No abstract

During Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, adult Muslims are required to refrain from taking any food, beverages, or oral drugs, as well as from sexual intercourse between dawn and sunset. In this study, we aimed at discovering alterations in drug regimens and the seizure frequency of epileptic patients during Ramadan (15 October 2004-13 November 2004). In the 3 months following Ramadan in the year 2004, 114 patients with epilepsy who were fasting during Ramadan were examined at our Epilepsy Department. Of the 114 patients who were included in the study, 38 patients had seizures and one of these patients developed status epilepticus during Ramadan. When the seizure frequency of these patients during Ramadan was compared to that in the last 1 year and last 3 months period just prior to Ramadan, a statistically significant increase was observed (p<0.001). Moreover, there was an important increase in the risk of having seizures in the patients who changed their drug regimens compared with those who did not (p<0.05). In the patients who received monotherapy or polytherapy, no difference in the frequency of seizures during Ramadan was seen (p>0.05). During Ramadan, an increase in the seizure frequency of patients with epilepsy was observed. The most important reason for this situation was the alteration in the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of drugs, and consequently, in their efficacy. We believe that in the patients who received monotherapy and who did not change their drug regimes, the increase in seizure frequency may have been related to the changes in their daily rhythms, emotional stress, tiredness and their day-long fasting.

Amaç: Bu çalışmada elle yapılan çay tarımına bağlı karpal tünel sendromunun (KTS) fizyopatolojik ve cerrahi boyutu, sinir ileti çalışmaları ve klinik skorlama sistemleri kullanarak değerlendirildi. Hastalar ve yöntemler: Şiddetli KTS nedeniyle cerrahi tedavi uygulanan 56 tarım işçisinin klinik ve nörofizyo-lojik skorları ile klinik ve mesleki değişkenleri; Boston anketi, İtalyan KTS çalışma grubunun modifiye kriterleri ve İtalyan KTS çalışma grubunun modifiye nörofizyolojik evreleme sistemi kullanılarak istatistiksel olarak değerlen-dirildi. Bulgular: Hastaların klinik evreleri, yaşları, toplam çalışma süreleri ile semptomların süresi arasında anlamlı istatistiksel ilişki bulundu. Hastalardaki KTS'nin nörofizyolojik evreleri ve semptomların süresi ile cerrahi tedavi öncesi ve sonrasında fonksiyonel sonuçlar arasında da anlamlı bir istatistiksel ilişki saptandı. Sonuç: Elle yapılan çay tarımının mesleğe bağlı KTS gelişimi için mesleki bir risk faktörü olabileceği düşünüldü. Bu alanda çalışan isçilerde KTS'nin cerrahi tedavisi ile tatminkar sonuçlar elde edildi.Anahtar sözcükler: Tarım isçileri hastalıkları; karpal tünel sendromu; sinir basısı sendromları; cerrahi uygulamalar, küçük; çay.Objectives: This study aims to present the physiopathological and surgical aspects of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) related to manual tea harvesting based on nerve conduction studies and clinical scoring systems. Patients and methods: Clinical and neurophysiological scores as well as clinical and occupational variables were statistically analyzed using Boston questionnaire, modified criteria of Italian CTS study group, and modified neurophysiologic grading system of Italian CTS study group in 56 agricultural laborers who underwent surgery due to severe CTS. Results: A statistically significant correlation was found among the clinical stages of the patients and age, working duration and duration of symptoms. There was a statistically significant relationship among neurophysiologic grades of the CTS in patients and the duration of symptoms and functional outcomes before and after surgery. Conclusion: We concluded that manual tea harvesting might be an occupational risk factor for work-related CTS development. Surgical treatment of CTS among manual tea harvesters revealed satisfactory results.

The clinical presentation of repetitive choreiform involuntary movements of the anterior abdominal wall was first introduced as "belly dancer's dyskinesia." Etiologies of this rare condition include idiopathic causes, medication inducement, or post-abdominal surgery. We report a case of orobuccal stereotypic movements and abdominal wall dyskinesia secondary to prochlorperazine intake. The movements began 2 weeks after cessation of prochlorperazine. The patient took this dopamine receptor-blocking medication for 6 months to treat nausea due to chemotherapy. To our knowledge, abdominal wall dyskinesia as a tardive syndrome of prochlorperazine has not been previously reported.

No abstract