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Objectives: multi-system ınflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) is an immune-mediated process that develops after infections like SARS-CoV-2. The authors aimed to reveal the mucocutaneous findings of patients diagnosed with MIS-C at presentation and evaluate the frequency of these mucocutaneous findings and their possible relationship with the severity of the disease. Methods: A prospective study was conducted of 43 children admitted to a tertiary hospitals between January 2021 and January 2022 who met Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria for MIS-C. Results: 43 children (25 [58.1%] male); median age, 7.5 years [range 0.5-15 years]) met the criteria for MIS-C. The most common symptom was cutaneous rash 81.4%, followed by gastrointestinal symptoms 67.4%, oral mucosal changes 65.1%, and conjunctival hyperemia 58.1%. The most common mucosal finding was fissured lips at 27.9%, diffuse hyperemia of the oral mucosa at 18.6%, and strawberry tongue at 13.9%. Urticaria (48.8%) was the most common type of cutaneous rash in the present study’s patients. The most common rash initiation sites were the trunk (32.6%) and the palmoplantar region (20.9%). The presence or absence of mucocutaneous findings was not significantly associated with disease severity. Study limitations: The number of patients in the this study was small. Conclusions: The present study’s prospective analysis detected mucocutaneous symptoms in almost 9 out of 10 patients in children diagnosed with MIS-C. Due to the prospective character of the present research, the authors think that the characteristic features of cutaneous and mucosal lesions the authors obtained will contribute to the literature on the diagnosis and prognosis of MIS-C.

Subdural empyema refers to the collection of purulent material in the subdural space and the most source of it is bacterial meningitis in infants while sinusitis and otitis media in older children. It has been very recently reported that coronaviruses (CoV) exhibit neurotropic properties and may also cause neurological diseases. CoV-related complications as hypercoagulability with thrombosis and associated inflammation, catastrophic cerebral venous sinus thrombose sand bacterial-fungal superinfections have been well documented in adult patients. Hereby, we describe 15-year-old and 12-year-old female children with subdural empyema after SARS-CoV2. The patients presented limitation of eye in the outward gaze, impaired speech, drowsiness, fever, vomiting and they also were tested positive for COVID-19. MRI indicated subdural empyema and surgical interventions were needed to relieve intracranial pressure and drain pus after receiving broad spectrum antibiotics treatments. The microbiological analysis of abscess material revealed Streptococcus constellatus which is extremely rare in an immunocompetent child and the patients received appropriate IV antibiotic therapy. Eventually, patients became neurologically intact. Pediatric patients with CoV infections should be closely monitored for neurological symptoms. Further research and more data on the correlation between CoV infections would provide better recognition and treatment options in an efficient manner in children.

Although Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is mild and self-limited in children, some patients may develop excessive bleeding, massive liver necrosis, and multiple organ failure associated with secondary hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) induced by cytokine storm. Treatment of CCHF is mainly symptomatic and supportive. The efficacy of ribavirin, which is the only antiviral drug in the treatment of CCHF, remains controversial. Although therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) has been shown to beneficial in small case series with primary and secondary HLH, there is no pediatric patient with HLH secondary to CCHF treated with TPE in the literature. In this report, we describe the first pediatric patient who was successfully recovered from HLH secondary to CCHF with ribavirin, intravenous immunoglobulin, and TPE.

Objective: In the early stages of any epidemic caused by new emerging pathogens healthcare personnel is subject to a great risk. Pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2, proved to be no exception. Many healthcare workers died in the early stages of pandemic due to inadequate precautions and insufficient protection. It is essential to protect and maintain the safety of healthcare personnel for the confinement of pandemic as well as continuity of qualified healthcare services which is already under strain. Educating healthcare personnel on appropiate use of personal protective equipment (PPE) is as essential as procuring them. Material and Methods: A survey is conducted on 4927 healthcare personnel working solely with pediatric patients from 32 different centers. Education given on PPE usage were questioned and analyzed depending on age, sex, occupation and region. Results: Among four thousand nine hundred twelve healthcare personnel from 32 different centers 91% (n= 4457) received education on PPE usage. Of those who received education only 36% was given both theoretical and applied education. Although there was no differences among different occupation groups, receiving education depended on regions. Conclusion: It is essential to educate healthcare personnel appropiately nationwidely for the continuity of qualified healthcare services during the pandemic.

Objective: In the early stages of any epidemic caused by new emerging pathogens healthcare personnel is subject to a great risk. Pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2, proved to be no exception. Many healthcare workers died in the early stages of pandemic due to inadequate precautions and insufficient protection. It is essential to protect and maintain the safety of healthcare personnel for the confinement of pandemic as well as continuity of qualified healthcare services which is already under strain. Educating healthcare personnel on appropiate use of personal protective equipment (PPE) is as essential as procuring them. Material and Methods: A survey is conducted on 4927 healthcare personnel working solely with pediatric patients from 32 different centers. Education given on PPE usage were questioned and analyzed depending on age, sex, occupation and region. Results: Among four thousand nine hundred twelve healthcare personnel from 32 different centers 91% (n= 4457) received education on PPE usage. Of those who received education only 36% was given both theoretical and applied education. Although there was no differences among different occupation groups, receiving education depended on regions. Conclusion: It is essential to educate healthcare personnel appropiately nationwidely for the continuity of qualified healthcare services during the pandemic.

