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Background: Nasal continuous positive airway pressure (NCPAP) is a common mode of respiratory support in neonatal intensive care units. Our objective was to compare whether NCPAP given with nasal prongs compared with a nasal mask reduces the pain scores in preterm infants with respiratory distress. Methods: Preterm infants on NCPAP due to respiratory distress were included in the study. All infants received NCPAP via the Infant Flow SiPAP The COVERS pain scale was used to score the infants' pain Each infant was studied alternating between nasal prongs and a nasal mask. Heart rate, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, and transcutaneous CO2 (tcCO2) were monitored. Blood pressure and the infants' pain scores were determined every 30 minutes and the average of measurements was taken. Results: The median (interquartile range) values of pain scores, respiratory rates, oxygen saturations, tcCO2 levels, and systolic blood pressures differed significantly and favored the nasal mask. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that continuous positive airway pressure via a nasal mask leads to a significant reduction in pain scores without altering the respiratory parameters of babies. On the basis of this study, it is possible to conclude that NCPAP applied via nasal mask may be a good alternative to NCPAP applied via nasal prongs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: According to the World Health Organization's recommendation, delayed cord clamping in term newborns can have various benefits. Cochrane metaanalyses reported no differences for mortality and early neonatal morbidity although a limited number of studies investigated long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes. The aim of our study is to compare the postnatal cerebral tissue oxygenation values in babies with early versus delayed cord clamping born after elective cesarean section. Methods: In this study, a total of 80 term newborns delivered by elective cesarean section were included. Infants were randomly grouped as early (clamped within 15 s, n:40) and delayed cord clamping (at the 60th second, n:40) groups. Peripheral arterial oxygen saturation (SpO2) and heart rate were measured by pulse oximetry while regional oxygen saturation of the brain (rSO2) was measured with near-infrared spectrometer. Fractional tissue oxygen extraction (FTOE) was calculated for every minute between the 3rd and 15th minute after birth. (FTOE = pulse oximetry value-rSO2/pulse oximetry value). The measurements were compared for both groups. Results: The demographical characteristics, SpO2 levels (except postnatal 6th, 8th, and 14th minutes favoring DCC p < 0.05), heart rates and umbilical cord blood gas values were not significantly different between the groups (p > 0.05). rSO2 values were significantly higher while FTOE values were significantly lower for every minute between the 3rd and 15th minutes after birth in the delayed cord clamping group (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Our study revealed a significant increase in cerebral rsO2 values and a decrease in FTOE values in the delayed cord clamping (DCC) group, indicating a positive impact on cerebral oxygenation and hemodynamics. Furthermore, the DCC group exhibited a higher proportion of infants with cerebral rSO2 levels above the 90th percentile. This higher proportion, along with a lower of those with such parameter below the 10th percentile, suggest that DCC may lead to the targeted/optimal cerebral oxygenetaion of these babies. As a result, we recommend measuring cerebral oxygenation, in addition to peripheral SpO2, for infants experiencing perinatal hypoxia and receiving supplemental oxygen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Although there has been increased attention in recent years to the relationship between allergic disease and obesity, there is limited information about allergic rhinitis (AR) and central obesity. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between central obesity and rhinitis severity in patients with rhinitis and controls. Materials and Methods: A total of 164 children, aged 7-17 years, were included in the study between 2020 and 2021. Three groups were formed: AR, non-allergic rhinitis (NAR), and the control group. The height, weight, waist, hip, neck, and arm circumference of the groups were measured. The BMI, waist-to-hip ratio, waist-to-height ratio, and conicity index were calculated. Eosinophil and neutrophil counts, IgE levels, and allergic sensitization were recorded. Anthropometric measurements, rhinitis severity, and persistence were compared among the groups. Results: The study included a total of 164 children: 63 with AR, 51 with NAR, and 50 in the control groups of the children included in the study, 71 (43.3%) were boys, and 93 (56.7%) were girls. Approximately 30% of children with normal BMI were evaluated as centrally obese despite having a normal weight. Rhinitis patients had a higher prevalence of central obesity compared to the control group. When comparing both persistence and disease severity, central obesity was higher in AR patients than in NAR patients. The AR group had higher BMI, arm circumference, waist circumference, and neck circumference than the control group (p=0.003, p=0.01, 0.001, 0.004, respectively), while the waist-to-height ratio was higher in both the AR and NAR groups compared to the control group (p=0.001, p=0.026). Conclusion: In this study, central obesity was significantly higher in patients with AR and NAR than in the control group although there was no significant difference in obesity between the groups according to BMI. Additionally, centrally obese AR patients exhibited higher persistence and disease severity compared to NAR patients. In conclusion, other obesity indicators such as waist circumference should be measured in addition to height and body weight in children with AR and NAR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Syphilis coinfection is common among human immune deficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) diagnosed patients. We aimed to investigate the rates of syphilis coinfection, social-demographical features, viral and immunological properties among naive HIV/AIDS patients. Methods: Socio-demographical data, CD4+ T lymphocyte counts, HIV viral load, syphilis antibody results and physical examinations at the time of diagnosis of naive HIV infected patients who were admitted to our center between January 2017 and January 2021, were evaluated retrospectively from the medical records. Results: Three hundred-two naive HIV patients were enrolled in the study. Positive syphilis antibody rate was detected as 21.5% and 86.2% of those patients were male and also found 31.4% (p<0.01) in patients in which route of transmission was men sex with men (MSM). Positive syphilis antibody rate was found to be statistically higher in patients with substance abuse (p<0.01), CD4+ T lymphocyte counts were under 200 cell/mm³ (p=0.018) and viral load above 100.000 copies/mL (p<0.01). Conclusion: Among HIV-infected patients, those with MSM and substance abuse constitute the group at highest risk of syphilis. Therefore, syphilis must be screened and treated, especially at HIV diagnosis and high-risk behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]