Vitamin D deficiency is a serious health problem despite a general improvement in socio-economic status in Turkey. The aim of this study was to evaluate maternal vitamin D status and its effect on neonatal vitamin D concentrations after a support programme for pregnant women was introduced. A second aim was to identify risk factors for vitamin D deficiency in a district of İstanbul. A total of 97 pregnant women and 90 infants were included in this study, conducted between January and October 2016. The demographic data, risk factors and daily vitamin intake were recorded. Serum levels of vitamin D, calcium, phosphorus and alkaline phosphatase in all subjects were measured. The mothers and newborns were divided into groups based on their vitamin D levels. The relationship between vitamin D levels and risk factors was analyzed. Mean ± standard deviation vitamin D levels for the women and their infants were found to be 14.82±11.45 and 13.16±7.16 ng/mL, respectively. The number of mothers and infants was significantly higher in the deficient group, and their mean vitamin D levels significantly lower (9.02±1.34 and 8.80±1.06 ng/mL, respectively) (p<0.001, p<0.001). Only 14.4% of pregnant women took 1000-1200 IU/day of vitamin D. When the mother groups were evaluated in terms of risk factors, there were significant differences in daily vitamin intake and clothing style (p<0.001 and p<0.001 respectively). Vitamin D deficiency in pregnant women and their infants is still a serious health problem in Turkey, although a vitamin D support programme during pregnancy has been launched by the department of health.

Objective: To evaluate the maternal and neonatal 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] levels and the effect of 25(OH)D levels on the development of neonatal sepsis. Methods: This prospective study was performed in the neonatal intensive care unit of Medicine Hospital/Biruni University between November 2017 and September 2018. Fifty one term infants with sepsis group and 56 term infants with control group were included in this study. Blood samples for whole blood count, CRP, Ca, P, ALP, 25(OH)D and culture were obtained from all neonates. Results: Mean vitamin D levels for the neonates and their mothers were found to be 12.4±8.5 ng/ml and 13±8.7 ng/ml, respectively. There was a significant correlation between maternal and newborn 25(OH)D levels (r=0.72, p<0.01). The number of the newborns with vitamin D deficiency was significantly higher in the sepsis group (n=31, 60.8%) than in the control group (n=30, 53.6%; p=0.00), corresponding to significantly lower levels of vitamin D in the sepsis group (11±5.5 ng/ml vs. 13.8±10.6 ng/ml; p=0.012). Similarly, maternal vitamin D levels was significantly lower in the sepsis group than in the control group (10.8±5.6 ng/ml vs. 14.9±10 ng/ml; p=0.001). Conclusion: Our findings suggest that there may be an association between vitamin D deficiency and neonatal sepsis. How to cite this:Ozdemir AA, Cag Y. Neonatal Vitamin D status and the risk of neonatal sepsis. Pak J Med Sci. 2019;35(2):-420-425. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.35.2.342 This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Objective: Antibiotic resistance against bacterial pathogens associated with urinary tract infections (UTI) is rapidly increasing worldwide. In this study, we aimed at determining the causative microorganisms in children under 17 years of age diagnosed with UTI in our hospital and the antibiotic resistance rates of these causes. Methods: We isolated and retrospectively analyzed 4801 urine samples of children under 17 years old who presented with bacterial growth in their urine cultures. The isolated bacteria and their antibiotic resistance profiles were statistically analyzed. Results: Most (2001/77.2%) of 2592 patients included in the study were female and the mean age and median interquartile range (IQR) was 55 (12-98) months. Except for the neonatal period, the female gender was predominant in all age groups (p<0.0001). The most frequently isolated bacteria included Escherichia coli (67.7%), Klebsiella spp. (10.7%), and Enterococcus spp. (8.8%). The most and least resistant antibiotics were ampicillin (66.6%) and meropenem (0.3%) for E. coli, respectively. Although resistance of E. faecalis to ampicillin and ciprofloxacin is at a low level, E. faecium is much more resistant to these antibiotics (p<0.0001). Conclusion: It is important that each center determines its own resistant antibiotics so as to guide empirical treatment. Re-evaluating each antibiotic that is started to be used empirically according to the results of culture and sensitivity in addition to switching to a suitable antibiotic would be very effective in reducing resistance rates.

The diagnosis of neonatal sepsis is usually difficult because the sign and symptoms are nonspecific. Although C-reactive protein (CRP) and procalcitonin (PCT) are the most commonly used auxiliary tests, they are not reliable enough markers to be used for diagnosis of neonatal sepsis. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of resistin in diagnosing early onset neonatal sepsis and to compare its effectiveness to CRP and PCT. This prospective study was performed in the neonatal intensive care unit of Medicine Hospital between June and September 2016. Twenty-nine infants in the sepsis group and 33 infants in the control group were recruited. The Töllner scoring system was used for clinical signs. The hematologic parameters were evaluated using the Manroe and Rodwell scoring systems. The blood samples for CRP, PCT, and resistin were collected at admission (T0), and at 72 hours (T3). Mean plasma resistin level at T0 was 54.20 ± 39.3 ng/mL in the sepsis group and 34.92 ± 6.9 ng/mL in the control group. The sensitivity at T0 for resistin was 76%, and the specificity was 67%. The values of area under the curve (AUC) for CRP, PCT, and resistin were 0.84, 0.66, and 0.72, respectively. We found the diagnostic value of resistin to be lower than CRP, although its plasma levels were elevated. Therefore, we propose that resistin has limited value in diagnosis and follow-up of early-onset neonatal sepsis.

Objective: To evaluate the serum concentrations of Aquaporin 1-3, which are thought to be critical modulators of water transfer, and risk factors affecting them in neonates. Methodology: This prospective study was conducted in term neonates in a research hospital, from October 2023 to October 2024. Demographic data of infants and mothers were collected and high risk neonates were excluded. The neonates were divided into three groups based on birth weight percentiles as small for gestational age, appropriate for gestational age, and large for gestational age. Umbilical cord blood samples were obtained by umbilical artery puncture and blood gases, hemoglobin, Na, K, Cl, glucose, insulin, Aquaporin 1-3 were measured. The relationship between Aquaporin levels and risk factors was analyzed. Results: A total of 85 healthy term neonates were included in our study. The mean gestational age and birth weight of infants were found as 38.2 ± 1.1 weeks and 3245 ± 749 g. The mean Aquaporin 1-3 levels for all infants were found as 11.1 ± 5.6 and 22.8 ± 11.6 ng/ml, respectively. There was a strong correlation between Aquaporin 1-3 levels (r = 0.769). No significant difference was found in Aquaporin levels in terms of birth weights, but Aquaporin 1 levels of infants born by cesarean section were significantly higher than those born vaginally (p = 0.02). Conclusions: In this study, we determined serum Aquaporin 1-3 levels in term neonates and found that serum levels increased in cesarean-born infants, especially Aquaporin 1. These results provide preliminary reference values for serum Aquaporin 1-3 in term neonates and suggests a possible association with the mode of delivery.