Pediatric Inflammatory Myofibroblastic Tumor of Rectosigmoid Junction: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

The occurrence of rectosigmoid junction inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor (IMT) is uncommon in children. This is a rare form of mesenchymal tumor, belonging to the category of soft tissue tumors, and can be found at any anatomical site from the central nervous system to the gastrointestinal tract. Our patient was a 10-year-old male subject complaining of lack of defecation and constipation. The patient had decreased the frequency of defecation and constipation about two weeks before his referral and had not improved despite the use of laxatives. The abdomen was completely distended and there was no tenderness or guarding in the examination. Several airfluid levels are shown on the abdominal X-ray. In the ultrasound, free fluid was reported in the interlobular and pelvic spaces. The patient was transferred into the operating room. A tumor of the rectosigmoid junction was detected. Histopathologic studies showed evidence of IMT. IMT is a rare neoplasm of unknown origin, which may occur in various sites of the body. Complete surgical removal is usually curative, but early detection of recurrence is required. Treatment options include chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and immunotherapy. Further investigations are needed to improve the understanding and management of this rare tumor.

Effect of Advanced Trauma Life Support program on medical interns' performance in simulated trauma patient management.

OBJECTIVE: Since appropriate and time-table methods in trauma care have an important impact on patients'outcome, we evaluated the effect of Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) program on medical interns' performance in simulated trauma patient management. METHODS: A descriptive and analytical study before and after the training was conducted on 24 randomly selected undergraduate medical interns from Imam Reza Hospital in Mashhad, Iran. On the first day, we assessed interns' clinical knowledge and their practical skill performance in confronting simulated trauma patients. After 2 days of ATLS training, we performed the same study and evaluated their score again on the fourth day. The two findings, pre- and post- ATLS periods, were compared through SPSS version 15.0 software. P values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Our findings showed that interns'ability in all the three tasks improved after the training course. On the fourth day after training, there was a statistically significant increase in interns' clinical knowledge of ATLS procedures, the sequence of procedures and skill performance in trauma situations (P less than 0.001, P equal to 0.016 and P equal to 0.01 respectively). CONCLUSION: ATLS course has an important role in increasing clinical knowledge and practical skill performance of trauma care in medical interns.

Ocular injuries sustained at home in five metropolitan cities: a review of 5008 cases.

Background: In Iran, ocular injuries sustained at home are a growing public health issue, and few studies have explored their prevalence and the frequencies of different causes of these injuries. We investigated the features of ocular injuries at home among children and adolescents (aged < 18 years), adults (18 - 64 years), and the elderly ( ≥ 65 years) in five metropolitan cities. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we recruited individuals with ocular injuries sustained at home who presented to 12 public/teaching hospitals in five metropolitan cities during a 5-month period. Using clinical records within the emergency department archives, we collected the following data: age, sex, frequency of injuries requiring hospital admission or surgical intervention, and causes of eye injuries, documented as 1) cleaning products, 2) chemical products, 3) kitchen items, 4) cooking activities, 5) toys, 6) falls from height, 7) sports equipment, 8) penetrating or cutting, 9) abrasions, 10) foreign bodies, and 11) direct blows by other individuals. Results: Of 5008 participants from the five cities, 74% (n = 3711) were male and 26% (n = 1297) were female. The most frequent causes of injury among children and adolescents, adults, and the elderly were toys, kitchen items, and cooking activities, respectively. In children and adolescents, injuries were caused by kitchen items, toys, foreign bodies, and direct blows by other individuals more frequently than in adults or the elderly, and by cleaning products and abrasions more frequently than in the elderly (all P < 0.05). In adults, injuries were caused by cleaning products, cooking activities, falls from height, sports equipment, penetrating or cutting, and abrasions more frequently than in children and adolescents or the elderly (all P < 0.05), and by kitchen items, toys, and blows by other individuals more frequently than in the elderly (all P < 0.05). In the elderly, injuries were caused by chemical products more frequently than in children and adolescents or adults, and by cooking activities, falls from height, and sports equipment more frequently than in children and adolescents (all P < 0.05). In adults, the frequency of ocular injuries was significantly higher in Tehran and lower in Mashhad when comparing each with that of the other four cities (all P < 0.05). We found a significantly higher frequency of ocular injuries by cleaning and chemical products in Tehran, by toys in Shiraz, by falls from height in Isfahan, and by direct blows by other individuals in Ahvaz when comparing each to that of the other four cities (all P < 0.05). Regarding the prevalence of severe ocular injuries among the children/adolescent and adult age groups, conditions were relatively better in Shiraz and relatively unfavorable in Mashhad. Conclusions: Ocular trauma was more common in male individuals and the younger age groups. Approximately half of the causes were kitchen items, toys, and foreign bodies, which are avoidable by enhancing public eye health awareness. The prevalence of severe ocular injuries in individuals aged < 18 years was high, highlighting the necessity of nationwide preventive strategies for pediatric ocular injuries.

Knowledge, attitude, and practice of adults to the protective actions against sun in northwest Tehran, Iran.

BACKGROUND: Wrong beliefs about risky actions such as sunbathing and tanning are common due to media advertisements or general lack of knowledge. This work has focused on the knowledge and attitude of a group of citizens in Tehran, Iran and the protective actions they take regarding undesirable effects of the sun.    METHODS:   A descriptive-analytic cross-sectional study has been conducted on 400 randomly selected individuals from the citizens of Shahrak-E-Gharb, an area in northwest Tehran. A questionnaire comprising 24 questions including demographic information, individuals' knowledge about sun exposure, and their opinions and behaviors on protective actions towards solar radiation were used to assess study objectives. Crude and adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for socio-demographic factors were calculated through univariate and multivariable logistic regression. RESULTS: The majority of participants had good knowledge about sun protective behaviors. Knowledge about sun exposure duration and tanning was higher among women and those with higher education. As for attitude, only 15% were concerned about skin cancer and 61.8% thought skin cancer can be prevented by sun protection. Higher education was associated with a more positive attitude towards tanning. Among respondents, 41% had suitable clothing to protect themselves against sun burn and only 32% used sunscreen most of the time. University graduates had significantly better practice towards using sunscreen cream compared to high school graduates. CONCLUSION: Although our study sample possessed good knowledge towards sun protection, their attitude and practices were unsatisfactory. Thereby, they need to be informed and educated as how to be safely protected against excessive sun exposure.