BRUCELLOSIS: REVIEW OF CLINICAL AND LABORATORY FEATURES AND THERAPEUTIC REGIMENS IN 44 CHILDREN

"nBrucellosis is not uncommon in children in endemic areas. We described clinical and laboratory features and therapeutic regimens for brucellosis in children under 14 who admitted in the Pediatric Medical Center Hospital, Tehran, Iran from March 1988 until February 2001. The male: female ratio was 2:1. Family history of brucellosis and consumption of un-pasteurized milk and dairy products was positive in 20.4% and 65.9%, respectively. The common clinical findings were arthritis (79.5%), fever (77.4%), anorexia (61.4%), sweating (52.3%), splenomegaly (43.2%), hepatomegaly (34.1%) and lymphadenopathy (13.65). Anemia, leukopenia and thrombocytopenia were recorded in 56.8%, 31.8% and 9.1%, respectively. Out of all patients, seropositivity rate for brucellosis was found in 97.7% using serum agglutination test. Culture of blood and bone marrow specimen were positive in 30% and 50% of samples obtained, respectively. Rifampin and co-trimoxazole were the most commonly used combination in 68.1%. The overall relapse rate was 13.6%. Arthritis and fever were the most common clinical findings of brucellosis. Wright test is a very sensitive method to detect brucella infection. Public education and control measures should be applied to prevent the zoonotic and human brucellosis.&nbsp

DIAGNOSIS OF BACTEREMIA USING UNIVERSAL PCR IN FEBRILE ILL CHILDREN

Early diagnosis of bacteremia and its complications is the most important part of care and management of the febrile patients. However, a majority of patients who appear to be clinically septic have negative blood culture. The use of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques has allowed identifying the pathogenic organisms rapidly and accurately. The objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence of bacteremia in febrile pediatric patients, comparing universal PCR and conventional blood culture. One hundred febrile children (45 males, 55 females) with suspected septicemia were evaluated. A total of 100 paired blood samples were collected from children to analyze for bacterial detection using universal PCR and culture. Twelve patients were blood culture positive. The most common pathogens isolated from blood culture were Staphylococcus aureus, coagulase negative staphylococci (CoNS) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The PCR were positive in 19 patients. The comparison revealed sensitively, specificity and accuracy of 91.67, 90.91 and 91%, respectively, for PCR. The present study shows that the use of PCR is more sensitive than the use of conventional blood techniques for the detection of bacterium pathogens based on patients’ clinical context

The effect of aromatherapy with Rosa damascena essential oil on sleep quality in children

Background and objectives: Sleep disorder is one of the main problems in children. Poor sleep quality can lead to adverse effects on their growth and development. Aromatherapy is a kind of method for improving sleep. In Iranian traditional medicine, inhaling Rosa damascena has been recommended for treating sleep disorder. Due to the side effects of chemical drugs and trend to alternative medicine due to less complication, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of aromatherapy with Rosa damascena essential oil on sleep quality in children. Methods: This study was an experimental before and after study that conducted in 30 children with sleep disorder. Children inhaled 5 drops of Rosa damascena essential oil on a cotton ball before sleep for 20 min (2 weeks). Before and after intervention, BEARS questionnaire was asked. Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used for comparisons by SPSS software. Results: The results of this study showed that resistance to sleep, difficulty waking in the morning, nightmare and waking up during the night in children decreased (