Shared Biological Pathways and Processes in Patients with Intellectual Disability: A Multicenter Study.

BACKGROUND: Although the underlying genetic causes of intellectual disability (ID) continue to be rapidly identified, the biological pathways and processes that could be targets for a potential molecular therapy are not yet known. This study aimed to identify ID-related shared pathways and processes utilizing enrichment analyses. METHODS: In this multicenter study, causative genes of patients with ID were used as input for Disease Ontology (DO), Gene Ontology (GO), and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analysis. RESULTS: Genetic test results of 720 patients from 27 centers were obtained. Patients with chromosomal deletion/duplication, non-ID genes, novel genes, and results with changes in more than one gene were excluded. A total of 558 patients with 341 different causative genes were included in the study. Pathway-based enrichment analysis of the ID-related genes via ClusterProfiler revealed 18 shared pathways, with lysine degradation and nicotine addiction being the most common. The most common of the 25 overrepresented DO terms was ID. The most frequently overrepresented GO biological process, cellular component, and molecular function terms were regulation of membrane potential, ion channel complex, and voltage-gated ion channel activity/voltage-gated channel activity, respectively. CONCLUSION: Lysine degradation, nicotine addiction, and thyroid hormone signaling pathways are well-suited to be research areas for the discovery of new targeted therapies in ID patients.

TARC and Septin 7 can be better monitoring biomarkers than CX3CL1, sICAM5, and IRF5 in children with seizure-free epilepsy with monotherapy and drug-resistant epilepsy.

Aim: To evaluate i) the relationship between epilepsy and inflammation by analyzing the levels of thymus activation-regulated chemokine (TARC), and interferon regulatory factor 5 (IRF5) in healthy controls, patients with epilepsy on monotherapy and polytherapy, ii) the levels of sICAM5, chemokine (c-x3-c motif) ligand 1 (CX3CL1), and septin 7 (SEPT7) which are important in both inflammation and synaptic formation.Methods: Patients who were seizure-free with monotherapy (epilepsy group-1), patients with drug-resistant epilepsy (epilepsy group-2), and healthy controls were included. Demographical data, disease durations, and medications were noted. Measurements were made by commercial ELISA kits.Results: The numbers of epilepsy group-1, epilepsy group-2, and healthy controls were 23, 20, and 21, respectively. TARC levels were significantly lower in healthy controls than in both epilepsy groups. Higher TARC levels than 0.58 pg/ml indicated epilepsy with a sensitivity of 81.8% and specificity of 84.0%. SEPT7 levels were significantly higher in epilepsy group-1 than in those epilepsy group-2. A negative correlation was found between SEPT7 levels and disease duration as is the case for the correlation between SEPT7 and average seizure duration. A positive correlation was found between IRF5 and CX3CL1 levels, SEPT7 and IRF5 levels, and IRF5 and sICAM5 levels.Conclusions: We suggest that TARC is a promising biomarker, even in a heterogeneous epilepsy group not only for drug-resistance epilepsy but also for seizure-free epilepsy with monotherapy. Additionally, drug resistance, longer disease, and longer seizure durations are related to lower levels of SEPT7, which has an essential role in immunological functions and dendritic morphology.

"Sleep Quality and Depression Level in Nurses in COVID-19 Pandemic".

The COVID-19 spread rapidly all over the world and pandemic process has negatively affected nurses. Sleep disorders and depression are among these negative effects. Managers' awareness of problems experienced by nurses and taking precautions will increase employee and patient satisfaction and provide quality patient care. The study was conducted in descriptive, cross-sectional and correlational design to explain nurses' sleep quality and depression levels and relationship between them during the COVID-19 pandemic with 142 nurses who completed Personel Information Form, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Beck Depression Index (BDI). Sleep quality of nurses (64.8%) was poor, 33.1% had depression, and high school education, having a chronic illness and PSQI score increased the risk of depression level of nurses. Results highlight COVID-19 pandemic affected nurses' sleep quality and depression levels. All managers should be pioneers in providing psychological support to nurses and preparing and implementing a program for prevention of insomnia and depression.

