Smartphone overuse enlarges the median nerve, causes pain in the thumb, and decreases pinch strength and hand functions.

No abstract

Self-concept and QOL of the CP children were lower than the children without CP. Presence of incontinence, self-concept rating and GMFCS level were important to predict domains of QOL.

We aimed to investigate the effects of body weight supported treadmill training (BWSTT) on cardio-pulmonary functions and on depression in subjects with incomplete spinal cord injury (SCI). Eight subjects (2 female, 6 male) with incomplete SCI participated in this study. Heart rate (HR), blood pressure (BP) and resting pulmonary function parameters were obtained from each subject at baseline and after BWSTT. The training programme was scheduled five times per week for six weeks. The psychological status was evaluated by Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). The post-BWSTT HR value was lower than the pre-training HR value (p< 0.05). In comparison of pre- and post-BWSTT pulmonary parameters, there were only significant improvement in FVC and IC (p< 0.05). The mean BDI score was lower after BWSTT compared to before BWSTT value. As a conclusion, 6 weeks BWSTT had positive effect on heart rate and limited effect on pulmonary functions. There was an improvement in depression level of the SCI subjects.

Objectives: This study aims to estimate the prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and spondyloarthritis (SpA) in Turkey using the same telephone questionnaire developed for screening RA and SpA in France and used in Serbia and Lithuania. Material and methods: The study was performed in two steps. In step I, the French questionnaire was translated into Turkish and validated through a group of 200 patients (80 males, 120 females; mean age 44.0±13.1 years; range, 19 to 75 years) followed up at the rheumatology departments of University Hospitals in Antalya and Ankara. In step II, the validated Turkish questionnaire was administered face-to-face to randomly selected 4,012 subjects (1,670 males, 2,342 females; mean age 41.5±16.8 years; range, 16 to 97 years) by trained general practitioners across the country, in 25 provinces for case detection. The subjects who were suspected of having RA or SpA in accordance with the questionnaire were invited to the nearest university hospital for rheumatologic examination in order to confirm the diagnosis. Results: In step II, a total of 25 subjects (2 males, 23 females) were diagnosed as RA. The standardized RA prevalence for the general population of Turkey was calculated as 0.56% (95% confidence interval [CI]; 0.33-0.79), 0.10% (95% CI; -0.05-0.25) for males and 0.89% (95% CI; 0.51-1.27) for females. A total of 18 subjects (3 males, 15 females) were diagnosed as SpA. The standardized SpA prevalence for the general population of Turkey was 0.46% (95% CI; 0.25-0.67), 0.17% (95% CI; -0.03-0.37) for males and 0.65% (95% CI; 0.32-0.98) for females. The prevalence of RA was highest in the Northern region (2.00%) and the prevalence of SpA was highest in the Central region (1.49%). Conclusion:The prevalences of RA and SpA in Turkey are close to each other and there are significant inter-regional variations in prevalences of both RA and SpA.

Fluoride excess primarily effects dental and skeletal tissues. leading to a condition known as endemic fluorosis. The radiological and clinical features of endemic fluorosis vary in different parts of the world. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical and radiological features of endemic fluorosis in Turkish patients. Physical examination and radiological investigations were performed in 56 patients with endemic fluorosis and 40 age- and sex-matched controls. Knee osteoarthritis (OA) was the main abnormality in both groups, both clinically and radiologically. The radiological severity of knee OA was greater in the endemic fluorosis group than in controls (P=0.01). Osteophytes at the tibial condyles and superior margin of the patellar articular surface of the femur, polyp-like osteophytes on the non-weight-bearing medial side of the femoral condyle, and popliteal loose bodies were detected more frequently in the endemic fluorosis group than in controls (P=0.0001). We suggest that the presence of atypically located osteophytes in the knees may be a feature of endemic fluorosis in Turkish patients and that endemic fluorosis may increase the severity of OA in the knees.

Study design: Occlusion of the infrarenal abdominal aorta with administration of pentoxifylline was applied to adult rabbits, followed by removal of aortic clamp and reperfusion. Tissue levels of cytokines, lipid peroxides, and antioxidant enzymes were assayed and compared within groups. Objectives: To examine the e ect of pentoxifylline (PTX) on cytokine levels, lipid peroxidation, and antioxidant enzymes in a rabbit model of spinal cord ischemia-reperfusion injury induced by aortic occlusion. Setting: Isparta, Turkey. Methods: Rabbits were randomly allocated into four groups of sham laparotomy (SHAM), sham laparotomy with PTX administration (SHAM+PTX), aortic occlusion and reperfusion (AOR), aortic occlusion and reperfusion with PTX administration (AOR+PTX). An intravenous bolus of 50 mg/kg PTX was given just before aortic cross clamping. An atraumatic microvascular clamp was then placed on the abdominal aorta immediately distal to the left renal artery for 30 min. PTX was infused at a rate of 0.5 mg/kg/min during the aortic occlusion. Animals were subjected to 120 min of reperfusion after removal of the aortic clamp. All animals were sacri®ced at the end of reperfusion. The lumbosacral segments of spinal cords were quickly harvested and stored at 7788C for biochemical assays of IL-6, TNF-a, MDA, SOD, and CAT levels. Di erences among groups were analyzed by one-way analysis of variance followed by a post hoc Tukey's honestly signi®cant di erence test. Results: No di erences in mean levels of IL-6, TNF-a, MDA, SOD, and CAT were noted between SHAM and SHAM+PTX groups (P40.05). There was a signi®cant increase in all biochemical parameters in the AOR group (P50.05). Administration of PTX signi®cantly attenuated the levels of all biochemical parameters in the AOR+PTX group (P50.05). Conclusion: PTX pretreatment attenuated ischemia-reperfusion induced spinal cord injury in a rabbit model, in terms of biochemical parameters of ischemia and reperfusion.

To examine the cognitive processing differences in chronic and episodic pain sufferers, auditory event-related potentials (P300 or P3) were recorded in two consecutive trials from 23 chronic lower back pain patients, 22 episodic tension-type headache sufferers, and from 23 age- and sex-matched healthy persons. P3 latency and amplitude showed no difference between groups at first trial. Considering P3 latency habituation, healthy controls and episodic tension-type headache sufferers showed a significant change of P3 latency whereas lower back pain sufferers failed. Comparing the amount of habituation lower back pain sufferers stood clearly apart from healthy controls. Although there was a remarkable increase of P3 latency in episodic tension-type headache sufferers, the amount of habituation was not statistically different than it was in lower back pain sufferers. Significant P3 amplitude habituation was observed only in healthy controls. Actually, episodic tension-type headache sufferers also showed some degree of habituation, which was not statistically remarkable. The amount of amplitude habituation was not different between groups. No correlation was observed between P3 habituation and age, disease duration and symptom severity. These results may point to a disturbed attentional processing in chronic pain sufferers. Our findings suggest that in spite of a similar cortical information processing, the neurocognitive networks related with decision making and memory processing seem to work differently in chronic pain sufferers from those in episodic pain sufferers in repeating tasks. Taking into consideration the reported P3 habituation abnormalities in chronic migraine patients we can say that not the location of pain but rather its temporal pattern may have a role in disturbed attentional processing.