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Immune system immaturity in newborns exposes them to infections, among which bloodstream infection is of great importance due to high mortality and morbidity and treatment costs. The aim of the present study was to evaluate common pathogens in blood culture positive cases and its determinants. This study was conducted in two phases, including a cross-sectional phase to collect the cases of definitive septicemia and a case-control phase on neonates admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of Vali-e-Asr Hospital with clinical suspicion of sepsis during 2015-2019. The eligible cases were selected based on the study criteria. After extracting descriptive statistics, to evaluate causal relationships, culture-positive and culture negative cases were compared in terms of neonatal disease in the second phase. SPSS-22 was used for data analysis. The most common bacterial families were Staphylococcus (34.30%), Acinetobacter (10.46%), and Klebsiella (7.55%), among which coagulase negative Staphylococcus was the most common organism (13.08%). The most common antibiotics prescribed were ampicillin (75.1%), amikacin (58%), and gentamycin (44.8%). Factors that had a significant association were the occurrence of septicemia were gestational hypertension, premature rupture of membranes, conjunctivitis, TORCH infections, and low gestational age. The results of this study will be helpful in anticipation and management of neonatal septicemia through shedding light on some determinants of common blood culture pathogens like infections and obstetric complications in NICU admitted neonates.

Background and Objectives: This study aimed to investigate epidemiology of Staphylococcus epidermidis (S. epidermidis) and Acinetobacter baumannii (A. baumannii) infections in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in a period of 8 years. Materials and Methods: This retrospective cohort study was conducted on 46 cases of nosocomial infection by S. epidermidis, and 44 neonates with A. baumannii in NICU of Valiasr hospital, Iran. Results: The trend of A. baumannii and S. epidermidis infection were as follows: 1 and 7 in 2014, 11 and 7 in 2015, 20 and 11 in 2016, 1 and 4 in 2017, 4 and 6 in 2018, 4 and 4 in 2019, 0 and 1 in 2020, and 3 and 6 in 2021-March 2022 respectively. Mortality proportion (%) in neonates with S. epidermidis and A. baumannii infection was at 8.3 and 32.1, respectively. There was a strong positive correlation between number of infected neonates in month and average of prescribed antibiotics before incidence of infection in every baby in that month. Fluconazole prescription before incidence of infection were associated with the A. baumannii infection in month too. Amikacin prescription had adjusted correlation on increasing of A. baumannii and S. epidermidis infection in month. Conclusion: It seems reducing of hospitalization duration and medication prescriptions management plays an important role in reducing of nosocomial infections.

Abstract Objective & aim The coronavirus disease, so far (COVID-19) has brought about millions of infections and fatalities throughout the world. Our aim was to determine the correlation between rubella IGG titers with the severity COVID-19. Materials & methods This study was conducted among COVID-19 confirmed patients over 18 years of age. The disease severity levels were categorized by WHO interim guidance. The rubella-specific IgG antibody-titer spectrum was measured (within first 48 h of hospitalization) by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Result In a study of 46 inpatients with varying COVID-19 disease severity (mild, moderate, severe, and critical), we observed a negative correlation between rubella IgG antibody titers and COVID‐19 severity (P-Value = 0.017), There was an interaction between COVID-19 vaccination history and rubella IGG on severity COVID-19 (P-Value = 0.0015). There was an interaction between age group under 44 years (including national measles- rubella (MR) vaccination in Iran) and rubella IGG titers on severity COVID-19 too (p-value = 0.014). Conclusion In conclusion, MR vaccination seems to have a positive effect in reducing the severity of the disease, emphasizing that, the important and separate effect of the IGG rubella (due to natural or extrinsic immunity) titers is determining.

