Newborn screening for sickle cell anemia in Antalya, Türkiye.

Background: In a screening study conducted on adults, the prevalence of sickle cell traits in Antalya was found to be 0.24%. Since no screening studies have been conducted in the neonatal period in our region, the exact incidence has not been determined.

High-Resolution Computed Tomography Scores in Cases of Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia.

Background: Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) carries a risk of long-term pulmonary sequelae. High-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) is a method of detecting such structural changes. This study is aimed at characterizing structural abnormalities associated with BPD and at evaluating the clinical findings in the newborn period associated with HRCT scores.

The prevalence and diagnostic criteria of health-care associated infections in neonatal intensive care units in Turkey: A multicenter point- prevalence study.

Background: Healthcare-acquired infections (HAIs) in the neonatal period cause substantial morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs. Our purpose was to determine the prevalence of HAIs, antimicrobial susceptibility of causative agents, and the adaptivity of the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) criteria in neonatal HAI diagnosis.

Methods: A HAI point prevalence survey was conducted in the neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) of 31 hospitals from different geographic regions in Turkey.

National guidelines for delivery room management.

The following guideline is designed to give recommendations for the routine care of all neonates immediately after delivery, and the resuscitation and delivery room approach of all high-risk infants in light of recent literature. The guideline has been prepared as three different parts. The first part is about routine procedures that have to be performed to all healthy term and preterm infants in delivery room care.

Effects of high-dose intravenous immunoglobulin on lipopolysaccharide-induced acute lung injury.

Purpose: Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) therapy is used in inflammatory diseases but the use of immunoglobulin as a treatment for acute lung injury (ALI) has not been previously studied. Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of of ALI. Therefore we examined the levels of TGF-β and lung inflammation scores in IVIG treated ALI models.

Role of immunoglobulin in neuronal apoptosis in a neonatal rat model of hypoxic ischemic brain injury.

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the neuroprotective effects of immunoglobulin (Ig) in a neonatal hypoxic ischemic (HI) rat model. Seven-day-old rat pups were randomly assigned to control, hypoxia and hypoxia + Ig groups. The rats in the hypoxia +Ig group were intraperitoneally administered 1 g/kg Ig once, immediately after hypoxia.

Octreotide treatment in a neonate with non-chylous pleural effusion.

Fetal pleural effusion is a rare condition. While it may regress spontaneously, it may also continue up to the post-natal period. This condition may be treated by thoracentesis, thoracoabdominal shunt application and pleurodesis in the intrauterine period while thoracentesis or tube thoracostomy may be used in the post-natal period.

Pentoxifylline therapy attenuates intestinal injury in rat pups with hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy.

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of post-ischemic pentoxifylline (PTX) therapy on the gut injury in neonatal rat model of hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE).

Methods: Seven-day-old Wistar rat pups (n = 24) of either sex, delivered spontaneously, were used in this experimental study. Seven-day-old rat pups were randomly divided into three groups.

The effects of intraperitoneal pentoxifylline treatment in rat pups with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy.

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of postischemic treatment with pentoxifylline on the cytokine gene expressions and neuronal apoptosis in neonatal rat model of hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy.

Methods: Seven-day-old Wistar rat pups (n = 40) of either sex, delivered spontaneously, were used in this experimental study. Control group (n = 8): after median neck incision was made, neither ligation nor hypoxia was performed, ischemia group (n = 16): 0.

Is the strength of direct antiglobulin test important for the duration of phototherapy?

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between the grades of positivity of the direct antiglobulin test (DAT) and their effects on the duration of phototherapy for neonatal jaundice. DAT reactions of blood samples were graded as (1+), (2+), (3+) and (4+). DAT was positive in 80 neonates who were exposed to phototherapy due to jaundice.

The efficacy of intravenous immunoglobulin on lipopolysaccharide-induced fetal brain inflammation in preterm rats.

Objective: Interleukin-1 is accepted as one of the major cytokines; it is involved in inflammatory processes and systemic fetal inflammatory response that is triggered by maternal lipopolysaccharide (LPS) injection. Because it is an antiinflammatory agent, we investigated (in the brain damage of rat pups) the role of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) in decreasing interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) expression and caspase 3 activity that was induced by maternal LPS administration.

Study Design: Dams were divided into 3 groups.

Can we safely administer the recommended dose of phenobarbital in very low birth weight infants?

Aim: We investigated whether the recommended phenobarbital loading dose of 15-20 mg/kg with maintenance of 3-4 mg/kg/day can safely be administered to very low birth weight preterm newborns with seizures.

Methods: Twenty-four convulsive preterms of <1,500 g were enrolled in the study. Phenobarbital was administered intravenously with a loading dose of 15 mg/kg in approximately 10-15 min.

The efficacy of cardiac findings in assessing the outcome in preterms with bronchopulmonary dysplasia.

Objectives: To evaluate if cardiac dysfunctions are important in assessing the outcome in newborns with Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia (BPD), by evaluating cardiac functions with N-terminal prohormone of brain natriüretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels, M-mode and tissue doppler echocardiography at 6-12 mo of age.

Methods: Twenty eight patients were retrospectively classified as mild, moderate and severe according to the diagnostic criterias for BPD. All cases were assessed with standard M-mode, tissue doppler echocardiography and NT-proBNP levels.

