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Background and purpose: Vocal nodules are the main cause of voice disorders in children, which can be caused by several behaviors such as excessive speaking and yelling, and can significantly impact their overall communication development. Different nonmedical treatments exist for vocal nodules, but there is no consensus on the most effective methods. The aim of the present systematic review was to study the nonmedical interventions for vocal nodules in children. Materials and methods: The systematic search was performed in electronic databases, including PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct, ISI (Web of Science), Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and Google Scholar. The search involved articles published between 2000 and 2022. The following terms were used as keywords: vocal nodule, vocal fold nodules, therapy, treatment, intervention, voice disorder, pediatric, and telepractice. Studies were selected if they 1) had examined 0-18-year-old subjects with vocal fold nodules; 2) had obviously stated the kind, process, and evaluation tools and also 3) the kind and the process of the interventions and the intervention groups; 4) had provided nonmedical interventions; 5) had been published in English and after 2000; and 6) presented the outcome data. The methodological quality of the papers was evaluated using the Physiotherapy Evidence Database scale. Results: We identified 729 articles, of which 11 met the inclusion criteria. These studies were different in the study design, participant characteristics, types of assessments, types of interventions, and follow-up periods. According to findings, nonmedical treatments of vocal nodules were successful in elimination of/decreasing the vocal nodules sizes (four studies), improving the quality of life (two studies), and improving acoustic parameters of voice (nine studies). Conclusion: The present systematic review showed the effectiveness of nonmedical treatment of vocal nodules in children, despite being challenging. Further researches are required to have higher levels of evidence, more accurate methodological quality, and long-term follow-up evaluations to draw more accurate conclusions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and purpose: Nowadays, overweight and abnormal blood pressure (BP) have increased among children. This paper aimed at investigating the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and BP in children younger than 7 years of age. Materials and methods: In this cross-sectional study, 400 children aged 18 months to 7 years old were selected through random cluster sampling from 20 urban and rural healthcare centers. Their personal and medical information was recorded. Then, the height, weight, and blood pressure were measured. Data were analyzed in SPSS V21. Results: The study was performed in 315 children whose parents agreed to complete the study. The participants included 187 (59.4%) boys and 128 (40.6%) girls. According to BMI, most of the male subjects had normal weight (n=162, 51.4%) but 25 (7.9%) were found with abnormal weight. Similar situation was also seen in girls (114 [36.2%] vs. 14 [4.4%]). Normal and abnormal systolic blood pressure in boys and girls were seen in 176 and 11, and in 123 and 5, respectively. In this study significant relationships were found between BMI and systolic blood pressure (P= 0.032) and BMI and diastolic blood pressure in children (P= 0.008). Conclusion: The increasing trend of overweight and consequently increased blood pressure among children call for life style modification to decrease the consequences caused by these health problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]