Background: This study was designed to evaluate the possible protective effects of low-dose methotrexate in the spinal cord injury (SCI) in rats.
Methods: Thirty-seven Wistar albino rats were used in the present study. Except for the animals of the Sham group, all animals were divided into two main groups, which were used in acute and subacute stage investigations. Then, thoracal laminectomy was performed, and except for the Sham group, SCI was induced using a temporary aneurysm clip. After clip compression, the experimental material (methotrexate or methylprednisolone) was administered intraperitoneally, except in the Sham and Control groups. Then, the spinal cords were removed to evaluate the SCI histopathologically and biochemically at the scheduled date.
Results: Neither experimental material was shown to reduce the histopathological grade in either stage of SCI. Low-dose methotrexate was shown to decrease lipid peroxidation levels only in the subacute stage of SCI. However, methylprednisolone and low-dose methotrexate could not decrease or block myeloperoxidase enzyme activation in either stage of SCI.
Conclusion: Low-dose methotrexate was effective in reducing the lipid peroxidation levels in the subacute stage of SCI, although histopathological evaluation results and myeloperoxidase levels of all groups did not support this finding at either stage.

Background: In this experiment, the effects of lornoxicam on brain edema and the blood brain barrier (BBB) following diffuse traumatic brain injury (TBI) were studied.
Methods: Twenty adult male Wistar albino rats were anesthetized, and experimental closed head trauma was induced by the Marmarou method. After head injury, the rats were randomly divided into two groups: Group I was the control group, to which 2 ml saline was administered intraperitoneally, and Group II was the lornoxicam group, to which 2 ml 1.3 mg kg-1 lornoxicam was administered intraperitoneally. Twentyfour hours after head trauma, 99 mTc pentetate (DTPA) was injected at a dose of 37 MBq, and posterior planar images of each rat were obtained using an Infinia gamma camera. After imaging of BBB permeability, brain tissues were dissected from the cranium. The brain water content (BWC) of each sample was calculated using the wet-dry method.
Results: The lesion/background (L/b) ratio of Group I was 3.76±0.46 and 3.02±0.66 for early (5th min) and late (60th min) imaging, respectively. In Group II, the L/b ratios were 3.52±0.96 and 2.63±0.63 for early and late imaging, respectively (p>0.05). BWC was 79.6±2.5% and 77.5±1.1% for Groups I and II, respectively (p<0.05).
Conclusion: In this rat model of TBI, lornoxicam reduced brain edema but did not affect BBB permeability.

Background: Metal alloys utilized in the management of jaw fractures may exert genotoxic effects. Our purpose was to compare the genotoxicity of intermaxillary fixation devices containing nickel and chromium to that of titanium miniplates utilized in treatment of jaw fractures through the analysis of sister chromatid exchange.
Methods: In this prospective study, in a total of 28 non-smoker patients (10 females, 18 males; mean age 33.43±10.76; range 15 to 60 years) with jaw fractures, 14 were treated with intermaxillary fixation by administration of nickel-chromium wire and arch bar and 14 with titanium miniplates to investigate the genotoxicity of different metal alloys. The outcome variable was the frequency of sister chromatide exchange in peripheral lymphoctyes, determined through the analysis of venous blood samples obtained preoperatively and 4 to 6 weeks postoperatively.
Results: The frequency of the average sister chromatid exchange was found to be significantly higher in patients treated with the nickel-chromium intermaxillary fixation devices than those treated by titanium miniplates (1.29±0.29 vs. 0.46±0.39, p<0.001).
Conclusion: Although titanium miniplate osteosynthesis is an invasive technique in comparison with the nickel-chromium-containing intermaxillary fixation devices, titanium seems to exert less genotoxic effect than the nickel-chromium alloy. However, this finding should be supported in clinical studies with a larger sampling size.

