Does Gabapentin Have A Role in the Improvement of Feeding Resistance in Infants?

Background: Eating disorders in some infants can be due to the inability to reach a level of relaxation necessary to start the feeding process. Gabapentin (GB) has been proposed as a stabilizer of nerve function in improving this disorder. This study aimed to investigate the effect of GB on improving feeding resistance in infants aged 3-6 months. Materials and Methods: This randomized, controlled, double-blind clinical trial was done on 64 infants aged 3-6 months with feeding resistance who were referred to the pediatric clinics and assigned to two groups of 32. The case group was given a dose of 5 mg/kg of GB in the first week, and if not too much sedation, it was increased to 10 mg/kg in the second week every 8 hours, whereas the control group received a placebo. The number of effective breastfeeding and the volume of formula in cc before and after 2 weeks of drug usage were recorded in both groups. Results: The number of breastfeeding sessions significantly had a higher increase in the GB group compared with placebo (median [IQR]: 1 [0,1] vs. 0 [0,1], P = 0.005) as well as an increase in consumed formula volume (mean ± SD: 42.81 ± 24.49 vs. 18.67 ± 14.57, P = 0.003). Conclusion: Considering the significant increase in formula consumption and the number of breastfeeding sessions in the GB group, it is possible to use this drug as a nerve-stabilizer and pain reducer to treat this disorder.

The association between macronutrients intake and myopia risk: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Dietary factors have been suggested as potential risk factors for myopia, but research findings on this relationship are inconclusive. The potential predisposing or protective role of macronutrient (carbohydrate, protein, fat) intake in the development of myopia was systematically reviewed, followed by data synthesis by meta-analysis. METHODS: A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar up to the end of June 2023 to identify all relevant studies. All observational studies that assessed the relationship between macronutrient intake with myopia, axial length (AL) of eyes and spherical equivalent refractive error (SE) on individuals younger than 18 years old were included. RESULTS: After removing duplicates and screening studies, four studies were included in the systematic review and meta-analysis. Pooled odds ratios regarding the association between myopia development and nutritional intake were 1.01 (95% CI: 0.94, 1.08), 0.97 (95% CI: 0.86, 1.08), and 0.99 (95% CI: 0.83, 1.18) for carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, respectively, indicating no significant associations. Intake of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats was not significantly associated with either SE or AL. CONCLUSIONS: Intake of carbohydrates, fats, or proteins did not influence the risk of myopia. The relationship between the intake of other macronutrients and myopia is suggested to be scrutinized in future studies. REGISTRATION: The systematic review protocol was registered on PROSPERO (registration number: CRD42024541369).

Behavioral and physiological pain structures of PIPP-R and parental stress: structural equation modeling approach.

BACKGROUND: Although most non-acute pain assessment tools are multi-dimensional (behavioral and physiological measures) in their approach, the outputs of such tools are considered unidimensional. This study aimed to explore and determine the behavioral and physiological pain structures of Premature Infant Pain Profile-Revised (PIPP-R) for neonates and its association with parental stress. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2022-2023 in Isfahan, Iran. We recruited 400 pre-term infants, i.e. with gestational age (GA) of less than 37weeks who were admitted to the NICU of educational hospitals. PIPP-R and Parental Stressor Scale: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (PSS: NICU) were used for data gathering. The latent structures of pain and its association with parental stress were explored using latent variable modeling approach. RESULTS: A two-factor model, i.e. behavioral and physiological pain factors, was extracted, explaining 65% of the total variance. The results of confirmatory factor analysis showed that the identified structures in the exploratory factor analysis could be nearly replicated (CFI = 0.99، TLI = 0.98, RMSEA = 0.001). Behavioral pain structure, independent from gestational age had a significant direct association with parental stress score (ß = 0.005, SE = 0.002, p = 0.026). CONCLUSIONS: The PIPP-R assesses both behavioral and physiological pain factors. We also found that behavioral pain factor was associated with parental stress. IMPACT: These results may provide a potential clue for physicians, nurses, and parents to manage the pain in preterm infant. The PIPP-R scores in preterm infants consist of "Behavioral and Physiological" pain factors. Single dependence on behavioral indicators (such as facial expression) has some limitations. Multidimensional tools may be the optimal method in detecting pain in preterm infants. Parental stress can affect behavioral pain structure in preterm infants. Intensive care nurses play an effective role in reducing the parental stress and pain severity of these preterm infants by including the help of mothers in procedures and providing them with psychological support.

