µM). Then, these compounds were subject to further in silico aromatase enzyme inhibition assays to determine the possible binding modes and interactions underlying their activity. Thanks to molecular docking studies, the effectiveness of these compounds against aromatase enzyme could be simulated. Consequently, it has been found that these compounds can be settled very properly to the active site of the aromatase enzyme.

"Hot Lung" Sign in Pulmonary Intravascular Large B-Cell Lymphoma on 18F-FDG PET/CT.

Intravascular large B-cell lymphoma is a rare type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma characterized by intravascular proliferation of clonal lymphocytes within the lumen of small vessels, which is often fatal. Diffuse FDG uptake in the lung without clear/evident CT findings, "hot lung," is quasi-pathognomonic for lung intravascular large B-cell lymphoma. In this report, we present the case of a 43-year-old man who was diagnosed as having intravascular lymphoma thanks to this rare finding.

Comparison of the Effects of Minimal and High-Flow Anaesthesia on Cerebral Perfusion During Septorhinoplasty.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to analyse the effects of minimal-and high-flow anaesthesia on cerebral oxygenation during septorhinoplasty with controlled hypotension using near-infrared spectroscopy. METHODS: Eighty patients scheduled for septorhinoplasty under general anaesthesia with controlled hypotension were randomised into two groups: minimal-flow (MF) or high-flow (HF). Both groups received desflurane anaesthesia to maintain bispectral index values at 40%-50% and 0.25-0.5 µg kg-1 min-1 i.v. remifentanyl infusion to maintain mean arterial blood pressure between 55 and 65 mmHg. The MF group received 5 L min-1 of fresh gas flow for the first 10 mins then the gas flow was reduced 0.4 L min-1. The HF group received 2 L min-1 of fresh gas flow throughout. Haemodynamic parameters and cerebral oxygen saturation were measured. RESULTS: There were no statistical differences in demographic variables, duration of anaesthesia and surgery, time to extubation and proceeding to an Aldrete score of 9. There were no statistical differences in haemodynamic parameters, end-tidal CO2 and cerebral oxygen saturation. The amount of desflurane used in the MF group was significantly lower than that used in the HF group (30.5±9.8 mL vs. 48.5±12.1 mL; p<0.05). CONCLUSION: MF and HF anaesthesia did not lead to any difference in cerebral oxygen saturation in patients undergoing septorhinoplasty with controlled hypotension. MF anaesthesia may thus be used as safely as HF anaesthesia is.

Comparison of Metoprolol and Tramadol with Remifentanil in Endoscopic Sinus Surgery: A Randomised Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVE: Controlled hypotension is commonly induced during functional endoscopic sinus surgery to limit mucosal bleeding. This may be detrimental to elderly patients and patients with arterial stenosis. The aim of this pilot study was to determine if a normotensive anaesthetic technique with sufficient analgesia and without profound vasodilation may reduce intraoperative bleeding and incidence of adverse haemodynamic effects associated with vasodilation and variable rate continuous infusions. METHODS: In this double-blind randomised controlled trial in a tertiary care centre, a total of 88 patients were randomised to receive intravenously either 0.1 mg kg-1 metoprolol and 1 mg kg-1 tramadol following anaesthesia induction (MT group) or a bolus dose of 0.5 µg kg-1 remifentanil following anaesthesia induction, followed by 0.25-0.5 µg kg-1 min-1 remifentanil infusion (R group). The primary outcome was quality of surgical field and incidence of adverse haemodynamic effects. The secondary outcomes were time to achieve intraoperative bleeding score <3, bleeding rate and changes in cerebral regional oximetry. RESULTS: A total of 105 patients were recruited, in which 88 were randomised. The median intraoperative bleeding score was similar (1, interquartile range: 1-1, p=0.69). The mean bleeding rate was lower in the MT group, although the difference was not significant (p=0.052, 95% CI 0 to 8.8). Hypotension, bradycardia and cerebral desaturation in the MT group were not observed compared to hypotension in 3 (7%), bradycardia in 18 (41%) and cerebral desaturation in 2 (5%) patients in the R group (p=0.241, p<0.001, p=0.474, respectively). CONCLUSION: Providing sufficient analgesia and eliminating stress response can provide stable heart rate and good surgical field with no need for additional hypotension. This normotensive technique may be useful in patients with stenotic arteries or ischaemic organ diseases.

