Demand for money in Iran: An ARDL approach

The objective of this study is to estimate the demand for money in Iran using the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) approach to cointegration analysis. The empirical results show that there is a unique cointegrated and stable long-run relationship among M1 monetary aggregate, income, inflation and exchange rate. We find that the income elasticity and exchange rate coefficient are positive while the inflation elasticity is negative. This indicates that depreciation of domestic currency increases the demand for money, supporting the wealth effect argument and people prefer to substitute physical assets for money balances that are supporting our theoretical expectation. Our results also after incorporating the CUSUM and CUSUMSQ tests reveal that the M1 money demand function is stable between 1985 and 2006.Money demand; ARDL; Stability; Iran

Introducing \"One Health\" as an Overlooked Concept in Iran

‘One Health’ is the “collaborative effort of multiple disciplines —working locally, nationally, and globally—to attain optimal health for people, animals and our environment” (1). The concept of ‘One Health’ is not as new as it may seem at the first glance, as its pioneer supporters used to live in the 19th century. Looking back in history, Louis Pasteur and Robert Koch’s achievements are good examples of practicing ‘One Health’ (2). More recently in 1940s, efforts of Dr. Steele and his peers around the globe in developing the first ‘Veterinary Public Health’ program made rapid advances in the control and prevention of zoonotic diseases, both in the United States and globally (2). The interaction of humankind, environment, and animals has led to a dynamic through which the health of these groups is interrelated

A Prospective Cohort Study of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Risk and Opium Addiction in South Eastern Iran

Opium addiction and cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) are endemic in different parts of Iran, particularly in Bam, where a massive earthquake occurred. This study was designed to compare the incidence rate and severity of CL cases among opium addicted and non-addicted individuals in south-eastern Iran. This study was carried out as a prospective cohort by active house-to-house visits of 1,481 habitants in Bam. CL cases were confirmed by smear and identification of Leishmania species was performed using nested-PCR. The data was analyzed by x2 and t-tests, using SPSS software and also KaplanMeier survival curve and long-rank test in Stata 11.2 and P,0.05 was considered as significant. A total of 904 individuals consisting of 226 opium addicted and 678 non-addicted individuals were followed-up for a period of seven years. The two cohorts were similar in terms of age, sex and place of residency. A similar pattern of incidence was observed among the two cohort groups. In contrast, the severity of CL in terms of the number, duration and the size of the lesions in opium addicted individuals was significantly (P,0.001) higher than non-opium addicted individuals. In conclusion, the present findings indicate that there is no relationship between the incidence of CL and opium addiction

Preventive methods of dental caries is a problem of most general practitioners yet: A survey of knowledge, attitude and practice

BACKGROUND AND AIM: It is clear that education of parents and physicians regarding the importance of caries prevention will improve children’s dental health. Most of the times pediatric and general dentists are dependent on the knowledge base and attitude of pediatricians and family practice physicians for referral of infants and young children in need of preventive and restorative care. This study was conducted to assess the knowledge, attitudes and practice of general dental practitioners and pediatricians in relation to techniques used to prevent dental caries, including use of fissure sealants and fluoride therapy, in the south-east of Iran. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted between 399 general practitioners and pediatricians in the south-east of Iran. Data collected through a self-administered questionnaire consisted of demographic characteristics, questions that evaluating, knowledge, attitude and practice level regarding preventive methods of dental caries. Then, scores were given to each question and sum of the scores was categorized to weak, moderate and good. These scores were evaluated as follows: 75%: good. Data analyzed by SPSS using independent-sample t-test and linear regression models. RESULTS: In this study, 399 questionnaires were completed including 352 (88.2%) general practitioners and 47 (11.8%) pediatricians. The findings indicated that general practitioners and pediatricians had moderate knowledge (52.6%), good attitude (76.9%), and moderate practice (38.6%) regarding preventive methods of dental caries. CONCLUSION: Although general practitioners and pediatricians have more communication and closer relationship with target group of caries unfortunately, they had not desirable knowledge and practice regarding fluoride and fissure sealant therapy. KEYWORDS: Dental Caries; Prevention; General Practitioner; Pediatrician; Knowledg

The frequency of using different types of pacifier and bottle nipple among 1-24 months old children

structures and malocclusion. This study assessed the prevalence of using of different types of pacifier and bottle nipple among 1-24 months old children in Kerman, Iran. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, a total of 300 mothers interviewed at 20 specialized private pediatric offices in Kerman. The mothers had 1-24 months old children. A checklist includes items about pacifier sucking, bottle feeding habits, as well as mothers’ ability to recognize different kinds of available pacifier and bottle nipple was used. RESULTS: The rate of pacifier-sucking was 37.3%, and use of bottle feeding was 42.3%, and among of the users, 24.0 and 35.7% were used orthodontic (functional) types of pacifier and bottle nipple respectively. However, only 28.7% of mothers had adequate ability to recognize orthodontic pacifier and bottle nipple. CONCLUSION: The rates of using orthodontic kind of pacifier and bottle nipple were low, and a few mothers had adequate ability to recognize their differences. KEYWORDS: Pacifier, Bottle Feeding, Bottle Nipple, Breast Feeding, Sucking Habit

