Search

Background/objectives Oncology patients present with various skin manifestations related to primary disease and treatments. Although these skin toxicities are well described in adults, studies of pediatric oncology patients are limited. The objective of this study was to evaluate the cutaneous findings in pediatric oncology patients receiving chemotherapy. Methods In this prospective cohort study conducted from December 2018 to March 2020, all pediatric oncology patients were examined and patients who had a dermatologic finding at any point during their treatments were recorded. Dermatologic examinations were performed by the same dermatologists, and biopsy and microbiologic tests were performed according to clinical need. Patients were grouped according to their oncologic diagnoses and types of chemotherapies. Results A total of 80 patients with a mean age of 9.1 ± 5.0 years were included in the study. Seventy-five (93.7%) of them developed a dermatologic manifestation during the study period. Most of the patients had hematologic malignancies (n = 48, 60%). Antimetabolites were the most frequently used class of chemotherapeutic agents. Anagen effluvium was the most common dermatologic finding (61.3%, n = 49), followed by inflammatory dermatoses (51.2%, n = 41, most commonly diaper dermatitis in 33 patients), xerosis (35%, n = 28), and nail changes (20%, n = 16, most commonly nail pigmentation in seven patients). Mucositis was seen in 13 (16.2%) patients. Five patients (6.2%) had drug-induced cutaneous hyperpigmentation, and five (6.2%) had toxic erythema of chemotherapy. The highest percentage of xerosis (45.4%) was detected in patients using antitumor antibiotics, whereas inflammatory dermatoses were observed more in patients using antimetabolites (48.6% of patients using antimetabolites), and pigmentation changes were more frequently detected in patients using alkylating agents. Conclusion Identification, diagnosis, and treatment of these reactions are important to dermatologists and oncologists so that appropriate management may be provided to pediatric oncology patients.

Polyurethane (PU) composites were prepared with different diisocyanate and diol compounds by adding cobalt ion-based polyoxometalate (Co-POM) as reinforcement. For the determination of using potent...

Children with cancer have an increased risk for hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections due to chemotherapy-induced secondary immunodeficiency and frequent blood transfusions. The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of hepatitis B vaccination during the intensive induction chemotherapy in children with cancer found to be seronegative for hepatitis B on admission.Children newly diagnosed with cancer were evaluated for the presence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and antibody on admission. The children negative for both were included in the study. A super-accelerated vaccination scheme (3 booster doses at days 1-5, 8-12, and 28-33) was administered to these seronegative children concurrently with induction chemotherapy. Antibody response was checked 4-8 weeks after the last vaccination and 6 months after the end of the treatment.Eleven out of 122 children were seronegative for hepatitis B on admission (9%). Acute lymphoblastic leukemia, lymphoma, and solid tumors were diagnosed in 5, 4, and 2 children, respectively. Complete seroconversion was achieved in 4-8 weeks after the last vaccination with high titers of anti-HBs antibody, and all patients remained antibody-positive until 6 months after the completion of chemotherapy.The risk of transfusion-related infections increases with a number of transfused products and donor exposures, and it is more significant for immunosuppressed children with hematologic and oncologic malignancies. Hepatitis B vaccination could safely be applied with brisk and sustained responses in this vulnerable population, based on the local epidemiological data.

The kidney is a vulnerable organ for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), by the disease, and various associated clinical pictures. This retrospective study aims to document renal ultrasound abnormalities in children with newly diagnosed ALL as well as to investigate the correlation between renal findings and clinical/laboratory/survival data.All children (age18 years) with ALL were included in the study. An increase in size/nephromegaly (NM) or hyperechogenicity (HE) of the kidneys at first admission was accepted as a pathological renal abnormality. The clinical/laboratory findings, survival, and long-term renal functions were compared between patients with and without NM/HE.The incidence of NM±HE was 12% in 163 patients. Enlargement of spleen, liver, or both and, hypercreatininemia was independently correlated with the presence of NM/HE. After the induction therapy, ultrasound findings were resolved in all patients, and NM/HE did not influence ALL prognosis. All survivors had normal renal functions in long term.The renal ultrasound abnormalities are not uncommon in children with leukemia at admission, without a negative impact on leukemia prognosis and on long-term renal functions.

