BACKGROUND:Infective endocarditis (IE) has a high risk of morbidity and mortality. Complications are often due to systemic embolization. We treated a 47-year-old hemodialysis man with infective endocarditis complicated with cerebral and splenic infarction.METHODS:The patient was brought to the emergency department because of altered mental status and fecal incontinence. Although he did not meet the Duke Criteria for IE diagnosis, clinical suspicions of IE warranted further diagnostic studies. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain revealed cerebral infarction with abnormal neurological findings. An abdominal computerized tomography revealed an incidental and unexpected splenic infarction without physical findings. Echocardiography revealed a vegetative growth (-1.2×1 cm) over the mitral posterior leaflet with severe mitral valve regurgitation. Based on these results, the patient was diagnosed with IE complicated with severe cerebral and splenic infarction.RESULTS:The patient was treated with intravenous teicoplanin including gentamicin, subcutaneous low molecular weight heparin, and oral acetylsalicylic acid. Mitral valve replacement surgery was performed after the patient improved clinically.CONCLUSION:Emergency physicians should be aware of the life-threatening complications of IE, which may be presented subtly or without clinical evidence.

Adult presentation of a rectocutaneous fistula with imperforate anus is rare. We report the case of a 22-year-old man who presented with an anorectal malformation and a rectocutaneous fistula. The patient complained of faecal matter passing through the external orifis of a fistula located at the distal part of his scrotum. He was continent for solid faeces, but had leakage of flatus and faecal soiling. He had no other associated anomaly. The patient subsequently underwent a surgical procedure where anal transposition was done. Postoperative recovery was uneventful, and the patient was fully continent at control examination.
Anal Canal ; abnormalities ; Anorectal Malformations ; Anus, Imperforate ; diagnosis ; surgery ; Digestive System Surgical Procedures ; Humans ; Male ; Rectal Fistula ; diagnosis ; surgery ; Scrotum ; surgery ; Young Adult

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effects of idiopathic infantile nystagmus (IN) and bilateral ametropic amblyopia on metabolites in the occipital cortex by magnetic resonance spectroscopy. METHODS: The children included in this prospective study were divided into three groups. Group 1 consisted of 11 patients with idiopathic IN, group 2 consisted of 10 patients with bilateral ametropic amblyopia and group 3 consisted of nine normal children. A single-voxel magnetic resonance spectroscopy examination was performed by placing a region of interest on the occipital cortex of each participant. N-acetyl aspartate (NAA), creatine (Cr) and choline (Cho) concentrations were measured in the occipital cortex. This was followed by calculating and comparing the NAA/Cr and Cho/Cr ratios between the three groups. The Kruskal-Wallis test, Mann-Whitney U-test, and chi-square test were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: There was no statistically significant difference in NAA/Cr ratios between patients with idiopathic IN and normal children, but there was a statistically significant difference between these groups when Cho/Cr ratios were compared; the ratio was higher in the idiopathic IN group. There were no statistically significant differences in NAA/Cr or Cho/Cr ratios between patients with bilateral ametropic amblyopia and normal children. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that the neurochemical profile of the occipital cortex is partially affected by idiopathic IN, but not by bilateral ametropic amblyopia.
Amblyopia ; Aspartic Acid ; Child ; Choline ; Creatine ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy ; Occipital Lobe ; Prospective Studies

Common carotid artery (CCA) dissection is a rare emergency condition. Early diagnosis of these cases is important to prevent the ischemic emergencies. We presented a CCA dissection case, who was admitted to the hospital after taken out from under rubble with satisfactory outcome.
Carotid Artery Injuries ; diagnosis ; therapy ; Carotid Artery, Common ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged

