Introduction
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in children has been associated with systemic inflammation and oxidative stress. Limited evidence indicates that pediatric OSA is associated with oxidative ...stress and inflammation in the airway.
Objective
The objective of this study is to assess the hypothesis that levels of oxidative stress and inflammatory markers in the exhaled breath condensate (EBC) of children with OSA are higher than those of control subjects.
Methods
Participants were children with OSA and control subjects who underwent overnight polysomnography. Morning levels of hydrogen peroxide (H
2
O
2
) and sum of nitrite and nitrate (NO
x
) in EBC of participants were measured.
Results
Twelve subjects with moderate-to-severe OSA (mean age ± standard deviation: 6.3 ± 1.7 years; apnea–hypopnea index—AHI, 13.6 ± 10.1 episodes/h), 22 subjects with mild OSA (6.7 ± 2.1 years; AHI, 2.8 ± 1 episodes/h) and 16 control participants (7.7 ± 2.4 years; AHI, 0.6 ± 0.3 episodes/h) were recruited. Children with moderate-to severe OSA had higher log-transformed H
2
O
2
concentrations in EBC compared to subjects with mild OSA, or to control participants: 0.4 ± 1.1 versus −0.9 ± 1.3 (
p
= 0.015), or versus −1.2 ± 1.2 (
p
= 0.003), respectively. AHI and % sleep time with oxygen saturation of hemoglobin <95% were significant predictors of log-transformed H
2
O
2
after adjustment by age and body mass index
z
score (
p
< 0.05). No significant differences were demonstrated between the three study groups in terms of EBC NO
x
levels.
Conclusions
Children with moderate-to-severe OSA have increased H
2
O
2
levels in morning EBC, an indirect index of altered redox status in the respiratory tract.
Inadequate treatment of severe burn injury often results in scar contractures with subsequent functional impairment and cosmetic deformities depending on the body area involved. Arm-thorax synechia ...is a rare but devastating complication of burns. The authors report a case of a 17-year-old boy with subtotal arm-thorax synechia, secondary to burn contracture. Reconstruction was accomplished, in two stages, with the use of tissue expanders and a latissimus dorsi muscle flap. The postoperative course was uneventful in both stages, with complete survival of both the expanded skin and the muscle flap. Early initiation of intensive rehabilitation resulted in excellent functional outcome, while significant aesthetic improvement was also ensured. In conclusion, the combined use of tissue expansion and latissimus dorsi transfer may prove to be a very good option in the treatment of complex postburn axillary contractures. The main advantages of the suggested method are the best quality of skin provided by tissue expansion and the safe coverage of any vital structures exposed with the use of the muscle flap.
A simple and sensitive method using high-performance liquid chromatography/ mass spectrometry (LC/MS) was developed and validated for simultaneous determination of 5 benzoylurea ...insecticides-diflubenzuron, triflumuron, teflubenzuron, lufenuron, and flufenoxuron-in tomatoes. Residues were successfully separated on a C18 column by methanol-water isocratic elution. Detection was carried out by an ultraviolet diode array detector (UV-DAD) coupled with a quadrupole mass spectrometer, using atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) in negative-ion mode. The main ions were the deprotonated molecules M-H- for triflumuron, and the anions formed by elimination of hydrofluoric acid M-H-HF- for diflubenzuron and flufenoxuron, and M-2H-HF for lufenuron and teflubenzuron. The calibration plots were linear for both detectors over the range 0.05 to 10 microg/mL, and the method presented good quality parameters. The limits of detection for standard solutions were 0.008-0.01 mg/L (equivalent to 0.08-0.1 ng injected) for both detectors, and the limits of quantification (LOQs) were approximately 10 times lower than national maximum residue levels (MRLs). Depending on the compound and the detector, the LOQ values ranged from 0.2 to 0.4 ng injected. The optimum LC-UV-DAD/APCI-MS conditions were applied to the analysis of benzoylureas in tomatoes. The obtained recoveries from fortified tomato samples (50 g), extracted with ethyl acetate and purified by solid-phase extraction on silica sorbent, were 88-100 and 92.9-105% for the UV-DAD and MS detectors, respectively, with precision values (relative standard deviations) of 2.9-11 and 3.7-14%, respectively. The method was applied to 12 tomato samples from local markets, and diflubenzuron and lufenuron were detected in only one sample at concentrations lower than the MRLs. The results indicate that the developed LC/MS method is accurate, precise, and sensitive for quantitative and qualitative analysis at low levels of benzoylureas required by legislation.
Ulnar wrist pain is a difficult problem to diagnose and treat. Many diagnostic methods can be used, each having its own value, but the surgeon should know which is the simplest and most appropriate ...for each case.
Such a case, investigated adequately by conventional arthrography is presented. A review of the relevant literature and a discussion of whether conventional MR and MR arthrography are always necessary or not is provided.
MR arthrography does not need be performed in every case of ulnar wrist pain, this depending on the findings of conventional arthrography, an opinion that has also been confirmed by the authors' own previous experience.
Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignant tumors in the world and comes third in cancer-induced mortality. The need for improved and more specific diagnostic methods that can ...detect early-stage disease is immense, as it is amenable to curative modalities, while advanced HCC is associated with low survival rates. microRNA (miRNA) expression is deregulated in HCC and this can be implemented both diagnostically and therapeutically.
To provide a concise review on the role of miRNA in diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of HCC.
We conducted a comprehensive review of the PubMed bibliographic database.
Multiple miRNAs are involved in the pathogenesis of HCC. Measurement of the levels of these miRNAs either in tumor tissue or in the blood constitutes a promising diagnostic, as well as prognostic tool. OncomiRs are miRNAs that promote tumorigenesis, thus inhibiting them by administering antagomiRs is a promising treatment option. Moreover, replacement of the depleted miRNAs is another potential therapeutic approach for HCC. Modification of miRNA levels may also regulate sensitivity to chemotherapeutic agents.
miRNA play a pivotal role in HCC pathogenesis and once the underlying mechanisms are elucidated, they will become part of everyday clinical practice against HCC.
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