Esophageal stricture (ES) due to accidentally caustic digestions is a common problem in children. Mucosal damage and repeated dilatations lead to chronic inflammation and finally ES. We investigated the oxidative status and DNA damage of children with ES. Five children with ES were compared with the same age- and sex-matched healthy subjects. Oxidative status of plasma was evaluated by measuring myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity, and total peroxide (TP) level. Anti-oxidative status of the plasma was evaluated by measuring catalase (CAT) activity, and total antioxidant response (TAR). We used the Single Cell Gel Electrophoresis (also called Comet Assay) to measure DNA strand break in peripheral blood mononuclear leukocytes. Mean MPO activity and TP levels in the ES group were significantly higher than the control group (0.83 +/- 0.35, 0.09 +/- 0.03 and 0.98 +/- 0.38, 0.34 +/- 0.20, P = 0.009 and P = 0.047 respectively). There was no significant difference in CAT activity and TAR levels between the two groups (P = 0.347). DNA damage in patients with ES was increased compared to control subjects (108.8 +/- 51.2 and 57.6 +/- 31.2 arbitrary units, respectively), but this difference was not significant statistically (P= 0.09). This study shows that systemic oxidative stress and alteration at the nuclear level occur in patients with ES, as a result of multiple dilatations and tissue injury. On the other hand, these results support that patients with ES may benefit from antioxidant treatment.

Background -Mean platelet volume (MPV) is an indicator of platelet activation. The pathophysiology of the primary and secondary Raynaud's Phenomenon (RP) have not been completely established. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between MPV and RP. Materials and Methods -Our study was a prospective randomized study carried out from January 2011 to March 2012. The study group consisted of 39 patients: 27 (70%) patients having primary, 12 (30%) patients having secondary RP. An age-, gender-, and body mass index-matched control group consisted of 40 healthy participants. We compared the MPV in patients with RP and control participants statistically. Results -MPV of RP group was 8.79±1.37 femtoliter (fL) while MPV of control group was 8.39±1.36 fL.Comparison of MPV of RP group and control group showed no difference (p=0.274). The mean of MPV was significantly higher among patients with secondary RP (9.76±1.68 fl) when compared with patients with primary RP (8.37±0.96 fl) (p=0.018). Conclusion -The results of our study suggest that MPV may be used as a marker in secondary RP.