Heavy Metal and Thiol/Disulfide in Children with Attention-Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder.

Background: In the etiology of attention-deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), oxidative stress and heavy metal exposure are still controversial topics. In this study, our goal was to examine heavy metal levels and oxidative balance in newly diagnosed patients with ADHD and reveal whether heavy metal levels have an effect on the oxidation balance. Methods: The study included 35 patients with newly diagnosed ADHD and 31 healthy control groups of similar age and gender. Participants' parents or caregivers completed a semi-structured questionnaire regarding their children's breastfeeding and prenatal and postnatal smoking exposures. The levels of heavy metals lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), and cadmium were measured with inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy, and a unique automated spectrophotometric approach was used to quantify serum total thiol, native thiol, and disulfide quantities and ratios. Results: The rate of smoking during pregnancy was significantly higher in the ADHD group than in the control group (P = .030). Compared to the control group, the native and total thiol levels of children with ADHD were significantly higher (P < .001). Likewise, the ADHD group had significantly higher Hg levels compared to the control group (P = .002). Cadmium levels were substantially greater in the control group compared to the ADHD group (P < .001). However, there was no significant difference between Pb levels in the ADHD and the control group (P = .844). Conclusion: Exposure to Hg and prenatal smoking may contribute to the development of ADHD in childhood. In response to oxidative stress, the young brains of children with ADHD may enhance their antioxidant levels.

Assessment of healthcare professionals' perceptions and attitudes towards the COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey.

BACKGROUND: Determining the healthcare professionals' perceptions and attitudes towards the COVID-19 pandemic will contribute to managing and struggling their efforts against COVID-19. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine the perceptions and attitudes of healthcare professionals who are at the forefront in the fight against this pandemic. METHODS: In the study, the survey technique used as the data collection method and 216 participants agreed to participate. The questionnaire consisted of three sections. Reliability analysis and descriptive statistical methods used to analyze the data obtained using the SPSS package program. RESULTS: According to the study results, 80.4%of the participants perceive the probability of being infected with the COVID-19 to be very high, and 64%of them consider that the conditions are very favorable for them to be infected. More than half of them are afraid of being infected and believe that if they contract COVID-19, adverse effects may continue for a long time. Furthermore, almost all participants (96.20%) consider personal protective equipment beneficial and will protect them from the COVID-19 as a wise preventive measure. However, 82.30%of the participants stated that using personal protective equipment is uncomfortable, and 76.60%said it is challenging to take care of patients while using personal protective equipment. CONCLUSIONS: The current study results show that healthcare professionals are aware of how serious COVID-19 is, understand the importance of protective equipment in protection from COVID-19, and are seriously afraid of COVID-19. Given that the fears of healthcare professionals may have adverse effects on them, it is recommended that healthcare administrators take measures to comfort healthcare workers and ensure that they maintain their positive attitude towards COVID-19.

External hemorrhoidal disease in child and teenage: Clinical presentations and risk factors.

OBJECTIVE: Hemorrhoidal disease (HD), though mostly seen in adults, has recently emerged as a common problem among children. However, the diagnosis and treatment of HD in children is mostly based on the data obtained in adult studies. In this study, we aimed to evaluate risk factors, diagnostic and treatment modalities in the children diagnosed with external HD. METHODS: The study was conducted at Sakarya University Medical School Pediatric Surgery Department between January 2012 and July 2018. We reviewed children who were diagnosed as having HD at Pediatric Surgery clinic. Age, gender, presenting symptoms, physical examination findings, risk factors, and treatment outcomes were evaluated for each patient. RESULTS: The study included 56 patients with a mean age of 140.8±45.2 months. The patients comprised 48 (85.7%) boys and 8 (14.3%) girls. Constipation and a positive family history were the most common risk factor (n=33; 58.9%, n=29; 51.8%, respectively). Conservative treatment was performed in 53 (94.6%) patients. Recurrence was observed in 5 (8.9%) and skin tag was detected in 6 (10.7%) patients. CONCLUSIONS: External HD mostly occurs in boys in their second decade of life. Positive family history and constipation were the most common risk factors in our patients. Conservative treatment is sufficient for the management of external HD in children because of its low recurrence rates.