Glucose and lipid-related indicators in relation to elevated alanine aminotransferase in a pediatric population.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the associations between various glucose and lipid-related indicators with elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) in pediatric population. METHODS: We analyzed the cross-sectional data of 3,771 Iranian children and adolescents aged 7-18 years using the fifth survey of a national school-based surveillance program. The predictive power of 11 different glucose and lipid-related indicators for predicting elevated ALT was examined using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. RESULTS: In the total sample non-HDL-C, non-HDL-C/HDL-C, and TC/HDL-C showed the largest area under the curve (AUC) for elevated ALT detection, with 0.731 (cut-off, 129.5 mg/dL), 0.706, and 0.706, respectively. In girls, non-HDL-C had the highest predictive value (AUC, 0.741, cut-off, 129.5 mg/dL). Among boys, non-HDL-C/HDL-C and TC/HDL-C showed the largest AUC of 0.753 with optimum cut-off values of 2.63 and 3.63, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study suggest that non-HDL-C, non-HDL-C/HDL-C, and TC/HDL-C can be predictors of elevated ALT in the pediatric population. These indices can be useful in large population-based studies for predicting children and adolescents at risk of fatty liver.

Persian version of brief infant sleep questionnaire (BISQ): a psychometric evaluation.

BACKGROUND: The high prevalence of sleep problems and their negative consequences on children and parents highlight the need to design early screening instruments to evaluate sleep problems in early childhood. We aimed to determine the validity and reliability of the Brief Infant Sleep Questionnaire (BISQ) among the Iranian population. METHODS AND MATERIALS: This study included 646 one-year-old infants by random sampling from the PERSIAN birth cohort study. Following the forward-backward translation of the BISQ, its psychometric properties, including construct validity in terms of concurrent and convergent validities as well as reliability, were evaluated. RESULTS: The CVIs and CVR ranged between 0.8 and 1.00 for all items. Therefore, we keep all the items of the original version of the BISQ in the Persian BISQ. Concurrent validity was assessed by comparing items of the Persian BISQ among different maternal views regarding their infant's sleep. All BISQ items were significantly different among the two levels of maternal view about the infant's sleep problem except daytime sleep duration. The convergent validity of the BISQ was evaluated by calculating the correlation between BISQ items and the ISQ (infant sleep questionnaire) total score as a similar tool. ISQ score was adequately correlated with nocturnal sleep latency and the number of waking at night (rs ranged from 0.59 to 0.72). In addition, the associations of mothers' and infants' demographic variables and nutritional and gestational variables with BISQ items were presented to confirm construct validity. Strong correlations were found between the repeated sleep measures for sleep arrangement, sleep position, and sleep situation (kappa ranged from 0.65 to 0.84), nocturnal sleep duration, daytime sleep duration number of wakings at night, night waking duration, nocturnal sleep latency and sleep-onset time (ICC ranged 0.91 to 0.99). CONCLUSION: The Persian version of the BISQ is a reliable and valid measure for assessing sleep problems in infants. It would be helpful to be utilized for the early diagnosis of infants' sleep problems.

Proportion of toxin and non-toxin virulence factors of Staphylococcus aureus isolates from diabetic foot infection: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Staphylococcus aureus isolates are the leading cause of diabetic foot infections (DFIs). Identification of specific virulence factors of S. aureus involved in the pathogenesis of DFIs may help control the infection more effectively. Since the most prevalent virulence factor genes are probably related to the DFI pathogenesis, the aim of this study is to evaluate the proportion of virulence factor genes of S. aureus isolates from DFIs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a systematic search of PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Scopus to identify all articles reporting the proportion of different types of virulence factors of S. aureus isolates from DFI samples. RESULTS: Seventeen studies were eligible, in which 1062 S. aureus isolates were obtained from 1948 patients and 2131 DFI samples. Among the toxin virulence factors, hld 100.0% (95% CI: 97.0, 100.0%), hlg 88.0% (95% CI: 58.0, 100.0%), hla 80.0% (95% CI: 31.0, 100.0%), hlgv 79.0% (95% CI: 35.0, 100.0%) and luk-ED 72.0% (95% CI: 42.0, 95.0%) had the highest proportion respectively. Among the genes associated with biofilm formation, both icaA and icaD had the highest proportion 100.0% (95% CI: 95.6, 100.0%). CONCLUSION: The results of the present study showed that among the toxin virulence factors, hemolysins (hld, hlg, hla, hlgv) and luk-ED and among the non-toxin virulence factors, icaA and icaD have the greatest proportion in S. aureus isolates from DFIs. These prevalent genes may have the potential to evaluate as virulence factors involved in DFI pathogenesis. Finding these probable virulence factor genes can help control diabetic foot infection more effectively via anti-virulence therapy or preparation of multi-epitope vaccines.