Comparison of King Vision video laryngoscope and Macintosh laryngoscope: a prospective randomized controlled clinical trial / Comparação entre o videolaringoscópio King Vision e o laringoscópio Macintosh: um ensaio clínico prospectivo randomizado e controlado

Abstract Background and objectives We compared the efficiency of the King Vision video laryngoscope and the Macintosh laryngoscope, when used by experienced anesthesiologists on adult patients with varying intubating conditions, in a prospective randomized controlled clinical trial. Methods A total of 388 patients with an American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status of I or II, scheduled for general anesthesia with endotracheal intubation. Each patient was intubated with both laryngoscopes successively, in a randomized order. Intubation success rate, time to best glottic view, time to intubation, time to ventilation, Cormack-Lehane laryngoscopy grades, and complications related to the laryngoscopy and intubation were analyzed. Results and conclusions First pass intubation success rates were similar for the King Vision and the Macintosh (96.6% vs. 94.3%, respectively, p > 0.05). King Vision resulted in a longer average time to glottic view (95% CI 0.5-1.4 s, p < 0.001), and time to intubation (95% CI 3-4.6 s, p < 0.001). The difference in time to intubation was similar when unsuccessful intubation attempts were excluded (95% CI 2.8-4.4 s, p < 0.001). Based on the modified Mallampati class at the preoperative visit, the King Vision improved the glottic view in significantly more patients (220 patients, 56.7%) compared with the Macintosh (180 patients, 46.4%) (p < 0.001). None of the patients had peripheral oxygen desaturation below 94%. Experienced anesthesiologists may obtain similar rates of first pass intubation success and airway trauma with both laryngoscopes. King Vision requires longer times to visualize the glottis and to intubate the trachea, but does not cause additional desaturation.

Resumo Justificativa e objetivos Comparamos a eficiência do videolaringoscópio King Vision e do laringoscópio Macintosh, quando usados por anestesiologistas experientes em pacientes adultos com diferentes condições de intubação, em um estudo clínico prospectivo randomizado e controlado. Métodos Foram selecionados 388 pacientes com estado físico ASA I ou II (de acordo com a classificação da American Society of Anesthesiologists - ASA), programados para anestesia geral com intubação traqueal. Cada paciente foi intubado com ambos os laringoscópios sucessivamente, em uma ordem aleatória. A taxa de sucesso da intubação, o tempo até a melhor visibilização da glote, o tempo de intubação, o tempo de ventilação, a classificação de Cormack-Lehane (graus) e as complicações relacionadas à laringoscopia e intubação foram analisados. Resultados e conclusões As taxas de sucesso na intubação na primeira tentativa foram similares para o King Vision e o Macintosh (96,6% vs. 94,3%, respectivamente, p > 0,05). As médias dos tempos até a melhor visibilização da glote (IC 95% 0,5-1,4 s, p < 0,001) e de intubação (IC 95% 3-4,6 s, p < 0,001) foram maiores no King Vision. A diferença no tempo de intubação foi semelhante quando as tentativas malsucedidas de intubação foram excluídas (IC 95% 2,8-4,4 s, p < 0,001). Com base na classificação de Mallampati modificada na consulta pré-operatória, o King Vision melhorou significativamente a visibilização da glote em mais pacientes (220 pacientes, 56,7%) em comparação com o Macintosh (180 pacientes, 46,4%) (p < 0,001). Nenhum dos pacientes apresentou dessaturação periférica de oxigênio abaixo de 94%. Os anestesiologistas experientes podem obter taxas semelhantes de sucesso na primeira tentativa de intubação e de traumas das vias aéreas com ambos os laringoscópios. O King Vision requer tempos mais longos até a visibilização da glote e de intubação traqueal, mas não causa dessaturação adicional.

Ten-year follow-up of a cemented tapered stem.

INTRODUCTION: This stem was cleared by the FDA in 2002 and has been implanted in cementless and cemented versions. Despite its long history, there are no long-term clinical  results available for the cemented version of this implant. The aim of this study was to provide such data. It was hypothesized that this implant delivers clinical success comparable to other tapered cemented stems. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 113 hip replacements were performed in 106 patients between October 2007 and December 2009 using the cemented version of this stem. The mean age of the patients at operation was 74.8 years (range 50-91 years). The mean follow-up was 8.9 years with only two patients lost to follow-up. Implant survival was determined using the Kaplan-Meier analysis. RESULTS: Stem survival with revision for any reason as the endpoint was 96.4% after 10 years. Survival for stem aseptic loosening was 100%. There were no cases of osteolysis. Clinical outcomes, as shown by Harris Hip Scores, were in line with previous investigations and the rate of adverse events was very low. CONCLUSIONS: This is a modern cemented stem with an excellent survival rate and satisfactory functional outcomes. In this cohort, there were no failures related to the stem through the first decade.

