IntroductionBirth weight is described as the primary determinant of the chances of survival among newborns. Low birth weight (LBW) is considered to be a major public health issue, especially among developing countries where poor maternal nutritional status is identified as a cause of both long and short-term adverse consequences. In developing countries, the majority of the LBW infants are born at term but are affected by intrauterine growth restriction, which might have begun early in the pregnancy period. We conducted this study in order to determine the possible effects of the poor nutritional status of mothers on the birth weight of their newborns. However, in disparity to the previous literature, our study evaluated unpredictable results. MethodsThis is a cross-sectional study that was conducted at two tertiary care teaching hospitals from November 2020 to April 2021 in order to determine the possible effects of the poor nutritional status of mothers on the birth weight of their newborns. 156 women both primigravida and multigravida of ages between 15 and 50 years and those who delivered low birth weight (LBW) babies of either gender at term (37-40 weeks of gestation) were included. For all mothers who delivered LBW (<2500 g) at term, their mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) was measured by inelastic tape. Mothers with MUAC less than 21 cm were considered malnourished. ResultsA total of 156 study participants were included in the study, with majority (n=112, %=71.8%) of them between the ages of 20 and 30 years. The mean age of all included participants was calculated to be 25.96±4.54 years (ranging from 18 to 38 years). Prevalence of maternal malnutrition was observed in 41 (26.3%) of the included women who delivered LBW babies, in contrast to high prevalence rates in previous literature. ConclusionsIn contrast to the previous literature, our study has shown that the nutritional status of mothers has no significant impact on the weight of neonates and the majority of neonates in our study were not severely low weight

Aim: To determine the prevalence of Rotavirus diarrhea among children up to 2 years of age Study design: A cross-sectional study Place and Duration: This study was conducted at Khairpur Medical College Hospital Khairpur Mir’s, Pakistan from June 2019 and December 2020. Methodology: The children's clinical profiles were examined, and the presence of rotavirus antigen in their stool with the ELISA method was detected. Results: The study included a total of 135 children who were suffering from diarrhea, among them 65 (48.14%) were boys, and 70 (51.85%) were girls. It was observed that minimum participation was from zero to 5 months (n=27, 20%), and a maximum number of the patients were in the age group 6 to 12 months (n=41, 30.37%). Rotavirus diarrhea was reported in 48.88% (n=66) of the children. In the age group of 19 to 24 months, 55.88% were Rotavirus positive. No significant association between the age and presence and absence of Rotavirus has been observed. (X2= 1.3241, P=0.723). A significant association has been observed between the feeding habits and the occurrence of Rotavirus diarrhea. (X2= 26.5539, P< 0.00001) Conclusion: Rotavirus infection was found in 48.88 % of these children, and there is a link between rotavirus infection and the method of feeding. Keywords: Infant, Diarrhea, Rotavirus, Breastfeeding

Pediatric populations from lower-income countries may experience a higher incidence of zinc deficiency, which may cause physical and neurological dysfunctions. This case control study aims to assess different levels of zinc between malnourished and well-nourished children. Our study included 108 participants, all children less than 12 years of age. Out of the 108, 54 were malnourished children (cases), while 54 were well nourished (control group) and were screened for zinc deficiencies. Zinc deficiencies were 4 times more common in malnourished cases than in controls (OR: 3.89 95% CI: 1.1-14.9) with median value of zinc in cases being 91.69 and that of controls was 117.6. Our findings indicate significant deficiencies in malnourished children as compared to well-nourished children. Additionally, our findings support literature surveyed that suggest dietary changes alone would not be able to replenish zinc levels in children.

Objective: To find out the prevalence of acute otitis media among febrile children presenting at a tertiary healthcare facility. Study Design: A cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of the Study: The Department of Pediatrics, Chandka Medical College, Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Medical University, Larkana from 1st January 2021 to 30th June 2021. Material and Methods: A total of 118 children of both genders aged 2 to 11 years with fever (temp>100.4 0F) for a minimum duration of 6 hours were included. Demographic data along with presenting symptoms were noted. Auroscopy/otoscopy was performed in all cases for the diagnosis of AOM. All the study data was entered into SPSS version 26.0 for statistical analysis. Results: In a total of 118 children, 67 (56.8%) were male. Mean age was noted to be 4.9±4.2 years (ranging between 2 to 12 years) and 62 (52.5%) children were aged between 2 to 5 years. Mean duration of fever was 6.20±1.7 days (ranging between 3 to 9 days) while 75 (63.6%) children had duration of fever above 5 days. Mean maximum reported fever was 103.04±1.1 0F. Irritability, dizziness, restlessness and diminished appetite were the most frequent symptoms noted in 98 (83.1%), 67 (56.8%), 61 (51.7%), and 58 (49.2%) patients respectively. The prevalence of AOM was observed in 27 (22.9%) febrile children. Conclusion: The prevalence of acute otitis media among febrile children was high. High index of suspicion for acute otitis media should be made whenever febrile children are presenting to pediatric healthcare facilities. Keywords: Acute otitis media, febrile, irritability, dizziness.