Turkish J Pediatr
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In the last twenty-five years more has been learned about the human brain than in the past history of mankind. Through the use of new technologies such as PET and CAT scans and functional MRI's, it is now possible to see and learn much about the human brain while it is in the process of thinking. The research of neuroscientists, such as Marian Diamond, has demonstrated that the brain changes physiologically as a result of learning and experience--for better or worse--and that plasticity can continue throughout the lifespan. ⋯ And--of critical importance if any of this is to lead to a healthy future--they are helping students to learn to use knowledge responsibly, ethically, and with integrity. Furthermore, they are involving students in experiences that develop compassion and altruism in the process of their education. Our complex world urgently needs more people who have developed their fullest potential in mind, body, and spirit.
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The acute onset of cyanosis in an infant is an alarming development. We report an infant who became cyanotic after injection of prilocaine. Prilocaine is a local anesthetic that is widely used in clinical practice, but usage in infancy easily causes methemoglobinemia. Acquired methemoglobinemia occurs in individuals exposed to an increased amount of agents that oxidize hemoglobin iron.
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Lipid peroxidation was measured in 35 preterm infants by determining serum malondialdehyde (MDA) levels during the fist week of life. Serum concentrations of MDA were measured at one hour, 24 hours, 48 hours and one week of age. There were no correlations between gestational age, birth weight, and serum malondialdehyde levels at one, 24, or 48 hours, or on day seven. ⋯ No significant difference in serum MDA concentration was seen in relation to intravenous feeding with lipid emulsions. Serum MDA concentrations of infants with sepsis were not different at hours one, 24 and 48, but were significantly higher on day seven, when compared with infants without sepsis. MDA levels in the first and second serum samples were significantly higher in infants who were born after spontaneous vaginal delivery, compared to those born by cesarean section.
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Proptosis, unilateral or bilateral, is a frequent indication for medical evaluation and orbital computed tomography. The most common cause of proptosis in adults and children is inflammatory disorders. Orbital myositis is a subgroup of the orbital pseudotumor syndrome in which one or more of the extraocular muscles are primarily infiltrated by an inflammatory process. ⋯ In our case, we observed clinically and by orbital computed tomography, evidence of isolated bilateral extraocular muscle swelling after upper respiratory tract infection. Proptosis and other findings were spontaneously and completely resolved after twenty days. Because proptosis caused by orbital myositis is extremely rate in children and there is limited information in the literature, this case was reported.
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Neonatal sepsis is a life-threatening emergency and any delay in treatment may cause death. Initial signs of neonatal sepsis are slight and nonspecific. Therefore, in suspected sepsis, two or three days empirical antibiotic therapy should begin immediately after cultures have been obtained without awaiting the results. ⋯ Staphylococci are susceptible to penicillinase-resistant penicillins (e.g. oxacillin, nafcillin and methicillin). Resistant strains are uniformly sensitive to vancomycin. A penicillin or vancomycin and an aminoglycoside combination result in a more rapid bacteriocidal effect than is produced by either dr