The Importance of Neutrophil/Lymphocyte and Lymphocyte/Monocyte Ratios in The Diagnosis of Influenza in Children.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to analyze the neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and lymphocyte/monocyte ratio (LMR) to investigate their value in supporting the diagnosis of influenza in cases with influenza-like symptoms. METHODS: A total of 5,693 pediatric patients who applied to the Pediatric Clinic between January 2015 and December 2018 were included in the study. Complete blood count and influenza rapid antigen tests were evaluated at the time of admission. RESULTS: The mean LMR was significantly lower in patients with influenza A than non-influenza A patients (p < 0.001). LMR was also significantly lower in those with influenza A or B compared to those in the influenza-negative group (p < 0.001). There was no significant difference (p = 0.83) in terms of the mean LMR between influenza B positive and negative patients. The mean NLR was significantly higher in influenza A positive patients in comparison with influenza A negative patients (p < 0.001), and it was significantly lower in influenza B positive patients than in influenza B negative patients (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: We concluded that LMR and NLR, which had been rarely examined in the literature, had important value in the diagnosis of influenza. However, these values alone were far from being sufficient for the definitive diagnosis of influenza.

Clinical and Laboratory Comparison of Covid-19 and Influenza A/B in Children.

BACKGROUND: The clinical picture of COVID-19 shows significant similarity with influenza. In this study, it was aimed to compare the clinical and laboratory findings between pediatric patients diagnosed with COVID-19 and those with influenza A or B, and to obtain data on the differential diagnosis of COVID-19 from influenza in children. METHODS: The study included 104 patients with COVID-19, 140 patients with influenza A and 135 patients with in-fluenza B (379 patients in total) who were admitted to our tertiary hospital with symptoms of acute respiratory tract infection. RESULTS: Fever, cough, runny nose, and pharyngeal hyperemia rates were significantly lower in patients with COVID-19 than in those with influenza A/B. The highest leukocytosis and lymphocytosis rates were seen in influenza A patients. Eosinophil levels were found significantly lower in the influenza A/B patients compared to the COVID-19 group. C-reactive protein levels were significantly higher in the influenza A/B group when compared with the COVID-19 group. The mean PDW value was significantly higher in the COVID-19 patients compared to influenza A/B. CONCLUSIONS: Our study data show that low body temperature and loss of taste and smell support the diagnosis of COVID-19, and fever, cough, pharyngeal hyperemia, and runny nose support the diagnosis of influenza. While leukocytosis and increased C-reactive protein suggest influenza, high PDW and eosinophil levels support COVID-19.

Anticandidal activities of lactic acid bacteria isolated from the vagina

Background/aim: Lactic acid bacteria prevent the overgrowth of pathogenic agents and opportunistic pathogens in the vagina. Moreover, lactic acid bacteria contribute to the preservation of vaginal microbiota by producing antimicrobial agents. Previous studies showed that some lactic acid bacteria exhibited antimicrobial activity against Candida species causing yeast vaginosis as well as many bacterial pathogens. Materials and methods: The antifungal activities of various lactic acid bacteria isolated from the vagina of healthy women on some Candida species isolated from the vagina were investigated by agar diffusion technique. Results: Most of the lactic acid bacteria that belong to the species of Lactobacillus crispatus, L. fermentum, L. acidophilus, L. paracesei subsp. paracesei, L. pentosus, and L. plantarum exhibited antifungal activity in varying ratios against C. albicans, C. glabrata, and C. tropicalis strains isolated from the vagina. Conclusion: The lactic acid bacteria are useful microorganisms associated with a variety of probiotic properties. In this sense, our lactic acid bacteria isolates with high antifungal activity may be promising candidates as probiotic microorganisms in the inhibition of vaginal candidiasis, which is one of the most prevalent problems, or in the protection against candidiasis. We will continue our studies in this area.

