I. Safa Kaya

Salbutamol in the Treatment of Neonatal Hyperkalemia

Salbutamol is a beta-2 selective adrenoceptor agonist and is used extensively in the treatment of reversible obstructive airway disease of children [1]. The hypokalemic effect of salbutamol was investigated in adults with asthma and chronic renal failure [2-4]. We would like to draw attention to the successful treatment of hyperkalemia in 2 newborn infants

Pilomatrixoma: Patient Report of a Common Childhood Tumor

Pilomatrixomas are common skin appendage tumors of hair matrix cell origin that usually present as a slowly growing dermal or subcutaneous mass.1 The lesion is well known to dermatologists and pathologists but has received infrequent attention in the pediatric lit erature in spite of the fact that it has a distinct age distribution, occurring most commonly in children and adolescents.2 This report presents a case in which the preliminary clinical diagnosis was atypical mycobacterial cervical adenitis, with review of the literature to demonstrate the diagnostic dilemma that can occur.

Periumbilical skin length measurements in the newborn

Normal limits of periumbilical skin were determined in 304 newborn babies in the first 24 h. Cranial umbilical skin (SD) was 12.36 (3.23) mm and caudal umbilical skin (SD) was 8.76 (3.10) mm on the average. It is recommended that cranial umbilical skin measurement should be included in the examination of dysmorphic neonates, and those with cranial skin length above 18.82 mm (>2 SD) should be carefully evaluated for Rieger syndrome.

Lactational failure—Study of risk factors in Turkish mothers

Risk factors for lactational failure in puerperium were investigated. Sixty mothers with inadequate daily milk supply for their babies were the lactational failure group, and 60 mothers with similar age having babies with similar age and weight were chosen as the control group. Low prolactin levels, low serum iron and low serum ferritin levels and low aldosterone values and birth in community hospitals were associated with significantly increased risk of deficient lactation. High income of the family, increase osmolality of breastmilk, high systolic blood pressure of the mother, birth by cesarean section were some of the variables that increased the risk that could not reach the level of significance. Prematurity of the baby was not among the risk factors if the gestational ages were more than 30 weeks. It is concluded that physicians awareness of the factors that may adversely effect the initiation and continuation of lactation is vital. Correcting iron deficiency even if it is not overt, sparing more time for the mothers discussing the benefits of breastmilk to their babies, and avoiding cesarean section if possible may help increase the incidence of breastmilk feeding.