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Infectious diseases were one of the most important public health problems in Ardabil during the first Pahlavi period (1925-1941 AD). These diseases caused the illness and death of many people. The purpose of this study is to investigate the factors and consequences of the spread of infectious diseases in Ardabil during the first Pahlavi period. The research method is descriptive and historical-retrospective, which tries to answer the research questions using documentary and library sources. The findings show that malaria, trachoma, smallpox, tuberculosis, rinderpest, venereal diseases, and diphtheria were among the most common infectious diseases. Poverty, illiteracy, poor public health, lack of medical facilities, and the geographical location were the main factors in the spread of these diseases. Considering the critical nature of the issue, the first Pahlavi government tried to control and prevent diseases by carrying out measures such as public education, establishing health and treatment centers and reforming their structure, sending doctors and distributing medicine, and implementing quarantine and vaccination. The results showed that the efforts of the first Pahlavi government in fighting infectious diseases in Ardabil were relatively successful and reduced the prevalence of some diseases., (© 2024 The Author(s). This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.)

Background: The utilization of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is experiencing a global surge, accompanied by the adoption of national CAM policies in numerous countries. Traditional Persian medicine (TPM) is highly used as CAM in Iran, and the ongoing scientific evaluation of its interventions and the implementation of evidence-based medicine (EBM) encounters various barriers. Therefore, comprehending the characteristics and interactions of stakeholders is pivotal in advancing EBM within TPM policies. In this study, we utilized both classical stakeholder analysis and social network analysis to identify key stakeholders and potential communication patterns, thereby promoting EBM in TPM policy-making., Methods: A cross-sectional nationwide stakeholder analysis was conducted in 2023 using snowball sampling. The interviews were carried out using a customized version of the six building blocks of health. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews. Stakeholders were assessed based on five factors (power, interest, influence, position, and competency). The connections and structure of the network were analyzed using degree, betweenness, closeness centrality, and modularity index to detect clusters of smaller networks., Results: Among twenty-three identified stakeholders, the Ministry of Health and Medical Education (MOHME) and the Public were the most powerful and influential. The Iranian Academy of Medical Sciences was the most competent stakeholder. Social network analysis revealed a low density of connections among stakeholders. Pharmaceutical companies were identified as key connectors in the network, while the Public, supreme governmental bodies, and guilds acted as gatekeepers or brokers. The MOHME and Maraji were found to be high-ranking stakeholders based on four different centrality measures., Conclusion: This study identifies powerful stakeholders in the network and emphasizes the need to engage uninterested yet significant stakeholders. Recommendations include improving competence through education, strengthening international relations, and fostering stronger relationships. Engaging key connectors and gatekeepers is essential for bridging gaps in the network., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

The aim of the present study is to investigate the trend of suicide and its attempt and the factors related to completed suicide during a 5-year period (2014-2019) in South Khorasan province, Iran. Data analysis was performed using chi-square, independent t-test and backward logistic regression in SPSS ver. 16. Cochran-Armitage test was used to evaluate the trends of suicide attempt and completed suicide. P-value < 0.05 was considered as the significance level. There was a significantly higher rate of suicide attempt among women and a significantly higher rate of completed suicide among men (p = 0.007). The incidence of suicide attempt (p = 0.001) and suicide deaths (p = 0.003) have also increased significantly during these years and the most common method of suicide attempt is drug poisoning. Also increasing age, rural residence, having a history of mental disorder, marital separation and lower level of education led to a significant increase in the rate of completed suicide (p < 0.001). The present study showed no significant relationship between the history of suicide attempt and completed suicide (p = 0.19). The rate of suicide attempt was higher among women and the rate of completed suicide was higher among men. The rate of suicide attempts and completed suicides has increased during these five years. Factors such as untreated mental disorders, living in rural areas, separation, and older age were considered as risk factors for completed suicide. On the other hand, higher education level has played a protective role in this regard., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Background: Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) have recently become more popular and accepted worldwide. One principal step to identify the status and organize strategies of CAM is evaluating the manner and the prevalence of its usage among people. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of CAM modalities usage by the people of Babol, a central city in the North of Iran, in 2018., Methods: Using the original International CAM Questionnaire (I-CAM-Q), a questionnaire was redesigned in Persian (Farsi) with some changes such as adding special modalities in Iran and its validity and reliability were assessed. Six hundred households were evaluated using a cluster sampling method in 2018 spring by 12 trained interviewers., Results: Finally, 1770 questionnaires were correctly completed. A total of 110 participants (6.21% of the completed questionnaires) had visited CAM therapists in the last year, 109 persons (6.15%) had received prescriptions from physicians and paramedics to use CAM, and a total of 1032 people (58.30%) used herbs and herbal medicines in the last 12 months. Also, 1265 individuals (71.46%) had used CAM throughout their lives. The most popular methods were herbal medicine (65.76%), Persian Medicine (13.78%), water therapy (10.45%) and music therapy (8.36%). The use of CAM was more popular among women., Conclusions: The general use of CAM in Babol was similar to other studies, but there were fewer visits by CAM therapists and less frequent adoption of common methods including homeopathy, acupuncture, and energy therapy. It was found that CAM was mostly used for non-serious diseases such as cold and transient gastrointestinal disorders, a pattern that is different from other studies in this field.

