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Aim We aimed to assess the impact of COVID‐19 on asthma exacerbations and to compare the severity of symptoms of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection of asthmatic children with those of healthy children. Methods The clinical course of COVID‐19 was compared among 89 children with asthma and 84 healthy children with age‐ and gender‐matched. Demographic factors, severity of asthma, duration of asthma, presence of atopy, type of treatment, and compliance to treatment in asthmatic children on clinical course of infection and to determine the risk factors for severe course for asthma exacerbation during COVID‐19 were evaluated retrospectively. Demographic characteristics, clinical symptoms, duration of complaints, and hospitalization rates were statistically compared between the two groups. Results Both groups had similar rates of symptomatic disease, hospitalization, and duration of fever. Among children with asthma mean age was 10.3 years, 59.6% were male, and 84.3% had mild asthma. Dyspnea was more prevalent in asthmatic children ( p :0.012), but other clinical findings were not different from those of healthy controls. 12.4% ( n :11) of asthmatic children had asthma exacerbation, 2.2% ( n :2) of them were hospitalized; one (1.1%) of which was due to asthma exacerbation. Conclusion The course of COVID‐19 in patients with mild to moderate asthma, who were followed up regularly and who were compliant with their treatment, was similar to their healthy peers. Since there was no severe asthma case in our study, the results could not have been generalized to all asthmatic patients. Further comprehensive and multicenter studies are required in pediatric population.

Secondhand smoke exposure is associated with increased oxidative stress and decreased paraoxonase-1 without any change in antioxidant status.

Objective:Malnutrition continues to be a leading cause of stunted growth in many countries. This study aimed to investigate serum nesfatin-1 and orexin-A levels in underweight children and the potential correlations of these levels with anthropometric and nutritional parameters.Methods:The study enrolled 44 prepubertal children (between 2 and 12 years of age) with thinness grades of 1-3 and 41 healthy age- and gender-matched children. The demographic, clinical and laboratory parameters including nesfatin-1 and orexin-A concentrations were compared between the two groups. The correlations of nesfatin-1 and orexin-A with biochemical and anthropometric parameters were investigated. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis were also performed for evaluating nesfatin-1 and orexin-A in distinguishing children with malnutrition from healthy controls.Results:Thyroid-stimulating hormone, vitamin B12 and insulin levels were significantly lower in the study group than controls (p=0.001, p=0.049 and p=0.033, respectively). Mean nesfatin-1 levels in the malnourished group was also significantly lower compared to the healthy controls (3871.2±1608.8 vs. 5515.0±3816.4 pg/mL, p=0.012). No significant difference was observed in the orexin-A levels between the two groups (malnourished vs. control groups: 1135.7±306.0 vs. 1025.7±361.6 pg/mL, p=0.141). Correlation analyses revealed a positive correlation of nesfatin-1 and a negative correlation of orexin-A with body mass index (BMI) z-score. ROC analysis demonstrated that nesfatin-1 and orexin-A cannot be used to distinguish children with malnutrition from healthy controls (AUC: 0.620, p=0.061 for nesfatin-1 and AUC: 0.584, p=0.190 for orexin-A).Conclusion:The positive correlation of nesfatin-1 and the negative correlation of orexin-A with BMI suggest that these neuropeptides may be a part of a protective mechanism in the maintenance of nutritional status and that they may have a role in regulating food intake in undernourished children.

Background: Free radicals found in cigarette smoke can harm all tissues and cellular structures in the human body. Passive smoking increases free radical production, leads to the depletion of antioxidants and increases oxidative stress which causes lipid peroxidation. Many studies have been conducted to determine the effects of passive smoking on antioxidant enzymes and lipid levels in adults, but pediatric studies on this topic are few. In our study, we compared the levels of antioxidants, oxidants, total and LDL cholesterol in children exposed to passive cigarette smoking with a healthy control group that was not exposed to passive smoking. Methods: A total of 41 children (4-17 years of age, 24 girls and 17 boys) exposed to passive smoking and 18 healthy girls and 12 healthy boys were included in this study. Secondhand smoking was confirmed via measurement of the cotinine/creatinine ratio. Various sociodemographic characteristics of patients were recorded. The levels of catalase, thiol, myeloperoxidase were measured to determine the antioxidant and oxidant levels in children, while the levels of total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol were measured to determine the alterations in lipid profile. Results: The groups were similar in regard to demographic characteristics. Myeloperoxidase levels were significantly higher in the passive cigarette smoking group compared to the non-exposure group; however, catalase and thiol levels were similar. In regard to lipid profile, the levels of total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol were also similar in those with and without exposure to passive smoking. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that the effects of passive smoking initially influence oxidants (MPO), but not antioxidants (thiol and catalase). However, it is apparent that passive smoking adversely affects oxidative balance in children and this may lead to the development of various diseases which could cause significant morbidity and mortality.