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Human bocavirus (HBOV) has been reported as a worldwide distributed respiratory pathogen. It has also been associated with encephalitis recently by detection of the virus in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients presented with encephalitis. This retrospective study aimed to present clinical features of HBOV infections in children with respiratory symptoms and describe unexplained encephalopathy in a subgroup of these patients. Results of 1,143 pediatric nasal samples from mid-December 2013 to July 2014 were reviewed for detection of HBOV. A multiplex real time polymerase chain reaction assay was used for viral detection. Medical records of the patients were retrospectively analyzed. HBOV was detected in 30 patients (2.6%). Median age was 14 months (5-80). Clinical diagnoses were upper respiratory tract infection (n = 10), bronchopneumonia (n = 9), acute bronchiolitis (n = 5), pneumonia (n = 4), acute bronchitis (n = 1), and asthma execarbation (n = 1). Hospitalization was required in 16 (53.3%) patients and 10 (62.5%) of them admitted to pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). Noninvasive mechanical ventilation modalities was applied to four patients and mechanical ventilation to four patients. Intractable seizures developed in four patients while mechanically ventilated on the 2nd-3rd days of PICU admission. No specific reason for encephalopathy was found after a thorough investigation. No mortality was observed, but two patients were discharged with neurological sequela. HBOV may lead to respiratory infections in a wide spectrum of severity. This report indicates its potential to cause severe respiratory infections requiring PICU admission and highlights possible clinical association of HBOV and encephalopathy, which developed during severe respiratory infection.

Objective:Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine problem in adolescents with an increasing prevalence of 30%. Pursuing new biomarkers with high specificity and sensitivity in the diagnosis of PCOS in adolescents is currently an active area of research. We aimed to investigate the diagnostic value of anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH), insulin-like peptide-3 (INSL3), inhibin-A (INH-A), and inhibin-B (INH-B) in adolescents with PCOS and also to determine the association, if any, between these hormones and clinical/laboratory findings related with hyperandrogenism.Methods:The study group comprised 53 adolescent girls aged between 14.5 and 20 years who were admitted to our outpatient clinic with symptoms of hirsutism and/or irregular menses and diagnosed as having PCOS in accordance with the Rotterdam criteria. Twenty-six healthy peers, eumenorrheic for at least two years and body mass index-matched, constituted the controls. Fasting blood samples for hormones [luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate (DHEAS), androstenedione (D4-A), total/free testosterone (T/fT), sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG), AMH, INSL3, INH-A, INH-B] were drawn after an overnight fast.Results:In the PCOS group, 83% of the subjects were oligomenorrheic/amenorrheic and 87% had hirsutism. The LH, LH/FSH ratio, total T, fT, free androgen-index (FAI), DHEAS levels were significantly higher (p=0.005, p=0.042, p=0.047, p<0.001, p=0.007, p=0.014, respectively) and SHBG was significantly lower (p=0.004) in PCOS patients as compared to the controls. Although the INSL-3 and INH-B levels showed no difference between the groups (p>0.05), AMH and INH-A levels were found to be significantly higher in the PCOS group compared to the controls (p<0.001, p<0.001, respectively). In multiple linear regression analysis, WC SDS (p=0.028), logD4-A (p=0.033), logSHBG (p=0.031), and total ovarian volume (p=0.045) had significant effects on AMH levels, and LH (p=0.003) on INH-A levels. In receiver-operating characteristic analysis, the cut-off values for AMH and INH-A were 6.1 ng/mL (sensitivity 81.1%) and 12.8 pg/mL (sensitivity 86.8%), respectively, to diagnose PCOS. When AMH and INH-A were used in combination, the sensitivity (96.2%) increased.Conclusion:INSL3 and INH-B were not found to have diagnostic value in adolescents with PCOS. On the other hand, it was shown that INH-A could be used as a new diagnostic biomarker in addition to AMH.

Aim: In our study, we aimed to clinically and epidemiologically evaluate respiratory tract infections the viral agents of which were detected by molecular methods and to compare influenza and other respiratory tract viruses in this context. Material and Methods:The records of 178 patients aged above 2 years who presented to pediatric emergency outpatient clinic with fever and respiratory tract infection findings between December 2013 and April 2014 were examined retrospectively. Results: At least one respiratory tract pathogen was detected by polymerase chain reaction in 78.6% (n=140) of the patients: influenza A 33.5%, influenza B 16.4%, respiratory syncytial virus 9.2%, adenovirus 7.8%, rhinovirus 7.1%, coronavirus 7.1%, human metapneumovirus 5.7%, human bocavirus 5.7%, parainfluenza virus 3.5%, coinfection 2.8%. The mean age of the patients was 6.3±3.6 years. Sixty-nine patients (49.2%) were aged between 2 and 5 years. Seventy-one patients (50.7%) were aged 5 years and above. Upper respiratory tract infection was found with a rate of 65.7% and lower respiratory tract infection was found with a rate of 34.2%. It was observed that the distribution of respiratory tract viruses showed variance by age groups. Influenza A infection was observed with the highest rate in both age groups. Influenza B was the second leading agent (p=0.008) above the age of 5 years and respiratory syncytial virus was the second leading agent in the 2-5 year age group (p=0.003). Influenza viruses were detected in 55.9% of 118 patients who were found to be compatible with the definition of "influenza-like illness" specified in the Center for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines and other viral agenst were detected in 44%. No difference could be found between the clinical pictures and radiological findings caused by influenza and other respiratory tract viruses. Conclusions: In this study, it was concluded that influenza and other respiratory viruses can not be differentiated definitely by clinical and radiological findings, though there are some differences. (Turk Pediatri Ars 2015; 50: 217-25)