Background To identify the prevalence and also the full spectrum of symptoms/complaints of children and adolescents who are suffering from long COVID. Furthermore, we investigated the risk factors of long COVID in children and adolescents. Methods All consecutive children and adolescents who were referred to the hospitals anywhere in Fars province, Iran, from 19 February 2020 until 20 November 2020 were included. All patients had a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19. In a phone call to patients/parents, at least 3 months after their discharge from the hospital, we obtained their current status and information if their parents agreed to participate. Results In total, 58 children and adolescents fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Twenty-six (44•8%) children/adolescents reported symptoms/complaints of long COVID. These symptoms included fatigue in 12 (21%), shortness of breath in 7 (12%), exercise intolerance in 7 (12%), weakness in 6 (10%), and walking intolerance in 5 (9%) individuals. Older age, muscle pain on admission, and intensive care unit admission were significantly associated with long COVID. Conclusions Long COVID is a frequent condition in children and adolescents. The scientific community should investigate and explore the pathophysiology of long COVID to ensure that these patients receive appropriate treatments for their condition.

We investigated the frequency of brain fog in a large cohort of patients with documented coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) who have survived the illness. We also scrutinized the potential risk factors associated with the development of brain fog. Adult patients (18-55 years of age), who were referred to the healthcare facilities anywhere in Fars province from February 19, 2020 to November 20, 2020 were included. All patients had a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis. In a phone call, at least 3 months after their discharge from the hospital, we obtained their current information. A questionnaire was specifically designed for data collection. In total, 2696 patients had the inclusion criteria; 1680 (62.3%) people reported long COVID syndrome (LCS). LCS-associated brain fog was reported by 194 (7.2%) patients. Female sex (odds ratio [OR]: 1.4), respiratory problems at the onset (OR: 1.9), and intensive care unit (ICU) admission (OR: 1.7) were significantly associated with reporting chronic post-COVID "brain fog" by the patients.In this large population-based study, we report that chronic post-COVID "brain fog" has significant associations with sex (female), respiratory symptoms at the onset, and the severity of the illness (ICU admission).

The aim of the current endeavor was to systematically review the existing evidence on brain connectivity abnormalities in patients with functional seizures (FS). Methods: This systematic review was prepared according to the instructions of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. MEDLINE (accessed from PubMed) and Scopus from inception to April 4, 2020 were systematically searched. The following search strategy was implemented and these key words (in the title/abstract) were used: "connectivity" OR "network" AND "psychogenic" OR "dissociative" OR "nonepileptic". Results: Through the search strategy, we could identify eighteen articles. These studies have applied various methodologies and they could identify a variety of brain connectivity abnormalities in people with FS. However, none of these studies provided a high level of evidence. They were all small studies (none had a sample size of more than 21 patients). In addition, most of the studies did not match their cases and their controls with respect to the psychiatric comorbidities and other significant confounders. Conclusion: Abnormal functional connectivity between emotion processing areas of the brain with regions involved in executive control and cognitive performance, and the functional connections of the anterior cingulate cortex are of major interest and may be involved in the pathophysiology of FS. Pursuing the concept of brain connectivity abnormalities in patients with FS and comparing the findings with well-matched controls in welldesigned studies may result in a breakthrough in identifying the exact neurobiological origin of FS.

Background: Migraine headache is an episodic abnormality which usually presents with a severe headache, accompanied by nausea, photo and sound sensitivity, and autonomic symptoms. Iron accumulation in brain, especially peri-aqueductal grey is associated with duration of the disease, and apparently there is an association between body iron storage status and the incidence of migraine; hence, the present study was conducted to investigate the plausible association between iron-deficiency anemia and migraine in a casecontrol design. Materials and Methods: After signing the written informed consent, the blood samples were collected by a well-trained technician from the patients proved to have migraine, those having migraine clinical criteria and those having migraine attack frequency as high as that prophylaxis was required, and non-migraine healthy individuals, those having not migraine and anemia except iron-deficiency anemia. Based on the sample size, each group composed of samples with at least 100 individuals. Results: There were statistically significant differences between female cases and controls regarding hemoglobin, serum ferritin levels and iron-deficiency anemia (P-value: .0004; .006; .001), but no differences were observed among males (P-value: .606; .38; .303). Furthermore, the case-control comparisons revealed a significant difference in iron-deficiency anemia (P-value: .032), but no significant difference was seen in hemoglobin and serum ferritin levels (P-value: .161; .178). Conclusion: The present study suggests an association between iron-deficiency anemia, hemoglobin and serum ferritin levels and the incidence of migraine in females. As a result, there might be an association between body iron storage status and the incidence of migraine, especially among females, reflecting the fact that iron supplements might be an effective treatment or prophylaxis in patients with migraine associated with iron-deficiency anemia. However, further studies are required to provide a conclusive answer to the issues remained controversial.

Background & Objective:Urinary dysfunctions occur in the majority of MS patients and these patients are at higher risks of developing UTI due to multiple reasons. We determined to study the association between different urinary symptoms and UTI in MS patients.Material & Method:Eighty seven MS patients that referred to our medical care center with an acute attack of the disease, from November 2012 to April 2014, were included in the study. Patients were classified into two groups based on their urine culture results UTI positive and non-UTI patients. The prevalence of different types of urinary symptoms was then compared among the two groups.Result:The mean age of our patients was 36.8 years old. From the total 87 patients, 83 (95.4%) were female. Overall 56.3% of patients displayed urinary symptoms. The most prevalent urinary problems were urinary incontinence and frequency (25.3% and 24.1%, respectively). A positive urinary culture was seen in 71.3% of the patients. The prevalence of urinary problems was significantly higher in UTI patients in comparison to non-UTI patients (64.5% and 40% in UTI and non-UTI patients, respectively; p=0.036). Separately none of the different urinary symptoms displayed a significant difference between UTI and non-UTI patients (p>0.05).Conclusion:Not a single symptom can be diagnostic of UTI, but MS patient with urinary tract infections do present more urinary symptoms and this can be an indication for further urine analysis and screening measures for MS patients who display more urinary symptoms.