Donor human milk for preterm infants: current evidence and research directions.

The Committee on Nutrition of the European Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition aims to document the existing evidence of the benefits and common concerns deriving from the use of donor human milk (DHM) in preterm infants. The comment also outlines gaps in knowledge and gives recommendations for practice and suggestions for future research directions. Protection against necrotizing enterocolitis is the major clinical benefit deriving from the use of DHM when compared with formula.

Arterial function and anatomy in obese children with cardiovascular risk factors.

Background: Limited data are available related to the effects of cardiovascular risk factors on abdominal arterial stiffness using carotid and brachial artery indices. Therefore, we aimed to determine arterial changes in obese children and investigate any relation with cardiovascular risk factors.

Methods: Thirty-eight obese children (mean body mass index: 28.

Are mean platelet volume and platelet distribution width useful parameters in children with acute rheumatic carditis?

Rheumatic fever (RF) is an inflammatory disease caused by autoimmune response to a preceding group A streptococcal infection. Mean platelet volume (MPV) reflects the platelet size and the rate of platelet production in bone marrow, and it may be used as an indicator of platelet activation and severity of inflammation. Fifty-three consecutive patients diagnosed with acute rheumatic carditis and 53 control subjects were enrolled into this study.

Coarctation of the aorta with infracardiac total anomalous pulmonary venous drainage: a rare combination.

A 7-day-old female neonate was referred to the pediatric emergency department due to cyanosis and respiratory distress. Her arterial oxygen saturation was 65%. The Coarctation of the aorta, infracardiac total anomalous pulmonary venous drainage without obstruction and pulmonary artery hypertension were diagnosed by echocardiography.

Absent right superior vena cava with persistent left superior vena cava which drains to unroofed coronary sinus in a child with atrioventricular septal defect and cor triatriatum sinister: preop correct diagnosis and successful surgery in a single session.

We report a unique case of a 4-year-old boy with intermediate-type atrioventricular septal defect, cor triatriatum sinister, persistent left superior vena cava, unroofed coronary sinus, and absent right superior vena cava. Persistent left vena cava draining into the unroofed coronary sinus was demonstrated easily using the agitated saline-contrast echocardiography. After conformation with angiographic evaluation, surgery was performed at a single session.

Complications of cardiac catheterization in pediatric patients: a single center experience.

We analyzed 519 catheterization procedures performed over a period of two years retrospectively. Several risk factors related to the patient or catheterization were analyzed. The incidence of complications was 6.

Low iron storage in children with tilt positive neurally mediated syncope.

Background: The mechanisms under neurally mediated syncope (NMS) are not fully understood. This study aimed to assess the level of storage iron in children with different hemodynamic patterns in head-up tilt test.

Methods: Altogether 210 children (11.

Massive pericardial effusion caused by "inflammatory myofibroblastic tumour" in a 3-month-old child.

Tumours originating from cardiac tissues are rarely encountered during childhood, and fortunately most of these tumours are benign in nature. Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumour, which has unique clinical, pathological, and molecular characteristics, is a relatively new entity compared with previously mentioned tumoural processes originating from the heart. Most of the cardiac intima-media thickness patients are in the age group of 4 months to 17 years.

White sponge nevus: clinical suspicion and diagnosis.

White sponge nevus is a rare, autosomal-dominant disorder that affects the noncornified stratified squamous epithelia. Clinically, the presence of white, spongy plaques mostly in the buccal, labial, and gingival mucosa and the floor of the mouth characterize the lesions. The differential diagnosis of the lesion may be difficult and it is best diagnosed by biopsy.

An observational study on peripheral blood eosinophilia in incomplete Kawasaki disease.

Objective: To investigate the peripheral blood eosinophilia (PBE) in the acute stage of incomplete Kawasaki disease (iKD).

Methods: Twenty-four patients with iKD (median age; 31.5 months, range; 7-88 months) and 25 with complete Kawasaki disease (cKD) (median age; 37 months, range; 9-140 months) were evaluated between 2004 and 2010 from İzmir Dr.

Bilateral deep neck space infection in the paediatric age group: a case report and review of the literature.

