Evaluation of micronutrient levels in children with cerebral palsy.

BACKGROUND: Many studies evaluating the nutritional status of children with cerebral palsy (CP) have focused on energy requirements and protein intake. The present work aimed to assess nutritional status and micronutrient levels of children with (CP). METHODS: This multicenter, cross-sectional and observational study was conducted in 10 different cities in Turkey. Data were available for 398 participants. Anthropometric measurements, feeding mode, nutritional status, and micronutrient levels were evaluated. RESULTS: The study was conducted with 398 participants (303 patients and 95 healthy controls). Statistical analysis showed that according to the Gomez Classification, weight-for-age (WFA) revealed malnutrition in 92.6% of children with CP, based on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention percentiles. Measurements of micronutrient levels showed that zinc levels were low in patients, whereas vitamin A levels were low in controls. Phosphorous and manganese levels were significantly lower in malnourished children than in typical children. The results revealed that children consuming enteral nutrition solutions had higher selenium and lower zinc levels than non-consumers. CONCLUSIONS: Malnutrition is not only a protein- or calorie-based problem; micronutrient deficiencies might cause severe health problems. Children with chronic neurological disabilities must be carefully evaluated for these issues. Therefore, nutritional interventions should be adapted to nutrition.

Evaluation of erectile dysfunction in patients with asthma.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the current study was to investigate Erectile dysfunction (ED) in asthma patients without comorbidity and the relationship between the level of asthma control and ED. METHODS: Forty male patients aged 24-50 years with controlled-to-uncontrolled asthma and 20 healthy volunteers were included in this study. The International Index of Erectile Function Questionnaire (IIEF) for ED was used. RESULTS: Evaluation of the IIEF scores for ED showed that 23 (57.5%) of the asthma patients and 4 (20.0%) of the controls had various degrees of ED, and the difference was statistically significant. In total, 25% of asthma patients had mild ED, 22.5% moderate ED, and 10% severe ED. Severe, moderate and mild ED was more frequent in the asthma group. Of the 23 patients who had various degrees of ED, 13 were in the uncontrolled asthma group. While all asthma patients with severe ED were in the uncontrolled asthma group, of the 9 asthma patients with moderate ED, 6 were in the uncontrolled asthma group, 2 were in the partially controlled asthma group and one was in the controlled asthma group. Additionally, of the 10 asthma patients with mild ED, 3 were in the uncontrolled asthma group, 2 were in the partially controlled asthma group and 5 were in the controlled asthma group. CONCLUSION: The current study showed that ED is frequent and more severe in asthma patients than controls with same age. A highly negative correlation was found between ED degree and asthma control severity.

Objective and Subjective Aspects of Voice in Pregnancy.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate vocal changes in pregnancy according to trimesters both objectively and subjectively. METHODS: Fifty pregnant women and 15 nonpregnant women were included in the study. Eighteen of the 50 pregnant women were in the first trimester, 17 in the second trimester, and 15 in the third trimester of their pregnancies. The fundamental frequency (F0), jitter, shimmer, noise-to-harmonics ratio (NHR), and minimum and maximum pitch were determined during acoustic voice analysis. Laryngologic examination was evaluated via reflux finding score (RFS). Voice Handicap Index 10 (VHI-10) was used for subjective analysis. RESULTS: Maximum phonation time (MPT), VHI-10, and RFS were the parameters that differed significantly. MPT was significantly shorter in the third trimester. Acoustic analysis revealed that F0, jitter, shimmer, NHR, and minimum and maximum pitch values were not significantly different in any groups. RFS was higher in the first and third trimesters than the second trimester and control groups. VHI-10 scores were significantly higher in the third trimester. CONCLUSIONS: Our results showed that MPT is decreased during the third trimester, although acoustic parameters did not differ. VHI-10 results deteriorated in the third trimester significantly.