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Abstract Although the relationship between allergies and cancer has been investigated extensively, the role of allergies in head and neck cancer (HNC) appears less consistent. It is unclear whether allergies can independently influence the risk of HNC in the presence of substantial environmental risk factors, including consumption of alcohol, betel quid, and cigarettes. This study aims to find this association. We examined the relationship between allergies and HNC risk in a hospital-based case–control study with 300 cases and 375 matched controls. Logistic regression models were used to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals, controlling for age, sex, tobacco smoking and opium usage history, alcohol consumption, and socioeconomic status. Our study showed a significant reduction in the risk of HNC associated with allergy symptoms after adjusting for confounders. The risk of HNC was greatly reduced among those with any type of allergy (OR 0.42, 95% CI 0.28, 0.65). The ORs were considerably reduced by 58–88% for different kinds of allergies. The risk of HNC reduction was higher in allergic women than in allergic men (71% vs. 49%). Allergies play an influential role in the risk of HNC development. Future studies investigating immune biomarkers, including cytokine profiles and genetic polymorphisms, are necessary to further delineate the relationship between allergies and HNC. Understanding the relationship between allergies and HNC may help to devise effective strategies to reduce and treat HNC.

Introduction: Heart disease is the main cause of mortality and morbidity in patients with beta thalassemia. Vitamin D and calcium deficiency also is common in these patients. We studied and compared vitamin D and calcium levels and other parameters with echocardiographic findings in patients with beta thalassemia. Method: A cross-sectional study in patients with Transfusion-dependent thalassemia was conducted. 169 patients with Transfusion-dependent thalassemia were enrolled. Ejection fraction, valvular insufficiency and aortic diameter were determined. The aortic diameter of patients was measured using Mindray DC60 echo model. All of these patients were tested for levels of vitamin D, calcium (Ca), parathyroid hormone (PTH), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), platelet (PLT), and ferritin, Finally, the effect of these factors on aortic root (AR), aortic valve area (AVA) and ejection fraction (EF) was evaluated. One-way ANOVA was used to compare quantitative variables, and chi-square test with 95% confidence level was used to estimate relationships and compare ratios in groups. Results: There was a statistically significant relationship between vitamin D deficiency and Serum Ca (P-value = 0.009). Our results showed that with the increase in the level of vitamin D, the EF also increased and the probability that the aortic root will have a normal size will be higher. Furthermore, disorder in PTH and PLT level causes a decrease in the EF. Conclusion: This study did show an association between Vitamin D deficiency and cardiac function in patients with Transfusion-dependent thalassemia. Vitamin D can be considered as a supplement in thalassemia patients.

Almost 15–30% of patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) experience some degree of recurrence after treatment. Long-term follow-up and examination after thyroidectomy are very important in dealing with this issue. Serum thyroglobulin (Tg) level and neck ultrasound are the main part of follow-up for this purpose. The presence of thyroglobulin antibodies (TgAbs) leads to unreliable thyroglobulin (Tg) levels. The present study aims to evaluate the relationship between the simultaneous measurement of Tg and TgAb with long-term survival and response to treatment in these patients. This study was conducted by surveying available data from the medical records of 204 out of 600 patients over a 20-year period. In this research, 104 patients with positive TgAb were considered as the case group, and 100 patients with negative TgAb were selected as the control group. The relationship of TgAb titer was investigated with the staging, response to treatment (including the surgery number, number of radiotherapies, and dose of radioactive iodine), and recurrence in these patients. Also, the trend of TgAb changes was examined in the presence of high or low thyroglobulin levels during the follow-up period. Patients with high TgAb levels had more lymph node involvement, higher cumulative dose, a higher number of times received iodine, more surgical number, higher recurrence rate, and less excellent response (ER) to treatment during follow-ups. This effect of TgAb worsened in the presence of high Tg titer and remained up to 36 months. Overall, the baseline level of TgAb and its changes can be a suitable factor for predicting subsequent response to treatment and recurrence in patients with PTC. Accordingly, in cases with high TgAb and Tg levels, close follow-up should be considered up to Tg and TgAb normalization.