Deep neck space infections can occur at any age but require more intimate management in the paediatric age group because of their rapidly progressive nature. Concurrent abscess in distinct neck spaces has rarely been reported in healthy children. Herewith, a rare case of bilateral neck abscess is reported in a 16-month-old female and the clinical presentation and management are discussed with a review of the literature.

Predictors of chronic valvular disease in patients with rheumatic carditis.

This study investigated the predictors of chronic valvular disease in children with rheumatic carditis. The short- to mid-term follow-up records of 88 patients (mean age, 10.68 ± 2.

Telomerase reverse transcriptase catalytic subunit expression and proliferation index in Wilms tumor.

Telomerase activity provides telomere maintenance in chromosomes. It prevents cells from entering senescence. Telomerase activity is one of the crucial steps in various cancers.

An unusual form of intracardiac thrombosis and fibrinolytic process in a child with dilated cardiomyopathy.

A twelve-year-old girl presented with tachypnoea, cough and fatigue existing for 3 weeks, which subsequently proved to be caused by dilated cardiomyopathy. Echocardiography showed an echogenic mass with echolucent centre attached to the inferolateral wall of the left ventricle. There was prominent systolic dysfunction.

Infracardiac total anomalous pulmonary venous drainage with unusual presentation.

Total anomalous pulmonary venous drainage (TAPVD) is a rare entity which forms approximately 0.4 to 2% of all congenital heart disease. The infracardiac type usually involve obstructions on pulmonary venous connections and comprising a quarter of all TAPVD cases.

Contractility reserve in children undergoing dialysis by dobutamine stress echocardiography.

Left ventricular hypertrophy is an adaptive mechanism in children undergoing chronic dialysis to improve contractility at rest. The aim of this study was to determine the left ventricular performance and contractility reserve by "dobutamine stress echocardiography" in children undergoing chronic dialysis. Thirty-five children undergoing dialysis and 24 healthy subjects were enrolled in this prospective study.

Cardiovascular risk factors and noninvasive assessment of arterial structure and function in obese Turkish children.

Obesity is associated with a number of risk factors, such as hyperlipidemia, hyperinsulinemia, hypertension, and early atherosclerosis. Evidence indicates that atherosclerosis begins in childhood and progresses over decades. In this work, we examined the relationship between cardiovascular risk factors and ultrasonographic signs of subclinical atherosclerosis in 77 obese children and adolescents compared to 40 non-obese healthy peers.

Myocardial performance after successful intervention for native aortic coarctation.

Coarctation of the aorta is associated with increased risk for hypertension in adulthood, despite successful repair. The intrinsic mechanisms underscoring hypertension and left ventricular performance in these patients, however, remains to be determined. Our objective was to evaluate left ventricular performance by means of echocardiographic and biochemical parameters at midterm follow-up in normotensive children who have had undergone successful surgical or catheter interventional treatment of coarctation with a residual gradient of less than 20 mmHg at rest.

Assessment of myocardial involvement using cardiac troponin-I and echocardiography in rheumatic carditis in Izmir, Turkey.

Background: Acute rheumatic carditis is still a major problem in developing countries. Cardiac troponin-I (cTnI) has been identified as a sensitive and specific marker in the diagnosis of myocarditis in children and adults.

Methods: A prospective study was performed using Doppler echocardiography and cTnI in order to detect myocardial involvement in 26 consecutive patients with acute rheumatic valvular disease.

Kit expression in spindle cell rhabdomyosarcoma can possibly create a different approach for its tumorigenesis and therapy.

The use of a relatively nontoxic tyrosine kinase receptor inhibitor, imatinib mesylate (IM) (STI-571), has increasingly become a valuable therapeutic alternative in some KIT (CD117)-overexpressing neoplasms potentially because of the presence of KIT-activating mutations. As the treatment eligibility for this drug hinges on CD117 expression, KIT immunostaining has recently been widely examined in various different tumors. We examined CD117 expression in pediatric embryonal rhabdomyosarcomas (RMSs) to identify its eventual prognostic impact and to evaluate its effect on tumorigenesis.