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Background and Objectives Chelation therapy is essential for beta-thalassemia major. This study aims to determine the complications clinical and laboratory symptoms of monotherapy and combined treatment of iron chelators in beta-thalassemia major patients in Yasuj. Materials and Methods In this cross-sectional-descriptive-analytical study, 103 patients with beta-thalassemia major in Yasuj city were evaluated during 2021-2022. After collecting the demographic, clinical and laboratory information of the patients, the results were reported as mean ± standard deviation and percentage. The degree of statistical differences between ratios was calculated using the Kruskal-Wallis test. Results The average age of our patients was reported to be 24.74 ± 8.34 years. 54.4% (n = 56) of the study patients were men and 45.6% (n = 47) were women. The results of the present study showed that there was a statistically significant difference in mean ferritin among different study groups (p = 0.028). Patients treated with deferoxamine showed the highest mean serum ferritin (5925.5 ± 3397ng%) and patients who took deferoxamine together with deferiprone or deferasirox had a lower mean ferritin compared to deferoxamine alone (3348 ± 2560, 4269 ± 3322 ng%), respectively. Also, the present study showed that after taking iron removers, 47.6% of patients (n = 49) had no clinical complications and 52.4% (n = 54) had at least one complication. Conclusions Our results showed that Deferoxamine can have a great effect in reducing iron deposition and serum ferritin levels in combination with oral drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background & Aims: Sepsis is the principal cause of death in the first months of life and leads to 30- 50% of infant mortality in developing countries (1). The prevalence of sepsis is reported differently in many countries. In developed countries, the prevalence of sepsis is 1-4 per 1,000 live births, while in poor and developing countries it is almost ten times higher (2). Neonatal sepsis leads to 25.2% of all neonatal deaths in Iran (3). The clinical signs of neonatal sepsis are nonspecific and may be mixed with noninfectious disorders such as aspiration syndrome and respiratory distress syndrome (4,5). The most important factor in reducing infant mortality from sepsis is appropriate and quick treatment (6). On the other hand, the clinical signs of affected infants, including decreased neonatal reflexes, bradycardia, hypo/hyperthermia, respiratory distress, seizures, weakness and lethargy, apnea, and abdominal distension, are not sensitive enough to definitively diagnose sepsis. Blood tests and immunological tests also have less sensitive and specific compared to blood culture (7). Since sepsis is one of the most important causes of mortality and disability in the neonatal stage, with early diagnosis and treatment of the disease and improving the quality of care during delivery, neonatal survival can be increased, the clinical signs, predisposing factors, laboratory findings, treatment and outcome of neonates with the diagnosis of sepsis who admitted to Afzalipour hospital in Kerman were evaluated. Methods: This was a descriptive and cross-sectional study. The statistical population was all infants admitted to Afzalipour Hospital in Kerman from 2015 to 2017.The sample size was determined with the census method (sample size = 200 infants). Infants with Complete Blood Count (CBC), arterial gas measurement, C Reactive Protein (CRP), blood and urine cultures, and Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) were included in the present study. All neonates with a diagnosis other than sepsis were excluded from the study. Based on clinical and laboratory findings, neonates were classified into three groups: 1- Infants who had positive blood culture sepsis in addition to clinical and laboratory findings. 2- Neonates who had only laboratory and clinical findings of sepsis but their blood culture was negative. 3- Infants who had clinical signs of sepsis but were negative for laboratory findings and blood culture. All infants were treated with antibiotics immediately after the tests. Clinical and laboratory findings as well as the type of antibiotic and maternal and neonatal risk factors were collected using a checklist. Outcomes of treatment were expressed as improvement and discharge, complications, and death. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS software version 25 (version 25, SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL). Quantitative data were presented as Mean ± SD (standard deviation) and frequency and percentage. Results: The highest age of infants was related to the birth group (91%). 59.5% of infants were male and 40.5% were female. The mean duration of admission was 9.76. 