?Iskemik ve Hemorajik ? Inmeli Hastalarda Elektrokardiyografik Anormalliklerin Karşilaştirilmasi

PubMed: 15165948Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the electrocardiographic (ECG) abnormalities in patients with acute ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke who had no history of heart disease. Method: During 12 months, 222 consecutive stroke patients were enrolled in this study. Of them 162 had ischemic stroke and 60 had hemorrhagic stroke. Frequency of arrhythmias and ECG changes were compared between two stroke groups. Electrocardiographic abnormalities included ischemia-like changes (ST-segment depression or elevation, abnormal T and U waves), QTc prolongation and arrhythmias. Results: Ischemic stroke patients were elder than hemorrhagic ones (64±14 vs 57±13 years, p=0.003). Other clinical characteristics were comparable in both groups. Ischemia-like ECG changes were found in 65% of ischemic stroke patients while they were observed in 57% of hemorrhagic stroke patients (p=0.33). Atrial fibrillation was more frequent in ischemic stroke than in hemorrhagic stroke (34% vs 13%, p=0.01) patients. Individually, other ECG abnormalities were not different in both groups. With relation of ECG abnormalities to location of the brain lesion, there was a trend in favor of involvement of the temporal, frontal and parietal lobes. Conclusion: Regardless stroke-related lesion, ECG abnormalities can be seen frequently in stroke patients without primary heart disease. They can lead to diagnostic and therapeutic difficulties for cardiologists and neurologists

Amniotic fluid amino acid levels in non-immune hydrops fetalis: a case-control study

In a prospective case-control study, we compared the amniotic fluid amino acid levels in non-immune hydrops fetalis (NIHF) and normal fetuses. Eighty fetuses underwent amniocentesis for different reasons at the prenatal diagnosis unit of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Dicle University. Forty of these fetuses were diagnosed with NIHF. The study included 40 women each in the NIHF (mean age: 27.69 ± 4.56 years) and control (27.52 ± 5.49 years) groups, who had abnormal double- or triple-screening test values with normal fetuses with gestational ages of 23.26 ± 1.98 and 23.68 ± 1.49 weeks at the time of sample collection, respectively. Amniotic fluid amino acid concentrations (intra-assay variation: 2.26-7.85%; interassay variation: 3.45-8.22%) were measured using EZ:faast kits (EZ:faast GC/FID free (physiological) amino acid kit; Phenomenex, USA) by gas chromatography. The standard for quantitation was a mixture of free amino acids from Phenomenex. The levels of 21 amino acids were measured. The mean phosphoserine and serine levels were significantly lower in the NIHF group, while the taurine, α-aminoadipic acid (aaa), glycine, cysteine, NH4, and arginine (Arg) levels were significantly higher compared to control. Significant risk variables for the NIHF group and odds coefficients were obtained using a binary logistic regression method. The respective odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for the risk variables phosphoserine, taurine, aaa, Arg, and NH4 were 3.31 (1.84-5.97), 2.45 (1.56-3.86), 1.78 (1.18-2.68), 2.18 (1.56-3.04), and 2.41 (1.66-3.49), respectively. The significant difference between NIHF and control fetuses suggests that the amniotic fluid levels of some amino acids may be useful for the diagnosis of NIHF