Background: We aimed to introduce the efficiency of 4% icodextrin solution on preventing adhesions and its effect on anastomotic healing, together with biochemical parameters.
Methods: In total, 40 rats were divided into four groups of 10 rats each as Group A (abrasion+icodextrin), Group B (abrasion), Group C (anastomosis+icodextrin), and Group D (anastomosis). Adhesion grade, anastomotic bursting pressure, histopathological analysis, tissue hydroxyproline level, and serum myeloperoxidase (MPO), nitric oxide (NO), and malondialdehyde (MDA) values were examined.
Results: Adhesion score was significantly lower in Group A than in Group B and significantly lower in Group C than in Group D (p=0.003577, p=0.001612). No difference in anastomoses healing was determined between Group C and Group D (p=0.816). Hydroxyproline level was significantly higher in Group A than in Group B and significantly higher in Group C than in Group D (p=0.001, p=0.0001). There were no differences in NO and MDA levels between Group A and Group B, but values were significantly lower in Group C than in Group D (p=0.434, p=0.001, p=0.116, p=0.018). MPO level was significantly lower in Group A than in Group B and significantly lower in Group C than in Group D (p=0.0001, p=0.0001).
Conclusion: Based on our results, 4% icodextrin solution evidently decreased the formation of adhesion without negatively affecting the anastomotic healing. We also reported herein the biochemical and histopathological results and adhesion scores.

Background: We investigated the individual and combined effects of magnesium sulphate, which is an N-Methyl-D aspartate receptor antagonist (NMDA), and z-LEHD-FMK, which is a caspase 9 inhibitor, on the genesis of secondary injury in a rat spinal cord injury model. We aimed to minimize the effects of secondary injury in spinal cord trauma by choosing these two agents which served to block the two major mechanisms of cell loss, apoptosis and necrosis.
Methods: The drugs were given to the subjects according to their groups, either in singular or combined fashion. For motor examination, the subjects were kept under close clinical evaluation for five days. Histopathological examination and the emerging spinal cord samples were prepared with haematoxylene-eosin and Tunel techniques.
Results: A statistically significant difference in favor of the treatment groups has been found between the treatment and control groups in terms of histological data. However, there was no difference in the evaluation of motor examination between trauma and treatment groups.
Conclusion: We have found no difference between the individual and combined uses of MgSO4 and z-LEHD-FMK in the prevention of secondary injury; however, there were better histological results in the treatment groups compared to trauma and control groups which gives us hope for future investigations.

Background: In this study, our aim was to identify the validity of the prophylaxis indications for patients who received tetanus prophylaxis, determine the ratio of high-risk wounds to the number of patients with immunity, and to evaluate the tetanus immunity of specific age groups.
Methods: Patients who applied to the Emergency Department (ED) between September 2009 and May 2010 and who were considered for tetanus prophylaxis by his/her primary care physician were included in the study.
Results: A total of 320 patients were evaluated. The average age of the patients was 40.87±15.83 years. A total of 73.1% of the patients were male and 26.8% were female. A total of 40.3% of the patients knew their vaccination history, while 59.7% had no recollection of their vaccination history. 14.7% of the patients had received their last dose within 5 years and 48.1% within 5-10 years; 37.2% of the patients declared that more 10 years had passed since their last vaccination. In 75% of the patients, the tetanus immunoglobulin (Ig)G level was identified as ≥0.1 IU/ml, while 25% of the patients had levels <0.1 IU/ml. The number of patients with protective levels was lower among those who were illiterate or who had only a primary school education, and this difference was statistically significant (p<0.001).
Conclusion: The vaccination histories can be misleading. Certain equipment can be used at the bedside to determine a patient’s tetanus immunization status.