The aim of this study is synthesis of polyurethane (PU) composites from 4,4′-methylenebis(cyclohexyl isocyanate), 1,2-ethanediol and different amounts of copper-based polyoxometalate (Cu-POM) and investigation of their dielectric properties. Firstly, Cu-POM structure as reinforcement was synthesized with ammonium heptamolybdate and Cu metal ion salt by a hydrothermal synthesis method. Then, Cu-POM-PU composites were prepared by in situ polymerization process. The prepared Cu-POM-PU composites were characterized by means of various techniques for their structure, morphology and thermal behaviour. The chemical structure, surface and morphological properties of the obtained composites were studied by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) techniques. Thermal properties of these Cu-POM-PU composites were determined by thermogravimetric analysis, differential thermal analysis and differential scanning calorimetry analysis techniques. Dielectric properties of the Cu-POM-PU composites were also determined. The dielectric measured results showed that the dielectric constants decreased with the increase of the Cu-POMs content. The Cu-POM-PU composites showed relatively low dielectric constant compared to pure PUs.

WOS:000614296900001 PMID: 33538100 Adults with cancer are reported to have a higher risk for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) infection and more severe disease and mortality than the general population.1,2 Although children seem to be at a lower risk for COVID-19 than adults,3–5 data specifically addressing children with cancer are limited

ETI Aluminyum A.Ş., the primary aluminium manufacturer of Turkey, is also one of the major integrated plants of the world capable of performing production from mining until end product. The alumina refinery was designed on a certain boehmitic bauxite quality basis. However, bauxite properties have changed over the years, resulting in the urgent need for process optimization to not only keep the refinery cost efficient, but also prevent serious bottlenecks in the near future. Lime can be used to overcome problems when using bauxites with specific and variable chemical and mineralogical characteristics. Although lime is extensively used when processing diasporic bauxites, the studies on boehmitic bauxites and the overall effects on the process are limited. In this paper, lime impact was investigated at all stages of the Bayer process including the effect on alumina quality, energy and raw material consumptions. The results showed significant improvements in the product quality as well as recordable savings on consumptions.

The aim of this study was to synthesis, characterization and investigation of the influence of the polyoxometalate concentrations (1, 3, 5 and 10 wt%) on chemical, thermal, physical and mor...

The aim of the study was to analyze the characteristics of posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) cases treated at 10 different institutions in our country. Fifty-eight patients diagnosed with PRES were included in this study. The data of PRES cases from 10 departments of pediatric hematology/oncology were analyzed. The mean age of the patients at the time of diagnosis of PRES was 8.95 +/- 3.66 years. Most patients (80.4%) had a primary diagnosis of acute leukemia. Patients received chemotherapy (71.4%) and/or used steroids within 14 days before the diagnosis of PRES (85.7%). Hypertension was found in 83.9% of the patients. Twenty-six patients had infections and 22 of them had febrile neutropenia. The most common electrolyte disorders were hypocalcemia, hypomagnesemia, and hypopotassemia. Six patients had tumor lysis syndrome and 4 had inappropriate antidiuretic hormone syndrome. Magnetic resonance imaging was used for diagnosis in all patients. The most commonly involved regions by magnetic resonance imaging were occipital (58%), parietal (51%), and frontal lobes (45%), respectively. Twenty-five patients required intensive care and 7 patients were intubated. In conclusion, PRES may develop during the follow-up and treatment of hematological diseases. In addition to steroid and intense combined chemotherapies, immunosuppressive agents and hypertension are also factors that may be responsible for PRES.

In this paper, α-alumina structures were successfully prepared via hydrothermal synthesis supported with sodium dodecyl sulfonate anionic surfactant. The effect of the surfactant and the calcination time were investigated. The characterization of the samples calcinated at 1200 °C was performed using Raman spectroscopy, X-Ray Difraction analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and scanning electron microscopy techniques. Experimental results showed that pure α-Al2O3 structures were obtained with different morphologies.

Nikel ferrit nano parçacıkları, surfaktant destekli hidrotermal teknik kullanılarak, kontrollü parçacık boyutu ve boyut dağılımı ile sentezlenmiştir. Manyetik nano parçacıkların yüzey modifikasyonu (3-chloropropyl)triethoxysilane ile gerçekleştirilmiştir. Modifiye edilen nano parçacıklar yüzeyden başlatılan polimerizasyon tekniği kullanılarak PVP ile aşı polimer yapısında kaplanmıştır. Elde edilen spinel ferritlerin kristal yapısı ve boyutu X-Işını Kırınım Analizi (XRD) ve Taramalı Elektron Mikroskopu (SEM) ile araştırılmıştır. Nano parçacıkların ve nano kompozitlerin manyetik özellikleri Titreşimli Örnek Magnetometresi (VSM) kullanılarak incelenmiştir. Elde edilen NiFe2O4 nano parçacıklarının ortalama parçacık boyutu 24 nm’dir. Oda sıcaklığında süper paramagnetik karakter ve yüksek doygunluk manyetizasyonu göstermektedir. Gerçekleştirilen sentez stratejisinin biyo-uygulamalarda kullanılacak gelişmiş malzemelerin sentezinde etkili bir yöntem olabileceği düşünülmektedir., Nickel ferrite nanoparticles have been synthesized using the surfactant assistant hydrothermally technique with well controlled particle size and size distribution. The surface modification of magnetic nanoparticles was achieved using (3-chloropropyl)triethoxysilane. Modified nanoparticles were grafted with PVP using surface initialized radical polymerization. Crystal structure and crystallite size of the produced spinel ferrites were investigated by X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The magnetic properties of nanoparticles and nanocomposite were examined using a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). The NiFe2O4 nanoparticles with average size of 24 nm, were exhibited superparamagnetism and high saturation magnetization at room temperature. The synthesized strategy is thought to be an effective method in the synthesis of advanced materials to be used in bio-applications.

