Coming from behind to win - A Qualitative research about psychological conditions of adolescents who have undergone open-heart surgery for single ventricle between the ages 0-5

Early recognition of congenital cardiac pathologies and their treatment by means of palliative or corrective surgery at birth or infancy has vital importance. Successful repair of congenital cardiac defects by surgical methods has gained importance especially during the last twenty years. As the scope of the surveillance increased so did the interest in the outcomes of these treatments when the patients had reached puberty and adulthood. The purpose of our research was to study the psychological framework of the adolescents who had experienced these surgeries by listening both the children and the parents talk about their feelings and experiences. Our data was accumulated through interviews with 17 adolescents and their families, using qualitative methods. The main theme at the end of the analysis was "to be strong and resistive". We reached the conclusion that this condition was not a pathological build up but an attitude of coping, as it did not cause loss of functionality. The defensive psychological mechanisms used by these adolescents consisted of repression, compensation and reaction formation. We believe that this information is important to understand the real meaning of the manners displayed when these adolescents and their families pursue their daily lives, communicate and make relationships with their environment and especially professionals in the health services

Cytotoxic and anti-angiogenic effects of zoledronic acid in DU-145 and PC-3 prostate cancer cell lines

WOS: 000573399300001PubMed: 32989500This study aims to investigate the apoptotic and anti-angiogenic effect of Zoledronic acid on hormone-refractory prostate cancer cell lines. XTT cell proliferation assay used to assess cytotoxicity. Caspase 3/7 activity and DNA fragmentation were measured to verify apoptosis. Angiogenic cytokine profiles investigated using the human angiogenesis antibody array I. Administration of Zoledronic acid on PC-3 and DU-145 prostate cancer cell lines resulted in increased cytotoxicity and apoptosis with a time- and dose-related manner. Also, the administration of Zoledronic acid significantly reduced several angiogenic cytokine productions in PC-3 and DU-145 cell lines. Zoledronic acid successfully induced apoptosis and reduced various angiogenic cytokine production in hormone-refractory prostate cancer cell lines. Novel treatment protocols may be developed in the future with chemotherapeutic combinations for the treatment of prostate cancer

Membranoproliferative Glomerulonephritis Preceding Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Recurrence: A Case Report

Introduction: Membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis has been reported to occur in association with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma but there is few information about glomerulonephritis response to the treatment of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.Case Presentation: A 67 years-old caucasian female admitted to outpatient clinic with peripheral edema complaint. She had mild proteinuria and microhematuria on admission and tuberculosis, non-Hodgkin lymphoma (cured), diabetes mellitus and hypertension history. Her renal biopsy resulted as&nbsp; membranoproliferative&nbsp; glomerulonephritis&nbsp; and&nbsp; after&nbsp; investigations&nbsp; she&nbsp; got&nbsp; recurrent&nbsp; non-Hodgkinlymphoma&nbsp; diagnosis.&nbsp; After&nbsp; successful&nbsp; treatment&nbsp; of&nbsp; her&nbsp; lymphoma&nbsp; her&nbsp; nephrotic&nbsp; syndrome&nbsp; clinicregressed.Conclusion: Membranoproliferative&nbsp; glomerulonephritis&nbsp; has&nbsp; been&nbsp; known&nbsp; to&nbsp; be&nbsp; associated with&nbsp; non-Hodgkin’s&nbsp; lymphoma.&nbsp; There&nbsp; is&nbsp; limited&nbsp; information&nbsp; available&nbsp; concerning&nbsp; the&nbsp; effects&nbsp; of treatment of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma on the progression of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma associated membranoproliferative&nbsp; glomerulonephritis.&nbsp; We&nbsp; report&nbsp; a&nbsp; rare&nbsp; case&nbsp; of&nbsp; non-Hodgkin’s&nbsp; lymphoma associated&nbsp; membranoproliferative&nbsp; glomerulonephritis,&nbsp; that&nbsp; continued&nbsp; to&nbsp; be&nbsp; in&nbsp; remission&nbsp; after chemotherapy treatment of lymphoma.</p

Deceased donor kidney allocation schemes and international exchange

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: In this review, we summarize different allocation schemes around the world and identify ways to exchange organs between countries. RECENT FINDINGS: The primary goal of transplantation is prolongation of patient survival and an improved quality of life. Most allocation systems try to match the potential survival of the organ with the life expectancy of its recipient. Kidney transplantation enables cost reductions by the avoidance of dialysis for the healthcare system, which is sometimes the driving force for state interventions to enhance donor recruitmentThe major benefit from international exchange is the possibility to transplant highly sensitized patients or patients with rare HLA allele.In a broad international exchange system, there are three possibilities: exchange of surplus organs, exchange of organs to support patients with a potentially excessive waiting time because of HLA antibodies or rare alleles, and exchange of organs to make the best possible match between donor and recipient. SUMMARY: It is possible to shape a hierarchical allocation scheme, which could be applicable in the majority of populations despite different geographical and socioeconomic conditions: allocation to recipients with special requirements (high-urgency, highly sensitized); identification of a within the region/country; in case no suitable recipient can be identified, offer countrywide or between countries; for every organ transferred to another country, there must be an obligation to give one back.status: publishe