Complication of Peribulbar Block: Brainstem Anaesthesia.

Peribulbar block is used to obtain anaesthesia and akinesia of the eye by injecting a local anaesthetic around the musclecone. A patient scheduled for cataract surgery received peribulbar block with 6 mL of 2% lidocaine hydrochloride. Following the injection, confusion, hypotension and dilatation of the contralateral pupil rapidly progressed to loss of consciousness and respiratory arrest. The patient was intubated and mechanically ventilated for 30 min. The patient regained her consciousness, was extubated and transferred to the intensive care unit for further follow-up. Although brainstem anaesthesia because of peribulbar block is very rare, this procedure should be performed with complete monitorisation and resuscitation equipment.

Vasopressin-related copeptin is a novel predictor of early endothelial dysfunction in patients with adult polycystic kidney disease.

BACKGROUND: In this study, we examined the relative usefulness of serum copeptin levels as a surrogate marker of vasopressin (AVP) in adult polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) by correlating it with baseline and longitudinal changes in markers of both renal function and common CVD manifestations (hypertensive vascular disease, atherosclerosis and endothelial dysfunction) that accompany the progression of this disease. METHODS: We studied a cohort of young and otherwise healthy ADPKD patients (n = 235) and measured cardiovascular function using flow-mediation dilatation (FMD), carotid intima media thickness (cIMT) and pulse wave velocity (PWV), as well as serum copeptin (commercial ELISA, a stable marker of AVP activity). The same analyses were carried out at baseline and after 3 years of follow-up. RESULTS: At baseline, median eGFR was 69 mL/min./1.73 m2, mean FMD 6.9 ± 0.9%, cIMT 0.7 ± 0.1 mm, and PWV 8.1 ± 1.2 m/s. At follow-up, equivalent values were 65 (44-75) mL/min./1.73 m2, 5.8 ± 0.9%, 0.8 ± 0.1 mm. and 8.2 ± 1.3 m/s. with all changes statistically significant. Plasma copeptin also rose from 0.62 ± 0.12 to 0.94 ± 0.19 ng/mL and this change correlated with ΔeGFR (-0.33, p < 0.001), ΔFMD (0.599, p < 0.001), ΔcIMT (0.562, p < 0.001) and ΔPWV (0.27, p < 0.001) also after linear regression modeling to correct for confounders. Finally, ROC analysis was done for a high baseline copeptin with ΔeGFR [cut-off:≤59], ΔFMD [cut-off: ≤7.08], ΔcIMT [cut-off:>0.76], and ΔPWV [cut-off:≤7.80]. CONCLUSIONS: Vascular dysfunction as reflected by FMD and cIMT, but not PWV or an altered cardiac geometry, precede most other signs of disease in ADPKD but is predicted by elevated levels of the circulating AVP-marker copeptin.

Effect of cooled hyperbaric bupivacaine on unilateral spinal anesthesia success rate and hemodynamic complications in inguinal hernia surgery.

PURPOSE: We hypothesized that cooling hyperbaric bupivacaine from 23 to 5 °C may limit the intrathecal spread of bupivacaine and therefore increase the success rate of unilateral spinal anesthesia and decrease the rate of hemodynamic complications. METHODS: A hundred patients scheduled for elective unilateral inguinal hernia surgery were randomly allocated to receive 1.8 ml of 0.5 % hyperbaric bupivacaine intrathecally at either 5 °C (group I, n = 50) or at 23 °C (group II, n = 50). Following spinal block at the L2-3 interspace, the lateral decubitus position was maintained for 15 min. Unilateral spinal anesthesia was assessed and confirmed at 15 and 30 min. The levels of sensory and motor block on the operative side were evaluated until complete resolution. RESULTS: The rate of unilateral spinal anesthesia at 15 and 30 min was significantly higher in group I (p = 0.015 and 0.028, respectively). Hypotensive events and bradycardia were significantly rarer in group I (p = 0.014 and 0.037, respectively). The density and viscosity of the solution at 5 °C was significantly higher than at 23 °C (p < 0.0001). Compared with group II, sensory block peaked later in group I (17.4 vs 12.6 min) and at a lower level (T9 vs T7), and two-segment regression of sensory block (76.4 vs 84.3 min) and motor block recovery was shorter (157.6 vs 193.4 min) (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Cooling of hyperbaric bupivacaine to 5 °C increased the density and viscosity of the solution and the success rate of unilateral spinal anesthesia, and decreased the hemodynamic complication rate.

Molecular characterisation and control of Acinetobacter baumannii isolates resistant to multi-drugs emerging in inter-intensive care units.