The increasing prevalence of obesity is one of the major problems of today's society. Man needs food to continue living, daily activities, and even the metabolism of food; and appetite plays an important role in receiving foods. Appetite and weight reducing synthetic drugs, which are mostly costly and have significant side effects, are recommended for some patients, and have limited effectiveness in the treatment of obesity. Given the epidemic of obesity and the lack of satisfaction with synthetic drugs these days, people are more likely to use herbal medicines. Complementary medicine has always been considered for the choice of new treatment. This medicine has a long history. Persian Medicine is one of the traditional medicine systems. This study was a qualitative study on the Books of Canon and the Makhzan Al-Aladvia. Saffron has been introduced in both modern medicine and in Iranian medicine to reduce appetite. In the case of Purslane seed and Chio nut, Figs, Sesame seeds, Camphor, and Solomon's seal, and Opium poppy, which have been appetite suppressant in traditional medicine books, in the books and articles of modern medicine, they have not proved to be appetite reducing. Modern medicine has known Gourd as a weight reducing food with the effects on fat but there is no talk about its effects on appetite. According to traditional Iranian medicine, Chio nut causes anorexia due to weakness in the stomach. Therefore, it is not advisable for weight loss. More clinical studies are conducted to prove the effects of appetite suppressant and weight loss effects of these herbal medicines seem logical., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

Owing to the effect of acute and chronic hypohydration on health and the lethal effects of hyperhydration, an appropriate amount of water intake is important for each individual. Traditional Iranian medicine (TIM) is a holistic system one of whose important parts deals with lifestyles and how to maintain health, including the amount of water intake for every person and the appropriate principles of drinking water. In this study, Avicenna's Canon of Medicine, Rhazes' Benefits of Food and Its Harmfulness, and conventional medical articles were reviewed to evaluate the amount of water intake for each person and the principles of drinking water. TIM has expressed an individualized difference in the amount of water intake in the form of temperament and the relationship between the appropriate time of drinking water with other daily activities. In this view, drinking water at the inappropriate time causes liver and gastrointestinal diseases; it can create the foundation for conducting new studies in the field of appropriate water intake and lifestyle changes to reduce malnutrition complications., (© 2019 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Metabolic syndrome (MS) is characterized by a combination of cardiovascular (CV) risk factors (hypertension, dyslipidemia, obesity, and alterations in glucose homeostasis). Insulin resistance is suggested to be the common pathogenic background. This syndrome is also a risk factor for diabetes and chronic kidney disease. In renal transplant recipients, MS has been shown to be an independent risk factor for chronic allograft dysfunction, graft failure, new-onset diabetes, and CV disease. We performed a cross-sectional study on 106 stable renal transplant recipients to detect MS between January 2013 and August 2013. This syndrome was diagnosed according to the National Cholesterol Education Program-Adult Treatment Panel III criteria. Patients with history of diabetes mellitus were excluded from the study. In this group of patients, 56 (52.8%) had MS. There were 32 males (57.1%) and 24 females (42.9%). The mean age of the MS group was significantly higher than the non-MS group. The mean serum creatinine was higher in the MS group than the non-MS group, but there was no significant difference between them (P >0.05). The calculated glomerular filtration rate was also similar in the two groups (P >0.05). The patients with MS had higher body weight (64.61 ± 14.17 kg vs. 58.76 ± 11.70 kg, P <0.05) and also higher body mass index (BMI) (P <0.05). The prevalence of BMI >25 kg/m2 in the MS group was 75% versus 25% in the non-MS group (P <0.05). Since MS is an important and common risk factor in renal transplant recipients, we have to try to prevent it by educating the patients to control it by modifying their lifestyle. Efforts toward promoting healthy diets, physical activity, and blood pressure control must be undertaken.

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is an important infection encountered posttransplantation, especially among patients in developing countries, where there are high incidences of morbidity and mortality., Materials and Methods: One hundred and twenty subjects (1%) from 15 major kidney transplantation centers in Iran from 1984 to 2003 were compared with 440 controls who were matched for operative time, treatment center, and surgical team., Results: Mean ages of research subjects and controls were 38.6 and 36.6 years (P = .04), respectively. The mean duration of pretransplantation hemodialysis was 29 months (range, 2 to 192 months) in research subjects and 20 months (range, 1 to 180 months) in controls (P = .003). Positive past history of tuberculosis was detected in 4 (3.3%) research subjects and in 7 (1.5%) controls (P = .2). Fifty-two research subjects (43.3%) and 241 controls (54.8%) had pretransplantation purified protein derivative of tuberculin less than 5 mm (P = .02). Mean dosages of initial and maintenance immunosuppressive drugs in research subjects and in controls were not significantly different. Sixty research subjects (50%) and 152 controls (34.5%) had rejection prior to diagnosis of TB (P = .03)., Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the first study that demonstrates an increased risk of posttransplant TB by prolonged duration of pretransplant hemodialysis and number of posttransplant rejection episodes. Further study is needed to clarify these findings specifically with respect to various immunosuppressive regimens.