Oxidant-antioxidant balance in girls with precocious puberty: a case-control study.

This case-control study aims to evaluate the oxidant-antioxidant balance in girls having central precocious puberty (CPP) and premature thelarche (PT). Thirty-four girls having CPP, 24 girls having PT, and 49 healthy growing girls between 7 and 9 years of age admitted to child health supervision were enrolled. Total antioxidant and oxidant capacity, myeloperoxidase, catalase, superoxide dismutase, total thiol, native thiol, and disulfide levels were analyzed in serum samples. Low total oxidant status (<12.0) was found to be highest in the CPP group, lowest in the control group, and the PT group was in between them. After controlling bone age and z score for body mass index, generalized linear models revealed lower oxidative stress index values in the CPP and the PT groups than the control group. Other studied parameters did not differ among groups. Precocious puberty in girls is associated with some changes in the oxidant-antioxidant status.

Mother-child interaction and the development status of children who have been accidentally poisoned.

Positive parent-child interaction, in particular bond between mother and child, is important for the mental and behavioral development of children. The aim of this study was to evaluate both mother-child interactions as well as the developmental status of children admitted to the pediatric emergency department with accidental poisoning using Parenting Interactions with Children: Checklist of Observations Linked to Outcomes tool (PICCOLO) and Denver Developmental Screening Test-II (DDST-II). Children between ages 1 to 5 years who were admitted to the emergency department with accidental poisoning were included in the study alongside a control group selected from healthy volunteers. A ten-minute video recording was obtained both for the case and control groups, while the mother and her child played together in a separate room. The interaction of mother-infant pair was assessed using the PICCOLO tool. The children`s development was examined using the DDST-II. The video recordings of 115 children (n=65 in the case group and n=50 in the control group) were evaluated. A high score of PICCOLO-teaching domain (≥9 points) was associated with a 3.3-fold increase in terms of risk of poisoning [p < 0.05, at 95% confidence interval (CI) of 1.34-8.37]. Multivariable analysis revealed that the PICCOLO-teaching domain was a significant factor. A high proportion of cases had either abnormal or questionable DDST-II scores (p < 0.05). In order to improve the bond between mother and child, drug poisoning prevention training must be meticulously provided to both mothers and children alike. Developmental assessments of these children as a holistic approach also should not be forgotten.

Evaluation of Syrian refugees who received inpatient treatment in a tertiary pediatric hospital in Turkey between January 2016 and August 2017.

Background: Turkey is the leading country among those that accept Syrian refugees. This study aimed to determine the density of Syrian refugees who received inpatient treatment at Ankara Child Health and Diseases Hematology Oncology Training and Research Hospital between January 2016 and August 2017. Methods: Syrian refugees' gender, age, place of birth, duration of hospitalization, admission diagnosis and services required as an inpatient were recorded from the registration system. Admission diagnoses were grouped according to the 'International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems'. Results: A total of 623 Syrian patients were included in this research. The median age of inpatients was 25.1 months; 58% (362/623) were male and 41% (257/623) were born in Turkey. The mean duration of hospitalization was 3 d. The highest number of admissions was observed in January. Pediatric emergency (17.7%) and pediatric surgery (12%) departments were the services with the highest number of admissions in this hospital. The most common admission reasons were found to be respiratory tract diseases, acute gastroenteritis and burns. Conclusions: Syrian refugees received inpatient treatment in services with different diagnoses. Preventive health measures targeting Syrian refugees may provide treatment at an earlier stage and reduce the rate of hospitalization.

Association of hemolysis with high dose intravenous immunoglobulin therapy in pediatric patients: An open-label prospective trial.

Immunoglobulin therapy can be used to treat a wide variety of diseases. However, intravenous immunoglobin products can cause several adverse reactions, including hemolysis. The objective of this study was to determine the extent of anemia and hemolysis after high dose intravenous immunoglobin (2g/kg) and its relationship to the ABO blood type system and hemolytic anemia blood parameters in pediatric patients. Incidence of 'Intravenous immunoglobulin related hemolysis' was %19 (6/31) after high dose intravenous immunoglobulin therapy. The blood parameters were measured before IVIG infusion (1-24h before infusion) and 3-10 days after the first day of infusion. In terms of decrease in Hb levels; decline of <1g/dL was detected in 25 patients (80.6%), ≥1g/dL in 2 patients (6.5%) and >2g/dL (severe hemolysis) in 4 patients (12.9%) after infusion. The decrease in hemoglobin, haptoglobin levels, the increase of reticulocyte count or direct bilirubin were statistically significant after infusion. Five of 6 hemolysis patients had non-O blood group, however statistically significant difference was not noted between these two groups. Also, intravenous immunoglobulin-related hemolysis was determined significantly higher in female than male patients. CONCLUSION: Mild to moderate hemolysis may be undetected after infusion and the true incidence of such reactions is difficult to document without careful clinical and laboratory follow-up. A careful risk assessment analysis should be performed before intravenous immunoglobulin infusion.