Amaç: Çalýþmamýzda, “Geniþletilmiþ Acil Travma Ultrasonografi” (GATUS) uygulamasýnýn, çoklu travma hastasýnda, karýniçi yaralanma, hemotoraks, yaný sýra pnömotoraks saptamada duyarlýlýðýný, ayrýca invaziv iþlem gerekliliðiyle iliþkisini göstermeyi amaçladýk.
Gereç Ve Yöntem: Acil servise baþvuran, çoklu travmalý hastalar çalýþmaya alýndý. Hasta hakkýnda klinik bilgisi olmayan araþtýrmacý acil hekimi tarafýndan yatakbaþý GATUS yapýldý. Supin akciðer grafiði bulgularý, yapýlan invaziv giriþimler kaydedildi. Karýn ve toraks bilgisayarlý tomografi (BT) pnömotoraks düzeyine göre skorlama yapýldý) sonuçlarýysa radyoloji uzman düzeyinde deðerlendirildi.
Bulgular: BT ile karþýlaþtýrýldýðýnda, karýniçi yaralanma ve hemotoraks için GATUS duyarlýlýklarý sýrasýyla %54,5 ve %71 idi. GATUS ile tanýlanamayan hemotoraks ve karýniçi yaralanmalarda herhangi bir invaziv müdahale yapýlamadýðý görüldü. Toraks BT’sinde pnömotoraks saptanan 33 (%30,8) hastadan GATUS ile 27 (%25,2) hasta pnömotoraks tanýsý aldý (duyarlýlýk %81,8). Yapýlan skorlamaya göre GATUS ile “geniþliði 1 cm’den az veya uzunluðu midkoronal çizgiyi geçmeyen” pnömotorakslarýn atlandýðý görüldü. Tüp torakostomi uygulanan hastalarýn tamamýnda, GATUS pozitifti.
Sonuç: GATUS, invaziv iþlem gerektirebilecek pnömotorakslarýn saptanmasýnda, yüksek duyarlýlýk ile kullanýlabilir. Hemotoraks ve karýniçi yaralanmalarýn tanýnmasýndaysa duyarlýlýðý düþük olmakla beraber invaziv iþlem gerekliliðini öngörülmesinde yol gösterebilir.

Background: A retrospective review was carried out to determine the incidence of various causes and outcome of management in patients with acute scrotum.
Methods: Fifty children had a diagnosis of acute scrotum between 1st January 2007 and 15th May 2012. Age, mode of presentation, associated anomalies, and results of treatment were studied. Diagnosis of acute scrotum was confirmed by physical examination, Doppler ultrasound and biochemical investigations.
Results: Clinical presentation consisted of sudden swelling and pain in the inguinoscrotal region. The average age was 7.5 years (2 months-14 years). Causes of acute scrotum were orchitis/epididymo-orchitis (O/EO) in 22, strangulated inguinal hernia (SIH) in 16, testicular torsion (TT) in 11, and torsion of testicular appendage (TTA) in 1. Associated urological anomalies were found in 5 patients with O/EO. Medical treatment was applied to patients with O/EO, and surgical treatment was performed in patients with SIH, TT and TTA.
Conclusion: In this series, O/EO was found to rank first as the cause of acute scrotum. Immediate surgical treatment in acute scrotum patients, except those with O/EO, is necessary. Associated urological anomalies should be investigated in patients with O/EO.

Background: We aimed to investigate the results of a non-operative approach to blunt spleen injury to re-evaluate the importance of injury grade.
Methods: Thirty-one blunt splenic trauma cases subjected to nonoperative treatment were evaluated retrospectively. The patients were classified into two groups as isolated spleen trauma (ST) group and multi-trauma (MT) group. The hospitalization and blood replacement needs, success of non-operative follow-up, and post-traumatic complications were compared between the two groups. The patients were evaluated via follow-up abdominal ultrasonography (US) and computerized tomography (CT). The results were evaluated with regard to post-splenic trauma complications.
Results: According to the organ injury scale of the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma, 25.8% were grade-1, 32.2% grade-2, 29% grade-3, and 12.9% grade-4 injuries. It was observed that the transfusion amount was directly proportional to the injury grade. All patients with grade-4 injury and 14 patients with MT were treated successfully with the non-operative method. Splenic pseudoaneurysm developed in one patient in the MT group. One patient was diagnosed with late splenic rupture.
Conclusion: Hemodynamic stability is the most important criterion for the indication of non-operative treatment. However, in wellselected cases, patients with grade 4 splenic traumas and those with extra-splenic injuries could also be treated successfully with the non-operative method.

