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Biomedical subjects

H Alp

Publications and source records attributed to H Alp.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Hepatitis A seroepidemiology in Eastern Turkey.

BACKGROUND: It has been reported that there are great deal of changes in the epidemiology of hepatitis A at the present. The epidemiologic studies regarding to hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection are not sufficient both in the country and study region. OBJECTIVE: To investigate HAV seroprevalence and association with socio-demographic variables. DESIGN: Cross-sectional and community based study. SETTING: Erzurum Province, Eastern Turkey between April and June 1998. SUBJECTS: Four hundred and fifty persons under the age of 30 years. RESULTS: The rate of the study involvement was 87.1% (392 persons) and ratio for seropositivity 84.2%. Although seropositivity is elevated by age, it has been high within the younger age group. Epidemiological changes could not be interpreted, since the study results were first for the group of people aged under 30 years. Statistical significance was found between hepatitis A seroprevalence and age, the number of households and localisation of toilet within the house. There was no correlation between hepatitis A and sex, jaundice history, family type, tap water availability in the residential area. CONCLUSION: The frequency of hepatitis A infection appearance in the region was found out to be high as compared to other regions of Turkey.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Tuberculous meningitis in Turkish children: an evaluation of 38 cases.

Thirty-eight cases of tuberculous meningitis in children were studied. Mortality was 28.9%; most of these presented with stage III disease. Tuberculous meningitis (TBM) still ranks as one of the most important communicable diseases in terms of morbidity and mortality. It is universally fatal if not treated and has high morbidity and mortality, if not recognized early. According to WHO's data, 1.3 million new TB cases under 15 year olds were reported. In Turkey, the TB prevalence is 0.4 %. According to data from the Turkish Ministry of Health, the number of admissions to hospitals dropped from 108 per 100,000 in 1971 to 51 per 10,000 in 1988. Early diagnosis and treatment of TBM are essential in order to prevent late sequelas and death. The diagnosis of TBM may be delayed because many patients initially have vague, seemingly minor, signs and symptoms. In this study, the clinical and laboratory findings of 38 patients with the diagnosis of TBM in our hospital were reviewed, retrospectively, during the past five years. Our purpose was to stress the importance of TBM as a public health problem in Turkey, particularly in the Eastern of Turkey.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Cockroach allergy appears early in life in inner-city children with recurrent wheezing.

BACKGROUND: Cockroach allergy and exposure to high levels of this allergen are important in the increasing asthma-related health problems among young inner-city children. However, there are very little data regarding the prevalence of cockroach allergy in infants and young children with asthma. OBJECTIVE: This retrospective study was designed to test the hypothesis that cockroach allergy appears early in life in young children with recurrent wheezing. METHODS: We reviewed the medical records of all 196 children (ages 5 months to 16 years) evaluated between January 1995 and September 1997 at the Cook County Hospital Pediatric Allergy Clinic for recurrent wheezing. The patients were assigned into two age groups, less than 4 years old and 4 to 16 years old. The percentages of IgE skin tests positive for common aeroallergens were compared within and between the two age groups. All children in the younger age group were tested for cockroach and dust mites, cat, and dog when indicated by positive environmental history. All children in the older age group were tested for indoor and outdoor allergens. RESULTS: Sixty-three children were younger than 4 years of age, and of these, 15 (23.8%) had cockroach allergen sensitivity, compared with only eight patients (12.7%) who were skin test positive to dust mite allergen (P = .01). The youngest patient with a positive reaction to cockroach allergen was 6 months old. Patients with a single allergen skin reactivity were considered as monosensitized. Nine children younger than 4 years of age (14.3%) were monosensitized only to cockroach allergen in contrast to three children (4.8%) who were monosensitized to house-dust mites (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that cockroach allergen sensitivity starts early in life and may be the only sensitizing allergen in many young inner-city children.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Vertebral osteoblastoma: are radiologic structural changes necessary for diagnosis?