Bone mineral density and vitamin D status in children with epilepsy, cerebral palsy, and cerebral palsy with epilepsy.

PURPOSE: We aimed to evaluate the relationship between bone mineral density (BMD) disorders and possible risk factors in patients with epilepsy only (EO), cerebral palsy only (CPO), and cerebral palsy-epilepsy (CP + E). METHODS: A total of 122 patients [EO (n = 54), CPO (n = 30), CP + E (n = 38)] and 30 healthy children were evaluated. BMD was only measured in patient groups, not in control subjects. BMD of lumbar vertebrae was determined by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). An abnormal BMD was defined as low or low normal BMD. RESULTS: Low BMD rate in EO, CPO, and CP + E group was 3.7, 50, and 39.5 %, respectively. Abnormal BMD values were significantly related to inadequate dietary Ca intake (p = 0.017), severe intellectual disability (p < 0.001), and immobility (p = 0.018). In multivariate regression analysis, the risk of abnormal BMD was higher (3.9-fold) in patients not able to walk independently than the others (p = 0.029). However, serum Ca-Vitamin D levels, insufficient exposure to sunlight, low BMI, and use of AED were not correlated with abnormal BMD. CONCLUSION: Abnormal BMD is a common problem in patients with CP and CP + E. Abnormal BMD was related to the severity of CP, but not to vitamin D levels or AED treatment.

Development of a fast and low-cost qPCR assay for diagnosis of acute gas pharyngitis.

BACKGROUND: Group A streptococci (GAS) are the most common bacterial cause of acute pharyngitis and account for 15-30 % of cases of acute pharyngitis in children and 5-10 % of cases in adults. In this study, a real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) based GAS detection assay in pharyngeal swab specimens was developed. METHODS: The qPCR assay was compared with the gold standard bacterial culture and a rapid antigen detection test (RADT) to evaluate its clinical performance in 687 patients. The analytical sensitivity of the assay was 240 cfu/swab. Forty-five different potential cross-reacting organisms did not react with the test. Four different laboratories for the reproducibility studies were in 100 % (60/60) agreement for the contrived GAS positive and negative swab samples. RESULTS: The relative sensitivities of the RADT and the qPCR test were 55.9 and 100 %; and the relative specificities were 100 and 96.3 %, respectively. Duration of the total assay for 24 samples including pre-analytical processing and analysis changed between 42 and 55 min depending on the type of qPCR instrument used. A simple DNA extraction method and a low qPCR volume made the developed assay an economical alternative for the GAS detection. CONCLUSION: We showed that the developed qPCR test is rapid, cheap, sensitive and specific and therefore can be used to replace both antigen detection and culture for diagnosis of acute GAS pharyngitis.

Comparison of levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine device with oral progestins in heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB) cases with uterine leiomyoma (LNG-IUD and oral progestin usage in myoma uteri).

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effectiveness and acceptability of LNG-IUD with oral progesterone (norethisterone acetate; NETA) in achieving a reduction in volume of the myomas, hemoglobin levels, satisfaction of the women. METHODS: This study includes randomized 30 women treated by LNG-IUD and randomized 30 women treated by oral norethisterone (NETA). All these participants in the study have received medical treatment and had been registered as patients in Istanbul Medeniyet University Göztepe Education and Research Hospital. Leiomyoma volumes and hemoglobin levels have been determined. In the third and sixth months, these measurements have been done again. We examined the adverse effects and the treatment continuity. For the statistical analysis of the findings NCSS [Number Cruncher Statistical System] 2007 & PASS 2008 program; student t, Mann Whitney U, Paired Samples t, Wilcoxon Signed Ranks, Ki-Kare, Fisher's Exact Ki-Kare tests have been used. RESULTS: After six months treatment, the reduction of bleeding determined by Visual Bleeding Score (VBS) in LNG-IUD group is 80% and in oral norethisteron group is 56%; in both groups leiomyoma volumes and hemoglobin levels were significantly high. CONCLUSION: LNG-IUD is a good alternative treatment to the oral progesterone in long term minimizing the hysterectomy for myoma uteri because of the good patient tolerance and easy usage.