ObjectiveDespite the implementation of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) program in Iran, the regulation of second-hand smoke (SHS) exposure-an often-overlooked hazard-, still requires improvement. We employed a multi-center case-control study to investigate the association between exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) from various tobacco products (cigarettes, water-pipes, pipes, and chopogh), opium use, and the risk of lung cancer.MethodWe included 627 lung cancer cases and 3477 controls. Exposure to SHS tobacco and SHS opium was collected through a questionnaire. We used mixed-model logistic regressions to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI).ResultAmong the overall population exposed to second-hand tobacco smoke (SHTS), the odds ratio (OR) compared to those never exposed was 1.35 (95% CI: 1.08-1.71). Never smokers who were ever exposed to second-hand tobacco smoke (SHTS) had 1.69-fold risk of lung cancer compared to those who were never exposed (95% CI: 1.13-2.52). Exposure to SHTS between 2-3 per day (OR = 2.27, 95% CI: 1.13-4.53) and more than three hours per day (OR = 2.29, 95% CI: 1.20-4.37) can increase the risk of lung cancer compared with the no exposure group (P-trend ConclusionOur study estimates the impact of second-hand tobacco smoke (SHTS) on lung cancer risk in both the overall population and never-smokers. Additional studies are required to evaluate the association between exposure to second-hand smoke from opium and other type of tobacco, including water-pipe and the risk of lung cancer.

BackgroundData on the association between head and neck cancer (HNC) and dietary factors are inconclusive. No study has so far investigated the association between dietary total antioxidant capacity (dTAC) and HNC concerning interactions with other risk factors.MethodPathologically confirmed new diagnosed HNC patients were included in this study. The control group was healthy hospital visitors who were frequently matched with patients on age (5 years interval), gender, and province of residence. Trained interviewers administered a validated Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) to assess the participants’ food intake 1 year before the cancer diagnosis. Data on TAC scores of foods was collected by Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP) and Total Radical-trapping Antioxidant Parameters (TRAP) from published data. We applied logistic regression adjusted for age, sex, energy intake, socioeconomic status, province, opium use, alcohol use, physical activity, and dental health. We also studied the interaction of dTAC with tobacco smoking status, and opium use on the risk of HNC.ResultsWe recruited 876 HNC patients and 3,409 healthy controls. We observed a significant decrease in the odds of HNC with increasing dTAC scores. The OR of HNC for the third vs. the first tertile was 0.49 (95%CI 0.39–0.61) for FRAP and 0.49 (95%CI 0.39–0.62) for TRAP. Both dTAC scores were inversely associated with lip and oral (T3 ver. T1 OR = 0.51; 95%CI 0.36–0.71 for FRAP and OR = 0.59; 95% CI 0.44–0.82 for TRAP) and larynx (T3 ver. T1 OR = 0.43; 95%CI 0.31–0.61 for FRAP and OR = 0.38; 95% CI 0.26–0.55 for TRAP) cancers. There was no interaction between tobacco smoking, opium use; and TRAP or FRAP on the risk of HNC.ConclusionAn antioxidant-rich diet in terms of FRAP or TRAP could decrease the risk of HNC and its subtypes.

