Objective; To investigate the symptoms and laboratory results of children hospitalised with the diagnosis of COVID-19, aiming to reveal the characteristics of symptomatic cases. Study Design: A descriptive cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Pediatrics, Kastamonu Training and Research Hospital, Kastamonu, Turkey from March to December 2020. Methodology: Seventy-nine children, hospitalised with the diagnosis of COVID-19, were included in the study and were divided into two groups as symptomatic and asymptomatic. The demographic data, laboratory results and clinics of the patients of the two groups were compared. Results: The mean age of participants was 10.43 +/- 5.91 (0-17) years, and 57% (n=45) of them were girls. Five patients in the symptomatic group had comorbidities (2 allergic asthma, cerebral palsy, type-1 diabetes mellitus and anorexia nervosa). The most common symptom was fever (36.7%, n=29). It was noteworthy that everyone with an NLR >3.13 (high-NLR) was symptomatic. Significantly more patients in the high-NLR group were symptomatic compared with the low-NLR group (p=0.005). On the other hand, symptomatic children had significantly higher levels of C-reactive protein (2.8 (IQR: 1.2-10.0) mg/L vs. 1.4 (IQR: 0.4-2.0) mg/L, p=0.011); and procalcitonin (0.05 (IQR: 0.02-0.10) ng/mL vs. 0.01 (IQR: 0.00-0.03) ng/mL, p<0.001) than those without symptoms. One of the children with cerebral palsy died from pneumonia during the study. Conclusion: C-reactive protein, procalcitonin and NLR levels were found to be significantly higher in symptomatic children. NLR can be suggested as a potential marker associated with disease severity in COVID-19 patients, which needs to be supported by other studies.

Ankyloglossia is a condition of limited tongue mobility caused by a short lingual frenulum. The diagnosis and treatment of ankyloglossia are still controversial. The main clinical problems encountered during breastfeeding are difficulty in sucking and its clinical reflections. This study aims to evaluate the infant population born with ankyloglossia and to determine the results of frenotomy. We conducted an observational, cross-sectional study among infants born in a tertiary hospital. We included all infants born between 1 January and 30 June 2022. The neonatal follow-up protocol for ankyloglossia was determined before the defined dates, and data were recorded during the screening period. The recorded data were retrospectively collected from the files. Within six months, 705 infants were born. Due to additional problems and other conditions that prevent breastfeeding, evaluable data of 207 (29.3%) infants could not be provided. Of the remaining 498 infants, 234 (33.2%) had ankyloglossia. While none of the infants without ankyloglossia had a breastfeeding problem after appropriate training, 28.6% of the ankyloglossia group had a breastfeeding problem (p < 0.001). The need for frenotomy differed significantly between Coryllos groups (p < 0.001). Breastfeeding was unsuccessful before frenotomy in 12 Coryllos type-1 patients, and all had difficulty in sucking. Frenotomy was performed within the three-month follow-up period in all patients with complaints of inability to firmly grasp the breast, nipple slipping from the mouth, and nipple biting during the first 24 h. In terms of breastfeeding problems, regardless of the anatomical typology, frenotomy can be performed safely in early life with successful results. If deficiencies or difficulties in breastfeeding are noticed in ankyloglossia patients even at the first control, frenotomy should be recommended in clinical conditions.

Ankyloglossia is a condition of limited tongue mobility caused by a short lingual frenulum. The diagnosis and treatment of ankyloglossia are still controversial. The main clinical problem encountered during breastfeeding is difficulty in sucking and its clinical reflections. This study aims to evaluate the newborn population born regarding ankyloglossia and to determine the results of frenotomy. We conducted an observational, cross-sectional study among newborns born in a tertiary hospital. We included all newborns born between January 1 and June 30, 2022. The study algorithm was determined before the defined dates and data were recorded during the screening period. The recorded data were retrospectively collected from the files. Within six months, 705 babies were born. Due to additional problems and other conditions that prevent breastfeeding, evaluable data of 207 (29.3%) infants could not be provided. Of the remaining 498 infants, 234 (33.2%) had ankyloglossia. Breastfeeding was unsuccessful before frenotomy in 12 Coryllos type-1 patients, and all had difficulty in sucking. Frenotomy was performed within the three-months follow-up period in all patients with complaints of inability to firmly grasp the breast, nipple slipping from the mouth, and nipple biting during the first 24 hours. In terms of breastfeeding problems, regardless of the anatomical typology, frenotomy can be performed safely in the early life with successful results. If deficiencies or difficulties in nursing is noticed in ankyloglossia patients even at the first control, frenotomy should be recommended in clinical conditions.

Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge and attitudes of family physicians and family health personnel who are responsible for childhood vaccination services in primary care regarding meningococcal, rotavirus, and human papillomavirus vaccines. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted between October 2021 and January 2022. A total of 700 healthcare professionals from all geographical regions in Turkey were included in the study. The participants filled out an online questionnaire consisting of 39 questions created with Google Forms. Results: Of the participants, 340 (48.6%) are family physicians, and 360 (51.4%) are family health personnel. Most participants are from the Marmara region, Turkey’s most densely populated region. The most recommended vaccine among the participants was rotavirus (84.3%), while the least recommended vaccine was human papilloma virus (47.6%). The number of family physicians recommending meningococcal and human papilloma virus vaccines was significantly higher than that of family health personnel (p < 0.001). Furthermore, there was a statistically significant correlation between seeing a patient with these viruses in one’s professional life or considering the severity of these three diseases to be severe and recommending these vaccines (p < 0.001 for both). However, lack of knowledge about vaccines and doses, the high cost of vaccines, and concerns about side effects were among the reasons for not recommending vaccines. Conclusions: Healthcare professionals involved in childhood immunization should be trained to increase their knowledge and awareness on this issue. The training plan and curriculum should take into account the issues raised in our research, such as age, occupation, region of residence, and professional experience. In general, knowledge about the efficacy and safety of vaccines will help healthcare professionals develop their confidence in vaccines and willingness to recommend childhood vaccines to others.

Background: Although Transient tachypnea of the newborn (TTN) is one of the most common causes of respiratory distress in the newborn period, there is no laboratory parameter used to diagnose it. Immatur granulocyte (IG) measurement is accepted as a useful indicator that can be used in early detection of many infectious conditions, especially neonatal sepsis. In this study, it was aimed to determine if IG and other complete blood count (CBC) parameters could be used as laboratory findings supporting TTN diagnosis. Materials and methods This study, which was retrospectively planned, was conducted in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) a public hospital between January 1, 2019 and January 31, 2021. Randomly selected 50 infants, hospitalized with the diagnosis of TTN, constituted the patient group of the study. 50 infants hospitalized with the diagnosis of hyperbilirubinemia and did not have any additional problems accepted as the control group. IG and other CBC parameters of infants in the patient and control groups were compared in the study. Results: There was no significant difference between the patient and control groups in terms of demographic data and types of delivery (p > 0.05). The rate of delivery by elective cesarean section (C/S) was significantly higher than the rate of normal spontaneous vaginal (NSV) delivery in the patient group (p < 0.001). The IG number and percentage, WBC (white blood cell) count, RDW (red cell distribution width), number and percentage of NRBC (nucleated red blood cell), neutrophil and lymphocyte ratio, count and percentage of basophil and PLR (platelet/lymphocyte ratio) of the patient group was significantly higher than the control group (p < 0.05). Conclusion: According to the findings obtained in the study, it was concluded that IG and other CBC parameters may be used to support clinical and imaging findings to diagnose transient tachypnea of the newborn.