Use of Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs) model in virtual education development in first macro-region universities of medical sciences in countrywide territorial planning.

BACKGROUND: Massive online open cources (MOOCs) are a new chapter in the topic of teaching-learning in higher education, which have been able to acquire a significant and valuable position in higher education and prestigious universities worldwide in line with the advancement of technology. The present study was conducted pursuing the goal to investigating the effect of use of MOOCs in the development of virtual education in universities of medical sciences in the first macro-region of countrywide territorial planning. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This research is based on a mixed method and practical in terms of purpose, and it was carried out in 2021 and 2022 in first macro-region of countrywide regional planning Medical Sciences Universities. The data of the qualitative section were converted into a questionnaire using the method of qualitative content analysis in a purposeful and semi-structured interview with 24 experts in the field of virtual education who had sufficient experience in the field of MOOC courses. The statistical population of the quantitative section is 1938 faculty members of the first macro-region of countrywide regional planning, of which 324 were selected by stratified random sampling. Its validity was calculated by Lawshe and Waltz-Bausell method by R software, and the reliability was calculated using Cronbach's alpha method with SPSS-21. RESULTS: Universities are facing challenges in structural, managerial, cultural, social, technological, and evaluation dimensions, and the current situation of using MOOCs in them is not appropriate. CONCLUSION: Besides, the analysis of the optimal situation of using MOOCs in these universities indicates that technological, structural, managerial, evaluation, educational, and personal dimensions are the most important in the effect of using MOOCs on the development of virtual education.

Perceived challenges and barriers for medical students in the COVID-19 crisis.

BACKGROUND: Unpredictable and immediate changes, especially in the clinical and practical fields of medical sciences following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) epidemic, have posed many challenges for medical students. This study was conducted to identify the experiences and students' understanding of the challenges in the COVID-19 crisis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The present qualitative research was conducted by performing semi-structured interviews with the students along with holding a student panel. The study population consisted of 30 clinical and basic medical students of Babol, Iran and Kermanshah universities of medical sciences who were selected by purposive sampling method. Data were collected based on students' perceived experiences of challenges, obstacles, and problems in the COVID-19 crisis. The data analysis process was performed by conducting interviews and information obtained from the panel using v10 R150410 software. Finally, the related factors and components were identified. RESULTS: Challenges and perceived obstacles of medical students in the COVID-19 crisis were identified in the form of eight factors including student life factors, interaction and communication, psychological factors, educational technology, factors related to the professors, limitations of educational and research planning, crisis management, and educational evaluation. CONCLUSION: Identifying the challenges of medical education perceived by students in this study and adopting appropriate strategies to overcome existing barriers open new opportunities for expanding the scope of the curriculum, providing education, and promoting community health to universities; moreover, the challenges of medical education and any skill-based discipline, such as medical sciences in the COVID-19 pandemic will require much attention and investigation in cognitive sciences.

Comparison of Blood Lead Levels in Children and Adolescents with and without Functional Abdominal Pain.

Background: Functional abdominal pain is a health concern with chronic abdominal discomfort without clear etiology. Several etiologic factors are raised in this regard, one related to environmental factors. This study aimed to compare blood lead levels between children and adolescents with and without functional abdominal pain. Materials and Methods: This case-control study was performed in 2019-2020 in Isfahan, Iran. The sample size was calculated as 70 cases and an equal number of controls. Cases were children and adolescents with functional gastrointestinal disorder (FGID), and controls were grouped age- and sex-matched. Controls were randomly selected from those referred for routine health screening. Both groups obtained blood lead, iron, and calcium levels. All participants completed the FFQ Food Consumption and Environmental Pollutants Questionnaire. Results: Participants were 139 children (68 cases and 71 controls). The mean (SD) age was 9.40 (3.91) years in the FGID group and 8.79 (3.46) years in the controls (P = 0.330). The mean (SD) blood lead level was not significantly different between the FGID group and the controls (3.98 ± 2.56 vs 3.81 ± 1.96 µg/dl, respectively, P = 0.670). We found that 55.3% of children with high lead levels had FGID, while 44.4% of children with lower lead levels had FGID, but the difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.33). Conclusion: We found that the lead level was higher in patients with FGID than in the controls; however, this difference was not significantly different. This might be because of elevated lead levels in both groups. Future ecological studies with a large sample size are necessary in this regard.

