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Background: Hypertension (HTN), a major public health concern, poses a significant burden on healthcare systems worldwide. One of the objectives of the Iranian national blood pressure (BP) measurement campaign (INBPMC) executed in 2019-2020, was the detection of hypertensive patients who were unaware of their disease. This study investigated the effectiveness of the program in the Southeast and East of Iran. Methods: In a cross-sectional analytical study, we collected the required data from 936 individuals participating in the INBPMC, using the cluster sampling method. People over 30 years old, without neuropsychiatric or sensorimotor disorder, with at least four years of education were included. The required data were collected through a checklist. Results: The Mean±SD age of the participants was 45.5±12.77 years, with 62.1% of the participants being male. The prevalence of HTN in this study was 36.2%, of which 16.2% were newly diagnosed. Among those previously diagnosed, 59 individuals (31.5%) had uncontrolled HTN. The Mean±SD age of the total hypertensive cases was 50.59±13.480 years, while the mean age of newly diagnosed cases was 43.39(11.246) years. There were significant associations between HTN and age (P

Abstract Background To systematically review the real-world outcomes of intravitreal faricimab treatment in patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) to evaluate its efficacy and safety in clinical settings. This study was conducted due to the need for real-world evidence to complement the findings from controlled clinical phase-III trials. Methods A systematic literature search was conducted on March 17, 2024, across 11 databases, utilizing search terms specifically tailored each database. All studies were reviewed qualitatively with specific focus on the outcomes of interest: the best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), the central retina thickness (CRT), and the burden of therapy. Results We identified a total of 22 eligible studies of 1762 eyes from 1618 patients with nAMD. Studies reported that intravitreal faricimab injections maintained BCVA in patients with previously treated eyes and demonstrated statistically significant improvement in patients with treatment-naïve eyes. The CRT was reduced after intravitreal faricimab therapy. Faricimab was well-tolerated, with no significant safety concerns identified, and reduced the overall burden of therapy. Conclusion Real-world studies corroborate the conclusions drawn from phase-III trials regarding faricimab treatment, demonstrating improvement in both visual and anatomical outcomes. Additionally, no significant safety issues were identified, as the treatment was generally well-tolerated and reduced the overall burden of therapy in the real-world settings.

Abstract Background Coronary artery disease (CAD) is known as the leading cause of disability and death globally. Anxiety disorders are also recognized as common types of mental disorders that substantially impact global health. Iran ranks among the countries with a high incidence of CAD and anxiety disorders. Therefore, the present study aims to determine the potential association and epidemiological aspects of anxiety and CAD within the population of Mashhad, the second most popoulos city in Iran. Methods The present study is based on extracted data from the Mashhad stroke and heart atherosclerotic disorder (MASHAD) study which is a 10-year prospective cohort study intended to assess the effects of various CAD risk factors among Mashhad city residents. Anxiety scores were assessed at the baseline using Beck Anxiety Inventory and individuals were classified based on the BAI 4-factor structure model which included autonomic, cognitive, panic, and neuromotor components. Accordingly, the association between baseline anxiety scores and the BAI four-factor model with the risk of CAD events was analyzed using SPSS software version 21. Results Based on the results, 60.4% of the sample were female, and 5.6% were classified as having severe forms of anxiety. Moreover, severe anxiety was more prevalent in females. Results showed a 1.7% risk of CAD (p-value

Abstract Background and Aims We aimed to evaluate the association between electrocardiography (ECG) and echocardiographic findings in patients with pulmonary embolism (PE) before and after systemic thrombolysis. Methods We included 38 PE patients admitted to the hospital with approved right ventricular (RV) dysfunction who were indicated for systemic thrombolysis. Indications for systemic thrombolysis were considered as patients who were either hemodynamically unstable on admission or became unstable in the course of hospital admission. Systemic thrombolysis was performed by either Reteplase or Alteplase. ECG and echocardiographic findings were documented at baseline and 12–24 h following systemic thrombolysis. Results Our results showed that TAPSE significantly increased while RV size and pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PAP) notably decreased after systemic thrombolysis (p