Life-Threatening Hypokalemia Presenting with Paralysis after Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy in a Patient with Nephrolithiasis: A Case Report

Guner Oytun, Merve/0000-0002-7417-5415WOS: 000533604700010Distal renal tubular acidosis (Type 1 RTA) is an acid-base disorder characterized by impaired urinary acidification by the distal tubule. Osteomalacia, rickets, nephrocalcinosis, nephrolithiasis, and electrolyte imbalance can be seen in these cases. We report the case of a 24-year-old male patient who had low back pain with a history of nephrolithiasis. Routine laboratory results revealed mild hypokalemia and hyperchloremia. After percutaneous nephrolithotomy surgery, he developed muscle paralysis with a serum potassium level of 1.3 mEq/L. After intensive treatment of hypokalemia, the patient had normal anion gap metabolic acidosis, high urine pH, high transtubular potassium gradient, nephrocalcinosis, and hypercalciuria and was thus diagnosed as having distal RTA. After stabilization of the patient, he was discharged with oral potassium, bicarbonate, and spironolactone medications. Hypokalemia and hyperchloremia in a patient with a history of recurrent renal stones should be kept in mind for a possible distal RTA diagnosis. Prompt diagnosis and treatment of this situation not only reduces the formation of renal stones, but also may be lifesaving in rare cases

A New Quantitative Index for Baseline Renal Transplant Scintigraphy With 99mTc-DTPA in Evaluation of Delayed Graft Function and Prediction of 1-Year Graft Function

WOS: 000370482300002PubMed ID: 26447378Purpose The aims of this study were to assess quantitative indices of baseline renal transplant scintigraphy (RTS) with Tc-99m-DTPA for evaluation of delayed graft function (DGF) and prediction of 1-year graft function and to describe a new inclusive index for RTS. Patients and Methods A total of 179 patients to whom RTS with Tc-99m-DTPA was performed within 2 days after kidney transplantation were analyzed retrospectively. Hilson perfusion index, perfusion time (Delta P), peak-to-plateau ratio, peak perfusion-to-iliac artery ratio, T1/2 of graft washout, peak perfusion-to-uptake ratio, and ratio of uptake at 20 to 3 minutes (R20/3) were obtained. In addition, we first described the following formula defined as graft index (GI): GI = (Delta P x arterial peak x plateau)/(perfusion peak x uptake at 3 minutes). At 1 year, a serum creatinine level of more than 1.5 mg/dL was considered to be abnormal. Mann-Whitney U, Spearman coefficient of correlation test, and receiver operating characteristic curve were used for statistical analyses. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results Mean values of all the indices were significant. The most accurate, sensitive, and specific index for both identification of DGF and prediction of 1-year serum creatinine level of more than 1.5 mg/dL was GI. Area under the curve of GI was 0.94 for identification of DGF and 0.79 for 1-year prediction. Conclusions The question is, "Which index is the best indicator?" This study demonstrated that the parameters of Delta P, plateau, arterial peak, perfusion peak, and uptake at 3 minutes of RTS could be assessed together by the formula of GI, which provides more accurate information to identify DGF and predict 1-year graft function

Evaluation of Antibacterial and Antifungal Effects of Calcium Hydroxide Mixed with Two Different Essential Oils

Background: Calcium hydroxide is a routinely used material for root canal disinfection during root canal treatment. Natural products have great potential in terms of their antibacterial effects. This study aimed to establish an effective alternative intracanal medicament using Origanum dubium (O. dubium) and Mentha spicata (M. spicata) essential oils. Materials and Methods: O. dubium and M. spicata, collected from Lefke, Cyprus, were separately subjected to hydrodistillation. The obtained essential oil compositions were analysed simultaneously by gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The compositions were then divided into groups and mixed with calcium hydroxide at a 1:1 concentration; after that, the pastes were tested on Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis) and Candida albicans (C. albicans), which are the most common resistant pathogenic microorganisms in the root canal. The antibacterial activity of the pastes was measured using a disk diffusion assay. Results: The GC and GC-MS analyses revealed that O. dubium and M. spicata had major compositions of carvacrol (75.8%) and carvone (71.3%), respectively. Antimicrobial activity was found to be significantly higher when study groups with O. dubium essential oil were applied to both E. faecalis and C. albicans. The results also show that M. spicata, together with calcium hydroxide, demonstrated a significant antifungal effect on C. albicans when incubated for 72 h. Conclusions: M. spicata was found to be an effective antimicrobial agent on C. albicans, whereas O. dubium was found to be very effective on both E. faecalis and C. albicans. These data demonstrate that these natural essential oils may be promising candidates for alternative intracanal medicament in future routine clinical applications