Aim: Diagnostic biomarkers are needed for pediatric acute appendicitis (AA). We hypothesized that presepsin (soluble CD14 subtype), a biomarker for sepsis, can also be used in pediatric AA and aimed to investigate its diagnostic value in those patients. Materials and Methods: This prospective case-control study was conducted on children admitted to the Pediatric Emergency Department with suspected acute appendicitis. Serum levels of interleukin-6, and presepsin were statistically analyzed for their diagnostic values. Results: No remarkable demographic differences were present between the 41 cases and 47 controls. Clinical and routine laboratory findings were significantly positive for acute appendicitis in the cases compared to controls. ROC analysis indicated an AUC for presepsin as 0.999 (CI 95%: 0.890-0.993) and for interleukin-6 as 0.963 (CI 95%:0.949-1.000). The best cut-off point value for presepsin was at 739 pg/ml, corresponding to a sensitivity of 97.56% and a specificity of 100%. The best cut-off point value for interleukin-6 was at 19 pg/ml, corresponding to a sensitivity of 97.56% and a specificity of 90.32%. Conclusions: Our study results indicate that presepsin can be considered a biomarker for diagnosing appendicitis in pediatric cases. Future studies might better include the combination with other biomarkers in pediatric cases.

AIM: Data on the likely interest in dietary support use in children during the COVID-19 pandemic are scarce and not well documented, compared to adults. In this survey study, we aimed to reveal predictors of pandemic-induced changes in nutritional behavior in children and adolescents. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Parents or caregivers of a total of 1327 children aged 6 to 18 years were requested to fill a survey questioning the use of common dietary supplements and/or conventional functional food by children before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Children were divided into 4 groups according to whether they received dietary supplements before/during the pandemic: those never received dietary supplements (Group 1), those already receiving/continued to receive (Group 2), those started to receive during pandemic (Group 3), those stopped to receive during pandemic (Group 4). RESULTS: A total of 1327 respondents completed the questionnaire. There were 322 (24.3%) children in Group 1, 313 (23.6%) children in Group 2, 679 (51.2%) children in Group 3 and 13 (1.0%) children in Group 4. Number of siblings (p