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Mohammad Ebrahimi Kalan,1 Jian Han,2 Ziyad Ben Taleb,3 Kristopher P Fennie,1 Mohammad Asghari Jafarabadi,4,5 Maryam Dastoorpoor,6 Nima Hajhashemi,7 Mitra Naseh,8 Shahnaz Rimaz9 1Department of Epidemiology, Robert Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA; 2Department of Biology, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, Greensboro, NC, USA; 3Department of Kinesiology, College of Nursing and Health Innovation, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX, USA; 4Road Traffic Injury Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran; 5Department of Statistics and Epidemiology, Faculty of Health, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran; 6Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Menopause Andropause Research Center, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran; 7Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, USA; 8School of Social Work, Robert Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA; 9Radiation Biology Research Center, Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IranCorrespondence: Shahnaz RimazRadiation Biology Research Center, Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Iran of University of Medical Sciences, Shahid Hemmat Highway, Tehran 1449614535, IranTel +98- 21 86704645Email rimaz.sh@iums.ac.irBackground: Stigma against HIV profoundly affects the quality of life (QOL) of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). We aimed to assess the factors associated with QOL in PLWHA in Iran, specifically HIV-related stigma, sociodemographic and clinical characteristics.Methods: Two hundred PLWHA participated in this cross-sectional study. Data were collected using sociodemographic, stigma, and WHO-QOL-BREF questionnaires. Correlations, ANOVAs, and Student’s t-distribution tests were performed as bivariate analyses. We employed stepwise multiple linear regression analysis to explore the main factors associated with QOL domains.Results: Six domains of QOL were negatively correlated with three domains of stigma (p

Abbas Abbasi-Ghahramanloo,1 Leila Janani,2,* Seyed Kazem Malakouti,3 Mahshid Rabetian,3 Shahnaz Rimaz4,*1Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; 2Preventive Medicine and Public Health Research Center, Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; 3Mental Health Research Center, Department of community psychiatry, Faculty of Behavioral Sciences and Mental health, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; 4Radiation Biology Research Center, Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IranCorrespondence: Shahnaz RimazDepartment of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Iran University of Medical Sciences, P.O Box: 14665-354 Shahid Hemmat Highway, Tehran, IranTel +(98-21) 86709Fax +(98-21) 88052248Email rimaz.sh@iums.ac.irLeila JananiDepartment of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Shahid Hemmat Highway, Tehran, IranTel +(98-21) 86709Fax +(98-21) 88052248Email janani.l@iums.ac.ir*These authors contributed equally to this workBackground: Risk taking behaviors are a serious risk to the health and safety of workers. The aims of this study were to identify the subgroups of workers on the basis of risk taking behaviors and assess the independent role of ADHD on the membership of participants in each latent class.Methods: This cross sectional study was performed on 2434 workers. The sample was selected through random cluster sampling from Kaveh Industrial City. All workers completed five sets of checklists and questionnaires. Data analysis was performed using chi-square, Fisher’s exact test, and latent class analysis.Results: Four latent classes were identified; namely, 1) very low risk (65.6%), 2) low risk (27.8%), moderate risk (4.1%) and, high risk (2.5%). After adjusting for other studied covariates, having ADHD significantly increased the odds of membership in moderate risk class (OR=3.42, 95% CI: 2.21 −5.29) and high risk class (OR=3.10, 95% CI: 1.80 −5.34) compared to very low risk class. Also, having anxiety increased the odds of membership in latent class 2 (OR=1.28, 95% CI: 1.02–1.62), 3(OR=2.15, 95% CI: 1.51–3.10) and 4 (OR=2.06, 95% CI: 1.32–3.22) in comparison to class 1. Among all participants, 187 (7.7%) had ADHD and among studied variables, ADHD has the strongest role in the membership of subjects in different classes.Conclusion: Results from the present study indicate that 6.6% of the workers fell under moderate or high risk class. Focusing on the treatment of ADHD with considering other comorbid factors such as anxiety may be helpful in designing and executing effective programs to reduce risk taking behaviors among workers.Keywords: latent class analysis, risk taking behaviors, ADHD, workers

Background: Bacterial meningitis is one of the most serious infections in infants and children. Three organisms include S.Pneumo;N.mening;H.Influ are the most common cause of meningitis in children between 2M-14y age.Etest is a new method for determination the MIC of some antimicrobial drugs in agarose .This method is useful for some organisms like as S .Pneumo; N.mening; H.Influ;sensitive Streptococcus and anaerobic ;aerobic gram negative. Materials and Methods: In this descriptive cross sectional study; In 57 suspected meningitis children ; organisms isolated from blood; CSF or other sterile boy fluid after culturing and antibiogram;. .MIC of someorganisms detected by Etest method. Results: Streptococcuswas the most prevalent ( 70%) and S.pneumon( 90% of all Streptococcus); H.infl 2%;N.mening 4%and L.monocyt 6%(more than expected);Gram negative (Ecoli; Klebsiella; entrobacter and psudomona) 18%. There was significant difference (P =0.01)in type of organisms between age groups. S.pneumonia was more frequent in children > 2 year ;N.meningitis in>4yr old .Site of isolation :blood; CSF (35.8*;28.3%)other sterile site 18.4%;concomitant positive culture in two site:17%.Mean age in Streptococcus was significantly different with Listeria (p=0.05); N.meningitis (p=0.04);H.influ (p=0.04);.but no difference with Staphylococcus;Klebsiella and E.coli Two type of H.inf were sensitive to Ampici or chloram ;both of them were sensitive to ceftiaxon. GBS were sensitive to PNC or Ampici Strep.nonAnonBnon- Cotrimoxazol>32mic/ml /PNC >256mic/ml/ Vanco>256mic/ml Strep.D: Cotrimoxazol>0.062mg/ml/ /PNC >0.016mic/ml/Imipenem>0.032mic/ml. Strep Pneumonia: All fo them were sensitive except 3 cases /Cotrimoxazol>2ic/ml /PNC =0.01mic/ml/Vanco>0.125mic/ m Vanco>0. 25mic/ ml/.Cotrimoxazol>2ic/ml / PNC =0.01mg/ml Vanco>0.125mic/ ml / Cotrimoxazol>2mic/ml /MIC-PNC >0.016mic/ml Therefore high dose of PNC is adequate for S.pneu ;because of Interm resistance to PNC All 3 N.menin were sensitive to PNC;Chlora;Ceftria and vanco Resistant to all drugs and high MIC for cefotaxime;CIPRO>32mic/ml. E coli: Pseudomona Aerogenosa:: Ceftriaxon>256mic/ml/ /Genta>0.038mg/ml Imipenem>32mic/ml. Klebsiella; only Sensitive to Cipro Staph .Aureous:Sensitive to Clinda;Cipro;Chlora;Resistant toCeft;PNCand Cotri Conclusion: Most type of N.meningitidis;H.inf and S.pneumonia were sensitive to many drugs. Only minority of them were resistant to Ampicillin but sensitive to chloramphenicol and vice versa. limited number of pneumococcal resistance to penicillin is medium resistance( MIC:0.1-1) .we can treat this resistant type by increasing of penicillin dosage .The others were sensitive to all drugs. Therefore ampicillin and chloramphenicol are the drug of choice in empiric treatment of bacterial meningitis after neonatal period.

