Tehran University Medical Journal

Background: Urinary tract infection (UTI) is one of the most important pediatric health problems, which is occasionally associated with irreversible renal damage. Dimercapto-succinic acid (DMSA) scan is a diagnostic standard for the renal scar. Doppler ultrasonography (D.S) has been considered as a less invasive method. The purpose of this study was to determine the sensitivity and specificity of D.S in the diagnosis of renal scarring in children with a history of acute pyelonephritis (APN).
Methods: The present cross-sectional study was conducted on 120 children with APN, aged six months to twelve years in the University Pediatric Hospital of Qazvin, Iran, between August 2017 and August 2018. DMSA scan was performed in the acute phase of pyelonephritis for all patients. Half of the children with acute pyelonephritis had decreased radionuclide uptake in the first DMSA scan of whom thirty patients had kidney scarring in the second scan, six months later. Then renal vascular D.S was performed for these patients. Simultaneously, twenty children with a normal DMSA scan, assigned for D.S.
Results: The mean age of children was 5.30(3.50-11.8), and 4.80(2.50-10.09) in the scar and control group. Most of the patients in both groups were female, 25(83.8%) in renal scar, and 15(75.0%) in control. The scar group showed a greater rate of vesicoureteral reflux, 17(56.6%), of whom 11(36.7%) were bilateral. Among 30 patients with a renal scar, 2(6.7%) had first-time acute pyelonephritis, 11(36.7%) had second, and 17(56.7%) had more than two attacks of pyelonephritis. The frequency of renal scarring was 25% based on DMSA scan and 14% based on D.S. Accordingly, the sensitivity and specificity of D.S in the detection of renal scarring in children with APN was 23.3% and 100%.

Results: Out of 98 subjects, 24 (24.5%) had positive rectovaginal culture. Individuals treated with antibiotics based on positive culture results did not show a significant difference in terms of observed pregnancy outcomes compared with the control group. Conclusion: The prevalence of GBS colonization was significantly higher in patients with a history of vaginal discharge than in those without a history. Due to the small number of studies conducted in Iran, it is recommended to conduct studies with a larger sample size in order to explain a more appropriate protocol in terms of effectiveness and economics.

Background: The gender of the baby is one of the risk factors for neonatal jaundice, but the difference in the severity of jaundice and its prognosis between the two sexes is not clear. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the severity, duration and prognosis of jaundice in both sexes.
Methods: The present study is a cross-sectional study that was performed on 2847 icteric neonates over 35 weeks admitted to Ghaem Hospital in Mashhad from May 2014 to May 2021. This study is done by available sampling. After confirmation of jaundice in infants, data were recorded using a researcher-made checklist including maternal demographic information (maternal age, mode of delivery), complete infant characteristics (age, birth weight, age at onset of jaundice, jaundice recovery age) and laboratory findings (Bilirubin, Indirect Coombs, direct Coombs, G6PD), and neonatal development up to two years of age was performed based on the Denver 2 test. Then data analysis was performed by SPSS software using Chi-square test and Student’s t-test.

Results: 1642 infants (57.7%) were boys and 1205 infants (42.3%) were girls. Mean and standard deviation of bilirubin in values less than 20 mg/dl in boys was 17.20±2.48 mg/dl and in girls was 16.54±2.80 mg/dl (P=0.000), birth weight was 3.16±0.49 (kg) for boys and 3.07±0.45 for girls (P=0.000). In two groups of male and female infants, age (P=0.004), direct bilirubin (P=0.001), direct and indirect Coombs (P=0.000), and G6PD enzyme deficiency (P=0.000) had a significant difference. Acute kernicterus was reported in 25 (2.03%) boys and 4 (0.46%) girls (P<0.001). In the two-year follow-up, 23 boys (1.9%) and 11 girls (1.28%) had developmental delay (P<0.05). Conclusion: The incidence of jaundice in male infants was higher than female infants, which is probably due to a higher prevalence of G6PD deficiency in boys. The severity of jaundice was higher in boys less than 20 mg/dl. Jaundice has a worse prognosis in male infants.

Background: Tonsils are lymphoid tissues of the body's defense system that surround the pharynx and prevent the entry of microbes through inhalation. Tonsillectomy is the final treatment for enlarged tonsils and is one of the most common procedures in the ear, throat and nose. To prevent and improve postoperative complications, various methods are used, including lidocaine and dexmedetomidine injections. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of intravenous infusions of lidocaine and dexmedetomidine on the rate and severity of immediate complications after tonsillectomy surgery.
Methods: This study was conducted as a prospective, triple-blind, randomized clinical trial on 96 patients who were candidates for tonsillectomy under general anesthesia at Al-Zahra Hospital, Isfahan, Iran. The patients had informed consents and met the conditions to enter the study. 30 minutes before induction of anesthesia, patients were randomly assigned to one of three groups receiving lidocaine, dexmedetomidine, or placebo. All patients were examined for intraoperative bleeding, laryngospasm in the first 2 hours after the operation, and laryngitis in the first 24 hours after the operation. SPSS version 26 software was used for statistical analysis.

