A silent scream in the pediatric emergency department: child abuse and neglect.

Child abuse and neglect includes any behavior that harms the child or hinders the child's development. The aim of this study was to determine the demographic and clinical characteristics of patients with suspected child abuse or neglect in the pediatric emergency department. Between July 2017 and July 2022, patients admitted to our pediatric emergency department and consulted to the medical social services unit with a preliminary diagnosis of neglect and/or abuse were retrospectively scanned through the registry system. The patients were divided into five groups according to their victimization: physical, sexual, and emotional abuse; neglect; and medical child abuse (MCA)-Munchausen by proxy. A total of 371 children were included in the study. Two hundred twenty-two (59.8%) of the patients were female and the median age was 161 months [IQR (46-192)]. Then, 56.3% of the patients were in the adolescent age group. The most common admission time period was between 16.00 and 24.00 (n 163, 43.9%). Then, 24.2% of the patients were exposed to physical abuse, 8.8% to sexual abuse, 26.1% to emotional abuse, 50.4% to neglect, and 3.2% to MCA. One hundred eight (29.1%) patients were followed up as inpatients in the pediatric intensive care unit. Four of the patients (1%) had out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, and the deaths were in patients under 2 years of age.  Conclusion: Pediatric emergency departments are one of the important units visited by child maltreatment patients. Victimized children may reflect their silent screams with various clinical presentations. Infants are at the greatest risk of suffering serious or fatal injuries. Health professionals working in the emergency department have an important role in detecting, treating, and preventing recurrence of child neglect and abuse. What is Known: • The pediatric emergency department is an important entry point in the health care system for children who experience maltreatment. • It has a wide spectrum of physical, sexual, emotional abuse and neglect. What is New: • A high index of suspicion is required to diagnose cases of child maltreatment. • Infants are at the greatest risk of suffering serious or fatal injuries.

Emergency medical service use at a pediatric center in Turkey, during the COVID-19 pandemic period.

AIM: This study aimed to evaluate aspects of pediatric patients presenting to a hospital in Turkey via emergency ambulance services, including incidence of visits to the hospital, acuity of illness and most common diagnoses, during the one-year period before and after the onset of the coronavrrus dsease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. METHODS: This was a retrospective and single center analysis of children, transported by Emergency Medical Services to the Emergency Department (ED) of a children's hospital in Turkey, between 10 March 2019 and 11 March 2021. RESULTS: Percentage of high acuity group (68.1% vs.76.9%) during pandemic period was significantly lower than prepandemic period (p < 0.001). On the contrary, the percentage of patients using emergency ambulance service with a low level of acuity increased during the pandemic period compared to the prepandemic period (31.9% vs. 23.1%) (p < 0.001). A significant decrease was observed in the cases of lower respiratory tract infections, febrile status epilepticus and excessive alcohol use during the pandemic period. No significant differences were found hospitalizations requiring PICU and mortality in ED during the pandemic period. CONCLUSION: During the COVID-19 pandemic; also, a decrease in admissions was observed for those with high-risk conditions. On the contrary, an increase was detected in patients with low acuity levels. Efforts should be made to ensure access to safe and quality emergency care during the pandemic.

A Novel Marker for Predicting Fulminant Myocarditis: Systemic Immune-Inflammation Index.

In myocarditis, the search for effective and appropriate prognostic biomarkers can help clinicians identify high-risk patients in a timely manner and make better medical decisions in clinical practice. The prognostic value of systemic immune-inflammatory index (SII), an innovate biomarker of inflammation, in fulminant myocarditis in children has not been assessed. This study aims to (1) determine the effect of SII and other inflammatory markers on the prognosis of patients with myocarditis, and (2) characterize other factors affecting adverse outcomes in myocarditis. All patients aged between 1 months and 18 years who admitted to Pediatric Emergency Department between January 1, 2015 and October 1, 2021 and were diagnosed with myocarditis were retrospectively analyzed. 106 Eligible subjects were enrolled (67% male, 12.5 years (IQR 6-16). Fulminant myocarditis developed in 16 (15%) of the patients. The median SII was 1927 (1147.75-3610.25) in the fulminant myocarditis group and 351 (251.75-531.25) in the non-fulminant group (p < 0.001). In estimation of fulminant myocarditis, AUC was 0.87 for WBC [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.72-1.00, p = 0.002], 0.94 for ANC (95% CI 0.85-1.00), p = 0.000), 0.92 for SII (95% CI 0.82-1.00, p = 0.000). Spearman's correlation analysis showed a significant negative correlation between SII and LVEF (r = 0.576, p < 0.001). The highest AUC values were associated with ANC, SII, and WBC levels to predict fulminant myocarditis. SII, a readily available biomarker from routine blood parameters, allows early recognition of negative outcomes and can independently predict the prognosis of myocarditis in children.

