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In this study, the perinatal mortality is presented in 2009 compared to 1998. Changing patterns of the perinatal mortality rate (PNMR), the stillbirth rate (SBR), early neonatal mortality rate (ENMR) and the causes of the perinatal mortality in Zekai Tahir Burak Women's Health Education and Research Hospital (ZTBH) were described. This is the largest maternity hospital of Ankara in the central Anatolian region of Turkey. The total deliveries were 22,777 and 18,567 in 1998 and 2009, respectively. PNMR was 27.7 per 1000, and SBR was 23.7 per 1000 total births. ENMR was 4 per 1000 in 1998. PNMR is 20.7 per 1000, and SBR was 16.3 per 1000 and ENMR was 4.6 per 1000 total births in 2009. It is important to know the causes of mortality. In this study, the causes of perinatal deaths were classified according to the Wigglesworth classification. Antepartum stillbirth (62.3%) was the most frequent cause in 1998. Perinatal asphyxia is the majority (46.6%) of the perinatal deaths in 2009. This study shows that even prenatal care is getting better, obstetric care as well as close follow-up throughout the intrapartum period and diminishing the preterm delivery rate is also important for preventing and reducing perinatal mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary This study investigated bilirubin levels in 282 1-month-old, healthy, term infants from the Adana region in southern Turkey. Total bilirubin was >5 mg/dl in 20.2% of the infants and >10 mg/dl in 6% of the group. Thyroid function and levels of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase and glucose6-phosphate dehydrogenase were determined in babies with bilirubin levels >5 mg/dl. The results were normal in all but one case, an infant with a bilirubin level of >10 mg/dl and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency. The results indicate that in this population a 5-mg/dl cut-off level for further investigation would mean that 20% of all infants would require further evaluation. This is not cost-effective. Based on our findings, we suggest that the cut-off level for investigating prolonged jaundice in term, 1-month-old, healthy infants in the Turkish population should be >5 mg/dl. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To evaluate the diagnostic potential of resistin in sepsis and to compare results with C-reactive protein (CRP) in infants < 32 weeks of gestation. Study Design A total of 64 infants were prospectively included in the study. Blood samples were collected for basal CRP and resistin within the first hour of life. When sepsis was suspected, samples were collected for CRP and resistin before the treatment was started (pretreatment CRP and resistin). On the third day of sepsis, CRP and resistin levels were measured for evaluating the treatment response (follow-up CRP and followup resistin). Culture-proven septic patients were divided into groups according to early or late-onset sepsis (EOS and LOS) and gram-negative or gram-positive sepsis (GNS and GPS). Results Pretreatment and follow-up resistin levels were significantly higher than basal resistin levels in both EOS and LOS groups (p < 0.01), with a positive correlation with CRP levels. To predict the GNS and GPS area under curve, values of pretreatment CRP and resistin were 0.714 and 0.984, respectively (p = 0.039). Conclusion Resistin had a superior potential to that of CRP in the diagnosis of sepsis in preterm infants. Resistin may be used as an early marker for sepsis in premature infants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]