Clinical impact and efficacy of bedside echocardiography on patient management in pediatric intensive care units (PICUs): A prospective study.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the indication and necessity of echocardiographic assessment and therapeutic interventions in critically ill children. METHODS: A total of 140 children, including 75 mechanically ventilated (MV) and 65 spontaneously breathing (SB) children, who were admitted consecutively from March to August 2013 were evaluated prospectively. Data regarding the indication for echocardiography and therapeutic approaches used were documented. For evaluating disease severity, the Pediatric Risk of Mortality Score III (PRISM) was ascertained. The correlation between PRISM score and the requirement of echocardiographic evaluations were analyzed. RESULTS: Patients ages were between 45 days to 18 years. The male-to-female ratio was 1.33. In 35.4% patients who underwent echocardiographic evaluation, no definitive alteration occurred in treatment approach, whereas in the remaining 64.6% patients, decisive or supplemental information was gathered. Echocardiography was indicated in 88% MV children and 46.2% SB children. Echocardiographic evaluation was necessary in MV children and there was a positive correlation between the PRISM score and the requirement of echocardiographic assessment (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: Echocardiographic evaluation is an invaluable tool especially in MV children and the requirement of echocardiographic assessment increases according to clinical severity. Basic training for intensivists in this procedure is crucial and needs to be improved and supported in critically ill.

Cost-effectiveness of rotavirus vaccination in Turkey.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Cost-effectiveness studies about rotavirus (RV) vaccination programs were performed in many countries due to the severe economic burden of RV infections. This study is an economic evaluation performed to assess the potential for introducing the RV vaccine to the Turkish National Immunization Program. METHODS: In this retrospective clinical study, the records and laboratory findings of a total of 4126 patients admitted to Turgut Ozal University Hospital, Ankara, Turkey with acute gastroenteritis were analyzed. A model described by Parashar et al. was used to obtain the annual episodes of diarrhea, hospitalization and outpatients visits in Turkey. Monovalent and pentavalent vaccination was assumed to protect in average 85% of RV acute gastroenteritis. All costs are expressed in 2012 United States (US) $, where US$1 equals 1.8 Turkish Liras (TL). Losses of labor costs were not taken into consideration. RESULTS: The vaccination program with 85% coverage was cost effective and cost saving compared to no vaccination. A projected birth cohort of 1.25 million children was followed until 5 years of age; a routine vaccination could potentially avert 210,994 cases of diarrhea treated in outpatient hospital facilities and 42,715 hospitalizations. The RV associated economic burden was obtained as US$17,909 million per year (US$14.33 per birth annually) in medical direct costs by using the national level of RV diarrhea disease burden estimates. For monovalent and pentavalent vaccination, assuming a cost of US$31.5 and US$38 per vaccine course, the cost of the vaccination program was estimated to be approximately US$37,878 million and US$45,475 million, respectively. CONCLUSION: At a cost per vaccine course of US$31.5 for monovalent and US$38 for pentavalent vaccine, routine RV vaccination could be potentially cost effective and also cost saving in Turkey. National RV vaccinations will play a significant role in preventing RV infections.

Why Fever Phobia Is Still Common?

BACKGROUND: Fever is a reliable sign of illness, but it also evokes fear and anxiety. It is not the fever itself but the fear of possible complications and accompanying symptoms that is important for pediatricians and parents. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to investigate maternal understanding of fever, its potential consequences, and impacts on the treatment of children. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A questionnaire was use to explore the attitudes, knowledge, and practices of mothers of 861 children brought to four medical centers in different regions of Turkey in 2012, with fever being the chief complaint. All the children were aged 3 months - 15 years. RESULTS: Among the 861 mothers, 92.2% favored antipyretics for fever, either alone or in addition to external cooling measures. Most favored paracetamol or ibuprofen. In this study, the appropriate use of antipyretics was 75.2%, which was higher than that reported in the literature. In common with previous reports, seizures and brain damage were perceived as the most frightening and harmful effects of fever. All the mothers expressed concerns about fever, but they were most common among the highly educated or those with one child. CONCLUSIONS: Fever phobia remains common, not only among low socioeconomic status mothers but also among those of high socioeconomic status. Healthcare providers should take fever phobia into account and provide correct information to caregivers about fever at all visits.