Introduction: Quality of research in PhD programs increases if supervisors become aware of students expectations from them. This qualitative study aimed to explore expectations of PhD students from their supervisors was done. Methods: This qualitative content analysis study was conducted on 22 graduated PhD students of Iran University of Medical Sciences, in 2014. The samples were purposefully selected and interviewed. All interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Results: After analyzing and coding data, it was found that PhD students have four main expectations from their supervisors. These expectations consist of scientific support including help with selection of subject, preparation and registration of proposal, data collection and support for writing and examination of the thesis. Developing scientific skills and help with preparing manuscripts were other expectations. Emotionalsocial support with five categories including relationship between supervisor-student, general expectations of supervisor, supervisor personality characteristics, needed emotional skills and social activities related to thesis and finally providing adequate resources including financial support and access to facilities inside and outside the university were among the other expectations. Conclusion: PhD students need to scientific, emotional, social and material supports from their supervisors in the process of performing thesis. These expectations should be told to supervisors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Definitive airway control by endotracheal intubation (ETI) is standard of care in pre-hospital airway management and inadequate airway management is a major contributor to pre-hospital and in-hospital morbidity and mortality. Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the success rate of airway management interventions in the multiple trauma patients, before inter hospital transfer. Materials and Methods: In a descriptive, cross sectional study, conducted over six months, we evaluated airway interventions (Endotracheal Intubation) and cervical spine immobilization performed by emergency physician providers in multiple trauma and isolated severe traumatic brain injury patients who were transferred to Poursina trauma hospital. Results: we analyzed 163 consecutive trauma patients transferred after early care in level lll&lV trauma centers to Poursina trauma hospital. Mean age in years was 37.81.Sex distribution (male to female) was 141:22. The average study GCS score for trauma patients undergoing emergency tracheal intubation was 6/06*2/27; however, the GCS score varied across its spectrum. Airway was not secure in 41/8% of the cases, while more than 42/6% of the patients did not have their cervical spine immobilization. Conclusions: A.T.L.S(Advanced Trauma Life Support) emphasizes the ABCs mnemonic, early and adequate airway management and ventilation are lifesaving interventions and major contributors to reduce morbidity and mortality in trauma patients. Results of this study suggest that those emergency clinicians whose duties include in-hospital airway management should regularly attend courses on airway management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Burnout can affect the quality of personal, family and professional life of people and is considered as a serious problem. Different working wards is one of the effective factors of burnout in nurses. Objective: To investigate burnout among nurses working in different wards of a first level trauma center. Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional study in 2012. The sample size included 214 nurses working in different wards of the first level Poursina Hospital in Rasht city. Two questionnaires of demographic information and Maslach were distributed among nurses which contain 3 dimensions of emotional exhaustion (9 items), depersonalization (5 items) and reduced personal accomplishment (8 items).All three dimensions were measured based on frequency and intensity. Data were analyzed using SPSS 18 and non-parametrical Kruskal-Walli test with significance level of P=0.05. Results: This is a cross-sectional study performed in 2012. The sample included 214 nurses working in different wards of the first level Poursina Hospital in Rasht city. Two questionnaires of demographic information and Maslach were distributed among nurses, consisting of 3 dimensions of emotional exhaustion (9 items), depersonalization (5 items) and reduced personal accomplishment (8 items). All three dimensions were measured based on frequency and intensity. Conclusion: This study showed that nurses have high burnout in reduced personal accomplishment, compared to other dimensions based on frequency and intensity, and managers can reduce burnout in nurses by effective interventions and promoting motivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Pediatric trauma is considered as a growing public health issue in the world. Trauma is the most common cause of mortality in children and puts a heavy burden on society. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the epidemiology of trauma in children admitted to Poursina Teaching Hospital. Materials and Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on children under 15 years of age admitted to Poursina Hospital in 2011. Sampling was performed using census method on hospital records. Information on demographic characteristics, type of trauma, season of trauma occurrence, length of hospital stay, trauma location, anatomic trauma site, and death due to trauma were collected and analyzed using SPSS (Version 18). To analyze the relationship between mortality and other variables, Chi-square and T-test were used. P<0.05 was considered as significance level. Results: Out of 641 traumatic children enrolled in study, 62.1% were male and 37.9% female. Their mean age was 6.62 ± 4.16 years. Most common locations of trauma occurrence included house (49.6%), followed by urban roads (32.9%). Most common mechanisms of trauma involved falling (40.4%) and accidents (35.1%). The most common anatomic sites of trauma were head (71.2%), followed by organs (15.5%). Most frequent seasons for people to refer were summer (36%) and spring (31%). A statistically significant difference was observed between treatment outcome (death or survival) and age category (P=0.04). The case with 5 deaths was the one with highest mortality on urban and suburban roads Conclusion: Given that most injuries occurred in heads and necks of children, using protective equipment such as child seat for infants and safety belt for adults in the car or using appropriate helmet while riding a motorcycle should be mandated in popular culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cytomegaloviurs (CMV) is the most frequent cause of congenital infection in humans. In various parts of the world the prevalence of antibodies to CMV ranges from 40-100%. The prevalence of primary infection with CMV in pregnant Iranian women and risk of congenital CMV infection in their neonates are unknown. To Determine the prevalence of CMV infection in primiparous pregnant (youner) women and incidence rate of cangenital CMV infection among preterm and full-term infants borned from these women, in serum of 164 primigravid women before delivery, CMV IgG and IgM antibodies were measured by ELISA method and CMV-DNA detection by PCR in ~10% of their infants. 100% of women were immune to CMV infection (CMV-IgG positive) were detected in mothers and newborns. Therefore, we can not compare gestational age and weight of infants in seropositive and serongegative mothers. Probably, in Iranian pregnant women, CMV screening test is not recommended.

Blood loss during burn surgery significantly contributes to morbidity and mortality. Tranexamic acid (TXA), an antifibrinolytic agent, is hypothesized to reduce intraoperative bleeding. This double-blinded, randomized clinical trial aimed to assess the efficacy of systemic TXA in severe burn patients (total body surface area [TBSA] > 20 %) undergoing surgery. The study evaluated the impact of TXA on surgical bleeding, operating room (OR) time, intravenous (IV) fluid requirements, length of hospital stay (LOS), and overall patient outcomes. A total of 94 patients, with equal distribution in age, sex, and TBSA, were randomly assigned into two groups (47 each). We administered TXA as a 10 mg/kg loading dose followed by a 1 mg/kg/h infusion during surgery. Results demonstrated significant reductions in blood loss (P = 0.043), total IV fluid volume (P = 0.021), OR time (P = 0.002), LOS (P = 0.0001), and transfusions (P = 0.024) in the TXA group. Notably, women and patients without inhalation injuries exhibited better responses to TXA treatment, and graft survival was lower in the TXA group. The study concludes that IV TXA administration during burn surgery can reduce bleeding, minimize IV fluid and blood transfusion needs, and shorten surgery duration, enhancing overall surgical outcomes., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors of this study have no potential conflict of interest. Conflict of interest The authors of this study have no potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd and International Society of Burns Injuries. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Neuropathy is a common and debilitating complication in type 2 diabetes, affecting quality of life and increasing healthcare costs. Identifying risk factors is essential for early intervention and management. This study aims to evaluate the factors influencing the occurrence of neuropathy in patients with type 2 diabetes using artificial neural networks., Methods: In this cohort study, data from 371 patients with type 2 diabetes from Fereydunshahr, Iran, were analyzed over a 12-year follow-up period. Participants were selected based on diabetes screenings conducted in 2008 and 2009. Artificial neural networks with varying architectures were trained and validated, and their performance was compared to logistic regression models using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis., Results: The prevalence of neuropathy in this cohort study was 31.2%. The best-fitted artificial neural network and logistic regression model had area under the curve (AUC) values of 0.903 and 0.803, respectively. Significant risk factors identified included gender, race, family history of diabetes, type of diabetes treatment, cholesterol levels, triglyceride levels, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels, and duration of diabetes. Notably, women, patients with a family history of diabetes, and those using injectable or combined injectable and oral medications were at higher risk of developing neuropathy., Conclusion: These findings highlight the importance of vigilant monitoring and proactive management of neuropathy risk factors, especially in women, patients with a family history of diabetes, and those using injectable or combined diabetic medications., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2024, Abolghasemi et al.)