In this study, polystyrene- and poly(methyl methacrylate)-grafted polyimide films were prepared successfully using click chemistry and the ATRP technique. Firstly, kapton films were prepared from stepwise thermal imidization of polyamic acid. Surface modification of kapton films was then achieved by chloromethylation followed by the azide decoration process. For surface grafting of kapton films, polystyrene and poly(methyl methacrylate) as alkyne functional polymers were prepared with alkyne and bromine double functionality using propargyl-2-bromopropionate as an initiator. A coupling reaction with azide-decorated PI surface and alkyne functional polymers was achieved via the Huisgen-1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction. FTIR spectroscopy, contact angle measurement, thermogravimetry (TG) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) and GPC techniques were used to characterize the grafted polyimides. According to the TG analysis, kapton film was modified at the rate of 8% and 10% with PS and PMMA, respectively.

Elementary arguments show that a tree or forest is determined (up toisomorphism) by binary matroids defined using the adjacency matrix.

BACKGROUND Chemotherapy with high dose methotrexate is the mainstay of treatment for Burkitt lymphoma (BL), especially to manage central nervous system (CNS) disease. However, methotrexate administration requires close drug level monitoring for appropriate folinic acid rescue, which might not be readily available in all centers. In this study, we assessed the long-term treatment outcomes of a modified Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL)-Berlin-Frankfurt-Munster (BFM) 90 regimen in pediatric high-risk BL without CNS involvement. METHODS Between 1999 and 2011, 42 patients (median age: 7 years) with advanced-stage BL were treated with modified NHL-BFM 90 regimen (methotrexate at a dose of 1 g/m2). Demographic data, stage, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and treatment results were retrospectively evaluated. The patients were assessed for toxicity, survival and CNS recurrence. RESULTS Thirty-six patients had Stage III and six had Stage IV disease, respectively. The median LDH level was 1,432 IU/L. Four patients died of infectious and metabolic complications. One patient had local recurrence at the 48 th month of the follow-up and he is in the second remission for 72 months. In Kaplan-Meier analysis, the overall survival and event-free survival rates at 10 years were found as 90 % and 88 %, respectively. None of our patients died of treatment failure. CONCLUSIONS The administration of the reduced dose of methotrexate seems to not compromise treatment success nor increase the risk of CNS recurrence in high-risk BL without CNS involvement. The limitation of the study is that it is not randomized. Our treatment scheme might be considered for centers without methotrexate measurement facility.

Bu çalışmada hidrotermal sentez yöntemi kullanılarak PEG-400 destekli α-alumina sentezi başarılı şekilde gerçekleştirildi. Yapı düzenleyici ajan olarak kullanılan PEG-400’un parçacık boyutuna etkileri araştırıldı. Sentezlenen tozların yapısal karakterizasyonu XRD, Raman ve FTIR yöntemleri kullanılarak gerçekleştirildi. Termal özelliklerin araştırılmasında TGA yöntemi kullanıldı. Morfolojik özellikler ise SEM yöntemi kullanılarak araştırıldı. Çalışmanın sonuçları yapı düzenleyici ajan kullanılmadan gerçekleştirilen deneyle karşılaştırıldığında daha küçük boyutlarda saf α-Al2O3 elde edildiğini göstermektedir.