Comparison between the use of saline and seawater for nasal obstruction in children under 2 years of age with acute upper respiratory infection.

BACKGROUND/AIM: The effectiveness of isotonic and hypertonic saline solutions used to open the nasal passage and improve clinical symptoms was compared in children under 2 years of age admitted with the common cold. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was performed as a randomized, prospective, and double-blind study. The study included 109 children. The children using saline (0.9%) and seawater (2.3%) as nasal drops (the patient group) and the control group (in which nasal drops were not administered) were compared. Seventy-four patients received nasal drops from package A (seawater) in single days and from package B (physiological saline) in double days. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 9.0 ± 3.9 months and the numbers of boys and girls were 65 (59.6%) and 44 (40.4%), respectively. There was no significant difference between Groups A and B in terms of nasal congestion (P > 0.05). However, a significant difference was found between the control group and Groups A and B (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Relief was seen in nasal congestion, weakness, sleep quality, and nutrition with the use of both saline and seawater in children with the common cold. Seawater or saline drops may be added to standard treatment protocols.

Stress induced gastrointestinal bleeding in a pediatric intensive care unit: which risk factors should necessitate prophilaxis?

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to determine the frequency and the risk factors of stress induced gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) in critically ill children, and to investigate the effect of prophilaxis. The setting was a 14-beded, tertiary care PICU. METHODS: Records of 182 children admitted consecutively from December 2012 to May 2013 were retrospectively reviewed. 136 patients were eligible. The age ranged from 40 days to 18 years. Diagnosis, demographic data, risk factors, administration of prophilaxis, drugs used in medication, prescence and degree of GIB and complications were recorded. RESULTS: The male-female ratio was 1.3. Mean age was 5.9. Mean PRISM III score was 12.2 and 49.3% had PRISM Score ≥10. Most frequent diagnosis was infectious diseases. Sixtyone (44.9%) children received prophylaxis in which antacids was used in 28 (45.9%), sucralfate in 18 (29.5%), proton pomp inhibitors (PPIs) in 51 (83.6%) and 5 (8.2%) received H2 reseptor antagonist. The incidence of GIB was 15.4% (N.=21), in which 66.7% (N.=14) were mild, 23.8% (N.=5) were moderate, 4.8% (N.=1) was significant and 4.8% (N.=1) was massive. In children who received prophylaxis 17 (27.9%) cases developed GIB. Mechanical ventilation was found to be the only risk factor significantly associated with stress induced GIB. Also; mechanical ventilation and trauma was strongly significant (P<0.001) and coagulopathy/thrombocytopenia, PRISM III ≥10, renal and hepatic failure, hypotension, and heart failure/arrhythmia was found to be associated with the development of GIB in critically ill children (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: GIB is a serious concern for PICU clinicians and intensivists are confused about the conflicting evidence supporting prophilaxis. We believe that prophylaxis could be beneficial for mechanically ventilated children. Also trauma, coagulopathy/thrombocytopenia, PRISM III≥10, renal and hepatic failure, hypotension, and heart failure/arrhythmia must be kept in mind as risk factors requiring attention in PICU setting.

3-HMG Coenzyme A Lyase Deficiency: Macrocephaly and Left Ventricular Noncompaction with a Novel Mutation.

3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) lyase deficiency, an inborn error of ketone body synthesis and leucine degradation, is a rare autosomal recessive disease. There are a few reports demonstrating clinical and neuroradiologic findings of this condition. The authors report case of an 8-mo-old infant with HMG-CoA lyase deficiency, who presented with macrocephaly, left ventricular noncompaction, recurrent pulmonary infections, nonketotic hypoglycemia, seizure and metabolic acidosis. There was no significant difference in brain magnetic resonance imaging after leucine-restricted diet and carnitine therapy and neurologic deterioration was not observed. Left ventricular noncompaction is an interesting finding for HMG-CoA lyase deficiency which has not been reported in the literature. The genetic analysis revealed a novel homozygote deletion in exon 3 and 4 in HMGCL gene. HMG-CoA lyase deficiency should be thought in the patients with hypoketotic hypoglycemia, hyperammonemia, elevated liver function tests, noncompaction left ventricle and characteristic white matter changes and in the differential diagnosis of macrocephaly.

