Despite improvements in diagnosis and treatment, invasive fungal infections (IFIs) are still a major cause of morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised patients. The data on IFI among children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) are still scarce, and our aim was to estimate the risk, aetiology and outcome of proven and probable IFIs in children with ALL who did not receive primary prophylaxis over an 8-year period. Between January 2005 and February 2013, 125 children who were treated for ALL at the Pediatric Hematology Department of the Medical School of Ege University were retrospectively reviewed. Proven and probable IFIs were defined according to revised definitions of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer/Invasive Fungal Infections Cooperative Group and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Mycoses Study Group. The proven and probable IFI incidence was 30/125 (24%). Profound neutropenia was detected in 18 (60%) patients, and prolonged neutropenia was detected in 16 (53.3%) of the patients. The most isolated agents were non-albicans Candida spp. The crude and attributable mortality was 20% and 13.3% respectively. Profound neutropenia was associated with mortality (P < 0.05). The younger patients were especially at risk for proven IFI. Prolonged neutropenia, to be in the induction phase of chemotherapy, and profound neutropenia were found to be the most common predisposing factors for IFI episodes.

Objective: Although the mechanism of febrile convulsion is not yet clear, some changes in the level of trace elements such as zinc have been suggested to be responsible for the pathogenesis. Material and Methods: This study was carried out with 88 children, 40 girls, 48 boys between 6-72 months of age who visited the Pediatric Emergency Department of Okmeydanı Research and Training Hospital from Agust 2009 to November 2009. The children were divided into three groups. The first group included 45 patients with complaints of febrile convulsion, the second group included 23 children who had visited for fever but did not have convulsions, and the third group consisted of 20 healthy children. Results: Mean serum zinc concentration of patients who had febrile convulsions was 110.49±35.03 µg/ dL, whereas mean serum zinc concentrations of children with fever and healthy children were 107.12±21.66 µg/dL and 116.12±32.07 µg/dL, respectively.There is no statistically significant difference between the three groups in terms of zinc levels. We did not find any difference between serum zinc levels in patients who had one or more convulsions. Conclusion: Our findings do not support the hypothesis that febrile convulsion is related to reduced serum zinc concentration, thus necessitating further studies involving larger sample sizes in order to understand the role of zinc in the pathogenesis of febrile convulsion.

GM may be detected in the serum before the clinical signs of IA appear, but its sensitivity and specificity are variable. False-positivity is a significant disadvantage, and consecutive positive GM must be taken into account in the case of clinical and imaging findings that are relevant to IA.

Compared to FOBT or genetic testing the M2-PK test seems to be superior for CRC screening. Concerning handling, effectiveness and analysis, M2-PK seems to be a good possibility for large scale-screening of colorectal carcinoma. It might even be used to detect larger adenomas. Elevated levels of M2-PK in patients with acute and/or chronic inflammatory bowel diseases are probably due to proliferation of epithelial cells and leucocytes in the inflammatory area.

Background: Proper clinical use of blood products requires competent theoretical and practical knowledge of transfusion medicine. In this study, we aimed to evaluate levels of transfusion medicine knowledge and attainment of educational targets and identify factors affecting the education of transfusion medicine. Methods: A multicentric survey study was performed among final-year medical students. The questions were prepared based on learning objectives for transfusion medicine curriculum. The questionnaire focused on the safety of blood transfusion administration. Results: The survey included 727 (24%) of 3009 students enrolled in 13 medical schools. In the competence self-assessment, 65% of the students reported that transfusion medicine education was insufficient. Only 14% felt competent in recognizing transfusion complications and applying first-line treatment. For initiating and monitoring transfusions, 41% stated they could manage under supervision and 7% stated they had sufficient practice, while the remaining 52% considered themselves completely insufficient in this area. The 10 questions assessing basic knowledge and attainment of educational targets had 53 choices. This indicates that intern doctors were not able to recognize 50% of the correct and 30% of the incorrect information. Conclusion: A large proportion of medical students did not have adequate theoretical knowledge or self-assessed practical competency in transfusion medicine.