Undiagnosed Phenylketonuria Can Exist Everywhere: Results From an International Survey

peer reviewedMany countries do not have a newborn screening (NBS) program, and immigrants from such countries are at risk for late diagnosis of phenylketonuria (PKU). In this international survey, 52 of 259 patients (20%) with late diagnosed PKU were immigrants, and 145 of the 259 (55%) were born before NBS or in a location without NBS. © 2021 The Author

Life threatening tongue angioedema associated with an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor

We present a case with angioedema of the tongue, following 1 dose of an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor ingestion. A gradual progression of angioedema required tracheotomy despite aggressive medical treatment and illustrates the severity of this adverse reaction, Although ACE inhibitors are considered safe, emergency physicians should be alert for minor angioedema at presentation that may progress to life threatening airway compromise

Effects of subchronic parathion exposure on cyclosporine pharmacokinetics in rats

Parathion undergoes enzymatic oxidation by hepatic cytochrome P-450 (CYP450) enzymes to the active metabolite paraoxon. Consequently, alterations in CYP450-dependent oxidation may affect the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of drugs that are metabolized in the liver. The CYP3A family is known to be responsible for the majority of cyclosporine metabolism. The aim of the present study was to assess the disposition kinetics of cyclosporine during subchronic parathion exposure. Male Wistar rats were administered either water or two different doses of parathion (1/100 LD50, 1/25 LD50; LD50 = 14 mg/kg) by gavage for 6 wk. Subsequently, rats in each experimental group received a single oral dose of cyclosporine (10 mg/kg), and serial blood samples were drawn from the carotid artery over a period of 48 h. Pharmacokinetic analysis showed that parathion increased the blood cyclosporine concentration twofold as evidenced by AUC (area under the curve), half life (t(1/2)) and peak plasma concentration (C-max). This may be due to inhibition of cyclosporine metabolism, an interaction that may be of clinical relevance in immunosuppression therapy

Galactosialidosis in a newborn with a novel mutation in the CTSA gene presenting with transient hyperparathyroidism

Galactosialidosis is a lysosomal storage disease caused by deficiency of protective protein that is encoded by the cathepsin A (CTSA) gene localized on chromosome 20q13.1. Mutations of this gene are the cause of galactosialidosis that result in loss of function of protective protein. Galactosialidosis is an autosomal recessive inherited disease and has been divided into three subtypes based on age of onset and the severity of clinical manifestations. We report an early infantile form of galactosialidosis in a newborn with a novel mutation on the CTSA gene

Turkish coffeehouse "Kahvehane'' is an important tobacco smoke exposure area in Turkey

This study was undertaken to investigate the extent of environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure in coffeehouses, as these are commonly frequented public places in Turkey. From 86 coffeehouses in the 3 districts, 59 coffeehouse workers and 35 hospital staff members ( as a control group) were evaluated. Participants answered a questionnaire about demographics, working characteristics, smoking behavior, and ETS exposure during their daily life lives. The amount of nicotine in hair was determined by using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The mean hair nicotine level of the nonsmoker and smoker coffeehouse workers were 23.2 +/- 12.3 mu g/g and 62.5 +/- 49.8 mu g/g, respectively. Among the hospital staff, mean hair nicotine levels were 4.5 +/- 6 mu g/g in nonsmokers and 30.6 +/- 14 mu g/g in smokers. Working in coffeehouses has a marked effect on hair nicotine levels and potential adverse health effects

Melatonin prevents radiation-induced oxidative stress and periodontal tissue breakdown in irradiated rats with experimental periodontitis

Kara, Adem/0000-0002-5766-6116;WOS: 000399955500015PubMed: 27510437Background and ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to analyze the biochemical and histochemical effects of radiation therapy and protective melatonin administration on periodontal tissues in rats with experimental periodontitis. Material and MethodsSixty male Sprague Dawley rats were divided into six groups, as follows: control; experimental periodontitis (Ped); radiotherapy administration (Rt); experimental periodontitis and exposure to irradiation (Ped-Rt); radiotherapy and protective melatonin administration (Rt-Mel); and periodontitis, radiation therapy and protective melatonin administration (Ped-Rt-Mel). the rats were killed at the end of the experimental procedure, and the oxidative stress level and periodontal destruction were compared among the groups. ResultsThe oxidative stress index and the levels of 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine, malondialdehyde and C-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen were found to be significantly higher in the Ped-Rt group compared with the Ped group (p < 0.05), and the levels were lower in the Ped-Rt-Mel group than in the Ped-Rt group (p < 0.05). Alveolar bone destruction and attachment level were also significantly lower in the Ped-Rt-Mel group than in the Ped-Rt group (p < 0.05). ConclusionIt was found that radiotherapy increased oxidative stress, the periodontal attachment level and alveolar bone loss, and protective melatonin administration significantly reduced the oxidative parameters and prevented periodontal damage in irradiated rats with experimental periodontitis. Further research is needed regarding the use of systemic melatonin administration before radiation therapy

on left ventricular heart tissues of rats

Background and ObjectiveCurrent epidemiological works have suggested that chronic infections, such as periodontitis, are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, including hypertrophy and heart failure. However, mechanisms behind the association are not known. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of periodontitis on the serum lipid levels, inflammatory marker levels and left ventricular heart muscle tissues of rats.Material and MethodsEighteen male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into two groups: control (without ligature) and experimental periodontitis (EP; ligatured). Periodontitis was induced by placing ligatures (3.0 silk) at a submarginal position of the lower first molar teeth for 5 wk. Serum samples were collected for biochemical studies (C-reactive protein, interleukin-1, tumor necrosis factor- and serum lipids), after which the rats were killed and heart tissue samples were obtained for histopathological and immunological studies (nuclear factor kappa B and -myosin heavy chain).ResultsSignificant increases in C-reactive protein and interleukin-1 levels and no statistically significant increase in tumor necrosis factor- level were observed in the EP group compared to the control group. In addition, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglyceride levels were significantly higher in the EP group. Stereological and immunological findings showed that the number of nuclear factor kappa B-p65- and -myosin heavy chain-positive cardiomyocytes increased significantly in the left ventricular tissue samples of the rats with periodontitis.ConclusionEarly chronic phase effects of periodontitis on heart tissue are in the form of degenerative and hypotrophic changes. Prolonging the exposure to systemic inflammatory stress may increase the risk of occurrence of hypertrophic changes

MT6415CA: A 640x512-15 mu m CTIA ROIC for SWIR InGaAs Detector Arrays

This paper reports the development of a new low-noise CTIA ROIC (MT6415CA) suitable for SWIR InGaAs detector arrays for low-light imaging applications. MT6415CA is the second product in the MT6400 series ROICs from Mikro-Tasarim Ltd., which is a fabless IC design house specialized in the development of monolithic imaging sensors and ROICs for hybrid imaging sensors. MT6415CA is a low-noise snapshot CTIA ROIC, has a format of 640 x 512 and pixel pitch of 15 mu m, and has been developed with the system-on-chip architecture in mind, where all the timing and biasing for this ROIC are generated on-chip without requiring any external inputs. MT6415CA is a highly configurable ROIC, where many of its features can be programmed through a 3-wire serial interface allowing on-the-fly configuration of many ROIC features. It performs snapshot operation both using Integrate-Then-Read (ITR) and Integrate-While-Read (IWR) modes. The CTIA type pixel input circuitry has three gain modes with programmable full-well-capacity (FWC) values of 10.000 e-, 20.000 e-, and 350.000 e-in the very high gain (VHG), high-gain (HG), and low-gain (LG) modes, respectively. MT6415CA has an input referred noise level of less than 5 e-in the very high gain (VHG) mode, suitable for very low-noise SWIR imaging applications. MT6415CA has 8 analog video outputs that can be programmed in 8, 4, or 2-output modes with a selectable analog reference for pseudo-differential operation. The ROIC runs at 10 MHz and supports frame rate values up to 200 fps in the 8-output mode. The integration time can be programmed up to 1s in steps of 0.1 mu s. The ROIC uses 3.3 V and 1.8V supply voltages and dissipates less than 150 mW in the 4-output mode. MT6415CA is fabricated using a modern mixed-signal CMOS process on 200 mm CMOS wafers, and tested parts are available at wafer or die levels with test reports and wafer maps. A compact USB 3.0 camera and imaging software have been developed to demonstrate the imaging performance of SWIR sensors built with MT6415CA ROI

