Validity and Reliability of Sun Protection Behavior Scale among Turkish Adolescent Population

SummaryPurposeThe aim of this research was to adapt the Sun Protection Behavior Scale (SPBS) to Turkish and to perform validity and reliability analyses.MethodsThe scale was administered to a total of 900 adolescents, the retest to 91 adolescents. The construct validity of the scale was evaluated using exploratory (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The EFA and CFA were applied to sample groups of 449 and 451 people, respectively.ResultsThe Cronbach alpha coefficients for the Turkish form of the SPBS (α = .74) and its sunscreen (α = .88) and hat use (α = .70) subscales were found to be ≥.70 while the sun avoidance subscale was calculated to be .67. The item-total score correlation between the scale and its subscales was ≥.26 and the test-retest correlations were found to be ≥.51. The CFA results verified the 8-item, 3-factor Turkish version of the SPBS. The confirmatory factor loadings for the scale were .45–.80 for sun avoidance, .72–.93 for sunscreen use, and .66–.83 for hat use. In particular, SPBS and sunscreen use (p < .001) exhibited significantly high mean scores among girls and economically better backgrounds (p = .007, p < .001, respectively). In addition, SPBS (p = .004) and hat use (p < .001) revealed that the mean scores were significantly high in younger adolescents.ConclusionsThe SPBS was found to be valid and reliable and its psychometric characteristics acceptable. The scale can be used to measure the behavior of Turkish adolescent populations with respect to sun protection

Lung abscess from Staphylococcus aureus after varicella infection in a 3-month-old infant

Varicella is a common, highly contagious viral infection of childhood. Varicella is a usually benign and self-limited disease, but it can be complicated by severe bacterial infections, especially in immunocompromised hosts. In this study, we describe a previously healthy 3-months-oldinfant who was admitted with high fever, cough, and respiratory distress, who had a history of varicella infection three weeks before, with exposure from her adolescent, unvaccinated sister. A lung abscess caused by Staphylococcus aureus complicating the varicella infection was discovered. The patient was aggressively treated with drainage of the abscess and intravenous antibiotics and had a good recovery. (C)2016 King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences. Published by Elsevier Limited. All rights reserved

Persistent pulmonary mass-like lung consolidations and chest wall extension in a newborn diagnosed with chronic granulomatous disease

[No Abstract Available

A comparison of two different fluorochrome stains for the detection of acid-fast bacilli in sputum specimens

Aim: The early diagnosis of active tuberculosis still depends on the presence of acid-fast bacilli (AFB) in stained sputum smears. In this study, our aim was to investigate the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of two different fluorochrome stains

A Novel BLNK Gene Mutation in a Four-Year-Old Child Who Presented with Late Onset of Severe Infections and High IgM Levels and Diagnosed and Followed as X-Linked Agammaglobulinemia for Two Years

Agammaglobulinemia is a rare inherited immunodeficiency disorder. Mutations in the BLNK gene cause low levels of mature B lymphocytes in the peripheral blood leading to recurrent infections. We present a four-year-old Turkish boy who had recurrent respiratory tract infections in the last six months. He had very low IgG (81 mg/dl) and IgA levels ( T (p.Gln264Ter) mutation was detected in the BLNK gene with Targeted Next Generation Sequencing (TNGS) gene analysis. Agammaglobulinemia may be due to different genetic etiologies together with complex genetic events. Although the first diagnosis to be considered in male patients is Bruton's agammaglobulinemia, patients with normal BTK sequence and/or expression should be investigated with a large genetic study such as TNGS in the early period to reach a definitive diagnosis. This male case of agammaglobulinemia highlights the necessity of considering BLNK mutations in children with B cell deficiency, even though they are known to be rare causes of agammaglobulinemia. Our case is also remarkable with high IgM levels before intravenous immunoglobulin replacement therapy and with late-onset severe infections

The Project of Air Pollution Awareness: Interdisciplinary Community Service Practices

