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Biomedical subjects

Ferhat Catal

Publications and source records attributed to Ferhat Catal.

18 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Assessment of cardiac function in iron-deficient children without anemia.

Iron deficiency anemia may lead to impairment of many vital functions, including those in the cardiovascular system. However, the effects of iron depletion on cardiac function in the absence of anemia are not well known. In this study the authors examined the effects of iron deficiency without overt anemia on cardiac function in 59 children. Complete blood count, serum iron, serum iron-binding capacity, and serum ferritin levels were measured in all children. The children were divided into two groups according to serum ferritin levels: an iron-depleted group (n = 28) and a non-iron-depleted control group (n = 31). Echocardiographic examinations were performed using M mode and Doppler echocardiographic methods in all children to assess cardiac function. No statistically significant difference was found between the two groups in terms of echocardiographic indices. Although the number of subjects in this study was small, the authors conclude that iron deficiency in the absence of overt anemia does not lead to important changes in cardiac function.

Child, Preschool↗
PubMed2006

Assessment of cardiac function and rheumatic heart disease in children with adenotonsillar hypertrophy.

Our aim was to evaluate whether adenotonsillar hypertrophy (ATH) is associated with rheumatic heart disease (RHD) in children. Fifty-three patients with ATH and 50 healthy children as a control group were enrolled in the study. Medical history and clinical findings were investigated, and echocardiographies were done by researchers who were unaware of the diagnosis. The two groups were compared. Valvular findings suggesting RHD were encountered in four patients (7.5%) in the ATH group and in two children (4%) in the control group. This difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.098); however, we found physiological mitral regurgitation to be significantly more frequent in the ATH group than in the control group (p = 0.023). ATH did not increase the risk of valvulitis related to RHD regardless of adenoid size and frequency of the infection. To preclude the misdiagnosis of mitral regurgitation that results from RHD, diagnostic criteria for pathological mitral regurgitation should be carefully applied.

Adenoids↗
PubMed2005

Childhood diarrhoea in Ankara, Turkey: epidemiological and clinical features of rotavirus-positive versus rotavirus-negative cases.

Published reports dealing with rotavirus infections in Turkey are very scarce. This study included 1099 consecutive paediatric patients with diarrhoea, who sought care at 3 hospitals in Ankara, Turkey between 1999 and 2002 and were investigated for the presence of rotavirus antigen in faeces. Rotavirus antigen was detected by an immunochromatographic test, Simple Rotavirus (Operon, Spain). Other clinical and laboratory data were extracted from patient journals. A total of 404 (36.8%) patients were positive for rotavirus antigen. Rotavirus antigen was more frequently detected in boys than girls (40.8 vs 31.8%) and in children younger than 2 y (62.7%). The proportion of rotavirus-positive children was higher in the winter season (49.6%; November to April) and the highest proportion was observed in December (55.4%). Rotavirus-associated diarrhoea had a more severe clinical presentation than non-rotaviral diarrhoea; 55.3% of all patients who required hospitalization were rotavirus-positive. The seasonal and epidemiological characteristics of rotavirus diarrhoea in Ankara were similar to those in the USA and Europe. For reliable nationwide information about the epidemiology of rotavirus-associated disease in Turkey, more individual studies and reliable official statistics of gastroenteritis cases are needed.

Age Factors↗
PubMed2004

Relationship between retinopathy and cognitive impairment among hypertensive subjects. A case-control study in the ankara-pursaklar region.

BACKGROUND: The relationship between hypertension and cognitive impairment has been investigated in the literature; several clinical studies suggested a relationship between hypertension and retinopathy. METHODS: We examined the relationship between the retinopathy status and cognitive functions by using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) among hypertensive subjects older than 40 years who were admitted to our Family Medicine, Internal Medicine and Ophthalmology clinics. The subjects were categorized into three groups: group 1 = control subjects (n = 39), group 2 = hypertensive patients without retinopathy (n = 32), and group 3 = hypertensive patients with retinopathy (n = 25). RESULTS: The number of patients with total MMSE scores less than 24 was distributed as follows: group 1: 3 patients (7.7%), group 2: 4 patients (12.5%), and group 3: 14 patients (56%). Hypertension was found to be related with a significant decrease in total MMSE scores in comparison with group 1 subjects (p < 0.001). Furthermore, retinopathy significantly correlated with lower MMSE scores among hypertensive patients (p = 0.001). Compared with group 1, group 3 showed a significant decrease in orientation (p = 0.001), registration (p = 0.001), attention and calculation (p = 0.004), recall (p = 0.009), and total (p < 0.001) MMSE scores. We also found a significant decrease in recall (p = 0.032) and total (p = 0.034) scores in group 3 when compared with group 2. There was a significant decrease in registration (p = 0.002) and total (p = 0.029) MMSE scores in group 2 when compared with group 1. We also observed negative correlations between duration of the disease and orientation (R = -0.597, n = 32, p = 0.001), and between duration of the disease and total (R = -0.495, n = 32, p = 0.006) scores in group 2. CONCLUSIONS: Hypertension was found to be related with a decline in MMSE scores. This relation was even more significant in the group of hypertensive patients with retinopathy. Thus, we suggest that cognitive tests be routinely used in the follow-up of hypertensive patients.

