Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolated from various types of hospital infections in pediatrics: Panton-valentine leukocidin, staphylococcal chromosomal cassette mec SCCmec phenotypes and antibiotic resistance properties

Background: Staphylococcus aureus has long been considered as a major pathogen of hospital infections. Objectives: The present investigation was carried out to study the distribution of Staphylococcal Chromosomal Cassette mec (SCCmec) types, Panton-Valentine Leukocidin (PVL) gene and antibiotic resistance properties of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains isolated from various types of infections found in Iranian pediatric patients. Patients and Methods: Two-hundred and fifty-five clinical specimens were collected from four major provinces of Iran. Samples were cultured and the MRSA strains were subjected to Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). The patterns of antibiotic resistance were determined using the disk diffusion method. Results: Seventy-four out of 255 (29.01) clinical samples were positive for MRSA. Of the 74 MRSA strains, 47 (63.51) were PVL positive. The clinical samples of respiratory tract infections (36.36), those from the Shiraz province (37.87) and samples collected during the summer season (56.48) were the most commonly infected samples. The most commonly detected antibiotic resistance genes were tetK (89.18), mecA (71.62), msrA (56.75) and tetM (54.05). Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus had the highest levels of resistance against penicillin (100), tetracycline (98.64), ampicillin (93.24) and oxacillin (93.24). The most commonly detected SCCmec types in the MRSA strains were type V (18.91) and III (17.56). Conclusions: Regular surveillance of hospital-associated infections and monitoring of the antibiotic sensitivity patterns are required to reduce the prevalence of MRSA. We recommend initial management of children affected by MRSA with imipenem, lincomycin and cephalothin prescriptions. © 2015, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences

A Narrative Review of Motor Competence in Children and Adolescents: What We Know and What We Need to Find Out

Lack of physical activity is a global public health problem causing not only morbidity and premature mortality, but it is also a major economic burden worldwide. One of the cornerstones of a physically active lifestyle is Motor Competence (MC). MC is a complex biocultural attribute and therefore, its study requires a multi-sectoral, multi-, inter- and transdisciplinary approach. MC is a growing area of research, especially in children and adolescents due to its positive association with a plethora of health and developmental outcomes. Many questions, however, remain to be answered in this field of research, with regard to: (i) Health and Developmental-related Associations of MC; (ii) Assessment of MC; (iii) Prevalence and Trends of MC; (iv) Correlates and Determinants of MC; (v) MC Interventions, and (vi) Translating MC Research into Practice and Policy. This paper presents a narrative review of the literature, summarizing current knowledge, identifying key research gaps and presenting questions for future investigation on MC in children and adolescents. This is a collaborative effort from the International Motor Competence Network (IMCNetwork) a network of academics and researchers aiming to promote international collaborative research and knowledge translation in the expansive field of MC. The knowledge and deliverables generated by addressing and answering the aforementioned research questions on MC presented in this review have the potential to shape the ways in which researchers and practitioners promote MC and physical activity in children and adolescents across the worl

Psychedelics and hypnosis: Commonalities and therapeutic implications

Background Recent research on psychedelics and hypnosis demonstrates the value of both methods in the treatment of a range of psychopathologies with overlapping applications and neurophenomenological features. The potential of harnessing the power of suggestion to influence the phenomenological response to psychedelics toward more therapeutic action has remained unexplored in recent research and thereby warrants empirical attention. Aims Here we aim to elucidate the phenomenological and neurophysiological similarities and dissimilarities between psychedelic states and hypnosis in order to revisit how contemporary knowledge may inform their conjunct usage in psychotherapy. Methods We review recent advances in phenomenological and neurophysiological research on psychedelics and hypnosis and we summarize early investigations on the coupling of psychedelics and hypnosis in scientific and therapeutic contexts. Results/Outcomes We highlight commonalities and differences between psychedelics and hypnosis that point to the potential efficacy of combining the two in psychotherapy. We propose multiple research paths for coupling these two phenomena at different stages in the preparation, acute phase, and follow-up of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy in order to prepare, guide, and integrate the psychedelic experience with the aim of enhancing therapeutic outcomes. Conclusions/Interpretation Harnessing the power of suggestion to modulate response to psychedelics could enhance their therapeutic efficacy by helping to increase the likelihood of positive responses, including mystical type experiences

Panel 7: otitis media:treatment and complications

Objective: We aimed to summarize key articles published between 2011 and 2015 on the treatment of (recurrent) acute otitis media, otitis media with effusion, tympanostomy tube otorrhea, chronic suppurative otitis media and complications of otitis media, and their implications for clinical practice. Data Sources: PubMed, Ovid Medline, the Cochrane Library, and Clinical Evidence (BMJ Publishing). Review Methods: All types of articles related to otitis media treatment and complications between June 2011 and March 2015 were identified. A total of 1122 potential related articles were reviewed by the panel members; 118 relevant articles were ultimately included in this summary. Conclusions: Recent literature and guidelines emphasize accurate diagnosis of acute otitis media and optimal management of ear pain. Watchful waiting is optional in mild to moderate acute otitis media; antibiotics do shorten symptoms and duration of middle ear effusion. The additive benefit of adenoidectomy to tympanostomy tubes in recurrent acute otitis media and otitis media with effusion is controversial and age dependent. Topical antibiotic is the treatment of choice in acute tube otorrhea. Symptomatic hearing loss due to persistent otitis media with effusion is best treated with tympanostomy tubes. Novel molecular and biomaterial treatments as adjuvants to surgical closure of eardrum perforations seem promising. There is insufficient evidence to support the use of complementary and alternative treatments. Implications for Practice: Emphasis on accurate diagnosis of otitis media, in its various forms, is important to reduce overdiagnosis, overtreatment, and antibiotic resistance. Children at risk for otitis media and its complications deserve special attention

Vitamin D deficiency as a risk factor for endometriosis in Iranian women

Purpose: Vitamin D (Vit D), as an immunomodulator, has been hypothesized to play a critical role in the pathogenesis of endometriosis. Thus, in this study, we evaluated whether there is an association between 25-hydroxyvitamin D 25(OH)D and susceptibility to endometriosis in Iranian women. Methods: Women at reproductive age, including 56 healthy women and 54 patients with endometriosis, were enrolled in the study. Serum levels of 25(OH)D, calcium, parathyroid hormone (PTH), and peritoneal fluid (PF) levels of 25(OH)D were assessed. Results: The serum and PF levels of 25(OH)D in the patients with endometriosis were significantly lower than the control group (P = 0.001 and P = 0.03, respectively). Subjects with serum levels of 25(OH)D lower than 20 ng/mL had a 2.7 times higher risk of endometriosis than people with 25(OH)D serum levels higher than 20 ng/mL (non-deficient) (OR = 2.7, 95 % confidence interval: 1.24�5.80, P = 0.01). The serum levels of calcium and PTH were significantly lower and higher in patients with endometriosis compared with controls, respectively (P < 0.001, P = 0.02, respectively). Also, the serum levels of 25(OH)D were lower in stages I-II endometriosis than stage III-IV; however, no significant difference was observed. Conclusion: Our findings showed that people with Vit D deficiency are at higher risk of endometriosis. © 2020 Elsevier B.V