Abstract Cisplatin (CDDP) is a widely used first-line chemotherapeutic drug in various cancers. However, CDDP resistance is frequently observed in cancer patients. Therefore, it is required to evaluate the molecular mechanisms associated with CDDP resistance to improve prognosis among cancer patients. Integrins are critical factors involved in tumor metastasis that regulate cell-matrix and cell-cell interactions. They modulate several cellular mechanisms including proliferation, invasion, angiogenesis, polarity, and chemo resistance. Modification of integrin expression levels can be associated with both tumor progression and inhibition. Integrins are also involved in drug resistance of various solid tumors through modulation of the tumor cell interactions with interstitial matrix and extracellular matrix (ECM). Therefore, in the present review we discussed the role of integrin protein family in regulation of CDDP response in tumor cells. It has been reported that integrins mainly promoted the CDDP resistance through interaction with PI3K/AKT, MAPK, and WNT signaling pathways. They also regulated the CDDP mediated apoptosis in tumor cells. This review paves the way to suggest the integrins as the reliable therapeutic targets to improve CDDP response in tumor cells.

Background: Sarcopenia, an age-related decline in muscle mass, strength, and function, contributes to various adverse health outcomes and physical impairments. This study aimed to investigate the association between sarcopenia components and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among communitydwelling older adults.Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 501 adults aged 65 years or older participated. Sarcopenia was diagnosed according to the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia (AWGS) guideline. Muscle mass was measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), muscle strength by hand dynamometer, and physical function by 4-m gait speed. The HRQoL was assessed using 12 item shortform healthy survey (SF-12) questionnaire.Results: There was a significant relationship between the sarcopenia and demographic characteristics (educational levels and smoking habits). After adjustment for age, sex, Body Mass Index, education level, smoking habits, and number of comorbidities, a significant relationship was observed between sarcopenia and physical components of HRQoL. According to multivariate linear regression, low muscle mass was negatively related to physical aspects of HRQoL. Low handgrip strength (HGS) and gait speed (GS) were inversely correlated to both physical and mental components of HRQoL.Conclusion: Our study highlighted the adverse impact of sarcopenia on HRQoL in elderly population. Reduction in muscle strength and physical performance not only affected physical aspects but also were linked with mental components of HRQoL. Therefore, it seems HGS and GS might be good indicators affecting all aspects of HRQoL in the elderly groups.

Abstract Background Sarcopenia is a progressive disease with age-related loss of skeletal muscle mass, strength, and function. No study has investigated the association between healthy beverage index (HBI) and sarcopenia in older adults. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the association between HBI and sarcopenia in Iranian older adults. Methods In the present case-control study, 80 sarcopenic and 80 non-sarcopenic participants matched in sex were included. Body composition was measured using bioelectrical impedance analysis. Handgrip strength (HGS), skeletal muscle mass index (SMI), and gait speed were utilized to confirm sarcopenia. Also, a food frequency questionnaire was used to evaluate food intake. HBI score was calculated based on ten sub-components of the total beverages. Moreover, logistic regression was applied to assess the association between HBI and sarcopenia. Results In the crude model, we observed no significant association between HBI and the odds of sarcopenia. Still, after adjusting the confounders, the odds of developing sarcopenia decreased significantly in the second and last tertiles (T) (T2– odds ratio (OR) = 0.04, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.01–0.25 and T3– OR = 0.10, 95% CI: 0.01–0.60). Conclusions Our findings indicated that HBI is inversely related to the chance of sarcopenia. Therefore, to reduce the odds of sarcopenia, it is recommended to consume healthy drinks such as fruit juices and milk.

Abstract Sarcopenia is a progressive skeletal muscle disease in which oxidative stress has been proposed as one of the primary markers. The oxidative balance score (OBS) represents the oxidative balance of a person's dietary pattern using the merged intake of anti-oxidants and pro-oxidants. Therefore, the present study assessed the association between OBS and sarcopenia in Iranian older adults. In the current study, 80 people with sarcopenia and 80 without it were considered the case and control groups, respectively. All controls were matched by sex with cases. To confirm sarcopenia, skeletal muscle mass index (SMI), handgrip strength (HGS) measurement, and gait speed were used. Also, body composition was measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). A valid and reliable food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) was used to assess all participants' dietary intake of pro-oxidants and anti-oxidants. Conditional logistic regression was applied to assess the association between OBS and sarcopenia. In the bivariate model, we observed lower odds of sarcopenia in the second and last tertile of OBS in comparison to the first tertile (T) (T2 – odds ratio (OR) = 0.414, 95% confidence interval (CI) : 0.186–0.918 and T3 – OR = 0.101, 95% CI: 0.041–0.248). After adjusting for potential confounders, the association was not significant in second and last tertile of OBS in comparision to the first one. The present study's findings demonstrated that overcoming exposure to anti-oxidants over pro-oxidants, as illustrated by a higher OBS, is not related to lower odds of sarcopenia in older adults.

