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The most common cause of hospitalization of full-term newborns is an excess of bilirubin in the blood, called hyperbilirubinemia. Phototherapy, which has been demonstrated to be an effective way of decreasing bilirubin concentration, is expensive and requires hospitalization. This can interrupt breast-feeding by separating the infant from the mother. An alternative to bilirubin, oral agar, can bind bilirubin to the gut and thereby lessen enterohepatic circulation of bilirubin. Oral agar was compared with three other modes of treatment: phototherapy alone, oral agar alone or phototherapy plus oral agar. Results showed that the combination of phototherapy and oral agar was the most effective of the three treatments. However, oral agar alone can be used for the treatment of hyperbilirubinemia, because it has been demonstrated to be as effective as phototherapy., Objective. To determine the value of oral agar in the treatment of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia and to compare it with two other treatment modalities: phototherapy alone and phototherapy plus oral agar. Methods. Two hundred eight jaundiced full-term newborns were divided into four groups. They were given either phototherapy alone, phototherapy plus oral agar, oral agar alone, or no treatment (control group). The changes in the serum bilirubin values were determined and the results were compared statistically, mainly using analysis of variance. Results. In all three therapy groups, the time required to reduce the bilirubin level to either 15 mg/dL or to 10 mg/dL was significantly shorter than that required by the control group. Although oral agar was found to be as effective as phototherapy, the most significant decrease in bilirubin level was in the combination group. Conclusions. The efficacy of phototherapy in decreasing the serum bilirubin level in neonatal hyperbilirubinemia can be augmented with the use of oral agar. Oral agar can also be used as a single agent for the treatment of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia, since it is as effective as phototherapy. Pediatrics 1993;92:86-89; phototherapy, oral agar, hyperbilirubinemia, neonate.

Abstract Background: Measles outbreaks seem to occur every 2- to 3-year intervals in Turkey. However, sero-epidemiological studies are limited. Knowing the prevalence of measles susceptibility as measured either by serologic markers of immunity or surveys of vaccination coverage is an important tool to assess the risk for measles outbreaks. Methods: In order to determine the seroprevalence of measles antibodies among a 1 to 29-year-old population in İzmir (Turkey) and to develop the best vaccination policy for measles, a total of 600 people aged from 1 to 29 were selected for the study with cluster sampling. The information on sociodemographic characteristics, vaccination status and measles history was gathered for each participant. Measles-specific IgG antibodies were screened qualitatively by using microenzyme immune assay for 595 subjects. Results: Of the 595 participants screened for the measles antibodies, 56 (9.4%) were seronegative. The proportion of the susceptible individuals in the age groups of 1–4, 5–9, 10–14, 15–19 and 20–29 was 20.0, 10.4, 6.0, 10.3 and 3.0%, respectively. The logistic regression analysis showed that none of the independent characteristics (sex, socioeconomic status, past measles history, vaccination status) with the exception of age group, was significantly associated with measles seronegativity. Conclusion: The optimal measles vaccination policy for Turkey may be to increase vaccination coverage above 90%, to conduct a catch-up campaign covering persons aged 1–19, regardless of previous vaccination status. Another factor to consider is to adopt a routine two-dose vaccination, giving the first dose at 12_15 months of age and the second dose at school entry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to investigate the caries-related microorganisms in saliva and the prevalence of Early childhood caries (ECC) in 15- to 35-month-old Turkish children and their associations with the characteristics of the mothers, socioeconomic criteria, and feeding habits of the children. Methods: Saliva samples of 101 children were studied to determine the numbers of Streptococcus mutans, lactobacilli, and Candida albicans. A questionnaire regarding the characteristics of the mothers, socioeconomic criteria, and feeding habits of the children was carried out before the dental examinations of the mother-child pairs. Results: The regression analyses revealed DMFS scores of the mothers as an impact factor for the children's caries experience. The prolonged usage of feeding bottle with sweetened milk, pacifier use, and maternal sharing were strongly associated with the colonization of S mutans, lactobacilli, and C albicans, respectively. A significant correlation was also found between maternal education and S mutans. Conclusion: Data indicated that the mother's DMFS scores, education, and feeding habits were strong risk indicators for the colonization of caries-related micro-organisms and ECC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]