Background and Objective: Marital satisfaction is a complex phenomenon influenced by a variety of factors, including personality traits, communication, conflict resolution, and economic stability. This study aims to examine the relationship between personality and marital satisfaction among reproductive-age women, exploring how these factors interplay and contribute to the overall dynamics of marital relationships., Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among reproductive-age women to assess marital satisfaction and personality traits using established assessment tools. The demographic data were collected through a structured questionnaire, and the relationship between personality traits and marital satisfaction was analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Regression models were used to identify significant predictors of marital satisfaction, and the fit of the CFA model was evaluated using various indicators., Results: The mean age of the participants was 33.7 (±8.09) years, while the mean age of their husbands was 38.3 (±9.27) years. The results showed that conscientiousness and agreeableness had significant positive associations with marital satisfaction. Communication and conflict resolution emerged as key components of marital satisfaction, with standardized coefficients of 0.894 and 0.818, respectively. Financial management was also found to be strongly related to marital satisfaction, indicating the importance of economic stability in maintaining marital harmony., Conclusion: The study underscores the significance of personality traits, communication, conflict resolution, and financial management in shaping marital satisfaction among reproductive-age women. The results suggest that interventions targeting improved communication and effective conflict-resolution strategies can enhance marital satisfaction. Additionally, addressing financial stressors and promoting economic stability could lead to better marital outcomes. These findings align with previous research, highlighting the need for a holistic approach to understanding and improving marital satisfaction. Further research is recommended to explore these relationships in different cultural contexts and with broader demographic groups., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2024, Abolghasemi et al.)

Bariatric surgery (BS) has been as a currently developed treatment of choice for metabolic syndrome (MetS). Which, in turn, is well-known as serious public health concern. Therefore, this study assessed the outcomes of different procedures of BS and possible predictors for improving MetS. This single-center retrospective cohort analysis included bariatric candidates between 2009 and 2017. The operational approach was chosen based on the patient's condition, as well as the patient's metabolic profile and the surgeon's experience. All desired information was evaluated at baseline and 6, 12, and 24 months after the operation. Of the 1111 patients included, 918 (82.6%) were female. There was no considerable trend in the improvement of MetS over the follow-up period of each surgery group. After 6 to 24 months of follow-up, waist circumference reduction was significant in all three types of surgery, and sleeve gastrectomy resulted in the best (but not significant) improvement rates after 24 months (P = 0.079). One anastomosis gastric bypass had highest decrease in percentage of excess weight loss than other procedures (P < 0.001). Each year increase in age was associated with a 4% decrease in MetS remission. In addition, the male gender, was correlated with MetS improvement positively (P = 0.049). Each one-unit increase in hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) reduced the MetS remission rate by 40%. All three methods of BS were similarly effective in MetS. Consider the predictive value of age, gender, and HbA1c before determining the optimum procedure for each patient is recommended., (© 2023. Italian Society of Surgery (SIC).)

Work-related burns can have a destructive impact; however, knowledge of the epidemiology of work-related burn injuries in Iran is limited. This study aimed to describe epidemiological characteristics of work-related burn injuries in a burn centre in the north of Iran. This study was a retrospective single-centre study of the medical records of work-related burns between 2011 and 2020. Data collection was done using the hospital information system (HIS). The data were analysed by using descriptive statistical methods and SPSS 24.0 software. Of the 9220 cases treated in the burn centre, 429 (4.65%) had work-related burns. There was an increasing trend of work-related burns during the ten years. The mean age of patients was 37.53 (SD = 13.72). Most patients were male (n = 377, 87.9%), with a male-to-female ratio of 7.25/1. The mean total body surface area burn was 23.39% (SD = 20.03). Most work-related burns occurred in the summer season (46.9%, n = 201), and the upper limb was the most common anatomical site of burns (n = 123, 28.7%). The most common mechanism of injury was fire & flames (266, 62.0%). Inhalation injury was observed in 52 (12.1%) patients, and mechanical ventilation was undertaken in 71 (16.6%) patients. The mean length of stay in the hospital was 10.38 (SD = 10.37) days, and the overall mortality rate was 11.2%. The most common activities associated with burns at the time of the incidents were food preparation and serving related (108, 25.2%), followed by welders (n = 71, 16.6%) and electricians (n = 61, 14.2%). This research is the basis for evaluating work-related burns and identifying the causes of these injuries to develop education and prevention programmes, especially for young male workers., (© 2023 The Authors. International Wound Journal published by Medicalhelplines.com Inc and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Healthcare-associated infections are a major cause of mortality worldwide, especially in intensive care units where severely ill patients have limited physical space., Aims: To investigate the incidence, microbial aetiology, antimicrobial resistance profile, and mortality rate of healthcare-associated infections in intensive care units in the Islamic Republic of Iran., Methods: This observational study retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 1722 intensive care units patients with confirmed healthcare-associated infections at hospitals affiliated with Mashhad University of Medical Sciences in 2017-2019. Data was analysed using SPSS for Windows version 11. Categorical variables were described using frequency and percentage, whereas continuous variables were defined using mean (standard deviation) with 95% confidence interval (CI) for precision. Logistic regression analysis was used to estimate crude odds ratio (OR) and adjusted OR (AOR) with 95% CI, and to identify univariate and multivariate predictors of healthcare-associated infection mortality., Results: In total, 4077 pathogens were isolated, yielding a healthcare-associated infection incidence rate of 22.1%. The most common microorganisms were Acinetobacter spp. (25.0%), Klebsiella spp. (15.1%), Staphylococcus spp. (14.0%), and Candida spp. (12.3%). Ventilator-associated events (39.5%), urinary tract infections (22.7%), and bloodstream infections (14.8%) were the main types of infection. Comorbidities, skin and soft tissue infections, and infections with Acinetobacter spp., Klebsiella spp., Pseudomonas spp., and Candida spp. were significantly associated with higher mortality among intensive care unit patients. Gram-positive bacteria were most resistant to ciprofloxacin (49.2%), clindamycin (38.0%), and erythromycin (37.1%). Gram-negative bacteria were most resistant to ceftazidime (71.0%), ciprofloxacin (65.2%), and cefotaxime (60.5%). The overall mortality rate was 45.2%., Conclusion: Healthcare-associated infections in nearly half of intensive care unit patients were fatal, especially when caused by Acinetobacter spp., Klebsiella spp., Pseudomonas spp., or Candida spp. Therefore, effective strategies must be implemented to combat antibiotic-resistant bacteria, along with stricter adherence to infection control programmes., (Copyright © Authors 2023; Licensee: World Health Organization. EMHJ is an open access journal. This paper is available under the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial ShareAlike 3.0 IGO licence (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO; https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/igo).)