Status of integrin subunit alpha 4 promoter DNA methylation in colorectal cancer and other malignant tumors: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background and purpose: Although many recent studies have analyzed the validation of integrin subunit alpha 4 (ITGA4) biomarker for cancer detection in patients with various malignancies, the diagnostic value of ITGA4 methylation for malignant tumors remains uncertain. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to unravel the relationship between ITGA4 promoter methylation status and malignant tumors. Experimental approach: A meta-analysis was performed using the metaphor package in R 3.5 and Meta-Disc 1.4 software. Data were derived from a search of main electronic databases up to January 2022. SROC analysis was used to evaluate the status of ITGA4 promoter methylation in colorectal cancer (CRC) and other cancers. A total of 1232 tumor samples and 649 non-tumor samples from 13 studies were analyzed. Findings/Results: The pooled results including all types of cancer provided evidence that ITGA4 hypermethylation was more frequent in tumor samples than non-tumor samples (OR 13.32, 95% CI 7.96-22.29). Methylation of ITGA4 has a pooled sensitivity of 0.95 (95% CI: 0.94-0.97), a pooled specificity of 0.57 (95% CI: 0.54-0.60), and an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.94. When the analysis was performed independently for CRC, it revealed a higher association (OR = 20.77, 95% CI: 9.15-47.15). The assessment of ITGA4 methylation of tissue samples resulted in a pooled sensitivity of 0.99 (95% CI: 0.97-1.00) and a pooled specificity of 0.90 (95% CI: 0.86-0.93), and AUC of 0.94 for the diagnosis of CRC. Conclusion and implications: ITGA4 methylation analysis is a reliable method for CRC screening in tissue samples.

Population attributable risk fraction of modifiable risk factors associated with poor self-rated health among children and adolescent; the CASPIAN-V study.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to determine the population attributable risk fraction (PARF) of the risk factors for poor SRH in Iranian children and adolescents. METHOD: This was a nationwide cross-sectional study conducted in 2015 among 14,400 students aged 6-18 years, living in 30 provinces of Iran. Data were collected using global school health survey questionnaire. Logistic regression was employed to determine the adjusted association of modifiable risk factors with SRH. We used average PARF to determine the preventable proportion of poor reported SRH. RESULTS: Of 14,400 recruited students, data on 13,983 subjects were analyzed in current study. The mean (SD) age of participants (n = 13,983) was 12.3 (3.16) years, and 49.3% were female. Poor SRH was reported in 19% of subjects. In total, 77% of poor reported SRH in Iranian children and adolescents could be attributed to insufficient daily sleep duration, physical injury, lack of close friend, dissatisfaction with family relationship, and the lack of a companion to share personal problems. We also found that physical pain had the largest PARF (32.4%) followed by anxiety (26.1%) and un-satisfaction with family relationship (5.2%). CONCLUSION: The established physical and social support factors of poor SRH were associated with a remarkable proportion of poor SRH in the Iranian pediatric population. Changing the children's risk factor profile to the lowest physical risk factor as well as reducing the anxiety level and preventing from physical painsmay significantly improve the SRH of children and adolescents.

Efficacy of plasmapheresis in neutropenic patients suffering from cytokine storm because of severe COVID-19 infection.