Background: Aortic injury after blunt trauma that is missed during the first admission will soon be seen as a chronic aneurysm. The objective of this study is to show the importance of the diagnosis and appropriate treatment of these aneurysms.
Methods: Between 2009 and 2012, 8 patients (mean age, 50±31 years) diagnosed with chronic traumatic aortic aneurysm were treated with either thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) or conventional surgery 20 years on average after the trauma.
Results: Treatments included TEVAR in four patients, conventional surgery in two patients, and hybrid intervention in one patient. One patient died postoperatively. One patient had an endoleak requiring a repeat TEVAR, which was successful. Brachial embolectomy was performed after placing the endovascular stent. No paraplegia or lower extremity ischemia was seen. One patient died preoperatively due to rupture of the aneurysm.
Conclusion: Chronic traumatic aortic aneurysms may cause general symptoms years after a blunt trauma. Aortic injury must always be considered in the assessment and follow-up of trauma patients.

Background: The craniofacial region is one of the most frequently injured parts of the body, and mandibular fracture is one of the commonest facial skeletal injuries. The most frequent causes of mandibular fractures are the traumas related to traffic accidents, falls, interpersonal violence, and sports activities, etc.
Methods: Seven hundred fifty-three cases (615 male, 138 female; megan age 36.2 years) (age >16) with mandibular fracture were evaluated retrospectively. Patient records were examined in terms of age, sex, etiology, seasonal variation, fracture localization, accompanying traumas, treatment modality, and postoperative complications.
Results: Traffic accidents were the most common etiologic cause in all age groups and both sexes. All cases had a total of 1090 fractures, and the most common fracture localization was the parasymphysis (28.6%), followed by the condyle, corpus, angulus, symphysis, dentoalveolar process, ramus, and coronoid process, respectively. In 25 (3.3%) patients with fissurelike, non-displaced fracture, only symptomatic treatment was applied. Closed reduction with elastic bandage, arch bar, quick-fix screws or Ivy Loop was the only method performed in 280 (37.2%) patients. Osteosynthesis by open reduction and internal fixation (miniplates, screws or transosseous wiring) was performed in 403 (53.5%) patients; closed reduction techniques were also performed in 134 of these patients.
Conclusion: In the recent years, double-road constructions, increased traffic audits and regulation of the traffic rules decreased the incidence of mandibular fractures.

Background: We aimed to evaluate the etiologic factors, complications, follow-up, and treatment outcomes in serious hyphema following blunt ocular trauma in childhood.
Methods: The medical records of 136 patients diagnosed as grade 3 or 4 hyphema due to blunt ocular trauma between January 2006 and December 2011 were evaluated. Visual acuity (VA), complications, and medical and surgical treatments were analyzed. Factors affecting visual prognosis were compared in grade 3 and 4 hyphema cases.
Results: The mean age of patients was 9.7±4 years. Etiologic factors for trauma were stone in 53 (39%), bead bullet in 25 (18.4%) and others in 58 (42.6%) patients. The most common complication of grade 3 and 4 hyphema was traumatic mydriasis (19.1%), followed by cataract (9.6%) and glaucoma (5.1%). Medical treatment was successful in 114 (83.8%) patients, and 22 (16.2%) patients underwent surgery. Mean initial and final VA of grade 4 patients were found to be significantly lower than those of grade 3 patients.
Conclusion: In grade 3 and 4 hyphema due to blunt trauma, visual prognosis worsened in the presence of additional ocular pathologies. Considering the bad visual prognosis of severe hyphema patients, prompt treatment and close follow-up may prevent complications resulting in poor VA.