Background: Diastolic dysfunction (DD) is a risk factor for cardiovascular events in patients undergoing non-cardiac surgeries. Investigators aimed to assess the effect of physical activity level on the diastolic function of the left ventricle (LV) in patients attending the preoperative visit., Methods: This analytic cross-sectional study was conducted on 228 patients referred to Poursina hospital from November 2021 to March 2022. To define the physical activity level, we used the short form of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). We categorized patients into inactive, minimally active, and health-enhancing physical activity groups. We also divided participants into three groups based on their daily sitting time. Also, echocardiographic parameters were calculated. The diastolic function of LV was evaluated, and its grading was defined from mild (grade1) to severe (grade 3)., Results: Results showed that patients with DD had significantly higher age and lower levels of education (P < 0.001 and P = 0.005, respectively). After assessing echocardiographic parameters, we found that E/e', TR Velocity, left atrial volume index, and pulmonary artery pressure had a statistically significant inverse relationship with physical activity level (P < 0.001 for all). Comparing physical activity level of subgroups showed that in HEPA (health-enhancing physical activity), the chance of developing grade 2 or 3 DD was reduced by 97% compared to the inactive group (OR = 0.03, P < 0.001). Still, there was no significant difference between the inactive and minimally active groups (P = 0.223)., Conclusions: This study showed an inverse relationship between physical activity level and DD of the LV in a sample of 228 individuals attending the Anesthesia Clinic, independent of potentially confounding variables.Therefore, due to lower rate of DD in patients who are physically active, we can expect lower occurrence rate of cardiovascular events during surgery., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Background: Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a life-threatening condition. Open surgery and endovascular repair are the options for treating AAA. This study aimed to compare the frequencies of in-hospital complications and outcomes in two groups of patients who underwent AAA repair surgery using either an open or an endovascular repair method., Methods: This retrospective study was conducted on the records of 60 patients with AAA undergoing elective surgery repair using endovascular approaches or open surgery at Razi Hospital from 2010 to 2019. Patients' related information, including age, sex, changes in blood pressure, respiratory complications, renal complications, myocardial infarction, paraplegia, cloneischemia, lower limb ischemia, duration of hospital stay in intensive care unit and hospital, the dose of packed RBC, the dose of injectable narcotic analgesics, the need for vasopressor medication, duration of surgery, duration of postoperative oral feeding, and death during hospitalization were assessed., Results: A total of 60 patients in two groups were studied. The mean age of patients was 72.4 ± 6.28 years, and most were male (86.7%). The incidence of renal complications (3.3%) and respiratory complications (0%), rate of decrease in arterial blood oxygen saturation, length of stay in ICU (median 2 vs. 4) and hospital (median 4.5 vs. 7), the need for vasopressor injection and the dose of packed RBC (median 0.4 vs. 3.33), the dose of narcotic analgesic injection (53.3%), duration of surgery (median 2.5 vs. 3), duration of postoperative oral feeding (median 23 vs. 54), and the incidence of death were significantly lower in the endoscopic surgery group., Conclusion: Endovascular surgery repairing the rupture of an AAA is associated with fewer postoperative complications and in-hospital death than open surgery., Competing Interests: None., (AJCD Copyright © 2023.)

Burns are a leading cause of global mortality and disability. Burns have the mental, psychological and physical impact on the sufferers. Burn patients need special care, both physical and mental, and majority of them are suffering from symptom of difficulty, such as depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and isolation. Finding the predictors of post-burn anxiety and depression can accelerate the treatment and recovery process and maintain the mental health of the patients. The present study investigated the depression and anxiety predictors in burn patients admitted to a medical facility in northern Iran. The present study is a descriptive-analytical study with a cross-sectional methodology on all the burn patients (n = 611) admitted to the Velayat Subspecialty Burn and Reconstructive Surgery Center, Rasht, Iran during 2013-2019. The study tools included the demographic and clinical questionnaire and the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R) for anxiety and depression. Data were collected using interviews. Data analysis was performed using the SPSS version 19 and the statistical tests of Chi-square and logistic regression test. The present study included 611 patients, with 61% males and 39% females. The mean age of the participants was 38.86 ± 18.39, while most participants were in the age group of 20-40 years. The most common cause of admission was burning by flames (36.7%), and most patients had third-degree burns (67%). Five hundred forty three patients showed mental symptoms, of which 343 (52.6%) had anxiety disorder symptoms, and 309 (47.4%) had symptoms suggestive of depression. The independent predictors of depression were found to be the gender (OR = 0.253), age group (OR = 0.706), and the degree of burn (OR = 0.406), while the independent predictors of anxiety disorder included the gender (OR = 1.669), age group (OR = 1.58), the classified burn area (OR = 0.653), marital status (OR = 0.532), and education level (OR = 0.773). It is important to identify predictors of depression and anxiety after burn. The predictors can serve as indicators that these patients may benefit from mental health evaluations and treatment., (© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Burn Association. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Objectives: Cornus mas fruit has various antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties, so this study aims at assessing its effect on menopausal symptoms and sex hormones in postmenopausal women., Methods: In the current randomized, double-blind clinical trial, 84 individuals (42 per group) were participated. C mas hydroalcoholic extract was prepared, and participants received 300 mg C mas extract or placebo three times a day (900 g in total) for 8 weeks. The demographic, dietary intake, and physical activity information were gathered. Anthropometric indices were measured by standard methods. Furthermore, menopause symptoms were assessed by Greene Climacteric Scale. Also, sex hormones were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay., Results: Based on the results, there was a significant difference in total Greene score reduction between the intervention and placebo groups (-3.19 ± 0.54, -0.76 ± 0.32, and P < 0.001). In addition, vasomotor symptoms had a remarkable decrease in the C mas extract group (P < 0.001). Also, the intervention group demonstrated a decreasing trend in the number and duration of hot flushes. Moreover, follicle-stimulating hormone remarkably decreased and estradiol increased in the intervention group (P = 0.016 and P = 0.018)., Conclusions: It has been found that the extract of C mas fruit has a favorable effect on vasomotor symptoms, sex hormones, and related complications in women experiencing menopausal symptoms., Competing Interests: Financial disclosures/conflicts of interest: None reported., (Copyright © 2022 by The North American Menopause Society.)

