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Background. Fever is one of the leading causes of hospital admissions in children. Although there are many ways to measure body temperature, the optimal method and the anatomic site are still controversial. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the performance of new methods of measuring body temperature and to compare the accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of these methods. Methods. The body temperatures of the patients who were hospitalized as inpatients or who presented to the emergency room as outpatients between November 2014- March 2015 were measured and recorded. Mercury and digital axillary measurements, tympanic, temporal artery and non-contact skin temperatures were measured. Measurements were compared with each other. Results. According to our results temperature tends to increase over time for up to 8 minutes after placement when using axillary thermometers. Non-contact skin thermometers should be used only for follow-up of patients with fever, because of their low sensitivity and low negative predictivity. At the first examination, tympanic thermometers and axillary thermometers may be preferable for the diagnosis of fever. Conclusions. According to our results, using non-contact thermometers seems feasible and logical during the follow-up ofpatients with fever, but not in cases whose exact body temperature should be known. For the first examination of the patient to diagnose fever, tympanic thermometers and axillary thermometers may be preferable. Future studies are warranted to expose the optimum way of measuring body temperature in children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to evaluate the demographic characteristics of children who experienced out-of-hospital cardiopulmonary arrest (CPA), and to assess the impact of the bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on the survival rate of witnessed arrests and the effects of the arrest and CPR durations on the neurological outcomes. This multicenter, retrospective study included a total of 182 patients who underwent CPR for out-of-hospital CPA between January 2008 and December 2012 at six centers in Ankara, Turkey. The median [interquartile range (IQR)] age was 22 (5-54) months; 60.4% of the patients were males, and 44% were younger than one year of age. The witnessed arrest rate was 75.8% (138/182) and the rate of bystander CPR was 13.9% (13/93). In these patients the rate of the return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) was higher (76.9%). Following resuscitation in the patients for whom the spontaneous circulation was able to be returned, the median (IQR) duration of arrest was 5 (1-15) min, while it was 15 (5-40) min for the remaining patients (p<0.001). The ROSC rate was 94.9% in patients who underwent CPR for less than 20 min and 22% in patients requiring CPR longer than 20 min (p<0.001). Survival to hospital discharge was 14.3%. Of these patients, 57.7% experienced neurological disability. The short duration of an arrest and the presence of CPR are both critical for survival. We suggest that a witness to the CPA, performing early and efficient CPR, yields better results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Listeria monocytogenes is an important cause of life-threatening bacteremia and meningoencephalitis in neonates, pregnant women, the elderly, and immunocompromised individuals. However, it is an uncommon cause of illness in immunocompetent children beyond the neonatal period. Ampicillin with or without an aminoglycoside remains the best treatment for listeriosis. Here, we report a rare case of Listeria meningitis and bacteremia in a 7-month-old immunocompetent girl, which was refractory to ampicillin plus gentamicin treatment and successfully treated by the addition of TMP/SMX. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Datura stramonium (DS) is a hallucinogenic plant that can produce anticholinergic toxicity because of its significant concentrations of toxic alkaloids, such as atropine, hyoscyamine, and scopolamine. DS grows in both rural and urban areas in Turkey. Clinical findings of toxicity are similar to those of atropine toxicity. DS abuse is common among adolescents because of its hallucinatory effects. However, accidental DS poisoning from contaminated food is very rare. Accidental poisonings are commonly seen among children. Children are more prone to the toxic effects of atropine; ingestion of even a small amount can cause serious central nervous system symptoms. Treatment is supportive; antidote treatment is given rarely. An eight-year-old male with accidental DS poisoning who presented to the Pediatric Emergency Department with aggression, agitation, delirium, and visual hallucinations is reported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pelvic ultrasonography (US) is a simple and non-invasive radiologic test to evaluate the pelvic organs. It requires a full bladder for better visualization. Our case is a 14-year-old female with diabetes insipidus (DI) who admitted to . the pediatric emergency service with the complaints of seizure and agitation after drinking 4 liters of water in one hour for a pelvic US examination due to work-up for delayed puberty. Her biochemical and clinical evaluation revealed water intoxication (WI). To our knowledge, this is the first WI case developed in a patient with DI. Here, we discuss the underlying factors leading to this complication and recommended an approach to obtain a better sonographic image without necessitating oral water intake to fill the urinary bladder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seroprevalence data indicate that West Nile virus (WNV) activity is present in Turkey; however, no pediatric cases of WNV infection have been reported to date. WNV is an emerging flavivirus in Turkey, and in September 2010, the Turkish Ministry of Health reported the first seven cases of laboratory-confirmed WNV infection from five different cities in the western part of the country. This is the first report of a child from central Anatolia, indicating the existence of the virus in other regions of the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]