Serum transaminase elevation in children with rotavirus gastroenteritis: seven years' experience.

BACKGROUND: There are no studies on clinically significant transaminase elevation due to rotavirus gastroenteritis in the literature. Also, there are significant discrepancies among previous studies regarding the prevalence of increased serum transaminase levels in rotavirus infection. METHODS: Patients investigated for rotavirus by stool antigen testing, who were followed between January 2005 and May 2012, were retrospectively enrolled in this study. Patients were divided into 2 groups according to their rotavirus results: rotavirus-positive acute gastroenteritis (RPAG) and rotavirus-negative acute gastroenteritis (RNAG) groups. RESULTS: A total of 4317 children who presented with acute gastroenteritis were assessed. The study was completed with 642 patients who met the inclusion criteria. In the RPAG group (n = 272), elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) was found in 42 (15.4%) patients and elevated aspartate aminotransferase (AST) in 69 (25.4%), while in the RNAG group (n = 370), these numbers were 25 (6.8%) and 44 (11.9%), respectively. The elevated ALT and AST levels were found to be significantly higher in the RPAG group than in the RNAG group (both p < 0.001). The prevalence of elevated transaminase levels was found to be similar with respect to gastroenteritis severity score (p > 0.05). The high serum transaminase levels normalized uneventfully in all patients in the RPAG and RNAG groups during follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, our results clearly signify a liver influence in rotavirus infections. Therefore, rotavirus infections should be kept in mind when evaluating the aetiology of transaminase elevation in patients with acute gastroenteritis.

Factors associated with left atrial size in obese children: an observational study.

OBJECTIVE: Left atrial size can be considered an independent risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. The measurements of left atrium may be used to assess obesity, which is an important risk factor of cardiovascular diseases. It is aimed to determine the factors that effect to the left atrial size, which is an indicator of cardiac risk in obese children without hypertension. METHODS: The cross-sectional observational study was performed between April 2008 and September 2009 at the clinic of Pediatric Cardiology. Eighty obese and 82 lean children were studied. Diagnosis of obesity was defined according to the World Health Organization classification as the standard deviation score of body mass index being over + 2 standard deviation of the same gender and age. All subjects underwent two-dimensional, M-mode, and Doppler echocardiographic studies. Student's t-test, Chi-square test, Pearson correlation analysis, and multiple stepwise regression analyses were used to compare the subjects, differences in group proportions, evaluate the relation of variables with the left atrial size, and examine the effects of significant independent variables, respectively. RESULTS: The mean age of obese patients was 11.7±2.2 years and it of lean subjects was 11.7±2.2 years. Body weight, body mass index, standard deviation score of body mass index, waist circumference, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, fasting insulin, and insulin resistance statistically increased in obese children (p<0.05). The left atrial size statistically correlated (p<0.05) with age (r=0.523), body mass index (r=0.394), waist circumference (r=0.421), diastolic blood pressure (r=0.230), insulin resistance (r=0.350), and left ventricular mass (r=0.535). It was determined that age (beta=0.491; 95% CI=0.091-0.892; p=0.001) and left ventricular mass (beta=0.055; 95% CI=0.026-0.085; p=0.017) were the most effective independent factors associated with left atrial size among other independent factors in multiple regression analysis. CONCLUSION: We found that left atrial size was mostly influenced by age and left ventricular mass in obese children. Therefore, it is important that left atrial size is follow up in childhood obesity.

The effects of acute infection on hematological parameters.

This study was undertaken to investigate the effects of acute infections (e.g., upper respiratory tract infection, acute gastroenteritis, urinary tract infection) on total blood count, the relation of these effects with acute phase reactants, and the level of improvement in the total blood count after the resolution of acute infection. A total of 113 previously healthy children between the ages of 6 months and 12 years were enrolled in the study. The control group consisted of 43 healthy children with proper age and gender distribution. A total of 55.7% of the patients had a decrease of 0.10-2.40 g/dL in Hb values on the 3rd day of acute infections. The comparisons of the 1st, 3rd, and 15th day Htc, RBC, MCV, MCHC, RDW values of the study and control groups revealed no significant differences. 7he 1st day SI, SIBC, and TS values of the study group were low in majority of the patients. Then they gradually increased, finally reaching at their normal levels on the 15th day. There was no significant difference between the sTfR and sTfR/log ferritin values of the study and control groups.