Paragangliomas are relatively rare chromaffin cell tumors which may be cured through resection. Patients with paragangliomas may develop metastatic diseases. There is no consensus regarding refractory chemotherapy for treatment of metastatic disease. In this report, we presented a case of a 43-year-old woman who was admitted to the hospital with a history of episodic headaches, diaphoresis, and weakness. Elevated plasma catecholamine levels and a right paraaortic mass were observed on computed tomography. The mass was excised, and a diagnosis of paraganglioma was confirmed. After 20 months of follow-up, local recurrence and metastases were detected in the thorax, abdomen, and skeletal system. Plasma and urinary catecholamine levels were high. Chemotherapy was administered, and no improvement was observed. Therefore, following this palliative conventional chemotherapy, sorafenib was administered for three months, and, finally, positron emission tomography showed that the patient's lesions had completely regressed.
Abdomen ; Adult ; Chromaffin Cells ; Consensus ; Diagnosis ; Drug Therapy ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Headache ; Humans ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Paraganglioma* ; Paraganglioma, Extra-Adrenal ; Pheochromocytoma ; Plasma ; Positron-Emission Tomography ; Recurrence ; Thorax

BACKGROUND: The most common complication after tendon repair is the development of adhesion, with subsequent rupture. METHODS: In this study, we present a new method in which the tendon healing contact surface is increased to reduce these complications. The tendons of chickens in groups 1, 3, and 5 were transversely cut and repaired with in the traditional fashion with double-modified Kessler method and 5/0 polypropylene. In the other groups, 3 mm of the tendon was removed from the proximal half of the upper end and from the distal half of the lower end of the tendon, and they were repaired with the modified Kessler method. The tendons of the chickens in groups 1 and 2 were evaluated immediatelly after surgery. Groups 3 and 4 were evaluated at 4 weeks after surgery. Groups 5 and 6 were evaluated at 6 weeks. RESULTS: Increases in transient inflammation and connective tissue formation were observed more clearly in the group treated with the new method in histopathological investigations at weeks 4 and 6. The stretching test showed statistically significant differences between groups 3 and 4 (P < 0.05) and groups 5 and 6 (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: When repairing tendons with the new method, the healing surface increases and the direction of collagen fibers at the surface changes. Because of these effects, the strength of the tendon healing line increases; we therefore expect that this technique will enable patients to safely engage in early active exercise after the operation, with less risk of tendon rupture.
Chickens ; Collagen ; Connective Tissue ; Fibrosis ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Methods ; Polypropylenes ; Rupture ; Tendons* ; Wounds and Injuries

Background: Patients with early-stage lung tumors that are highly suspicious for malignancy typically undergo a preoperative diagnostic workup, primarily through bronchoscopy or transthoracic biopsy. Those without a preoperative diagnosis may alternatively be treated with upfront surgery, contingent upon the potential for intraoperative diagnosis.Previous studies have yielded conflicting results regarding the impact of upfront surgery on the survival of these patients. Our study aimed to elucidate the effect of upfront surgery on the survival outcomes of patients undergoing surgery for early-stage lung cancer without a preoperative diagnosis. Methods: We analyzed the survival rate of 158 consecutive patients who underwent pulmonary resection for stage I lung cancer, either with or without a preoperative diagnosis. Results: A total of 86 patients (54%) underwent upfront surgery. This approach positively impacted both disease-free survival (p=0.031) and overall survival (p=0.017). However, no significant differences were observed across subgroups based on sex, smoking status, forced expiratory volume in 1 second, histologic tumor size, or histologic subtype. Univariate analysis identified upfront surgery (p=0.020), age (p=0.002), maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) exceeding 7 (p=0.001), and histological tumor size greater than 20 mm (p=0.009) as independent predictors. However, multivariate analysis indicated that only SUVmax greater than 7 (p=0.011) was a significant predictor of unfavorable survival. Conclusion Upfront surgery does not appear to confer a survival advantage in patients with stage I lung cancer undergoing surgical intervention.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of treatment with oral trimetazidine (TMZ) applied before and after percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) on short-term left ventricular functions and plasma brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels in patients with non-ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) undergoing PCI. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The study included 45 patients who were undergoing PCI with the diagnosis of NSTEMI. The patients were randomized into two groups. The first group (n=22) of the patients hospitalized with the diagnosis of NSTEMI was given conventional therapy plus 60 mg TMZ just prior to PCI. Treatment with TMZ was continued for one month after the procedure. TMZ treatment was not given to the second group (n=23). Echocardiography images were recorded and plasma BNP levels were measured just prior to the PCI and on the 1st and 30th days after PCI. RESULTS: The myocardial performance index (MPI) was greater in the second group (p=0.02). In the comparison of BNP levels, they significantly decreased in both of the groups during the 30-day follow-up period (29.0+/-8 and 50.6+/-33, p<0.01 respectively). However, decreasing of BNP levels was higher in the group administered with TMZ. The decrease of left ventriclular end-diastolic volume was observed in all groups at 30 days after intervention, but was higher in the group administered with TMZ (p=0.01). CONCLUSION: Trimetazidine treatment commencing prior to PCI and continued after PCI in patients with NSTEMI provides improvements in MPI, left ventricular end diastolic volume and a decrease in BNP levels.
Brain ; Echocardiography ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Myocardial Infarction ; Natriuretic Peptide, Brain ; Percutaneous Coronary Intervention ; Plasma ; Stroke Volume ; Trimetazidine ; Ventricular Function, Left