Background: Dangerous behaviors adversely affect the health of adolescents and young adults. This study aimed to identify the subgroups of college students based on the parameters of risky behavior and analyze the impact of demographic factors and internet gaming disorder (IGD) belonging to each class., Study Design: A cross-sectional study., Methods: The study was conducted on 1355 students through a multi-stage random sampling method in 2020. A survey questionnaire was used to collect data, and all students completed 1294 sets of questionnaires. The data were analyzed using t test and latent class analysis (LCA) through SPSS and PROC LCA in SAS 9.2 software., Results: Three latent classes have been identified as low-risk (75%), tobacco smoker (8%), and high-risk (17%). There was a high possibility of risky behavior in the third class. Marital status (being single) (OR = 2.28, 95% CI: 1.19-4.37), unemployment (having no job) along with education (OR = 1.56, 95% CI: 1.04-2.33), and IGD (OR = 1.06, 95% CI: 1.04-1.09) increased the risk of inclusion in the tobacco smoker class. Moreover, unemployment (having no job) along with education (OR = 1.43, 95% CI: 1.11-1.84) increased the chance of being in the high-risk class., Conclusion: According to the findings of this study, 25% of the students were tobacco smokers or were in the high-risk class. The results of this study may help develop and evaluate preventive strategies that simultaneously take into account different behaviors., (© 2022 The Author(s); Published by Hamadan University of Medical Sciences. 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: There are no comprehensive and accurate statistics on epidemiology and clinical features, especially during the COVID-19 period. The present study tries to describe the pediatric traumas in a referral treatment center in northern Iran during the COVID-19 period and to compare the available statistics with the years before pandemics to examine the differences in the epidemiology of this event in our country., Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on 543 children under 15 years admitted to this hospital due to different types of traumas in the first six months of 2019 (before the COVID-19 pandemic) and the first six months of 2020 (coinciding with the peak of the pandemic). The information was retrospectively collected by reviewing the hospital recorded files and the trauma-specific hospital information system., Results: In total, 436 children were referred before the COVID-19 pandemic period and 107 within the pandemic outbreak. The peak age of patients admitted was 2 to 6 years (32.0%) and 70.5% were male. Most of the pointed children had normal weight. The most common mechanism of trauma before and during the COVID-19 pandemic was falling from a height (46.3% versus 42.1%), followed by road accidents (35.6% versus 36.4%). The overall prevalence of penetrating trauma was 6.9% and 9.3%. The most common body sites affected were the head and neck (32.1%) followed by extremities (before the COVID-19 period) and extremities (29.0%) followed by the head and neck (24.3%) (in the COVID-19 period). The overall rates of multiple trauma before and within the pandemic were also 35.6% versus 35.5%. In children aged 12 to 15 years, road accidents were more reported during the COVID-19 pandemic period (68.4% versus 50.9%) and contrarily falling from a height more before the pandemic (25.5% versus 0.0%). In children under two years of age, head and neck trauma was more reported before the COVID-19 period than in the COVID-19 period (55.6% versus 35.5%), while at this age, limb trauma was more common during the COVID-19 period than before (5.6% versus 20.8%) (P = 0.043). In lean children, abdominal and pelvic trauma were mainly seen in the COVID-19 period (28.6% versus 2.6%) (P = 0.035)., Conclusion: Referrals of children from traumatic injuries decreased during the COVID-19 period. However, the main differences in the mechanism of trauma and the type and severity of traumatic injuries to children in this period emphasize the provision of specific guidelines for trauma management in children., Competing Interests: None., (IJBT Copyright © 2022.)

Background: Evidence suggests that referral cases of traumatic injuries have decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic both in childhood and in adulthood. Still we have very little evidence of referrals due to traumatic brain injury among children during the COVID-19 outbreak. The present study aimed to describe epidemiological and clinical features of pediatric traumatic brain injuries., Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on all patients under 15 years with any evidence of head trauma, referring to Poursina teaching hospital, a referral center for trauma and road accidents in northern Iran. The patients' data were retrospectively collected by reviewing the hospital recorded files and the trauma-specific hospital information system., Results: Of all 543 pediatric traumatic injuries referred to our hospital during the two pointed periods, 166 had any evidence of head and neck injuries leading to an overall prevalence rate of 30.6%. In this regard, the prevalence rate of head/neck injuries was estimated to be 140 out of 436 within a pre-COVID-19 period (32.1%) and 26 out of 107 within the COVID-19 period (24.3%) indicating no significant difference between the two time periods (P = 0.243). However, assessing the rate of head/neck injuries pre-COVID-19 and COVID-19 periods according to patients' age showed a higher rate of such injuries in pre-COVID-19 as compared to COVID-19 periods in patients aged less than two years (55.6% versus 37.5%, P = 0.013) as well as aged 2 to six years (45.8% versus 30.0%, P = 0.036)., Conclusion: The rate of admission of children due to traumatic brain injury during the COVID-19 period does not show a significant change compared to before, and only in children under 6 years of age a decrease in referrals due to brain trauma during the COVID-19 period was observed., Competing Interests: None., (IJBT Copyright © 2022.)

Background: Burns following convulsion could be an important problem for patients with epilepsy. In the present study we aimed to identify the pattern and the cause of burns in these patients., Methods: This is a cross-sectional study that was performed in 2017-2019 in Guilan on 40 patients with burns following seizure. The information in the records of patients were reviewed. We collected data including age, sex, marital status, occupation, place of residence, length of hospital stay, anatomy of the burn site, percentage of burn, degree of burns, cause of burns and disease outcome., Results: The mean age of the patients was 42.2±2.99 years. Seven cases (17.5%) had burns due to fire, 5 cases (12.5%) due to gas explosion, 3 cases (7.5%) due to electrocution, 15 cases (37.5%) with hot water, 1 case (2.5%) with hot liquids, 5 cases (12.5%) with hot surface, 1 case (2.5%) with hot bath, 2 cases (5%) with hot food and 1 case (2.5%) with hot glue. The mean burning percentage of patients was 19.3±3.18%. The most common patterns of burns were observed as 7 (17.5%) upper limbs and 7 (17.5%) lower limbs. The mean duration of hospitalization was 5.05±0.69 days ranging from 1 to 18 days. 37 patients (92.5%) recovered partially and 3 patients (7.5%) died., Conclusion: Hot water, fire and hot surface are most common causes of burns and there were significant direct correlations between age with percentage of burns and duration of hospitalization. We believe further studies should evaluate the preventive strategies in this regard., Competing Interests: None., (IJBT Copyright © 2022.)

Background: Pediatric patients feel significant fear and anxiety when undergoing surgeries. The ideal drug and its administration route have not been found yet. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of intranasal (IN) ketamine and midazolam as premedication in children., Methods: We studied 71 eligible pediatric patients undergoing elective urologic surgeries, aged 2 to 6 years. The degree of sedation and separation scores was compared between the two groups. Additionally, hemodynamic parameters, before premedication, after induction of anesthesia, and during surgery were documented and compared between two groups. Postoperatively, any side effect was recorded as well., Results: Finally, the data from 71 children were analyzed. Recovery time was significantly longer in group K (ketamine) compared to group M (midazolam); 27.86±4.42 vs 38.19± 6.67 minutes respectively (P=0.01). No significant difference was observed in terms of sedation score between two groups of K & M; 3.29±0.78 vs 3 ±0.71 respectively (P=0.17), and not regarding separation score; 2.51±0.61 & 2.31±0.52 respectively (P=0.01). Vital signs were kept within the physiological limits in both groups with no marked fluctuations., Conclusion: To produce sedation in young children, both midazolam and ketamine were effective and safe by IN route., Competing Interests: No conflicts of interest.