Optic neuritis in Turkish children and adolescents: A multicenter retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: Various etiologies may underlie optic neuritis, including autoantibody-mediated disorders described in the last decade. We re-examined demographic, clinical, laboratory features and prognostic factors in pediatric patients with autoimmune optic neuritis according to current knowledge. METHODS: Cases of pediatric ON from 27 centers in Türkiye diagnosed between 2009 and 2022 were included for retrospective evaluation. RESULTS: The study included 279 patients, 174 females and 105 males, with a female-to-male ratio of 1.65. The average age at onset was 12.8 ± 3.4 years, and mean follow-up, 2.1 years (range: 1-12.1 years). Patients <10 years old were grouped as "prepubertal" and those ≥10 years old as "others". The diagnoses made at the end of follow-up were multiple sclerosis associated optic neuritis (n = 90, 32.3 %), single isolated optic neuritis (n = 86, 31 %), clinically isolated syndrome (n = 41, 14.7 %), myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody associated optic neuritis (n = 22, 7.9 %), and relapsing isolated optic neuritis (n = 18, 6.5 %). Predominant diagnoses were myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody associated optic neuritis and acute disseminated encephalomyelitis associated optic neuritis in the prepubertal group and multiple sclerosis associated optic neuritis in the older group. Recurrences were observed in 67 (24 %) patients, including 28 with multiple sclerosis associated optic neuritis, 18 with relapsing isolated optic neuritis, 11 with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody associated optic neuritis, 8 with aquaporin-4 antibody related optic neuritis, and 2 with chronic relapsing inflammatory optic neuropathy. Recurrences were more common among female patients. Findings supporting the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis included age of onset ≥ 10 years (OR=1.24, p = 0.027), the presence of cranial MRI lesions (OR=26.92, p<0.001), and oligoclonal bands (OR=9.7, p = 0.001). Treatment in the acute phase consisted of intravenous pulse methylprednisolone (n = 46, 16.5 %), pulse methylprednisolone with an oral taper (n = 212, 76 %), and combinations of pulse methylprednisolone, plasmapheresis, or intravenous immunoglobulin (n = 21, 7.5 %). Outcome at 12 months was satisfactory, with 247 out of 279 patients (88.5 %) demonstrating complete recovery. Thirty-two patients exhibited incomplete recovery and further combination treatments were applied. Specifically, patients with relapsing isolated optic neuritis and aquaporin-4 antibody related optic neuritis displayed a less favorable prognosis. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest optic neuritis is frequently bilateral in prepubertal and unilateral in peri­ or postpubertal patients. Age of onset 10 or older, presence of oligoclonal bands, and brain MRI findings reliably predict the development of multiple sclerosis. The risk of developing multiple sclerosis increases mostly during the second and third years of follow-up. Relapsing isolated optic neuritis remains a separate group where the pathogenesis and outcome remain unclear. Investigation of predisposing and diagnostic biomarkers and long follow-up could help to define this group.

Changing views of cerebral palsy over 35 years: the experience of a center.

In this study, it was aimed to evaluate the demographic and clinical characteristics of cerebral palsy (CP) cases over a 35-year period. Findings of 442 patients with CP followed from 1995 to 2006 (Group 2) were compared with 208 patients with CP followed between 1972 and 1994 (Group 1) in the same pediatric neurology division. Ratios of both prematurity (38% vs. 17.7%) and very low birth weight (VLBW) infants (13.8% vs. 1.5%) significantly increased in Group 2. There was also a four-fold increase in cesarean delivery in Group 2 (42.3% vs. 9.6%). A significant increase in the rate of early diagnosis during the first year was also found in this group (56.9% vs. 39.4%). The rate of spastic diparesis cases has significantly increased (33.7% vs. 7.7%), while the rate of spastic tetraparesis cases has significantly decreased (63.5% vs. 37.3%). It was seen that preventable risk factors continue today.

