Animal studies suggest that administration of vitamin A to rats with experimental urinary tract infection decreases the frequency of renal scars (Kavukçu et al., BJU Int 83(9):1055-1059, 1999). The aim of this study was to determine the effect of vitamin A on the rate of permanent renal damage in children with acute pyelonephritis. Fifty children, median age of 24 months (range 2-144), with first-time pyelonephritis verified by an uptake defect on acute dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) scan were included in the study and randomly allocated to the case or control groups. All were given intravenous ceftriaxone for 10 days followed by oral cephalexin for 3 months. Cases in addition were given a single intramuscular dose of vitamin A, 25,000 U for infants below 1 year of age and 50,000 U for older children. At the repeat DMSA scan after 3 months, five of 25 cases (20%) and 17 of 25 controls (68%) had abnormal findings (p = 0.001). In conclusion, administration of vitamin A was associated with a significantly lower rate of permanent renal damage.

Rapid diagnosis of acute pyelonephritis is important because of its association with long-standing complications. This study was conducted to compare the reliability of serum procalcitonin (PCT) and interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) with conventional laboratory parameters for diagnosis of acute pyelonephritis in children. Seventy nine children with urinary tract infection were divided into two groups based on the result of Tc-99m dimercaptosuccinic acid renal scan: acute pyelonephritis (n=33) and lower UTI (urinary tract infection) (n=46) groups. White blood cell (WBC) count, neutrophil count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), serum C-reactive protein (CRP), PCT and IL-1β concentrations of both groups were measured and compared. WBC count, neutrophil count, ESR, serum CRP, PCT and IL-1β concentrations were higher in acute pyelonephritis patients than in the lower UTI group (P<0.05). The sensitivity and specificity of serum PCT and IL-1β for diagnosis of acute pyelonephritis were 31, 84.7% and 27.2, 90% respectively (using a cut-point value of 0.5 ng/ml for PCT and 6.9 pg/ml for IL-1β). The sensitivity of PCT and IL-1β for diagnosis of acute pyelonephritis was less than that of conventional markers such as ESR and CRP. This study revealed that serum PCT and IL-1β are not good biologic markers for differentiating acute pyelonephritis from lower UTI. It seems that conventional inflammatory markers such as ESR and CRP besides the clinical findings are more reliable for the diagnosis of acute pyelonephritis in children.

The present study showed that there is association between hypercalciuria, hyperuricosuria and VUR in children. It is recommended to adopt measures to prevent the development of urolithiasis in VUR patients.

Background and Aims Oral cancer is now a top priority for non‐communicable illnesses and universal health care plans, according to the WHO. There is no general estimate of the incidence of oral cavity cancer in Iran, despite multiple investigations. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the age‐standardized incidence rate (ASR) of oral cavity cancers in Iran. Method In accordance with the MOOSE (Meta‐analyses of Observational Studies in Epidemiology) Checklist recommendations, this systematic review was conducted. PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, Embase, Scopus, ProQuest, and Google Scholar were used as the international databases for the systematic literature search, while SID (Scientific Information Database), Magiran and element were used as the Iranian databases. The heterogeneity of the research will be evaluated by means of the inverse variance and Cochran Q tests, along with random‐effect models. It was determined what caused the heterogeneity using a meta‐regression model. By eliminating experiments one at a time, sensitivity analysis was used. The meta‐analysis was corrected utilizing the Trim‐and‐fill method due to the identification of noteworthy publication bias via the Egger's test and asymmetry of the funnel plot. Results This research incorporated a total of 22 journal articles. The pooled ASR of oral cavity cancer for males and females was estimated at 1.96 (95% CI: 1.65–2.26) (Q statistic = 1118.09, df = 25, p < .0001, I2 = 97.8%), and 1.46 (95% CI: 1.14–1.77) (Q statistic = 2576.99, df = 26, p < .0001, I2 = 99.0%), respectively. According to the funnel plots and Egger's test, there is no evidence of publication bias in studies reporting on males (bias = 1.3220, 95% CI: −3.9571, 6.6012, p = .610), but for ASR in females, Egger's test was significant (bias = −7.6366, 95% CI: 2.2141, 13.05904, p = .008). Based on Trim‐and‐fill methods, overall ASR corrected in females was estimated to be 1.36 (95% CI: 1.05%–1.66%). Conclusion Iran's oral cavity cancer incidence was lower than the global average, but owing to variables including an aging population, a rise in life expectancy, and exposure to risk factors like smoking, we anticipate an increasing trend.