Background: Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter (PICC), which is inserted through peripheral veins into the superior or inferior vena cava, is used to inject medications or parenteral nutrition in neonates with long-term hospitalization in the intensive care unit. In this study, we assessed the complications of PICC in neonates admitted to the intensive care unit in hospital. Materials and Methods: In the present retrospective cohort, neonates admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of Valiasr Hospital during 2015-2018 had been divided into two groups with PICC and without it. Data included the occurrence of septicemia, tachycardia, perforation of large veins, pulmonary hypertension, cardiac tamponade, pericardial effusion, catheter site necrosis, hemorrhage, anemia, pleural effusion, ascites, phlebitis of catheter track and neonatal death, which were collected, using the comprehensive neonatal registry of Valiasr Hospital. Data analysis was performed with regression, mantel-haenszel and independent t-test. Results: Data from 174 neonates with PICC were compared to 207 infants with classic IV-Line. In the exposure group, the gestational age and birth weight were lower. Based on the results of the double logistic regression test, septicemia and hemorrhage in the injection site, independent of other variables, were related to the use of PICC and the risk of septicemia or hemorrhage in the injection site was significantly reduced if PCIC was used (p < 0.01). Conclusions: Using the PICC as a therapeutic procedure in hospitalized neonates in the NICU is a safe method. By improving its replacement skills among physicians and nurses, its side effects are minor and negligible.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) as a severe and rapid spread disease is a global health emergency since December 2019. During the outbreak of COVID-19, infected pregnant women were treated with different pharmacological regimens; however, trial studies are still investigating their safety and effectiveness. In the present study, we reviewed all recently published studies related to the pharmaceutical management of COVID-19 in pregnancy to discuss the rapid evolving pattern of administered medications. A review study was conducted to investigate the pharmacological management of COVID-19 in pregnancy. All types of full English and recent articles through detailed research on Cochrane Library, PubMed, UpToDate, ScienceDirect and Google Scholar databases were collected. Several medical sites were also investigated. The implemented keywords for the search were COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, coronavirus, pregnancy, management, treatment, medication, drug, antiviral, teratogenicity, possible effect, therapeutic effect, adverse effect and pregnancy outcome. There are no definitely specific approved pharmacological treatments for COVID-19 in pregnancy. Evaluating published literature showed that different treatment options, including chloroquine, favipiravir and ribavirin, convalescent plasma, interferons and remdesivir, have been used to stop or decline viral replication. We reviewed published evidence for drug selection and its safety during pregnancy, but conflicting results associated with numbers of trials show that we need further investigation for newer antiviral drugs for use in pregnancy. It seems that management of COVID-19 needs a multidisciplinary approach, and a consultant medical team should be arranged to decide about medications for the management of COVID-19-infected pregnant women.

Advances in medicine and medical technology have presented new moral challenges in terms of the management of extremely preterm infants and newborns with severe anomalies and advanced asphyxia. The aim of the present study was to examine the attitudes of health care providers and parents regarding decisions about the treatment of these neonates. The attitude of the Shia clerics is assessed in this study as well. In this qualitative content analysis research, data were collected through semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions (FGDs) with 98 participants, including physicians, nurse practitioners, medical ethicists, Shia clerics, and parents. Purposive sampling was employed by selecting those members of the community whom we thought would provide us with the best information and were also eager to participate. Data collection continued until data saturation was reached. Data analysis was carried out using conventional content analysis. Analysis of the data resulted in the extraction of 332 codes along with the following four categories: the necessity for preparation of a national guideline for the management of neonates with poor prognosis, the establishment of hospital neonatal-management committees, decision-making regarding the limits of viability, and parental support. This study affirms that the responsibility in terms of decision-making for neonates with poor prognosis lies upon hospital neonatal-management committees based on approved national guidelines such that decisions are made according to the aforementioned guidelines, Islamic moral codes, and scope of services available in medical units. This study dismisses individual decision-making and underlines the responsibility of a hospital neonatal-management committee in making decisions based on approved guidelines that conform to the regulations of national law and Islamic moral codes that determine the continuation or withdrawal of medical care and treatment of infants with a poor prognosis while bearing in mind that regulations, hospital facilities, resources, and other conditions differ in various hospitals within the country and with developed countries.

Background: Risk scoring systems evaluate neonatal outcomes using perinatal and neonatal status. The present study aimed to predict the mortality risk of preterm or low birth weight infants using the Clinical Risk Index for Babies (CRIB-II) and Score for Neonatal Acute Physiology Perinatal Extension (SNAPPE-II) scoring systems.Methods: This prospective cohort study investigated the preterm neonates admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of Vali-e-Asr Hospital, Tehran, Iran, with the birth weight of ˂1500g or a gestational age˂32weeks using the CRIB-II and SNAPPE-II scoring systems within the first 12 h after birth. The area under the curve, sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values of the scoring systems, as well as the association between neonate factors and neonatal death were calculated in this study.Results: Out of 344 neonates under study, 253casessurvived after24hof birth and 91 newborns died. The total CRIB-II scores in survived and deceased infants were 6.12 and 10.28, respectively. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve with a cut-off point of 8.5 was obtained at 0.838. Moreover, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were estimated at 74.4%, 78.65%, 55.37%, and 89.68%, respectively, for the CRIB-II system. Total scores of SNAPPE-II in survived and deceased infants were 16.9 and 51.6, respectively. The area under the ROC curve with a cut-off point of 27.5 was determined at 0.887. Sensitivity (84.44%) and specificity (79.05%) were calculated for the SNAPPE-II. Furthermore, positive and negative predictive values were 58.91% and 93.46%, respectively.Conclusion: This study demonstrated that the CRIB-II and SNAPPE-II scoring systems can be useful mortality predictors for at-risk neonates.

