Background: In recent years, the prevalence of overweight, obesity, and non-communicable diseases has been increasing worldwide, particularly in developing countries. These conditions are closely associated with unhealthy dietary patterns, physical inactivity, and high consumption of ultra-processed foods. In Mongolia, national nutrition surveys indicate insufficient intake of fruits, vegetables, and dairy products, while consumption of meat and fats remains relatively high. Although healthcare workers possess higher health literacy, they are considered a high-risk group for unhealthy dietary behaviors due to workload and occupational factors. Therefore, assessing their dietary intake is essential. Aim: To evaluate and compare the dietary intake of healthcare workers with the recommended dietary intake levels for the Mongolian population. Materials and Methods: A total of 335 employees (82.1% female, 17.9% male; aged 22–69 years) from nine healthcare institutions in Ulaanbaatar were included in the study. Data were collected using a general questionnaire consisting of 5 sections and 35 questions, and a food frequency questionnaire comprising 19 sections and 182 questions. Dietary intake was assessed using standardized portion size estimation methods and household measures (e.g., cups, spoons). Data were analyzed using SPSS and Microsoft Excel. Result: Among participants, 85.4% did not engage in regular physical activity, and 54.6% reported gastrointestinal discomfort. Irregular eating patterns were observed, with 63.3% not consuming dinner at a regular time. The average intake of meat and meat products was 307.81 g, which was 1.5 times higher than the recommended level. In contrast, intake of dairy products (159.77 g), vegetables (162.47 g), and fruits (175.84 g) was 1.1–2.2 times lower than recommended. Intake of cereals (470.17 g) and fats (23.42 g) was approximately within the recommended range. Overall, 91.6% of participants had insufficient dairy intake, 95.5% had insufficient vegetable intake, and 81.5% had insufficient fruit intake. The average consumption of ultra-processed foods was 256.1 g and showed a moderate positive correlation with fat intake (r=0.506, p<0.001). Approximately 60% of participants exceeded the recommended daily energy intake, with excessive intake observed for protein (66.3%), fat (50.1%), and carbohydrates (41.8%). Conclusion The dietary patterns of healthcare workers deviated from recommended intake levels, characterized by excessive energy intake, imbalance in macronutrients, and high consumption of ultra-processed foods. There is a need to increase the intake of fruits, vegetables, and dairy products, reduce meat and processed food consumption, and promote a supportive environment for healthy eating in the workplace.

Background: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic immune-related condition caused by interactions between genetics, immune dysfunction, gut microbiota changes, and environmental factors, often presenting as persistent or recurring diarrhea. Clinically, it commonly presents with chronic diarrhea and other gastrointestinal symptoms. The global prevalence of IBD is increasing, currently affecting approximately 0.5% of the population, with projections suggesting a rise to nearly 1% by 2030. Fecal calprotectin is a neutrophil-derived S100 calcium-binding protein that is elevated in intestinal mucosal inflammation and serves as a reliable noninvasive biomarker of inflammatory activity. Due to its high stability and close association with intestinal inflammatory activity, fecal calprotectin has been established as a dependable, non-invasive marker for identifying intestinal inflammation. In clinical practice, it is extensively used to distinguish IBD from functional gastrointestinal disorders, especially irritable bowel syndrome, among patients presenting with chronic diarrhea. However, its diagnostic utility in Mongolia remains underexplored, and this study aims to determine its sensitivity and specificity in inflammatory bowel disease and compare its diagnostic performance with other inflammatory markers. Aim: To determine the sensitivity and specificity of fecal calprotectin in inflammatory bowel disease and to compare it with other inflammatory markers. Materials and Methods: A total of 109 participants aged 18-87 years with chronic diarrhea, who attended the gastroenterology outpatient clinics of the Mongolia–Japan Hospital and Intermed Hospital between December 2024 and December 2025 and provided informed consent, were enrolled in this study. Data were collected using structured questionnaires, and laboratory investigations included complete blood count, C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and measurement of fecal calprotectin levels from stool samples. Based on fecal calprotectin results, selected participants underwent colonoscopic examination as clinically indicated. Results: Among the 109 participants included in the study, 17.4% were diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), with a mean age of 47.41±15.52 years. Fecal calprotectin levels were significantly higher in the IBD group compared to the control group (p<0.001). Fecal calprotectin demonstrated a weak positive correlation with C-reactive protein (CRP) and leukocyte count (p=0.042, p=0.06), while no significant correlation was observed with erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR). At a cutoff value of 250 µg/g, fecal calprotectin showed a sensitivity of 94.4%, specificity of 69.2%, positive predictive value (PPV) of 37.8%, and negative predictive value (NPV) of 98.4%. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis identified an optimal cutoff value of approximately 400 µg/g (AUC=0.919, Youden index=0.724), at which the sensitivity remained 94.4% and specificity increased to 78.0%. In contrast, CRP and ESR demonstrated comparatively lower diagnostic performance, with AUC values of 0.640 and 0.644, respectively. Conclusion This study demonstrates that fecal calprotectin has superior diagnostic performance compared to conventional inflammatory markers in differentiating inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). An optimal cutoff value of approximately 400 µg/g yielded the highest sensitivity and specificity. Therefore, fecal calprotectin may serve as a valuable tool in clinical practice for both screening and diagnostic confirmation.

