The long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes of infants born full-term with low birth weight.

Tosun A, Gürbüz-Özgür B, Aksu H, Kaynak-Türkmen M. The long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes of infants born full-term with low birth weight. Turk J Pediatr 2017; 59: 169-176. In this study, it was aimed to evaluate the neurological developments of pre-school or school-aged children together with their school successes, intelligence quotient and symptom severity of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder who were born at the 37th gestational week and above with birth weights below tenth percentile, which is called small for gestational age (SGA). A total of 74 patients with SGA and 75 healthy children were evaluated. The patients were evaluated by child neurologist and child psychiatrist. Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised, Ankara Developmental Screening Inventory, and The Turgay DSM-IV-Based Child and Adolescent Disruptive Behavioral Disorders Screening and Rating Scale (T-DSM-IV-S) were applied according to their age groups. SGA cases had been breastfed for shorter durations (p: 0.004), had walked later (p < 0.001), talked later (p < 0.001), and had encountered more vision disorders (p: 0.009) than the control group. SGA cases were determined to encounter febrile convulsions more frequently (p: 0.007). SGA cases were determined to exhibit lower school success (p < 0.001), were diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder more frequently (p < 0.001), and their mental developments were delayed (p < 0.001). In cases with SGA, inattention (p: 0.004) and conduct disorder (p: 0.029) subscales and the total scale scores (p: 0.022) of T-DSM-IV-S were significantly lower when compared to the control group. We consider that being SGA may have a negative impact on child`s behavior, attention and academic achievement in long-term.

The probable role of adrenomedullin and nitric oxide in childhood attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

BACKGROUND: The role of adrenomedullin hormone, which has been shown to be associated with many psychiatric disorders, in the etiology of ADHD and its relation to disease is not yet known. AIM: In this study, it was aimed to compare plasma adrenomedullin and nitric oxide (NO) levels of newly diagnosed, treatment-naive patients with ADHD with healthy children. METHODS: A total of 45 children with ADHD and 45 healthy children were included. The Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia Present and Lifetime Version (K-SADS), a semi-structured interview, was applied to all cases by child and adolescent psychiatrist. Age and gender matched participants who admitted to the hospital for any other reasons without any psychiatric diagnosis according to K-SADS were selected as a control group. Sociodemographic data form and The Turgay DSM-IV-Based Child and Adolescent Disruptive Behavioral Disorders Screening and Rating Scale-parental form were applied to the all groups. NO and adrenomedullin levels were analysed by ELISA method with specific commercial kits. RESULTS: There was no statistically significant difference in NO and adrenomedullin levels, neither between the groups nor ADHD subtypes. A positive correlation between adrenomedullin and NO levels was found in both the case (r = 0.659) and the control groups (r = 0.494). CONCLUSIONS: Besides being the first study to evaluate adrenomedullin levels to elucidate the etiology of childhood ADHD as well as NO, significant differences was not found between the case and the control groups in terms of NO and adrenomedullin levels.

The Effect of Congenital and Postnatal Hypothyroidism on Depression-Like Behaviors in Juvenile Rats.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate depression-like behaviors of juvenile rats with congenital and postnatal hypothyroidism. METHODS: Twenty-seven newborn rat pups were used. First, 6-month-old Wistar Albino female rats were impregnated. Methimazole (0.025% wt/vol) was given to dam rats from the first day of pregnancy until postnatal 21 days (P21) to generate pups with congenital hypothyroidism (n=8), whereas in the postnatal hypothyroidism group (n=10), methimazole was given from P0 to P21. In the control group (n=9), dam rats were fed ad libitum and normal tap water. Offspring were fed with breast milk from their mothers. The behavioral parameters were measured with the juvenile forced swimming test (JFST). The procedure of JFST consisted of two sessions in two consecutive days: the 15-minute pre-test on day 1 and the 5-minute test on day 2. RESULTS: Increased immobility and decreased climbing duration were observed in both congenital and postnatal hypothyroidism groups. Decreased swimming duration was detected in the postnatal hypothyroidism group. Both hypothyroidism groups had a lower body weight gain compared with the control group, while the congenital hypothyroidism group had the lowest body weight. CONCLUSION: Our results showed that hypothyroidism had negative effects on depression-like behavior as well as on growth and development. Both congenital and postnatal hypothyroidism caused an increase in immobility time in JFST. New studies are required to understand the differing results on depression-like behavior between congenital and postnatal hypothyroidism.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and other disruptive behavior disorders are risk factors for recurrent epistaxis in children: A prospective case-controlled study.

The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and other disruptive behavior disorders in children with recurrent epistaxis (RE). Children aged between 6-11 years were enrolled according to presence (n=34) and absence (n=103) of RE. Turgay DSM-IV-Based Child and Adolescent Disruptive Behavior Disorders Screening and Rating Scale was applied to parents. Moreover, Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children Present and Lifetime Version was performed. Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) and ADHD were determined in 17.6% and 32.4% of patients, respectively. When psychiatric diagnoses between both groups were compared, statistically significant differences were found in terms of ADHD and ODD (p=0.028 and p=0.003). In children with RE, the frequency of ADHD and ODD are higher than children without RE. A referral to a child psychiatrist should be considered, if a child with RE also has symptoms of increased activity, inattention and/or body-injurious behaviors.

Antidepressant-like effects of the xanthine oxidase enzyme inhibitor allopurinol in rats. A comparison with fluoxetine.

Allopurinol is a xanthine oxidase enzyme inhibitor that is widely used for the treatment of hyperuricemia and gout. The activity of tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase, which metabolizes tryptophan (TRP), is decreased by xanthine oxidase inhibitors, causing TRP levels in the body to be increased. Increases in TRP levels in the brain might have antidepressant effects. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the antidepressant effects of allopurinol compared to those of fluoxetine, which is a proven antidepressant. Thirty-two Wistar albino male rats were divided into four groups (control, 10mg/kg fluoxetine, 50mg/kg allopurinol, 50mg/kg allopurinol+10 mg/kg fluoxetine; n=8 per group), and forced swimming tests were performed before and after 14days of drug administration. Serotonin, 5-hydroxyindolacetic acid and uric acid levels were measured in blood samples after the final treatment. When allopurinol and fluoxetine were administered separately, a decrease in the duration of immobility and an increased duration of swimming were observed in the forced swimming test. The results showed similar antidepressant efficacies between allopurinol and fluoxetine. However, we found no statistically significant difference in the antidepressant effect of the combined therapy versus single drug therapy.