Background: The occurrence of seizures in bacterial meningitis is important, as it has been reported to increase the risk of complications; however, its frequency and predictors are not well studied yet. Objective: To assess the frequency, clinical, and biochemical predictors of seizures in children with acute bacterial meningitis. Method: A cross-sectional study recruited confirmed acute bacterial meningitis cases based on positive CSF culture and sensitivity among children aged 2 months to 15 years admitted to the Central Child Teaching Hospital emergency department in Iraq. Patients were divided into two groups based on seizure at presentation time. Demographic characteristics [age, gender, residence, duration of fever and disease, presenting complaints and antibiotic intake]; hematological [WBC, neutrophils] Lymphocyte, N/L ratio, packed cell volume, platelets, blood sugar, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) indices were compared between groups. Results: Seizures had a frequency of 18% among the 122 children and were significantly higher in younger cases with female predominance. By multivariate analysis and odds ratio (OR), predictors for seizure were as follows: CSF lymphocytes (OR=0.25, 95%CI=0.08–0.26), lethargy (OR=8.15, 95%CI=1.03-68.65), headache (OR=0.09, 95%CI=0.02-0.45), neck stiffness (OR=0.07, 95% CI=0.01-0.61) and poor feeding (OR=4.8, 95%CI=1.21–18.97). Conclusions: CSF lymphocytes reliably predicted seizure with good sensitivity and specificity of 75% and 73%. Lethargy and poor feeding had the highest odds as clinical predictors of seizures. Together, those results can help with risk stratification and allocate resources for high-risk cases to improve patient outcomes
Abstract
The experiment has been carried out in the Syrian National Commission of Biotechnology, during the growing season 2018/2019, to study the effect of abiotic stresses (salinity and osmotic stresses) on the activity of some antioxidant enzymes and biochemical traits in Catharanthus roseus. The experiment has been laid according to (CRD) with three replications. The seeds have been sterilized by NaOCl solution (0.5% v/v), then planted on MS medium. Plantlets have been moved to MS medium enriched with NAA (1 mg.L-1) and BA (2 mg.L-1). The callus has been initiated from leaves using MS medium containing NAA (1 mg L-1) and KIN (2 mg.L-1). After 60 days, callus
... Show MoreIt is certain that marriage has the favor of the continuity of human kind since the Prophet Adam till now. But this important event is threatened by some justifications which lead to its delay or abandonment. In the West, sexual relations, illegal friendships, and disrespect of marriage sacredness lead to this delay. While the reasons behind the delay of marriage in the Arab world refer to high dowries, women go out to work, and the religious and scientific ignorance of the need and importance of marriage. The problem also differs according to the difference between the rural and urban regions. On one hand, we find that early marriage is a necessity in the rural regions; on the other hand, the delay of marriage is a clear and nat
... Show MoreSchiff base obtained from the reaction (Trimethoprim) with (sodiumpyruvate ) to produce the ligand [NaL], the reaction was carried out in methanol as a solvent under reflux. The prepared ligand [NaL] was characterized by FT-IR, UV-Vis spectroscopy, 1H,13C-NMR spectra, mass spectra, and melting point.A new mixed ligand complexes have been prepared between ( 8- hydroxyquinolone) and the ligand [NaL] withMn(II).Co(II),Ni(II),Cu(II), (Zn(II) ,(Cd(II)and Pd(II). All the complexes were characterized by spectroscopic methods (FT-IR, UV-Vis spectroscopy), chloride content and melting point ,molar conductance and magnetic susceptibility.These measure- ments showed octahedral geometry around(,Mn2+, Co2+, Ni2+, Cu2+, Zn2+ and Cd2+) ions and square pla
... Show MoreBackground: Young children’s oral health maintenance and outcomes are influenced by their parent’s knowledge and beliefs, which affect oral hygiene and healthy eating habits. This study aims at assessing caries risk in children aged 6 months to 6 years attending the Specialized Center of Preventive and Pediatric Dentistry Center at Al-Resafa sector in Baghdad. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from 15 May – 15 June 2018, all children attended the center (80 children) were assessed by using the standard caries risk assessment tool of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD). Results: The highest percentage of children was as follows: no fluoride exposure 44(55%), did not brush 46(5
... Show MoreThe current study was designed to evaluate the anti-inflammatory effect of GKB in the rat model of granulomatous inflammation. Thirty rats were distributed into five groups: The first group served as negative control group that received distilled water (DW) only without inducting inflammation, positive control group; treated with DW with the induction of inflammation and they were assigned to cotton pellet-induced granuloma, ginkgo biloba (GKB) treated group (200mg/kg/day), dexamethasone-treated group (1mg/kg), and Prednisolone treated group (5mg/kg). All the treatments were given orally for seven consecutive days. On day eight, the rats were anesthetized and the pellets together with granulation tissue were carefully removed
... Show MoreEndometriosis is an estrogen dependent inflammatory disorder plays a pivotal role in the reproductive system of the females which regarded as one of the most important gynecological disorders due to it is a key cause of infertility for women and also it has a remarkable impact on the women's life quality. Indeed, environmental pollution have an extremely importance in the etiology of endometriosis. Hence, the present article submits an abbreviated literature review to the biochemical role of environmental pollutants in the etiology and development of endometriosis. Anyway, this review article represented the major environmental pollutants: the organic pollutants of air, heavy metals, gaseous pollutants and the particulate matter. Th
... Show MoreObjectives To determine the prevalence of oral lesions by age and gender among the pediatric population in Iraq. Materials and methods A review of the archives of the oral pathology department of Baghdad University from, 1970 Materials and Methods: A review of the archives of the oral pathology department of Baghdad University from 1970 to 2013 for all biopsies from children aged 0–15 years old. Results A total of 1286 child specimens represented 11.98% of all biopsied lesions. The pyogenic granuloma was the most frequent lesion in children, and the periapical cyst was the most frequent lesion from an odontogenic origin. The incidence of malignant lesions was higher in the 0–3 age group than other groups. Conclusions The majority of les
... Show MoreCombining different treatment strategies successively or simultaneously has become recommended to achieve high purification standards for the treated discharged water. The current work focused on combining electrocoagulation, ion-exchange, and ultrasonication treatment approaches for the simultaneous removal of copper, nickel, and zinc ions from water. The removal of the three studied ions was significantly enhanced by increasing the power density (4–10 mA/cm2) and NaCl salt concentration (0.5–1.5 g/L) at a natural solution pH. The simultaneous removal of these metal ions at 4 mA/cm2 and 1 g NaCl/L was highly improved by introducing 1 g/L of mordenite zeolite as an ion-exchanger. A remarkable removal of heavy metals was reported
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