Bronchiolitis needs a revisit: Distinguishing between virus entities and their treatments

Current data indicate that the “bronchiolitis” diagnosis comprises more than one condition. Clinically, pathophysiologically, and even genetically three main clusters of patients can be identified among children suffering from severe bronchiolitis (or first wheezing episode): (a) respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)-induced bronchiolitis, characterized by young age of the patient, mechanical obstruction of the airways due to mucus and cell debris, and increased risk of recurrent wheezing. For this illness, an effective prophylactic RSV-specific monoclonal antibody is available; (b) rhinovirus-induced wheezing, associated with atopic predisposition of the patient and high risk of subsequent asthma development, which may, however, be reversed with systemic corticosteroids in those with severe illness; and (c) wheeze due to other viruses, characteristically likely to be less frequent and severe. Clinically, it is important to distinguish between these partially overlapping patient groups as they are likely to respond to different treatments. It appears that the first episode of severe bronchiolitis in under 2-year-old children is a critical event and an important opportunity for designing secondary prevention strategies for asthma. As data have shown bronchiolitis cannot simply be diagnosed using a certain cutoff age, but instead, as we suggest, using the viral etiology as the differentiating factor.</p

Photodegradation of 2,4-Dichlorophenoxy Acetic Acid on TiO2, ZnO and Fe2O3 by Sunlight

WOS: 000264759000087The photocatalytic degradation of 2,4-dichlorophenoxy acetic acid (2,4-D) in aqueous solution containing a suspension of titanium dioxide (TiO2), zinc oxide (ZnO) and ferric oxide (Fe2O3) was studied under sunlight or concentrated sunlight. As expected, in the presence of TiO2 and ZnO irradiated by concentrated sunlight, the rate of photodegradation of 2,4-dichlorophenoxy acetic acid was seen to be faster than that irradiated by direct sunlight. Its degradation was not observed in the absence of catalyst and in the dark. TiO2 and ZnO which possess more higher band gap energy than that of Fe2O3 are effective photosensitizer for the degradation of this pesticide under concentrated sunlight. The band gap energy of reddish brown Fe2O3 (2.2 eV) is lower than that of colourless TiO2 (3.2 eV) and ZnO (3.2 eV). Fe2O3 absorbs more longer wavelength of the sunlight than others, but it is not successful as a catalyst under visible light. The results of all UV absorbtion spectroscopy and HPLC analysis regarding products illuminated showed that the complete degradations of 2,4-dichlorophenoxy acetic acid containing ZnO and TiO2 were observed nearly 99 and 85% only in 45 min under concentrated sunlight.Ege University Research Funds OfficeEge University; Scientific and Technical Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK)Turkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Arastirma Kurumu (TUBITAK)The authors express their appreciation to Ege University Research Funds Office and Scientific and Technical Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) for financial support of this project. The authors are grateful to Prof Dr. Siddik Icli, Director of Solar Energy Institute and the Institute of Hifzisihha, Izmir for HPLC analysis. Thanks are also due to Selami Solmaz, Belgin Uluocak and Gulser Akbas and other workers in the water research laboratory and the pesticide research laboratory. One of the authors (OS) thanks TUBITAK for scholarship

Synthesis, properties and photodynamic activities of some zinc(II) phthalocyanines against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus

5th International Conference on Porphyrins and Phthalocyanines -- JUL 06-11, 2008 -- Moscow, RUSSIAWOS: 000261517000008Two new zinc phthalocyanine derivatives bearing four 3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxy-phenyl (ZnPc1) and 3,5-dimethylphenoxy (ZnPc2) have been synthesized and proved by elemental analyses and UV-vis, H-1 NMR, FTIR and MALDI-TOF mass spectra as spectroscopic determination. Thermal stabilities of these neutral Zn-phthalocyanines were performed by thermal gravimetric analysis and, significantly, were found stable up to 373 degrees C for ZnPc1 and 550 degrees C for ZnPc2. In addition, the photostability of the sensitizers was quite successful within 240 min. Furthermore, photodynamic therapy has been investigated using these neutral phthalocyanines. Singlet oxygen generation capacities of ZnPc1 and ZnPc2 were studied using 1,3-diphenyl-iso-benzofuran (50.0 mu M) as a selective singlet oxygen trap in DMSO and both of them demonstrated very high singlet oxygen generation capacity. Photodynamic therapy is of considerable interest for its potential its an antimicrobial therapy on the grounds that the photodynamic activity of these compounds was tested against a Gram-negative bacteria, Escherichia coli and a Gram-positive bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus. Suspensions of the microorganisms were irradiated for 240 min in the presence of ZnPc1 (with hydrophilic group) and ZnPc2 phthalocyanines. In order to simulate solar radiation, we used a 750 W xenon lamp. Minimum photosensitizer concentration was used as 0.1 mg.10 mL(-1) in 1% dimethylsulfoxide/phosphate buffer saline solution (DMSO/PBS). Moreover, the photostability of these compounds has been investigated and the effect of the amount of DMSO tested against selected bacteria. In the dark, with and without Pes, bacterial inactivation did not occur. Bacterial inactivation by light with ZnPc1 was observed in response to Gram-negative bacteria E. coli and Gram-positive bacteria S. aureus, whereas the photoinactivation studies with ZnPc2 have revealed that the lack of its activity is due to its poor affinity for either of the organisms. These results suggest that a neutral amphiphilic photosensitizer may be easily used in an application concerning photoinactivation of bacterial cells as well as ionic photosensitizers. Copyright (c) 2008 Society of Porphyrins & Phthalocyanines

