Heart Rate Variability in Children with Tricyclic Antidepressant Intoxication

The aim of this study was to evaluate HRV in children requiring intensive care unit stays due to TCA poisoning between March 2009 and July 2010. In the time-domain nonspectral evaluation, the SDNN (P<0.001), SDNNi (P<0.05), RMSDD (P<0.01), and pNN50 (P<0.01) were found to be significantly lower in the TCA intoxication group. The spectral analysis of the data recorded during the first 5 minutes after intensive care unit admission showed that the values of the nLF (P<0.05) and the LF/HF ratio (P=0.001) were significantly higher in the TCA intoxication group, while the nHF (P=0.001) values were significantly lower. The frequency-domain spectral analysis of the data recorded during the last 5 minutes showed a lower nHF (P=0.001) in the TCA intoxication group than in the controls, and the LF/HF ratio was significantly higher (P<0.05) in the intoxication group. The LF/HF ratio was higher in the seven children with seizures (P<0.001). These findings provided us with a starting point for the value of HRV analysis in determining the risk of arrhythmia and convulsion in TCA poisoning patients. HRV can be used as a noninvasive testing method in determining the treatment and prognosis of TCA poisoning patients

Acute Poisoning in Children; Data of a Pediatric Emergency Unit

Objective:Acute Poisoning in children is still an important public health problem and represents a frequent cause of admission in emergency units. The epidemiological surveillance specific for each country is necessary to determine the extent and characteristics of the problem, according to which related preventive measures can be taken. Methods: The present retrospective study describes the epidemiology of accidental and suicidal poisonings in a pediatric population admitted to the Pediatric Emergency Department of Eskisehir Osmangazi University Hospital during the year 2009. Findings: Two hundred eighteen children were reffered to the emergency department due to acute poisoning. 48.4% of patients were boys and 51.6% were girls. The majority of cases were due to accidental poisoning (73.3% of all patients). Drugs were the most common agent causing the poisoning (48.3%), followed by ingestion of corrosive substance (23.1%) and carbon monoxide (CO) intoxication (12.5%). Tricyclic antidepressant was the most common drug (11.7%). Methylphenidate poisoning, the second common drug. 262 patients were discharged from hospital within 48 hours. Conclusion: Preventable accidental poisonings are still a significant cause of morbidity among children in developing countries. Drugs and corrosive agents are the most frequent agents causing poisoning

Overview of the Dissertation Process within the Framework of Flow Theory: A Qualitative Study

The purpose of this study is to examine the flow of doctoral students who are also research assistants and in the dissertation process. The study was designed using the case study method. The case undertaken in the study was the dissertation process. Eleven participants were selected into the study using maximum variation sampling. Face-to-face, semi-structured interviews were conducted with the participants. Descriptive analysis was used to analyze the transcripts. The descriptive analysis of the data identified four main themes: (i) personal characteristics, including tackling challenges, sense of responsibility and planned work habits; (ii) interest in the field, including decision making about postgraduate education, satisfaction from postgraduate education, the fit between the doctoral field and the student's interests and skills, and academic goals; (iii) emotional attachment, including enjoyed stages of the dissertation process, feelings aroused by the dissertation, and concentration on the dissertation process; and (iv) living the flowThe purpose of this study is to examine the flow of doctoral students who are also research assistants and in the dissertation process. The study was designed using the case study method. The case undertaken in the study was the dissertation process. Eleven participants were selected into the study using maximum variation sampling. Face-to-face, semi-structured interviews were conducted with the participants. Descriptive analysis was used to analyze the transcripts. The descriptive analysis of the data identified four main themes: (i) personal characteristics, including tackling challenges, sense of responsibility and planned work habits; (ii) interest in the field, including decision making about postgraduate education, satisfaction from postgraduate education, the fit between the doctoral field and the student's interests and skills, and academic goals; (iii) emotional attachment, including enjoyed stages of the dissertation process, feelings aroused by the dissertation, and concentration on the dissertation process; and (iv) living the flo

Estrogen-like Activity of Quercetin in Female Rats

WOS: 000383612800002Objective: Quercetin is a phytoestrogen that exerts both in vitro agonistic and antagonistic activities on estrogen receptors. The present study evaluated the in vivo estrogen-like activity of quercetin on the reproductive organs of female rats. For this purpose, a partial estrogen agonist tamoxifen (TMX) and an estrogen antagonist fulvestrant (FLV) were used to mimic and antagonize the effects of estrogen on uterine tissue, respectively. 4-Vinylcyclohexene dioxide (VCD) was used to induce primary ovarian failure in rats. Materials and Methods: In experiment 1, immature female rats (21-22 days old) were treated with a vehicle (control), quercetin (10, 30, and 90 mg/kg), 10 mg/kg of quercetin (Q10)+TMX, Q10+FLV, 17 beta-estradiol (17 beta E), 17 beta E+TMX, or 17 beta E+FLV. In experiment 2, prepubertal female rats (28-29 days old) were treated with a vehicle (dimethyl sulfoxide), VCD-alone, VCD+Q10, or VCD+17 beta E. A uterotrophic assay and histological analysis of uteri were performed. The partial estrogen agonist TMX and the estrogen antagonist FLV were used to mimic and antagonize the effects of estrogen on uterine tissue, respectively. VCD was used to induce primary ovarian failure in rats. Results: In immature female rats, the uterine weight was significantly higher in animals treated with Q10 compared to those treated with the vehicle. Although TMX did not result in a significant change, FLV significantly decreased the uterine weight in Q10-treated rats. In prepubertal female rats, the uterine weight significantly decreased in VCD +/- Q10- or 17 beta E-treated animals compared that in VCD-treated animals. Although the endometrial thickness was unchanged in Q10-treated animals, it was significantly decreased in the Q10+FLV-treated animals. VCD significantly decreased the endometrial thickness, which was prevented by Q10. Conclusion: Quercetin may have a dose-dependent and biphasic effect on the uterus by modulating estrogen receptors

