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This work presents the design, implementation and test of prototype modules of a Time Projection Chamber based on Micromegas amplification technology which was built in view of the future International Linear Collider. The main goals of this development are to investigate the performance of the detector and to demonstrate the feasibility of extremely compact and low power readout electronics. We based the front-end electronics on the AFTER chip, a 72-channel ASIC originally built for the T2K experiment, and integrated it with new hardware, mechanics and cooling to read out the 1728 channels of a detector module while staying confined in the available area of \sim 220\ cm^2. The digital part of a module is based on a Xilinx Virtex-5 FPGA which interfaces to the 24 AFTER chips used for the readout. We present the operation of a vertical slice of the complete detector and readout system. In particular, our tests show that the resistive anode of the Micromegas detector, which is primarily designed to improve tracking resolution, allows operation without the spark protection circuit normally required on each readout channel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The tracker of the near detector in the T2K neutrino oscillation experiment comprises three time projection chambers based on micro-pattern gaseous detectors. A new readout system is being developed to amplify, condition and acquire in real time the data produced by the 124.000 detector channels. The cornerstone of the system is a 72-channel application specific integrated circuit which is based on a switched capacitor array. Using analog memories combined with deferred digitization enables reducing the initial burstiness of traffic from 50 Tbps to 400 Gbps in a practical manner and with a very low power budget. Modern field programmable gate arrays coupled to commercial digital memories are the next elements in the chain. Multi-gigabit optical links provide 140 Gbps of aggregate bandwidth to carry data outside of the magnet surrounding the detector to concentrator cards that pack data and provide the interface to commercial PCs via a standard Gigabit Ethernet network. We describe the requirements and constraints for this application and justify our technical choices. We detail the design and the performance of several key elements and show the deployment of the front-end electronics on the first time projection chamber where the final tests before installation on-site are being conducted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study evaluated the effect of telemedicine use in children with COVID-19 to reduce the workload of health care facilities. Methods: This study was conducted at Dr. Behçet Uz Children's Hospital between October and December 2020. The complaints of the children who were called because of positivity for severe acute respiratory syndrome-CoV-2-PCR were questioned and also the duration of talk was recorded. Children were classified according to their symptoms. Cases with severe symptoms were invited to the hospital and were hospitalized according to their clinical findings. Results: The median age of 506 patients reached was 10.8 ± 5.5. Phone calls lasted <3 min in 498 (98.6%) cases. Only 33 (6.5%) patients with severe symptoms were invited to the hospital, and 6 (18.2%) of these cases were hospitalized. Conclusion: During the pandemic, interviews with patients through telephone may help to reduce the patient burden and to prevent the contact of healthy individuals.

Background: For children with the multisystem inflammatory syndrome(MIS-C), intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIG) with or without methylprednisolone are the most effective treatment. In this study, IVIG combined with methylprednisolone was compared to IVIG used alone in children with MIS-C., Methods: This retrospective cohort study was carried out between April 1, 2020, and November 1, 2021. This study covered all children with MIS-C. According to whether they received IVIG alone or IVIG with methylprednisolone as an initial treatment for MIS-C, the patients were split into two groups. The IVIG dosage for the patients in group I was 2 gr/kg, whereas the IVIG dosage for the patients in group II was 2 gr/kg + 2 mg/kg/day of methylprednisolone. These two groups were contrasted in terms of the frequency of fever, length of hospital stay, and admission to the pediatric intensive care unit., Results: The study comprised 91 patients who were diagnosed with MIS-C and were under the age of 18. 42 (46.2%) of these patients were in the IVIG alone group (group I), and 49 (53.8%) were in the IVIG + methylprednisolone group (group II). Patients in group II had a severe MIS-C ratio of 36.7%, which was substantially greater than the rate of severe MIS-C patients in group I (9.5%) (p 0.01). When compared to group I (9.5%), the rate of hypotension was considerably higher in group II (30.6%) (p = 0.014). Additionally, patients in group II had considerably higher mean serum levels of C-reactive protein. The incidence of fever recurrence was 26.5% in group II and 33.3% in group I, however the difference was not statistically significant (p > 0.05)., Conclusions: The choice of treatment for patients with MIS-C should be based on an individual evaluation. In MIS-C children with hypotension and/or with an indication for a pediatric intensive care unit, a combination of IVIG and methylprednisolone may be administered. For the treatment modalities of children with MIS-C, however, randomized double-blind studies are necessary., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Introduction: Imaging of the urinary tract by ultrasonography (USG) or computerized tomography scanning is recommended for detecting structural abnormalities, hydronephrosis, abscesses, emphysematous pyelonephritis, or fungus ball formation. Limited studies on the epidemiology and the imaging results of candiduria were present in the children., Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the results of renal ultrasonography imaging in hospitalized pediatric patients with candiduria., Study Design: In this descriptive study, we reviewed our ultrasonography findings with hospitalized children and infants who with candiduria. The study included the period between January 2012 and December 2019. Demographic data, the previous medical history, the clinical features of the patients, ultrasonographic findings of the urinary tract system, presence of an indwelling urinary catheter, type of urinary samplings, type of candida species were retrospectively recorded. The study was approved by Institutional Review Board with the registration number 2019/366., Results: During the study period, 220 children with nosocomial candiduria were evaluated. The most common isolated candida species was Candida albicans (68.2%) and followed by C. tropicalis (9.1%). Among all patients, 2 (0.9%) had renal fungal balls associated with C. Albicans. Twenty-five patients (11.4%) had findings including internal echogenicity in the bladder (n = 12), uroepithelial thickening of the kidney (n = 10), and sediments in the renal pelvis (n = 3)., Discussion: Candida albicans was the most prominent candida isolated from the patients. The fungal ball is an uncommon infection especially in children and predominantly caused by Candida species. Fungal ball in the kidney was reported as case reports especially in neonates, in immunosupressed patients, and in patients who had undergone surgical procedures. In our study, none of the patients with the fungal ball were in the neonatal period, however, the patients with fungus ball had underlying disease or condition. Our study has several limitations including a retrospective study, and the USG were not performed by a single radiologist. Besides these limitations, our findings are important to give information about the place of USG for diagnosis of the renal fungal ball in children adding valuable information to a topic in which data came from mainly case reports., Conclusions: Despite the low incidence of fungal balls reported, considering the high consequences of missing a fungal ball and elimination of it, a non-invasive method such as the renal bladder USG is still necessary for detection of fungal ball especially. More prospective studies are required for high risk groups to establish the diagnostic value of renal USG., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare that are relevant to the content of this article., (Copyright © 2021 Journal of Pediatric Urology Company. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

This descriptive study aimed to evaluate the frequency and the types of mucocutaneous manifestations associated with multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C). A cohort of 49 patients was reviewed. There were 6 patients (12.2%) whose mucocutaneous findings were observed by the clinicians on admission, whereas 26 (53%) patients had at least one of the histories of rash or desquamation associated with fever before the admission. Exanthems in our experience demonstrated a variety of morphologies, including morbilliform, urticarial, petechial, and maculopapular forms. Mucosal involvement (conjunctivitis and strawberry tongue) was observed only in 2/6 (34%) patients. In the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic era, while evaluating the criteria for MIS-C, the history of previous cutaneous findings given by parents/caregivers is also important. There was no pathognomonic rash for MIS-C and a variety of cutaneous findings with a short lifespan can be associated with MIS-C., (© The Author(s) [2021]. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)