Meningococcal carriage studies and transmission modeling can predict IMD epidemiology and used to define invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) control strategies. In this multicenter study, we aimed to evaluate the prevalence of nasopharyngeal Neisseria meningitidis (Nm) carriage, serogroup distribution, and related risk factors in Turkey. Nasopharyngeal samples were collected from a total of 1267 children and adolescents and were tested with rt-PCR. Nm carriage was detected in 96 participants (7.5%, 95% CI 6.1-9.0), with the peak age at 13 years (12.5%). Regarding age groups, Nm carriage rate was 7% in the 0-5 age group, was 6.9%in the 6-10 age group, was 7.9% in the 11-14 age group, and was 9.3% in the 15-18 age group. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups (p > 0.05). The serogroup distribution was as follows: 25% MenX, 9.4% MenA, 9.4% MenB, 2.1% MenC, 3.1% MenW, 2.1% for MenY, and 48.9% for non-groupable. The Nm carriage rate was higher in children with previous upper respiratory tract infections and with a high number of household members, whereas it was lower in children with antibiotic use in the last month (p < 0.05 for all). In this study, MenX is the predominant carriage strain. The geographical distribution of Nm strains varies, but serogroup distribution in the same country might change in a matter of years. Adequate surveillance and/or a proper carriage study is paramount for accurate/dynamic serogroup distribution and the impact of the proposed vaccination., Eskisehir Osmangazi University Research Grant [201811027], This study has been supported by Eskisehir Osmangazi University Research Grant (201811027).

Giriş: Diş çürükleri, dünya çapında en yaygın kronik hastalıklardandır. Bu çalışmanın amacı diş kaynaklı fasiyal selülit nedeniyle hastaneye ya-tırılan çocuk hastaların klinik özelliklerinin ve tedavi yöntemlerinin de-ğerlendirilmesidir.Gereç ve Yöntemler: Bu çalışmada, diş kaynaklı fasiyal selülit tanısı ile Ocak 2013-Aralık 2017 tarihleri arasında çocuk enfeksiyon hastalıkları servisinde yatırılarak takip edilen hastaların diş sağlığına ilişkin öyküle-ri, klinik ve laboratuvar özellikleri ile tedavi şekilleri geriye dönük olarak değerlendirildi.Bulgular: Çalışmaya ortanca yaşları 86 ay (min-maks: 19-207 ay) olan 98 (43 kız, 55 erkek) hasta alındı. Hastaların 45 (%45.9)’inin düzenli diş fırçalama alışkanlığı yoktu. Kırk sekiz (%48.9) hastanın herhangi bir diş tedavisi öyküsü yoktu. On sekiz (%18.3) hasta hiç diş hekimine başvur-mamıştı. Hastaların 75 (%76.5)’i ilk kez diş kaynaklı fasiyal selülit tanısı alırken, 4 (%4)’ü daha önce aynı tanıyla hastanede yatırılmıştı. Otuz yedi (%37.8) hastanın başvuruda ateşi vardı. Hastaların başvurudaki ortala-ma beyaz küre sayısı 11.981 4.233/mm3, eritrosit sedimentasyon hızı 29.1 17.6 mm/saat ve C-reaktif protein (CRP) değeri 35.2 39.4 mg/L olarak saptandı. Ortalama intravenöz (IV) antibiyotik tedavi süresi 5.5 2.5 gün, toplam antibiyotik tedavi süresi 12.5 2.9 gündü. Hastaların 82 (%83.7)’sine ampisilin-sulbaktam başlanmıştı. On beş (%15.3) hastanın tedavisine klindamisin eklenmişti. Başvurudaki beyaz küre sayısı arttıkça hastanede yatış süresinin arttığı (p 0.036) ve yüksek CRP düzeyi olanlarda toplam medikal tedavi süresinin arttığı saptandı (p 0.032). Teda-visine klindamisin eklenen hastaların IV ve toplam tedavi süresinin daha uzun olduğu saptandı (p 0.001 ve p 0.001).Sonuç: Diş çürükleri erken tanınıp tedavi edilmediği takdirde ilerleyerek selülite ve çocuklarda hastaneye yatışa neden olabilir. Hayat boyu temel sağlığın ayrılmaz bir parçası olan ağız sağlığının iyileştirilmesi için koru-yucu önlemler alınmalı ve diş sağlığı sorunlarına bir halk sağlığı sorunu olarak yaklaşılmalıdır., Objective: Dental caries remain one of the most common chronic diseases in childhood, globally. The purpose of this study is to determine clinical characteristics and treatment modalities of pediatric patients with odontogenic facial cellulitis.Material and Methods: Medical records of children with odontogenic facial cellulitis hospitalized in pediatric infectious disease clinic were analyzed retrospectively between January 2013 and December 2017.Results: Ninety-eight patients (43 girls, 55 boys) with median age of 86 months (min-max: 19-207 months) were evaluated. Forty-five (45.9%) patients had no regular toothbrushing habits. Forty-eight (48.9%) patients had no any dental treatment procedure history. Eighteen (18.3%) patients had never recoursed to a dentist. Seventy-five patients(76.5%) were diagnosed with odontogenic facial cellulitis for the first time. Four patients (4%) were hospitalized with the same diagnosis previously. On admission, 37 (37.8%) patients had fever. On admission, the mean white blood cell (WBC) count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and C-reactive protein (CRP) were 11.981 4.433/mm3, 29.1 17.6 mm/h and 35.2 39.4 mg/L, respectively. The mean duration of intravenous antibiotic treatment was 5.5 2.5 days, and total medical treatment was 12.5 2.9 days. Ampicillin-sulbactam was started to 82 (83.7%) of the patients. Clindamycin was added to 15 (15.3%) patients. Increased mean WBC count on admission was correlated with duration of hospital stay (p 0.036), while increased CRP level was correlated with total medical treatment duration (p 0.032). Patients who received clindamycin had longer duration of intravenous and total medical treatment (p 0.001 and p 0.001).Conclusion: If dental caries are not recognized and treated immediately, they may spread into surrounding connective tissue as cellulitis and may lead to hospitalization in young patients. Oral health is a mainstone of life-long well-being, so oral health problems should be considered as a major public health problem and preventive measures should be taken to improve oral health.

