Objective: In humans, male births exceed female births. This ratio is conventionally expressed as M/F and is influenced by a large number offactors, including stress. This study was carried out in order to ascertain whether the known seasonal variation in M/F in the United States ofAmerica (USA), peaking in June, is affected by the quadrennial elections (November), and whether any such influences vary by race. Methods: Births by gender and by race for the period 2003-2013 were obtained from the website of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the four available races: White, Black/African American, Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian/Alaska Native. Election years were 2004, 2008 and 2012. Seasonality tests were carried out for the entire group and for White and Black/African American births. Results: This study analysed 45 138 496 live births (23 102 106 males, 22 036 390 females, M/F: 0.51180). Overall, M/F was the lowest in election years, rising, then falling Asian/Pacific Islander births but not for Black/African American or American Indian/Alaskan Native births. Overall and for White births, only election year plus 3 (year just before election) showed seasonal variation (p < 0.01). Conclusion: Seasonality may have been disturbed/reduced in most years due to the elections. Black births may have been unaffected due to chronic stress caused by socio-economic dampening ofM/F trends.
A pregnant woman was referred to our perinatal tertiary care centre because of foetal bowel distension. Ultrasonography revealed a well-circumscribed circular mass in the foetus'abdomen. After delivery, the male neonate underwent laparotomy to excise the mass. Pathologic examination of the mass was consistent with the diagnosis of foetus in foetu. This case of foetus in foetu was differentiated from a teratoma based on the presence of a vertebral axis and appropriate arrangement of other organs and limbs relative to the vertebral axis. A multidisciplinary clinical approach may be more suitable for managing rare foetal disorders, such as this one.
Objective: Red blood cell distribution width (RDW) is a measure of red blood cell size heterogeneity. The aim of this study is to evaluate the relationship between the RDW level and the characteristics of the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbations. Methods: The records of the hospitalised COPD patients were evaluated retrospectively. The demographic characteristics, duration of follow-up and the numbers of exacerbations and hospitalisations, duration of the hospital stay, need of non-invasive mechanic ventilation (NIMV) or intensive care unit (ICU) and laboratory findings were recorded. Results: There were 35 women (18.5%), 154 men (81.5%), Totaling 189 patients whose mean age was 67.4 + 10.6 years. The mean durations of follow-up and hospitalisation were, respectively, 2.85 + 2.5 years and 8.5 + 5.4 days. Forty-one of the patients (22%) were current smokers and 115 of them (61.8%) were ex-smokers. Nearly one-third of the patients (34.9%) had increased RDW levels. When the patients with an increased RDW level compared to normal ones, no statistically significant difference was found with respect to the gender, smoking history, smoking pack-years, numbers of the exacerbation and hospitalisation, duration of hospital stay and need of NIMV or ICU. However, it was found that the presence of exitus was significantly higher in patients with an increased RDW level (p = 0.02). Conclusion: This study suggested that an increased level of RDW might be related with increased mortality in COPD patients. Further long-term prospective studies with healthy controls and COPD patients in both stable and exacerbation periods are needed in order to evaluate clinical significance of these findings.
Neurothekeomas are very rare, benign, soft-tissue tumours that originate from the sheath of the peripheral nerves. They are commonly located on the upper extremities or the head and the neck. Pain is an unusual, clinical symptom. We report a case of a 69-year-old woman, who presented to us with a painful nodule on the upper inner surface of the left leg. With the histopathological, histochemical and immunostaining features, the lesion was diagnosed as S-100 (-)/CD68 (+) myxoid hypocellular neurothekeoma. The case was presented due to the unusual clinicopathological features.
Objective: The aim of this five-year study was to investigate the influence of body mass index (BMI) and obesity on post-transplant renal graft function. Methods: This research monitored 500 patients of both genders who had received kidney transplants. Post-transplant measurements of the recipients'biochemical parameters, anthropometric parameters and renal function were performed. Two methods were also applied for assessing renal function: (a) the Cockcroft-Gault formula and (b) the serum creatinine clearance. Results: Five years after transplantation, the patients showed an increase in obesity, accompanied by a lower glomerular filtration rate (GFR). Although the Cockcroft-Gault values were mild, the GFR percentage tended to decrease from the first to the fifth year, with higher serum creatinine levels. Conclusion: The results reflected an increase in body weight and BMI in the five years after transplantation. This led to a lower GFR and subsequent graft damage during this time period.