The role of VEGF and its soluble receptor VEGFR-1 in preterm newborns of preeclamptic mothers with RDS.

Objective: We measured vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and soluble VEGF receptor 1(sVEGFR-1) concentrations in cord blood and tracheal aspirate fluid (TAF) in order to investigate the role of them in lung maturation and the severity of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) in preterm newborns, born to preeclamptic mothers.

Methods: Newborns were divided into two groups as preterms born to preeclamptic mothers and preterms born to healthy mothers. They were also divided into two groups as severe RDS (sRDS) and mild RDS (mRDS) according to the need of surfactant and extent or type of ventilatory support.

Investigation of the serum glucocorticoid kinase 1 gene in patients with transient tachypnea of the newborn.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate whether there is a role of the serum glucocorticoid kinase (SGK) 1 gene, which has an effect on the control of the epithelial sodium channels.

Materials And Method: This study included patients who were diagnosed with transient tachypnea of the newborn (TTN) with more than 37 weeks of gestation. As the control group, healthy newborns of the same gestational age were included.

Risk prediction using a neonatal therapeutic intervention scoring system in VLBW and ELBW preterm infants.

Background: The Neonatal Therapeutic Intervention Scoring System (NTISS) is a therapy-based severity-of-illness index, The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether: (i) NTISS can predict the severity of illness with the same accuracy both in very low-birthweight (VLBW) and extremely low-birthweight (ELBW) infants, using all parameters; and (ii) the performance of NTISS can be increased by using only the significant variables.

Methods: All inborns <1500 g, and all outborns <1500 g transferred in the first 12 h of postnatal life, were included. NTISS using 63 variables was assessed for all infants at the 24th hour.

Prenatal diagnosis of mobile flap-like tissue on the ventricular septal defect in a newborn with trisomy 18.

Trisomy 18 is the second most common autosomal trisomy in liveborn infants. Various congenital malformations, mental retardation, and high rate of infant mortality in the first year of life are characteristic features of trisomy 18. Congenital heart disease occurs in over 90% of these patients and the most common cardiac lesions are ventricular septal defect, patent ductus arteriosus and atrial septal defect.

Cerebellar herniation after lumbar puncture in galactosemic newborn.

Cerebral edema resulting in elevated intracranial pressure is a well-known complication of galactosemia. Lumbar puncture was performed for the diagnosis of clinically suspected bacterial meningitis. Herniation of cerebral tissue through the foramen magnum is not a common problem in neonatal intensive care units because of the open fontanelle in infants.

Mean platelet volumes in babies of preeclamptic mothers.

The aim of this study was to compare the mean platelet volume (MPV) in babies of preeclamptic and normal pregnant women and to investigate the correlation between thrombocytopenia and MPV in the babies of preeclamptic mothers. A total of 63 newborns with similar gestational ages were included in this retrospective study. They were divided into three groups as 21 babies of preeclamptic mothers with thrombocytopenia (Group A), 21 without thrombocytopenia (Group B), and 21 babies of normal pregnant women without thrombocytopenia (Group C).

Primary cutaneous aspergillosis in an extremely low birth weight preterm.

Aspergillosis is an uncommon infection in neonates. However, it has been an emerging problem for preterm infants in recent years because of long-term parenteral nutrition, multiple-antibiotic therapy and immune deficiency due to prematurity. We report a preterm neonate with disseminated cutaneous lesions due to primary cutaneous aspergillosis.

Aplasia cutis congenita: three cases with three different underlying etiologies.

Aplasia cutis congenita (ACC) is an uncommon condition in which localized or widespread areas of skin are absent or scarred at birth. There is no single underlying cause of ACC, as it simply represents a physical finding that reflects a disruption of intrauterine skin development. Here we report three cases of ACC of the scalp with three different etiologies: congenital rubella syndrome, trisomy 13 and fetal valproate syndrome.

An unusual localization of embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma in a neonate.

Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is a common, highly malignant, uniformly fatal childhood malignancy, which presents extremely rarely in the neonatal period; there are only a few reports about this tumor in this age group. While the primary tumor may arise virtually anywhere in the body, the extremity, orbit and genitourinary region are the most frequent sites; the retromammary region is extremely rare. Herein, we report a neonate with embryonal RMS arising from the anterior chest wall musculature at birth.

CMV seroconversion in pregnants and the incidence of congenital CMV infection.

In this study, it was aimed to determine the ratio of CMV seroconversion in pregnant women, the prevalence of maternal CMV infection and also the incidence of congenital CMV infection in their newborns in the Antalya region of Turkey. During a one-year period, CMV-specific IgG and IgM were determined in all (n: 1027) pregnant women admitted at 8 to 20 weeks of gestation, an according to the presence or absence of anti CMV-IgM and CMV-IgG, pregnant women were classified as seropositive, seronegative and having maternal CMV infection. Differentiation of primary and recurrent CMV infection in women with both CMV-IgM (+) and CMV-IgG (+) antibody was determined by the avidity index (AI) of anti-CMV IgG.

Apoptosis of cord blood neutrophils and their response to colony-stimulating factors.

Neutrophil production and functions are immature in newborns. Although neutrophil kinetics during neonatal period have been widely studied, little is known about the effect of apoptosis on these defects. In this study, we examine the apoptosis of neonatal neutrophils and the effects of colony-stimulating factors (CSF) on this process.