Benign acute childhood myositis: Factors associated with muscle symptoms and resolution.

BACKGROUND: Benign acute childhood myositis (BACM) is associated with several viral infections. The aim of this study was to evaluate the progression of myositis symptoms, laboratory findings and oseltamivir treatment in children with influenza- and non-influenza-associated BACM. METHODS: Patients aged 0-18 years old, admitted to the pediatric emergency department in the seasonal influenza period between 2018 and 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients with acute onset calf tenderness, pain, difficulty in walking and elevated serum creatine phosphokinase were included and were grouped according to influenza rapid test kit results as influenza (A and B) positive, and influenza negative. The time to symptom resolution, laboratory data and the oseltamivir treatment were compared between the groups. RESULTS: There were 94 patients (67 male, 27 female) with a mean age of 77 ± 22 months. Influenza A was detected in 21, influenza B in 27, and neither were detected in 46 patients. Time to symptom resolution of BACM was shorter in the influenza-positive patients than in influenza-negative patients (2.9 ± 1.4 days and 3.5 ± 1.5 days, respectively, P = 0.027). Oseltamivir did not reduce the symptom resolution time in influenza patients. All children had normal hemoglobin and platelet counts, elevated creatine phosphokinase and 76% of them had leukopenia. Neither clinical recurrence nor metabolic disease were reported. CONCLUSION: Symptoms of BACM tended to resolve slightly earlier in influenza-positive patients and the duration of symptoms was not affected by oseltamivir treatment.

COVID-19 Infection in Well-Appearing 30- to 90-Day-Old Infants with Fever without a Source.

Fever without a source (FWS) is common clinical status in the young infants. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical and laboratory findings of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) infection in well-appearing infants with FWS. Well-appearing febrile infants between 30 and 90 days who were evaluated as FWS in the pediatric emergency department and tested for COVID-19 were divided into two groups: COVID-19 (+) and (-). The clinical and laboratory findings of the patients were compared. The study included 95 febrile infants with FWS, and the mean age was 59.62 ± 16.82 days. The nasopharyngeal COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction test results of 29/95 (30.5%) patients were positive, while 66/95 (69.5%) were negative. The complaints of irritability and nasal congestion were found to be significantly more common in COVID-19-positive patients (p = 0.04 and p = 0.041, respectively). The hospitalization rate (p = 0.009), length of hospital stay (p = 0.026), initiation of antibiotic treatment (p < 0.001) and duration of antibiotic treatment (p = 0.036) were significantly lower in the COVID-19 (+) patients. The C-reactive protein (CRP, p < 0.001), absolute neutrophil count (ANC, p < 0.001), absolute lymphocyte count (ALC, p = 0.015), white blood cell (WBC, p < 0.001) and systemic immune-inflammation index (SII, p < 0.001) were found to be significantly lower in the COVID-19 (+) patient group. There was no significant difference between the groups in terms of neutropenia, lymphopenia or leukopenia.COVID-19 infection may present as an FWS. During the pandemic period, testing for COVID-19 among infants who were evaluated as FWS may reduce unnecessary hospitalizations and antibiotic treatments, and shorten hospital stays and duration of antibiotics.

Is the Early Diagnosis of Pediatric Stroke Possible in the Emergency Department?