The drastic decrease in estrogen levels in menopausal women can elevate bone resorption and osteoporosis. Cornus mas extract (C. mas extract) is a potential candidate for treating menopausal-related bone complications because of its phytoestrogen and anti-inflammatory contents. It was an interventional double-blind placebo-controlled randomized study. Eighty-four women aged 45-60 years old were randomly allocated to either the extract group receiving 3 capsules of 300 mg C. mas extract or the placebo group receiving 3 capsules of 300 mg of starch powder per day for 8 weeks. Then, venous blood was used to measure bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (BAP), osteocalcin (OC), C-terminal telopeptide (TC) as well as serum levels of PTH and hsCRP. Our results indicated the decrease in alkaline phosphatase, PTH, and as an inflammation biomarker, hsCRP, between two groups at the end of the study. No statistically significant difference was observed in telopeptide C, osteocalcin, and calcium between the placebo and extract groups after 8 weeks of intervention. In conclusion, the results indicate that the C. mas extract supplement of 900 mg/day may decrease levels of BAP, PTH, and hsCRP. However, this intervention had no beneficial effect on OC and TC in healthy postmenopausal women., (© 2021 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Congenital hypothyroidism (CH) is the most important cause of mental and physical retardation in newborns. The prevalence of CH has been reported high in East Azerbaijan province of Iran. However, the risk factors for CH are poorly understood. This study aimed to determine and compare risk factors for permanent and transient CH in East Azerbaijan, Iran., Methods: A case-control study was conducted in the Iranian national screening program for CH. This study included 680 neonates: 340 neonates with confirmed CH and 340 matched healthy controls born at the same period and from the same residential area as the cases. Multiple logistic regression analyses were used to estimate the crude and adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for the association between different risk factors and transient and permanent CH., Results: Out of the 680 participants, 364 (53.53%) were male. Family history of CH (OR = 5.09, 95% CI: 1.66-15.63), neonatal jaundice (OR = 3.89, 95% CI: 2.36-6.43) and parental consanguineous relation (OR = 2.19, 95% CI: 1.51-3.17) were associated with an increased risk of permanent CH. Likewise, the use of Betadine in pregnancy (OR = 4.87, 95% CI: 1.45-16.28), family history of CH (OR = 5.98, 95% CI: 2.04-17.48), neonatal jaundice (OR = 2.81, 95% CI: 1.75-4.52), parental consanguineous relation (OR = 3.86, 95% CI: 1.92-5.74), and gestational age at birth (OR = 3.2, 95% CI: 1.90-5.41) were identified as risk factors for transient CH., Conclusion: Family history, neonatal jaundice, gestational age at birth, and Betadine usage in pregnancy are associated with CH.

Considering the increasing rate of hospitalization due to the symptoms intensification, and the increasing trend of air pollution, this study aimed to determine the relationship between the amount of air pollutants and the incidence of cardiovascular disease leading to hospitalization. This case-crossover study was carried out on the data of admitted patients with cardiovascular disease such as hypertension, ischemic heart disease, and cerebrovascular disease in Urmia during 2011-2016. Weather data about air pollutants (NO2, PM10, SO2, and CO) were obtained from the meteorological department of Urmia. The data were coded for each patient and matched with the meteorological data for statistical modeling. The data were analyzed through STATA version 14. Conditional logistic regression was used to estimate the effects of air pollutants on cardiovascular disease adjusted to air temperature, relative humidity, and air pollutants. The final analysis was performed on 43,424 patients with cardiovascular disease using code I10-I99 including ischemic heart disease, hypertension, and cerebrovascular disease adjusted to air temperature and relative humidity. Of all pollutants, CO with each increase 10 μg/m 3 had a meaningful relationship with the incidence of cardiovascular hospitalization. By selecting the window of exposure, 1, 2, and 6 days before admission, lag 6 (6 days) was the best estimation for exposure time in the patients with cardiovascular patients (OR 1.0056, CI 1.0041-1.007), and in the patients with ischemic heart disease (OR 1.000055, CI 1.000036-1.000075) and in the patients with hypertension (OR 1.000076, CI 1.00002-1.000132). Regarding cerebrovascular disease, no statistically significant association was observed. The results showed that only CO was associated with an increased risk of admission in patients with cardiovascular disease, ischemic heart disease, and hypertension, and there was no clear evidence for pollution effects on cerebrovascular diseases.

Background: Recently, one of the challenges in the health system of the country is the need for research contributing to policy-making. Therefore, it is crucial to develop activities in the field of knowledge Translation (KT). This study aimed to propose KT improvement strategies in universities of medical sciences in Iran., Methods: In this qualitative study, 18 semi-structured interviews were conducted with key informants from the medical universities in Iran during January-July 2018. The transcribed documents were analyzed using the Gale framework analysis approach. Data organization was carried out using MAXQDA version 10 software., Results: According to framework analysis, six KT improvement strategies were identified including improving the abilities and skills of researchers, improving the processes and quality of knowledge production, revising policies and laws, improving the prerequisites, culture-building, and promoting the use of evidence., Conclusion: Given the challenges and strategies outlined in this study, it seems that the mechanism of KT and its effects on improving health plans for policymakers and researchers has not been elucidated yet. Therefore, considerable changes in prerequisites, knowledge production processes, academic procedures, policies and laws are necessary for implementing KT in universities of medical sciences in Iran., (© 2021 Tourani S., et al.)

In the present study, SAPO-34 particles were synthesized using hydrothermal (HT) and dry gel (DG) conversion methods in the presence of diethyl amine (DEA) as an organic structure directing agent (SDA). Carbon nanotubes (CNT) were used as a hard template in the synthesis procedure to introduce transport pores into the structures of the synthesized samples. The synthesized samples were characterized with different methods to reveal the effects of synthesis method and using hard template on their structure and catalytic performance in methanol to olefin reaction (MTO). DG conversion method results in smaller particle size in comparison with hydrothermal method, resulting in enhancing catalytic performance. On the other side, using CNT in the synthesis procedure with DG method results in more reduction in particle size and formation of hierarchical structure, which drastically improves catalytic performance., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

Background: Smoking is considered as the second leading risk factor of early death and disability throughout the world. Smoking is the second leading risk factor of early death and disability in the world. The workplace is an important setting for the implementation of cigarette smoking prevention and control interventions. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of cigarette smoking and related factors by focusing on ADHD and risk-taking behaviors among a sample of Iranian workers. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 2434 male workers of Kaveh Industrial City in Saveh. Random cluster sampling was used in the selection of workers. All workers completed five sets of anonymous and validated questionnaires. ADHD was measured by Conner's Adult ADHD Rating Scales. Data analysis was done using chi-square, independent t-test and logistic regression model in STATA 10. Also, P-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The mean age of the workers was 32.80±7.05 years. The prevalence of cigarette smoking in the lifetime, last year, last month, and daily or almost daily in the last month were 26.2%, 20.6% , 18.5%, and 13.1% respectively. After adjustment, age (OR=1.08), sensation seeking (OR=1.57), hookah smoking (OR=4.21), alcohol use (OR=2.51), sexual risk behaviors (OR=2.25), religiosity (OR=0.95) and self-esteem (OR=2.02) were associated with cigarette smoking. Conclusion: Our results showed that 13.1 % of workers were regular smokers (daily or almost daily). Specific programs in workplaces, including interventions to enhance self-steam and reduce anxiety, can be effective in lowering cigarette smoking prevalence. Also, comprehensive interventions to reduce or prevent different risk-taking behaviors can be considered as elements of preventive action plans., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: None declared, (© 2020 Iran University of Medical Sciences.)

