The results of our study showed that patients with mild or moderate hyperlipidemia manifested higher values of periodontal parameters compared to normolipidemic individuals. Further studies are needed to determine the effect of hyperlipidemia on periodontal disease.

We reviewed a case of Brucella spondylodiscitis admitted to a referral, university hospital, in Ankara, Turkey. A 75-year-old female was referred to our hospital with low back pain. Previous magnetic resonance imaging yielded cortical destruction of T9-10 and T12-L2 vertebral bodies, focal infectious foci at discs within this range, significant microabscesses at paravertebral areas, which lead to the diagnosis of spondylodiscitis. History of consumption of unpasteurized dairy products led us to first suspect brucellosis yet, the serum agglutination test and blood culture were negative and did mislead us to several other, sometimes invasive, diagnostic tests. The final diagnosis was reached by culturing the specimen obtained through fine-needle aspiration from the paravertebral microabscesses. The exhausting diagnostic journey that started with the suspicion of tuberculosis or malignancy ended with a diagnosis of brucellosis. Brucellosis should be considered in all patients with osteoarthritic complaints in endemic regions, and the "prozone phenomenon" should be kept in mind, before proceeding to high-tech lab tests, imaging, or invasive procedures.

Objective: The aim of this prospective, randomized, double-blind study was to investigate the postoperative analgesic effects of levobupivacaine or tramadol infiltration administered prior to surgery in septorhinoplasty (SRP) or endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS).Material and Methods: Sixty ASA class I-III adult patients electively undergoing SRP or ESC were included the study. Induction of anesthesia was performed with propofol 2-2.5 mg/kg, rocuronium bromide 0.6 mg/kg and fentanyl 1 μg/kg i.v. Sevoflurane 2% with an N 2 O/O 2 mixture (FiO 2 : 35%) was used for maintenance. Tramadol 0.5 mg/kg (Group T: n=20), levobupivacaine 0.25% (Group L: n=20) and lidocaine 1% (Group C: n=20) in a 1/200,000 adrenaline solution was infiltrated into the surgical area 10 min before the operation (5 mL for ESS and 10 mL for SRP). All patients received fentanyl (bolus dose: 15 μg and lockout interval: 10 min) with a patient-controlled analgesia device during the postoperative period. Pain was assessed using an 11-point visual analogue scale (VAS) every 4 h for the first 24 h. Analgesic requirements, opioid consumption and side effects in the postoperative period were recorded.Results: There was a statistically significant decrease in postoperative fentanyl demand and consumption in patients receiving tramadol. Fentanyl doses in the 24 h period were 345.2±168.8 μg, 221.1±120.6 μg and 184.1±130.3 μg (p=0.002) for the Groups C, L and T, respectively. There were statistically significant differences in fentanyl requirements between the tramadol and control groups at the 16, 20 and 24 h time points (p=0.012, p=0.004 and p=0.002, respectively). The side effect profiles were similar.Conclusions: Our study indicates that the preemptive tramadol infiltration technique is an efficient, practical and safe alternative to levobupivacaine in ESS or SRP operations.

Objectives. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of CO 2 insufflation on the pressure of the middle ear cavity (PMEC) during laparoscopic surgery under total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA) with propofol or sevoflurane as an inhalational anesthetic maintenance. Material and Methods. Sixty patients who underwent laparoscopic/or non-laparoscopic surgery under general anesthesia were included in the study. For anesthetic maintenance with inhalation agents, 20 non-laparoscopic surgery patients in Group 1 were applied sevoflurane (2-2.5%). Forty patients who underwent laparoscopic surgery were randomized into two groups. Anesthesia was maintained with sevoflurane (2-2.5%) in twenty patients in Group 2 and the TIVA technique in 20 patients in Group 3. In Group 1, PMEC was measured before anesthesia, 10 and 30 min after endotracheal intubation, 10 min before extubation, and 15, 30, 60 min and 6 hours in the postoperative period. In Group 2 and 3, PMEC was measured before the anesthesia, 10 min after intubation, 10 and 30 min after CO 2 insufflation, just before the CO 2 elimination, 10 min before the extubation, and 15, 30, 60 min and 6 hours after extubation in the postoperative period. Results. PMEC was significantly increased in Group 1 at 10 min after intubation, at 30 min of the operation, before extubation, and at postoperative 15 and 30 min (p < 0.05). In Group 3, differences between PMECs were detected at the 30 th min of insufflation (p = 0.005), and during elimination (p = 0.035) compared to the initial measurement. Generally, the values remained positive in Group 1 and negative in Group 3. There was a significant difference between Group 1 and Group 3 at 10 min after the induction (p = 0.001). There was no statistically significant difference in PMECs between Group 2 and 3 patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery. Conclusions. Our results indicate that, in laparoscopic surgery, TIVA used for the maintenance of anesthesia did not increase the PMEC and the changes caused by sevoflurane were also in the normal range of middle ear pressures. In patients with previous ear surgery, if there is a need of classical surgical procedures in the future, sevoflurane anesthesia should not be the first choice due to its effects on PMEC, which cause it to be increased over 50 daPa, especially at 30 min after intubation. Patient characteristics including previous ear surgery should be considered in selecting the optimum anesthetic agents and technique (Adv Clin Exp Med 2014, 23, 3, 447-454).

The scores show that the iodine absorbed by the pleura during intraoperative povidone-iodine lavage has an effect on thyroid function. Intrapleural PI lavage results in changes to some thyroid hormone levels due to pleural absorption. Thus, intrapleural PI lavage should be used with care.