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Pediatric stroke is a neurological emergency. Knowing the predictive clinical markers for childhood stroke will help in early diagnosis and patient management. This study aims to (1) evaluate patients admitted to the pediatric emergency department (PED) with acute neurological signs and/or symptoms who underwent neuroimaging and (2) determine the clinical warning signs for the early recognition of stroke. METHODS: One hundred one patients aged 1 month to 18 years who were admitted with stroke-related neurological signs and symptoms and underwent neuroimaging in the PED were retrospectively analyzed using the file record system. As a result of these imaging tests, the characteristics of patients with stroke and nonstroke were compared. RESULTS: The mean age of the 92 included patients was 10.7 (SD, 4.5) years. Among the admission symptoms of the patients, a significant difference was observed only in terms of speech disorder, whereas a significant difference was found in the examination results for altered consciousness and dysarthria. The incidences of hemiplegia and hemiparesis were higher in the stroke group, but they were not statistically significant. The median duration of time from symptom onset to PED admission was 240 minutes (interquartile range, 30-1440 minutes). The mean time from PED admission to magnetic resonance imaging in the stroke group was 2.3 (SD, 0.7) hours, which was significantly shorter than for the nonstroke group (4.9 [SD, 1.2] hours, P = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: Childhood stroke is a neurological emergency that requires a multidisciplinary approach. Early stroke diagnosis is vital for treatment and prognosis. With respect to sudden neurological deficits, particularly dysarthria, altered consciousness, hemiplegia, and hemiparesis, should alert clinicians to stroke. In addition, interdepartmental cooperation is essential both in the rapid recognition of stroke and the treatment and follow-up processes.

Evaluation of Epidemiological, Demographic, Clinical Characteristics and Laboratory Findings of COVID-19 in the Pediatric Emergency Department.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate the epidemiological, demographic, clinical characteristics and laboratory findings of pediatric COVID-19 patients. METHODS: Patients with a positive COVID-19 nasopharyngeal polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test between 11 March 2020 and 31 December 2020 were evaluated. RESULTS: During the study period, 3118 patients underwent PCR tests, and 621 of them (19.9%) were positive. Of the patients with a positive test result, 335 were male (53.9%), the median age was 11 years. There were 308 (49.6%) patients that had a history of household exposure. The mean time between the onset of the patients complaints and the diagnosis was 1.88 ± 1.16 days. The most common symptoms were: fever (n = 424), cough (n = 419) and nasal symptoms (n = 157); loss of smell (3.5%) and taste (4.3%) were other symptoms observed in only patients aged 10 years or older. The most common abnormal laboratory finding was lymphopenia (n = 29, 36.7%). Of the 621 patients, the vast majority (n = 546, 87.9%) were classified as mild COVID-19 disease. There was a significant relationship between disease severity and age and comorbidity (p = 0.01 and p < 0.001, respectively). Only 34 patients (5.5%) were admitted to hospital, and two patients were followed-up with a diagnosis of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children. The mortality rate was 0.32%. CONCLUSION: COVID-19 can cause different symptoms in children. Although the disease generally causes a mild clinic presentation, it should be kept in mind that it may be more severe especially in children with comorbidities.

Point-of-Care Ultrasound-Guided Versus Conventional Bladder Catheterization for Urine Sampling in Children Aged 0 to 24 Months.

OBJECTIVES: It can be difficult to obtain urine samples, especially in children aged 0 to 24 months who have not yet completed toilet training. Bladder catheterization is a common method for urine sampling in this age group. However, if the bladder is not adequately filled, this process fails and repeat catheterization is necessary. Point-of-care ultrasonography (POCUS) is often used to assist invasive procedures in the pediatric emergency department. This study aimed to compare success rates of bladder catheterization in patients with and without POCUS to guide the timing of the procedure. METHODS: This was a prospective cohort study of children 0 to 24 months presenting to a pediatric emergency department in a tertiary center hospital. Patients were divided into 2 groups; the one group received conventional catheterization (CC group) without POCUS and the other group had catheterization after POCUS (POCUS group). The transverse and anterior-posterior diameter measurements of the bladder were obtained from one view in the transverse orientation using the (6-3 MHz) convex probe. Successful catheterization was defined by obtaining 3 mL or more of urine. RESULTS: A total of 110 patients were included in the study, with 56 in the POCUS group and 54 in the CC group. There was no difference between the mean age and sex of the groups. The success rates of obtaining urine samples were 93% and 78% in the POCUS group and CC group, respectively. This difference was statistically significant (P = 0.03). No significant difference was found between measurements of bladder catheterizations with and without obtaining 3 mL or greater urine volumes in the ultrasound group (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The use of POCUS during bladder catheterization in children was found to be effective and successful. In addition, the detection of any amount of urine in the bladder using POCUS increases the success rate of bladder catheterization.