Background: The aim of this study was to determine pulmonary complications induced by radiotherapy and chemotherapy in patients with breast cancer in a six-month follow-up.Method: 80 patients with breast cancer who were referred to the Radio-oncology Center in Kerman were included in the current cohort study.At the baseline, spirometry and lung scan were obtained and all the patients were asked about their respiratory symptoms. After designing the patient’s treatment, dose volume histogram data was extracted. All the tests were repeated six months after radiotherapy. The prevalence of pneumonitis and fibrosis in radiographs were determined clinically and the reduction in the values of pulmonary function test parameters was determined.Results: In 40% of the patients, pulmonary volume was reduced and in 10%, pulmonary fibrosis occurred. Regarding pulmonary function before and six months after radiotherapy, the results revealed that FeV1 (l/s) parameter decreased from 2.68 to 2.48 (P < 0.0001) six months after radiotherapy. FVC parameter also showed a decrease from 3.14 to 2.91 (P < 0.0001) in the same span of time. The odds of developing clinical symptoms in people with pulmonary fibrosis was five times higher than of those without this condition, (odds ratio: 5.51, 95% confidence interval: 1.10 - 27. 42), which was statistically significant (P = 0.03). None of the factors, including mean lung dose, tamoxifen, and age, affected Fev1 and pulmonary fibrosis.Conclusion: Our results indicated that 10% of the patients undergoing treatment for breast cancer developed pulmonary fibrosis and 40% of the patients suffered from reduced pulmonary volumes, which was not associated with chemotherapy regimen or the use of tamoxifen.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs) are linked to tobacco smoking, opium use, and human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. However, little is known about the association of HPV infection with risk factors of HNSCCs, including opium and tobacco use. This cross‐sectional analysis of a national multi‐center case–control study in Iran included 498 HNSCC cases and 242 controls. We investigated the association of opium and tobacco use with α‐ (n = 21), β‐ (n = 46), and γ‐HPV (n = 52) types in saliva samples using type‐specific bead‐based multiplex genotyping assays (TS‐MPG). We found that α‐HPV positivity was significantly associated with tobacco smoking (OR = 10.35; 95% CI = 1.15, 93; p =.03), but not with opium use (OR = 1.06; 95% CI = 0.41, 2.76; p =.89). Additionally, tobacco smoking correlated with an elevated risk of β‐species 2 HPV infection (OR = 1.28; 95% CI = 1.04, 1.58; p =.020). Conversely, opium use showed a positive association with γ‐species 12 HPV infection (OR = 5.67; 95% CI = 1.43, 22.44; p =.013). These findings indicate that tobacco and opium use may influence the risk of HPV infection in different ways depending on the HPV genus and species. Further studies are needed to replicate these findings in other populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Hypertension and diabetes are among the most important risk factors of cardiovascular diseases. Klotho and SIRT1 are known as anti-aging factors with beneficial effects on cardiovascular system. In this study we investigated the serum Klotho and SIRT1 levels in pre-diabetic and pre-hypertensive individuals and then in diabetic and hypertensive patients to see their relationship with these diseases. Method 229 individuals divided into six groups with similar gender and age distribution 1—Control (normal BP and FBS) 2—pre-diabetic (FBS between 100 and 125 mg/dl) 3—diabetic (FBS ≥ 126 mg/dl), 4—pre-hypertensive (SBP 120–139 or DBP 80–89 mm Hg) 5—hypertensive (SBP ≥ 140 or DBP ≥ 90 mm Hg), and 6—patients with combined hypertension/diabetes. Serum levels of Klotho and SIRT1 were measured by ELISA method. Results Serum Klotho and STRT1 levels decreased in pre-diabetes and returned to normal in diabetic patients. Their concentration increased in pre-hypertension and recovered to normal in hypertension. In the physiologic range of FBS there is a negative correlation between Klotho and SIRT1 with FBS. When pathologic ranges of FBS added to analysis, the negative correlation abolished/U shaped. Also an inverse U shape correlation observed between Klotho and SIRT1 with MAP in the range of normal to hypertensive BP levels. There was an overall positive relationship between the serum levels of Klotho and SIRT1 themselves. Conclusion The serum levels of the anti-aging proteins Klotho and SIRT1 increases or reduces at the onset of the disease, as a compensatory mechanism, but as the disease progresses their level recovers.

Background: Stress urinary incontinence is a prevalent condition among a large number of women and has a negative effect on their quality of life. One treatment option is the use of bio-injectable materials to enhance closing pressures. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of the periurethral injection of pure platelet-rich plasma on the treatment of stress urinary incontinence. Methods: This study was conducted as a randomized controlled clinical trial on 20 women with stress urinary incontinence. Ten patients received periurethral injections of pure platelet-rich plasma (experimental group), while ten patients received midurethral sling procedure as the standard treatment for stress urinary incontinence ((control group). Follow-up was performed one and three months after the treatment using the international consultation on incontinence questionnaire (ICIQ), incontinence quality of life (I-QOL) questionnaire, urogenital distress inventory (UDI-6), and cough stress test. Results: Out of ten patients in the experimental group, seven cases (70%) relatively recovered after the injection. Out of ten patients in the control group, eight patients completely recovered after the procedure. There was significant difference in the questionnaire results before and after treatments, which indicates the effectiveness of these treatments in both groups. However, the response to the midurethral sling procedure was better than the response to pure platelet-rich plasma injection, and the difference was statistically significant. Conclusion: The periurethral injection of a single dose of pure platelet-rich plasma could relatively eliminate the symptoms of stress urinary incontinence in patients. More definite results can be obtained with repeated doses of pure platelet-rich plasma, even compared with standard treatments.