BACKGROUND: A case of osteoblastoma localized at the pedicle of the 10th thoracic vertebra is presented. CASE DESCRIPTION: The patient complained of nocturnal back pain not relieved by salycilates, a typical symptom of osteoblastoma. Bone scintigraphy showed a lower thoracic focus of increased osteoblastic activity; however, X-rays, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance images (MRI) were within normal limits, showing only obscure changes that were also noted in the rest of the spine. Repeat MRI with contrast revealed a focal enhancement. After pediculectomy, histopathologic examination confirmed the diagnosis of osteoblastoma. Fifteen months postoperatively, the patient is symptom-free. CONCLUSION: Our case demonstrates that some cases of osteoblastoma may not have the classical radiological appearance. Although non-contrast computed tomography and T1-weighted MRI are mildly positive in some instances, osteoblastoma is best visualized on MRI with gadolinium. Like any other neoplasm, osteoblastoma should be detected and removed early, before it can cause structural bony changes.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Efficacy and safety of rectal thiopental: sedation for children undergoing computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging.

PURPOSE: We evaluated the clinical safety, effectiveness, efficiency and potential side effects of rectally administered thiopental in 30 children undergoing computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). METHODS: The doses of thiopental used were 50 mg/kg for infants under 6 months of age, 35 mg/kg for infants between 6 and 12 months of age and 25 mg/kg for older children. After administration of the sedative, oxygen saturation was continuously monitored and vital signs were recorded every 20 min during the imaging procedure and then every 20 min until discharge. RESULTS: Successful sedation and adequate imaging were obtained in 29 of 30 (96.7%) patients. Respiratory depression was not observed in any patient. However, oxygen saturation dropped below 90% transiently (to 88%) in three patients (10.0%) and this was immediately corrected by repositioning the child's neck to open the upper airway. All successfully sedated patients were asleep within 15 min (mean +/- SD 7.3 +/- 2.7 min) and sedation was sufficient for at least 30 min. Prolonged sedation was observed in two patients. CONCLUSIONS: We believe that rectal thiopental is a safe, effective and efficient form of sedation for pediatric imaging.

Administration, Rectal↗
PubMed1999

Plasma and urine carnitine levels and carnitine supplementation in children with malnutrition.

The purpose of the present investigation was to determine serum and urinary carnitine levels in children suffering from protein-energy malnutrition (PEM) before and after dietary treatment and carnitine supplementation, and to compare them with those in healthy children. Plasma and urine carnitine levels were lower in patients with marasmus and kwashiorkor than in controls. There was no statistical difference between groups with and without carnitine supplementation on the first day. On the fifth day, in groups receiving carnitine supplementation, plasma and urine carnitine levels were significantly higher than in groups without supplementation (p < 0.01). On the 15th day there was no statistical significance between groups with PEM and controls.

Carnitine↗
PubMed1999

The challenge of inner-city asthma.

Racial and ethnic minorities of low socioeconomic status residing in urban environments currently referred to as inner cities appear to represent a population that is disproportionately at high risk for asthma morbidity and mortality. Epidemiologic studies suggest that key risk factors contributing to asthma morbidity within the inner city include social demography, the physical environment (indoor and outdoor), and health care access and quality. This epidemiologic literature has helped to define opportunities for successful intervention strategies in these high-risk populations. Studies of the effectiveness of community-based and health system-based interventions with specific focus on inner-city populations are beginning to emerge in the literature.

Asthma↗
PubMed1998

Acute eosinophilic pneumonia: a cause of reversible, severe, noninfectious respiratory failure.

We report a case of acute eosinophilic pneumonia associated with adult respiratory distress syndrome in an adolescent. This entity should be considered in the differential diagnosis in previously well children and adolescents who are seen with unexplained respiratory failure and who have many eosinophils in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. Prompt recognition of this rapidly reversible noninfectious disorder and institution of corticosteroids may be lifesaving.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1997

Pharmacological and pathophysiological effects of periadventitial stripping on immediate and subacute postoperative vasoconstriction in guinea pigs.

