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Sixth Month (sixth + month)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Medical Sciences	71%
Life Sciences	28%

Selected Abstracts

The Evaluation of Thyroid Functions, Thyroid Antibodies, and Thyroid Volumes in Children with Epilepsy during Short-Term Administration of Oxcarbazepine and Valproate

EPILEPSIA, Issue 11 2006
Ali Cansu
Summary:,Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of short-term oxcarbazepine (OXC) and valproate (VPA) monotherapy on thyroid functions in children. Methods: Fifty-five newly diagnosed epileptic children with normal thyroid functions (confirmed with the thyrotropin releasing hormone stimulation test) participated in this study. VPA treatment was started in 30 patients and OXC in 25 patients. Serum thyroxine (T4), free thyroxine (fT4), triiodothyronine (T3), free triiodothyronine (fT3), reverse T3 (rT3), thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPO-ab), and urine iodine levels were evaluated at baseline and at the third and sixth months of therapy. Results: In the OXC group, serum T4, fT4, T3, fT3, and rT3 levels were found to be decreased at the third and sixth months, the differences were significant compared to the baseline values except for fT3 levels at the third month and fT4 and rT3 levels at the sixth month (p < 0.05). At the sixth month, serum T4 level dropped below the normal reference value in 8 (32%), fT4 in 5 (20%), T3 in 4 (16%), and fT3 in 3 (12%) patients. In the VPA group, mean T4, fT4, T3, fT3, and rT3 levels at 3 and 6 months remained similar compared to the baseline values (p > 0.05). Mean serum thyroid stimulating hormone levels increased significantly at the sixth month compared to the baseline values in the VPA group (p < 0.05) while it remained unchanged in the OXC group (p > 0.05). There was no effect of either drug on urinary iodine excretion and serum TPO-ab levels remained in normal ranges throughout the study. Conclusions: In this prospective study, it is documented that children under short-term OXC or VPA therapy showed altered thyroid functions similar to the changes observed after long-term treatment. Although, the clinical significance of these results need to be evaluated with future studies, this observation of altered thyroid functions points out that thyroid functions may need to be monitored closely in children receiving antiepileptic treatment, even in the short-time interval. [source]

Longitudinal weight gain of immunized infants and toddlers in Moroto District, Uganda (Karamoja subregion)

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF HUMAN BIOLOGY, Issue 1 2010
Sandra Gray
This study examines longitudinal weight gain of a sample of 123 immunized children from Moroto District, northeast Uganda. The weight data were combined from two sources: (1) anthropometric examinations carried out between 1998 and 2004 by a research team from the University of Kansas, and (2) weights recorded on children's immunization records by local health care practitioners. Our findings conform generally to the pattern described in previous studies in this as well as other pastoralist populations in sub-Sahara. Relative to international standards, the weight-for-age status of Karimojong children was best during the first 3 months of infancy. Noticeable declines in weight velocity occurred in the fourth month and after the sixth month. Weight gain was static after the second year, when upward of 40% of children were clinically underweight. Factors influencing weight gain in this sample include immunization status and maternal height, weight, and parity, but these effects explain relatively little of the variance in weight gain. We conclude that immunization is not sufficient to buffer Karimojong children from multiple stressors during teething and weaning. Of these, the practice of canine follicle extraction (CFE) is of most interest, although its effects in this study are ambiguous. The data also are suggestive of variability in the pattern of weight gain between closely spaced birth cohorts. This finding may be of particular importance for the interpretation of growth patterns described for other pastoralist populations in sub-Saharan Africa. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 2010. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]

The Prenatal Development and Histochemistry of the Ileal Mucins in the Bovine Fetuses

ANATOMIA, HISTOLOGIA, EMBRYOLOGIA, Issue 6 2009
F. Beyaz
Summary Few studies exist regarding the distribution of intestinal mucins in fetuses of mammalians such as cattle and sheep. In this study, we aimed to describe the changes in the mucin production by ileal epithelium of bovine fetuses during their prenatal development. The goblet cells showed heterogeneity in mucins and the apical cytoplasm of the enterocytes demonstrated Periodic acid Schiff-positive reaction which declined gradually towards the birth. Moreover, the number of the goblet cells containing acidic and mixed mucins augmented, whereas those containing neutral mucins decreased with advancing gestational age. After sixth month of gestation, with the initiation of the ileal Peyer patches and follicle-associated epithelium development, a gradual increase in the number of goblet cells containing sulfomucins was also noticed towards the birth. The presence of different mucins in the ileum of bovine fetuses throughout prenatal development might play a role in the protection of the intestinal mucosa against urinary waste products in swallowed amniotic fluid and bile. Furthermore, mucins can also contribute for the formation of meconium in intra-uterine life and building of strong intestinal barrier with predominating sulfomucins, protecting the intestine against potential pathogens and digestive enzymes after birth. [source]