Fertility style is of great importance to human population growth rates. Identifying the different factors on fertility can influence the adoption of population policies on controlling population growth. The purpose of this review study was determination of demographic and clinical factors role on fertility patterns in Iran. A systematic search was conducted in Persian and English documents including, Cochrane Library, PubMed, Thomson Reuters, SID and Medical Library (MedLib), Magiran, Google Scholar and Science Direct (from 1991 to 2017). All types of full articles (observational or interventional) were reviewed. Keywords for search included fertility; prognostic factors; factor, demographic; determinant, fertility. By reviewing the abstracts of articles, 107 articles were selected, but overall, 31 eligible articles were included in the study. The results showed that, the marriage age, mother's education and employment are of the most important determinants of factors in fertility, also the age difference between couples, maternal and fetal complications in previous pregnancies, the number of previous children and their gender were reported as factors affecting the fertility style. It seems that the age of men and women at the time of marriage, the level of education of women and being employed are of the most important factors affecting fertility. There is also an imbalance in childbearing in different stratum of society; so that women's employment and higher education are important obstacles to childbearing.

Abstract Background Neonatal diabetes mellitus with hyperglycemia during the first 6 months of life is a rare disorder that can occur in all races and societies. Case presentation In this study, we introduced an Iranian (Persian) 65-day-old patient with neonatal diabetes mellitus with novel homozygous mutation in the pancreatic and duodenal homeobox 1, PDX1, gene, which is also known as IPF1 gene, located in exon 2. This case was a newborn boy born in Vali-Asr Hospital, Tehran; he was diagnosed as having hyperglycemia on 28th day. Genetic analysis detected a homozygous mutation on PDX1 gene on chromosome 13. It is a novel homozygous mutation in the PDX1 gene (NM_000209.3), p.Phe167Val. This mutation was confirmed by Sanger sequencing. There was no evidence of agenesis of the pancreas. Conclusions We reported a case of neonatal diabetes mellitus due to novel homozygous mutation in the PDX1 gene without exocrine pancreas manifestations.

Objective: The practice of breastfeeding is considered a blessing since its effects on health are well recognized and applies to both mothers and infants. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of peer support and training on breastfeeding initiation, duration and exclusivity. Materials and methods: This community-based clinical trial, (IRCT No: 201504049568N12), was conducted during 2015 in the Municipality of Tehran 19 District. First, a total of 150 mothers with their infants from 4 to 20 months of age were asked to complete a questionnaire, which included the demographic characteristics, educational level, and the type of lactation, the initial age of infant for breastfeeding, and the duration of exclusive breastfeeding. Afterwards, 25 volunteer women were selected for lactation counseling. After 6 months, another sample of 116 nursing mothers in the region who had received peer counseling was selected and questioned through the previously mentioned questionnaire. Finally, the results, which were collected from the behavior of the target population before and after the intervention, were compared. Results: The results of the present study indicated that the nursing mothers who received peer counseling proved to have longer durations of breastfeeding (P-value = 0.039), and higher frequency of first hour initiation of breastfeeding (P-value = 0.003) however, the volunteer counselors were mainly housewives who had lower levels of education (P-value = 0.009) and were younger (P-value = 0.009) than those of untrained control group. Conclusion: The study demonstrated the significant effect of peer counseling on breastfeeding initiation and continuation. It is suggested that lactation training could be initiated during the prenatal period along with the conventional methods of training.

Several studies have shown an imbalance between proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines in depression and anxiety disorders. However, less attention has been paid to the role of cytokines in psychological disorder in mothers who breastfeed. This study looks at whether concentration levels of TGF-β2 are altered in anxious and depressive breastfeeding mothers. This study checked the concentration level of TGF-B2 in relation with psychological symptoms on 110 breastfeeding mothers; based on random sampling method with using of Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) and Spielberger Stress Scale (STAI) in 2015 also TGF-β2 was measured in breast milk using ELISA. We used of Pearson Correlation Method, independent t-test and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) to analyze the data. Psychological symptoms (Anxiety and depression) showed positive correlation with TGF-Beta level in which relationships were significant (P=0.01). Psychological problems may be uniquely associated with the level of TGF-β in breast milk. More attention should be paid to the mental health of mothers during breastfeeding, and more research needs to be done in this subject to clarify the relationship between psychological variables with the level of TGF-β in breast milk.