IntroductionUrinary tract infections (UTIs) are among the most prevalent infections in children and infants. Early and accurate detection of renal parenchymal involvement in UTI is necessary for decision making and determining treatment strategies. The aim of this study was to determine the predictive accuracy of urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) for renal parenchymal involvement in children with acute pyelonephritis.MethodsThis descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted in 2014 on children who had been diagnosed with UTI. Children who were admitted to Koodakan Hospital in Bandar Abbas, Hormozgan Province, Iran, and whose ages ranged from two months to 14 years were enrolled in the study. Urine samples were taken to conduct urinary NGAL tests, urine cultures, and urinalyses. In addition, some blood samples were collected for the purpose of determining leukocyte count and C-reactive protein (CRP) and to conduct erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) tests. All patients underwent a dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) scan. SPSS software was used to analyze the data.ResultsAmong the participants in the study, 29 were male (32%), and 60 were female (68%). The mean age of the children who participated in the study was 2.99 ± 2.94 years. The results of the Kruskal-Wallis test showed a significant increase in the urinary NGAL level, an increase in the CRP level, and higher DMSA scan grades (p < 0.001). The cutoff point amounted to > 5 mg/l, having the negative predictive value (NPV) of 76.3%, the specificity of 97.83%, the positive predictive value (PPV) of 96.7%, and the sensitivity of 67.4%.ConclusionUrinary NGAL is not sensitive enough for the prediction of renal parenchymal involvement, but it is a specific marker.

S U M M A R YQuality of life (QOL) in families can be affected when a child has cerebral palsy (CP). The aim of this research was to determine the effect of a child's disability on the mother's quality of life by comparing mothers of children with CP and mothers of normal children.Two sample groups were chosen from a total of 42 mothers to answer a short-form health survey (SF-36) questionnaire. The first group included 21 mothers of children with cerebral palsy who were referred to the speech therapy clinic of Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences in Ahvaz. The second group consisted of 21 mothers of normal children living in Ahvaz. T-tests by SPSS were used for statistical analysis.There were significant differences in all domains of QOL between mothers of healthy children and mothers of children with cerebral palsy (p=0.001).This research found that the quality of life of mothers of children with CP was significantly different compared to mothers of healthy children. Therefore, appropriate planning is necessary to improve their quality of life in different domains.

Background and ObjectivesConductive hearing loss is common among children and adults. This study aims at comparing the results of conductive hearing loss in summer and autumn.Subjects and MethodsPuretone audiometry and tympanometry tests were done for all patients who referred to the Iranian-based audiology center of Imam Khomeini Hospital in Ahvaz. Data on the patients with conductive or mixed hearing loss were analyzed. The impacts of season, age, and etiology of the disease were analyzed on the patients who visited the audiology clinic due to the conductive hearing loss in summer and autumn.ResultsOne hundred and fifty nine patients in summer and 123 patients in autumn had conductive or mixed hearing loss. Their age ranged from four to 82 years, with the average age of 35. The percentage of the patients, with acute otitis media and chronic otitis media (COM), who visited this clinic, was significantly higher than those with middle ear problems. COM and mastoid surgeries rate was higher in summer than autumn among adults.ConclusionsThere is no relationship between season and middle ear diseases between children and juveniles, but COM and mastoid problems are more common in summer among adults visiting this clinic. Most of the patients had mild conductive hearing loss and bilateral middle ear impairments.