Clinical Study Heart Rate Variability in Children with Tricyclic Antidepressant Intoxication

The aim of this study was to evaluate HRV in children requiring intensive care unit stays due to TCA poisoning between March 2009 and July 2010. In the time-domain nonspectral evaluation, the SDNN ( &lt; 0.001), SDNNi ( &lt; 0.05), RMSDD ( &lt; 0.01), and pNN50 ( &lt; 0.01) were found to be significantly lower in the TCA intoxication group. The spectral analysis of the data recorded during the first 5 minutes after intensive care unit admission showed that the values of the nLF ( &lt; 0.05) and the LF/HF ratio ( = 0.001) were significantly higher in the TCA intoxication group, while the nHF ( = 0.001) values were significantly lower. The frequency-domain spectral analysis of the data recorded during the last 5 minutes showed a lower nHF ( = 0.001) in the TCA intoxication group than in the controls, and the LF/HF ratio was significantly higher ( &lt; 0.05) in the intoxication group. The LF/HF ratio was higher in the seven children with seizures ( &lt; 0.001). These findings provided us with a starting point for the value of HRV analysis in determining the risk of arrhythmia and convulsion in TCA poisoning patients. HRV can be used as a noninvasive testing method in determining the treatment and prognosis of TCA poisoning patients

New insights into the regulatory function of CYFIP1 in the context of WAVE- and FMRP-containing complexes

International audienceCytoplasmic FMRP interacting protein 1 (CYFIP1) is a candidate gene for intellectual disability (ID), autism, schizophrenia and epilepsy. It is a member of a family of proteins that is highly conserved during evolution, sharing high homology with its Drosophila homolog, dCYFIP. CYFIP1 interacts with the Fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP, encoded by the FMR1 gene), whose absence causes Fragile X syndrome, and with the translation initiation factor eIF4E. It is a member of the WAVE regulatory complex (WRC), thus representing a link between translational regulation and the actin cytoskeleton. Here, we present data showing a correlation between mRNA levels of CYFIP1 and other members of the WRC. This suggests a tight regulation of the levels of the WRC members, not only by post-translational mechanisms, as previously hypothesized. Moreover, we studied the impact of loss of function of both CYFIP1 and FMRP on neuronal growth and differentiation in two animal models – fly and mouse. We show that these two proteins antagonize each other's function not only during neuromuscular junction growth in the fly but also during new neuronal differentiation in the olfactory bulb of adult mice. Mechanistically, FMRP and CYFIP1 modulate mTor signaling in an antagonistic manner, likely via independent pathways, supporting the results obtained in mouse as well as in fly at the morphological level. Collectively, our results illustrate a new model to explain the cellular roles of FMRP and CYFIP1 and the molecular significance of their interaction

The skills of defibrillation practice and certified life-support training in the healthcare providers in Turkey.

Aim of the study Successful cardiopulmonary resuscitation and early defibrillation are critical in survival after in- or out-of-hospital cardiopulmonary arrest. The scope of this multi-centre study is to (a) assess skills of paediatric healthcare providers (HCPs) concerning two domains: (1) recognising rhythm abnormalities and (2) the use of defibrillator devices, and (b) to evaluate the impact of certified basic-life-support (BLS) and advanced-life-support (ALS) training to offer solutions for quality of improvement in several paediatric emergency cares and intensive care settings of Turkey. Methods This cross-sectional and multi-centre survey study included several paediatric emergency care and intensive care settings from different regions of Turkey. Results A total of 716 HCPs participated in the study (physicians: 69.4%, healthcare staff: 30.6%). The median age was 29 (27-33) years. Certified BLS-ALS training was received in 61% (n = 303/497) of the physicians and 45.2% (n = 99/219) of the non-physician healthcare staff (P < .001). The length of professional experience had favourable outcome towards an increased self-confidence in the physicians (P < .01, P < .001). Both physicians and non-physician healthcare staff improved their theoretical knowledge in the practice of synchronised cardioversion defibrillation (P < .001, P < .001). Non-certified healthcare providers were less likely to manage the initial doses of synchronised cardioversion and defibrillation: the correct responses remained at 32.5% and 9.2% for synchronised cardioversion and 44.8% and 16.7% for defibrillation in the physicians and healthcare staff, respectively. The indications for defibrillation were correctly answered in the physicians who had acquired a certificate of BLS-ALS training (P = .047, P = .003). Conclusions The professional experience is significant in the correct use of a defibrillator and related procedures. Given the importance of early defibrillation in survival, the importance and proper use of defibrillators should be emphasised in Certified BLS-ALS programmes. Certified BLS-ALS programmes increase the level of knowledge and self-confidence towards synchronised cardioversion-defibrillation procedures