Value of strain-wave sonoelastography as an imaging modality in assessment of benign acute myositis in children

Background/aim: Although sonoelastography is applied in assessment of many organs, studies for evaluation of muscles are very few in number and are mostly limited to adults. With this prospective study, we aimed to evaluate the value of sonoelastography in assessment of influenza related benign acute myositis in children. Materials and methods: This study enrolled 25 patients with a clinical diagnosis of benign acute childhood myositis (BACM) and 25 age and sex-matched healthy controls. All patients presented to our emergency department with the complaint of inability to walk and had increased serum creatine kinase (CK) levels. All patients underwent strain elastography of the gastrocnemius muscle, and an elastography score was assigned to each patient by using a previously published 5 point-color scoring system. The findings were compared with those of the control group. Results: No statistically significant difference was detected regarding age, weight, height, or body mass index (BMI) between patient and control groups. A statistically significant difference was found between the final elastography scores of the patient and control groups, mean values being 4.16 ± 0.75 versus 3.08 ±0.40, respectively (p < 0.001). Sonoelastography yielded a sensitivity of 80%, positive predictive value of 87%, specificity 88%, negative predictive value of 81.5%, and an overall accuracy of 84 %. Conclusion: Sonoelastography proves to be a valuable tool for diagnosis of BACM. It is one of the available ultrasound techniques in a radiology department and may particularly evolve to become a useful routine ancillary technique for investigation and follow-up in these cases.

Minimum ingested iron cut-off triggering serious iron toxicity in children.

BACKGROUND: Iron intoxication can occur accidentally in children or intentionally by adolescents as a suicide attempt. They usually present with various symptoms including vomiting and diarrhea. Clinical studies in this field has been reported different doses of ingested elemental iron that caused serious toxicity, but none of these studies determined the minimum cut-off of ingested iron that triggered the risk of severe toxicity. The aim of this study was therefore to investigate the demographic features of iron intoxication in Turkish children and to determine the lowest cut-off of ingested elemental iron triggering serious intoxication and the need for prompt management. METHODS: This retrospective study investigated 83 Turkish patients with accidental and intentional iron poisoning. RESULTS: Of the 83 cases of acute iron intoxication, accidental iron consumption was more common than intentional use. Fifty-three patients ingested a median toxic dose of elemental iron of 40.0 mg/kg (IQR, 33.5 mg/kg). The median serum iron concentration in the first 6 h of ingestion was 150 µg/dL (IQR, 282 µg/dL). Twenty patients were given deferoxamine, whereas 63 patients were given supportive treatment. CONCLUSION: The cut-off of ingested elemental iron that triggered serious toxicity and the need for deferoxamine in children <18 years of age was 28 mg/kg.

Evaluation of the Colchicine Poisoning Cases in a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit: Five Year Study.

BACKGROUND: Colchicine poisoning is an uncommon but serious form of drug intoxication. It may produce life-threatening systemic effects. In toxic doses it produces nausea and vomiting and bone marrow suppression, often leading to sepsis, hypocalcemia, adult respiratory distress syndrome, and direct cardiotoxic effects. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to describe demographic features and the outcome of patients poisoned with colchicine. METHODS: A retrospective study of the pediatric intensive care unit database was performed for patients ≤18 years of age who had colchicine poisoning between July 2008 and July 2013. RESULTS: The total number of patients with drug poisoning in the study period was 144. Nine of 144 were related to colchicine poisoning. The median age was 4 years (range 20 months to 16 years) and the number of females was five. Six of the nine cases presented after ingesting <0.5 mg/kg, whereas two patients had consumed 0.5 to 0.8 mg/kg. One patient had received colchicine >0.8 mg/kg. Three patients died. CONCLUSIONS: Among drug intoxications, colchicines can lead to severe clinical conditions. All patients suspected of having colchicine intoxication should be managed in the pediatric intensive care unit regardless of the actual degree of poisoning.

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation in Children With In-Hospital and Out-of-Hospital Cardiopulmonary Arrest: Multicenter Study From Turkey.

OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study were to determine the causes, location of cardiopulmonary arrest (CPA) in children, and demographics of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in Turkish pediatric emergency departments and pediatric intensive care units (PICUs) and to determine survival rates and morbidities for both in-hospital and out-of-hospital CPA. METHODS: This multicenter descriptive study was conducted prospectively between January 15 and July 15, 2011, at 18 centers (15 PICUs, 3 pediatric emergency departments) in Turkey. RESULTS: During the study period, 239 children had received CPR. Patients' average age was 42.4 (SD, 58.1) months. The most common cause of CPA was respiratory failure (119 patients [49.8%]). The location of CPA was the PICU in 168 (68.6%), hospital wards in 43 (18%), out-of-hospital in 24 (10%), and pediatric emergency department in 8 patients (3.3%). The CPR duration was 30.7 (SD, 23.6) minutes (range, 1-175 minutes) and return of spontaneous circulation was achieved in 107 patients (44.8%) after the first CPR. Finally, 58 patients (24.2%) were discharged from hospital; survival rates were 26% and 8% for in-hospital and out-of-hospital CPA, respectively (P = 0.001). Surviving patients' average length of hospital stay was 27.4 (SD, 39.2) days. In surviving patients, 19 (32.1%) had neurologic disability. CONCLUSION: Pediatric CPA in both the in-hospital and out-of-hospital setting has a poor outcome.