BACKGROUND: A nosocomial outbreak of Acinetobacter baumannii (AB) infections occurred among intensive care units (ICU) (surgery, medical, cardiovascular surgery, coronary unit) of Recep Tayyip Erdogan University Medical School (Rize, Turkey) between January 2011 and May 2012. The identification of isolates and clonal relation among them were investigated by molecular techniques. METHODS: A total of 109 AB isolates were obtained from 64 clinical materials from 54 ICU patients and 3 from the hands of healthcare workers (HCWs) of 42 environmental samples. The isolates were identified by 16S rDNA sequencing and OXA- specific PCR. The clonal relation between isolates was investigated by PFGE methods using ApaI restriction enzyme. RESULTS: All isolates were determined as AB by 16S rDNA sequencing and OXA-spesific PCR. While the blaOXA-51-like gene was amplified in all isolates, the blaOXA-23-like gene was amplified from 103 isolates. The PFGE pattern generated 9 pulsotypes and showed that the isolates from patients, HCWs, and the environment were genetically related. In 7 of these pulsotypes, there were 107 strains (98%) showing similar PFGE profiles that cannot be distinguished from each other, ranging from 2 to 53. The remaining 2 pulsotypes were comprised of strains closely associated with the main cluster. Two major groups were discovered with similarity coefficient of 85% and above. The first group consisted of 97 strains that are similar to each other at 92.7% rate, and the second group consisted of 12 strains that are 100% identical. CONCLUSIONS: The common utilization of the blood gas device among ICU was the reason for the contamination. AB strains can remain stable for a long period of time, although due to the disinfection procedures applied in hospitals, there is a small chance that the same clone might reappear and cause another epidemic. For that reason, the resistance profiles of the strains must be continuously followed with amplification-based methods, and these methods should be used to support the PFGE method in the short term.

A randomized-controlled, double-blind comparison of the postoperative analgesic efficacy of caudal bupivacaine and levobupivacaine in minor pediatric surgery.

BACKGROUND: We compared the postoperative analgesic efficacy of caudal levobupivacaine with bupivacaine in pediatric subumbilical surgery. METHODS: Sixty American Society of Anesthesiologists I-II patients scheduled for elective minor surgery (1.5-7 years old) were randomly divided into three groups to receive caudal injections of study drugs at 0.5 ml/kg. All patients received 0.1 mg/kg oral midazolam 30 min before surgery. Group B received 0.125% bupivacaine, group L received 0.125% levobupivacaine, and group LF received 0.125% levobupivacaine + 0.5 µg/kg fentanyl. Blood pressure, heart rate and sedation (using a four-scale sedation score) were monitored perioperatively. During the postoperative period, an anesthesiologist blinded to the study groups used the Children's and Infants' Postoperative Pain Scale to monitor patients' pain and degree of sedation. The time before the first rescue analgesic was recorded as well as any side effects over the next 24 h. RESULTS: The four-scale sedation and postoperative pain scale scores in all groups were identical. Blood pressure and heart rate measured at 15 min postoperatively were lower, and time to first rescue analgesic was longer, in Group LF compared to the others. CONCLUSIONS: Caudal 0.5 ml/kg of 0.125% bupivacaine and levobupivacaine are equally effective for postoperative analgesia after subumbilical surgeries in pediatric patients. Addition of fentanyl may lower the required amount of local anesthetics.

Association of gingival crevicular fluid cortisol/dehydroepiandrosterone levels with periodontal status.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the present study is to examine whether anxiety and depression scale scores change with regard to clinical periodontal status and to investigate the association between the levels of stress-related hormones in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) and extent/severity of periodontal disease. METHODS: One hundred twenty participants who fulfilled the study inclusion criteria were chosen. Patients with chronic periodontitis (CP) and those with healthy periodontal tissues/mild gingivitis were included. The clinical examinations were performed on the day after the psychologic evaluations which included anxiety and depression measurements. GCF sampling was undertaken the following day. Commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits were used to determine GCF cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) levels. Study groups were assigned as follows: group 1, non-periodontitis; group 2, localized CP; and group 3, generalized CP. RESULTS: There were no significant differences with respect to age, sex, education, income level, occupation, or smoking history among the groups (P >0.05). There were no significant differences between the non-periodontitis and CP groups for any of the psychosocial scales (P >0.05). Group 3 had significantly higher mean DHEA scores compared with group 1 (P <0.05); however, the median cortisol scores showed no statistically significant differences among the three groups (P >0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Anxiety/depression scores and GCF cortisol levels did not show any difference with regard to clinical periodontal status. However, a significant association was found between elevated levels of GCF DHEA and the severity of periodontitis.