Preliminary report on surgical mask induced deoxygenation during major surgery

WOS: 000256871900003PubMed: 18500410Objectives. This study was undertaken to evaluate whether the surgeons' oxygen saturation of hemoglobin was affected by the surgical mask or not during major operations. Methods. Repeated measures, longitudinal and prospective observational study was performed on 53 surgeons using a pulse oximeter pre and postoperatively. Results. Our study revealed a decrease in the oxygen saturation of arterial pulsations (SpO(2)) and a slight increase in pulse rates compared to preoperative values in all surgeon groups. The decrease was more prominent in the surgeons aged over 35. Conclusions. Considering our findings, pulse rates of the surgeon's increase and SpO(2) decrease after the first hour. This early change in SpO(2) may be either due to the facial mask or the operational stress. Since a very small decrease in saturation at this level, reflects a large decrease in PaO(2), our findings may have a clinical value for the health workers and the surgeons

Effects of vasoconstriction on the acute anterior pituitary hormonal response to head injury

WOS: 000178883400008PubMed: 12372703Since cerebral vasoconstriction alone may impair the hypothalamic and pituitary circulation, we planned to investigate whether the hormonal response to the vasoconstriction that may be induced by the head injury is a significant component of the general acute hormonal response to head injury. Although diffuse adrenocorticotropic hormone immunohistochemical staining of the adenohypophysis of rabbits was observed in the head trauma administered group, only mild positive staining was present in the Endothelin-1 administered group. However, decreased prolactin staining was found in both of the groups. It is postulated that trauma induced vasoconstriction may not be an important manipulating factor in the corticotrophic hormone response to injury, while it may be responsible for the decreased prolactin response. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved

Effects of trauma and pain on the acute anterior pituitary hormonal response

PubMed: 12147213The aim of this study was to compare the effects of trauma and pain on the pituitary gland so as to determine whether pain is a significant component in the general acute hormonal trauma response. Adenohypophysis of rabbits that have undergone either diffuse traumatic brain injury or pain were investigated using immunohistochemistry. The ACTH staining pattern of the pain-administered rabbits was not as strong as the head-trauma-administered group, whereas PRL staining pattern of the former group was not so weak as the later group. As a conclusion, since adrenocorticotrophic hormone and prolactin staining patterns were different in the trauma administered and pain induced groups; it may be postulated that pain alone may not be an important factor in the hormonal response to trauma. © 2002 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd

Ultrastructural damage in vascular endothelium in rats treated with paclitaxel and doxorubicin

Meeting of the Society-for-Ultrastructural-Pathology/Annual Session of the United-States-and-Canadian-Academy-of-Pathology -- FEB, 2005 -- San Antonio, TXWOS: 000238155000012PubMed: 16517476Endothelium is the first physiological barrier between blood and tissues and can be injured by physical or chemical stress, particularly by the drugs used in the cancer therapy. Paclitaxel and doxorubicin are frequently used anticancer drugs and their cardiac side effects are well observed in clinical setting. Their side effects on the endothelium are still not clear enough. There are few investigations assessing the damages elicited by the combination use of chemotherapy agents in animal experimental models. The purpose of this study was to examine and compare the side effects of doxorubicin and paclitaxel on endothelium in vivo. The drugs were administered weekly to rats via intraperitoneal injections singly or in combinations. Lastly, aorta endothelium was examined. The most familiar parts of the aorta endothelium are the nucleus, free ribosomes, Weibel-Palada granules, plasmalemmal vesicles, and clear basement membrane. Examination of the endothelium and the related structures revealed some clear degenerative findings. Notably, administration of a paclitaxel and doxorubicin combinations caused the most dramatic change in ultrastructure, which may disrupt many functions of the endothelium.Soc Ultrastructural Pathol, US Canadian Acad Patho

Redundant ventriculomegaly associated with brain abscess

WOS: 000180242000009PubMed: 12529776Although brain abscess had a high mortality rate, improvements in radiologic imaging facilities, bacteriological techniques and antibiotics have resulted in a mortality of about 5%(16.11,31). Our aim was to emphasize the recently observed increase in the incidence of ventriculomegaly associated with brain abscess among the patients operated on in our hospital during five years. The causes and management of this well-known complication of brain abscesses was also discussed

Nocardia farcinica brain abscess: a case report and review of the literature

WOS: 000227230100015PubMed: 15632997Nocardia infection is not rare as generally been assumed and its mortality rate is high. It is isolated from plants and soil in most regions of the worid. The hosts usually have predisposing conditions and the infection is acquired through the respiratory tract or skin. Nocardial organisms have a tendency to disseminate hematogenously from the primary site of infection to brain, kidney, joints, bones and eyes. Sulfonamides are preferred empirically for the treatment. Because of high relapse rates, the treatment must be continued for 12 months. In nocardia farcinica infection, the characteristic resistance pattern to cephalosporines must be kept in mind. In this article, a rare case of nocardia farcinica infection with a solitary cerebral abscess is presented and the literature is reviewed

Imaging problems and clinical findings in adolescent lumbar disc herniation: A retrospective study

WOS: 000180322000005PubMed: 12518259Objectives: Disc degeneration probably begins in childhood although low back pain and radicular leg pain is not as common a complaint as in adults. However as yet no explanation exists for the appearance of advanced degenerative changes seen occasionally in patients in their twenties. Patients and methods: We report 12 adolescents between the ages of 15 and 20 among a total of 1068 cases with radiologically demonstrated lumbar disc herniations treated between March 1991 and March 1996. Results: Most of their findings were in good agreement with earlier and more recent reports. The only different findings worth commenting upon were the common presence of multiple level disc herniations, and the occasional presence of a so called "fractured epiphysial plate". Conclusion: Depending on magnetic resonance imaging findings coupled with computed tomographic images: we suppose that the so called "fractured bone fragments of the vertebral epiphysial rim impinging on the spinal canal at multiple levels" and "wedges of bone attached to the disc end plate and associated bony defects in the margins of the posterior vertebral bodies" reported to be demonstrated on computed tomographic (CT) images may in fact be false images. Inappropriately angled CT scan slices may cut partly through the epiphysial ring which has totally been distracted backwards together with the firmly attached avulsed disc annuli, designated as an "epiphysial avulsion"; giving rise to the mistaken interpretation as a "fractured epiphysial ring" appearance. Such a mechanism may also involve the posterior longitudinal ligament, which is firmly attached to the neighboring annuli, accounting for the common multilevel involvement