Davood Kheirkhah

Bio: Davood Kheirkhah is an academic researcher from Kashan University of Medical Sciences. The author has contributed to research in topics: Diarrhea & Genotype. The author has an hindex of 6, co-authored 27 publications receiving 161 citations.

The Effect of a Yeast Probiotic on Acute Diarrhea in Children

Abstract: A probiotic is a living micro-organism administered to promote the health of the host by treating or preventing infections owing to strains of pathogens. Saccharomyces boulardii is a nonpathogen yeast that has a direct inhibitory effect on the growth of many pathogens, an anti-secretory effect and a trophic effect on enterocytes. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of S. boulardii on diarrhea in children. The children from 6 months to 6 years of age with acute watery diarrhea admitted in pediatric clinic in Kashan in 2012 were included in this trial. Exclusion criteria were high fever (T > 38.5 °C), severe dehydration, bloody diarrhea, severe malnutrition, using of antibiotics, anti-diarrheal or antifungal drugs and children with more than one complain. Two hundred patients were assigned into two groups: A total of 100 patients were treated with S. boulardii in addition to ORS (case group) and 100 patients were given placebo in addition to ORS (control group). The duration of diarrhea and frequency of stools were recorded by asking the mothers of the children every day. The results showed that the defecation frequency after second day of treatment in the case group was significantly less than the control group (P = 0.001) and the mean numbers of days of diarrhea was significantly lower in the case group (P = 0.001). The result of this study confirms that S. boulardii reduces the frequency of stool and duration of illness in children.

The effects of melatonin administration on disease severity and sleep quality in children with atopic dermatitis: A randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial

Abstract: Background: The aim of this clinical trial was to determine the effects of melatonin administration on disease severity and sleep quality in children diagnosed with atopic dermatitis (AD). Methods: This randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial was conducted by recruiting 70 patients, aged 6-12 years, who had been diagnosed with AD. Study participants were randomly allocated into two intervention groups to receive either 6 mg/d melatonin supplements or placebo (n = 35 each group) for 6 weeks. Severity of disease was assessed using the scoring atopic dermatitis (SCORAD) and objective SCORAD indices. Sleep quality was evaluated by completing the Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ). Results: Following 6 weeks of intervention, melatonin supplementation significantly improved SCORAD index (I² â��3.55; 95 CI, â��6.11, â��0.98; P = 0.007), objective SCORAD index (I² â��3.23; 95 CI, â��5.08, â��1.38; P = 0.001), serum total IgE levels (I² â��153.94 ku/L; 95 CI, â��260.39, â��47.49; P = 0.005), and CSHQ scores (I² â��2.55; 95 CI, â��4.34, â��0.75; P = 0.006). However, melatonin had no significant impact on pruritus scores, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), sleep-onset latency, total sleep time, weight, and BMI compared with placebo. Conclusions: Overall, melatonin supplementation had beneficial effects on disease severity, serum total IgE levels, and CSHQ among children diagnosed with AD. © 2018 EAACI and John Wiley and Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley and Sons Ltd.

Association of CCND1 Gene c.870G>A Polymorphism with Breast Cancer Risk: A Case-ControlStudy and a Meta-Analysis.

Abstract: Cyclin D1 (CCND1) plays an essential role in regulating the progress of the cell cycle from G1 to S phase. There is a common c.870G>A polymorphism in the CCND1 gene. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of CCND1 gene c.870G>A polymorphism with breast cancer risk in a case-control study, which followed by a meta-analysis and an in silico analysis. Three hundred and thirty-five subjects composed of 174 women with breast cancer and 161 healthy controls were included in the case-control study. CCND1 gene c.870G>A genotyping was performed by PCR-RFLP. Meta-analysis was done for 14 studies composed of 7281 cases and 6820 controls. Some bioinformatics tools were applied to investigate the effects of c.870G>A on the mRNA splicing and structure. Our data obtained from case-control study revealed that GA genotype (OR: 1.89, 95%CI: 1.12-3.17, p = 0.017), AA genotype (OR: 1.95, 95%CI: 1.08-3.53, p = 0.027), and A allele (OR: 1.44, 95%CI: 1.06-1.95, p = 0.019) were significantly associated with breast cancer risk. The results of meta-analysis showed a significant association between CCND1 c.870G>A polymorphism and breast cancer risk, especially in Caucasian population. In silico analysis revealed that c.870G>A transition affect CCND1 mRNA splicing and secondary structure.

The Relationship Between Iron Deficiency and Febrile Convulsion: A Case-Control Study.

Abstract: INTRODUCTION: Febrile seizure is among the most common convulsion disorders in children, which strikes 2% to 5% of children between 3 to 60 months of age. Some studies have reported that iron deficiency could be a risk factor for febrile seizure. The present study was conducted to compare the rate of iron deficiency anemia in febrile children with and without seizure. MATERIALS & METHODS: This case-control study evaluated 200 children aged 6-60 month in two 100 person groups (febrile seizure and febrile without convulsion) in Kashan. The CBC diff, serum iron and TIBC were done for all of participants. Diagnosis of iron deficiency anemia based on mentioned tests. RESULTS: No significant differences were found in two groups regarding to the age, gender, and the disease causing the fever. The presence of iron deficiency anemia was 45% in the convulsion group and 22% in the group with fever without convulsion. The Chi Square test indicated a significant difference between two groups. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that a considerable percentage of children having febrile seizure suffer from iron-deficiency anemia and low serum iron. This means the low serum iron and presence of anemia can serve as a reinforcing factor for the febrile seizure in children.

Febrile seizures: an overview.

Abstract: Background Febrile seizures are the most common neurologic disorder in childhood. Physicians should be familiar with the proper evaluation and management of this common condition.

The mycobiome of the human urinary tract: potential roles for fungi in urology

Abstract: The mycobiome, defined as the fungal microbiota within a host environment, is an important but understudied component of the human microbial ecosystem. New culture-independent approaches to determine microbial diversity, such as next-generation sequencing methods, have discovered specific, characteristic, commensal fungal populations present in different body sites. These studies have also identified diverse patterns in fungal communities associated with various diseases. While alterations in urinary bacterial communities have been noted in disease states, a comprehensive description of the urinary mycobiome has been lacking. Early evidence suggests the urinary mycobiome is a diverse community with high intraindividual variability. In other disease systems, the mycobiome is thought to interact with other biomes and the host to play a role in organ homeostasis and pathology; further study will be needed to elucidate the role fungi play in bladder health and disease.