Background: Nosocomial Infection (NI) is one of the leading causes of short- and long-term morbidity and mortality among neonates, especially in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs). Objectives: We aimed to evaluate the epidemiology of NIs and associated factors. Methods: From March 2017 to September 2018, all the neonates who were admitted to the NICUs of Bahrami Children’s Hospital were enrolled. Nosocomial infections were identified based on the definition of CDC-NNIS. Demographic, clinical, and laboratory data of the patients were extracted from the medical records. Results: A total of 979 neonates were admitted to the NICU, of whom 60 were diagnosed with NI. The incidence of NI was 6.1 per 100 hospitalized patients. The most prevalent NI was bloodstream infection (30%), followed by pneumonia (21.7%). The most frequent presentations were respiratory distress (31.7%) and poor feeding (26.7%). Major pathogens were Gram-positive bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus (25.7%) and Coagulase-negative staphylococci (25.7%). The mean hospital stay was 25.2 ± 20.89 days. The mortality rate of patients with NI was 16.7%. The factors associated with an increased risk of mortality among patients with NI were a lack of ventilation support, low birth weight, and WBCs with an abnormal range. Conclusions: The results of the present study showed that the incidence of NI was high, and the cultures collected from body fluids had a particular role in the diagnosis and treatment of NI. Standard infection control practices should be applied to reduce the incidence of NI and subsequent morbidity and mortality.

To determine the prevalence of alloantibodies in patients with thalassemia and its relationship with age, sex, and blood group. A cross-sectional study was conducted on thalassemia patients requiring a blood transfusion presenting to Children’s Medical Center and Bahmari Hospital in 2021. All patients who received blood transfusions in the first year of life were included in the study, and patients with sickle cell anemia and thalassemia intermedia were excluded. Blood samples were collected, and the level of alloantibodies was measured. One hundred and ninety-five patients were evaluated in this study, of whom 100 (51.3%) were male. The mean age of the subjects was 21.37±8.57 years (range: 1-42 years). The prevalence of alloantibody positivity was 16.41% (11.17-21.65) in all subjects, 19% (11.18-26.82) in males, and 13.68% (6.65-20.72) in females (P=0.318). The mean age of alloantibody positive and negative subjects was 18.94±9.7 and 21.85±8.29 years, respectively (P=0.079). The prevalence of alloantibody positivity was 21.88% (6.73-37.02) in Rh+ and 15.34% (9.75-20.93) in Rh- patients (P=0.364). The prevalence of alloantibody positivity was 13.46% (3.87-23.06) in blood type A, 26.67% (1.32-52.02) in blood type AB, 14.29% (3.25-25.32) in blood type B, and 17.44% (9.26-25.63) in blood type O, indicating no significant difference in this regard (P=0.625). The results showed that thalassemia patients were at risk for alloantibody positivity. Age, sex, and blood type had no significant association with the prevalence of alloantibody positivity. Considering the serious complications of these antibodies, these patients should be continuously screened for the presence of alloantibodies.

Background The association between renal parenchyma changes on dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) scans and demographic, clinical, and laboratory markers was assessed in pediatric patients with acute pyelonephritis. Methods A retrospective study of 67 Iranian babies and children aged 1-month to 12-year with APN was conducted between 2012 and 2018. The presence of renal parenchymal involvement (RPI) during APN was determined using technetium-99m DMSA during the first 2 weeks of hospitalization. The association of DMSA results with demographic data, clinical features (hospitalization stay, fever temperature and duration), and laboratory parameters such as pathogen type, and hematological factors (ESR, CRP, BUN, Cr, Hb, and WBC) was evaluated. Results 92.5% of children with an average age of 43.76 ± 5.2 months were girls. Twenty-four children (35.8%) did not have renal parenchymal injury (RPI), while 26 (38.8%) and 17 (25.4%) patients showed RPI in one and both kidneys, respectively. There was no significant association between RPI and mean ESR, CRP, BUN, and WBC. However, there were significant associations between RPI and higher mean levels of Cr, Hb, and BMI. Conclusions Low BMI and Hb levels and increased Cr levels might be indicative of the presence of RPI in children with APN.

Background: In the contemporary century, the media has played a significant role in educating communities. Objectives: The purpose of this research is to investigate the role of national media programs in the prevention of childhood cancer. Methods: Participants in this research study included ordinary people, parents of children with cancer, and pediatric oncologists. The study was performed for six months (2017) in Bahrami and Mahak hospitals. Participants were asked questions about the role of the media in the prevention of childhood cancer, and their answers were recorded in a questionnaire. Results: The results showed that, while ordinary people evaluate the role of national media programs, their simplicity and comprehensibility in the prevention of childhood cancer as desirable, parents of children with cancer consider this program’s comprehensibility as low. Physicians also considered the influence of the contents of radio and television programs as low but their simplicity as desirable. Conclusions: Our study confirmed the effectiveness of national media programs in the prevention of childhood cancer. The level of education of parents was effective in understanding media education in the prevention of childhood cancer.