Background: Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by lower motor neuron loss, leads to progressive muscle weakness and atrophy. With a neonatal incidence ranging from 1:6000 to 1:11000, individuals affected by SMA face challenges in locomotor function. The advent of newborn screening tests, early diagnostic techniques, and the introduction of gene therapy have, however, shown promise in enabling the acquisition of these motor skills. Objective: This review article seeks to shed a light on current understandings of the epidemiology, clinical presentations, diagnostic methods, and treatments for spinal muscular atrophy, highlighting cutting edge approaches within the discipline. Methods: A thorough search was conducted on PubMed, Cochrane, National Institutes of Health, and Web of Science databases for recent research articles concerning SMA’s incidence, prevalence, clinical manifestations, early detection, genetic testing and contemporary gene therapy. Results: The prevalence of SMA stands at 1-2 cases per 100,000 population, with an incidence of approximately 8 cases per 100,000 live births. Pre-1995 studies exhibited varying prevalence rates due to using non molecular-biological methods, small localized populations, diagnostic errors, and regional characteristics. Diagnosis involving Multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA), quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), or next-generation sequencing (NGS) analysis to confirm SMN1 and SMN2 gene status aids in identifying carriers and SMA subtypes. Countries implementing newborn screening programs have demonstrated early SMA detection in asymptomatic newborns, contributing to reduced mortality and disability rates. Currently, several types of gene therapy are being used in the treatment of SMA. Conclusion The epidemiology of SMA varies between countries and regions. It is fully possible to confirm the disease, identify carriers and subtypes. The inclusion of SMA in newborn early detection programs is crucial for reducing infant mortality and disability, and several gene therapies have received approval from relevant authorities for SMA treatment. In Mongolia, it is possible to introduce tests to confirm the disease and determine carriers and subtypes.