[Evaluation of 44 pediatric measles cases detected in Ankara, Turkey during 2012-2013 epidemic and molecular characterization of the viruses obtained from two cases]. / 2012-2013 kizamik salgini sürecinde Ankara'da saptanan 44 çocuk olgunun degerlendirilmesi ve iki olgudan elde edilen viruslarin moleküler analizi.

Elimination of measles and rubella until the end of 2015 in parallel with the "World Health Organization (WHO) Europe Region's Measles Elimination" work-up has been targetted and "Measles Elimination Program'' has been carried out since 2002 in Turkey. Due to the routine vaccination programmes the number of the vaccinated children have increased and epidemic incidences have been falling. However, imported measles cases from Europe and other neighboring countries have been observed in Turkey in the recent two years. Patients who applied to Dr. Sami Ulus Maternity and Children's Training and Research Hospital with a pre-diagnosis of measles between December 2012 and April 2013 were screened in this study. Seventy-eight patients who match the clinical definition of the disease (> 38°C fever and maculopapular rash and cough or nasal discharge or conjunctivitis) were evaluated. Forty-four children (25 male, 19 female; age range: 4-191 months, mean age: 58.6 ± 59.5 months) with a positive measles IgM test result were taken into consideration and the epidemiological and clinical features of these children were evaluated. In addition to fever and rash, cough, nasal discharge and conjunctivitis were seen in 36 (82%), 24 (55%), and 18 (41%) patients, respectively. Thirty five (80%) patients were diagnosed in December, 6 (14%) in January, 2 (4%) in February, and 1 (2%) in March. All patients included in the study were unvaccinated or too young to be vaccinated according to the routine vaccination calendar. The index case was a three-year old unvaccinated girl who had a history of contact with the Syrian neighborhoods. During the study period; following contact with the index case, two doctors (born in 1986 with a history of single dose of vaccination at ninth month) and three children (without vaccination) were also diagnosed as measles. Eight (18%) patients were hospitalized because of complications. Four (50%) of them had pneumonia and the other four (50%) had lack of oral feeding and dehydration. Average duration of hospitalization for patients was 4 ± 1.7 (range: 2-6) days and all patients were discharged with full recovery. For molecular typing, viral RNAs were isolated from urine samples of two of the measles IgM positive patients, subjected to sequence analysis of 450 nucleotides comprising the most variable C-terminal region of the nucleoprotein (N) gene. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that those two strains belonged to genotype D8. This study represented the involvement of measles virus genotype D8 in an outbreak in Turkey for the first time. During a measles epidemic, following the index case; medical personnel should be informed about possible, probable, and definite case definitions and should apply for appropriate triage or fast-track (rapidly examination) if necessary, and routine announcements should be made precisely and accurately at proper times and unvaccinated medical personnel and any people in touch with the patient should be vaccinated. In order to reach the elimination goal declared by European WHO for 2015, susceptible populations should be identified and vaccinated in Turkey to obtain sufficient herd immunity for preventing outbreaks.

Comparison of QuantiFERON-TB gold in-tube test with tuberculin skin test in children who had no contact with active tuberculosis case.

INTRODUCTION: In this study, we aimed to compare QuantiFERON-TB gold in-tube test (QFT-GIT) and tuberculin skin test (TST) as a diagnosis of latent tuberculosis infection in the children with Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We evaluated 81 children in the study who have positive TST result without a known history of tuberculosis contact from 2008 to 2011 prospectively. Patients were separated into groups according to their ages, the reason of TST application, number of BCG vaccination scars and diameter of TST induration. Posteroanterior, lateral chest radiographies and computerized tomography, if necessary, were performed. RESULTS: The study consists of 48 (59.3%) boys and 33 (40.7%) girls with a mean age of 94.8 ± 51.9 months (ranged from 6 to 193 months). Sixty nine (85.2%) children had one and 12 (14.8%) had two BCG vaccination scars. The TST induration diameters were 15-19 mm in 65 (80.2%) children and ≥ 20 mm in 16 (19.8%) children. QFT-GIT positivity was found in 12 (14.8%) of the evaluated patients. QFT-GIT positive patients were treated with triple anti-tuberculosis regime or isoniazid (INH). In three years period of study, there were no tuberculosis disease observed among the children who had not been treated with anti-tuberculosis drugs. CONCLUSION: As a result of the study it is suggested to confirm positive TST results with tests based on interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) because it can reduce false positive diagnosis and treatment of latent tuberculosis infection, thus adverse reactions of drugs, in countries where BCG vaccination is routinely recommended especially for low risk children.