Ultrasound guided continuous paravertebral block in a patient with coronary heart disease and sleep apnea syndrome

The case of a 77-year-old patient with severe coronary heart disease who underwent radical mastectomy with axillary lymph node dissection by ultrasound-guided continuous paravertebral block (CPVB) is described in the present report. Radical mastectomy with axillary dissection is a surgical procedure that necessitates endotracheal intubation and is usually performed under general anesthesia, which carries heightened risk for patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) and sleep apnea syndrome (SAS). Ultrasound-guided CPVB is a simple and safe alternative technique that allows for the use of anesthesia and postoperative analgesia with minimal side effects

Efficacy of EMG-biofeedback in knee osteoarthritis

This study was designed to investigate the additive effect of EMG-biofeedback in rehabilitation of knee osteoarthritis. Forty patients, aged 45-70, with the diagnosis of knee osteoarthritis according to American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria were taken into the study. The patients were randomly assigned in two groups. One group (n = 20) received strengthening exercise program with EMG-biofeedback while the other group (n = 20) had the same exercise program without biofeedback for 3 weeks. The clinical outcome was assessed on the basis of pain with visual analog scale (VAS), function with Western Ontario McMaster Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) and quality of life with Nottingham Health Profile (NHP). Quadriceps strength was measured with Cybex isokinetic dynamometer, isokinetically at the angular velocities of 60 and 180A degrees/s and isometric strength at 65A degrees of knee flexion. Pain, WOMAC scores and muscle strength improved in both groups but there was no statistically significant differences between two groups (p > 0.05). In both groups physical mobility, pain scores of NHP improved significantly (p < 0.001) while in EMG-biofeedback group energy and sleep scores also improved after treatment (p < 0.05). As reported in the literature, in our study, strengthening exercises improved pain, function, muscle strength and quality of life in patients with knee osteoarthritis. But it seems that there is no significant additive effect of EMG-biofeedback to regular strengthening exercise program in these patients

Abdominoscrotal hydrocele with bilateral hydronephrosis in an adult: Case report

Abdominoscrotal hydrocele is a rare entity with unclear etiology which may be diagnosed with general examination and ultrasound imaging. During examination it may misinterpreted as acute urinary retention of the bladder (globe-like) especially if associated with hydronephrosis. It should be treated surgically. Here we present a case of left abdominoscrotal hydrocele with accompanying left grade 2 and right grade 1 hydronephrosis

Massive alimentary tract bleeding due to cytomegalovirus infection in an elderly patient

In recent years, cytomegalovirus (CMV) has been recognized as an important common pathogen in immunocompromized patients. This is due to the increasing number of immunosuppressive medications, intensive cancer chemotherapy use, recurrent transplantations, progressively aging population, and the higher number of human immunodeficiency virus infections. Cytomegalovirus infection especially interests the gastrointestinal tract, anywhere, from the mouth to the anus. Namely, the most commonly affected area is the colon, followed by duodenum, stomach, esophagus and small intestine. The most frequent manifestations of CMV colitis are: diarrhea, fever, gastrointestinal bleeding and abdominal pain. We report here the case of an 82-year-old woman, who was treated for non-Hodgkin lymphoma; she was admitted to the emergency department for abdominal pain and diffuse arthralgia, following massive upper- and lower- gastrointestinal bleeding, due to duodenal and colonic ulcers related to CMV infection

Effect of Topical Platelet-Rich Plasma on Burn Healing After Partial-Thickness Burn Injury

Background: To investigate the effects of platelet-rich plasma on tissue maturation and burn healing in an experimental partial-thickness burn injury model. Material/Methods: Thirty Wistar albino rats were divided into 3 groups of 10 rats each. Group 1 (platelet-rich plasma group) was exposed to burn injury and topical platelet-rich plasma was applied. Group 2 (control group) was exposed to burn injury only. Group 3 (blood donor group) was used as blood donors for platelet-rich plasma. The rats were killed on the seventh day after burn injury. Tissue hydroxyproline levels were measured and histopathologic changes were examined. Results: Hydroxyproline levels were significantly higher in the platelet-rich plasma group than in the control group (P=.03). Histopathologically, there was significantly less inflammatory cell infiltration (P=.005) and there were no statistically significant differences between groups in fibroblast development, collagen production, vessel proliferations, or epithelization. Conclusions: Platelet-rich plasma seems to partially improve burn healing in this experimental burn injury model. As an initial conclusion, it appears that platelet-rich plasma can be used in humans, although further studies should be performed with this type of treatment

The reliability and validity of the Turkish version of the Western Ontario Rotator Cuff index

To adapt the Western Ontario Rotator Cuff (WORC) index for use in Turkey and to investigate its reliability and validity; the Turkish version of the WORC was developed according to the guidelines in the literature. Seventy-two patients with rotator cuff disease were administered the questionnaire and were also evaluated by using the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) shoulder rating scale, Constant score, and Short Form (SF)-36 to test validity. The WORC questionnaire was repeated in 35 patients after a mean interval of 2.9 days (range 2-7 days) to evaluate test-retest reliability. Cronbach's alpha was calculated as 0.92 for the total questionnaire. The intraclass correlation coefficients were very high and ranged between 0.96 and 0.98 for each section. There was a significant negative correlation between the Turkish version of WORC and UCLA (r = -0.598, P < 0.01), Constant score (r = -0.630, P < 0.01), and all subscales of SF-36 (P < 0.01). The Turkish version of the WORC index is a reliable and valid instrument for use in clinical trials in patients with rotator cuff disorders