Airborne pollen in European and Asian parts of Istanbul.

Pollen concentrations in the atmosphere of Istanbul, a city located between two continents, has been monitored for 1 year as part of a larger research program. The sampling sites were located in two different continents: the Asian part (AS) and the European part (EP). The sampling was performed in AS and EP of the city by using Hirst type volumetric method, and pollen grains of 58 and 62 taxa were identified in the two parts, respectively.

Corrosive poisoning mimicking cicatricial pemphigoid: Munchausen by proxy.

Background: Munchausen by proxy (MBP) is a severe form of abuse in which a caregiver simulates or fabricates illness in another person, primarily the elderly and children, which can even result in death.

Case: We report two siblings who were victims of MBP, one of whom died. A very rare diagnosis, cicatricial pemphigoid was suspected in the 2-year-old girl who was first abused.

Prevalence and risk factors for allergic rhinitis in primary school children.

Objective: Allergic rhinitis is a common chronic illness of childhood. The aim of the study was to evaluate the prevalence and risk factors of allergic rhinitis in 6-12-year-old schoolchildren in Istanbul.

Methods: A total of 2500 children aged between 6 and 12 years in randomly selected six primary schools of Istanbul were surveyed by using the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) questionnaire between April and May 2004.

Childhood asthma and its relationship with tonsillar tissue.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of asthma among 4-17 years old school children and to determine the relationship between frequent tonsillitis, tonsillar hypertrophy and asthma-related symptoms. A total of 2,000 school children, aged 4-17 years, in Denizli were surveyed using the ISAAC questionnaire; the size of the tonsils was evaluated by physical examination. A total of 1,784 questionnaires were completed giving an overall response rate of 89.