Background: Quantification of the attributed effects of air pollution determines the impact of air pollutants on the community and shows the critical condition of air quality. This study aimed to quantify and estimate the cardiovascular and respiratory diseases attributed to PM10 in Urmia during 2011-2016. Methods: In this descriptive-analytic study, at first, hourly data of pollutant PM10 concentrations were received from air pollutants station located in the Department of Environmental Protection. The data were evaluated using AirQ2.2.3 software after primary and secondary processes and filtering. Results: The results showed that the mean annual concentration of PM10 during 2011-2016 was 88.66, 92.45, 81.22, 78.38, 113.78, and 92.67 μg /m3, respectively. The number of hospitalized cases due to respiratory diseases attributed to PM10 in this period was 486, 525, 459, 453, 684, and 552, respectively, and the number of cases due to cardiovascular diseases was 188, 203, 177, 175, 263, and 213, respectively. Conclusion: Considering the attributed health effects of PM10, the necessary measures should be taken to identify the causative agents and to understand the mechanisms of these processes and correct them., (© 2020 Iran University of Medical Sciences.)

Background: The second most abundant mineral in the body, phosphorus (P), is absorbed in the small intestine after ingestion enhanced by 1,25-dihydroxy vitamin D, and its excretion is exclusively regulated by the kidney. It is clinically significant, aside from its disturbance in burn ICU patient's P mechanism. The increasing rate of morbidity and mortality among the patients can be associated with severe hypophosphatemia. The current study aimed at investigating the changes in serum P levels in the early period after burns, the relationship between serum P level and TBSA (total body surface area) of burn, and the impact of hypophosphatemia on patients' clinical outcomes., Material and Methods: The current prospective, observational study was conducted on 137 patients hospitalized in the burn intensive unit (BICU) of Velayat Sub-specialty Burn and Plastic Surgery Center from December 2015 to May 2017. According to the TBSA percentage, the patients were divided into three groups. The level of serum P was determined in the 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 9th days of hospital stay and before discharge. To evaluate the trend of P changes in the sixtime-points, the average changes along with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were used for multivariate analysis of variance with repeated measures (repeated measures ANOVA). A P-value of 0.05 or less was considered statistically significant. The analyses were performed using SPSS software, version 19 (SPSS Inc.)., Results: Totally, 137 patients (70% male, mean age 32 ± 21years, and TBSA 32.6 ± 14%) were included in the study. The overall incidence of hypophosphatemia was 75.1%. Hypophosphatemia developed as early as 1.66 ± 0.136 (95%CI: 1.4-1.9) days after injury. The highest decrease in the serum P level was observed on the 3rd and 5th days after burn as 2.78 mg/dL and 2.85 mg/dL, respectively (P-value = 0.001). A correlation was observed between TBSA and serum P level. The mean serum P level decreased with increasing the percentage of burns. There was a correlation between serum P level and mortality; therefore, a decrease in serum P level increased the patient's mortality rate (P < 0.05)., Conclusion: The current study highlighted that hypophosphatemia is often observed in patients with burn injuries during their hospitalization. It is potentially beneficial to identify patients at risk of hypophosphatemia. Therefore, it is suggested that P level be assessed regularly in patients with burn injuries for the timely initiation of P replacement therapy., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.)

Menopause, which occurs following a declined ovarian activity and reduced estrogen levels, can lead to long-term changes in lipid and glycemic profiles and increases the risk of cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis. Cornelian cherry (Cornus mas) is rich in phytochemicals and antioxidants, which appears to be useful in reducing the postmenopausal complications. This interventional, double-blinded, randomized clinical trial carried out on 84 menopaused women aged 45-60 years old. They were randomly divided into two groups. The treatment group received three capsules of 300 mg of Cornus mas extract (CME), and control group received three capsules of 300 mg of starch powder per day for 8 weeks. Then, BMI, waist circumference, glycemic indices, lipid profile, serum apoproteinase, apoprotein B100, fibrinogen, and leptin were measured. The dietary intakes were evaluated using 24-hr dietary recall questionnaire. The consumption of CME in comparison with the control group resulted in a significant reduction in weight, body mass index, waist circumference, LDL to HDL ratio, total cholesterol to HDL ratio, and fibrinogen. There was also a significant increase in HDL and ApoA1 levels in the treatment group. Furthermore, there was a significant decrease in BMI, waist circumference, fasting insulin, and insulin resistance index after 8 weeks of using CME. Summing up the results, it can be concluded that CME can have possible effects on decreasing BMI, waist circumference, and improving some aspects of lipid profile and glycemic indices in postmenopausal women., (© 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

Background: Recent articles about the topic of the anesthetic agents-related neurotoxicity have currently attracted the attention to the issue in the anesthesiology community. However, specialists in other fields should also be aware of this potential risk., Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge and practice of physicians at Guilan academic hospitals regarding general anesthesia-related neurotoxicity., Methods: Firstly, the responsible anesthesia resident explained the purpose of this work to Guilan faculty and residents and if they agreed to participate a questionnaire containing 12 items was filled via a face to face interview., Results: A response rate of 100% was achieved (271 responders from 271 eligible study responders). Also, 89 (33.1%) responders were attending, 180 (66.9%) were residents, 112 (41.6%) were female, and 157 (58.4%) were male. The mean years of experience was 8.8 ± 4.82 (2 - 28 years). According to the achieved data, the majority of the precipitants did not believe in GA toxicity., Conclusions: This paper revealed that the current curriculum does not sufficiently address the anesthesia-related neurotoxicity problem. Indeed, the need for training and communication with non-anesthesia medical colleagues was highlighted., (Copyright © 2019, Author(s).)

Introduction: Finding easily accessible and non-invasive methods for differentiating various sources of gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding before performing endoscopy and colonoscopy is of great interest. The present study was designed with the aim of evaluating the screening performance characteristics of blood urea nitrogen (BUN) to Creatinine (Cr) ratio in this regard., Methods: The present diagnostic accuracy study was performed on patients with acute GI bleeding presenting to emergency department from 2011 to 2016, in a retrospective manner. BUN/Cr ratio was calculated for all patients and its accuracy in differentiation of upper and lower GI bleedings, confirmed via endoscopy or colonoscopy, was evaluated., Results: A total of 621 patients with the mean age of 59.49±17.94 (5 - 93) years were studied (60.5% male). Area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of BUN/Cr ratio for predicting the source of GI bleeding was 0.63 (95% CI: 0.57 - 0.68). Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and positive and negative likelihood ratios of BUN/Cr ratio at 35 cut-off point were 19.63% (95%CI: 16.69 - 23.45), 90.16% (95%CI: 83.11 - 94.88), 89.09 (95%CI: 81.35 - 93.98), 21.53 (95%CI: 18.09 - 25.39), 8.16 (95%CI:4.76 - 13.98), and 3.65 (95%CI: 3.44 - 3.87), respectively., Conclusion: Considering the relatively proper specificity and positive predictive value of BUN/Cr ratio, in cases that bleeding source cannot be determined using other non-invasive methods, values higher than 35 can predict upper GI bleeding with high probability. However, due to the low sensitivity, values less than 35 are not diagnostic., Competing Interests: Hereby, the authors declare that there is no conflict of interest regarding the present study.

