Background: The Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory™ (PedsQL™) is a modular, multidimensional instrument designed to assess health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in children and adolescents aged 2 to 18 years. It encompasses both child self-report and parent proxy-report formats and includes generic as well as disease-specific modules, enabling comprehensive HRQoL assessment across healthy and clinical pediatric populations. In Mongolia, gastrointestinal (GI) disorders represent the second leading cause of morbidity among children aged 10 to 14 years. The assessment of HRQoL in children with GI disorders — particularly those with chronic conditions — is of considerable importance for clinicians and researchers in conducting epidemiological surveillance, monitoring treatment outcomes, and evaluating findings from clinical trials. Aim: To translate the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory–Gastrointestinal Symptoms Module Standard Form (PedsQL™-GI version standard form) into Mongolian and to evaluate its internal consistency reliability. Materials and Methods: The PedsQL™-GI version standard form was selected for translation following written authorization from the original developers. The bilingual forward translation was conducted by a team comprising a professional linguist and a pediatrician with 15 years of clinical experience and academic proficiency in English, adhering to the developer-provided translation protocol. The preliminary Mongolian version was subsequently reviewed by a senior pediatrician with 25 years of professional experience and academic English, with particular attention to medical terminology accuracy and linguistic equivalence. A separate bilingual team — consisting of a second linguist and a pediatrician — then performed the backward translation into English. A small-group expert panel comprising the back-translation team and the research investigators convened to review discrepancies and finalize the English reconciled version, which was submitted to the original developers for approval before the official release of the Mongolian version. To evaluate the internal consistency reliability of the Mongolian version, the instrument was administered to 25 children aged 8–12 years and 25 adolescents aged 13 years and above, along with their respective caregivers. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 25.0, employing the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) and Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. Results: The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for the total instrument was α=0.96, indicating excellent internal consistency reliability. Test-retest reliability, assessed using the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient, yielded ICC=0.79, demonstrating satisfactory measurement stability over repeated administrations. Conclusions 1. The overall semantic equivalence of the Mongolian version was 97.8%, and 96% of cognitive interview participants rated the questionnaire as “understandable” indicating that the clinical content and conceptual integrity of the original instrument were fully preserved throughout the translation process. 2. A total of 37 adaptation instances were identified during the translation process, encompassing six categories of linguistic and cross-cultural localization: age-appropriate modification, conversion of medical terminology into everyday language, linguistic and cultural adaptation, synonymous substitution, elaboration, and condensation. These adaptations collectively enhanced the content validity of the instrument. 3. The Mongolian version demonstrated excellent internal consistency reliability (Cronbach’s alpha α=0.96) and satisfactory test-retest reliability (Intraclass Correlation Coefficient ICC=0.79), both fully meeting international psychometric standards. These findings confirm that the instrument constitutes a reliable tool for assessing health-related quality of life in Mongolian children with chronic gastrointestinal disorders.

Background: Histopathological examination of skin tissue plays an important role in the diagnosis of dermatological diseases; however, data on surgically excised skin specimens remain limited in Mongolia. Aim: To classify benign and malignant tumors based on histopathological findings of surgically excised skin tissue specimens, determine surgical margin status, and evaluate the age and sex distribution of these conditions. Materials and Methods: This retrospective observational study was conducted using data on surgically excised tissue specimens collected in the outpatient department of the National Dermatology Center between January 2023 and March 2026. A total of 361 patients were identified. Four cases with indeterminate histopathological diagnoses were excluded, leaving 357 patients for final analysis. Data on age, sex, diagnosis, and surgical margin status were collected and analyzed on Microsoft Excel programm. Histopathological diagnoses were classified as benign or malignant tumors. Associations between categorical variables were assessed using the chi-square test, with statistical significance set at p < 0.05. Results: Among 357 patients, 135 (37.8%) were male and 222 (62.2%) were female, with a mean age of 41.8 years. The 20–39-year age group accounted for the largest proportion of cases (39.5%). Histopathological examination showed that 326 cases (91.32%) were benign and 31 cases (8.68%) were malignant. Among benign tumors, melanocytic nevus was the most common diagnosis, while basal cell carcinoma was the most common malignant tumor. The frequency of malignant tumors increased significantly with age (p < 0.001). Patients aged ≥60 years had significantly higher odds of malignancy compared with younger patients (OR = 8.19, 95% CI: 3.79–17.69). Malignant lesions were significantly more likely to have positive (involved) surgical margins than benign lesions. Conclusion Most surgically excised skin tissue specimens were benign; however, the likelihood of malignancy increased significantly with age. Surgical margin assessment is clinically important for improving prognosis, reducing the risk of recurrence, and guiding treatment management.