WOS: 000404741400022, PubMed ID: 28643749, Background: The national protocol aimed to improve the outcome of the high risk neuroblastoma patients by high-dose chemotherapy and stem cell rescue with intensive multimodal therapy. Materials and Methods: After the 6 induction chemotherapy cycles, patients without disease progression were nonrandomly (by physicians' and/or parent's choices) allocated into two treatment arms, which were designed to continue the conventional chemotherapy (CCT), or myeloablative therapy with autologous stem cell rescue (ASCR). Results: Fifty-six percent (272 patients) of patients was evaluated as high risk. Response rate to induction chemotherapy was 71%. Overall event-free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS) at 5 years were 28% and 36%, respectively. "As treated" analysis documented postinduction EFS of 41% in CCT arm (n = 138) and 29% in ASCR group (n = 47) (P = 0.042); whereas, OS was 45% and 39%, respectively (P = 0.05). Thirty-one patients (11%) died of treatment-related complications. Conclusion: Survival rates of high-risk neuroblastoma have improved in Turkey. Myeloablative chemotherapy with ASCR has not augmented the therapeutic end point in our country's circumstances. The adequate supportive care and the higher patients' compliance are attained, the better survival rates might be obtained in high-risk neuroblastoma patients received myeloablative chemotherapy and ASCR.

Medical records of 71 children with Wilms' tumor at Sisli Etfal Education and Research Hospital between 1990 and 2014 were reviewed. Mean age at diagnosis was 3.11 years (2 days-7 years). Male to female ratio was M/F = 6/10. The incidence of associated anomaly was 16.9%. Clinical manifestations included abdominal mass (89%), hematuria (30%), hypertansion (25%), abdominal pain (15%), fever (5%), restlessness (2%), weight loss (2%), varicocele (1%). Ultrasound (USG) was the most often initial study in a child presenting with abdominal mass. Doppler USG was also made to evaluate the inferior vena cava (IVC) for the presence of tumor extension in children with renal mass. The left kidney was affected in 33 patients (46.5%), the right was affected in 31 patients (43.7%). Two patients was extrarenal (2.8%). And 5 patients (7.04%) were bilateral on the presentation. Preoperative chemotheraphy was done in 14 cases. In 63 patients with unilateral Wilm tm, unilateral radical nefrectomy is performed. In one patient with solitary kidney, nephron sparing surgery (NSS) is performed. In 3 patients with bilateral tm NSS is performed and in 2 patients with bilateral Wilms' tm NSS is performed in one side and nefrectomy on the other side. Out of 71 Wilms tumor (WT) patients, 17 of them has been out of our follow. And 4 of them are died. Ten of them has metastases. Forty children are under follow with no metastases. Patients with WT needs a multimodal, multidisiplinary treatment with the cooperation of pediatric oncologist and pediatric surgeon and needs close follow-up.

We describe the synthesis of a new sorbent material for desulfurization of gasoline, which is composed of polyimide (PI) and vanadium pentoxide via the solution direct-dispersing method. The highly porous PI–V2O5 hybrid materials, containing different concentrations of V2O5 ranging from 1 to 10 wt%, were prepared from pyromellitic dianhydride, 2,4,6-triaminopyrimidine, and vanadium pentoxide. The produced PI–V2O5 composites were investigated by X-ray diffraction analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope, and thermal analysis techniques. The effect of V2O5 on the sulfur removal properties as well as the thermal stability and porous structure of composites were investigated. Then the obtained material was investigated to determine their sorption characteristics for sulfur compounds from fuels. By use of this material, 91 wt% of the sulfur content was removed from sulfur-containing standard oil. An economic sensitive and simple method for the removal and separation of sulfur in fuel samples, using an PI–V2O5 packed mini chromatographic column, was established.

This retrospective chart review study aimed to assess vitamin D status and identify risk factors associated with vitamin D deficiency and bone parameters in children with cancer at admission. The data of 86 (50 males and 36 females) patients between April 2013 and June 2015 were analyzed. Calcium, phosphorus, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), 25(OH)D, age, gender, diagnostic category, body mass index, duration of complaints, and season of blood sampling were recorded. Median age was 7.17 years (range 0.31-17.40) in 29 hematological malignancy and 57 solid tumor patients. According to cut-off level of 20 ng/ml, 63% of children with cancer had vitamin D deficiency at diagnosis with a median 25(OH)D of 16.75 ng/ml. The mean vitamin D value of children10 years was significantly low in comparison to that observed in younger children [11.83, 95% confidence interval (CI) = = 8.85-14.81 ng/ml vs. 19.81, 95% CI = = 17.02-22.60 ng/ml]. Vitamin D measurement between November and May was a risk factor for vitamin D deficiency (P0.05). The frequency of hypocalcemia and hypophosphatemia was not different between two groups of vitamin D. Further longitudinal studies are needed to investigate whether monitoring vitamin D status and supplementation in children with cancer might prevent future complications related to vitamin D deficiency.