Assessing children with disabilities using who international classification of functioning (ICF) Background: In 2021, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), over 1 billion people are estimated to experience disability. The number of children with disabilities globally is estimated at almost 240 million, according to a new UNICEF report. There are approximately 43 million children with disabilities in East Asia and the Pacific. In the 2020 population and housing census of Mongolia, a total of 106.4 thousand people with disabilities were counted, of which 7.6 percent or 8.1 thousand children aged 0-14 were counted. People with disabilities lose some of their ability to labor. WHO recommended that assessment of children with disabilities using both ICD and ICF. Thus, we aim to assess children with disabilities who have neurological disease using International Classification of Functioning and evaluate the validity of this classification. Materials and methods: This was a cross sectional analytical study based on NCMCH. Study materials were collected from children and guardians through standard questionnaires. The questionnaire consisted of 2 groups: general information of the participant and indicators of the scope of the D code of the "ICF" to assess the childhood disability. According to the indicators of the D code range, activity limitations and participation restriction, disabilities were evaluated. Each question in the questionnaire was measured on a 5-point Likert scale from 0 to 4. The statistical analysis was performed using R 3.5.1 program. Validity was assessed using the Rasch model for each question. Questionnaire reliability was assessed by Cronbach's alpha test. Results: The study included 32 children aged 2-15 years. Male children were 62.5% of participants, the mean age was 8±3.1 years. Correlation between questions was high (r = 0.79) and reliability was adequate (α=0.94). As a result of Rasch analysis, the mean and standard deviation of the 36 selected parameters were not significantly different from the standardized mean. 3 indicators that did not meet the analysis criteria were removed, and a total of 33 indicators were used to measure childhood disabilities. Mean infit MNSQ was 1.06, mean outfit MNSQ was 0.93. MNSQ of all participants were 1.0 – 2.0. As a result of Rasch analysis, the mean of 33 indicators of disability is -1.6, the standard deviation is 1.2, the upper limit of the mean is 3.6, and the lower limit is -3.4, and the indicator of D code was stable enough to measure disability. The mean code scores were 2.45±1.3. The mean score of disability level of children diagnosed with cerebral palsy was 2.9±1.09, and children hospitalized with seizures and meningitis was 0.5±0.3. Also, the total mean score was 2.61±1.2 in the group with disability and receiving care, and 1.8±0.21 in the group not receiving care, which was a statistically significant difference. Conclusions: Inter-indicator correlation was good and reliability of the questionnaire was adequate in field use of the 38 indicators of the activity limitations and participation restriction of the International Classification of Functioning, Children's Version (ICF-CY) code range “D”. When evaluated by Rasch analysis, 33 questions were evaluated as structural and stable. The International Classification of Functioning can be used to assess children's disabilities. Discussions: Niels Ove Illum et al. (2015) found that The World Health Organization International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health child and youth version d code data can provide a coherent measure of severity of disability in children across various diagnoses, ages, and genders. Results were similar to our study.

Relationship between quality of life, depression and burden of mothers with child withсerebral palsy Background: Regular care and treatment of children diagnosed with cerebral palsy can be time-consuming and costly, increasing the risk of burden and depression, and adversely affecting quality of life. So there are many reasons why mothers' quality of life is poor socio-economic status and support related to the family, cerebral palsy from child care techniques and understanding of the disease the quality of life of mothers with sick children depends. There are few studies in Mongolia that assess the quality of life and other factors of mothers with cerebral palsy. We aimed assessing the relationship between quality of life, stress and depression in mothers with children with cerebral palsy. Materials and methods: The survey was conducted to the cross-sectional design of the analytical study based on the NCMCH. The study included 70 mothers with children with cerebral palsy. The survey data were collected using a general demographic questionnaire and three groups of questionnaires (WHOQOL-BREF, Stephen Zarit, Beck’s ). Quality of life and burden were measured as minimum <5, maximum 95 and minimum >20, maximum <88 respectively. Depression score measured as minimum >10, maximum <40. Results: The average quality of life of all mothers was 52.43 ± 11.95, environment was 44.8 ± 15.8. Maternal depression rates were 21 (30%), 90.0% of mothers had burden, and quality of life was statistically likely to be inversely related to depression and stress. Conclusion: The poor quality of life of mothers with children with cerebral palsy, high levels of depression and stress indicate the need for policies to reduce the quality of life.