Background: Musculoskeletal pain syndromes (MSPS) are among the most common disorders of societies today. Excessive use and inappropriate posture when using mobile phones seem to play a role in MSPS. In this study, the relationship between mobile phones use and MSPS and its predictive factors in southeastern Iran, Kerman, was investigated.Method: This cross-sectional community-based study was performed on 1,135 people aged 15-80 years. A questionnaire containing demographic information, risk factors, musculoskeletal pain (types and symptoms), cell phone models, and the duration and how to use mobile phone in the preceding year, was completed.Results: 51.1% of the participants were male. The overall prevalence of MSP was 71.30%, which was higher in female subjects (86.5%) than male subjects (56.7%). The risk of MSPS in people who used a smartphone was 45% higher than those who did not use a smartphone (Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) = 1.45, 95% CI: 0.98-3.1). The AOR was 2.02 (1.36-3.01) in female subjects relative to male subjects and reached 2.38 (1.50-3.76) in the age group over 55 years. The AOR was 1.98 (95% CI: 1.05-3.73) in diabetic and depressed individuals, 1.65 (1.22-2.23) in obese people, 1.63 (1.12-2.36) in hypertensive individuals, 1.55 (1.23-1.96) in anxious individuals, 1.94 (1.1-3.35) in employed people, 3.08 (1.53-6.22) in housewives, and 0.68 (0.47-0.98) in people with high physical activity.Conclusion: 71% of the sample population of Kerman suffered from MSPS. The use of smartphones has contributed to this syndrome, and female gender, age, obesity, diabetes, hypertension, anxiety, depression, low physical activity, and being employed have exacerbated the disease. Taking educational measures regarding the rate of use and body position when using mobile phones is necessary.