BACKGROUND/AIMS: It has been reported that proton pump inhibitors induce relaxation in different types of smooth muscles. The aim of this study is to investigate in vitro effects of proton pump inhibitors on human pylorus muscle. METHODS: Pyloric sphincters were studied in 10 patients who were operated for stomach cancer. In isolated organ bath, control and response to rabeprazole were recorded following contraction with carbachol. During the treatment experiment, while distilled water was applied during the control experiment in every 5 minutes, rabeprazole was administered in every 5 minutes at doses of 10-6, 10-5, 10-4, and 10-3 M respectively. Contraction frequencies, maximum contraction values and muscle tones were measured. RESULTS: The contraction frequencies in the control group were greater than the rabeprazole group in the second, third and fourth intervals while the maximum contraction values in the rabeprazole group were lower in the fourth interval. Even though muscles tones were not different in both groups during all intervals, it was remarkable that the muscle tone was significantly decreased in the rabeprazole group during the fourth interval compared to the first and second intervals. CONCLUSIONS: In the present study, high doses of rabeprazole reduced contraction frequencies, maximum contraction values, and muscle tone of human pylorus.
Baths ; Carbachol ; Humans ; Muscle Tonus ; Muscle, Smooth ; Muscles ; Proton Pump Inhibitors ; Pylorus* ; Rabeprazole* ; Relaxation ; Stomach Neoplasms ; Water

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by attacks of fever and diffuse abdominal pain. The primary concern with this presentation is to distinguish it from acute appendicitis promptly. Thus, we aimed to evaluate the role of neutrophil lymphocyte ratio (NLR) to leverage the differential diagnosis of acute FMF attack with histologically proven appendicitis. METHODS: Twenty-three patients with histologically confirmed acute appendicitis and 88 patients with acute attack of FMF were included in the study. NLR, C-reactive protein and other hematologic parameters were compared between the groups. RESULTS: Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio was significantly higher in patients with acute appendicitis compared to the FMF attack group (8.24 +/- 6.31 vs. 4.16 +/- 2.44, p = 0.007). The performance of NLR in diagnosing acute appendicitis with receiver operating characteristic analysis with a cut-off value of 4.03 were; 78% sensitivity, 62% specificity, and area under the curve 0.760 (95% confidence interval, 0.655 to 0.8655; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that NLR, the simple and readily available inflammatory marker may have a useful role in distinguishing acute FMF attack from acute appendicitis.
Adult ; Appendicitis/blood/*diagnosis ; Area Under Curve ; Biomarkers/blood ; Blood Sedimentation ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Familial Mediterranean Fever/blood/*diagnosis ; Female ; Humans ; Inflammation Mediators/blood ; Lymphocyte Count ; *Lymphocytes ; Male ; *Neutrophils ; Platelet Count ; Predictive Value of Tests ; ROC Curve ; Reproducibility of Results ; Retrospective Studies ; Young Adult