Evaluation of Neurosurgical Emergencies in the Pediatric Emergency Department: Clinical Warning Signs.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to evaluate the patients who underwent neuroimaging with suspicion of neurosurgery pathology and identify the clinical warning signs for the early recognition of neurosurgical emergencies. METHODS: Patients aged one month to 18 years who underwent neuroimaging with a preliminary diagnosis of intracranial pathology requiring emergency surgery and symptom duration less than one month were included in the study. Patients were divided into three groups according to their definitive diagnosis as neurosurgical emergencies, neurological emergencies, and nonurgents. RESULTS: A total of 140 patients were included in the study (the median age was 8 [interquartile range IQR 3 to 13] years and 52.8% were male). Neurosurgery emergency group and neurological emergency group were significantly younger than the nonurgent group (P < 0.001). Vomiting, meningeal irritation findings, and papilledema (grade 2 and above) were more common in the neurosurgical emergency group (P 0.029, 0.023, and < 0.001, respectively). For neurosurgical emergencies, in the presence of papilledema (grade 2 and above) and focal neurological deficit, the specificity was 99.2%, positive predictive value (PPV) 83.3%, negative predictive value (NPV) 88.1%, and odds ratio (OR) 36.8 (P < 0.001, confidence interval [CI] 4.04 to 336.0); in the presence of altered consciousness and focal neurological deficit, the specificity was 97.5%, PPV 50%, NPV 86.6%, and OR 6.4 (P = 0.014, CI 1.20 to 34.4). CONCLUSIONS: Younger age, presence of vomiting, signs of meningeal irritation, papilledema grade 2 and above, and altered consciousness are the crucial "warning signs" of a potential neurosurgical emergency.

Social, Emotional and Behavioral Problems in Children With Foreign Body Ingestion: A Case Control Study.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the social, emotional, and behavioral status between the patients aged 1 to 4 years with foreign body ingestion and healthy individuals. METHODS: A case control study was conducted in a tertiary level hospital over 32 months. Children, aged 1-4 years, admitted to the pediatric emergency department with foreign body ingestion were included as cases. Patients with known autism spectrum disorders, cerebral palsy and incomplete evaluation were excluded. A matched control group constituted healthy individuals. Both groups were evaluated with Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC) and Brief Infant-Toddler Social Emotional Assessment (BITSEA) scales. Logistic regression was performed to determine the predictors of foreign body ingestion. RESULTS: Cases and controls included 150 children each. All ABC subscale scores (mean irritability, hyperactivity/dissonance, lethargy/social withdrawal, stereotypical behavior, and inappropriate speech) and problem area scores of BITSEA were significantly higher in the cases (P < 0.001). Hyperactivity was significantly predictive of foreign body ingestion [OR (95% CI) 1.37 (1.21, 1.55), P < 0.001]. CONCLUSION: Younger children with foreign body ingestion screened significantly higher for behavioral and emotional problems compared to controls. Hyperactivity was an important predictor factor for foreign body aspiration.

A novel G6PC3 gene mutation in a patient with severe congenital neutropenia.

Glucose-6-phosphatase catalytic subunit 3 (G6PC3) deficiency is a newly described syndromic type of severe congenital neutropenia, associated with multiple organ abnormalities including facial, cardiac, and urogenital abnormalities, and increased visibility of superficial veins. The molecular pathophysiology of G6PC3 deficiency is associated with the disturbed glucose homeostasis, increased endoplasmic reticulum stress, and apoptosis in neutrophils. We report a new case of G6PC3 deficiency caused by a novel homozygous G6PC3 gene mutation (p.Leu154Pro). Most remarkable is that the chronic neutropenia that originated from this novel G6PC3 genetic defect is also accompanied by some other unusual manifestations in this patient: myelokathexis and hypercholesterolemia.