Introduction: Wilms’ tumor 1gene was originally discovered as mutated in nephroblastoma, a common pediatric kidney cancer also known as Wilms’ tumor. This gene’s product alteration was indicating the safety of WT1 immunotherapy as well as a potential therapeutic response to its application in patients with glioma. Goal: Our aim was to further elucidate the role of WT1 as a diagnostic and prognostic marker in brain glioma in neuropathology field. Materials and Methods: In this study, formalin fixed paraffin embedded blocks of 135 patients with brain glioma were selected. After tissue preparation for WT1 immunohistochemical evaluation, 2 tissue preparations were excluded due to unsatisfactory amount of tissue. Therefore, data about tissue specimens from 133 patients were included in statistical analysis. Results: In this study, out of 133 cases, 55 were astrocytomas, 42 were oligodendroglioma, 35 were glioblastoma and 1 was mixed oligoastrocytoma.WT1 immunohistochemistry expression was found in 127/6 (95.5%) samples. For the glioblastoma, WT1-expression significantly increased with patient’s age (p=0.05, table 3). WT1 expression and Ki67 proliferation index had prognostic effect in patients with brain glioma (p<0.05), and low expression mean survival was 48.5 months, high expression survival was 18.4 months respectively. Conclusion WT1 expression in Mongolian patients with brain glioma had significantly associated with several adverse prognostic indicators including high Ki67 proliferation index (high grade tumor) and high expression of WT1 and univariable survival.

BACKGROUND. Uterine cervical cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer deaths in women worldwide. In our country, cervical cancer is second most common cancer in women. Uterine cervical smear (Papanicolaou test) remains an effective and widely used method for early detection of precancerous and cancerous lesions. Since 2002, the cervical smear was introduced to the clinical practice of our country. However, there is no study to performed external quality assurance of cervical smear until now. MATERIALS AND METHODS. We selected 20 glass slides of uterine cervical smear, the diagnosis was approved by histopathology. Each chosen slides were evaluated by four cytologists of A, B, C, D hospitals with hidden clinical information, independently. RESULTS. The sensitivity of A, B, C and D hospitals were 87.5%, 93.3%, 93.3%, and 93.3%, respectively. The specificity of A, B, C and D hospitals was 85.7%, 85.7%, 75%, and 66.6%, respectively. The diagnostic concordance of A, B, C and D was 70%, 75%, 50%, and 55%, respectively. The agreement of cytological diagnosis was moderate (kappa = 0.55), moderate (kappa = 0.43), fair (kappa = 0.37), and fair (kappa = 0.33) in A, B, C, and D hospitals, respectively. CONCLUSION: The external quality assurance in cytopathology is needed in Mongolia. The diagnostic concordance method would be applicable in our country to improve diagnostic agreement.

Thyroid nodular lesions are the common clinical problem in the world. A variety of tests have been employed to separate benign from malignant thyroid nodules. These tests include isotope scanning and fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC). Our research was based on the fact that the comparison of FNAC and thyroid isotope scan in thyroid nodule was not researched in Mongolia. Therefore, we want to evaluate the specimen adequacy of FNAC, and compare its result to thyroid isotope scanning in patients with thyroid nodule. The research was conducted on archive materials of FNAC and thyroid isotope scanning of patients with thyroid nodule who were treated in surgical department of The First Central Hospital from 2012 to 2015, and the statistic analyze was done by using SPSS 20 under the auspices of School of Pharmacy and Bio-Medicine,Department of pathology, Mongolian National University of Medical Sciences. We have collected the FNAC of 807 patients, including 34 patients (4.2%) were males and 773 patients (95.8%) were females. FNA cytology results were interpreted as benign in 495 cases (61.3%), follicular lesion of undetermined significance in 31 cases (3.8%), follicular neoplasm in 9 cases (1.1%) suspicious in 17 cases (2.1%), malignant in 3 cases (0.4%), and unsatisfactory in 252 cases (31%). We have got the result of thyroid isotope scanning of 43 (5.32%) patients out of 807 cases. On thyroid scan, 18 patients (41.9%) having cold nodule were labeled as suspicious for malignancy, 25 patients (58.1%) had hot nodule. The FNA diagnosis of 25 patients with a hot nodule following: 1 patient (4%) with neoplasm, 17 patients (68%) with benign results, 6 patients (24%) had non-diagnostic. The FNA diagnosis of 18 patients (41.9%) with cold nodule following: 1 patient (5.5%) with follicular lesion of undetermined significance, 10 patient (55.5%) with benign, 5 patient (27.7%) with non-diagnostic, 2 patient (11.1%) had malignant. The FNAC results were interpreted as benign in 495 cases (61.3%), malignant in 3 cases (0.4%), and unsatisfactory in 252 cases (31%). Two patients out of 18 patients with cold nodule diagnosed as malignancy by FNAC. The sensitivity and specificity of thyroid isotope scanning was 96% and 16.6%, respectively.

