Topical use of Matricaria recutita L (Chamomile) Oil in the Treatment of Monosymptomatic Enuresis in Children: A Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial.

AIM: To evaluate the efficacy of topical use of Matricaria recutita L oil in the treatment of enuresis in children. METHODS: Eighty patients diagnosed as monosymptomatic nocturnal or daytime enuresis were allocated to receive Matricaria recutita L (chamomile) oil or placebo topically for 6 weeks in a double-blind randomized placebo-controlled trial with a parallel design. Patients were evaluated prior to and following 8 weeks of the intervention in terms of frequency of enuresis and any observed adverse events. RESULTS: The mean frequency of enuresis at the first, second, and third 2 weeks was lower in the intervention group compared with the placebo group, and the differences were statistically significant (P < .001, P = .03, and P < .001, respectively). There was no report of any adverse event in the study groups. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study showed that the topical use of (chamomile) oil can decrease the frequency of nocturia in children with monosymptomatic nocturnal or daytime enuresis.

The Effect of Viola odorata Flower Syrup on the Cough of Children With Asthma: A Double-Blind, Randomized Controlled Trial.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of violet syrup on cough alleviation in children with intermittent asthma. In a parallel, double-blind, randomized controlled trial, 182 children aged 2 to 12 years with intermittent asthma were randomly assigned 1:1 to receive violet syrup or placebo along with the common standard treatments in both groups (short-acting ß-agonist). Both groups were evaluated in terms of the duration until cough suppression was achieved. No significant difference was observed in basic characteristics. The duration lasting to yield more than 50% cough reduction and 100% cough suppression was significantly less in the violet syrup group compared to placebo (P = .001, P < .001, respectively). There was no significant difference in therapeutic effects between boys and girls. There was a significant inverse correlation between the age of children and rate of cough alleviation and suppression by violet syrup. This study showed that the adjuvant use of violet syrup with short-acting ß-agonist can enhance the cough suppression in children with intermittent asthma.

The effect of adjuvant zinc therapy on recovery from pneumonia in hospitalized children: a double-blind randomized controlled trial.

Objectives. Pneumonia is one of the common mortality causes in young children. Some studies have shown beneficial effect of zinc supplements on treatment of pneumonia. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of short courses of zinc administration on recovery from this disease in hospitalized children. Methods. In a parallel Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial at Ayatollah Golpaygani Hospital in Qom, 120 children aged 3-60 months with pneumonia were randomly assigned 1 : 1 to receive zinc or placebo (5 mL every 12 hours) along with the common antibiotic treatments until discharge. Primary outcome was recovery from pneumonia which included the incidence and resolving clinical symptoms and duration of hospitalization. Results. The difference between two groups in all clinical symptoms at admittance and the variables affecting the disease such as age and sex were not statistically significant (P < 0.05) at baseline. Compared to the placebo group, the treatment group showed a statistically significant decrease in duration of clinical symptoms (P = 0.044) and hospitalization (P = 0.004). Conclusions. Supplemental administration of zinc can expedite the healing process and results in faster resolution of clinical symptoms in children with pneumonia. In general, zinc administration, along with common antibiotic treatments, is recommended in this group of children. It can also reduce the drug resistance caused by multiple antibiotic therapies. This trial is approved by Medical Ethic Committee of Islamic Azad University in Iran (ID Number: 8579622-Q). This study is also registered in AEARCTR (The American Economic Association's Registry for Randomized Controlled Trials). This trial is registered with RCT ID: AEARCTR-0000187.