Objective: Despite the implementation of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) program in Iran, the regulation of second-hand smoke (SHS) exposure—an often-overlooked hazard—, still requires improvement. We employed a multi-center case-control study to investigate the association between exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) from various tobacco products (cigarettes, water-pipes, pipes, and chopogh), opium use, and the risk of lung cancer. Method: We included 627 lung cancer cases and 3477 controls. Exposure to SHS tobacco and SHS opium was collected through a questionnaire. We used mixed-model logistic regressions to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Result: Among the overall population exposed to second-hand tobacco smoke (SHTS), the odds ratio (OR) compared to those never exposed was 1.35 (95% CI: 1.08–1.71). Never smokers who were ever exposed to second-hand tobacco smoke (SHTS) had 1.69-fold risk of lung cancer compared to those who were never exposed (95% CI: 1.13–2.52). Exposure to SHTS between 2–3 per day (OR = 2.27, 95% CI: 1.13–4.53) and more than three hours per day (OR = 2.29, 95% CI: 1.20–4.37) can increase the risk of lung cancer compared with the no exposure group (P-trend <0.01). We did not observe any association between exposure to second-hand opium smoke (SHOS) and the risk of lung cancer, either in the overall population or among never-smokers. Conclusion: Our study estimates the impact of second-hand tobacco smoke (SHTS) on lung cancer risk in both the overall population and never-smokers. Additional studies are required to evaluate the association between exposure to second-hand smoke from opium and other type of tobacco, including water-pipe and the risk of lung cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The inflammatory potential of diet may affect carcinogenesis. This study aimed to determine the association between dietary inflammatory index (DII) and the risk of head and neck cancer (HNC), as well as the interaction between DII and cigarette smoking in HNC development within the Iranian population. Study Design: This is a case-control study. Methods: In this multicenter case-control study, participants' dietary intake was assessed using a validated 130-item food frequency questionnaire, from which DII was computed. The study recruited 876 new cases from referral hospitals across 10 provinces and 3409 healthy controls who were frequency-matched based on age, gender, and residential place. Logistic regression was used to obtain odds ratios (ORs) for HNC across tertiles of DII, which were adjusted for confounding variables. Results: A higher pro-inflammatory diet was associated with an increased risk of all HNC (OR T3 vs. T1 [95% CI]: 1.31 [1.06, 1.62]; P-trend = 0.013). There was a significant association between lip and oral cavity cancers and DII (OR T3 vs. T1 [95% CI]: 1.56 [1.16, 1.66]; P-trend = 0.004). Furthermore, an inflammatory diet was associated with an increased risk of pharynx cancer (OR T3 vs. T1 [95% CI]: 2.08 [1.14, 3.79]; P-trend = 0.02). Additionally, no significant association was observed between DII and larynx cancer, while an interaction was found between DII and tobacco use on the risk of HNC (OR T3 vs. T1 [95% CI]: 2.52 [1.78, 3.57]; P-interaction = 0.03). Conclusion: DII was positively associated with HNC risk. There was a significant association between DII and the risk of lip, oral cavity, and pharynx cancers. Additionally, there was an interaction between tobacco use and DII in determining the risk of HNC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Oral prednisolone was suggested as the first step to treat idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSHL). This study aimed to investigate the effect of pulse therapy with methylprednisolone and intratympanic methylprednisolone, compared to traditional oral prednisolone therapy on patients with ISSHL. Materials and Methods: This randomized control trial included an experimental group receiving 500 mg intravenous methylprednisolone for three sequential days, followed by 1 mg/kg oral prednisolone for 11 days, and intratympanic Depo-Medrol four times twice a week. On the other hand, the control group received 1 mg/kg oral prednisolone for 14 days. Hearing change was assessed through pure tone audiometry. Subsequently, hearing recovery was investigated and analyzed in this study. Results: This study was conducted on 51 patients who were divided into two groups of experimental (n=26) and control (n=25). The result revealed no significant difference between the two groups in terms of hearing improvement (P=0.28). Conclusion: This revealed no added benefit in pulse steroids combined with intratympanic injections in cases with sudden hearing loss.

Abstract Background Brain cancer is a rare and deadly malignancy with a low survival rate. The present study aims to evaluate the epidemiology of brain cancer and its relationship with the human development index (HDI) worldwide. Methods This is an ecological study. The data on cancer incidence and cancer mortality was extracted from the World Bank for Cancer in 2018 (GLOBOCAN 2018). The incidence, mortality rate, and brain cancer distribution maps were drawn for different countries. We used correlation and regression tests to examine the association of incidence and mortality rates of brain cancer with HDI. The statistical analysis was carried out by Stata-14 and a significance level of 0.05 was considered. Results According to the results of Global Cancer Registry in 2018, there were 18,078,957 registered cases of cancer in both sexes, of which 29,681 were related to brain cancer. The highest incidence (102,260 cases, 34.4%) and mortality (77,815 cases, 32.3%) belonged to very high HDI regions. Results showed that incidence (r = 0.690, P

Introduction:Intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) is divided into two traumatic and non-traumatic categories. The present study sought to investigate the anatomical properties of non-traumatic intracranial hemorrhage in Kerman, Iran. Method:A total of 305 non-traumatic ICH cases were chosen in Shafa medical center. Data from patients’ files and CT scan images, including demographic factors and type of malformation, aneurysm size and shape, as well as the invovled location and artery were gathered and statistically analyzed. Results:Most cases were 40-60 years old. SAH, ICH and SAH+IVH were 69.5%, 14.4 and 8.5% respectively. From all, 65.2% had arteriovenous malformation and following furthure assessment, aneurysm with 148 cases (74.4%) was the most frequent and 57.4% of aneurysm cases were located in the right hemisphere. In 14.9% of cases, multiple aneurysms were observed. Conclusions: According to the results of this study, non-traumatic intracranial hemorrhages caused by arteriovenous malformation were in the shape of an aneurysm; an increase in age may result in higher probability of aneurysm occurence.