Background: With the emergence of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and inability of healthcare systems to control the disease, various therapeutic theories with controversial responses have been proposed. Plasmapheresis was administered as a medication. However, the knowledge of its efficacy and indications is inadequate. This study evaluated the use of plasmapheresis in critically ill patients with cancer. Methods: This randomized clinical trial was conducted on 86 patients with malignancies, including a control group (N=41) and an intervention group (N=45) with severe COVID-19 during 2020-21. Both groups were treated with routine medications for COVID-19 management according to national guidelines, and plasmapheresis was applied to the intervention group. C-reactive protein (CRP), D-dimer, ferritin, lactate dehydrogenase, hemoglobin, and white blood cell, polymorphonuclear, lymphocyte, and platelet levels were measured at admission and at the end of plasmapheresis. Other variables included neutrophil recovery, intensive care unit admission, intubation requirements, length of hospital stay, and hospitalization outcomes. Results: CRP(P<0.001), D-dimer (P<0.001), ferritin (P=0.039), and hemoglobin (P=0.006) levels were significantly different between the groups after the intervention. Neutrophil recovery was remarkably higher in the case than in the control group (P<0.001). However, plasmapheresis did not affect the length of hospital stay (P=0.076), which could have significantly increased survival rates (P<0.001). Conclusion: Based on the study findings, plasmapheresis led to a significant improvement in laboratory markers and survival rate in patients with severe COVID-19. These findings reinforce the value of plasmapheresis in cancer patients as a critical population suffering from neutropenia and insufficient immune responses.

The association between vitamin C dietary intake and its serum levels with anthropometric indices: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: studies showed inflammatory background of overweight and obesity. Prevalence of weight disorders has dramatically increased over the past few decades. Vitamin C is an antioxidant and may be associated with weight disorders. This study aims to systematically review the relationship between dietary and serum vitamin C levels with anthropometric indices. METHODS: A systematic search was conducted in Medline database (PubMed), Scopus, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane library and Google Scholar up to the end of August 2021. All observational studies that assessed the relationship between dietary or circulating vitamin C levels and body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) on adults were included. The quality of included studies was assessed using the National Institute of Health quality assessment tool. RESULTS: Among 11,689 studies, 47 and 37 articles were included in the systematic review and meta-analysis, respectively. There was an inverse significant correlation between WC and serum vitamin C levels (r = -0.28, 95% CI: -0.35,-0.21, I2 = 14.2%) and between BMI and serum vitamin C levels (r = -0.17, 95% CI: -0.25, -0.09, I2 = 72.8%). Higher vitamin C consumption was significantly associated with lower BMI. There were no significant differences in serum vitamin C levels between normal-weight and overweight subjects, but serum vitamin C levels were significantly higher in obese subjects in comparison with normal-weight subjects. CONCLUSION: Results showed that both dietary and serum vitamin C levels were inversely associated with BMI and WC. More well-designed clinical trials are needed to assess the effect of vitamin C supplementation in prevention and treatment of obesity.

Effect of Vitamin D Supplementation on Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D and Homeostatic Model of Insulin Resistance Levels in Healthy Pregnancy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Progressive insulin resistance is a physiological condition during pregnancy that can lead to gestational diabetes. Given the association between low blood vitamin D levels and insulin resistance, the present meta-analysis evaluated the effect of vitamin D supplementation on serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) and the homeostatic model of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) levels in non-diabetic pregnant women. Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted using electronic databases and gateways such as Cochrane Library, Medline, Google Scholar, Science Direct, Web of Sciences, Embase, and Scopus. Articles up to 2020 in both English and Persian were included in the study. The effect of vitamin D supplementation on 25(OH)D and HOMA-IR was determined based on the differences in mean changes from baseline to post-intervention. Weighted mean and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were pooled using a random-effects model. Data were analyzed using STATA software. Results: Four studies, including six trials with 380 participants, reported that vitamin D supplementation increased 25(OH)D (mean change: 13.72, 95% CI: 7.28-20.17) and decreased HOMA-IR (mean change: 1.46, 95% CI: 0.56-2.37) levels compared with the placebo group. A high weekly dose of vitamin D further reduced HOMA-IR levels (adjusted R2=77.99, I2 residuals=80.49%, P=0.047). There was no significant association between the dose of vitamin D and 25(OH)D (P=0.974). Intervention duration was not associated with an increase in 25(OH)D (P=0.102), nor with a decrease in HOMA-IR (P=0.623). Conclusion: Vitamin D supplementation increased 25(OH)D and decreased HOMA-IR levels in non-diabetic pregnant women. Vitamin D in high doses further reduced HOMA-IR, but did not affect 25(OH)D concentrations.

Birth Size Outcomes in Relation to Maternal Blood Levels of Some Essential and Toxic Elements.