Background Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) usually leads to a mild infectious disease course in children, while serious complications may occur in conjunction with both acute infection and neurological symptoms, which have been predominantly reported in adults. The neurological complications in these patients vary based on patient age and underlying comorbidities. Data on clinical features, particularly neurological features, and prognostic factors in children and adolescents are limited. This study provides a concise overview of neurological complications in pediatric COVID-19 cases. Materials and methods The retrospective study reviewed medical records of all patients who were admitted to our hospital and were diagnosed with COVID-19 by real-time reverse-transcription polymerase-chain-reaction (RT–PCR) assay between 11 March 2020 and 30 January 2021. Patients with a positive PCR result were categorized into two groups: outpatient departments patients and inpatient departments (IPD). Results Of the 2530 children who underwent RT–PCR during the study period, 382 (8.6%) were confirmed as COVID-19 positive, comprising 188 (49.2%) girls and 194 (50.8%) boys with a mean age of 7.14±5.84 (range, 0–17) years. Neurological complications that required hospitalization were present in 34 (8.9%) patients, including seizure (52.9%), headache (38.2%), dizziness (11.1%) and meningoencephalitis (5.8%). Conclusion The results indicated that neurological manifestations are not rare in children suffering from COVID-19. Seizures, headaches, dizziness, anosmia, ageusia and meningoencephalitis are major neurological manifestations during acute COVID-19 disease. Although seizures were the most common cause of hospitalization in IPD patients, the frequency of meningoencephalitis was quite high. Seizures were observed as febrile seizures for children under 6 years of age and afebrile seizures for those over 6 years of age. Febrile seizure accounted for half of all seizure children.

Objectives Coronary artery abnormalities (CAA) are critical complication of Kawasaki disease (KD). Several inflammatory biomarkers have been identified for occurence and progression of KD. Discovering new biomarkers of inflammation becomes important in order to help diagnostic accuracy of CAA and to provide prognostic information for KD. LMR, are simple and inexpensive methods for assessing inflammation, which have been also investigated as predictors of several cancers, cardiovascular and inflammatory diseases. In this study we aimed to investigate whether LMR is a risk factor of CAA of KD. Methods We retrospectively reviewed patients with KD from 2005 to 2016. Demographic features, diagnostic clinical features of KD, laboratory findings, complications were recorded prior to IVIG administration. The patients were divided into two groups according to the development of CAA. The LMR was calculated by dividing the number of lymphocytes by the number of monocytes in the peripheral blood count. To identify CAAs risk factors, and to exclude the possible influence of other variables, multivariate analysis was performed by entering significant variables from the univariate analyses. Results LMR, was significantly lower; in patients with CAA, comparison to the patients without CAA (p

Objectives: the aim of this study is to identify the epidemiological, clinical, and laboratory features of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in children.Methods: a retrospective study was conducted by pediatric infectious disease specialists from 32 different hospitals from all over Turkey by case record forms. Pediatric cases who were diagnosed as COVID-19 between March 16, 2020, and June 15, 2020 were included. Case characteristics including age, sex, dates of disease onset and diagnosis, family, and contact information were recorded. Clinical data, including the duration and severity of symptoms, were also collected. Laboratory parameters like biochemical tests and complete blood count, chest X-ray, and chest computed tomography (CT) were determined. Results: there were 1,156 confirmed pediatric COVID-19 cases. In total, male cases constituted 50.3% (n = 582) and females constituted 49.7% (n = 574). The median age of the confirmed cases was 10.75 years (4.5-14.6). Of the total cases, 90 were younger than 1 year of age (7.8%), 108 were 1-3 years of age (9.3%), 148 were 3-6 years of age (12.8%), 298 were 6-12 years of age (25.8%), 233 were 12-15 years of age (20.2%), and 268 cases were older than 15 years of age (23.2%). The most common symptom of the patients at the first visit was fever (50.4%) (n = 583) for a median of 2 days (IQR: 1-3 days). Fever was median at 38.4 degrees C (38.0-38.7 degrees C). The second most common symptom was cough (n = 543, 46.9%). The other common symptoms were sore throat (n = 143, 12.4%), myalgia (n = 141, 12.2%), dyspnea (n = 118, 10.2%), diarrhea (n = 112, 9.7%), stomachache (n = 71, 6.1%), and nasal discharge (n = 63, 5.4%). When patients were classified according to disease severity, 263 (22.7%) patients were asymptomatic, 668 (57.7%) patients had mild disease, 209 (18.1%) had moderate disease, and 16 (1.5%) cases had severe disease. One hundred and forty-nine (12.9%) cases had underlying diseases among the total cases; 56% of the patients who had severe disease had an underlying condition (p < 0.01). The need for hospitalization did not differ between patients who had an underlying condition and those who do not have (p = 0.38), but the need for intensive care was higher in patients who had an underlying condition (p < 0.01). Forty-seven (31.5%) of the cases having underlying conditions had asthma or lung disease (38 of them had asthma). Conclusions: to the best of our knowledge, this is one of the largest pediatric data about confirmed COVID-19 cases. Children from all ages appear to be susceptible to COVID-19, and there is a significant difference in symptomatology and laboratory findings by means of age distribution., NA