1.05 days. The most common clinical signs were tachypnea (74%), poor nutrition (36%), apnea (32%), and hypo/hyperthermia (25%) respectively. The results showed that 91.5% of participants used ampicillin, 93% of them gentamicin, 84% of them used vancomycin, 52% of them used meropenem, 18.5% of them used metronidazole, 19.5% of them used amikacin, 18 % of them took cefotaxime, 19% of them used fluconazole, 1% of them used clindamycin and 1.5% of them used ceftazidime Regarding the frequency distribution of risk factors, the results showed that 23.5% of participants had PROM (Premature rupture of Membrane), 11 % had maternal urinary tract infection, 12 % had maternal fever and 91.5% had low birth weight. The results showed that the mortality rate for participants was 78% and the rate of discharge and recovery was 22%. The results showed that the mean number of white blood cells was 16.468 ± 0.103 × و 103 and the mean CRP of the participants was 22.6 ± 2.8. The results of this study also showed that 14.5% of participants had positive blood cultures and 85.5% of them had negative blood cultures. Conclusion: Systemic and local infections are very common in infants. Sepsis is a systemic response to infection and is divided into early, late and nosocomial types (17). The results showed that 59.5% of the participants who had early sepsis were male and 40.5% of them were female, which is consistent with the results of Khalili et al. (13). While in the textbooks, the incidence of male infants is twice as high as female infants (18). In the study of Arab Mohammadi et al., 60% of patients were boys and 40% were girls. In this study, the most common clinical symptoms were tachypnea (74%), hypo/hyperthermia (25%), and tachycardia (5%), respectively, which is consistent with the results of Hengst et al. (10) while it is not similar to the results of Khalili et al. (13), Santana et al. (9) and Vergnano et al. (14). In other textbooks, the most common clinical symptoms are fever, jaundice, respiratory distress, hepatomegaly, anorexia, vomiting, and cyanosis (19). In the study of Shiva et al. (20), a total of three symptoms of tachycardia, tachypnea, hypothermia had a sensitivity of 53.6% and a specificity of 100% in identifying sepsis with positive blood culture. In the study of Arab Mohammadi et al. (21), hyperthermia, jaundice, respiratory distress, hepatomegaly, anorexia, vomiting, lethargy, and cyanosis were reported as the most common symptoms of sepsis. Investigation of 500 infants suspected of sepsis, temperature instability, and respiratory symptoms were the most common symptoms. The results showed that 14.5% of the participants had positive blood cultures and 85.5% of them had negative blood cultures. This rate (positive blood culture) was 15.4% for the study of Khan et al (22). This rate was 14% in the study of Manucha et al. (23) in India. The reason for the lack of positive blood culture is neonatal SEPSIS is one of the diseases in which the actual number of cases is much less than the number of suspected cases and laboratory-related problems also play an important role in this results (24). The prevalence of sepsis with positive blood culture has been reported in the study of Shiva et al. 25% (20), Samaei et al. 41% (25), and Hosseini et al. The results showed that the mean CRP of the participants in our study was 22.6. 2.8. According to textbooks, if CRP is performed in combination with other tests, it is effective in screening for sepsis, but if used alone as a primary test to look for infection, it helps in less than 10% of definite diagnoses (26, 27). CRP sensitivity has been reported from 46 to 74% in various studies (28). In the meta-analyzes about this subject, the first time CRP sensitivity was 39%, CPR specificity was 92.5%, positive predictive value was 53.2% and negative predictive value was 93.6%. Therefore, it seems that the serum level of CRP for the first time at the time of admission in infants suspected of early neonatal sepsis in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) has no value in determining sensitivity (29). In the study by Zecca et al, the negative predictive value of CRP was 100% (30 %). A study by Cetinkaya et al on 100 infants suspected of having early neonatal sepsis showed that the diagnostic power of CRP increased over time and peaked 24 to 48 hours after the onset of sepsis, which is consistent with our study (31). Therefore, if serum CRP levels remain negative 24 hours after the onset of clinical symptoms, the high negative predictive value is 99%, and antibiotic therapy can be discontinued in the absence of strong clinical suspicion of sepsis (32). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: With the increase in the use of dental services and the increase in the use of different materials in several fields, the prevalence of allergic reactions to these substances has also been rising. In this situation, the diagnosis of allergic reactions and their prevalence among dentists is important. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of these reactions among students, residents and faculty members of Isfahan Dental School. Materials & Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at Isfahan Dental School using a form for data collection in 2018, which was provided by professors and colleagues from the Immunology Department of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, on clinical students, residents and faculty members of Isfahan Dental School. Finally, the data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Chi-square methods (p value < 0.05). Results: Of 200 participants in this study (152 students, 23 residents and 25 faculty members), 64 % showed allergic reaction to at least one dental workplace (69.1 % among the students, among the faculty members was 40.7 % and among the faculty members was 56 %). The most common allergic reaction among all participants was skin itchiness, hives, and respiratory responses. The pre-clinical and laboratory sections had the highest prevalence of allergic reactions. Conclusion: The results of this study showed that the prevalence of allergic reactions caused by allergens in the dental environment is very important and the most common reactions is skin reactions