Retracted: Clinical and genetic evaluations of rare childhood epilepsies in Turkey's national cohort.

Aycan Ünalp, Yigithan Güzin, Bülent Ünay, Ayse Tosun, Dilek Çavusoglu, Hande Gazeteci Tekin, Semra Hiz Kurul, Ebru Arhan, Selvinaz Edizer, Gülten Öztürk, Uluç Yis, Ünsal Yilmaz, Turkish Rare Epilepsies Study Group, Clinical and genetic evaluations of rare childhood epilepsies in Turkey's national cohort, Epileptic Disorders, 2023, (https://doi.org/10.1002/epd2.20150) The above article, published online on 16 August 2023 on Wiley Online Library (www.onlinelibrary.wiley.com), has been retracted by agreement between the authors, the Editor-in-Chief, Sándor Beniczky, and John Wiley & Sons Ltd. The authors asked for a retraction based on an experimental error which would alter the results of the study if corrected.

Development of a new multiplex real-time PCR assay for rapid screening of hospital-acquired infection agents.

AIMS: A new multiplex real-time PCR (qPCR) assay was developed to detect antibiotic-resistant hospital-acquired infectious agents in nasal and rectal swab samples in 1.5 h without the need for nucleic acid extraction. METHODS: Spiked negative clinical specimens were used for the analytical performance evaluation. Double-blind samples were collected from 1788 patients to assess the relative clinical performance of the qPCR assay to the conventional culture-based methods. Bio-Speedy® Fast Lysis Buffer (FLB) and 2× qPCR-Mix for hydrolysis probes (Bioeksen R&D Technologies, Istanbul, Turkey) and LightCycler® 96 Instrument (Roche Inc., Branchburg, NJ, USA) were used for all molecular analyses. The samples were transferred into 400 L FLB, homogenized and immediately used in qPCRs. The target DNA regions are vanA and vanB genes for vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE); blaKPC, blaNDM, blaVIM, blaIMP, blaOXA-23, blaOXA-48, blaOXA-58 genes for carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE); and mecA, mecC and spa for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). RESULTS: No qPCR tests produced positive results for the samples spiked with the potential cross-reacting organisms. The limit of detection (LOD) of the assay for all targets was 100 colony-forming unit (cfu)/swab-sample. Results of the repeatability studies in two different centers were in 96%-100% (69/72-72/72) agreement. The relative specificity and sensitivity of the qPCR assay were respectively 96.8% and 98.8% for VRE; 94.9% and 95.1% for CRE; 99.9% and 97.1% for MRSA. CONCLUSIONS: The developed qPCR assay can screen antibiotic-resistant hospital-acquired infectious agents in infected/colonized patients with an equal clinical performance to the culture-based methods.

Pediatric-Onset Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy: A Multicenter Study.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the clinical features, demographic features, and treatment modalities of pediatric-onset chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) in Turkey. METHODS: The clinical data of patients between January 2010 and December 2021 were reviewed retrospectively. The patients were evaluated according to the Joint Task Force of the European Federation of Neurological Societies and the Peripheral Nerve Society Guideline on the management of CIDP (2021). In addition, patients with typical CIDP were divided into two groups according to the first-line treatment modalities (group 1: IVIg only, group 2: IVIg + steroid). The patients were further divided into two separate groups based on their magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) characteristics. RESULTS: A total of 43 patients, 22 (51.2%) males and 21 (48.8%) females, were included in the study. There was a significant difference between pretreatment and post-treatment modified Rankin scale (mRS) scores (P < 0.05) of all patients. First-line treatments include intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) (n = 19, 44.2%), IVIg + steroids (n = 20, 46.5%), steroids (n = 1, 2.3%), IVIg + steroids + plasmapheresis (n = 1, 2.3%), and IVIg + plasmapheresis (n = 1, 2.3%). Alternative agent therapy consisted of azathioprine (n = 5), rituximab (n = 1), and azathioprine + mycophenolate mofetil + methotrexate (n = 1). There was no difference between the pretreatment and post-treatment mRS scores of groups 1 and 2 (P > 0.05); however, a significant decrease was found in the mRS scores of both groups with treatment (P < 0.05). The patients with abnormal MRI had significantly higher pretreatment mRS scores compared with the group with normal MRI (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This multicenter study demonstrated that first-line immunotherapy modalities (IVIg vs IVIg + steroids) had equal efficacy for the treatment of patients with CIDP. We also determined that MRI features might be associated with profound clinical features, but did not affect treatment response.

