Zahraa Imran Merchant

Ms. Zahraa Imran Merchant

orcid

Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

1Year (2026-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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19 July 2026 in Medicina
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
MKMohit Kakar
Mohit Kakar
GKGeorgijs Kuļibaba
Georgijs Kuļibaba
ZMZahraa Imran Merchant
Zahraa Imran Merchant
AZAstra Zviedre
Astra Zviedre
TZTimurs Zurmutaī
Timurs Zurmutaī
APAigars Petersons
Aigars Petersons
Background and Objectives: Acute appendicitis is the most common surgical emergency in children. The standard of care has been appendectomy for many years. However, in recent years, studies investigating antibiotic therapy alone have increased rapidly, suggesting that non-operative management may be an effective alternative with a lower risk of complications. In this study, we compared two antibiotic regimens (ceftazidime/metronidazole and ampicillin/metronidazole) to evaluate the effectiveness of two antibacterial strategies. Materials and Methods: A total of 41 children aged 7–18 years were enrolled and randomly assigned to one of the two treatment groups, with the follow-up conducted over one year to assess recurrence. For the evaluation of antibiotic effectiveness, inflammation was assessed using leukocyte count, C-reactive protein, and the biomarkers IL-6, IL-8, and MCP-1, which were measured on each of the three days of inpatient antibiotic therapy. Results: Analysis of the collected data revealed no statistically significant difference in inflammatory markers between the two treatment groups. Conclusions: These findings suggest that both antibiotic regimens offer comparable clinical outcomes and may be used interchangeably in clinical practice.