Purpose: The aim of the study is to investigate whether tear ferning patterns change during different phases of the menstrual cycle. Methods: The tear ferning test was performed on twelve normal women of childbearing age at three day intervals throughout one complete menstrual cycle. Serum hormone levels (progesterone, estrogen, testosterone) were measured. Results: Eight women showed type I ferning, and the other four had type II ferning initially. These patterns did not change during the menstrual cycle. Serum hormone levels were all in the normal range. Since no change in ferning pattern was detected during the menstrual cycle, the ferning test can be done at any time in women. Conclusions: This study showed no effect of different menstrual cycle phases on tear ferning patterns.

Iron deficiency anemia in children is a public health problem. Although oral iron treatment is the first choice, common side effects and compliance problems can cause the treatment to be interrupted. This study retrospectively evaluated children treated with intravenous (IV) iron sucrose or ferric carboxymaltose (FCM) and compared the treatment processes and efficacy. The demographic characteristics and treatment details of the 44 children with iron deficiency anemia were retrospectively evaluated. Iron sucrose was administered to 25 patients and FCM was administered to 19 patients. The IV iron infusion was applied to 64% of the patients because of unresponsiveness to oral treatment, 25% of the patients because of compliance problems, and 11% of the patients because of severe anemia. IV iron therapy increased hemoglobin, mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular hemoglobin, red-cell distribution width, and serum ferritin levels and decreased platelet count. The mean number of infusions per patient in the FCM group was lower, and the total treatment time was shorter. In conclusion, IV iron sucrose or FCM can be used in children with nonadherence to oral therapy and severe anemia in addition to specific indications.

Amaç: Son yıllarda ülkemizde ve tüm dünyada isimlendirilmesinde hâlâ fikir birliği sağlanmamış olan, bir dizi geleneksel, tamamlayıcı tıp uygulamaları hekimler/hekim dışı kişilerce uygulanır hale gelmiştir. Hekimlerin bu gelişmelere bakışı merak edilmekte ve hastaların GETAT ile ilgili uygulamalar konusunda soruları olmaktadır. Biz de hedef grup olarak Pediatrist ve Aile Hekimlerinin GETAT Uygulamalarına Bakışı, Yaklaşımı ve Bilgi Düzeylerini ölçmeyi amaçladık. Yöntem: Tanımlayıcı nitelikteki bu çalışma; Nisan-Haziran 2019 aylarında Aile Hekimleri ve Pediatristler ile Google online anket aracılığıyla yapılmıştır. Veri toplama aracı olarak; gerekli literatür taraması sonucunda oluşturulan 33 soru katılımcılara online olarak yöneltilmiştir.Bulgular: Çalışmaya 106 kişi katıldı. Katılımcıların %69’u Aile Hekimi, %31’i pediatrist idi. Aile hekimlerinin GETAT sertifikası sahip olma oranı pediatristlere göre anlamlı derecede yüksekti. Bu uygulamaları hekimlerin %47’si hastalarına önerebileceklerini ifade ederken, %22’si önermeyeceğini söyledi, geri kalanı (%31) kararsızdı. Pediatristler, aile hekimlerine göre GETAT uygulamalarını daha az tavsiye ediyordu. Hekimler; %51 oranda GETAT yöntemlerini faydalı bulurken, %18’i faydasız buldu. GETAT konusunda bilgi düzeyi sorgulandı. Hiç yok %7, Az %54, Orta %28, İyi %8, Çok iyi %3 idi. “GETAT uygulamlarının koruyucu hekimliklik uygulamaları açısından olumlu etkilerinin olup olmayacağını” sorduğumuzda %48’i olumlu katkı sunacağını düşünüyordu. Sonuç: GETAT konusunda bilgi düzeylerinin iki büyük hekim grubu olan Aile Hekimleri ve Pediatrilerde yeterli düzeyde olmadığı, eğitimin hiçbir aşamasında geleneksel ve tamamlayıcı tıp ile ilgili bir eğitim almamakla birlikte Türk toplumunun bunu pratikte kullanıyor olması bu konuda bilimsel çalışmalar yapmayı ve bilgi sahibi olmayı zorunlu kılmakta, tutum ve davranışların daha doğru alınması sonucunu doğuracaktır.

