The ages of suspicion, diagnosis, amplification, and intervention in deaf children

Objectives: The present study sought to determine the average ages of suspicion, diagnosis, and amplification of profound hearing loss and intervention in deaf children and to compare at-risk and not-at-risk children based on the studied ages. Methods: This study was conducted on 86 children under 6 years of age with profound bilateral hearing loss in Newsha Aural Rehabilitation Center in Tehran from July to December 2005. Data were gathered through the completion of a questionnaire by the children's parents, and the children's medical and rehabilitative records were utilized in order to determine the kind and degree of hearing loss. Results: The mean ages of suspicion, diagnosis, amplification, and intervention were 12.6 ± 8.9, 15.2 ± 9.3, 20.5 ± 11.1, and 22.3 ± 11.6 months, respectively; there being statistically significant differences between them. 47.7 of the children were in the high-risk group, and statistically there were no significant differences between the at-risk and not-at-risk children in the studied ages. Of all the neonatal diseases investigated, hyperbilirubinemia was the most frequent (40.7), and there were also four cases of meningitis and six cases of measles. In terms of consanguinity, mating of first cousins was 41.9 and mating of second cousins and farther familial relationships was 14. After suspecting hearing loss in their children, the parents had visited physicians (57), audiologists (37.2), speech therapists (2.3), or other specialists (3.5) for the first time. The economic circumstances of the families had a significant bearing on the average ages of suspicion, diagnosis, amplification, and intervention. Conclusions: Despite the remarkable improvement in the average ages of suspicion, diagnosis, amplification, and intervention in comparison with those reported in a previous study carried out in Iran (2002), there is still noticeable difference between these ages and those suggested by the Joint Committee on Infant Hearing. © 2006 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved

Mechanisms involved in the possible protective effect of chrysin against sodium arsenite-induced liver toxicity in rats

Arsenic as a one of the most important toxic metals could induce hepatotoxicity. Previous reports revealed the significance of oxidative stress in promoting of arsenic-induced liver toxicity. The aim of the present investigation is to evaluate the effect of chrysin (CHR), a natural flavonoid with potent antioxidant activity, against sodium arsenite (SA)-induced hepatotoxicity. Thirty male Wistar rats were divided into four groups: Group 1: received normal saline (2 ml/kg/day, orally for 21 days), Group 2: received SA (10 mg/kg/day, orally for 14 days), Group 3, 4 and 5: received CHR (25, 50 and 100 mg/kg/day, respectively, orally for 21 days) and SA (10 mg/kg/day, orally for 14 days) from the 7th day. Serum levels of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase and alkaline phosphatase were evaluated. Moreover, liver glutathione peroxidase and myeloperoxidase activity as well as levels of protein carbonylation, malondialdehyde, glutathione, catalase, nitric oxide, superoxide dismutase, tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-1β were evaluated. Moreover, histological evaluation was done. Our results revealed that treatment with CHR (more potentially at the dose of 100 mg/kg/day) before and alongside with SA significantly mitigated the SA-induced hepatotoxicity. Also, the hepatoprotective effect of CHR was verified by the histological evaluation of the liver. The results of current study demonstrated that CHR (100 mg/kg/day) could mitigate the oxidative stress and inflammation induced by SA in liver tissue. © 2020 Elsevier Inc

RETRACTION: Diagnostic investigations of canine prostatitis incidence together with benign prostate hyperplasia, prostate malignancies, and biochemical recurrence in high-risk prostate cancer as a model for human study (Retraction of Vol 36, Pg 2437, 2015)

The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of acute and chronic inflammation, benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), and cancer of the prostate glands in the canine as a human model in prostate disorders. The study was carried out on 12 cases of different male dogs of terrier (50 ), German shepherd (25 ) breeds, and Greden (25 ), and the age of the dogs ranged from 6 to 13 years (average age 7.8 +/- 3.6). The bodyweight ranged from 3.6 to 7.9 kg. Signalment, clinical signs, and diagnostic tools such as ultrasonography, urinary cytology, and histopathology are presented. Dysuria was the most common clinical sign in this study and occurred in 10/12 canine (83.3 ) included. Other clinical signs included lameness (5/12 canine, 41.6 ) and constipation (3/12 canine, 25 ). The range of duration of clinical signs was 5 days to 7 months. Moreover, in the present study, the urinary biochemical markers of different prostate lesions include blood, protein, and glucose and were detected in 11/12 cases (91.6 ), 5/12 cases (41.6 ), and 2/12 cases (16.6 ), respectively. Taken together, sonographic data were classified into four groups based on histological diagnosis. In 7/12 cases (58.4 ), the prostate appeared to have BPH lesions, and the remaining lesions included inflammation (3/12 cases, 25 ), abscess (1 case, 8.3 ), and adenocarcinoma (1 case, 8/3 ) on ultrasound. In all cases, prostate tissue had an irregular echotexture. None of the dogs had sonographic evidence of sublumbar lymph node enlargement. Histopathologically, we looked at the prevalence of inflammation (33.3 chronic and 8.3 acute) and BPH (58.4 ) in dogs of different ages and breeds, and also, we observed chronic inflammation in >20 of dogs, which was about 25 in 3 cases of the 12 cases referred. More chronic inflammation was associated with more BPH. The majority of the asymptomatic inflammation that is detected in the prostate is classified as chronic inflammation (i.e., as evidenced by the presence of monocytic and/or lymphoplasmacytic inflammatory cell infiltrates); however, acute inflammation is also observed to a lesser degree. Acute inflammation, as is typically evidenced by the infiltration of neutrophils, is classically an indicator of an infectious process. Finally, the patients included seven castrated, four castrated together with antibiotic therapy, and one castrated together with chemotherapy intact male dogs, which were treated with the mentioned cases. In conclusion, chronic prostatic inflammation could be a central mechanism in BPH progression, but the pathological features of tissue inflammation were different between BPH and prostate cancer (PCa). Nevertheless, the histological examination of prostate biopsies remains the only way to diagnose prostatic disorders