Novel polyimide-rodlike zinc oxide hybrid nanocomposite (PI-RL-ZnO) has been developed from the poly (amic acid) with different weight percentages (1, 3, 5 wt%) of using N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) and N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc) as aprotic solvents. The prepared zinc oxide-polyimide nanocomposites were characterized for their structure, morphology, and thermal behavior employing Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron micrograph (SEM), transmission electron micrograph (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and thermal analysis (DTA/TGA/DSC) techniques. These studies showed the homogenous dispersion of zinc oxide in the polyimide matrix with an increase in the thermal stability of the composites on zinc oxide loadings. More importantly, we intend to explore the possibility of incorporating ZnO particles through dispersion into the polyimide network to achieve the polyimide hybrid with lower dielectric constant (low-k). The lowest dielectric constant achieved of the PI-RL-ZnO material i...

A series of novel ZnO/polyimide composite films with different ZnO contents was prepared through incorporation hexagonal disklike ZnO particles into poly(amic acid) of the pre polymer of the polyimide. The hexagonal disklike ZnO particles with a diameter of 300–500 nm were synthesized from zinc acetate and NaOH in water with citric acid. The prepared zinc oxide–polyimide composites were characterized for their structure, morphology, and thermal behavior employing Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron micrograph, X-ray diffraction and thermal analysis techniques. Thermal analyses show that the ZnO particles were successfully incorporated into the polymer matrix and these ZnO/polymer composites have a good thermal stability. Scanning electron microscopy studies indicate the ZnO particles were uniformly dispersed in the polymer and they remained at the original size (300–500 nm) before immobilization. All composite films with ZnO particle contents from 1 to 5 wt% show good transparency in the visible region and luminescent properties.

Background Monotherapy has tended to replace the combination therapy in emprical treatment of febrile neutropenia. There is no reported trial which compares the efficacy of cefoperazone-sulbactam (CS) and piperacillin-tazobactam (PIP/TAZO) monotherapies in the treatment of febrile neutropenia. In this prospective randomized study, we aimed to compare the safety and efficacy of CS versus PIP/TAZO as empirical monotherapies in febrile neutropenic children with cancer. Procedure The study included febrile, neutropenic children hospitalized at our center for cancer. They were randomly selected to receive CS 100 mg/kg/day or PIP/TAZO 360 mg/kg/day. Duration of fever and neutropenia, absolute neutrophil count, modification, and success rate were compared between the two groups. Resolution of fever without antibiotic change was defined as success and resolution of fever with antibiotic change or death of a patient was defined as failure. Modification was defined as changing the empirical antimicrobial agent during a febrile episode. Results One hundred and two febrile neutropenic episodes were documented in 55 patients with a median age of 4 years. In 50 episodes CS and in 52 episodes PIP/TAZO was used. Duration of fever and neutropenia, neutrophil count, age, sex, and primary disease were not different between two groups. Success rates in the CS and PIP/TAZO groups were respectively 56 and 62% (P > 0.05). Modification rate between two groups showed no significant difference (P > 0.05). No serious adverse effect occurred in either of the groups. Conclusion CS and PIP/TAZO monotherapy are both safe and effective in the initial treatment of febrile neutropenia in children with cancer. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2012; 58: 579–583. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Background: In view of the recent trend toward monotherapy in the treatment of febrile neutropenia, we evaluated the clinical efficacy and safety of imipenem–cilastatin versus piperacillin–tazobactam as an empiric therapy for febrile neutropenia in children with malignant diseases. Methods: Febrile neutropenic patients received either imipenem–cilastatin or piperacillin–tazobactam randomly. Improvement without any changes in the initial antibiotic treatment was defined as “success” and improvement with modification of the initial treatment and death was defined as “failure”. Results: Over 12 months, 99 febrile neutropenic episodes were treated with monotherapy in 63 patients with a median age of 5 years. At admission, median absolute neutrophil count was 50/mm3 and in 67% of episodes, neutrophil count was under 100/mm3. Median duration of neutropenia was 5 days. In 22% of episodes, neutropenia persisted for more than 10 days. Piperacillin–tazobactam was used in 52 episodes and imipenem–cilastatin was used in 47 episodes. There was no difference between groups in terms of age, sex, primary diseases, neutrophil count or duration of neutropenia. In the whole group, the success rate was 67% and the failure rate was 33%, whereas in the piperacillin–tazobactam group, the rates were 71% and 29%; and in the imipenem–cilastatin group they were 62% and 38%, respectively (P > 0.05). There were no deaths. No major adverse effects were seen in either group. Conclusions: Although failure was slightly higher in the imipenem–cilastatin group, this was statistically insignificant. Both of these antibiotics can be used safely for initial empirical monotherapy of febrile neutropenia.

