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Epilepsies and epileptic syndromes are among the most common chronic neurological disorders in neonates, infants, and children. Remission occurs in 70% of epileptic children, while other cases experience frequent seizures and become refractory to various treatment modalities. Refractory seizures have a significant adverse impact on the quality of life of epileptic children and their families. Prognosis of epilepsies is determined based on the risk of seizure or convulsion recurrence. Some of the most important risk factors for recurrence are the age at seizure presentation, neurodevelopment of the child, etiology of seizures, seizure frequency before anticonvulsant withdrawal, response to antiepileptic medications, type of epileptic syndromes, and electroencephalography of the patient. Recognition of the risk factors for seizure recurrence results in the optimal management of the treatment protocols, thereby reducing the adverse effects of epileptic seizures on patients and their families. The present study aimed to provide a narrative review of the most important risk factors for the recurrence of epilepsies in children by two child neurologists.

Introduction: Seizures are the most frequent neurologic disorder seen in childhood. Epilepsy is a group of disorders that includes an abnormally increased susceptibility to seizures. Aim: To examine the effectiveness of SPECT (Single Photon Emission Computerized Tomography) in detecting seizure foci in 21 Iranian children who had medically refractory epilepsy. Materials and Methods: Children between 2 to 15 years of age with uncontrolled seizures were investigated using SPECT scan as a standardized protocol. Results: In 16 cases (76.2%), likely seizure foci were evident, as were seen in the form of decreased regional blood flow, while in 5 cases (23.8%), SPECT scan results were normal. Left temporal lobe was the most common area which had decreased regional blood flow. Conclusion: SPECT scan can potentially be used to investigate children with uncontrolled seizures.

OBJECTIVES: Investigations into the epidemiology of acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) are an essential strategic component of the Global Poliomyelitis Eradication Initiative of the World Health Organization (WHO), and are part of the certification process for polio eradication worldwide. This is an epidemiological report of AFP incidence in children less than 15 years old in southwest Iran. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study, carried out based on WHO guidelines, in which we reviewed non-polio AFP cases recorded from January 2006 to December 2010 in different regions of Khuzestan Province, southwest Iran. In this study, the records of all children under 15 years old with AFP were evaluated. RESULTS: During a 5-year period, 137 cases of AFP were reported (incidence rate, 2.21 per 100,000 children

Background: Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is the second most common lethal autosomal recessive disease. It is a neuromuscular disorder caused by degenerative of lower motor neurons and occasionally bulbar neurons leading to progressive limb paralysis and muscular atrophy. The SMN1 gene is recognized as a SMA causing gene while NAIP has been characterized as a modifying factor for the clinical severity and age at disease onset in SMA patients (SMA subtypes). The relationship between NAIP deletion and type of SMA remains to be clarified; we investigated this gene alteration in all types of SMA patients. Methods: Molecular analysis was performed on fifty patients with a clinical diagnosis of SMA in Khuzestan province. In addition to common PCR-RFLP analysis for exon 7 and 8 of SMN1 gene, as an internal control we analysed NAIP deletion with PCR of exon 5 of this gene in a multiplex PCR with exon 13 of it. Results: Homozygous-deletion frequency rate for the telomeric copy of SMN (SMN1) exon 7 in all types (type I, II, Ш) of SMA was approximately 90% and the frequency of deletion in exon 7 and 8 together in all types estimated about 70%. Moreover NAIP gene was deleted in about 60% of these patients and this shows deletion in 91% of type I SMA patients. The correlation between NAIP-deletion and SMN1 mutation showed a high frequency rate. Conclusion: In this study, high frequency of NAIP gene deletion in all type of disease shows the importance role of it in disease pathogenesis. High frequency of NAIP deletion in SMA type I, also shows the importance of the gene in type and severity of disease so it may be a modifier factor in severity of disease.

Background. Developmental disorders are failure or inability to acquire various age-specific skills at expected maturational age, which affects about 5–10% of preschool children. One of the most important methods for evaluation of developmentally delayed children is neuroimaging, especially, brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) that provides useful information regarding brain tissue structures and anomalies. Method and Material. In this study, hospital records of 580 developmentally delayed children (aged 2 months to 15 years) who admitted in pediatric ward of Golestan Hospital from 1997 to 2009 were selected. Information such as age, MRI findings were collected in the questionnaire and statistically analyzed. Results. Total, 580 children including 333 males (57.4%) and 247 females (42.6%) were studied. Abnormal brain MRI was observed in 340 (58.6%) cases (204 Males, 136 females). The finding includes nonspecific in 38 (6.6%), congenital and developmental anomalies of brain in 39 (6.7%), recognizable syndromes in 3 (0.5%), neurovascular diseases or trauma in 218 (37.6%), and metabolic or neurodegenerative diseases in 42 (7.2%) cases. Conclusion. Because 60% of all study groups showed abnormal brain MRI, using this method could be effective in diagnosis, management, and almost prognosis determination processes.

Abstract We used daily return series for three pairs of datasets from the crude oil markets (WTI and Brent), stock indices (the Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500), and benchmark cryptocurrencies (Bitcoin and Ethereum) to examine the connections between various data during the COVID-19 pandemic. We consider two characteristics: time and frequency. Based on Diebold and Yilmaz’s (Int J Forecast 28:57–66, 2012) technique, our findings indicate that comparable data have a substantially stronger correlation (regarding return) than volatility. Per Baruník and Křehlík’ (J Financ Econ 16:271–296, 2018) approach, interconnectedness among returns (volatilities) reduces (increases) as one moves from the short to the long term. A moving window analysis reveals a sudden increase in correlation, both in volatility and return, during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the context of wavelet coherence analysis, we observe a strong interconnection between data corresponding to the COVID-19 outbreak. The only exceptions are the behavior of Bitcoin and Ethereum. Specifically, Bitcoin combinations with other data exhibit a distinct behavior. The period precisely coincides with the COVID-19 pandemic. Evidently, volatility spillover has a long-lasting impact; policymakers should thus employ the appropriate tools to mitigate the severity of the relevant shocks (e.g., the COVID-19 pandemic) and simultaneously reduce its side effects.

Background: Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is the second most common lethal autosomal recessive disease. It is a neuromuscular disorder caused by degenerative of lower motor neurons and occasionally bulbar neurons leading to progressive limb paralysis and muscular atrophy. The SMN1 gene is recognized as a SMA causing gene while NAIP has been characterized as a modifying factor for the clinical severity and age at disease onset in SMA patients (SMA subtypes). The relationship between NAIP deletion and type of SMA remains to be clarified; we investigated this gene alteration in all types of SMA patients. Methods: Molecular analysis was performed on fifty patients with a clinical diagnosis of SMA in Khuzestan province. In addition to common PCR-RFLP analysis for exon 7 and 8 of SMN1 gene, as an internal control we analysed NAIP deletion with PCR of exon 5 of this gene in a multiplex PCR with exon 13 of it. Results: Homozygous-deletion frequency rate for the telomeric copy of SMN (SMN1) exon 7 in all types (type I, II, III) of SMA was approximately 90% and the frequency of deletion in exon 7 and 8 together in all types estimated about 70%. Moreover NAIP gene was deleted in about 60% of these patients and this shows deletion in 91% of type I SMA patients. The correlation between NAIP-deletion and SMN1 mutation showed a high frequency rate. Conclusion: In this study, high frequency of NAIP gene deletion in all type of disease shows the importance role of it in disease pathogenesis. High frequency of NAIP deletion in SMA type I, also shows the importance of the gene in type and severity of disease so it may be a modifier factor in severity of disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]