Internuclear ophthalmoplegia as a symptom associated with Henoch-Schoenlein purpura

Purpose: To report a child with Henoch-Schoenlein purpura associated with internuclear ophthalmoplegia. Methods: A case report. Results: An 11-year-old girl was admitted to our outpatient clinic with sudden diplopia associated with ataxia and fever. Ophthalmic examination revealed limitation of adduction in the left eye on attempted right gaze with a horizontal nystagmus in the right eye, indicating left internuclear ophthalmoplegia. Physical examination demonstrated that the child had pain and swelling of the left ankle and shoulders with diffuse palpable purpuric rash on her buttocks and lower extremities. Detailed laboratory evaluation was performed and the child was diagnosed as having Henoch-Schoenlein purpura. Intravenous prednisolone (2 mg/kg/day) was started and, after two months, diplopia, nystagmus, and the limitation of adduction disappeared with resolution of the disease. Conclusion: This case is the first report of internuclear ophthalmoplegia associated with Henoch-Schoenlein purpura, a well-known vasculitis. The vessels supplying the medial longitudinal fasciculus may be affected by the vasculitic process of the disease. Internuclear ophthalmoplegia may be a presenting symptom of this disease and ophthalmologists should be aware of it in the differential diagnosis of eye movement disorders

Outbreak of nosocomial fungemia caused by Candida glabrata

An outbreak of Candida glabrata fungemia that was thought to be associated with bottles used for milk feeds occurred at our children's infectious diseases clinic. This cluster of cases was investigated using a case-control study. Isolates were identified by conventional methods and karyotyped using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) of genomic DNA. Potential risk factors for nine hospitalized children with candidemia and 14 controls were long-term hospitalization and treatments with more than two antibiotics. Electrophoretic karyotyping showed a single chromosomal pattern for these outbreak isolates and, in addition, they all had the same antifungal susceptibility results. These findings suggest that clonal dissemination of a single strain was responsible for this outbreak. Karyotyping by PFGE appears to be a useful molecular typing method for strains of C. glabrata

The effects of dialyzer reuse on plasma antioxidative mechanisms in patients on regular hemodialysis treatment

The effects of antioxidative mechanism are known to be reduced in patients on regular hemodialysis treatment (RHT). The data about the effects of reuse on antioxidative mechanisms are limited. Twelve patients on RHT (age range: 16-50 years) were included in the study. The basal and after 4 months of dialyzer reuse period, plasma antioxidant activity (AOA), myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity, ceruloplasmin (Cp), copper (Cu), transferrin (TF), and sulphydryl group (SH) levels were detected. The basal plasma AOA (110.92 +/- 17.19 mu l), TF (1.23 +/- 0.23 g/l), and SH (307.11 +/- 51.81 mu mol/l) levels were lower than the levels of the control subjects (73.75 +/- 9.07 mu l, 2.38 +/- 0.25 g/l, 690.59 +/- 84.18 mu mol/l) (p .05). The difference between plasma AOA (83.33 +/- 14.71 mu l), Cp (0.38 +/- 0.08 g/l), and MPO activity (64.43 +/- 10.01 U/l) after the reuse period and the control values were not statistically significant (p > .05). The TF (1.87 +/- 0.15 g/l) levels after the reuse period were significantly lower than the control values (p < .001), although the levels were increased after the reuse period. Our findings may indicate some beneficial effects of hemodialyzer reuse process on plasma antioxidative mechanisms in patients on RHT

Urolithiasis in infants: evaluation of risk factors

Urolithiasis in infants is not a very rare situation in Turkey, and the incidence has been increasing in recent years. The purpose of this paper was to investigate the clinical characteristics, metabolic and anatomic risk factors for urolithiasis and microlithiasis in infants

Radiological findings of isolated hepatic tuberculosis in a child with tubulointerstitial nephritis-uveitis syndrome

Isolated hepatic tuberculosis is a rare manifestation of tuberculosis in children although its incidence has been increasing, especially in immunosuppressed patients. Imaging studies frequently present a diagnostic challenge, especially for the nodular form. Thus a high index of suspicion is required for diagnosis. On US, hepatic tuberculosis may rarely present as a macronodular form (also called pseudotumour or tuberculoma). We report a 15-year-old girl with multiple hepatic macronodular masses due to isolated hepatic tuberculosis

Juvenile Lupus Erythematosus: Fourteen Years of Experience

Objectives: This study aims to describe the main clinical and laboratory features as well as the morbidity and mortality of juvenile systemic lupus erythematosus (JSLE) in Turkish children

Oxidative stress in hemodialyzed patients and the long-term effects of dialyzer reuse practice

Objectives: To investigate the existence of an altered oxidant/antioxidant balance in patients on regular hemodialysis treatment (RHT) and whether there is any effect of dialyzer reuse on oxidative damage and antioxidative mechanism

Castleman's disease - A case report

Angiofollicular lymph node hyperplasia or Castleman's Disease (CD) is a rare lymphoproliferative disorder that manifests itself as a local or generalized tumor-like condition affecting both lymph nodes and non-nodal tissues, usually in the chest and abdomen. Hyaline vascular and plasma cell types have been identified histologically. A new clinical form of CD with multisystemic involvement has been defined as multicentric Castleman's disease. It is very rare in childhoed, In this paper we present an eight-year-old boy with multicentric Castleman's disease