Results: The findings of this research indicated that at 45, 75 and, 90 minutes after recovery, the mean score of pain and at 15-90 minutes in terms of anxiety was significantly different from the rest in at least one of the three groups (P<0.05). Systolic blood pressure (SBP) and arterial oxygen blood pressure in minutes 30 to 90, as well as Diastolic blood pressure (DBP) in minutes 60, 75 and 90, showed a significant difference between the three studied groups (P<0.05). There was no significant difference between the incidences of laryngospasm in the groups. However, there was a significant difference between the incidences of bronchospasm in all three groups. In terms of factors such as cough and nausea, no significant differences were observed in the studied groups. However, the average amount of bleeding in surgery, the recovery time and, the first time to tolerate liquids and solids in at least one group were significantly different from the others. Conclusion: Overall, both dexmedetomidine and lidocaine are effective in reducing heart rate, SBP, Per Os (PO), and bleeding, and also increase arterial oxygen pressure, while respiratory rate, laryngospasm, bronchospasm, cough, nausea and extubation time were not significantly different between the three study groups.

Background: MRI is the imaging modality of choice for the detection of diabetic pedal osteomyelitis. The aim of this study is to compare the STIR sequence, as the most important fluid-sensitive sequence, with contrast-enhanced images for diagnosing diabetic pedal osteomyelitis.
Methods: Medical images were compared. Moreover, the effect of adding T1W image findings to the STIR sequence was evaluated. This cross sectional study was collected and analyzed at Namazi Hospital, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, from 20 March 2016 to 22 September 2017.
Results: The final diagnosis of osteomyelitis was confirmed for 47 bones (78%). 13 bones (22%) didn't have osteomyelitis. The specificity of contrast-enhanced and STIR sequences was 92.3% and 53.8%, respectively; whereas the sensitivity of the two sequences was similar (100%). Records of 48 diabetic patients suspected of having pedal osteomyelitis referred to one of the university hospitals, who underwent foot MRI with and without contrast injection, were assessed. Overall, 48 Patient MRIs and 60 separate bony parts were evaluated. Diagnoses were confirmed by clinical correlation. Finally, sensitivity, specificity and diagnostic accuracy of STIR sequence and contrast-enhanced images were compared. Moreover, the effect of addition of T1W image findings to STIR sequence was evaluated.
Conclusion: This study was performed to suggest a pulse sequence that doesn’t need contrast media injection for diagnosing diabetic pedal osteomyelitis since the previous studies showed that gadolinium-based contrast media shouldn’t be applied in patients with renal failure (glomerular filtration rate<30 ml/min/1.73m². According to the results STIR images had the same sensitivity as T1 post-contrast images; therefore, it can be concluded that contrast media injection can be avoided using this pulse sequence. The specificity of the STIR pulse sequence was lower than that of post-contrast images which was due to the lower ability of this pulse sequence to detect secondary symptoms of osteomyelitis such as cortex disruption, sinus path, and abscess. Using the T1 pre-contrast images, specificity and diagnostic accuracy increased. Finally, it can be concluded that MRI without contrast including STIR and pre-contrast T1W images is a reliable modality for the detection of osteomyelitis in suspected diabetic patients who are more prone to renal disorders.

Conclusion: High body mass index of the mother and weight gain during pregnancy can cause complications in the mother and the fetus. Therefore, prenatal care should be done more carefully and health care providers should place mothers who have abnormal body mass index and inappropriate weight gain in pregnancy in the high-risk group and under special care to minimize maternal and fetal complications.

Background: The type of delivery significantly affects a woman's life and her newborn's health. Various factors, including medical conditions, personal preferences, and cultural influences, shape this decision. Increasing cesarean delivery rates have raised concerns about associated risks. This study examines the health impacts of different delivery types on mothers and newborns in Yazd hospitals, with a focus on maternal and neonatal outcomes.
Methods: This cross-sectional analytical study involved a substantial cohort of 69,321 mothers who delivered in Yazd between March 21, 2018 to March 20, 2022. Comprehensive data were collected from Iman Hospital and relevant online patient records. To analyze the relationship between delivery type and health outcomes, independent samples t test and chi-square test were utilized. Additionally, odds ratios were calculated to assess relative risks concerning various maternal and neonatal outcomes. SPSS 26 software was employed for all analyses, with a significance level set at 5% to ensure robustness in the findings.

Background: Maternal and neonatal complications in twin and multiple pregnancies are higher than in singleton pregnancies. The purpose of this study is to investigate maternal and neonatal outcomes in twin or multiple births.
Methods: In this descriptive and analytical study, 266 pregnant women with twins and multiples were selected in a goal-based manner who had medical records in Imam Khomeini Hospital in Ahwaz from March 2020 to March 2022. This study is based on the purpose of selection and then the required information was extracted from the archive department of Imam Khomeini Hospital in Ahwaz. A two-part checklist was used to collect data, and then the collected information was analyzed by descriptive and analytical statistical tests.

Results:  The observations of this study show that the highest frequency of the total number of births is from March 2020 to March 2021 (6729 people), while the highest ratio of the number of twin or multiple births to the total number of births is from March 2021 to March 2022 (4.63 percent). The frequency of stillbirths is the highest from March 2021 to March 2022 (62.96 percent). There is a significant difference in fetal complications of twin and multiple births, premature birth, low birth weight and intrauterine growth delay between twin and multiple births (P-value<0.05) and for fetal anomaly and death from March 2021 to March 2022. Comparison of the two years under study shows no significant difference was observed between twin and multiple births (P-value>0.05). Pre-eclampsia was observed in 7.8 percent for twin births and 6 percent for multiple births, which statistically has no significant difference between them (P-value=0.331) and for diabetes, placental abruption and placenta Previa. There is a significant difference between twin and multiple births (P-value<0.05). Conclusion: The frequency of multiple pregnancy shows an increase compared to previous studies in Iran, and prevention of premature birth and careful monitoring of the fetus can improve the outcome of twin or multiple births.