Abstract Background In recent years, lung cancer (LC) incidence has increased in Iran. The use of opium and its derivatives (O&D) has increased as well. This study aimed to investigate the association between the use of O&D and LC incidence. Methods In this case-control study conducted in Kerman, Iran; 140 patients with lung cancer and 280 healthy controls matched by age, sex, and place of residence were included. Data, including O&D use, cigarette smoking, alcohol use, and diet, were collected using a structured questionnaire. The relation between the use of O&D and LC was evaluated using conditional logistic regression adjusted for tobacco smoking, education, daily intake of fruit, vegetables, red meat, and hydrogenated fats. Results Opium ever-use was associated with an increased risk of LC (Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) =5.95, 95% CI: 1.87–18.92). Participants were divided into low and high use groups based on the median of opium use in the control group. A significant dose-response relation was observed between the amount of daily O&D use and LC; and the relation was stronger in high users (AOR low users = 3.81% CI: 1.13–12.77 and OR high users = 9.36, 95% CI: 2.05–42.72). Also, LC was higher among participants starting the use of O&D at younger ages (≤ 41 years old vs never users AOR = 8.64, 95% CI: 1.90–39.18) compared to those who started at an older age (> 41 years old vs never users, AOR = 4.71, 95% CI: 1.38–16.08). The association between opium, and lung cancer among non-smokers was OR: 6.50 (95% CI: 2.89 to 14.64). Conclusion The results of this study show that opium use is probably a dose related risk factor for lung cancer.

Abstract Aims This study aimed to determine a parameter to more easily diagnose metabolic syndrome and predict its probability of occurrence in high‐risk individuals. Methods In this cross‐sectional study, data related to the study population in the Kerman Coronary Artery Disease Risk Factor Study (KERCADRS) were examined. Subjects were divided into two groups with and without metabolic syndrome, and the relevant factors such as the ratios of uric acid to high‐density lipoprotein (HDL) (UHR) in these two groups were compared, and the best cut‐off point was determined. Results Data related to 817 people including 96 people with metabolic syndrome and 721 people without metabolic syndrome were analysed. The mean UHR was significantly higher in patients with metabolic syndrome (14.76 ± 6.33%) compared with those without metabolic syndrome (10.0 ± 3.10%) (p

The most crucial roles of the health deputy in the health system of the country include: 1. The surveillance system is in charge of managing health data and displaying indicators, but there are serious concerns such as underestimation, segmentation problems, and drawback in the platforms. 2. Providing primary health care services for all people using public funds, but it also suffers from barriers such as lack of effective communication with the secondary health care services. 3. Health promotion plays a significant role in modifying people's lifestyle, but it is not given enough attention as a part of the healthcare system and generally, the responsible oragn in this domain is not obviously known. 4. Public hygiene, which encompasses personal and transpersonal concerns, entails monitoring hygiene in the environment, work places, schools, and other similar sites. Today, there are actual concerns about air pollution, water, and food safety, and the hazards of large industries. After exploring the functions mentioned above, it is important to update the system to meet future needs. This viewpoint may lead us to suggest the following: 1) Designing a comprehensive and integrated system for health service delivery at all levels to implement the family physician. 2) Creating separate sub-organizations to reduce the risk of conflict of interest in the healthcare system and allow the family physician to work more agilely: a) a center for disease control (CDC), b) a center for monitoring and evaluation, and validation, and c) division for health promotion and life style modification. 3) Fundamentally improving and updating databases and electronic platforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background:Nowadays, one of the main challenges of the blood transfusion organization is the procurement, distribution, and monitoring of the appropriate use of blood and its products. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of Transfusion Transmitted Infections (TTIs) including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV+), hepatitis B virus (HBV+), and hepatitis C virus (HCV+), and also to determine the relationship between the prevalence of Transfusion Transmitted Infections and characteristics of Infected blood donors, which can be useful in the selection of blood donors. Methods: This retrospective study was conducted on all blood donors in Kerman Province during five years (from March 2014 to February 2019). Individuals whose initial test and supplementary test results were positive, were considered as definitely positive. Chi-square test was used to investigate the relationship between measured factor and outcome. Data were analyzed by SPSS version 20. Statistically significant value was considered at P≤0.05. Results: After confirmatory tests, it was revealed that 500 cases were infected with one of the three blood-borne viruses of HIV+, HBs+, and HCV+. Considering a 95% confidence interval, the prevalence of HIV+, HBs+, and HCV+ was, 0.0006%, 0.1%, and 0.04%, respectively. There was a significant relationship between the prevalence of infections and age, educational status (P=0.008), and donation status (P=0.007), but there was no significant relationship between the prevalence of infections and gender and marital status (P>0.05). Conclusion: The overall prevalence of TTIs among blood donors of Kerman province was 0.14%, indicating that the prevalence of TTIs is very low, it can be due to the appropriate screening of blood donors prior to the blood donation and performing advanced screening approved by the World Health Organization. According to the results, the healthiest blood donors are regular blood donors and those with a history of blood donation.

Background:In tumoral cells, the HER-2/Neu is an oncogene and overexpression would result in further membranous proteins. The role of this gene is known in ling and breast cancers. This study was undertaken to determine the HER-2/Neu overexpression in gastrectomy samples in patients with gastric cancer and its association with tumor histopathology prognostic factors. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 48 samples of gastric cancer under gastrectomy. The slides were prepared to assess HER-2/Neu stained by IHC method (Biogenax Kit and DAOK criteria). Statistical analysis was done using SPSS software version 20.0. Results: Out of 48 cases, 79.2% were males. The mean age was 59.93 ± 13.95 years and the mean tumor size was 5.5 ± 2.45 cm. Majority of cases were in anthrum and pylor (43.8%). Lauren class showed a higher frequency of intestinal type (72.9%). In surgery the majority of cases were found to be in T3 stage (87.5%). Her-2/Neu was positive in 10.4% of cases and it was negative in 89.6% of cases. Despite the higher rate of tumors with further expression of HER-2/Neu in those with a size over 5 cm and with vascular invasion, there was no significant association between Her-2/Neu and other variables (P > 0.05). Conclusion: According to the results of this study, overexpression of HER-2/Neu in gastric cancer is low (10.4%) and there is no significant association with other variables. It is suggested that further similar studies with a larger sample size be carried out to definitely determine the association between this marker and prognostic factors.

Background: Worldwide, prisoners are more at risk of being infected by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) as well as hepatitis C and B in comparison with other risk groups. The combination of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), addiction and prison are factors that threaten the health of our society. Influence of risky behaviors is so common on transmission of AIDS into prisoners’ bodies. This study used available information and reports to investigate the prevalence of HIV in Iranian prisons.Methods: The following review of documents available in national and foreign databases, a total of 26 studies were investigated and required information was extracted from both the full papers and abstracts.Findings: The selected studies differed methodologically in their sampling method and data collection tools. Within the 26 studies analyzed, there was a combined study cohort of 39707 people in whom HIV prevalence varied between 0% and 24.40%.Conclusion: In this study, HIV prevalence ranged widely among the prisoners, and in most of these studies, the rate in Iran was higher than that of other countries. The prevalence of disease was highest among intravenous drug users. Unless proper preventive and control plans among risk groups such as prisoners are not implemented in a timely and suitable manner, the risk of infection in the broader society will increase.

Background: The prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus is rising. Myocardial hypertrophy is the most common cardiac disorder in the infants of diabetic mothers, which hypothetically can cause fatal arrhythmias. This study investigated prolonged QT in the newborns of diabetic mothers in Afzalipour Hospital in Kerman City, in 2015. Methods: This case-control study was conducted on 49 neonates of diabetic mothers and 30 babies of healthy mothers. Routine echocardiograms and Tissue Doppler Imaging (TDI) were performed for all the newborns. QTc values were computed from randomly selected beats on ECG. Results: Twenty-nine (59%) newborns in case group had septal hypertrophy which was higher than control group (P < 0.05). There was no difference between case and control groups in QTc values (P > 0.05), and there was no relationship between septal hypertrophy and QT prolongation. Twenty-one percent of the infants in control group, had septal hypertrophy. Although parameters of M-Mode Echocardiography were similar, TDI showed differences between the two groups. (TDI) is applicable for the measurement of both systolic and diastolic functions. Conclusion: Findings revealed that the screening and treatment of diabetes during pregnancy need a revision in our context. In addition, there is a paucity of studies concerning the evaluation of TDI in the newborns of diabetic mothers. We recommend conducting studies to compare the routine echocardiograms with TDI in these high risk infants.