Palladium (II) containing siliceous-MCM-41 has been prepared according to an original pathway by the reaction between silica precursors (imeo) and MCM-41. The resulting materials have been characterized by chemical analysis, X-ray powder diffraction, nitrogen sorption isotherms, and SEM and catalysis tests. Catalysis tests show that the very dispersive structure of the Pd-MCM-41 promotes the generation of fairly active catalysts for Suzuki cross-coupling of aryl chlorides and phenyl boronic acid under specific conditions, where the leaching of redox-active species has been minimized (less than 2 ppm).

Polyimide films in which magnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles are uniformly distributed are prepared. Before the preparation of the Fe3O4–polyimide composites, pure magnetite nanoparticles (Fe3O4) have been synthesized in water by co-precipitation (from ferric chlorides). Its surface was firstly modified with the 3-aminopropyl triethoxysilane. The prepared polyimide–Fe3O4 nanocomposite films were characterized for their structure, morphology, and thermal behavior employing Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron micrograph, X-ray diffraction, and thermal analysis (DTA/TGA/DSC) techniques.

Kobalt, nikel ve çinko ferrit nano parçacıkları hidrotermal sentez yöntemi kullanılarak sentezlenmiştir. Sentez koşullarının elde edilen spinel ferritlerin kristal yapısı, parçacık boyutu, örgü parametreleri, mikroyapı ve manyetik özellikler üzerine etkileri X-Işını Kırınım Analizi (XRD), taramalı elektron mikroskopu (SEM), Enerji-dağılımlı X-ışınları spektroskopisi (EDX) ve Mapping yöntemleriyle belirlenmiştir. Hazırlanan ferritlerin parçacık boyutu 25-70 nm arasında değişmektedir. Ayrıca, nano parçacıkların manyetik özellikleri titreşimli örnek magnetometresi (VSM) kullanılarak araştırılmıştır. Manyetik özelliklerin sıcaklık ve iyon çeşidine bağlı olarak değiştiği gözlenmiştir. Elde edilen manyetik özelliklere göre hazırlanan örnekler yüksek yoğunluklu manyetik kayıtlama cihazlarında, yüksek kullanım potansiyeline sahiptir.

The microstructure and magnetoresistance properties of polycrystalline bulk La0.67Ca0.33MnO3 and a La0.67Ca0.33MnO3 film produced on a LaAlO3 (1 0 0) single-crystal substrate using the dip-coating method were investigated. X-ray powder diffraction indicated that both film and bulk samples have perovskite structure. Scanning electron microscope and X-ray results clearly indicated that a La0.67Ca0.33MnO3 film was successfully produced using the dip-coating process. This film showed a metal–insulator transition at 269 K and a maximum magnetoresistance ratio (MR (%)) of 56% at 269 K and 6 T magnetic field.

WOS: 000321109500016, CuxM1-xFe2O4 (M=Co, Mn and Ni; x=0.0, 0.6 and 1.0) spinel type ferrite nanoparticles have been synthesized by cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) assisted hydrothermal route using NaOH solution. The purity, structural characterization and magnetic properties have been investigated using the scanning electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction analysis and a quantum design vibrating sample magnetometer depending on the temperature. The scanning electron microscopy imaging exhibits very powerful aspect. The average size of composite nanoparticles for all samples was determined. Diameter of the samples is synthesized in nanoscale. The x-ray diffraction results have indicated that these samples are high phase purity, crystalline and inverse spinel ferrites. The temperature evolution of the magnetic properties and different doping effects for the samples have been observed. The pseudo spin-valve behavior has been showed for Cu0.6Co0.4Fe2O4 and CoFe2O4 samples. These samples can be considered as promising materials for magnetic recording media and electromagnetic absorbing technologies applications. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved., Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey TUBITAK [112E044], The support of the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey TUBITAK for Project No. 112E044 is acknowledged. We would like to thank Sahin Unuler and Songul Ozum of Nigde University for valuable discussions and the critical reading of the paper.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Hepatitis B is a disease that is preventable with vaccination. Antibody levels after vaccination may be affected by suppression of the immune system due to cancer therapy. Children with cancer have a high risk of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. We aimed to assess the pretreatment immunization status against HBV infection and the rate of continuity of immunization after therapy in children with cancer. DESIGN AND SETTING: Retrospective case review of patients treated from 2004 to 2008. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We reviewed the medical records of patients treated in the departments of pediatric hematology and oncology and collected data on immunization history and hepatitis B serology. Anti-HBs antibody titers were compared before and after treatment. RESULTS: This study included 159 (99 males, 60 females) children who had a serologic examination. Antineoplastic therapy had been given for acute leukemia (n=66), non-Hodgkin lymphoma (n=27), Hodgkin lymphoma (n=20), and solid tumors (n=46). Fifty-one patients had not been immunized against HBV prior to the therapy; HBV serology was negative in 49 of these patients and HBsAg was positive in 2 patients. Anti-HBs antibody positivity was present in 99 of 108 patients with an immunization history, whereas no vaccination response was present in 9 patients. The titer of anti-HBs antibody was decreased below the protection level in 33 (33%) patients with positive anti-HBs antibody, whereas the protection level was found to be maintained in 66 (67%) patients. The most significant decrease (63.6%) was observed in leukemia patients. Posttreatment HBsAg and HBV DNA positivity was detected in two of the patients with negative pretreatment serology, whereas no HBV infection developed in the group with positive anti-HBs antibody. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated the importance of routine childhood vaccination in reducing the risk of HBV infection in patients with cancer.

