PURPOSE: Febrile seizures (FS) are seizures that occur between the age of 6 and 60 months, but its pathophysiology still is not fully understood. There is limited information about the correlation between levels of selenium and leptin with FS. This study aimed to determine the relationship between serum levels of selenium and leptin in children with FS. METHODS: This case-control study was conducted in a University Hospital in Shahrekord, Iran, in 2011. The serum levels of selenium and leptin of 25 children with simple febrile seizure (case group) were compared with 25 febrile children without seizure (control group) in acute phase and after three months. The levels of serum selenium and leptin were measured by flame atomic absorption spectrophotometer and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method, respectively. RESULTS: In acute phase, the mean serum level of selenium in case and control groups were 95.88+/-42.55 and 113.25+/-54.43 microg/dL, respectively, and difference was not significant (P=0.415), but after three months, this level had a significant increase in both groups (P<0.001). In acute phase, the mean serum leptin level in case and control groups were 0.94+/-0.5 and 0.98+/-0.84 ng/mL, respectively, but difference was not significant (P=0.405). After three months, serum leptin level had no significant change in both groups (P=0.882). CONCLUSION: These observations suggest that serum levels of selenium and leptin have not specific relation with FS but overllay is lower, however, further study is recommended. Also selenium level in stress and acute phase was significantly lower than recovery phase.
Absorption ; Case-Control Studies ; Child ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Humans ; Iran ; Leptin ; Seizures ; Seizures, Febrile ; Selenium

PURPOSE: The efficacy of antibiotic therapy for acute sinusitis is controversial. This study aimed to compare the efficacies of amoxicillin with nasal irrigation and nasal irrigation alone for acute sinusitis in children. METHODS: This randomized, double-blind, controlled study included 80 children aged 4-15 years with a clinical presentation of acute sinusitis. Patients were randomly assigned to receive either amoxicillin (80 mg/kg/day) in 3 divided doses orally for 14 days with saline nasal irrigation (for 5 days) and 0.25% phenylephrine (for 2 days) or the same treatment without amoxicillin. Clinical improvements in their initial symptoms were assessed on days 3, 14, 21, and 28. RESULTS: On day 3, patients in the amoxicillin with nasal irrigation group showed significant clinical improvement (P=0.001), but there was no significant difference in the degree of improvement between the amoxicillin with nasal irrigation and nasal irrigation alone groups during follow-up (P>0.05). In addition, no significant differences were seen in age, sex, and degree of improvement between groups (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: High-dose amoxicillin with saline nasal irrigation relieved acute sinusitis symptoms faster and more often than saline nasal irrigation alone. However, antibiotic treatment for acute sinusitis confers only a small therapeutic benefit over nasal irrigation.
Amoxicillin* ; Child* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Nasal Lavage* ; Phenylephrine ; Sinusitis*