Prediction of response to treatment in children with epilepsy

Abstract Objective: This study was conducted to predict the response to treatment in patients treated with anti-epilepsy drugs. Material and Methods: This analytical questionnaire-based study was conducted in 2014 among 128 patients with epilepsy admitted to Mofid Children's Hospital, Tehran, Iran. The inclusion criteria were children 2 months to 12 yr of age with epilepsy and patients who experienced fever and seizure attacks at least once were excluded from the study. Patients were followed up for 6 months and the response to their treatment was recorded. The good response to treatment was defined as the absence of seizure with two drugs during follow up. Results: Seventy-two patients (56.3%) were boys. The age of the first seizure was under 2 yr old in 90 patients (70.3%). History of febrile convulsion, family history of epilepsy and history of asphyxia was found in 16 (12.5%), 41 (32%), and 27 (21.1%) patients, respectively. Seizure etiology was idiopathic in 90 patients (70.3%), and the number of seizures was 1-2 in 36 patients (28.1%). Overall, 57 patients (44.5%) had cerebral lesion according to CT scan or MRI, and EEG was abnormal in 101 patients (78.9%). In 6-month follow-up, 40 patients (31.3%) responded well to the treatment and 88 patients (68.8%) responded poorly to the treatment. History of asphyxia (OR = 6.82), neonatal jaundice (OR = 2.81) and abnormal EEG (OR = 0.19) were effective factors in response to treatment. Conclusion: Abnormal EEG is an effective factor in treatment response in the children studied. Key Words: Pediatric, Anti-seizure drug, Response to treatment, Children, Epileps

Vitamin D status and disability among patients with multiple sclerosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Association between the serum vitamin D level and disability of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) has been investigated during several researches. However, these studies reported different results. The current study aims to estimate the correlation between the concentrations of 25 (OH) vitamin D and the level of disability among MS patients. Using Mesh and non-Mesh terms related to MS, disability level and vitamin D, different data banks were searched. Required information was extracted from the selected eligible primary articles. Stata version 11 software was applied for combining the primary correlation coefficients using random effect model. The effect of MS type and patients� age was assessed using meta-regression models. Sensitivity analysis was performed to investigate the role of each primary study in the pooled estimate. Egger test was applied to find any publication bias. Of 14 eligible studies, the total correlation coefficient (95 confidence interval) between 25 (OH) vitamin D level and disability in both sexes as well as among female was estimated as of -0.29 (-0.40, -0.17) and -0.35 (-0.46, -0.24) respectively. Two articles carried out among male did not report significant results. Our meta-analysis showed a significant negative correlation between 25 (OH) vitamin D level and disability of MS patients so that the disability reduces with increasing the 25 (OH) vitamin D level. © 2021 the Author(s), licensee AIMS Press. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

Iran COVID-19 epidemiology committee: A review of missions, structures, achievements, and challenges

Background: Since the beginning of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic in Iran, the control and management of the epidemic were headed by the National Headquarter for the Control of COVID-19 Epidemic through setting up different scientific committees, including the COVID-19 National Epidemiology Committee. The present study reviews the missions, structures, achievements, and challenges of the Epidemiology Committee. Study design: A rapid review Methods: All relevant reports, documents, guidelines, published literature, and surveillance data related to the establishment, visions, missions, roles, activities, and outputs of the COVID-19 Epidemiology Committee were critically reviewed in this study. Results: The efforts of the committee�s working groups may have impacted improvements in data registration/usage, provincial data quality at provincial levels, and perception of the epidemic situation in the provinces. The committees have also played role in informing the policies in different stages of the epidemic through routine or problem-based data/evidence analyses, epidemic investigations, and mathematical modeling. Conclusions: The structure and experience gained by the committee can be used in similar situations within and outside the country. To further improve the impacts of our activities, it is essential to have effective interaction, collaboration, and data flow between the committee and a broad range of organizations within and outside the Ministry of Health and Medical Education. © 2021 The Author(s)