Aim: The aim of our study is to assess the relationship between social media addiction and quality of life in adolescents. Methods: The study included 386 adolescents."Sociodemographic Data Form", "Short Form of Social Media Addiction Scale for Adolescents", and "Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory Teenager Form" questionnaires were administered. Results: Mean age was 15.6±2.9 years (n=145, 37.6% males). 91.2% had internet connections at home. 43.8% were social media addicted. If the internet use was ≥5 hours/day (28.5%) Short Form of Social Media Addiction Scale for Adolescents was the highest and the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory Teenager Form score was the lowest. Mobile phones were the most frequently used devices (94%). Short Form of Social Media Addiction Scale for Adolescents and the subscales of the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory Teenager Form showed negative correlations: physical, emotional, social, school functioning. The total Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory Teenager Form score and Short Form of Social Media Addiction Scale for Adolescents showed a strong negative correlation. Internet usage caused a decrease in quality of life related to social life, school life, and self-care. 30.8% of adolescents had reported health problems due to internet use. The mean Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory Teenager Form score was higher in boys compared to girls. Conclusion: Individuals are more susceptible to addiction during adolescence, a sensitive period of personality maturation, and all these factors affect a person's quality of life. Our study revealed that social media addiction adversely affects all facets of life functioning. Keywords: adolescent health, social media addiction, life quality

AIM: Data on the likely interest in dietary support use in children during the COVID-19 pandemic are scarce and not well documented, compared to adults. In this survey study, we aimed to reveal predictors of pandemic-induced changes in nutritional behavior in children and adolescents. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Parents or caregivers of a total of 1327 children aged 6 to 18 years were requested to fill a survey questioning the use of common dietary supplements and/or conventional functional food by children before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Children were divided into 4 groups according to whether they received dietary supplements before/during the pandemic: those never received dietary supplements (Group 1), those already receiving/continued to receive (Group 2), those started to receive during pandemic (Group 3), those stopped to receive during pandemic (Group 4). RESULTS: A total of 1327 respondents completed the questionnaire. There were 322 (24.3%) children in Group 1, 313 (23.6%) children in Group 2, 679 (51.2%) children in Group 3 and 13 (1.0%) children in Group 4. Number of siblings (p

Aims: This study aimed to evaluate the global research landscape of Baby-Led Weaning (BLW) through bibliometric and visualized knowledge mapping analyses. Methods: Bibliometric study was performed in the database Web of Science Core Collection. Publications that have been identified with the help of the keywords “baby-led weaning” OR “baby led weaning” have been taken into account regardless of their publication date, language, and types of documents. Various bibliometric measures such as publications number, citations number, productive authors, journals, countries, and keywords have been analyzed. Results: The total number of documents that were published between 1980 and 2026 amounted to 189. The scientific production rose sharply since 2011, with its peak reached in 2023. Original articles made up the biggest percentage of all publications (67.2%). The Nutrients journal produced the greatest number of works, while the most cited document was the work of Brown & Lee on satiety responsiveness and weaning practice. The most productive countries in BLW studies were the United Kingdom, the United States, and New Zealand. Co-occurrence of keywords analysis identified four main thematic areas of research: complementary feeding and infant nutrition; feeding behavior and self-regulation; breast feeding; choking risk. Recent studies have increasingly paid attention to nutrition, adequacy, growth, obesity, and developmental effects. Conclusion: The research done on BLW has grown significantly in the last decade, moving from mere descriptive studies into studies looking at nutrition, behavior, and health implications. There is a need for further studies that will enhance international collaboration and provide data from different cultures and economic backgrounds.

Child health follow-up is the most important of basic health services and should continue at regular intervals until the age of 18 years. Physicians’ child health follow-up examinations present the best opportunity to deliver evidence-based preventive health services, such as monitoring the growth and development of the child, conducting age-appropriate screenings, providing vitamin/mineral support according to age and requirements, administering childhood vaccinations, informing the family about home accidents and nutrition, monitoring the child in terms of child neglect and abuse risks, and raising the awareness of the family in this regard. Child health follow-up should encompass not only children without any health problems but also those with mental, physical, visual, or hearing impairments, or special needs such as those with autism. Autism spectrum disorder is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by social and communication limitations and repetitive, restricted behaviors. The presence of a child with special needs such as autism can have social, psychological, and economic implications for family members. While there are many difficulties in caring for a healthy child, these difficulties increase exponentially in the care of a child with special needs. Professional assistance is necessary for families to address matters such as monitoring the child’s development, providing nourishment, and administering vaccinations. Children with autism constitute a group that needs to be closely followed up for vitamin-mineral deficiencies and growth retardation due to their higher risk of malnutrition. For these reasons, regular health follow-up of children with autism is essential at regular intervals.

Background. The predictive and prognostic significance of apelin and galectin-3 as biomarkers in pediatric acute respiratory distress syndrome (PARDS) and lung injury has remained limited. This study examined the association between serum apelin-13 and galectin-3 levels, PARDS severity, and patient outcomes. Methods. The study included children aged 1 month to 18 years diagnosed with PARDS on admission to a pediatric intensive care unit, alongside age- and sex-matched outpatient controls. PARDS was diagnosed and classified by severity according to Second Pediatric Acute Lung Injury Consensus Conference (PALICC-2) guidelines, based on oxygenation indices for non-invasive and invasive ventilation. Exclusion criteria included prior transplants, chronic lung disease, cyanotic congenital heart disease, prolonged ventilation, and other major conditions. After informed parental consent, 3 mL of peripheral venous blood was collected from all participants. Serum samples for apelin-13 and galectin-3 were stored at −80°C and analyzed using commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits. Demographic, clinical, and laboratory data were systematically recorded for analysis. Results. The study and control groups were comparable in age and gender. Patients had significantly lower hemoglobin, hematocrit, red blood cell, calcium, and phosphorus levels, and higher neutrophil counts, C-reactive protein, and liver enzymes. Apelin-13 levels did not differ significantly between groups, wheras median galectin-3 levels were significantly higher in patients (p=0.003). Apelin-13 levels were significantly lower and galectin-3 levels significantly higher with increasing PARDS severity. Severe PARDS was associated with lower PaO2/FiO2 ratios, arterial pH, and higher ventilator pressures. Mortality was 36.4% in severe and 22.7% in moderate PARDS. Serum galectin-3 level was the sole independent predictor of mortality (OR: 1.20, 95% CI 1.02–1.39, p=0.02). Conclusion. Although the apelin/APJ system’s role in acute lung injury is known, its diagnostic and prognostic value in PARDS requires further study. Galectin-3 levels correlate with disease severity and outcomes, highlighting the need for larger, age- and phenotype-homogenized studies to confirm its role as an independent mortality predictor.