The Diagnostic Association of Radiological and Clinicopathological Parameters in Community-Acquired Pneumonia in Children: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background Globally, pneumonia is one of the significant causes of death in children under the age of five years. Assessment of disease severity is essential for clinical decision-making. Clinicians in resource-limited settings use the WHO Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMNCI) guidelines to diagnose and treat pneumonia.

Antibiotic Use for Febrile Children in a Tertiary Care Hospital's Outpatient Department: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background Irrational prescription of antibiotics is contributing to the antimicrobial resistance crisis in low and middle-income countries. Antibiotic stewardship programs need to be implemented to rationalize the use of antibiotics, but data on antibiotic prescriptions in pediatric outpatient departments is minimal. This study aimed to determine the frequency of antibiotic prescriptions in febrile children attending the Paediatric Outpatient Department (OPD) at Combined Military Hospital, Lahore, and observe the factors affecting the decision to prescribe antibiotics.

Role of Ondansetron in Reducing Methotrexate Intolerance in Patients with Inflammatory Arthritis.

Objective: To determine the frequency of intolerance to Methotrexate (MTX) in patients with inflammatory arthritis by using MTX intolerance severity score, and evaluate the effects of Ondansetron in reducing MTX intolerance.

Study Design: Interventional study.

Place And Duration Of Study: Rheumatology clinic, Combined Military Hospital (CMH), Lahore, from 1st November 2021 to 30th April 2022.

Indicators of child health in pastoral communities in the Karakoram and Hindukush mountains, Pakistan.

Pastoralism is practiced in remote parts of the Karakoram and Hindukush high mountains, which sprawl across Northern Pakistan, with women and children travelling to high pastures with their animals during summer. The pastures are not accessible by road, while glaciers and hazardous terrain accentuate their remoteness. A cross-sectional observational study was carried out along Pakistan's border with Afghanistan's Wakhan province to assess health indicators in children in pastoral communities.

Choosing Wisely: Computed Tomography in the Diagnosis of Adolescents With Intrathoracic Tuberculosis.

In a retrospective study of adolescents with intrathoracic tuberculosis (TB), 26 out of the 81 (32%) patients had undergone chest computed tomography (CT). Chest CT was considered unnecessary in 7 (27%), necessary in 7 (27%), and possibly/probably helpful in 12 (46%). Promptly obtaining specimens for sputum smear microscopy, molecular testing, as well as culture for Mycobacterium tuberculosis could avoid several unnecessary CTs.

Vitamin D supplementation and CD4 count in children infected with human immunodeficiency virus.

Objective: To evaluate, in a randomized fashion, the impact of vitamin D supplementation on CD4 count and measures of vitamin D homeostasis in children infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

Study Design: Children infected with HIV (n = 54) were randomized to receive no supplementation (group 1), vitamin D 5600 IU/week (group 2), or vitamin D 11 200 IU/week (group 3) for 6 months. Viral load, CD4 percent, CD4 count, 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D), 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D, and other measures of vitamin D metabolism were measured at baseline and 6 months later.