Background: Randomized clinical trials have been considered as the gold standard for evaluating the effectiveness and safety of medical interventions; however, there are major barriers to their design, conduct, analysis, and reporting. They are multidisciplinary and involve different steps and face a variety of challenges that may vary from one country to another. The aim of this study was to provide a comprehensive presentation of the challenges of clinical trial studies in different steps including design, conducting, analysis, and reporting. Methods: In this study, all original articles conducted during 1991-2017 that reviewed the barriers to clinical trial studies at one of the steps of design, conducing, analysis, and reporting of the results in Medline (through PubMed), Embase, Web of Sciences, Scopus, and Google Scholar were considered. The searched keywords were as follow: challenges, barriers, and randomized clinical trial. Results: The following barriers in different steps of randomized clinical trials were identified: general barriers include insufficient knowledge and understanding of clinical research and research methodology, barriers to ethical and regulatory systems, and lack of funding. The investigator-initiated trials may face similar problems to those of sponsor-initiated trials, such as handling regulatory systems, administrative and financial issues, multiple languages, and different patient compensation approaches. The challenge related to design was poor planning. Other challenges were lack of manpower and financial resources, inappropriate statistical methods for analysis (analysis challenges), and challenges related to reporting which include selective reporting. Conclusion: Based on the results of this systematic review, the most important challenges were barriers related to handling ethical and regulatory systems, patient recruitment, and lack of budget and skilled staff for conducting clinical trials. Training to improve the quality of randomized clinical trial studies in different steps and levels was the most important recommendation in these studies.

Background: Myocardial dysfunction is frequently described as an underlying cause of mortality in traumatic brain injury (TBI) known as brain-cardiac link. However the impact on prognosis of a disease remains uncertain., Objectives: The current study aimed at investigating the correlation between TBI and cardiac troponin I (cTnI) rise and in-hospital mortality rate among patients with TBI., Methods: In the current prospective study TBI patients with abbreviated injury scale score (AIS) > 3 and Glasgow coma scale (GCS) score ≤ 8 with cTnI measurement within the first 24 hours of admission were evaluated. Chi-square, Kruskal-Wallis, Mann-Whitney U and Logistic Regression tests were used for data analysis., Results: A total of 166 eligible patients were studied .The mean age of the cases was 37.64 ± 17.21 years, largely under 65 (93.4%) and male (86.7%).The most common injuries were cerebral contusion (35.1%), while motor vehicle crash (MVC) was the most common cause of injuries (83.73%); 59 % of the patients showed detectable cTnI concentrations within 24 hours of admission; 65.7% of the patients expired; they showed higher levels of cTnI compared to survivors that showed lower levels, 0.148 ± 0.074 vs 0.057 ± 0.055, respectively (P < 0.001). Moreover, a significant association was observed between mortality rate and lower admission GCS 3.49 ± 1.08 vs 6.79 ± 1.66, respectively (P < 0.001)., Conclusions: Increased cTnI levels could be a predictor of mortality among patients with TBI. Its measurement and investigation for therapeutic strategies could lead to better management of these cases.

Objectives: In most countries around the world, sex work is an illegal activity. Female sex workers (FSWs) in Iran hide their identities, and they are known to be a hard-to-reach population. Despite free access to HIV testing, fewer than half of FSWs receive HIV testing. The purpose of this study was to characterize the reasons for which FSWs do not seek testing at drop-in centers (DICs) and voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) centers in Iran., Methods: A qualitative study was conducted in 2016. The participants were 24 FSWs who received services at VCT centers and DICs for vulnerable females in the north of Iran and 9 males who were the clients of FSWs. In this study, we made use of purposive sampling and carried out a thematic analysis., Results: We found 4 major and 6 minor themes. The major themes were: fear of being infected (with HIV), stigma, indifference, and knowledge., Conclusions: Despite the significant efforts made by the government of Iran to establish and expand DICs for vulnerable females, the number of FSWs receiving services at these centers has not been very considerable. Consequently, by introducing and implementing training programs for peer groups, it may be possible to take steps toward establishing strategic programs for the control and prevention of HIV/AIDS.

Objective: To determine whether spinal anesthesia combined with obturator nerve blockade (SOB) is effective in preventing obturator nerve stimulation, jerking and bladder perforation during transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT)., Material and Methods: In this clinical trial, 30 patients were randomly divided into two groups: spinal anesthesia (SA) and SOB. In SA group, 2.5 cc of 0.5% bupivacaine was injected intrathecally using a 25-gauge spinal needle and in SOB after spinal anesthesia, a classic obturator nerve blockade was performed by using nerve stimulation technique., Results: There was a statistically significant difference between jerking in both groups (p=0.006). During the TURBT, surgeon satisfaction was significantly higher in SOB group compared to SA group (p=0.006). There was no significant correlation between sex, patient age and location of bladder tumor between the groups (p>0.05)., Conclusion: Obturator nerve blockade by using 15 cc lidocaine 1% is effective in preventing adductor muscle spasms during TURBT., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest: No conflict of interest was declared by the authors.

Background: Cox proportional hazard model is the most common method for analyzing the effects of several variables on survival time. However, under certain circumstances, parametric models give more precise estimates to analyze survival data than Cox. The purpose of this study was to investigate the comparative performance of Cox and parametric models in a survival analysis of factors affecting the event time of neuropathy in patients with type 2 diabetes., Materials and Methods: This study included 371 patients with type 2 diabetes without neuropathy who were registered at Fereydunshahr diabetes clinic. Subjects were followed up for the development of neuropathy between 2006 to March 2016. To investigate the factors influencing the event time of neuropathy, significant variables in univariate model ( P < 0.20) were entered into the multivariate Cox and parametric models ( P < 0.05). In addition, Akaike information criterion (AIC) and area under ROC curves were used to evaluate the relative goodness of fitted model and the efficiency of each procedure, respectively. Statistical computing was performed using R software version 3.2.3 (UNIX platforms, Windows and MacOS)., Results: Using Kaplan-Meier, survival time of neuropathy was computed 76.6 ± 5 months after initial diagnosis of diabetes. After multivariate analysis of Cox and parametric models, ethnicity, high-density lipoprotein and family history of diabetes were identified as predictors of event time of neuropathy ( P < 0.05)., Conclusion: According to AIC, "log-normal" model with the lowest Akaike's was the best-fitted model among Cox and parametric models. According to the results of comparison of survival receiver operating characteristics curves, log-normal model was considered as the most efficient and fitted model., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest.