Evaluation of Epidemiological and Clinical Properties of Kawasaki Disease: A Single Center Experience

WOS: 000436738000003BACKGROUND Kawasaki disease (KD) is a self-limiting vasculitis with unknown etiology. The most feared complication is coronary artery aneurysm. This study aimed to evaluate the epidemiological, laboratory, and clinical properties of Turkish patients with Kawasaki disease. MATERIAL and METHODS This retrospective study included the patients with KD who were diagnosed according to the American Heart Association guidelines. The demographic, clinical, and laboratory results of patients were obtained from the recordings. RESULTS The study included 72 patients with KD. The male/female ratio was 1.4. The mean age of diagnose was 35 +/- 26 months. The most frequent clinical finding was oropharyngeal inflammatory changes (n=64, 89%), and the most rare clinical finding was desquamation in the distal parts of the extremities (n=44, 61%). Coronary artery involvement was detected in 33 (46%) patients, which was higher than the other Asian countries but similar to other studies conducted in Turkey. The most frequently affected vessel was the left coronary artery (n=26, 79%). Coronary artery involvement was higher in males than in females (p<0.05). The clinical type was incomplete KD in 26 (36%) patients. During the study period, the number of the patients per year increased with every passing year. Throughout the study duration of 14 years, the number of newly diagnosed incomplete KD patients increased year by year, (17 patients (65%) were diagnosed in the last 5 years). CONCLUSION The number of patients diagnosed with typical and incomplete KD has been increasing in recent years. Clinicians' awareness regarding KD may be the reason of this increment. Coronary artery disturbances are frequently observed in Turkish population

Determination of Feederless Casting Limits by Thermal Analysis in Cast Iron

In this study the determinations of melt quality was carried out by thermal analysis of ductile iron. The aim of the study was to determine the limits of feederless casting after the determination of inoculation quality in cast iron. Production method of pouring into a sand mold in the entirety and without using feeder systems has been investigated. Forms of the solidification and volume change have been investigated with simulation program as functions of inoculation quality, type of resin in the mold and mold rigidity. Results of the analysis have been compared with the results of experimental iron casting

Successful Orthotopic Heart Transplantation in Patients with Becker Muscular Dystrophy

Ulger, Zulal/0000-0003-4708-0442; dogan, eser/0000-0002-0340-7741WOS:000617712200016Cardiomyopathy is a major factor contributing to mortality and morbidity in patients with Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophies (DMD/BMD), and is therefore among the increasingly important findings. These X-linked recessive disorders involve the deficiency or absence of dystrophin in the skeletal muscle as well as the myocardium. This defect brings about changes in the cardiac muscle in three phases: an initial hypertrophic stage, followed by an arrhythmogenic stage, and finally end-stage dilated cardiomyopathy due to increased loss of myocytes. While cardiac involvement can be observed in carriers of BMD and DMD, the incidence of dilated cardiomyopathy is reported to be higher in BMD patients than DMD patients. The only curative treatment option for medically refractory dystrophinopathicend-stage heart failure is heart transplantation. in this report, we present two patients, 14 and 15 years of age, who presented with dilated cardiomyopathy and were diagnosed with muscular dystrophy. One of the patients remains under follow-up with a left ventricular assist device as a bridge-to-transplantation, while the other underwent successful orthotopic heart transplantation

Serum Adiponectin and hsCRP Levels and Non-Invasive Radiological Methods in the Early Diagnosis of Cardiovascular System Complications in Children and Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus

WOS: 000339649600007PubMed ID: 24072086Objective: Adiponectin and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) can be used as early biochemical markers of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Radiologically, non-invasive flow-mediated dilation (FMD) of the brachial artery and carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) measurements may be used as indicators in the early diagnosis of CVDs. To compare the biochemical markers of atherosclerosis with radiological markers of CVDs (CIMT, FMD, ventricular systolic and diastolic functions) and to assess the relationship of these parameters with metabolic control in diabetic children and adolescents. Methods: A total of 55 patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) of at least 5-year duration and 30 healthy subjects were included in the study. Serum adiponectin, hsCRP, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), and lipid levels were evaluated in the patients and in the controls. CIMT, FMD, ventricular systolic and diastolic functions were assessed by echocardiography. Results: Mean age of the patients with diabetes was 17.6 years; mean diabetes duration was 10.4 years. Mean serum hsCRP was elevated in children with diabetes (0.21 +/- 0.31 vs. 0.10 +/- 0.16 mu g/mL, p=0.00), while no significant difference from the controls was found in adiponectin levels. Mean CIMT was significantly higher in diabetic children compared to the control group (0.53 +/- 0.11 vs. 0.34 +/- 0.46 mm, p=0.00). Mean FMD of the diabetic children was significantly lower than that of the controls (6.86 +/- 2.85% vs. 12.13 +/- 1.99%, p=0.00). Diabetes duration was positively correlated with CIMT and negatively correlated with FMD. Right ventricular (RV) and left ventricular (LV) myocardial performance index (MPI) were higher in the patient group (p=0.00). Conclusions: Our data suggest that in addition to standard echocardiography, tissue Doppler echocardiography, FMD, and CIMT can be used as early-stage radiological markers and hsCRP as an early-stage biochemical marker of atherosclerosis in the routine follow-up of T1DM patients.Department of Research Project of Ege UniversityEge UniversityThis study is sponsored by the Department of Research Project of Ege University