Background: According to the direct connection between congenital hypothyroidism and iodine deficiency in pregnant women, also relatively high incidence of congenital hypothyroidism in some areas of Kerman province, especially Raver district located in North of Kerman province, this study was performed to determine and compare the urinary iodine concentration (UIC) in pregnant women referring to health centers. Methods: This cross-sectional study was done during March 2014 and May 2015. Inclusion and exclusion criteria to be considered and UIC were measured by spectrophotometry in 384 and 374 pregnant women in Ravar and Kerman cities, Iran. Sampling method for this study was all of pregnant women in Ravar and random stratified sampling in Kerman. data were collected using a structured questionnaire. All statistical analyses were performed using SPSS Software, version 20.0 (IBM SPSS, Armonk, NY, USA). Chi-square test, Pearson's correlation coefficient and Logistic regression were used for associations and differences. Results: The mean UIC was 200.21 µg/L in pregnant women of Ravar and 238.79 µg/L in pregnant women of Kerman. 22.7% of pregnant women were with low concentrations of iodine, 57.8% within the normal range and 19.5 percent were with high iodine concentrations in Ravar. While 5.3 percent of pregnant women were with low concentrations of iodine, 54.5% were within the normal range and 40.1% were with high UIC in Kerman. There were no significant differences between demographic variables and UIC in the two regions (P> 05/0). Multivariate regression models showed significant connections between the residence and UIC pregnant women (P< 0.001). Conclusion: The results of this study showed that UIC in pregnant women of Ravar was significantly lower than Kerman and the place of living can be considered as a predictor of UIC in pregnant women.

Introduction: Some recent studies have shown that citicoline improves clinical symptoms in patients with stroke. Citicoline's mechanism of action in improving the clinical symptoms is not recognized yet. The aim of this study was to evaluate the cerebrovascular hemodynamic status in patients with ischemic stroke treated with citicoline compared with the control group. Methods: In this study, 64 patients (20 male, 44 female) with supratentorial ischemic stroke were included. Patients underwent transcranial and extra cranial ultrasonography within 24 hours of admission and were divided into two equal groups (32 patients per group). One group was treated with citicoline (500 mg/day) and the second group was treated with placebo for one week. Then, patients underwent transcranial and extra cranial ultrasonography again. Data were analyzed by paired t-test and independent t-test. Results: In this study, no significant difference between the groups in terms of age, gender, cardiovascular factors and NIHSS was observed. Peak systolic velocity (PSV) in RCCA, RICA, RVA, LVA, and mean flow velocity (MFV) in RICA and LACA were significantly different between two groups. As there was no significant difference in confounding variables between the two groups, therefore, the difference in PSV and MFV between the groups may be due to citicoline. Conclusion: Prescription of citicoline for treatment of acute ischemic stroke is associated with hemodynamic changes in cerebral arteries. This finding can be one of the citicoline's mechanisms of action in ischemic stroke process.

Background: The prevalence of gestational diabetes is increasing among pregnant women. It is associated with an increased risk of congenital heart disease, including hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of maternal diabetes control (based on HbA1c) on their hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in newborns. Methods: This case-control study was performed on 60 neonates born in Afzalipour Hospital (Kerman University of Medical Sciences) from May to November 2014 in two groups of eligible infants using the convenience sampling method. Information about the age, sex, weight, gestational age, maternal age, obstetric history, gestational diabetes through the checklist were collected. Then Doppler echocardiography, M- Mode, Doppler tissue was conducted on two groups. Echocardiographic criteria including ventricular septal thickness and blood HbA1c mothers in both groups were compared. To compare quantitative and qualitative variables between the two groups’ Independent samples t‐test and Chi-square test was used. A significant level of 0.05 was considered in all of the statistical samples and SPSS software, ver. 20 (IBM, Armonk, NY, USA) was used to analyze the data. Results: In this study, the birth weight of infants and the age of mothers did not differ between two groups (Respectively P=0.56, P=0.08) However, HbA1c was significantly higher in the infants of mothers with impaired glucose tolerance test (GTT) (P