title: Effects of malnutrition on oxidative burst functions and infection episodes in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aim of this study was to determine the effect of malnutrition on oxidative burst functions (OBF) of neutrophils in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-eight patients with ALL and thirty healthy controls were enrolled to the study. Thirteen patients with ALL were found to have malnutrition. While neutrophil OBF of ALL patients without malnutrition were studied both before induction chemotherapy and 3 months after, the same functions in ALL patients with malnutrition were studied both before induction chemotherapy and when the nutritional status improved. Control group were studied at admission and 3 months later.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The OBF of ALL patients with and without malnutrition before induction chemotherapy were found to be significantly lower than the control group (P = 0.009), whereas the OBF were found to be similar in both patient groups with ALL (P = 0.27). The median infection episode rate and the duration of antibiotics therapy during the study period were similar in both patient groups with ALL. The repeated OBF of both patient groups with ALL were shown to increase to similar values with the control group in the third month of chemotherapy (P = 0.002). The median infection episode rate during the first month of chemotherapy was shown to decrease significantly during the third month of chemotherapy in both patient with ALL groups (P < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We have not been able to demonstrate an overt effect of malnutrition on OBF. However, our results still need to be verified via further larger scaled studies of OBF in leukemic children with and without malnutrition.
authors: Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Department, Bezmialem Vakif University Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors: F B
authors: FB
authors: Cakir
authors: Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Clinics, Bakirkoy Government Maternity and Children Education and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors: G
authors: G
authors: Aydogan
authors: Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Clinics, Goztepe Government Education and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors: C
authors: C
authors: Timur
authors: Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Department, Acibadem University Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors: C
authors: C
authors: Canpolat
authors: Internal Medicine Hematology-Immunology Department, Marmara University Medical Center, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Tulunay
authors: Internal Medicine Hematology-Immunology Department, Marmara University Medical Center, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors: E
authors: E
authors: Eksioglu Demiralp
authors: Department of Pediatrics, The Children's Hospital at Monmouth Medical Center, Long Branch, NJ, USA.
authors: S G
authors: SG
authors: Berrak
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000502:physiology; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D006801:Humans; D060828:Induction Chemotherapy; D008297:Male; D044342:Malnutrition / Q000503:physiopathology*; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000382:microbiology; D009752:Nutritional Status; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology; D016897:Respiratory Burst; D013755:Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate / Q000494:pharmacology; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D013755:Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate