[Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus carriage rates in a neonatal intensive care unit]. / Yenidogan yogun bakim ünitesinde metisiline dirençli Staphylococcus aureus ve vankomisine dirençli enterokok tasiyicilik oranlarinin belirlenmesi.

This study was aimed to determine the rates of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE) carriage in a neonatal intensive care unit in a Training and Research Hospital in Ankara, Turkey. A total of 135 newborns were included in the study. Following 5 days stay in intensive care unit, samples were taken from nose and umbilicus for the detection of MRSA and cultivated in mannitol-salt agar and oxacillin-resistance screening agar (ORSAB), respectively. The samples taken from rectum to screen VRE, were placed onto Enterococcosel agar which contained vancomycin and ceftazidime. The confirmation of methicillin resistance in MRSA suspected isolates was performed by oxacillin and cefoxitin disk diffusion tests according to Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guidelines. Twenty eight (20.7%) of 135 newborns had nasal MRSA carriage, 30 (22.2%) of 135 had umbilical and 10 (7.4%) had both nasal and umbilical MRSA carriage. No rectal VRE carriage was found among the newborns. As a result, we suggest that periodical MRSA and VRE carriage investigation in the patients hospitalized in neonatal intensive care units is of outmost help to control and prevent nosocomial infections.

Cord blood thyroid-stimulating hormone and free T4 levels in Turkish neonates: is iodine deficiency still a continuing problem?

BACKGROUND: The objectives of this study were to determine the cord blood thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and free T(4) (FT(4) ) levels in Turkish neonates and to determine whether these variables reveal iodine deficiency. METHODS: We collected 818 cords from healthy mothers at parturition and measured levels of FT(4) and TSH. We also measured cord blood FT(4) and TSH levels in different stages of gestation and gender. We grouped the neonates according to cord serum TSH levels, either being less (Group A) or greater (Group B) than 10 mIU/L. Group A included 589 neonates (300 girls [51%] and 289 boys [49%]) and Group B included 229 neonates (105 girls [45%] and 124 boys [55%]). RESULTS: The percentage of subjects with cord blood TSH < 10 mIU/L and >10 mIU/L was 72% and 28%, respectively. Although cord TSH levels in Group B were greater than those in Group A (P < 0.001), cord blood FT(4) levels in Group B were lower than those in Group A (P < 0.05). There was no difference between both sex in terms of birthweight and maternal age. TSH and FT(4) levels did not vary according to neonate sex during gestation, except for from week 37 to 41. TSH levels of male neonates at the 41st week of gestation were higher than those of female neonates (P < 0.05). There were no effects of birthweight on TSH and FT(4) levels if the neonate was lighter than 2500 g at birth. TSH levels of male neonates were higher than those of female neonates when their birthweights were <2500 g (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in TSH levels according to birthweights in male neonates. CONCLUSION: Our data provide the normative data for cord blood TSH and FT(4) levels in Turkish neonates and show that iodine deficiency is a still a public health problem in Turkey. These measurements can be useful for detection and verification of hypothyroidism in a screening program for congenital hypothyroidism as well as evaluation of the success of the iodination program.

[Prognostic value of serum TNF-alpha, IL-10, leptin and CRP levels in newborns with septicemia]. / Sepsisli yenidoganlarda serum TNF-alpha, IL-10, leptin ve CRP düzeylerinin prognostik degeri.

This study was aimed to investigate the prognostic value of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-10 (IL-10), leptin and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in newborn sepsis. A total of 57 newborns with nosocomial sepsis and 30 healthy newborns were included to the study. Serum TNF-alpha, IL-10, leptin (Biosource, Belgium) and CRP (Dade Behring, Germany) levels were investigated by ELISA methodology before the initiation of the therapy (day 0) and on the third and fifth days of therapy. Initial leptin levels were found to be high in the control group (p = 0.00) and CRP levels were found to be high in the patient group (p = 0.00). No significant difference was detected for IL-10 and TNF-alpha levels (p > 0.05). CRP levels were significantly higher in the patient group than the controls on the third day of the therapy (p = 0.001), however, no significant difference was detected for the other parameters (p > 0.05). On the fifth day of the therapy CRP (p = 0.023) and leptin (p = 0.00) levels were significantly high in the patient group and TNF-alpha in the control group (p = 0.00) while no significant difference was observed for IL-10 levels (p > 0.05). Mortality rate was 24.5%. When the mean TNF-alpha, IL-10, leptin and CRP levels on the 0th, 3rd and 5th days were analysed for alive (n = 43) and dead (n = 14) newborns with sepsis, it was observed that TNF-alpha, IL-10 and CRP levels were related with poor prognosis (p < 0.05). The ROC analysis performed for the determination of the prognostic performance of TNF-alpha and IL-10 revealed that these parameters had predictive value about mortality when their levels were above certain cut-off values (on the 5th day of therapy for IL-10 > 1.8 ng/ml and for TNF-alpha > 21.1 ng/ml). It can be concluded that besides routine laboratory parameters, serum TNF-alpha and IL-10 levels at the initiation of therapy and afterwards may help to predict prognosis and guide treatment in newborns with sepsis.

Neu-Laxova syndrome in an appropriate for gestational age newborn.

Neu-Laxova syndrome is a rare lethal congenital disorder involving multiple systems. Intrauterine growth retardation, ichthyosis, microcephaly, abnormal facial findings, and limb contractures are its key features. We present a case of Neu-Laxova syndrome in a male appropriate for gestational age (AGA) newborn with characteristic features including ichthyosis, microcephaly, severe ectropion, rudimentary ears, eclabion, limb contractures, and hypoplastic genitalia. The patient was born at 38 weeks of gestation to consanguinous Turkish parents. The mother was a 20-year-old primi gravida with lack of prenatal follow-up. Therefore, the case was diagnosed postnatally, and he died 5 days later. Because of the autosomal recessive inheritance of Neu-Laxova syndrome, in countries with high rates of consanguineous marriage, such as Turkey, physicians have to know this syndrome, and serial prenatal ultrasound examinations with genetic counseling should be performed on pregnant women at high risk. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case described in an AGA newborn.