Monotherapy has tended to replace the combination therapy in emprical treatment of febrile neutropenia. There is no reported trial which compares the efficacy of cefoperazone-sulbactam (CS) and piperacillin-tazobactam (PIP/TAZO) monotherapies in the treatment of febrile neutropenia. In this prospective randomized study, we aimed to compare the safety and efficacy of CS versus PIP/TAZO as empirical monotherapies in febrile neutropenic children with cancer.The study included febrile, neutropenic children hospitalized at our center for cancer. They were randomly selected to receive CS 100 mg/kg/day or PIP/TAZO 360 mg/kg/day. Duration of fever and neutropenia, absolute neutrophil count, modification, and success rate were compared between the two groups. Resolution of fever without antibiotic change was defined as success and resolution of fever with antibiotic change or death of a patient was defined as failure. Modification was defined as changing the empirical antimicrobial agent during a febrile episode.One hundred and two febrile neutropenic episodes were documented in 55 patients with a median age of 4 years. In 50 episodes CS and in 52 episodes PIP/TAZO was used. Duration of fever and neutropenia, neutrophil count, age, sex, and primary disease were not different between two groups. Success rates in the CS and PIP/TAZO groups were respectively 56 and 62% (P 0.05). Modification rate between two groups showed no significant difference (P 0.05). No serious adverse effect occurred in either of the groups.CS and PIP/TAZO monotherapy are both safe and effective in the initial treatment of febrile neutropenia in children with cancer.

The role of surgery has changed substantially over the years in abdominal Burkitt’s lymphoma. Laparotomy without total excision of the tumor does not have a positive effect on survival, might cause complications, and delays initiation of chemotherapy. Here we present our diagnostic management of patients with abdominal Burkitt’s lymphoma. The diagnostic methods of abdominal Burkitt’s lymphoma cases treated between January 1999 and December 2009 were evaluated retrospectively. Of the 48 abdominal Burkitt’s lymphoma patients, 13 also had extra-abdominal site involvement. Diagnosis was made with ultrasound-guided tru-cut needle biopsy of the abdominal mass (n = 11), fluid cytology (n = 7), extra-abdominal site biopsy (n = 4), bone marrow aspiration (n = 2), gastroscopy (n = 1), and laparotomy (n = 23). In patients diagnosed with laparotomy, chemotherapy was started in 4–22 days (median 7) compared with patients diagnosed with other diagnostic interventions in 2–4 days (median 2) (P < .001). Although the most frequently used technique is laparotomy and open biopsy in our series, other methods provided quicker initiation of chemotherapy and less surgical morbidity. Especially in patients with high stages, cytological evaluation and tru-cut needle biopsy with radiological guidance is a better alternative of laparotomy.

