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Background and aims: One of the most common reasons of mortality in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) is lung infection; and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) has the highest share. In children above 6 and adults with CF, cultures can be well-recognized due to the presence of expectorated sputum; but children under 6 years have not reliable sputum, so serological tests for PA sensitive antigens can be helpful. The aim of this study was to evaluate serum levels of IgG through PA infection in children and adolescent with CF; and to replace the sputum culture tests with this method. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, Blood and sputum or throat samples were taken from 68 patients with CF. PA existence was studied in the samples. The variables including age, sex, and lung function tests were obtained. Then 3 serum antigens levels were determined by enzyme-linked immune sorbent assay (ELISA). Results: The mean age of children was 7.4±5.6 (ranging 23 to 0.5) years. Generally in CF patients, the percentage of PA infection increased in higher ages. Meaningful relationship was observed between the level of serum IgG in children with CF and positive sputum culture for PA. Conclusion: Anti-PA antibodies can be early markers for diagnosis of PA infection, especially in young children who cannot expectorate. Due to the impact of age on CF patients with PA infection, PA early diagnosis can prevent lung damage and increases longevity and quality of life in this group of patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition marked by difficulties in social interaction, communication, and repetitive behaviors or restricted interests. Although research on the link between ASD and parasitic diseases is limited, immune deficiency and inflammation may contribute to the development of parasitic infections., Case Report: We admitted a 14-year-old boy to the hospital who had a known history of ASD because he was presenting with respiratory symptoms, including cough and hemoptysis. During his time in the hospital, after conducting a series of tests and evaluations, we made a critical diagnosis of co-infection of lophomonas, tuberculosis, and hydatid cyst. In response to this diagnosis, we initiated a treatment plan that involved administering appropriate antibiotics as well as preparing for surgical intervention., Conclusion: This case report highlights the complexities and challenges of managing such a rare combination of co-infections with TB, pulmonary hydatid disease and lophomonas in a pediatric patient with underlying developmental considerations such as ASD., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Introduction: Congenital lung anomalies (CLA) are a group of anomalies, including congenital cystic adenomatoid malformation (CCAM), bronchopulmonary sequestrations (BPS), congenital lobar emphysema (CLE), and bronchogenic cysts (BC). The prevalence of these rare anomalies has risen in recent years, according to various population-based studies due to advances in fetal ultrasound technology., Method: This retrospective study examines the diagnosis of CLA, and was conducted on 72 patients between March 2014 and March 2024 at Taleghani Pediatric Hospital in Gorgan, Iran., Result: The average age was 18.8 ± 30.3 months, with the majority being boys (62.5%). Most participants had CCAM (41.7%), followed by CLE (18.1%), BPS (16.7%), pulmonary hypoplasia (9.7%), BC (8.3%), and hybrid lesion (5.6%). The majority of patients were Fars (62.5%), and the average hospitalization days was 9.4 ± 4.5 days. Cardiac anomalies were observed in 19.4% of the patients. 62 patients (86.1%) exhibited respiratory symptoms, and prenatal screening during pregnancy led to the diagnosis in 51 patients (70.8%). Most patients had left lung anomalies (43; 59.7%), and the majority (90.3%) survived. There is a statistically significant relation between needed for surgical treatment and patients' type of pulmonary lesions (p-value: 0.02). In addition, there was a significant relation between the Fars ethnicity and the presence of cardiac anomalies (p-value: 0.04)., Conclusion: Some CLAs remain undiagnosed or untreated due to the rare nature of congenital lung anomalies. Nevertheless, improvements in ultrasound and other imaging methods will make diagnosing and managing these anomalies during the prenatal period more prevalent, resulting in enhanced understanding., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: One of the most common reasons for mortality in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) is lung infections, among which Pseudomonas aeruginosa ( Pa ) infection has the largest share. Diagnosis of Pa can be assessed by various methods such as sputum culture results and IgG antibody level via measuring the specific anti- Pa antibodies. This study aimed to select the best predictive technique in the diagnosis of Pa in CF patients through spirometry, sputum culture, and serum IgG antibody levels., Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, blood and sputum or pharyngeal samples were taken from 68 patients with cystic fibrosis. Because spirometry was not possible in all patients, 34 patients could do the spirometry. The samples were studied concerning Pa infection. The data including variables such as age, sex, and spirometry results were obtained. Then, in the serologic method, 3 serum-specific antibody levels were determined by enzyme-linked immune sorbent assay (ELISA)., Results: The average age of children was 7.4 ± 5.6 (ranging from 0.5 to 23) years. Generally, the percentage of Pa infection increased in CF patients with higher ages. A statistically direct significant relationship was observed between the concentration of serum IgG antibodies in patients with CF and Pa -positive sputum culture results (p<0.05)., Conclusion: Serum IgG antibodies against specific Pa antigens could be a diagnostic method against Pa infection, especially in patients who cannot expectorate. However, because of the positive and negative predictive value of both serum IgG antibody levels and the results of the sputum culture, we suggested that utilizing the combination of these methods could be beneficial in earlier diagnosis of Pa ., (Copyright© 2023 National Research Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease.)

Objective: Neonatal sepsis (NS) is a common and life-threatening disorder in infants. Previous studies showed that interleukin-6 (IL-6) may be a valid non-invasive and rapid method for diagnosis of NS. We conducted this review to assess the validity of IL-6 for predicting NS., Methods: This was a systematic review with meta-analysis. Embase, Medline and Web of Science databases were searched between January 1990 and December 2009. The search terms used were "cytokine", "neonate", "sepsis" and "interleukin-6". We used standard methods recommended for meta analyses of diagnostic test evaluations. The analysis was based on a summary ROC (SROC) curve. Meta-regression analysis was used to assess the effects of some confounding factors on the results of meta-analysis. Potential presence of publication bias was tested using funnel plots and the Egger test., Findings: Meta-analysis was performed on 13 publications including 353 infants with sepsis and 691 control infants. The pooled sensitivity and specificity of IL-6 was 0.79 and 0.84, respectively. The maximum joint sensitivity and specificity (i.e., the Q value) in SROC curve was 0.82 and the area under curve (AUC) was 0.89 (95% CI: 0.84-0.94). Meta-regression analysis showed that the diagnostic accuracy of IL-6 was not affected by confounding variables. The evaluation of publication bias showed that the Egger test was not significant (P=0.07)., Conclusion: IL-6 seems to be a valid marker for predicting NS. It may be considered for early diagnosis of sepsis in neonatal care units.