Case-Control Studies↗
PubMed2004

Hirsutism: common clinical problem or index of serious disease?

Hirsutism is a clinical condition commonly encountered in the practice of primary care medicine. The etiology and the age of the patient when it occurs vary widely. Causes range from a basic illness or condition (drug exposure, smoking, idiopathic, and obesity) to complex and serious diseases (Cushing's syndrome, neoplasms, congenital adrenal hyperplasia, insulin-resistance syndromes, hyperprolactinemia, polycystic ovary syndrome, and hyperthecosis). Hirsutism may appear in childhood as well as in older persons. Some drugs (oral contraceptives, L-thyroxine, danazol, and diazoxide), tobacco smoke, some syndromes (polycystic ovary syndrome, obesity, insulin resistance, hyperprolactinemia, hyperthecosis, congenital adrenal hyperplasia, and idiopathic), and some neoplasms (adrenal or ovarian) may lead to hirsutism. The most frequently defined "causes" of hirsutism are polycystic ovary syndrome and idiopathic hirsutism. In hirsutism of gradual onset, hyperprolactinemia, insulin-resistance syndromes, hyperthecosis, polycystic ovary syndrome, and idiopathic hirsutism may be responsible. Cushing's syndrome, neoplasms, and congenital adrenal hyperplasia should be suspected if there has been rapid onset.

Female↗
PubMed2004

Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 and interleukin-8 levels in children with acute poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis.

The infiltration of leukocytes into the glomeruli is a major factor in inflammatory glomerular damage in acute poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis (APSGN). Chemokines participate in leukocyte infiltration. The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (CCL2/MCP-1) and interleukin-8 (CXL8/IL-8) in APSGN with special emphasis on their role in the clinical course of renal disease. Twenty-one children with APSGN were studied. Serum and urinary CCL2/MCP-1 and CXL8/IL-8 levels were measured by ELISA. The relationships between urinary chemokines and the degree of proteinuria were investigated. Serum and urinary CCL2/MCP-1 levels were significantly higher in the acute phase than in the resolution phase and in controls ( P<0.05). Urinary CCL2/MCP-1 levels in the control group were significantly lower than in both the acute and resolution phases ( P=0.01 and P =0.001, respectively). In the acute phase, urinary CCL2/MCP-1 correlated with the extent of proteinuria ( r=0.58, P =0.006) but not with serum CCL2/MCP-1 levels ( r=0.21, P =0.36). Urinary and serum CXL8/IL-8 levels were significantly elevated in the acute phase compared with the resolution phase and controls ( P<0.05). A consistent increase in urinary CCL2/MCP-1 was found in the acute phase of patients with APSGN, and this correlates with the degree of proteinuria. Our results emphasize the important role of locally produced chemokines in immune-mediated glomerular injury.

Acute Disease↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Thrombocytopenia and emperipolesis in a patient with hepatitis a infection.

lmmune thrombocytopenia is a benign, self-limiting disease in children, responding well to treatment and generally associated with viral infections. A 13-year-old girl was admitted to a hospital with the epistaxis and purpura after an attack of jaundice 6 weeks before. The diagnosis of hepatitis A virus (HAV)-induced thrombocytopenia was made. Furthermore, erythrophagocytosis by megakaryocytes was demonstrated in the bone marrow of the patient. Although hematologic complications following hepatitis B and C viruses are commonly reported, the association of hepatitis A virus and thrombocytopenia has rarely been described.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Cytochrome c oxidase deficiency in a child with isolated myopathy.

Cytochrome c oxidase (COX) deficiency is the most commonly recognized respiratory chain defect in childhood. The disease is clinically heterogeneous with phenotypes including Leigh syndrome, hepatic failure and myopathies. COX deficiency has been associated with mitochondrial DNA mutations in COX I, II, and III with large-scale deletions of the mitochondrial genome and with point mutations in mitochondrial tRNA genes. Here we report on a 3.5-year-old girl with a rare type of isolated myopathy due to COX deficiency.

Child, Preschool↗
PubMedDate not supplied

PFAPA syndrome: a rare cause of periodic fever.

PFAPA syndrome (periodic fever, aphthous stomatitis, pharyngitis, adenopathy) is characterized by abrupt onset of fever, malaise, aphthous stomatitis, tonsillitis, pharyngitis and cervical adenopathy. The age of onset of the disease is four years, with a range of 6 months to 7 years. The syndrome is sporadic and nonhereditary. Long-term sequelae do not develop. A nine- year-old boy presented with sore throat, fever and oral aphthae. After taking a throat culture, he was prescribed oral antipyretic and was called for a follow-up visit the next day. As the culture result was negative, he was given a single dose prednisolone with the suspected diagnosis of PFAPA. Twenty-four hours later his temperature was 36.8 degrees C, with all his complaints regressed. Twenty-two days later the patient was again admitted to our hospital with the same complaints. Again, single dose oral prednisolone was given after a throat culture. On the next day the patient was free of all symptoms and the culture was again normal. To our knowledge this is the first PFAPA case report from Turkey in the literature.

Abnormalities, Multiple↗