Background. Microbiologic confirmation of respiratory tract infections gained importance during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This study retrospectively evaluated seasonal distribution, clinical presentation, and complications of respiratory viral infections (RVIs) other than COVID-19 in children with cancer during and after the pandemic lockdown. Methods. Two hundred and sixty-five inpatient and outpatient RVI episodes in 219 pediatric cancer patients confirmed by multiplex reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) panels from 13 centers were enrolled. Results. Eighty-six (32.5%) of the total 265 episodes occurred in 16 months corresponding to the lockdowns in Türkiye, and the remaining 67.5% in 10 months thereafter. Human rhinovirus/enterovirus (hRE) (48.3%) was the most common agent detected during and after lockdown. Parainfluenza virus (PIV) (23.0%), influenza virus (9.8%), and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) (9.1%) were the other common agents. The 28.7% of episodes were lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs), and complications and mortality were higher than upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) (25.0% vs 5.3%). Bacteremia was identified in 11.5% of culture-drawn episodes. Treatment delay in one-third and death within four weeks after RVI in 4.9% of episodes were observed. Conclusion. During the pandemic, fewer episodes of RVIs occurred during the lockdown period. Respiratory viruses may cause complications, delays in treatment, and even death in children with cancer. Therefore, increased awareness of RVIs and rapid detection of respiratory viruses will benefit the prevention and, in some cases, abrupt supportive and some antiviral treatment of RVI in children with cancer.

Objective: B-cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (B-NHL) is an aggressive malignancy in children requiring prompt multidisciplinary management. This retrospective cohort study aims to evaluate the clinical characteristics, treatment outcomes, and impact of rituximab (RTX) in pediatric B-NHL patients. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 62 pediatric B-NHL patients treated at tertiary centers. Patient demographics, clinical presentation, histopathological subtypes, disease stage, treatment regimens, and survival outcomes were assessed. Event-free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS) rates were analyzed based on lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels and RTX administration. Results: The mean age at diagnosis was 8.73±4.3 years, with a male predominance (79%). The most common histological subtype was Burkitt lymphoma (BL) (53.2%), followed by diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) (33.8%). Advanced-stage disease (III-IV) was observed in 74.1% of cases. RTX was administered in 72.5% of patients, with a mean of 5.1±2.7 doses. Febrile neutropenia (FEN) was noted in 74.1%, with intensive care unit (ICU) admission required for seven patients. Mortality was observed in 12 (19.3%) patients, including all patients with primary immunodeficiency (PID). The 5-year EFS for the entire cohort was 67.2%, and OS was 81.3%. Patients with LDH 400 U/L (EFS: 49.6%, OS: 70.7%; p=0.004 and p=0.015, respectively). In RTX-treated patients without PID, EFS was 76.5% versus 73.2% in those without RTX, but the difference was not statistically significant (p=0.53). Conclusions: Although not statistically significant, EFS was found to be higher in the RTX-treated group, suggesting that adding RTX to standard chemotherapy regimens may improve survival, particularly for high-risk patients, though its benefit in low-risk cases remains uncertain. Despite improved survival, patients with PID had poor outcomes, likely due to increased infections and disseminated disease. Risk-adapted, targeted treatment strategies are essential for optimizing outcomes in pediatric B-NHL. Further large-scale, randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm the efficacy of RTX in different risk groups and to optimize treatment regimens for pediatric B-NHL.

OBJECTIVE: It was aimed to profile the blood subgroups of our region and to reveal the prevalence of auto/alloimmune sensitization in patients who had to undergo multiple erythrocyte transfusions and to establish the sensitization profile by screening major and minor subgroups. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, the distribution of ABO and Rh system major subgroups was studied in 100 donor blood. As the patient group, 50 patients who received three or more red blood cell transfusions were included. In addition to this group, Kell, Lewis, Duffy blood group systems were studied. RESULTS: According to the ABO system, 35% of the donors were in O, 33% in A, 17% in AB, and 15% in B. According to the Rh system, 75% is Dvi positive. Rh system is 99% e positive and 33% E positive in major subgroups and Kell1 positivity is 8%. In the patient group, 22% D(-) was determined compared to Rh blood group. Among the major subgroups of Rh, C was 68%, E was 14%, c was 76%, and e positivity was found to be 100%. The Kell1 negativity rate is 96%. The highest negativity was found in 86% Lea antigen in Lewis system, in 36% S antigen in MNS system, 34% Fyb antigen in Duffy system, and 24% Jka antigen in Kidd system. When inappropriate blood is given for any antigen, a double population is formed. The double negativities we detected in our study occurred as follows according to blood group systems: E 18%, C 12%, c 8%, Cw 2%, Kell 1 2%, M 8%, N 4%, S 18%, s 6%, Fya 8%, Jka 6%, Jkb 22%. Indirect Agglutination Test (IAT) was negative in all patients. CONCLUSION: IAT negativity in all patient groups suggests that we do not develop alloimmunization, but the high rates of double population suggest a high risk of alloimmunization.