The changes in serum leptin, body fat mass and insulin resistance after renal transplantation

CLINICAL TRANSPLANTATION, Issue 1 2003
S Mehmet Kayacan
Abstract:,Background:, In this prospective-controlled study, we aimed to investigate the effect of changes in insulin resistance and anthropometrical parameters on serum leptin levels (SLL) after renal transplantation (Tx). Patients and methods:, Thirty-four patients (M/F: 19/15, mean age: 29 ± 9 yr) and 30 age and sex-matched healthy controls (C) were included. Body weight, subscapular, suprailiac, periumbilical, biceps and triceps skinfold thicknesses, neck, wrist, hip and waist circumferences, as well as body mass index and body fat mass were measured as anthropometrical parameters. In order to measure the serum glucose, insulin and SLL, blood samples were obtained before and 1 wk, 1 and 6 months after Tx. Homeostasis Model Assessment (HOMA) values were calculated as an index of insulin resistance. Results:, Serum leptin levels (SLL) of the patients at pre-Tx were significantly higher than C (21.5 ± 3.5 vs. 7.8 ± 0.9 ng/mL, p = 0.002) and decreased at first week after Tx (from 21.5 ± 3.5 to 8.4 ± 1.5 ng/mL, p < 0.001). Thereafter, it gradually increased to 12.8 ± 2.1 ng/mL in the first month and to 14.4 ± 2.1 ng/mL in the sixth month after Tx. Serum leptin levels at sixth month were significantly higher than C (p = 0.005). Serum insulin and HOMA values changed similar to SLL after Tx. Correlations between SLL and HOMA persisted during the study period [pre-Tx (r: 0.40) and at first (r: 0.38) and sixth (r: 0.47) months]. In linear regression analysis, HOMA and fat mass were found as independent variables for predicting SLL at the sixth month after Tx. Conclusion:, Serum leptin levels dramatically decreased immediately after Tx and significantly correlated with serum insulin levels and HOMA during the entire study. Increase in SLL at sixth months was probably because of increase in fat mass, insulin resistance and steroid use in renal transplant recipients. [source]

The Evaluation of Thyroid Functions, Thyroid Antibodies, and Thyroid Volumes in Children with Epilepsy during Short-Term Administration of Oxcarbazepine and Valproate

A randomized controlled trial of a community nurse-supported hospital discharge programme in older patients with chronic heart failure

JOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 1 2008
Timothy Kwok MD
Aims and objectives., To evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a community nurse-supported hospital discharge programme in preventing hospital re-admissions, improving functional status and handicap of older patients with chronic heart failure. Design., Randomized controlled trial; 105 hospitalized patients aged 60 years or over with chronic heart failure and history of hospital admission(s) in previous year were randomly assigned into intervention group (n = 49) and control group (n = 56) for six months. Intervention group subjects received community nurse visits before discharge, within seven days of discharge, weekly for four weeks, then monthly. Community nurse liaised closely with a designated specialist in hospital and were accessible to subjects during normal working hours. Control and intervention group subjects were followed up in the same specialist medical clinics. Primary outcome was the rate of unplanned re-admission at six months. Secondary outcomes were number of unplanned re-admissions, six-minute walking distance, London Handicap Scale and public health care and personal care costs. Results., At sixth months, the re-admission rates were not significantly different (46 vs. 57% in control subjects, p = 0·233, Chi-square test). But the median number of re-admissions tended to lower in the intervention group (0 vs. 1 in control group, p = 0·057, Mann Whitney test). Intervention group subjects had less handicap in independence (median change 0 vs. 0·5 in control subjects, p = 0·002, Mann Whitney test), but there was no difference in six-minute walking distance. There was no significant group difference in median total public health care and personal care costs. Conclusion., Community nurse-supported post-discharge programme was effective in preserving independence and was probably effective in reducing the number of unplanned re-admissions. The cost benefits to public health care were not significant. Relevance to clinical practice., Older chronic heart failure patients are likely to benefit from post-discharge community nurse intervention programmes. More comprehensive health economic evaluation needs to be undertaken. [source]