Evaluation of application of fix and removable habit breakers among a group of preschool children with thumb sucking habit in Kerman, Iran

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Thumb sucking has been reported as one of the etiologic factors for malocclusion. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of thumb sucking and use of different kinds of habit breaker (HB) appliances in children attending private kindergartens in Kerman, Iran. METHODS: The census method was used in the present cross-sectional study, and the study population consisted of all the children attending private kindergartens. A checklist was completed for each subject, and clinical examinations were done. Fisher’s exact test was used to evaluate the relationship between thumb sucking and the variables under study. Stata 13 was used for the analysis of data. RESULTS: Of 503 4 to 6-year-old children, 14 (2.8%) had thumb sucking habits at the time of the study. Among these 14 children, only 6 children used HBs fixed (4 persons) or removable (2 persons). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of finger sucking, its side effects, as well as using the HBs of this habit in children of Kerman kindergartens were not high. Furthermore, it has same rate like other cities. In this situation, it’s necessary for the personnel of kindergartens to notify their parents about the hygiene of the problems. KEYWORDS: Finger Sucking; Malocclusion; Pacifie

Cytokine Profiles and Cell Proliferation Responses to Truncated ORF2 Protein in Iranian Patients Recovered from Hepatitis E Infection

Background.The aim of this study was to evaluate hepatitis E virus (HEV) specific cellular immune responses to truncated ORF2 protein in Iranian patients recovered from HEV infection. Information about HEV-specific immune responses could be useful in finding an effective way for development of HEV vaccine. Methods. A truncated formof HEVORF2 protein containing amino acids 112-608 was used to stimulate peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) separated from HEV-recovered and control groups. Finally, the levels of four cytokines, IFN

Adverse Reactions from Topical Ophthalmic Anesthetic Abuse

Purpose: To assess the adverse drug reactions (ADR) of tetracaine among patients referred to an eye emergency department in the southeast of Iran. Methods: In this case series study, we assessed 31 eyes of 24 patients who were referred due to adverse effects of ocular anesthetics during 2017–2020. We collected the data, including age, sex, job, how the medicine was obtained, symptoms, examination results, and ADR. Results: Of 24 patients, 22 (91.7%) were male. The mean (standard deviation) age of the patients was 32.6 (1.9) years. Twenty-two patients obtained the medicines without a prescription and a general practitioner prescribed the medicine to two patients. In the first interview, the most common symptoms were: photophobia, reduced vision, ocular pain, and redness. The main signs of persistent epithelial defect, patchy or diffuse corneal stromal infiltration, ring infiltration, and Descemet’s folds were noticed in the examinations. Finally, 51.6% (n =16) of the eyes had decreased vision, 45.2% (n =14) had corneal opacity, 16.1% (n = 5) had elevated intraocular pressure that needed long-term anti-glaucoma therapy, and 6.5% (n = 2) had corneal pannus. Corneal perforation and phthisis bulbi were the final results in one eye. Conclusion: ADR related to the use of ophthalmic topical anesthetics could cause sight-threatening severe morbidities. It seems that some general practitioners are not careful regarding the prescription of these kinds of medicine. Moreover, the over-the-counter availability of tetracaine eye drops should be managed

Opium Use and the Risk of Cataract:a Hospital-based, Group-matched, Case–control Study in Iran

PurposeCataract is the most prevalent cause of reversible blindness worldwide. Although studies have identified risk factors for cataract, its association with opium use has not been studied. This study aimed to evaluate the association between opium use and cataract in Iran in 2020.MethodsIn a hospital-based, group-matched case–control study in Kerman, a city in southeast Iran, 160 new cases of cataract and 320 controls without cataract underwent ophthalmological examination and were interviewed. Logistic regression models tested the association between cataract and history of opium use, adjusting for demographic characteristics and history of hypertension, coronary heart disease, renal disease, smoking, alcohol use, and unprotected sun exposure.ResultsAfter controlling for potential confounders, opium use increased the odds of cataract, exhibiting a dose–response relationship. The adjusted odds ratio (aOR) for mild use was 1.44 (95% confidence intervals [CI] 0.80–2.58), and 2.10 (95% CI 1.04–4.25) for heavy use. Exposure to opium juice use further increased the odds of cataract (aOR 2.24, 95% CI 1.00–5.10). Other significant associations with cataract were lower education level (aOR 5.46, 95% CI 2.45–11.29), being unmarried (aOR 2.88, 95% CI 1.65–5.00), both underweight (BMI <18.5, aOR 5.27, 95% CI 2.02–13.70) and overweight (BMI >25, aOR 1.82, 95% CI 1.15–2.87), and family history of cataract (aOR 2.07, 95% CI 1.32–3.23).ConclusionOur study provides evidence that opium use could increase the odds of cataract. Results also support the association of cataract with other modifiable risk factors, such as very low and high BMI and unprotected sun exposure