WOS: 000406441000003The aim of this research is to introduce an interdisciplinary project about air pollution that is organized and applied for Community Service Practice Course. In order to organize this project 32 pre-service primary school teachers and 120 students' awareness toward air pollution (4th grade) have been determined through The Air Pollution Awareness Questionnaire. The results obtained from the needs analysis indicate that learning environments need to be designed that focus on fundamental concepts, causes-effects, future situation and precautions in order to increase air pollution awareness. To achieve an interdisciplinary approach, a two stage learning environment has been designed by relating these focus points with Turkish, Social Studies, Science, Mathematics and Public Administration disciplines respectively. These two stages are preparing the discipline-based course plans and materials; and carrying out the interdisciplinary plans with students by pre-service teachers. In this article, the design, development and implementation process of this learning environment are presented in detail. As a result of this research, a roadmap for how to deal with the Community Service Practices Course in an interdisciplinary manner has been established

Diagnostic and Prognostic Biomarkers of Coronavirus Disease 2019 in Children

Predictors of early diagnosis and severe infection in children with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which has killed more than 4 million people worldwide, have not been identified. However, some biomarkers, including cytokines and chemokines, are associated with the diagnosis, pathogenesis and severity of COVID-19 in adults. We examined whether such biomarkers can be used to predict the diagnosis and prognosis of COVID-19 in pediatric patients. Eighty-nine children were included in the study, comprising three patient groups of 69 patients (6 severe, 36 moderate and 27 mild) diagnosed with COVID-19 by real-time polymerase chain reaction observed for 2-216 months and clinical findings and 20 healthy children in the same age group. Hemogram, coagulation, inflammatory parameters and serum levels of 16 cytokines and chemokines were measured in blood samples and were analyzed and compared with clinical data. Interleukin 1-beta (IL-1 beta), interleukin-12 (IL-12) and interferon gamma-induced protein 10 (IP-10) levels were significantly higher in the COVID-19 patients (p = 0.035, p = 0.006 and p < 0.001). Additionally, D-dimer and IP-10 levels were higher in the severe group (p = 0.043 for D-dimer, area under the curve = 0.743, p = 0.027 for IP-10). Lymphocytes, C-reactive protein and procalcitonin levels were not diagnostic or prognostic factors in pediatric patients (p = 0.304, p = 0.144 and p = 0.67). Increased IL-1 beta, IL-12 and IP-10 levels in children with COVID-19 are indicators for early diagnosis, and D-dimer and IP-10 levels are predictive of disease severity. In children with COVID-19, these biomarkers can provide information on prognosis and enable early treatment

Clinical and subclinical acute kidney injury in children with mild-to-moderate COVID-19

Background Our aim was to identify acute kidney injury (AKI) and subacute kidney injury using both KDIGO criteria and urinary biomarkers in children with mild/moderate COVID-19. Methods This cross-sectional study included 71 children who were hospitalized with a diagnosis of COVID-19 from 3 centers in Istanbul and 75 healthy children. We used a combination of functional (serum creatinine) and damage (NGAL, KIM-1, and IL-18) markers for the definition of AKI and subclinical AKI. Clinical and laboratory features were evaluated as predictors of AKI and subclinical AKI. Results Patients had significantly higher levels of urinary biomarkers and urine albumin-creatinine ratio than healthy controls (p < 0.001). Twelve patients (16.9%) developed AKI based on KDIGO criteria, and 22 patients (31%) had subclinical AKI. AKI group had significantly higher values of neutrophil count on admission than both subclinical AKI and non-AKI groups (p < 0.05 for all). Neutrophil count was independently associated with the presence of AKI (p = 0.014). Conclusions This study reveals that even children with a mild or moderate disease course are at risk for AKI. Association between neutrophil count and AKI may point out the role of inflammation in the development of AKI. Impact The key message of our article is that not only children with severe disease but also children with mild or moderate disease have an increased risk for kidney injury due to COVID-19. Urinary biomarkers enable the diagnosis of a significant number of patients with subclinical AKI in patients without elevation in serum creatinine. Our findings reveal that patients with high neutrophil count may be more prone to develop AKI and should be followed up carefully. We conclude that even children with mild or moderate COVID-19 disease courses should be evaluated for AKI and subclinical AKI, which may improve patient outcomes