Mechanically induced vasospasm observed in the immediate post-operative period was investigated, and the effect of factors such as temporary clip applications and post-operative intervals were studied. Guinea pig "cervical internal carotid arteries" were used and temporary clips, chosen according to the diameter of the artery and systolic pressure, were applied for a standard period. The same procedure was applied on arteries in which periadventitial tissue had been removed using appropriate microsurgical techniques. On postoperative days 1, 5, and 10, arterial rings were removed while the animals were still alive and Endothelium Dependent Relaxations were measured using a bioassay system. Morphological investigations were also performed using light microscopy on the same arterial preparations. We observed no difference between perioperative and first day postoperative results. The relaxations were minimum. The most striking pathological changes were observed on postoperative day 5, and the relaxation responses began to rise on day 10 together with morphological improvement. It was also found that periadventitial tissue stripping could be used to prevent subacute post-operative vasoconstriction, since its effect was marked on postoperative day 5 and began to resolve on day 10.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Ultrastructural changes of epidermal Langerhans cells in pregnant guinea pigs. A preliminary report.

An association between pregnancy and a depression in cellular immunity has long been known, but the reason for this is far from clear. To investigate the possible role of Langerhans cells (LC) in immunosuppression during pregnancy, we examined the epidermal LC morphology of pregnant guinea pigs ultrastructurally. An altered morphology of epidermal LCs was observed in all specimens obtained from pregnant guinea pigs. LCs were found to be activated in pregnancy.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

New applications for the zinc iodide-osmium tetroxide technique.

The zinc iodide-osmium tetroxide (ZIO) fixation/staining method was applied for neurocytological studies and also to examine several other tissue samples including epidermal Langerhans cells, blood and bone marrow cells and lymphoid tissue. Although precise specificity cannot be attributed to the staining reaction, interesting staining patterns for different cell types were observed by using one of the ZIO staining solutions. The significance of ZIO positivity is briefly discussed.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Autogenous bone grafts in cervical vertebrectomy and fusion practice for injuries.

Among the patients with a cervical injury admitted to our clinic between 1980 and 1988, 18 cases underwent a ventral fusion operation (Cloward) and 8 of them needed additional vertebrectomy. The injury in all of these cases was due to falls and presented with major compression fractures. In each case the vertebral body was resected and replaced by a "T" shaped iliac bone graft. The graft was fixated by a screw or wire when necessary, than the patients were immobilized by a bed rest for 2 weeks duration. During the follow-up period, cervical alignment was found to be stable in all patients. The radiological characteristics of the lesions, intraoperative surgical modifications for specific aspects of the lesion, other technical availabilities and the results are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Index for optimum ventricular catheter length. Technical note.

The optimum length of a ventricular catheter to be placed in a particular patient may be difficult to determine when either intraoperative ultrasound is not available or considerable time has elapsed between the diagnostic computerized tomography scan and the operation. An index for estimating ventricular length based on the head circumference of the individual is described. This method was tested clinically and proved to be successful.

Catheters, Indwelling↗
PubMed1990

Double-donor, single-lumen, end-to-side anastomosis.

One of the major problems in extracranial-intracranial bypass procedure is the inadequate caliber of the superficial temporal artery branches. In this study, a new end-to-side anastomosis technique that permits two small caliber arteries to be used as a single donor vessel is presented. The external and internal branches of the right common carotid artery were modified to provide a single lumen, and an end-to-side anastomosis was performed between these vessels and the contralateral common carotid artery in 10 rats. One week after the operation, angiography was performed and the patency of anastomoses was demonstrated in 9 of 10 rats.

Anastomosis, Surgical↗
PubMed1988

Observation of 95 patients with extradural hematoma and review of the literature.

The authors review the cases of 95 patients with extradural hematoma managed at Gazi Hospital in the last 4 years. The common factors in craniocerebral traumas, the time interval between admittance and trauma, the interval between admittance and operation, and the location of hematomas are determined. The arterial origins demonstrated at operation in extradural hematomas are described. The interactions between all these factors and mortality are discussed. Availability of computed tomography scanning accounts for the present mortality rate of 9.4% when compared with the mortality rate of 33% for conventional diagnostic facilities.

Adolescent↗