The Most Commonly Determined Nursing Diagnoses According to NANDA-I Taxonomy and Difficulties Using the Nursing Process in COVID-19 Outbreak.

The study was planned to determine the most common nursing diagnoses according to NANDA International (NANDA-I) taxonomy and difficulties experienced in using of nursing process in COVID-19 outbreak. The sample of the descriptive cross-sectional study consisted of nurses cared for patients with COVID-19 (n = 114). Average age of nurses is 26.86 ± 6.68. Commonly determined nursing diagnoses according to NANDA-I taxonomy in patients with COVID-19 were imbalanced nutrition (66.7%), impaired gas exchange (40.4%), insomnia (21.1%), acute confusion (31.6%), hopelessness (96.5%), difficulty playing caregiver (84.2%), anxiety (38.6%) willingness to strengthen religious bond (71.9%), risk for infection (64.9%), nausea (49.1%). Twenty-four-years old and younger, high school graduates, caring for intubated patients, and those who stated that they did not use nursing diagnosis had more difficulty in using nursing process (<0.05). The use of nursing diagnoses and process for patients with COVID-19 is extremely important in ensuring individual and qualified nursing care.

Epidemiology of Nosocomial Candidemia, Mortality, and Antifungal Resistance: 7-Year Experience in Turkey.

Candidemia is an important clinical condition that prolongs hospital stays and increases morbidity, mortality, and hospital costs. The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the epidemiological and microbiological characteristics of patients with candidemia between January 2013 and December 2019. Two hundred forty-one episodes of candidemia were observed in 230 patients, 45% of whom were female. The median age was 63 years, and 53.9% of the episodes were in the intensive care unit (ICU). Commonly observed predisposing factors for candidemia included antibiotic use (71.3%), urinary catheterization (56.3%), central venous catheter placement (50.3%), total parenteral nutrition (47.9%), solid-organ malignancy (46%), surgery (48.6%), chemotherapy (37%), and steroid treatment (25.5%). The crude mortality rate was 52.7%. A significant difference was found between survivors and non-survivors (P = 0.007) according to the Charlson Comorbidity Index. However, no statistically significant association was found between mortality and age, sex, surgical procedure, catheter-related candidemia, or Candida spp. infection. The most frequently isolated Candida sp. was C. albicans (51%). Overall resistance rates to fluconazole, voriconazole, caspofungin, micafungin, and flucytosine were 3.7%, 0%, 2.5%, 1.8%, and 1.8%, respectively. Consequently, there is a need for tests that provide higher success rates, rapid diagnosis of candidemia, and local epidemiological data on antifungal resistance.

Re-examining the characteristics of pediatric multiple sclerosis in the era of antibody-associated demyelinating syndromes.