Diaphragma and pericardium rupture is rarely seen after blunt trauma. It’s treatment is surgery. A 4-year-old male patient who was operated for diaphragm and pericardium
rupture which developed after blunt trauma; rarity of this union, differences in the clinical and radiological features in children was examined.

Blunt trauma represents a major cause of death in children. The incidence of renal arterial injuries in these cases is less than 1%. Traumatic renal artery occlusion is a rare occurrence in the pediatric age group. However, there is lack of information on the exact incidence and results of the management of these rare cases in the pediatric age group. We report herein a case and we review the available literature of this severe injury in the pediatric age group.

Vital functions and the effect of injuries on quality of life are important from a viewpoint of causation in willful injury crimes committed against a pregnant woman. In such conditions, which should be evaluated separately in criminal law and compensation law, permanent losses of organ function that may negatively affect the woman’s fertility, the features of permanent functional impairments and premature birth of the fetus can be additive factors for the indemnification amount. In scientific literature, case reports addressing the morphological and physiological changes to the fetus due to firearm injury are rare. In the presented case, we aimed to evaluate the fetus’s situation, following firearm injury to a 41-year-old woman at 27 weeks gestation. While the mother was living a healthy life, the significant problem of the child in the first four-year period of his development was hyperactivity. Evaluating the effect of the frontal lobe lesion on the psychiatric findings of the child is important.

Cholecystenteric fistula is one of the rarest complications of biliary lithiasis, with a frequency of less than 1%. Bouveret syndrome is a gastric outlet obstruction produced by gallstone(s) located in the distal stomach or proximal duodenum. The route of gallstone migration to the bowel is most commonly via a cholecystoduodenal fistula; however, fistulization of the stomach is a rarer variation. Early diagnosis of this situation is crucial to reduce morbidity and mortality. In this report, we present a patient with cholecystogastric fistula and Bouveret syndrome. To our knowledge, there is no published paper in the literature related to the diagnosis of Bouveret syndrome with multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) (64 detectors) and/or contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (CE-MRCP). Our aim was to discuss the efficacy of MDCT and CE-MRCP in the detection and evaluation of cholecystenteric fistulas. We showed the exact localization and relation of biliary stones and the fistula by MDCT and CE-MRCP. We also evaluated the biliary system with CE-MRCP physiologically. In conclusion, when biliary lithiasis and ileus are detected in plain radiography, the firstline diagnostic tool should be MDCT. In complicated cases or when biliary obstruction is suspected, CE-MRCP can give important morphological and physiological information regarding the whole abdomen and biliary system.

The presence of an appendix vermiformis in a femoral hernia sac is called De Garengeot’s hernia. It is a very rare clinical condition and requires emergency surgery. However, preoperative diagnosis of De Garengeot’s hernia is difficult. Herein, we report a 58-year-old female who presented with sudden-onset painful swelling in the right groin region. Diagnosis was established based on computed tomography findings, and appendectomy with meshfree hernia repair was performed. The postoperative period was uneventful, and the histopathologic examination of the specimen revealed gangrenous appendicitis.

We report herein the case of a 42-year-old woman who presented to the Burns Unit with 81% of her body surface severely burned following sun bathing, after applying fig leaf tea as a tanning agent. The patient was hospitalized for 13 days in a Burns Intensive Care Unit, and was discharged for an ambulatory follow-up. The treatment of such burns does not differ from any conventional treatment for heat- induced second-degree burns. The physiopathology of the phytophotodermatitis induced by such homemade tanning solutions rich in psoralen is discussed in detail.

Appendiceal anomalies are extremely rare malformations that are usually found in adult populations as an incidental finding. Agenesis and duplication of the appendix have been well documented, but we know of only three reported cases of a horseshoe appendix. A 64-year-old woman admitted to the emergency department. A provisional diagnosis of acute appendicitis was made, and the patient was taken to the operating room. While appendectomy was being performed with a standard approach, the distal tip was seen to communicate with the cecum by another stump, or “horseshoe appendix”. The aim of this report is to share our experience with this extraordinary finding.