Acinetobacter baumannii (A. baumannii) is a dangerous nosocomial pathogen in intensive care units, causing fatal clinical challenges and mortality. In this study, the green synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using the extract of Ferula asafetida and the chemical synthesis of AgNPs were carried out to evaluate their effects on A. baumannii bacterial strain and a human adenocarcinoma cell line. The NPs were characterized using several techniques, including field emission-scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry, UV-visible spectroscopy, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. After synthesis, the arrangement of AgNPs was confirmed based on the maximum absorption peak at 450nm. The results showed that the AgNPs had a hexagonal structure. The antimicrobial activity of biogenic NPs significantly increased and reached a minimum inhibitory concentration of 2μg/mL. The nanomaterials did not exhibit any toxic effects on the human cell line at certain concentrations and showed improvements compared to chemically synthesized AgNPs. However, at higher concentrations (100μg/mL), the cytotoxicity increased. Finally, it was concluded that biosynthesized AgNPs had significant antimicrobial effects on A. baumannii isolated from intensive care units.

It was December 2019 that china reported series of patients with respiratory symptoms, a disease that later named COVID-19; and from there spread to other countries around the world; and in February 2020, the world health organization declared COVID-19 as a pandemic. From the beginning, it was assumed that COVID-19 occurrence in pediatric patients is less and has less severity but nowadays; there are a reports that shows severe cases with multiple organ involvement.

Muscular dystrophies are a clinically and genetically heterogeneous group of disorders characterized by variable degrees of progressive muscle degeneration and weakness. There is a wide variability in the age of onset, symptoms and rate of progression in subtypes of these disorders. Herein, we present the results of our study conducted to identify the pathogenic genetic variation involved in our patient affected by rigid spine muscular dystrophy. A 14-year-old boy, product of a first-cousin marriage, was enrolled in our study with failure to thrive, fatigue, muscular dystrophy, generalized muscular atrophy, kyphoscoliosis, and flexion contracture of the knees and elbows. Whole-exome sequencing (WES) was carried out on the DNA of the patient to investigate all coding regions and uncovered a novel, homozygous missense mutation in SEPN1 gene (c. 1379 C > T, p.Ser460Phe). This mutation has not been reported before in different public variant databases and also our database (BayanGene), so it is classified as a variation of unknown significance (VUS). Subsequently, it was confirmed that the novel variation was homozygous in our patient and heterozygous in his parents. Different bioinformatics tools showed the damaging effects of the variant on protein. Multiple sequence alignment using BLASTP on ExPASy and WebLogo, revealed the conservation of the mutated residue. We reported a novel homozygous mutation in SEPN1 gene that expands our understanding of rigid spine muscular dystrophy. Although bioinformatics analyses of results were in favor of the pathogenicity of the mutation, functional studies are needed to establish the pathogenicity of the variant.

Obesity is among the medical problems in survivors of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). These patients are at risk of metabolic syndrome (MS). The present study aimed to follow the patients with ALL regarding the incidence of MS. This study was conducted on all patients who referred to the oncology clinic from July 2012 to July 2013. The exclusion criteria of the study were ALL relapse, secondary malignancy, hypothyroidism, Down syndrome, and below 2 years of age. ALL had to be diagnosed at least 12 months before enrollment into this study. MS was assessed by serum triglyceride, cholesterol, fasting blood sugar, leptin, and insulin levels. Besides, body mass index (BMI) and blood pressure (BP) were measured at diagnosis and at the last visit. This study was conducted on 53 patients (male = 35, female = 18). At the end of the study, 13 patients (24.53%) were overweight compared to 3 patients at diagnosis (P = 0.04). The mean blood leptin level was higher in overweight patients compared to the others (P = 0.001). MS was detected in 21 patients (39.6%), including 12 males and 9 females. In addition, the BMI Z-score significantly increased over the study period (P = 0.001). Being overweight is a complication of ALL treatment, which is associated with elevated blood leptin level and BMI Z-score. Therefore, MS criteria, such as BP, weight, and serum triglyceride level, should be taken into account in each visit.

Background and Aims: Although SARS‐CoV‐2 infection usually leads to mild COVID‐19 in children, sometimes it causes serious complications, especially in those with underlying diseases. Several factors have been identified in determining disease severity in adults, and limited studies have been conducted in children. The prognostic implications of SARS‐CoV‐2 RNaemia as an important factor in determining disease severity in children are not well understood.Methods: In this study, we aimed to prospectively assess the relationship between disease severity and immunological factors and viremia in 47 COVID‐19 hospitalized children. In this research, 76.5% of children experienced mild and moderate COVID‐19, while 23.5% experienced severe and critical forms of the disease.Results: The presence of underlying diseases in different groups of pediatric patients differed significantly from each other. On the other hand, clinical symptoms such as vomiting and chest pain as well as laboratory parameters including erythrocyte sedimentation rate were significantly different in different groups of patients. Viremia was seen in only two children, and this had no significant relationship with the severity of COVID‐19.Conclusion: In conclusion, our data confirmed that COVID‐19 severity differed in SARS‐CoV‐2 infected children. Some clinical presentation and lab data parameters were different in various presentation of patients. Viremia was not associated with severity in our study.

Background: Currently, the escalation of microbial resistance poses a significant global challenge. Children are more susceptible to develop infections and therefore are prescribed antibiotics more frequently. The overuse and misuse of antibiotics in pediatric patients can play a considerable role in developing microbial resistance. Accordingly, many policies, including research into new antibiotic agents have been recommended to combat microbial resistance. Recent developments in novel antibiotics have shown promising results against multi-drug resistant (MDR) and extensive drug resistance (XDR) pathogens. However, as pediatric patients are typically excluded from the clinical trials of new medications, labeling and information about approved antibiotics should be improved. This study aimed to evaluate antibiotics having been introduced to the market in the last decade focusing on pediatric population. Methods: This study reviewed the published literatures on novel FDA-approved antibiotics released between 2010 and 2022. Results: Finally, seven newly approved antibiotics including ceftaroline fosamil, ceftazidime-avibactam, ceftolozane-tazobactam, ceftobiprole, imipenem-cilastatin-relebactam, meropenem-vaborbactam, and tedizolid were considered in the present review-article. All relevant data extracted from literatures, were discussed in different subtitles of “Pharmacology”, “Mechanism of action”, “Indication”, “Dosage regimen and pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties”, “Dosage adjustment in renal/liver failure”, “Resistance pattern”, and “Adverse drug events”. Conclusion: This study reviewed available data on seven new antibiotic agents and their pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic properties, with a particular focus on their use in pediatric patients. The information presented in this review will be useful for healthcare professionals in selecting appropriate antibiotics for pediatric patients and for researchers in achieving the ideal therapeutic regimens.