Background: The intraoperative smear cytology (squash preparation) is fairly accurate, simple, reliabletool for rapid intraoperative diagnosis of neurosurgical biopsies [1]. In the early 1930s, Dr Eisenhardtand Cushing introduced intraoperative cytological investigations for rapid examination of neurosurgicalspecimens and guidance of surgical treatment [2]. Besides rapid decision making during neurosurgicalprocedures, it is also to be ensured that minimum injury is caused to the normal brain structuressurrounding the intracranial neoplasm. It has become necessary for pathologists to train themselves inthe interpretation of cytomorphological features of various central nervous system lesion and used inmany neurosurgical units of all over the world [3]. Thus, to begin doing intraoperative squash cytology inour practice is the aim of this study.Aim: To study the diagnostic accuracy of squash cytology in the intraoperative diagnosis of centralnervous system tumorsMaterials and Methods: The material for this study was obtained from 30 cases of nervous systemneoplasms sent for intraoperative consultation from State Third Central Hospital, Shashtin to the thirdsection of National Center for Pathology between 7th of November 2013 to 28th of March 2014. Squashpreparation was performed on all cases and stained with hematoxylin and eosin. The diagnosis given onsquash cytology was then compared with final diagnosis given on paraffin-embedded sections.Results: Of total 30 cases of primary central nervous system tumors, neuroepithelial tumors are thelargest category of tumors (50%). The accuracy of squash cytology was 82.1%.Conclusion: This is the first study in our country where intra-operative squash cytology in brain tumorwas done and diagnostic accuracy was 82.1% as very good category. There were 4 cases had diagnosticdiscrepancy.

Introduction. Cancer of unknown primary (CUP) is histologically defined as the presence of a metastasis of lymph node without detection of the primary tumor [1]. Approximately 3–15% of all cancers are designated as CUP [3. 4]. The diagnosis, treatment and monitoring of patients with laterocervical metastases of unknown primary involves a wide range of oncologic entities [5]. While we were studying patho-histological examination of cervical lymphadenopathy in Mongolian, werevealed unknown primary tumor. This is a goal of our study. Objectives of study are followings to differentiate whether primary lymphoma or metastatic cancer of cervical lymph node metastasis of unknown primary tumor and to reveal primitive origin of tumor using by basic and additional immunohistochemical markers.Goal.To determine the conclusive diagnosis in cervical lymph node metastasis of unknown primary origin by immunohistochemical techniqueMaterials and Methods. In this study, we examined immunohistochemically 30 cases of outpatient head and neck surgical unit of the National Cancer Center and dentistry and oral maxillofacial surgical unit of the State Central Hospital which were diagnosed as cervical lymphadenopathy. For immunohistochemical study, we applied an immunohistochemical panel in accordance with avidinbiotin- peroxidase complex method and used a basic and additional antibodies represented by CK(pancytokeratin), LCA, synaptophysin, chromogranin and HMB45. Result. In our study, there was 63.3% lymphoma, 36.7% metastatic cancer. Among them, there were 4 of digestive tract adenocarcinoma, 3 of squamous cell carcinoma /2-esophagus, 1-nasopharyngeal/, 2 of neuroendocrine tumor and 1 of melanoma.Distribution by age groups shows that 20-29 years were 4(13.3%), 30-39 years were 10 (33.3%), 40-49 years were 8 (26.7%), 50-59 years were 3 (10%), over60 years were 5 (16.7%). Gender distribution showed an increased incidence of males (56.7%, 17 cases) compared with females (43.3%, 13 cases).Conclusion: In our study, B cell lymphoma and digestive tract adenocarcinoma were the most common. In further, it is necessary to introduce an immunohistochemical method in patho-histological practice.