Exposures to toxic trace elements and deficiencies of essential trace elements during pregnancy may impact fetal growth. This study was conducted to determine the association between maternal blood levels of essential elements including manganese (Mn), copper (Cu), and zinc (Zn) and toxic elements including arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), and lead (Pb) at the first trimester with neonatal anthropometric parameters. This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2019-2020 in Isfahan, Iran. Overall, 263 mother-infant pairs were recruited in the first trimester of pregnancy. Maternal whole blood was collected, and essential and toxic elements were determined by mass spectrometry (ICP-MS)-based method. Birth size measurements were performed according to standardized protocols. Geometric means and standard deviations of maternal blood concentrations of Mn, Cu, Zn, As, Cd, and Pb were 3.94 ± 0.82, 5.22 ± 0.57, 7.67 ± 0.58, 2.21 ± 0.77, - 0.59 ± 0.98, and 3.23 ± 0.72 µg/l, respectively. Mean age of mothers was 29.94 ± 5.22 years. Thirty-one (12.1%) neonates were preterm. Maternal blood Pb levels were negatively correlated with birth weight (ß = - 0.22 (CI 95%: - 0.38, - 0.05) p = 0.010) and marginally with birth head circumference (ß = - 0.14(CI 95%: - 0.29, 0.02), P = 0.094) after adjustment for potential confounder variables. There was no significant association between Mn, Cu, Zn, As, Cd, and birth size measurements. Reverse association was found between maternal blood Pb levels and birth weight and birth head circumference. There is limited evidence related to the association between essential and toxic elements during pregnancy with birth size measurements and pregnancy disorders. More studies are suggested to assess of the effect of the trace elements and birth outcomes.

Association between Sleep Duration and Early Pubertal Timing in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Early puberty increases the risk of diverse health outcomes during adolescence and beyond. Several studies have explored the links between short sleep duration and early puberty worldwide. OBJECTIVE: The current systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the association between sleep duration and early pubertal timing based on published evidence systematically. METHODS: We searched important electronic databases for articles that reported the association between childhood sleep duration and puberty timing up to October 2020. A total of 848 papers were identified from the databases and manual search. Finally, 10 studies including 23752 participants were included in the meta-analysis. We calculated the pooled effect sizes using a random or fixed effects model as appropriate. RESULTS: There was a significant inverse association between sleep duration and the risk of early puberty, longer duration of sleep was associated with 0.34% decreased odds of early puberty (OR = 0.66, 95% CI = 0.58-0.77, I2 = 96.6%). In a subgroup analysis, when pubertal status was assessed by physical examination compared with Pubertal Development Scale (PDS) or Sexual Maturation Scale (SMS), the associations between sleep duration and age of puberty were attenuated. The pooled OR (95% CI) of studies measuring pubertal timing by PDS/SMS and Tanner stage were 0.50(0.37-0.69) and 0.91(0.77-1.09), respectively. When pooling effect sizes was limited to studies that had BMI level adjustment, the association of sleep duration and early puberty was not statistically significant anymore (OR = 0.95, 95% CI = 0.89-1.01). CONCLUSION: Longer sleep duration is associated with a lower risk of early puberty in children. The association between sleep duration and risk of early puberty may be modified by other factors such as BMI. To clarify the effect of sleep duration on the risk of early puberty in children, further prospective studies are needed.

Efficacy of Raloxifene as Add-on Therapy on Disease Activity of Postmenopausal Women with Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Double-blind, Randomized, Placebo-controlled Clinical Trial.

OBJECTIVE: The current study aimed to evaluate the effect of raloxifene on the disease activity of postmenopausal patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and the prevention of glucocorticoid- induced osteoporosis. METHODS: This double-blind, randomized clinical trial was conducted at the Rheumatic Diseases Research Center affiliated with Mashhad University of Medical Sciences from 2015 to 2016. Postmenopausal women with RA were randomly treated with raloxifene or placebo after discontinuation of alendronate. Disease activity was evaluated using DAS28ESR, HAQ, and VAS before and every two months after the intervention. In addition, bone mineral densitometry was performed for patients before and 14 months after the intervention. The disease activity and densitometric criteria were compared between the two groups at a significant level of p <0.05. RESULTS: A total of 17 patients were allocated to each group. The two groups were similar at baseline in underlying disease, age, duration of RA, duration of alendronate use, laboratory findings, and rheumatoid arthritis drugs. Moreover, the mean scores of DAS28ESR, HAQ, and VAS during visits were not significantly different between the intervention and control groups (p >0.05). CONCLUSION: The current study results could not prove any clinical benefits of adding raloxifene to standard therapies for patients with rheumatoid arthritis in improving their disease activity compared to placebo. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: Trial registration number is NCT02982083.