tissue breakdown in irradiated rats with experimental periodontitis

Background and ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to analyze the biochemical and histochemical effects of radiation therapy and protective melatonin administration on periodontal tissues in rats with experimental periodontitis.Material and MethodsSixty male Sprague Dawley rats were divided into six groups, as follows: control; experimental periodontitis (Ped); radiotherapy administration (Rt); experimental periodontitis and exposure to irradiation (Ped-Rt); radiotherapy and protective melatonin administration (Rt-Mel); and periodontitis, radiation therapy and protective melatonin administration (Ped-Rt-Mel). The rats were killed at the end of the experimental procedure, and the oxidative stress level and periodontal destruction were compared among the groups.ResultsThe oxidative stress index and the levels of 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine, malondialdehyde and C-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen were found to be significantly higher in the Ped-Rt group compared with the Ped group (p < 0.05), and the levels were lower in the Ped-Rt-Mel group than in the Ped-Rt group (p < 0.05). Alveolar bone destruction and attachment level were also significantly lower in the Ped-Rt-Mel group than in the Ped-Rt group (p < 0.05).ConclusionIt was found that radiotherapy increased oxidative stress, the periodontal attachment level and alveolar bone loss, and protective melatonin administration significantly reduced the oxidative parameters and prevented periodontal damage in irradiated rats with experimental periodontitis. Further research is needed regarding the use of systemic melatonin administration before radiation therapy

MT3825BA: a 384×288-25µm ROIC for uncooled microbolometer FPAs

This paper reports the development of a new microbolometer Readout Integrated Circuit (ROIC) called MT3825BA. It has a format of 384 x 288 and a pixel pitch of 25 mu m. MT3825BA is Mikro-Tasarim's second microbolometer ROIC product, which is developed specifically for resistive surface micro-machined microbolometer detector arrays using high-TCR pixel materials, such as VOx and a-Si. MT3825BA has a system-on-chip architecture, where all the timing, biasing, and pixel non-uniformity correction (NUC) operations in the ROIC are applied using on-chip circuitry simplifying the use and system integration of this ROIC. The ROIC is designed to support pixel resistance values ranging from 30 K Omega to 100 K Omega. MT3825BA is operated using conventional row based readout method, where pixels in the array are read out in a row-by-row basis, where the applied bias for each pixel in a given row is updated at the beginning of each line period according to the applied line based NUC data. The NUC data is applied continuously in a row-by-row basis using the serial programming interface, which is also used to program user configurable features of the ROIC, such as readout gain, integration time, and number of analog video outputs. MT3825BA has a total of 4 analog video outputs and 2 analog reference outputs, placed at the top and bottom of the ROIC, which can be programmed to operate in the 1, 2, and 4-output modes, supporting frames rates well above 60 fps at a 3 MHz pixel output rate. The pixels in the array are read out with respect to reference pixels implemented above and below actual array pixels. The bias voltage of the pixels can be programmed over a 1.0 V range to compensate for the changes in the detector resistance values due to the variations coming from the manufacturing process or changes in the operating temperature. The ROIC has an on-chip integrated temperature sensor with a sensitivity of better than 5 mV/K, and the output of the temperature sensor can be read out the output as part of the analog video stream. MT3825BA can be used to build a microbolometer FPAs with an NETD value below 100 mK using a microbolometer detector array fabrication technology with a detector resistance value up to 100 K Omega, a high TCR value (>2 % /K), and a sufficiently low pixel thermal conductance (G(th) <= 20 nW / K). MT3825BA measures 13.0 mm x 13.5 mm and is fabricated on 200 mm CMOS wafers. The microbolometer ROIC wafers are engineered to have flat surface finish to simplify the wafer level detector fabrication and wafer level vacuum packaging (WLVP). The ROIC runs on 3.3 V analog and 1.8 V digital supplies, and dissipates less than 85 mW in the 2-output mode at 30 fps. Mikro-Tasarim provides tested ROIC wafers and offers compact test electronics and software for its ROIC customers to shorten their FPA and camera development cycles