Retraction Note to: Diagnostic investigations of canine prostatitis incidence together with benign prostate hyperplasia, prostate malignancies, and biochemical recurrence in high-risk prostate cancer as a model for human study (Tumor Biol, (2015), 36, (2437-2445), 10.1007/s13277-014-2854-4)

This article has been retracted at the request of the Editor-in- Chief, the International Society of Oncology and BioMarkers (ISOBM) and the Publisher per the Committee on Publication Ethics guidelines. The article shows evidence of irregularities in authorship during the submission process, there is strong reason to believe that the peer review process was compromised and the article contains patchwork plagiarism from a variety of sources. The main sources are (amongst others): Bruce E. LeRoya, icole Northrup, Prostate cancer in dogs: Comparative and clinical aspects. The Veterinary Journal. 2009; 180:2 149-162 DOI: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2008.07.012 J. Smith, Canine prostatic disease: A review of anatomy, pathology, diagnosis, and treatment, Proceedings of the Annual Conference of the Society for Theriogenology. The Society for Theriogenology 2008 Annual Conference, Theriogenology. 2008; 70:3 375-383 DOI: 10.1016/ j.theriogenology.2008.04.039. © 2016, International Society of Oncology and BioMarkers (ISOBM)

A comparative analysis of clinical characteristics and laboratory findings of covid-19 between intensive care unit and non-intensive care unit pediatric patients: A multicenter, retrospective, observational study from iranian network for research in viral diseases (inrvd)

Introduction: To date, little is known about the clinical features of pediatric COVID-19 patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs). Objective: Herein, we aimed to describe the differences in demographic characteristics, laboratory findings, clinical presentations, and outcomes of Iranian pediatric COVID-19 patients admitted to ICU versus those in non-ICU settings. Methods: This multicenter investigation involved 15 general and pediatrics hospitals and included cases with confirmed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection based on positive real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) admitted to these centers between March and May 2020, during the initial peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Iran. Results: Overall, 166 patients were included, 61 (36.7) of whom required ICU admission. The highest number of admitted cases to ICU were in the age group of 1�5 years old. Malignancy and heart diseases were the most frequent underlying conditions. Dyspnea was the major symptom for ICU-admitted patients. There were significant decreases in PH, HCO3 and base excess, as well as increases in creatinine, creatine phosphokinase (CPK), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and potassium levels between ICU-admitted and non-ICU patients. Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), shock, and acute cardiac injury were the most common features among ICU-admitted patients. The mortality rate in the ICU-admitted patients was substantially higher than non-ICU cases (45.9 vs. 1.9, respectively; p<0.001). Conclusions: Underlying diseases were the major risk factors for the increased ICU admissions and mortality rates in pediatric COVID-19 patients. There were few paraclinical parameters that could differentiate between pediatrics in terms of prognosis and serious outcomes of COVID-19. Healthcare providers should consider children as a high-risk group, especially those with underlying medical conditions. © 2021 Tehran University of Medical Sciences

A multicenter retrospective study of clinical features, laboratory characteristics, and outcomes of 166 hospitalized children with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): A preliminary report from Iranian Network for Research in Viral Diseases (INRVD)

Background: The objectives of this study were to analyze the clinical features and laboratory profiles and risk factors associated with critical illness of children with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Methods: One hundred and sixty-six coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) Iranian pediatric patients were recruited through a collaborative research network between March and May 2020. Demographics, clinical, laboratory, and radiological results were obtained from patient files. Results: Of 166 patients, 102 (61) and 64 (39) were males and females, respectively. Ninety-six (57.8) and 70 (42.2), had moderate and severe conditions, respectively. Thirty (18) of patients died. The common symptoms were fever (73), cough (54), and shortness of breath, headache decrease in neutrophil and platelet counts; increase values in lactate dehydrogenase, decrease in the blood pH and HCO3 were significantly associated with the disease severity. 54 and 56 of patients showed abnormal radiographic appearance in Chest X-ray and in chest computed tomography scan, respectively. Sixty-one (36.7) of patients were referred to intensive care unit (ICU). The coexistence of comorbidity was the main factor associated with ICU admission, shock, arrhythmia, acute kidney injury, acute respiratory distress syndrome, acute cardiac injury, and death. Conclusions: We describe a higher than previously recognized rate of COVID-19 mortality in Iranian pediatric patients. Epidemiological factors, such as the relatively high case fatality rate in the country and the presence of underlying diseases were the main factors for the high death rate. © 2021 Wiley Periodicals LL