In this investigation wer studied the effect of dopaminergic system on the conflict behavior in rat, using vogel’s test. The related drugs were injected intraperitonealy (IP), and produced the following results:Diazepam at doses of 0.5 and 1 mg/kg increased the lick –shock responses in the Vogel’s thest. Quinpirole (D2-Agnosit), at doses of 0.1 and 10 mg/kg, increased the confict responses, wheraes suplpirde (D2 Antagonist) did not affect them.Apomorphine (D1 and D2 agonist) had a biphasic effect on the conflict responses. This drug decreased the number of shoks at low dose (0.01 mg/kg) while increased them at high dose (1 mg/kg). Haloperidol at dose of 1 mg/kg reduced the conflit responses significantly. Administration of both sulpiride (30 mg/kg) and quinpirole (10 mg/kg) together, increase the confict responses.These results suggest that D2-receptor agonist drugs may exert anixolytic and D2-receptor antagonists may produce anxiogenic effects in rat.

Abstract Background and Aims Alopecia areata (AA) is an immune‐mediated nonscarring alopecia. Nail changes are a common disfiguring feature of AA with an average prevalence of 30%. We aimed to evaluate the frequency of different types of nail changes and determine demographic and clinical associations. Methods This cross‐sectional study included 197 AA patients. Demographic and clinical variables including the Severity of Alopecia Tool (SALT) score, type of AA, and nail changes were evaluated. Results Among 197 AA patients with a mean age of 28.95 ± 14.45 years, 50.3% were female. Nail changes were detected in 165 patients (83.8%). The most frequent nail abnormalities were pitting (53.3%), linear line (46.7%), and distal notching (26.9%). AA patients with nail abnormalities were significantly younger than patients without nail changes (25.31 ± 14.96 vs. 32.22 ± 9.77 years; p

Background: Cancer patients frequently turn to complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) to mitigate the adverse effects of conventional cancer treatments, alleviate stress, manage comorbidities, and address the cancer itself. This systematic review aims to investigate descriptive studies conducted in Iran, focusing on the prevalence and methods of CAM use among cancer patients. Methods: A thorough search of PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, Web of Science, Magiran, and the Scientific Information Database (SID) was conducted in both English and Persian from inception to July 2023. Inclusion criteria targeted studies exploring the frequency and patterns of CAM utilization among Iranian patients across diverse cancer types. Results: A total of 604 articles were found in the preliminary search, and 14 were included in this review. Among the 3,990 participants in the included studies, a weighted average of 51.83% (range 4.6%-100%) had used at least one CAM method. The most commonly used CAM methods were prayer (41.8%), medicinal herbs (30.1%), traditional and folk treatments (27.2%), bloodletting (17.3%), and hydrotherapy (13%). Patients reported using CAM for various reasons, including their beliefs, desire to cure the disease, reduce stress, positive past experiences, and improve physical condition. On average, 39% of patients informed their physicians about their CAM use. Conclusion: The findings underscore the relatively prevalent adoption of CAM by Iranian cancer patients. Given the low rate of disclosure to physicians, there is a compelling need for healthcare system vigilance and monitoring to ensure comprehensive patient care.

Abstract Opium abuse and exposure to heavy metals elevate the risk of coronary artery disease (CAD). Therefore, we aimed to determine the association between opium abuse and blood lead levels (BLLs) and the CAD complexity. We evaluated patients with acute coronary symptoms who underwent coronary angiography, and those with >50% stenosis in at least one of the coronary arteries were included. Furthermore, Synergy between PCI with Taxus and Cardiac Surgery I (SYNTAX I) score and BLLs were measured. Based on the opium abuse, 95 patients were subdivided into opium (45) and control (50) groups. Differences in demographics and CAD risk factors were insignificant between the two groups. The median BLLs were remarkably higher in the opium group than in controls (36 (35.7) and 20.5 μg/dL (11.45), respectively, p = 0.003). We also revealed no significant differences in SYNTAX score between the two groups (15.0 (9.0) and 17.5 (14.0), respectively, p = 0.28). Additionally, we found no significant correlation between BLLs and the SYNTAX scores (p = 0.277 and r = −0.113). Opium abuse was associated with high BLLs. Neither opium abuse nor high BLLs were correlated with the complexity of CAD. Further studies are warranted to establish better the relationship between opium abuse, BLLs, and CAD.