Background and purpose: Although foreign body aspiration in children is uncommon but it is life-threatening in children under 3 years old. The aim of this study is to review the data records on nature, location and symptoms of foreign body aspiration, diagnostic method, and prediction for improving the health care knowledge and its prevention.Materials and methods: Children with suspected foreign body aspiration were studies retrospectively from 2001 to 2009. Relevant clinical data including age, gender, place of residence, foreign materials and their location were retrieved.Results: Eighty data records of 57 males and 23 females, ages 8 to 180 months were analysed. The most common age was under 3 years old (8 months to 3 years). Thirty eight cases lived in urban areas and 42 cases in rural areas. The most common symptom was cough. Fifteen percent of the subjects had normal clinical examination. The most common foreign bodies were nuts.Conclusion: Foreign body aspiration is an uncommon but life threatening event which occurs mainly involves under 3 years old children. The most common cause is nuts. Close supervision of young children is essential as a preventive measure.

Dear editor, Meconium aspiration syndrome (MAS) is a leading cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality. MAS is defined as respiratory distress in the first four hours after birth in the presence of meconium-stained amniotic fluid (MSAF) (1). MAS is categorized as moderate (requiring oxygen therapy with a fraction of inspired oxygen (FIO2) of 40% or greater for at least 24 h) or severe (requiring assisted mechanical ventilation) (2). MAS can lead to the development of pulmonary injuries by a different mechanism (3). MSAF may contribute to multiple long-term and short-term adverse outcomes, including increased risk of neonatal resuscitation, low Apgar score, respiratory distress, pulmonary diseases, and neonatal sepsis. Globally, the incidence of MAS is reported to be 5%-10% in infants, which accounts for an estimated 12% of all neonatal deaths (4). Over the past several years, there have been tremendous advancements in the treatment of MAS....

Objective: Aspiration of a foreign body in the airways of children is one of the important emergencies in children, which is associated with high mortality and morbidity if not diagnosed promptly or managed effectively. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical and radiographic findings in children with foreign body aspiration.    Methods: In a large cross-sectional retrospective study at a tertiary hospital from 2009 to 2019, children with foreign body aspiration were evaluated. The required information (demographics, clinical examination findings, and results of radiological and bronchoscopy reports) was extracted from the medical records of the patients in the hospital archive.    Results: In this study, 330 patients were enrolled, 61. 2% of whom were male. The mean age of the patients was 2. 65±2. 68 years. The average time interval from the onset of symptoms to the final diagnosis was 11. 54 days. The most common location and type of aspirated foreign body were the right main bronchus (60%) and seeds (39. 1%), respectively. Cough and decreased unilateral lung sounds were the most common clinical symptoms (91. 5%) and physical findings (50. 6%), respectively. The most common finding on chest X-ray was local emphysema (43%).    Conclusion: Foreign body aspiration can lead to irreparable injuries if it is not recognized and managed promptly. Aspiration of a foreign body can result in serious harm if not quickly diagnosed and properly managed. Clinical suspicion of aspiration and the management of these children are critical.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is defined with clinical symptoms of heart burning and regurgitation. It may be associated with external esophageal symptoms such as chronic cough, asthma, laryngitis, chronic lung disease, sinusitis and pulmonary fibrosis. In the present study, rats with chronic aspiration of gastroduodenal contentswere studied for cellular phenotypes and cytokine concentrations in bronchoalveolar lavage and lung tissue.Thirty-six male Albino N-MRI rats were randomly divided into six groups. After anesthesia and tracheal intubation, the animals received either 0.5ml/kg of normal saline (control), gastric juice, pepsin, hydrochloric acid or bile salts by injection into their lungs twice a week for 8 weeks. In sham group nothing was injected. Thereafter, cellular phenotypes and cytokine concentrations of Interleukine (IL) -1a, IL-1b, Transforming Growth Factor (TGF) -b, Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) a., and IL-6 were assessed in bronchoalveolar lavage and lung tissue homogenates.The numbers of epithelial cells, macrophages, neutrophils and lymphocytes in BAL and levels of cytokines IL-1a, IL-6, TNFa. and TGF-b in BAL and lung tissue of test groups were significantly higher than the control group. Aspiration of bile salts caused more cytokine levels and inflammatory cells compared to other reflux components.It can be concluded that GERD with increased cytokines and inflammatory cells in lung could cause or exacerbate asthma and pulmonary fibrosis.