and subsequent respiratory reactions. Also, among the most common allergy to dental materials was latex gloves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Dentists and all related oral hygiene occupations are endanger of cross contamination because of close contacts with patients. Dental laboratories are one of those which have a direct contact with dentist and cross infection control plays an important role to prevent exposure to pathogens. According to the fact that many dental laboratories are not well informed about cross infection control; the aim of this study is to prepare a questionnaire for evaluating both dentists and dental laboratories knowledge about cross control infections. Materials & Methods: 250 dentist and 50 dental laboratories were randomly chosen and prepared questionnaire distributed. The collected data were analyzed by SPSS software and Chi-Square test. Results: There was no significant differences between general and post graduated dentist in using gloves, masks and protective eye glasses (p value > 0.05).the results showed no significant differences in uses of protective eye glasses between dentist who worked in clinics and private offices (p value = 0.384), but there was significant differences in using gloves (p value = 0.02).condensation silicones (90.5%) and alginates (90%) were the most impression materials and 88% of dentist rinsed the impressions always while 0.8% never did that. Conclusion: The cross control infection is not sufficient among dental laboratories and clinics and it is need to pay more attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim: Nowadays, clinical laboratories play important roles in health care systems and well-trained staff are in need more than ever before. Thus, educating students in this field is one of the best approaches in saving energy and expenditure of health-care systems in any community. The aim of this descriptive study was to assess the different aspects of the pedagogical curriculum for Iranian laboratory science students compared with that of world's leading universities. Materials and Methods: In 2014, pedagogical curriculum of this major in Iran was compared to the curriculum of 17 prestigious universities in the world. Also, a questionnaire was filled out by the faculty members of medical universities who were involved in training clinical laboratory science's students. Results: The results showed that the Iranian curriculum has various drawbacks in clinical apprenticeship for students, and is short of specific credits such as Microbiology and Immunohematology. In addition, lack of practical or applied credits like Urine Analysis, Body Fluids, Microscopy and Medical Ethics was noticed. It was discovered that little attention was paid to preparing students for research. Conclusions: Considering the findings of the current survey, decreasing the credits offered in each semester with proper training course scheduling and monitoring the students, will not only help the students to proper learning, but also lead to the delivery of other goals. Also, due to the significant role of these students in the healthcare system, it is necessary to hold practical and theoretical exams of this course before entrance of students to the labor market in order to prevent the probable detrimental impacts on the healthcare system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Neuroblastoma is the most common malignant tumor in infancy and childhood after the CNS malignancies. Diseases originated and spread of the neural crest cells that differentiated adrenal and sympathetic nerve network. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and stages disease in patients of Tabriz Children's Teaching Hospital. Materials and Methods: In this descriptive study, 80 children under 14 years since March 2003 to March 2008 (6 years) with a diagnosis of neuroblastoma that have been hospitalized in Tabriz Children Hospital were investigated. Information were extracted from the hospitals records. Results: Of the 80 investigated patients, 33 cases were male and 47 were female. The mean patient age was 37.80 ± 31.86 month. Out of 80 patients, stage II in 9 patients (% 11.2), stage III in 19 cases (23.8%) and stage IV was seen in 52 patients (65%). The primary source of neuroblastoma in 26 cases (32.5%) was from the right adrenal and in 31 cases (38.8%) was the left adrenal, in 3 cases (3.8%) was from the mediastinum, in 3 cases (3.8%) from liver, in 3 cases (3.8%) was from hip and in 14 cases (17.5%) was from the paravertebral. Paraneoplastic symptoms were positive in 13 patients (16.25%). Neurological symptoms were positive in 13 patients (16.25%). Weight loss was found in 44 patients (55%). Fever was found in 43 patients (53.8%). Hematuria was found in 25 patients (31.2%). In terms of platelet count, thrombocytopenia was seen in 33 patients (41.25%). Mean systolic blood pressure was 86.94 ± 13.34 and mean diastolic blood pressure in evaluated patients was 54.88 ± 8.45 mmHg. Mean serum LDH level in patients was 1665.4 ± 1532.51. The serum LDH levels showed a significant correlation with patient's condition at discharge with P = 0.04. Conclusions: Clinical symptoms, paraneoplastic symptoms, weight loss and fever were the most prominent finding in patients with neuroblastoma. The most common region for evaluation in terms of primary source for neuroblastoma was left adrenal. There was a significant correlation between serum LDH level and patient's outcome [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]