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In this experimental study, exogenously administered melatonin effectively protected against brain injury by oxidative stress. This protective effect of melatonin may be due to its direct scavenger activity and activation of CAT. Thus, melatonin may potentially be useful in the treatment of neurodegenerative conditions that may involve free radical production, such as perinatal hypoxia.

The infrared skin thermometer applied to the mid-forehead is a useful and valid device for easy and less painful measurement of skin temperature in preterm infants <1500 g of birthweight.

Objective: Immun response against pertussis can be induced by infection and/or vaccination and vaccine induced immunity is known to wane within the following decade. Our aim was to assess the pertussis immun response among adolescent girls in Edirne province in Turkey and to determine its relationship with some parameters.Material and Method: The serum sample collection, representing 12 to 17 years old adolescent girls was consisted of 359 subjects and was selected from school lists by systematic and random sampling which weighted by age, urban-rural residence strata proportional to the corresponding distributions in Edirne population. Pertussis immunity was determined by in-house ELISA method and anti-PT and anti-FHA antibody titers were measured quantitatively.Results: The overall ratio of having protective levels of antibody (Ͼ10 EU/ml) were 95,3% and 97,2% for anti-pertussis toxin and anti-filamentous hemagglutinin, respectively. The ratio of antibody in protective levels for anti-pertussis toxin and anti-filamentous hemagglutinin in 12 and 14 years age group were found as 94,1%; 97,0%; in 15 and 17 years age group 97,5% and 97,5%; in rural area 96,7%; 97,5%, in urban area 94,5%, 97,5%, respectively (pϾ0.05).Conclusion: The high ratio of having protective levels of antibodies might be an indicator of the previous infections that is a threat for infants who have not completed primary immunization. In this respect, adult immunization should be discussed. BRAIN DAMAGE OF EXTREMELY LOW BIRTH WEIGHT INFANTS WITH HISTOPATHOLOGIC CHORIOAMNIONITIS DEPARTMENT OF ONCOLOGICAL AND SURGICAL SCIENCES-SECTION OF PATHOLOGY (ITALY)Background/aims: Neonatal cerebral white matter injury is the major precursor for neurological impairment and cerebral palsy. Chorioamnionitis has been associated with periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) in very low birth weight (VLBW) infants. We evaluated the association between occurrence and pathological severity of histological chorioamnionitis (HCA) and brain damage in VLBW infants.Methods: A prospective histological study on 287 placentas was performed in preterm infants (Ͻ 32ϩ6 weeks gestation), consecutively admitted to III level NICU of Padua University from January 1999 to December 2004. Development of intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) or PVL was related to the evidence of HCA and to chorioamnion inflammatory scores, according to Naeye et al.Results: Among the 287 NICU admitted preterm infants, 68 (23.6%) showed HCA, and 39/287 (13.5%) had brain damage, IVH or PVL. Brain damage was present in 15/68 (22%) of infants in the setting of HCA and in 24/219 (10.9%) of infants in the absence of HCA (pϽ0.05). HCA is also associated with a significantly increased frequency of PVL (5.8% vs 0.4%; pϽ 0.01), but failed to reveal any association with IVH (16.1% vs 10.5%; pϭ0.2). However, severe fetal HCA, stage II-III vs I and grade II-III vs I, were unrelated to brain damage. HCA infants were comparable to non-HCA infants in all selected demographics and clinical variables, except for increased vagina...