BackgroundVarious indices have been raised as predictors of activity and severity of juvenile idiopathic arthritis.ObjectivesThis study was conducted to investigate the changes of platelet indices in acute phase and two months after treatment in these patients.Patients and MethodsIn a cohort study, platelet count, mean platelet volume (MPV), platelet distribution width (PDW), plateletcrit (PCT) were evaluated in children referred to children’s medical center, Tehran due to juvenile idiopathic arthritis from March 2013 to March 2014 during the acute phase and two months after standard treatment. The statistical data were analyzed by SPSS 19 software, and the significance level was set as P < 0.05.ResultsIn this study, 55 children (24 boys and 31 girls) with mean ± SD age of 7.50 ± 3.35 years were studied. The mean ± SD value of platelet count was 441872.7 ± 151836.9 in the acute phase and reached 395418.2 ± 119601.6 two months after treatment (P = 0.01). The mean ± SD PCT in the acute phase of various subtypes of the disease was 0.32 ± 0.11, which reached 0.29 ± 0.10 after treatment (P = 0.09). However, the PDW range in different subtypes of the disease reached 13.4 ± 8.0 from 13.9 ± 2.9 and MPV reached 8.7 ± 0.9 from 8.8 ± 1.1 after treatment, but they were not significantly different from the results in the acute phase (P = 0.5).ConclusionsPlatelet count is one of the most remarkable indices in JIA. Evaluation of PCT can also help determine the severity of the inflammatory process in the follow-up and treatment process.

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Background: Constipation refers to difficult or delayed bowel emptying lasting 2 weeks or more and causing anxiety and distress in patients, and it is one of the most common problems in children. To treat constipation, therapeutic measures such as nutritional methods, feedback training, osmotic laxatives and stimulants, as well as stool volume enhancers, are used; however, each has its own problems and side effects. Medicinal plants have been shown to be effective in the treatment of many diseases, including constipation. Therefore, this review was conducted to report the medicinal plants effective for constipation. Methods: In the current review, eligible articles indexed from databases such as ISI (Web of Science), PubMed, Scopus, Islamic World Science Citation Center, Scientific Information Database, and Magiran were retrieved using the keywords ‘constipation’, ‘children constipation’, ‘baby’s and newborn constipation’, ‘medicinal plants’, and ‘traditional medicine’. Results: Available evidence showed that the medicinal plants Olea europaea, Phaseolus vulgaris, Prunus armeniaca, Brassica oleracea var. italica, Malus domestica, Linum usitatissimum, Aloe vera, Vitis vinifera, Foeniculum vulgare, Ficus carica, Ricinus communis, Sesamum indicum, and Descurainia sophia are some of the most important medicinal plants for the treatment of constipation in traditional medicine. Conclusion: Herbal plants are important for isolation/ preparation of new drugs in the treatment of constipation in children. In future studies, it may be beneficial to further understand and classify herbal plants/remedies, based on their mechanisms, as laxatives in the treatment of constipation.