Uzer Kucuktulu

Effects of Dopexamine on Acute Necrotising Pancreatitis in Rats

OBJECTIVE To examine the effects of dopexamine on pancreatic tissue oxygen tension (PtO2) and the extent of acinar injury in rats with acute necrotising pancreatitis DESIGN Laboratory study. SETTING Medical school, Turkey. ANIMALS 68 Sprague Dawley rats. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Cardiorespiratory measurements, pancreatic PtO2, effects on activity of serum amylase and concentration trypsinogen activation peptide (TAP). and histological picture. RESULTS The four study groups (sham + saline, sham + dopexamine, acute pancreatitis and acute pancreatitis + dopexamine) were each divided into two; in 9 rats in each, pancreatic biochemistry was studied, and in the remaining 8 in each group serum biochemistry and histology were studied. The groups were comparable with regard to mean arterial pressure, heart rate, arterial blood gases, packed cell volume, and serum amylase activity. The use of dopexamine increased pancreatic PtO2 in the sham + dopexamine group without the important blood pressure changes. The induction of pancreatitis resulted in a significant reduction in pancreatic PtO2 in the pancreatitis groups. The use of dopexamine did not increase pancreatic PtO2. There were no significant differences in plasma TAP concentration and the extent of acinar cell injury in the animals in the pancreatitis groups. CONCLUSION Treatment with dopexamine does not improve the pancreatic microcirculation or reduce the extent of acinar cell injury in acute necrotising pancreatitis and is therefore unlikely to be of benefit in patients with pancreatitis.

The effects of pentoxifylline on liver regeneration after portal vein ligation in rats

Aim: To determine the effects of pentoxifylline, a methyl xanthine derivative on hepatic cell production of uninterferred lobe after portal vein branch ligation.

The Effects of Nitric Oxide Synthase Inhibitors on Acute Necrotising Pancreatitis in Rats

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects of the constitutive nitric oxide (NO) synthase inhibitor NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-Name) and the inducible NO synthase inhibitor amino ethyl-isothiourea (AE-ITU) on acute necrotising pancreatitis (ANP) in rats. DESIGN Laboratory study. SETTING Medical school, Turkey. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Morbidity, mortality, effects on activities of various enzymes, and histological picture. RESULTS NO inhibitors increased the mortality (from 8/15, 53%, for ANP plus saline, to 12/15, 80%, for ANP plus L-Name, and 13/15, 87%, for ANP plus AE-ITU and serum amylase activity, but had no effects on serum calcium concentrations, volume of ascites, or degree of pancreatic damage. L-Name caused hypoglycemia, and AE-ITU reduced activities of lactate dehydrogenase and liver transaminases, and concentrations of urea and creatinine. CONCLUSIONS Constitutive NO synthase inhibition worsens the course of ANP, and inducible NO inhibition has beneficial effects on various systems.

Multiple Dose-Activated Charcoal as a Cause of Acute Appendicitis

We presented a case of a 55-year-old woman who intentionally ingested an unknown amount of carbosulfan, a carbamate insecticide. On admission, her clinical findings were coma, pinpoint pupils, hypersalivation, respiratory failure, bradycardia, and hypotension. Her trachea was intubated after suction of secretions, and atropine was administered intravenously. After gastric lavage, multiple doses of activated charcoal were instilled through the nasogastric tube over five days (total doses of 840 g). On the fourteenth day, she developed right-lower quadrant abdominal pain, anorexia, nausea, and vomiting, and she underwent an appendectomy. On pathologic examination of the specimen, particles of activated charcoal were seen within the dilated part of the appendiculer lumen. The patient was discharged from the hospital after antidepressant therapy at the psychiatry clinic. This case documents that multiple doses of activated charcoal may be associated with acute appendicitis.