BACKGROUND: The discovery of anti-myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG)-IgG and anti-aquaporin 4 (AQP4)-IgG and the observation on certain patients previously diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) actually have an antibody-mediated disease mandated re-evaluation of pediatric MS series. AIM: To describe the characteristics of recent pediatric MS cases by age groups and compare with the cohort established before 2015. METHOD: Data of pediatric MS patients diagnosed between 2015 and 2021 were collected from 44 pediatric neurology centers across Türkiye. Clinical and paraclinical features were compared between patients with disease onset before 12 years (earlier onset) and ≥12 years (later onset) as well as between our current (2015-2021) and previous (<2015) cohorts. RESULTS: A total of 634 children (456 girls) were enrolled, 89 (14%) were of earlier onset. The earlier-onset group had lower female/male ratio, more frequent initial diagnosis of acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM), more frequent brainstem symptoms, longer interval between the first two attacks, less frequent spinal cord involvement on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and lower prevalence of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)-restricted oligoclonal bands (OCBs). The earlier-onset group was less likely to respond to initial disease-modifying treatments. Compared to our previous cohort, the current series had fewer patients with onset <12 years, initial presentation with ADEM-like features, brainstem or cerebellar symptoms, seizures, and spinal lesions on MRI. The female/male ratio, the frequency of sensorial symptoms, and CSF-restricted OCBs were higher than reported in our previous cohort. CONCLUSION: Pediatric MS starting before 12 years was less common than reported previously, likely due to exclusion of patients with antibody-mediated diseases. The results underline the importance of antibody testing and indicate pediatric MS may be a more homogeneous disorder and more similar to adult-onset MS than previously thought.

Involuntary movement in infants during vitamin B12 treatment.

Megaloblastic anemia is rare in infants and is generally due to vitamin B12 (cobalamin) deficiency in the mother. Neurologic symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency include irritability, failure to thrive, hypotonia, and developmental regression/delay. Herein we present 2 infants with vitamin B12 that developed movement disorder 5 d after initiation of vitamin B12 treatment. Symptoms included tremor and myoclonus, involving in particular the face, tongue, and hands. Clinical findings in infants associated with vitamin B12 deficiency vary, and temporary involuntary movement can be observed during vitamin B12 therapy.

Epidemic Klebsiella pneumoniae ST258 incidence in ICU patients admitted to a university hospital in Istanbul.

INTRODUCTION: Klebsiella pneumoniae sequence type 258 (ST258) strains are globally distributed multi-drug resistant pathogens and can spread rapidly throughout the world, causing severe healthcare-associated invasive infections with limited antimicrobial treatment options. The aim of this study was to reveal the incidence of Klebsiella pneumoniae ST258 strains among the intensive care unit patients in a university hospital in Istanbul. METHODOLOGY: Consecutive nonreplicated 83 K. pneumoniae strains were isolated from various clinical samples of intensive care unit patients admitted to a university hospital in Istanbul, between November 2016 to December 2018. Bacterial identifications were performed via VITEK2. Antimicrobial susceptibility tests were conducted with Kirby Bauer's disc diffusion test except for colistin which was performed with broth microdilution. Real-time PCR method was utilized in order to reveal ST258 positivity among the strains. RESULTS: Antimicrobial susceptibility results revealed that 56 (67%) K. pneumoniae strains were carbapenem-resistant. Real-time PCR results demonstrated that 15 out of 83 (18%) K.pneumoniae strain were ST258. According to antimicrobial susceptibility test results of ST258 strains, 8 were found as carbapenem-resistant whereas 7 were found as carbapenem susceptible. 3 out of 8 (37.5%) carbapenem-resistant ST258 strains were found as resistant against all antibiotics tested. CONCLUSIONS: Our study revealed that K. pneumoniae ST258 which caused severe infections worldwide so far has also spread to Istanbul. We believe that rapid molecular methods for monitorization of these clones are useful. our results showed that ST258 is not linked to a multi-resistant strain and suggested that it does not contribute to multi-resistance formation alone.

Candida auris Fungemia and a local spread taken under control with infection control measures: First report from Turkey.

Candidaauris, draws attention as a new emerging antifungal resistant pathogen, leading to healthcare-associated infections and outbreaks. This is the first report of C. auris fungemia in a 81-year-old patient, confirmed by sequential analysis, from Turkey. Although the source of the isolate could not be identified, its spread in the hospital has been taken under control by effective infection control measures.