Urinary nitrite excretion in low birth weight neonates with systemic inflammatory response syndrome

Increased nitric oxide (NO) levels are thought to play an important role in the pathophysiology of the systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) which is caused by disseminated vascular endothelial damage. Clinical studies have shown that urinary nitrite (NO2-) and nitrate (NO3-) excretions can be utilized as indexes of NO formation. The SIRS and NO relationship was investigated in 15 neonates with SIRS, gestational age 32.5 +/- 4.4 weeks and weight 1,737 +/- 753 g. The control group comprised 18 neonates with a gestational age of 32.8 +/- 3.5 weeks and a weight of 1,778 +/- 538 g. There was no significant difference in birth weights and gestational ages between the two groups (p > 0.05 and p > 0.05). The urinary nitrite levels obtained in the subjects were normalized for urinary creatinine concentrations. The mean urinary nitrite levels in the control group neonates were found to be 4.22 +/- 1.8 mu mol/mmol creatinine on the Ist day, 4.09 +/- 2.28 on the 2nd, 3.62 +/- 1.6 on the 3rd, and 4.01 +/- 1.12 mu mol/mmol creatinine on the 7th day. There were no statistically significant differences between these levels (p > 0.05). We determined urinary levels of nitrite in neonates in the study group within the first 24 h of SIRS symptoms and found these levels (18.35 +/- 11.16 mu mol nitrite/mmol creatinine) to be elevated as compared with those of the control subjects on the 7th day of life (p < 0.0005). In conclusion, urinary nitrite excretion is significantly elevated in neonates with SIRS due to septic events, and these results suggest that NO might play a part in SIRS

Relationship between anterior inferior cerebellar artery and facial-vestibulocochlear nerve complex: An anatomical and magnetic resonance images correlation study

PubMed ID: 15578345For the successful microneurosurgical treatment of CP angle located pathologies, an understanding of the relationship and variations between neural and vascular structures and a certain diagnosis are the most valuable factors for surgeons. CP angle lesions have now become a visible area by advances in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology. An evaluation of this area and the decision for a neurosurgical decompression procedure are easier than before. Twenty unfixed adult human cadaver specimens, that have no sign of central nervous system pathology, were obtained and dissected bilaterally at routine autopsy. The facial-vestibulocochlear (VII-VIIIth) nerve complex and the anterior inferior cerebellar artery (AICA) were identified in all specimens. Thirteen of the 40 (32.5%) AICA were situated ventrally and fourteen (35%) were located dorsally to the VII-VIIIth nerve complex. Thirteen (32.5%) passed between the VIIth and the VIIIth nerve fibers. Five of the 40 (12.5%) AICA had a loop near the nerve complex and then passed the nerves ventrally or dorsally. In an MRI study 74 adult persons (148 sides) were investigated by using three-dimensional Fourier transformation constructive interference in the steady state technique (3D FT-CISS) on a 1.5 Tesla MRI system (Siemens Magnetom, Erlangen, Germany). The results were as follows; 48 AICA (32.4% of all 148 AICA) were situated ventrally to the VII-VIIIth nerve complex, 45 AICA (30.4%) were situated dorsally to the VII-VIIIth nerve complex, and the AICA passed between the VIIth and VIIIth nerves in 51 samples (34.5%). In four of the 148 CP angles (2.7%), the AICA was not identified. There was an AICA loop coursing to the internal acoustic meatus in 15 patients (10.1%). In this study, we examined the relations between VIIth and VIIIth nerve complex and the AICA in cadaver and MRI materials for an understanding of the value and reliability of the radiological data. This study also shows the anatomical variation between these structures

Serum magnesium, copper, and zinc alterations following spinal fusion.

Changes in serum magnesium, copper and zinc values were evaluated in spinal fusion patients at four monitorings. For magnesium and copper individually, a significant difference was found between the mean values at each monitoring (p < 0.05), whereas the changes of zinc values between four monitorings were insignificant. There was no statistical difference between the changes of each trace element values and gender, age, operative time, intraoperative blood loss, blood replacement, number of the vertebral levels fused, and antibiotic type used

Erratum: Collar-induced changes in matrix metallo-proteinase-2 and -9 activities in the rabbit carotid artery and effect of endothelin antagonism (European Journal of Biochemistry (2004) 271, Suppl. 1 (83))

[No abstract available