Biomedical subjects

A Ocal

Publications and source records attributed to A Ocal.

10 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2001

Antioxidant status in cerebrovascular accident.

Ischemia is associated with the pathological changes caused by the accumulation of reactive oxygen metabolites (ROM) in cerebrovascular accident (CVA). The aim of this study was to determine red cell copper/zinc-superoxide dismutase (Cu/Zn-SOD) and catalase activities and copper and zinc concentrations both in plasma and in red cells in CVA. Cu/Zn-SOD and catalase activities of 16 patients, with an average age of 64 yr, were measured spectrophotometrically; copper and zinc concentrations were determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The results showed that Cu/Zn-SOD activity was increased markedly in patients compared to the young controls and reached a peak on the d 5 of the disease, whereas the catalase activity of the patients on d 3 and d 5 were in the normal range, but higher on d 10. The enzyme activities of the elderly group were generally increased compared to the young controls. Copper and zinc concentrations showed corresponding alterations. These findings suggested that the effects of oxidative stress in CVA might be reflected in red cell and plasma parameters.

Adult↗

PubMed2000

Headache etiology in children: a retrospective study of 125 cases.

BACKGROUND: To determine the headache etiology in children in the middle Anatolia region of Turkey. METHODS: The clinical and laboratory findings of 125 patients, who were followed up after a diagnosis of headache in our hospital, were reviewed retrospectively. The criteria defined by the International Headache Society (IHS) were used in the classification of patients. The patients were divided into two subgroups according to age intervals: (i) group 1, 5-10 years of age; and (ii) group II, 11-16 years of age. RESULTS: There were 62 males and 63 females in the study. The patients' ages ranged from 5 to 16 years (mean (+/- SD) age 10.67+/-2.72 years). Headache was more commonly noted between 11 and 16 years of age. While headache was more frequent in male children in group I, there was female predominance in group II. However, there was no significant difference between the groups with respect to age and gender (P>0.05). The most frequent cause of headache was migraine and the remaining causes, in decreasing order, included sinusitis (no. 11 according to IHS criteria) and tension-type and psychosomatic headaches (no. 13 according to IHS criteria). Of the 125 patients in the study, 85 (68%) had acute headache and 40 (32%) had chronic headache; 44 (35.2%) patients had acute localized-type headache, 39 (31.2%) suffered from acute recurrent-type headache, 38 (30.4%) had chronic non-progressive headache and acute generalized and chronic progressive-type headache were diagnosed in two (1.6%) patients. Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain were performed in 50 and seven patients, respectively; there were abnormal findings in six patients on CT examiniation and in two patients following MRI. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, we stress that the most frequent cause of headache in childhood is migraine and the remaining causes, in decreasing order of frequency, were sinusitis and tension-type and psychosomatic headaches. Neuroimaging studies, such as CT or MRI, need to be performed, especially in patients with complicated symptoms.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2000

Siblings with cystic leukoencephalopathy and megalencephaly.

Cystic leukoencephalopathy with megalencephaly is a newly described entity with mild clinical involvement. Patients suffer from developmental problems and seizures in childhood. Progression is gradual into adulthood. Typical magnetic resonance imaging findings include subcortical cysts and diffuse leukoencephalopathy. The etiology is unknown with possibly autosomal-recessive inheritance. We present two pairs of siblings with this disease and emphasize the characteristic and variable patterns even within the same family.

Brain↗

PubMed1999