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Pulmonary Alveolar Proteinosis (PAP) is an uncommon pulmonary disease characterized by the accumulation of surfactant composed of proteins and lipids due to disruption of surfactant clearance by alveolar macrophages. The current standard treatment is lung lavage. There are no specific criteria for lavage, but in case of observing these signs it is recommended to perform lavage for the patient: progressive respiratory failure, no labored breathing at rest, and drop in oxygen level during activity (5%).In this study, patients with PAP admitted to Pediatric ward of Masih Daneshvari Hospital were studied. The required data were collected including the patient's demographic data, clinical signs and radiographic data, the number of admissions, the age of diagnosis, detection and treatment methods, number of lavage, current condition of the patient, and in case of death, the cause of death.In this study, 17 patients with PAP who were admitted during the past 15 years were examined; among which 7 patients were boys (41.2%) and 10 were girls (58.8%). The mean age of population was 11.79±7.21 years. Transbronchial Lung Biopsy (TBLB) (47.1%) and open lung biopsy (52.9%) were used for diagnosis of patients. Lung lavage was used to treat patients, 15 of whom were treated by this method. Five of the patients died because of their serious conditions.Therapy method in the present study was lavage for both lungs, and it was performed for all patients except for two patients due to their anatomical complications. This method is still considered as the gold standard for PAP. Considering the findings from previous studies and the present study, it seems that Whole Lung Lavage (WLL) was fruitful for patients who had the indication for using this therapy and it played a significant role in improving the prognosis of patients. Besides, it is recommended to do follow-up regularly in order to have more therapeutic efficacy and increased patient longevity.

Background: Recent surveys have showed that asthma control still remains suboptimal. Family members have an extensive impact on the level of asthma control in school-age children. Family empowerment has a positive impact on the quality of life of school-age children with asthma. This study aimed to determine the efficacy of family empowerment on asthma control in school-age children. Materials and Methods: Forty-five children with asthma (6–12 years) and their parents were enrolled in a pediatric asthma clinic during their follow-up visits. The family empowerment program consisted of self-directed educational material, lectures (a nurse-focused format), group interaction (a learner-focused format), group discussions, and demonstration of educational films. The primary outcome was change in asthma control measured by the C-ACT questionnaire. Results: In this study, 45 patients were enrolled and randomly divided into two groups: intervention (n=23) and control (n=22). Demographic variables including age and sex were not significantly different between the two groups. There were no significant differences in pre-test asthma control scores between the intervention and control groups at pre-test (p=0.82). However, there was a significant difference in asthma control scores between the intervention and control groups at post-test (p

Background Asthma is the most common, chronic, childhood disease. Its chronic nature and long-term treatment decrease the quality of life of children and significantly affect the family function. This study was conducted to assess the impact of family empowerment on the quality of life of school-aged children with asthma. Materials and Methods This was a quasi-experimental study. Forty-five asthmatic children (7-11 years) and their parents referred to the Pediatric Asthma Clinic in Masih Daneshvari Hospital were selected using convenience sampling and were randomly divided into case (n = 14) and control (n = 16) groups. Data collection tools included a demographic information questionnaire and Pediatric Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire with standardized activities (PAQLQ). The validity and reliability of the questionnaire were tested. The family empowerment program for the intervention group included lectures, group discussions and demonstration of educational films. The questionnaires were filled out pre- and post-test. Results There were no significant differences before the intervention between the test and control groups in terms of demographic characteristics and PAQLQ scores. While, independent t-test showed significant differences between the two groups in PAQLQ total score and the subscale scores before and after the intervention (P < 0.05). Paired t-test showed significant differences before and after the intervention in the case group in terms of PAQLQ total score and the subscale scores (P < 0.001). Conclusion Considering the positive impact of of family empowerment program on the quality of life of school-aged children with asthma, this program is recommended for proper control and management of disease and decreasing the complications in asthmatic patients of all age groups.