Effects of Octreotide on Acute Pancreatitis of Varying Severity in Rats

OBJECTIVE To find out the effects of the octreotide on the course of acute pancreatitis in rats. DESIGN Prospective laboratory study. SETTING Medical school, Turkey ANIMALS 184 Sprague-Dawley rats, 120 of which were randomly allocated into 8 groups of 15 each for the survival study, and the remainder of which were randomly allocated into 8 groups of 8 rats each for assessment of biochemical variables and histological score. INTERVENTIONS The same 8 groups were used for the two parts of the study: saline alone (control), octreotide alone (control), oedematous pancreatitis induced by cerulein with and without octreotide, moderate pancreatitis induced by low-dose glycodeoxycholic acid and cerulein with and without octreotide, and severe pancreatitis induced by high-dose glycodeoxycholic acid and cerulein with and without octreotide. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Mortality, results of biochemical tests, and histological score. RESULTS No rats in the control groups died. Of those with oedematous pancreatitis 1 died that had not been given octreotide (7%) and 2 that had (13%). In the moderate pancreatitis groups 4 that had not been given octreotide died (27%) compared with one that had (7%). In the severe pancreatitis group 7 that had not had octreotide died (46%) compared with 6 that had (40%). Octreotide caused a reduction in serum amylase and lactate dehydrogenase activity in all groups, but reduced aspartate aminotransferase only in those rats with moderate pancreatitis. It prevented hypocalcaemia in rats with severe pancreatitis, but had no effect on serum electrolyte concentrations, alkaline phosphatase activity, or blood gas analyses. Rats with moderate pancreatitis that had been given octreotide had less tissue oedema, acinar necrosis, and inflammatory cell infiltration. In those with severe pancreatitis there was less tissue oedema but more acinar necrosis. CONCLUSION If octreotide is given early in the course of the disease it may result in improved outcome, but it seems to be ineffective in severe pancreatitis in which acinar necrosis is already established.

Is non-operative management feasible for splenic injury due to colonoscopy?

Colonoscopy is a widely used diagnostic and therapeutic procedure. While it is a relatively safe procedure, there is a risk of some complications. Splenic injury after colonoscopy is a very rare but a life-threatening complication; around 105 cases have been reported in the literature so far. Owing to the rarity of this complication, no management standards were defined. In the literature, most of the patients were managed with operative intervention and less frequently with observation. We report a case of splenic injury and massive hemoperitoneum due to colonoscopy treated non-operatively.

Small Bowel Intussusception due to Metastasized Sarcomatoid Carcinoma of the Lung: A Rare Cause of Intestinal Obstruction in Adults

Although small bowel intussusception is one of the most common abdominal emergencies in childhood, it is rare in adults and usually occurs as a result of an underlying pathology. Sarcomatoid carcinoma, a very rare subtype of lung cancer, rarely metastasizes to small bowel and causes complications. In this paper, we aim to describe a patient with small bowel intussusception caused by an isolated small bowel metastasis of the sarcomatoid carcinoma of the lung by reviewing the literature.

Effects of Total Parenteral Nutrition Using a Solution Enriched with Branched-Chain Amino Acids on Experimental Pancreatitis in Rats

The main purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of total parenteral nutrition enriched with branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) on acute pancreatitis (AP) induced by sodium taurocholate in rats. Total parenteral nutrition (TPN) increased the survival rate and serum calcium, and reduced serum urea, liver transaminase, acid phosphatase and lactate dehydrogenase levels, but it did not change the degree of pancreatic damage or serum amylase. Total plasma amino acid concentration and the concentrations of glutamate, glycine, alanine, taurine, valine, leucine, isoleucine, phenylalarine increased significantly after the induction of AP, but there was no difference between the control and therapy groups. Hyperglycemia occurred during the use of TPN. BCAA-enriched TPN can be used in the treatment of AP with few side effects.

Laparoscopic abdominal observation method without anesthesia for preventing unnecessary second-look procedures: short report.

Second-look operations after massive intestinal resections secondary to mesenterovascular occlusion are a frequent practice. In about one half of patients who undergo second-look procedures, no intraabdominal intervention is necessary. We present a laparoscopic abdominal observation method to prevent unnecessary laparotomies. In the first operation, two laparoscopic trocars, 5 and 10 mm in diameter, were left in the abdominal wall. After an appropriate time interval, the abdomen was explored laparoscopically through these trocars without anesthesia. If obvious intestinal gangrene and anastomotic leaks were observed laparoscopically, the patients were reoperated on while under general anesthesia; otherwise, the procedure was terminated with removal of the trocars. This method was performed on six patients. Unnecessary relaparotomies were prevented in four patients; intestinal gangrene and anastomotic leaks were not missed in the remaining two patients. A larger patient sample is needed to assess the advantages of this method in preventing unnecessary laparotomies.

A rare and forgotten diagnosis of gastrointestinal bleeding: primary aortoduodenal fistula.

Upper gastrointestinal (UGI) bleeding is a common medical condition among adults. Bleeding is mainly caused by the gastric or proximal duodenum, but rarely by the distal duodenum. Aortoduodenal fistula is one of the causes of UGI bleeding that results in a life-threatening condition if not treated properly. It is commonly observed in patients who have undergone previous aortic surgery and rarely occurs in patients without a history of aortic surgery. Diagnosis of aortoenteric fistula is difficult unless there is a high level of clinical suspicion. In this article, we aim to present a patient with aortoduodenal fistula and discuss the clinical presentation, as well as the diagnostic and therapeutic options of this disease.