Background: understanding SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence among health care personnel is important to ex-plore risk factors for transmission, develop elimination strategies and form a view on the necessity and frequency of surveillance in the future. Methods: we enrolled 4927 health care personnel working in pediatric units at 32 hospitals from 7 different regions of Turkey in a study to determine SARS Co-V-2 seroprevalence after the first peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. A point of care serologic lateral flow rapid test kit for immunoglobulin (Ig)M/IgG was used. Seroprevalence and its association with demographic characteristics and possible risk factors were analyzed. Results: SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity prevalence in health care personnel tested was 6.1%. Seropositivity was more common among those who did not universally wear protective masks (10.6% vs 6.1%). Having a COVID-19-positive co-worker increased the likelihood of infection. The least and the most experienced personnel were more likely to be infected. Most of the seropositive health care personnel (68.0%) did not suspect that they had previously had COVID-19. Conclusions: health surveillance for health care personnel involving routine point-of-care nucleic acid testing and monitoring personal protective equipment adherence are suggested as important strategies to protect health care personnel from COVID-19 and reduce nosocomial SARS-CoV-2 transmission., NA

Background: Cystic Fibrosis Registry of Turkey shows various CFTR mutations due to the geographical location and historical background of our country, and also high prevalence of consanguineous marriages. Method:All mutations detected in the Cystic Fibrosis Registry of Turkey 2017 (CFRT2017) data were screened in CFTR1 and CFTR2 databases. Mutations which were not found in both were identified and characteristics of these patients were compared with F508del homozygous patients. Results: Among 1170 registered patients, 978 were genotyped and 200 different mutations were shown in 1270 alleles.29 mutations were not reported in both databases; 58 mutations have been reported in CFTR1 but not in CFTR2. Demographic and phenotypic characteristics of the 112 patients with 87 different alleles those were not previously reported in the CFTR2 database (nonCFTR2 group) were compared with F508del homozygous 103 patients in CFRT2017. In the nonCFTR2 group, mean age was younger (5.81 vs 7.69; p:0.015), mean age at diagnosis was older (1.88 vs 1.08; p:0.041), sweat test was lower (75.12 vs 98.28; p Conclusion: We suggest that patients in the nonCFTR2 group have a mild clinical course, but in some patients, further investigations and functional studies are required for the exact diagnosis.

Sismanlar Eyuboglu, Tugba/0000-0001-7284-4999; Dogru, Deniz/0000-0001-9931-9473; Aslan, Ayse Tana/0000-0002-5360-8517; COBANOGLU, NAZAN/0000-0002-3686-2927; ORHAN, FAZIL/0000-0002-4850-932X WOS: 000530442700001 PubMed: 32364312 Background Pseudo-Bartter syndrome (PBS) is a rare complication of cystic fibrosis (CF) and there are limited data in the literature about it. We aimed to compare clinical features and accompanying findings of patients with PBS in a large patient population. Methods The data were collected from the Cystic Fibrosis Registry of Turkey where 1170 CF patients were recorded in 2017. Clinical features, diagnostic test results, colonization status, complications, and genetic test results were compared in patients with and without PBS. Results Totally 1170 patients were recorded into the registry in 2017 and 120 (10%) of them had PBS. The mean age of diagnosis and current age of patients were significantly younger and newborn screening positivity was lower in patients with PBS (P < .001). There were no differences between the groups in terms of colonization status, mean z-scores of weight, height, BMI, and mean FEV1 percentage. Types of genetic mutations did not differ between the two groups. Accompanying complications were more frequent in patients without PBS. Conclusion PBS was detected as the most common complication in the registry. It could be due to warm weather conditions of our country. It is usually seen in younger ages regardless of mutation phenotype and it could be a clue for early diagnosis of CF.

Kaman A, Tanir G, Cakmakci E, Demir P, Oz FN, Aydin Teke T, Metin O, Gayretli Aydin ZG, Karaman A. Characteristics, diagnosis, and treatment modality of pediatric patients with cystic echinococcosis: a single centre experience. Turk J Pediatr 2019; 61: 704-713. Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is among the most common zoonotic infections worldwide. Studies about CE are limited in childhood. The aim of this study was to evaluate clinical, radiological and laboratory characteristics of childhood CE at a tertiary care pediatric hospital. Medical records of children with CE were analyzed between January 2005 and January 2015. A total of 130 patients with a median age of 10.4 years (IQR= 7.2-years-13.2 years) were evaluated. The anatomic locations of cysts were as follows; liver (76.9%), lung (36.9%), spleen (6.2%), pelvic region (3.8%) and kidney (2.3%). The most common symptoms were abdominal pain and cough in the patients with liver cysts and lung cysts, respectively. The indirect hemagglutination (IHA) test positivity was 58%. Elevated serum total immunoglobulin E levels were detected in 59% of the patients. Fourty-four patients with liver CE, 33 patients with lung CE were treated surgically and 23 patients with liver CE were treated with percutaneous aspiration, injection and re-aspiration (PAIR) along with medical treatment. The recurrence was observed in five patients with liver CE. It was demonstrated that CE mainly involves liver but lung cysts are more frequently symptomatic and prone to be complicated than liver cysts in children. IHA test positivity together with abdominal ultrasonography are useful to diagnose liver CE but thorax CT is usually needed to diagnose lung CE. Liver cysts that are sized greater than 5 cm are more frequently treated with PAIR or surgery but smaller liver cysts can be treated medically.

Although a significant decrease has been reported in the incidence of diphteria in many regions of the world following the routine diphtheria immunization programs, the emergence of new cases indicated that toxigenic strains are still circulating in the community. Diphtheria vaccine does not provide protection against asymptomatic carriage and colonization of non-toxigenic Corynebacterium diphtheriae. It is a known fact that invasive infections may arise from non-toxigenic C.diphtheriae strains that the non-toxigenic strains can become toxigenic strains leading to diphteria. It is also known that there is a risk of diphteria outbreaks due to decreased antitoxin level and inadequate adult immunization programs. In our country, there is no routine surveillance of toxigenic and non-toxigenic C.diphtheriae. In the present study we aimed to investigate the presence of C.diphtheriae, Corynebacterium ulcerans and Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis in children presenting with the symptoms of upper respiratory tract infections that might be confused with those moderate diphteria, in order to highlight the requirement of microbiological surveillance and to create awareness about these microorganisms among public health experts, microbiologists and clinicians. Throat swab specimens were obtained from children who were admitted to the pediatric outpatient clinics, in Dr. Sami Ulus Obstectrics, Children Health and Diseases Educational and Research Hospital, with upper respiratory tract infections between 1 February 2016-22 March 2016. The specimens were inoculated in 5% sheep blood agar plates. The plates that were incubated in appropriate conditions, were evaluated for Group A beta hemolytic streptococcocci. Subsequently, culture plates were sent to the Public Health Institution of Turkey, National Respiratory Pathologens Reference Laboratories for the investigation of the presence of C.diphtheriae, C.ulcerans and C.pseudotuberculosis. The growth in each plate were collected with a sterile swab and inoculated in tryptic soy broth. Following 2 hours of incubation at 37oC, subcultures were inoculated in cystine-tellurite-blood agar (CTBA) and 5% sheep-blood agar plates; after an overnight incubation tellurite-reducing colonies were inoculated in Tinsdale agar plates. The suspected colonies with positive cystinase activity were identified by conventional methods and also with Coryne API (Biomerieux, France) systems. Toxicity tests (ELEK, PCR) were performed to investigate whether the C.diphtheriae strains were producing toxins. A total of 500 patients were involved in the study. Of these 260 (52%) were girls and 240 (48%) were boys with a mean age of 76 (range, 21-213) months. All patients except one were fully vaccinated with boosters. Most common presenting symptoms of the patients were fever (19.8%), sore throat (52.6%), cough (49.2%), tonsillar hyperemia (97.6%), presence of crypt (24.6%), and membrane over tonsils (1%). Group A beta-hemolytic streptococcocci were detected in the throat swab cultures of 66 (%13.2) patients. Genotypically toxin negative C.diphtheriae biovar gravis was identified in the throat swab cultures of 3 patients (2 girls and 1 boy). The tonsils were hyperemic and hypertrophic in all the patients with C.diphtheriae biovar gravis. C.ulcerans and C.pseudotuberculosis were detected in none of the patients. It is considered that similar regular cross-sectional studies or routine screening programs are expected to raise awareness about this forgotten microorganism both epidemiologically and microbiologically.

Better understanding of CFTR biology has led to the development of modulator drugs. Lumacaftor/Ivacaftor (L/T) is approved for people ages ≥2 who have two copies of the F508del mutation. Tezacaftor/Ivacaftor (T/I) is approved for people ages ≥12 who have two copies of the F508del mutation and also approved for people who have a single copy of one of 26 specific mutations. Ivacaftor (I) is approved for people ages ≥1 who have a single copy of one of the mutations approved for T/I and additionally for 12 specific mutations. We aimed to find out the number of patients recorded in Cystic Fibrosis Registry of Turkey (CFRT) in 2018 who are eligible for modulator therapy. Of 1170 patients, 128 are homozygote F508del (22 mths-36 yrs), and 123 (10.51%) are aged ≥2 yrs and eligible for L/T. Among 128 patients with homozygote F508del, 48 are aged ≥12 yrs and among 42 patients (1-31 yrs) who have one or two copies of 3849+10kbC→T, A455E, D110H, D579G, F1052V, R74W, R347H, S945L, 13 are aged ≥12 yrs, and totally 61 (5.21%) patients are eligible for T/I. Finally, total 68 (5.81%) patients (1-31 yrs) have one or two copies of D110H, G178R, G1069R, G1349D, R117H and S549R mutations in addition to the mutations stated in T/I group and all of them are older than one year old and eligible for I therapy. According to the data, approximately one fifth of CF patients are eligible for modulator drug therapy. Compared to North European and North American CF patients, less Turkish patients are eligible for modulator therapies, so new treatment modalities are necessary for them.

BACKGROUND Kawasaki disease (KD) is an acute, self-limited, systemic vasculitis of unknown etiology. In the present study, we investigated whether there is a relationship between KD and dynamic thiol/disulphide homeostasis. METHODS This case-control study involved KD patients and healthy controls. Plasma total, native and disulphide thiol and the disulphide/native, disulphide/total and native thiol/total thiol ratios of all patients and the control group were analyzed simultaneously. RESULTS A total of 20 patients with KD (male/female, 12/8) and 25 age- and gender-matched healthy controls (male/female, 12/13) were evaluated. Native, total thiol and native thiol/total thiol ratio were significantly lower in KD patients than in the control group (P

Can, Demet (Balikesir Author), Background Cystic fibrosis (CF) care has been implemented in Turkey for a long time; however, there had been no patient registry. For this purpose, the Turkish National CF Registry was established. We present the first results of registry using data collected in 2017. Methods The data were collected using a data-entry software system, which was accessed from the internet. Demographic and annually recorded data consisted of 15 and 79 variables, respectively. Results There were 1170 patients registered from 23 centers; the estimated coverage rate was 30%. The median age at diagnosis was 1.7 years (median current age: 7.3 years); 51 (4.6%) patients were aged over 18 years. Among 293 patients who were under 3 years of age, 240 patients (81.9%) were diagnosed through newborn screening. Meconium ileus was detected in 65 (5.5%) patients. Genotyping was performed in 978 (87.4%) patients and 246 (25.2%) patients' mutations were unidentified. The most common mutation was deltaF508 with an allelic frequency of 28%, followed by N1303K (4.9%). The median FEV1% predicted was 86. Chronic colonization with Pseudomonas aeruginosa was seen in 245 patients. The most common complication was pseudo-Bartter syndrome in 120 patients. The median age of death was 13.5 years in a total of 15 patients. Conclusions Low coverage rate, lack of genotyping, unidentified mutations, and missing data of lung functions are some of our greatest challenges. Including data of all centers and reducing missing data will provide more accurate data and help to improve the CF care in Turkey in the future.

Akademisyen Yayinevi yoneticileri, yaklasik 30 yillik yayin tecrubesini, kendi tuzel kisiliklerine aktararak uzun zamandan beri, ticari faaliyetlerini surdurmektedir. Anilan sure icinde, basta saglik ve sosyal bilimler, kulturel ve sanatsal konular dahil 750 kitabi yayimlamanin gururu icindedir. Uluslararasi yayinevi olmanin alt yapisini tamamlayan Akademisyen, Turkce ve yabanci dillerde yayin yapmanin yaninda, kuresel bir marka yaratmanin pesindedir.Bilimsel ve dusunsel calismalarin kalici belgeleri sayilan kitaplar, bilgi kayit ortami olarak yuzlerce yilin taniklaridir. Matbaanin icadiyla varolusunu saglam temellere oturtan kitabin gelecegi, her ne kadar yeni buluslarin yorungesine tasinmis olsa da, daha uzun sure hayatimizda yer edinecegi muhakkaktir.

WOS: 000510640400001, Objective: Infection is a common complication in children with malignancies. There is no consistent guidance for environmental infection control and isolation precautions for neutropenic patients (NP). There are differences between centers. The aim of this questionnaire study was to determine these differences in Turkey. Material and Methods: A multicenter-descriptive questionnaire was conducted on 36 centers from different geografical locations of Turkey. Bone marrow transplantation units were excluded. Each center was contacted at least three-times. Questionnaire was answered by two different doctors from each center. Results: Thirty-six centers including 20 (55.5%) University Hospitals, 12 (%33.3) Research Hospitals, three (8.3%) State Hospital and one Private University Hospital participated in this survey. 94.3% of the centers had a bed capacity of 50 beds and over. Twenty-one (58.3%) centers had pediatric infection ward that followed febrile NP. All centers had an infection control committee. 25% (9/36) of the centers always followed pediatric neutropenic fever patients in a single room. 66.6% (24/36) of the centers had toilet in all patients' room. The door features of patients' room included mostly (94.1%, 32/34) manually opened door. Ten (27.7%) centers had hepa filter system, five of them had positive-negative pressure room. Thirteen (38.2%, 13/34) centers prefered hickmann catheter for accessing a patient's central line. Training was given for catheteter care in all centers. Sixteen (44.4%) centers had determined policies about keeping toys in patient rooms. Visitor restrictions were performed in all centers. None of the centers allowed plants or flowers in hospital rooms. There was a neutropenic diet specific for pediatric NP provided in twenty-seven centers (75%). Conclusion: The prevention and control of infection contributes to the improvement of the prognosis of patients with hematological malignancies. Physicians must be aware of the infection risks and take precautions for infectious complications through the neutropenic period and standard protocols should be established and implemented for patients with hematological malignancies.

Neurocysticercosis is a parasitic infection of the central nervous system caused by the larval stage of Taenia solium. Although this zoonotic infection is one of the major public health problems in some developing countries, it is extremely rare in Turkey. In this article, we present the case of a pediatric patient with neurocysticercosis who was misdiagnosed with brain abscess because of focal seizures in another hospital.

Objective Leishmaniasis is an infectious disease that is caused by a protozoan parasite of the Leishmania genus and that occurs worldwide. Leishmaniasis is endemic in southeastern Turkey and the neighboring Middle Eastern countries. The purpose of this study was to describe the clinical characteristics of patients admitted to our hospital with a diagnosis of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL). Methods A total of 16 CL patients [11 (69%) boys and five (31%) girls] were admitted between January 2014 and December 2015. The data of the patients were retrospectively recorded from their medical records. Results Their mean age was 74.3±32.3 months (range: 1-10.5 years). Double lesions were most commonly seen in eight (50%) patients. The face and neck was the most commonly involved site (87.5% of the patients). Skin smears for a parasitological examination were positive in nine (56%) patients. Two patients (12.5%) with limb lesions were treated with intralesional meglumine antimoniate. Fourteen patients were treated with systemic agents. Conclusion We felt that the increase in human movement that include travels and forced migration due to the war might make it possible for CL to appear in non-endemic provinces such as Ankara. In particular, in patients with painless cutaneous lesion(s) who came from endemic areas such as Syria, CL should be kept in mind by the clinicians that residing in even non-endemic areas .

Hydatid cyst is a zoonotic disease and endemic in Turkey. The disease can involve any organ. The most common involved organ is lung in childhood. Hydatid cyst of lung may be asymptomatic or may be sometimes ruptured or infected. Secondary bacterial infections associated with the hydatid cyst are well known. A previously not reported pediatric case of hydatid cyst with Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia is described in this report. It is emphasized that M. pneumoniae should be kept in mind as a cause of infected hydatid cyst which is unresponsive to beta-laktam antibiotics.

Background Brucellosis is a multisystem disease that may present with a broad spectrum of clinical manifestations and complications. Neurobrucellosis is an uncommon and serious complication of pediatric brucellosis. Methods We describe seven cases of neurobrucellosis. Results Ataxia (one patient), diplopia (one patient) and hearing loss (one patient) were among the neurological signs and symptoms. The most common diagnoses were acute meningitis and meningoencephalitis. Five of the patients fully recovered, one was lost to follow up and the other had hearing loss as a sequela. Conclusion Neurobrucellosis should be kept in mind in patients with any neurological or neuropsychiatric diseases who live in endemic areas of brucellosis.

A 20-month-old boy presented with 1-year history of persistent fever, cough, and progressive abdominal distention. Abdominal ultrasonography showed hepatomegaly and multiple calcifications in the liver and spleen. Thoracic computed tomography showed multiple mediastinal lymph nodes and consolidation in both lungs. Additionally, there was a 2-cm thick retroperitoneal soft tissue mass destroying the T7-8 and L1-L2 vertebral bodies. The patient was preliminarily diagnosed with miliary tuberculosis (TB) and Pott's disease, and began administering anti-TB treatment consisting of isoniazid, rifampin, ethambutol, and pyrazinamide. Acid-resistant bacilli analysis and mycobacterial culture of the biopsy specimen of Pott's abscess were positive. Mycobacterial culture and PCR of gastric aspirate were also positive. The patient's condition progressively improved with anti-TB treatment and he received 12 months of antiTB therapy. At the end of the treatment all of the patient's symptoms were relieved and he was well except for kyphosis. Miliary TB complicated by Pott's abscess is a very rare presentation of childhood TB. The presented case shows that when Pott's abscess is diagnosed and surgically corrected without delay, patients can recover without squeal.

Kawasaki disease is an acute, systemic vasculitis of unknown etiology. Although gastrointestinal involvement does not belong to the classic diagnostic criteria; diarrhea, abdominal pain, hepatic dysfunction, hydrops of gallbladder, and acute febrile cholestatic jaundice are reported in patients with Kawasaki disease. We describe here two cases presented with fever, and acute jaundice as initial features of Kawasaki disease.

Langerhans cell histiocytosis is a rare non-malignant disease with clinical heterogeneity. The disease may present with various clinical findings and may imitate many other conditions. In this report we describe a 34-month-old girl who presented with chronic otitis and otorrhea, skull fracture, rash, vulvar edema, erythema and erosion in labia majors which initially suggested child abuse but the patient was diagnosed with Langerhans cell histiocytosis.

Although a significant decrease has been reported in the incidence of diphteria in many regions of the world following the routine diphtheria immunization programs, the emergence of new cases indicated that toxigenic strains are still circulating in the community. Diphtheria vaccine does not provide protection against asymptomatic carriage and colonization of non-toxigenic Corynebacterium diphtheriae. It is a known fact that invasive infections may arise from non-toxigenic C.diphtheriae strains that the non-toxigenic strains can become toxigenic strains leading to diphteria. It is also known that there is a risk of diphteria outbreaks due to decreased antitoxin level and inadequate adult immunization programs. In our country, there is no routine surveillance of toxigenic and non-toxigenic C.diphtheriae. In the present study we aimed to investigate the presence of C.diphtheriae, Corynebacterium ulcerans and Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis in children presenting with the symptoms of upper respiratory tract infections that might be confused with those moderate diphteria, in order to highlight the requirement of microbiological surveillance and to create awareness about these microorganisms among public health experts, microbiologists and clinicians. Throat swab specimens were obtained from children who were admitted to the pediatric outpatient clinics, in Dr. Sami Ulus Obstectrics, Children Health and Diseases Educational and Research Hospital, with upper respiratory tract infections between 1 February 2016-22 March 2016. The specimens were inoculated in 5% sheep blood agar plates. The plates that were incubated in appropriate conditions, were evaluated for Group A beta hemolytic streptococcocci. Subsequently, culture plates were sent to the Public Health Institution of Turkey, National Respiratory Pathologens Reference Laboratories for the investigation of the presence of C.diphtheriae, C.ulcerans and C.pseudotuberculosis. The growth in each plate were collected with a sterile swab and inoculated in tryptic soy broth. Following 2 hours of incubation at 37oC, subcultures were inoculated in cystine-tellurite-blood agar (CTBA) and 5% sheep-blood agar plates; after an overnight incubation tellurite-reducing colonies were inoculated in Tinsdale agar plates. The suspected colonies with positive cystinase activity were identified by conventional methods and also with Coryne API (Biomerieux, France) systems. Toxicity tests (ELEK, PCR) were performed to investigate whether the C.diphtheriae strains were producing toxins. A total of 500 patients were involved in the study. Of these 260 (52%) were girls and 240 (48%) were boys with a mean age of 76 (range, 21-213) months. All patients except one were fully vaccinated with boosters. Most common presenting symptoms of the patients were fever (19.8%), sore throat (52.6%), cough (49.2%), tonsillar hyperemia (97.6%), presence of crypt (24.6%), and membrane over tonsils (1%). Group A beta-hemolytic streptococcocci were detected in the throat swab cultures of 66 (%13.2) patients. Genotypically toxin negative C.diphtheriae biovar gravis was identified in the throat swab cultures of 3 patients (2 girls and 1 boy). The tonsils were hyperemic and hypertrophic in all the patients with C.diphtheriae biovar gravis. C.ulcerans and C.pseudotuberculosis were detected in none of the patients. It is considered that similar regular cross-sectional studies or routine screening programs are expected to raise awareness about this forgotten microorganism both epidemiologically and microbiologically.

Chryseobacterium indologenesis a rare cause of infection in children. The organism causes infections mostly in hospitalised patients with severe underlying diseases. The choice of an effective drug for the treatment of infections due toC. indologenesis difficult as the organism has a limited spectrum of antimicrobial sensitivity. We present a case of nosocomial septicemia caused byC. indologenesin an infant with congenital heart disease who was successfully treated with trimethoprim sulfamethoxazole and also reviewed fourteen additional cases ofC. indologenesinfections reported in the English literature in this report.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical, radiological, microbiological characteristics, side effects of anti-TB drugs and treatment outcome of childhood definite or probable TB. The medical records of all childhood TB patients were investigated in the department of pediatric infectious disease of a tertiary care hospital between January 2005 and December 2012. Patients who followed-up until the anti-TB treatment was completed were included in the study. One hundred forty four pediatric cases with active TB were included in the study (27 definite, 117 probable). Twenty-four (16.7 %) patients were asymptomatic at admission. Pulmonary TB was the most common type. The most common localizations for extrapulmonary TB were superficial lymphadenitis. An index case was detected in 39.6% of the patients. In conclusion, the absence of constitutional symptoms does not exclude TB. Household contact screening plays an important role in the diagnosis of childhood TB especially in asymptomatic patients.

Streptococcus pneumoniae is a leading cause of bacterial meningitis in children. It is also responsible for bacteremia, sepsis, pneumonia, sinusitis and acute otitis media in young children worldwide. The serotypes included in the 7-valent conjugated pneumococcal vaccine (PCV7)-1, 5, 6A, 6B, 14, 19F, 23F-are those most commonly responsible for invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) globally. Unvaccinated children are at greater risk for meningitis. The rate of non-vaccine serotypes as causes of invasive disease has increased. Although the incidence rate of IPD is highest in children aged2 years, the rare, non-vaccine serotypes of S. pneumoniae may be responsible for acute meningitis in older, unvaccinated children. In this report, we present a pediatric case of meningitis due to S. pneumoniae serotype 33D, which has not been previously identified as a cause of IPD in those countries where PCV7 is routinely administered, including Turkey.

Several clinical syndromes caused by an obligate intracellular parasite Leishmania spp. subsumed under the term leishmaniasis. Leishmaniasis is endemic in Turkey and the neighboring countries Iran, Iraq, and Syria. Leishmania spp. causes three main clinical forms: cutaneous, mucocutaneous, and visceral disease. The clinical forms may vary by species and/or region of acquisition. Two forms are observed in Turkey; visceral leishmaniasis and cutaneous leishmaniasis. Two cases of cutaneous leishmaniasis with different treatment regimens and a case of visseral leishmaniasis associated with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis are presented in this report.

The aim of this study was to elucidate the clinical presentations, diagnostic clues and management of deep neck infections (DNI) in pediatric patients. Demographic characteristics, clinical manifestations, predisposing factors, duration of symptoms before presentation, history of previous antibiotic use, duration of hospitalization, laboratory and radiographic evaluations, management, complications, and outcomes of 25 patients (19 male/6 female; mean age: 47.9±39.0 months) diagnosed with DNI were analyzed retrospectively. Retropharyngeal abscesses occurred especially in preschool children, whereas peritonsillar abscesses occurred especially in school children. Nine of 25 (36%) patients underwent surgical intervention in addition to medical therapy. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography provided additional information in half of the patients. DNIs should be considered in the differential diagnosis of children who present with fever and neck mass even in the absence of more specific findings. Medical treatment can be considered an option to surgical treatment by utilizing the advantages of imaging techniques and empirical antibiotics.

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is an acute tick-borne viral zoonotic disease which is endemic in Turkey. Bradycardia has been reported among pediatric and adult patients with CCHF. But, it remains unclear, whether bradycardia is associated with ribavirin treatment or the severity of CCHF. In this study 26 hospitalized CCHF patients were reviewed in terms of age, gender, history of tick bite, duration of hospitalization, presence of bradycardia, laboratory features, ribavirin treatment, and blood products requirement. The demographic, clinical, laboratory and treatment characteristics of CCHF patients with or without bradycardia were compared. The mean age of the patients was 126.42±48.21 months. There were 8 female and 18 male patients. Sinus bradycardia was noted in 15 patients (mean age was 120.20±50.59 months, 5 female). Ribavirin had been administered 18 (69.2%) patients and 11 of them had bradycardia. There was not statistically significant relationships between bradycardia and ribavirin treatment (p=0.683). Furthermore the occurrence of bradycardia was not associated with disease severity according to Swanepoel severity criteria (p=0.683). We concluded that independent of the disease severity and the ribavirin treatment, transient sinus bradycardia might occur during the clinical course of CCHF in pediatric patients. For this reason clinicians should be aware of this finding and all CCHF patients should be monitored closely.

Summary: Brucellosis is a zoonotic disease caused by Brucella spp. that is transmitted to humans by the ingestion of unpasteurized milk and other dairy products from infected animals or through close contact with secretions. Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a tick-borne disease caused by a virus that is transmitted to humans by ixoid tick bites, contact with blood and tissue of infected animals or contact with infected humans. The symptoms of brucellosis are non-specific; it can mimic other diseases. In this paper, we present a case of brucellosis that was initially evaluated as CCHF. We emphasize that brucellosis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of CCHF, especially in endemic countries. Keywords: Brucellosis, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, Endemic