Effects of Vitamin E on Neonatal Hyperbilirubinemia in Preterm Newborns.

Background: Neonatal jaundice indicates the presence of pigment in the skin and sclera. Vitamin E is an important component of the cellular antioxidant defense system. Here in the present study, we aimed to evaluate and investigate these therapeutic effects. Materials and Methods: This is a randomized clinical trial performed on 100 premature neonates. Group 1 received 10 units of Vitamin E daily for 5 days. The other group received placebo. Amount of bilirubin was measured at the time of 0, 24, 48, 72, and 96 h after birth. Results: Mean bilirubin in Vitamin E group was increasing until the 2nd day and then got a decreasing trend. In the control group, the increasing trend of bilirubin was going on till the 3rd day. Mean bilirubin increased significantly during the follow-up in both Vitamin E and control groups (χ2 [df] = 20.23 (1), P < 0.001). Although both groups showed an increasing trend in mean bilirubin, on the last day of follow-up, the average amount of increase was lower in Vitamin E group (5.06 ± 2.25 vs. 6.23 ± 3.98). Also in the 3rd and 4th days, mean bilirubin was lower in Vitamin E group. Conclusion: This study supports the usage of oral Vitamin E therapies on reducing the bilirubin levels in neonates. We also showed that this reduced trend occurs after day 3 of life, but in the follow-ups, neonates who were treated with Vitamin E had lower bilirubin levels compared to the placebo group.

Growth Hormone Response to L-Arginine Alone and Combined with Different Doses of Growth Hormone-Releasing Hormone: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Arginine (ARG) can modulate growth hormone (GH) release by suppressing its endogenous inhibitory regulator, somatostatin. ARG also induces the release of the GH-releasing hormone (GHRH). This study aims to review the effects of L-arginine supplementation alone and combined with GHRH in different doses on GH secretion. Methods: In this systematic review and meta-analysis, an electronic literature search was conducted on Medline database (PubMed), Scopus, and Web of Science databases. All eligible studies were randomized clinical trials that reported the effects of ARG supplementation alone or with GHRH on GH levels. Mean difference (MD) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were computed as the effect size. Results: Meta-analyses showed significant effects of ARG alone on GH release (MD = 10.07, 95% CI: 7.87, 12.28). Moreover, the response of GH was greater with ARG in combination with GHRH (MD = 24.96, 95% CI: 17.51, 32.42). There was no significant difference between the patients and healthy individuals and between oral and injection use of ARG. The systematic review revealed the important role of ARG in combination with other amino acids on GH secretion in patients with GH deficiency. Conclusion: This study revealed that in GH-deficient individuals, high doses of ARG supplementation in combination with GHRH and/or other amino acids might have potential therapeutic effects on increasing GH concentrations. These findings propose that ARG supplementation can be considered as a potential stimulator in management of GH deficiency.

Serum vitamin D levels and COVID-19 during pregnancy: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Serum vitamin D levels are reported to be associated with the risk of incidence and severity of COVID-19 in the general population. During pregnancy, immune system alterations in line with changes in vitamin D metabolism may affect the course of COVID-19. Thus, we aimed to systematically review the association between vitamin D, pregnancy, and COVID-19. METHODS: A systematic literature search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, and Google Scholar until the end of May 2022. Mean differences (MD) with 95% CI were used as desired effect sizes to assess the association of serum vitamin D levels with the risk of incidence and severity of COVID-19 in pregnant women. RESULTS: Among 259 records, 7 and 6 studies were included in the systematic review and meta-analysis, respectively. All included studies had acceptable quality. Our results demonstrated an insignificant difference between infected women and non-infected controls (MD = -2.55 ng/ml, 95% CI: -6.85 - 1.74). But serum vitamin D levels in severe/moderate cases compared to mild ones (MD = -2.71 ng/ml, 95% CI: -4.18 to -1.24) are significantly lower. CONCLUSION: Based on the current evidence, serum vitamin D level does not associate with the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection among pregnant women, but we find a significant association with the severity of the disease. These findings may be helpful in similar conditions and future studies to better understand the complex immune alterations during pregnancy.