Zinc borate (Zn2B6O11 center dot 3H(2)O) nanoparticles were successfully prepared by using an emulsion liquid membrane (W/O/W emulsion) to control the size of particles with Na2B4O7 center dot 10H(2)O, boric acid and ZnSO4 center dot 7H(2)O as raw materials. All materials were dispersed with the polyimide (PI) precursor, poly (amic acid). Using a combination of dissolving the poly (amic acid) and mixing fatty acid surfactant-coated zinc borate nanoparticles: we have demonstrated the formation of nanocomposites with uniform nanoparticles dispersion. We report the first deposition of namocomposite polyimides from solution using spin-coating. The microstructures and morphology of the as-obtained samples were studied by Xray diffraction (XRD), infrared spectra (IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) equipped with an energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDX), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of ribavirin on bone mineral metabolism in patients with chronic hepatitis C who had been treated with interferon and ribavirin. Methods: Twenty patients (3 female, 17 male) with chronic hepatitis C were enrolled. Age range was 6 to 15 years (mean ± SD, 11.15 ± 2.3 years). Thirteen patients received combined interferon alpha-2b and ribavirin therapy (Group 1), and 7 patients received only interferon alpha-2b (Group 2). Both groups were treated for 12 months. Bone mineral density, z-scores and biochemical bone markers were evaluated in both groups before and after treatment. Results: There were no significant differences between the groups in age or gender. Mean lumbar vertebral bone mineral density and mean z-scores in groups I and 2 before and after treatment were not significantly different. In both groups, serum and urinary biochemical values and bone markers were all normal and there were no differences between the pretreatment and post-treatment values. Conclusion: Contrary to studies in adults, we did not find any ribavirin-dependent changes related to bone mineral metabolism in our pediatric study groups. Further studies are needed to obtain more detailed information about the effects of ribavirin on bone mineral density.

Brain is a rare site of metastasis in most extracranial pediatric solid tumors. The aim of this study is to investigate the incidence, treatment, prognosis of brain metastasis in extracranial pediatric malignant tumors in a single institution and to review the literature.From September 1989 to December 2002, 1100 childrenor=16 years of age with extracranial solid tumors including lymphomas were diagnosed and treated in the Division of Pediatric Oncology, Oncology Institute, Istanbul University. Patients with parenchymal metastases in the brain were assessed.Sixteen (10 female, 6 male) of 1100 patients (1.45%) with extracranial solid tumors developed brain metastases. The median age of the patients was 10.5 (1-16) years. The diagnosis was sarcomas in 12 patients: 5 osteosarcomas, 4 Ewing's sarcoma family tumors, 1 rhabdomyosarcoma, 1 clear cell sarcoma of the soft tissue, 1 alveolar soft part sarcoma. Two patients had Wilms' tumor and two had germ cell tumors. Four patients (25%) had brain metastasis at diagnosis. Twelve (75%) developed brain metastasis during therapy or relapse at a median duration of 16 (1-70) months from initial diagnosis. All patients had metastases to various sites, mostly lung, at the time the brain metastases were detected. Treatment included surgery, followed by postoperative radiotherapy (RT) and chemotherapy (CT) in 1, S and RT in 1, S in 1, RT and CT in 6, RT in 1, CT in 1 and no treatment in 5. Only one patient with alveolar soft part sarcoma is alive with disease 20 months from diagnosis of brain metastasis. All other patients died at a median time of 2 months (2 days-6 months) from the time of brain metastasis.Children with metastatic cancer who develop headaches or any other neurologic symptom should be investigated for possible brain metastasis. Although, the outcome for these patients is dismal in this series and in the literature; reports of long term survival in a few cases with Wilms' tumor, osteosarcoma and alveolar soft part sarcoma who had isolated brain metastasis, suggest that a subset of patients may benefit from therapy.

Kobalt, nikel ve çinko ferrit nano parçacıkları hidrotermal sentez yöntemi kullanılarak sentezlenmiştir. Sentez koşullarının elde edilen spinel ferritlerin kristal yapısı, parçacık boyutu, örgü parametreleri, mikroyapı ve manyetik özellikler üzerine etkileri XIşını Kırınım Analizi (XRD), taramalı elektron mikroskopu (SEM), Enerji-dağılımlı X-ışınları spektroskopisi (EDX) ve Mapping yöntemleriyle belirlenmiştir. Hazırlanan ferritlerin parçacık boyutu 25-70 nm arasında değişmektedir. Ayrıca, nano parçacıkların manyetik özellikleri titreşimli örnek magnetometresi (VSM) kullanılarak araştırılmıştır. Manyetik özelliklerin sıcaklık ve Co, Ni ve Çinko iyon çeşidine şiddetle bağımlı olduğu gözlenmiştir. Bu örnekler yüksek yoğunluklu manyetik kayıtlama cihazlarında, yüksek kullanım potansiyeline sahiptir., Cobalt, nickel and zinc ferrites nanoparticles have been synthesized using the hydrothermally technique. Effects of synthesis conditions on the crystal structure, crystallite size, lattice parameter, microstructure and magnetic properties of the produced spinel ferrites were investigated by X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and Mapping techniques. The mean crystallite size of the prepared ferrite was in the range of 25-70 nm. Furthermore, the magnetic properties of nanoparticles were investigated using a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). Strong temperature and Co, Ni, and Zn ions dependence of magnetic properties was observed. These samples are considered as promising materials for high density magnetic recording media.