We report a case of vertically transmitted chikungunya infection in heterozygous twin neonates presenting as seizures, encephalopathy, midfacial hyperpigmentation, anemia, and thrombocytopenia. This could be considered as a rare cause of neonatal seizure and identification would help in appropriate management.

Background: Children’s television viewing has been of concern to parents, educators and health care providers for almost as long as the television itself has been in existence. Objective of present study was to investigate the effect of cartoon viewing on the immediate motor executive function of 4-6 year old children.Methods: 279 children, aged 4-6 year old children were administered the Seguin Form board test to confirm they were all developmentally equal. These children were then randomly assigned to watch a fast paced television cartoon, a slow paced cartoon or colour an image. Following this they were then given 3 tasks to assess motor executive function, including the colour match, 4 two piece puzzle and separating coloured beads. The time taken to complete the task was noted and the data was analyzed.Results: Children who watched the fast-paced cartoon performed slower on the motor executive function tasks than the children in the other two groups. (p<0.001).Conclusions: Even ten minutes of viewing a fast paced television cartoon had immediate negative effects on 4-6 year old children’s motor executive function. Parents should be aware that fast paced cartoon shows could at least temporarily impair young children’s motor executive function.

Scrub typhus, a vector-borne rickettsiosis, is the leading treatable cause of non-malarial febrile illness in Asia. The myriad of typical and atypical features poses a clinical conundrum. We aimed to study the clinical and laboratory profile of children with scrub typhus infection diagnosed by IgM ELISA. Data of children < 12 years presenting with undifferentiated fever to the pediatric services of a tertiary teaching institute between January 2012 and December 2018 were retrieved. Children with seropositive IgM ELISA (InBios International Kit, Seattle, WA) for scrub typhus were enrolled in the study. Clinical features, laboratory investigations, treatment received, and the outcome recorded were obtained. Objective evidence of organ dysfunction was taken as severe scrub typhus. In total, 262 children were diagnosed with scrub typhus. The mean age was 5 years, with male preponderance (65%). And, 13 children presented during infancy. Fever was universal, and generalized lymphadenopathy (93.5%) and hepatomegaly (70%) were the common clinical signs. Eschar was identified in 31%, with greater predilection for groin and axilla. Thrombocytopenia was striking in one-third of children. Also, 25 children (9.5%) had severe scrub typhus and 18 required intensive care stay. Elevated aspartate aminotransferase enzyme levels was a predictor of severity ([OR 3.9], P value 0.005) by multivariate analysis. Lymphadenopathy was found significantly associated with eschar (P < 0.005). No mortality was recorded. This 6-year study underscores the varied spectrum of pediatric scrub typhus infection. Zero mortality in our cohort signifies the excellent outcome with judicious first-line antibiotics.

Objective To estimate the serum zinc levels in children under the age of 5 years with febrile seizures and febrile children without seizures Materials and Methods In this cross-sectional study from 2017 to 2018, 40 children with febrile seizures (simple and complex) were taken as cases. Forty age- and sex-matched febrile children without convulsions were recruited as controls. Serum zinc estimates were analyzed using a spectrophotometer (Biolis 50i–Autoanalyzer). Statistical Analysis The demographic variables and serum zinc estimates were analyzed using the Mann–Whitney test. The odds ratio was used to calculate the association of zinc deficiency in febrile seizures; 5% level of significance was considered. Results The mean serum concentrations of zinc in the cases and controls were 83.8 ± 33.1 μg/dL and 116.3 ± 30.3 μg/dL, respectively (p = 0.002). Hypozincemia defined by “a serum zinc level of less than 63 μg/dL” was found in 12 (30%) cases and 2(5%) controls with an odds ratio of 8:1. Conclusion Children with febrile seizures had significantly reduced concentrations of zinc in the serum.

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