We believe that AHEI is a benign disorder, despite its dramatic appearance. We want to point out that mucosal and trunk involvement may also occur in AHEI.

We think that urolithiasis remains a serious problem in children in our country. Family history of urolithiasis, urologic abnormalities (especially under the age of 5 years), metabolic disorders and urinary tract infections tend to indicate childhood urolithiasis.

Our results suggest that endothelial damage starts in the early stage of CKD, that the endothelial dysfunction becomes overt with the increase of cardiovascular risk factors and that EMPs may be a reliable marker of the subclinical atherosclerosis and arterial stiffness.

M694V homozygosity is associated with phenotype II and amyloidosis compared to other common genotypes in patients with FMF. Despite current knowledge on FMF, prospective clinical studies with large numbers of patients and different ethnic groups will help us to clarify this considerable disease.

A retrospective review was performed of the records of 85 children with urinary-tract calculi evaluated and treated during a 12-year period. The study evaluated the patients' age, sex, initial complaints, etiology, relevant pathological factors, stone location, mode of treatment, and stone analysis. There were 68 boys and 17 girls, a ratio of 4:1. Patient age ranged from 10 months to 16 years (average 8.2 years). Flank pain was the most common manifestation. Seventy patients had calculi in the upper urinary tract and 31 in the lower urinary tract; 16 had stones in more than one site and 15 had bilateral stones. Hypercalciuria was the most common metabolic disorder. Most patients underwent open surgical procedures for removal of their calculi; 5 stones were successfully removed endoscopically. In 3 cases, the stones passed spontaneously. Calcium oxalate and calcium phosphate stones were present in 32 cases, struvite in 5, cystine in 2, and uric acid in 1 Urolithiasis is still one of the most common pediatric urologic problems in Turkey, but as living standards improve, the incidence of the disease has tended to decline in recent years. Anatomic anomalies and metabolic disorders are of great importance in the etiology of stone disease.

Our results showed that urolithiasis in infants may present nonspecific symptoms and may even be asymptomatic and that a positive family history for urolithiasis, urologic abnormalities, metabolic disorders, urinary tract infections, vitamin D administration and feeding with formula may increase the occurrence of urolithiasis in infants.

Primary peritonitis is a well-described infectious complication of nephrotic syndrome. Current data on the true incidence of peritonitis and efficacy of preventive pneumococcal vaccination are not clear in this group of children. In this nationwide study, among a total of 268 patients with an initial diagnosis of steroid sensitive nephrotic syndrome, eight episodes of primary peritonitis were detected in seven patients during 5 years. All eight attacks of peritonitis occurred in the relapse period. Seven of these peritonitis episodes occurred in the first 2 years of nephrotic syndrome, three of them during the first attack. One patient had two attacks with a 6-month interval. Only two of the patients were steroid sensitive, while four of them were steroid dependent, and one was steroid resistant at the diagnosis of peritonitis. The causing microorganism was identified in three patients (Streptococcus hemolyticus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and alpha-hemolytic Streptococcus). Incidence of peritonitis (2.6%) in our series was not high when compared with previous reports. None of the patients had been immunized against pneumococcus before or after the peritonitis attack. It raises the question if the vaccine is necessary for every child with steroid sensitive nephrotic syndrome. However, we suggest that immunization against pneumococcus is not indicated in children with steroid-responsive nephrotic syndrome (NS) and should be reserved for the small number of children who have steroid-dependent or steroid-resistant NS.

Although TBW increases in children with SSNS, intravascular volume is normal. In addition, hypoalbuminemia and sodium retention of the proximal tubule cause edema in children with SSNS.