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Objective To assess the impact of emollient therapy on gain in weight and length among preterm and low birth weight babies. Study design Randomised controlled trial. Place and duration of study Department of Pediatric Medicine, KEMU / Mayo Hospital Lahore, from January till June 2018. Methodology Infants with birth weight between 1.5 and 2.5 Kgs or preterm neonates born between 28 and 37 completed weeks of gestation were included in the study. Neonates with genetic syndrome, infection or with a history of admission in NICU due to any reason, were excluded. They were randomly divided into two groups-A and B, by lottery method. Mothers of the neonates in group A were advised massage with sunflower oil; while mothers of the neonates in group B were advised massage without any emollient. Babies were closely followed up and their weight and length were measured at two months of age and were analysed using SPSS version 23.0. Results For 140 neonates, the mean increase in weight was 489.84 ± 297.48 grams among group-A neonates (emollient therapy group) and it was 373.43 ± 276.31 grams among group-B neonates (p = 0.018). The mean increase in length was 6.5 ± 1.1 cm, among group-A neonates and 4.8 ± 1.3 cm in group-B neonates (p ˂0.001). Conclusion: Massage with emollient therapy leads to significantly more increase in weight and length compared to massage alone, among preterm and low birth weight neonates. Emollient therapy is an effective non-pharmacological intervention for increasing weight and length in low birth weight and preterm neonates. Key Words: Emollient, Massage, Low birth weight, Preterm neonates, Weight, Length.

Objective To compare the effectiveness of bubble continuous positive airway pressure (bCPAP) and oxygen inhalation via nasal cannula in neonates presenting with respiratory distress, using Silverman Anderson Retraction Score (SARS). Study design Randomised clinical trial. Place and duration of study Department of Paediatrics, Unit-1, KEMU/Mayo Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan, from April 2017 to June 2018. Methodology A total of 120 neonates fulfilling inclusion and exclusion criteria were enrolled and were randomly allocated in two groups: Group A and Group B. In group A, neonates were given bCPAP for respiratory support, while neonates in group B were given nasal oxygen as control group. Neonates in both groups were followed for 48 hours. The effectiveness was determined by the reduction in SARS, up to or less than score 3, at the end of a 48-hour period. Data were collected and analysed by SPSS version 20.0. P-value ≤0.05 was taken as significant. Results In Group A, effectiveness was found to be 93.3%, and in Group B effectiveness was 71.7% (p = 0.003). Median reduction in SARS from 00 to 48 hours, in group A (bCPAP) was 4 (4 - 5) while in group B (control), it was 3 (2 - 3); statistically significant (p Conclusion Bubble CPAP was more effective than nasal oxygen alone, in treatment of respiratory distress among neonates. This study suggested that bCPAP should be used more frequently in NICUs of Pakistan to reduce burden of neonatal morbidity due to respiratory distress. Key Words: Bubble CPAP, Respiratory distress, Neonates, Silverman Anderson Retraction Score.

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE: As Rota virus leads to significant morbidity in children 2 months to 5 years, this study was done to observe the effect of one dose of nitazoxanide on the total duration of rotavirus diarrhea. The primary objective was to evaluate the reduction in the mean duration of viral diarrhea in children after administration of first dose of Nitazoxanide. METHODLOGY: This descriptive study was done in the Department of Pediatric Medicine Unit I, Mayo Hospital, Lahore from Jan 2016 to June 2016 after approval from the ethical review committee. Sample size calculated was 175 using WHO sample size calculator. Patients of 4–5 years were given 200 mg nitazoxanide twice daily for 3 days; 100 mg nitazoxanide was given twice daily to 12–47 months age group, and patient of