Assessment of Female Student’s Satisfaction with the Quality of Food And Environmental Health at Food Services in Tehran University of Medical Sciences, 2013

ensure students are satisfied with the quantity and quality of food as well as hygienic condition in the university’s food services. For this reason, the present study was conducted to investigate female student’s satisfaction with the quality of food and environmental health at food services in Tehran University of Medical Sciences. A number of one hundred of female students, studying at Tehran University of Medical Sciences, were randomly selected. All the selected students were proved to be customers of food services located in one the Medicine, Public Health, Pharmacy, paramedical Sciences, Dentistry, Rehabilitation and Nursing schools. A questioner was prepared as a tool for data collection and its validity and reliability was determined. Afterwards, data analysis was performed using SPSS software (version 23). Results showed that 22% of female students expressed their satisfaction with the quantity of food as “excellent” and 47% as “moderate”. 28% of students rated the food diversity as “moderate” ok”. Seven percent of students reported at least on a case of food poisoning caused by the consumption of food at the university. On average, the overwhelming majority of students expressed their satisfaction as “good” or “medium” with environmental health in at food services in the university, respectively. All the students were aware of the importance of the presence of insects and animals outside the food services and 95%of students reported the presence of insects like beetle, housefly and mosquito and animals like cats, outside the food services. It was concluded that the majority of female students were satisfied with the quantity of food and ranked the quality of food as “medium”. However, they reported some problems regarding hygienic condition inside and outside the dining services and personal health of staff and stated that more attention should be paid by responsible authorities of the university. The student views can be used by these authorities to improve the quality and quantity of food and hygienic condition at food services in Universities

Risk factors for gestational diabetes mellitus in Sanandaj, Iran

BACKGROUND: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is defined as any degree of glucose intolerance that is detected for the first time during the most recent pregnancy. It can lead to serious complications for mother and infant. The current study aimed to determine the important risk factors for GDM in Sanandaj, Iran during 2010-2011. METHODS: This was a case-control study in which 220 people were chosen for each group from referees to the healthcare centers and diabetes center in Sanandaj. Data were collected through interviews and review of medical records. Data analysis conducted using chi-square test and logistic regression. RESULTS: In the present study, diabetic mothers were older and more obese than non-diabetic mothers. In the logistic regression, variables such as familial history of diabetes in first-degree relatives, history of gestational diabetes, age ≥ 30 years, history of stillbirth, history of macrosomia, and body mass index above 30 were considered as the most important independent risk factors for gestational diabetes respectively. However variables such as smoking, blood pressure, and history of infant death showed no statistical significant difference between the two groups. CONCLUSION: The most important risk factors for developing GDM included history of diabetes among relatives (family history), mothers with a history of gestational diabetes, and history of macrosomia. Therefore, controlling these factors can reduce the incidence of diabetes during pregnancy.

A prospective study of the effect of delivery type on neonatal weight gain pattern in exclusively breastfed neonates born in Shiraz, Iran

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In this exploratory study, the contribution of delivery type to the weight gain pattern for full-term infants with exclusive breastfeeding in the first month of infancy was determined. In addition, breastfeeding success among cesarean section (C-section) delivery mothers based on their neonate's weight gain at the end of the first month of infancy was evaluated.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A cohort of 92 neonates born in Shiraz, from July 10 to August 10, 2007 was followed longitudinally. The data were collected during the first month postpartum at three occasions: 3 to 7 days postpartum, 10-21 days postpartum and 24-31 days postpartum.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Among 92 mothers in this study, 35 (38%) were delivered by C-section. Generalized estimating equation (GEE) showed that delivery type (p < 0.01), receipt of advice about breastfeeding (p = 0.03) and neonate's age (p < 0.01) significantly affected weight gain. GEE estimated the values of the parameters under study and the testing contribution of each factor to weight gain, leading to the conclusion that gender, parities and maternal education did not contribute to weight gain. The neonate's weight gain pattern for C-section deliveries lies below that of normal vaginal deliveries until 25 days postpartum, when weight gain for C-section deliveries became higher than that for normal vaginal deliveries.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Type of delivery contributes strongly to the weight gain pattern in the first month of infancy. In spite of greater weight loss among C-section birth neonates in the first days of life, at the end of the first month neonates showed a similar weight gain. Consequently, mothers with C-section delivery can successfully exclusively breastfeed.</p

Real-Life Incentives Driving Public-Private Partnership in Diagnostic Services

BACKGROUND: Diagnostic services are highly critical in the success of treatment processes, overly costly nonetheless. Accordingly, hospitals generally seek the private partnership in the provision of such services. This study intends to explore the incentives owned by both public and private sector in their joint provision of diagnostic services under the public-private partnership agreement.METHOD: A qualitative, exploratory study was employed in Tehran hospitals from October 2017 to March 2018. Around 25 face-to-face, semi structured interviews were conducted with the purposively recruited hospital managers, heads of diagnostic services and managers of private companies. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed using conventional content analysis, assisted by "MAXQDA-12".RESULTS: Three main categories and nine sub-categories represented the incentives of public sector, and four main categories and seven sub-categories signified those of private sector. The incentives of public sector included the status-quo remediation, upstream requirements, and personal reasons. As such, the individual, social and economic incentives and legal constraints were driving the behavior of the private sector.CONCLUSIONS: Financial problem and gain were the most noted incentives by the partners. Attention to the either side’s incentives and aims is likely to ensure the durability and effectiveness of such partnerships in the health sector

Molecular identification of Pseudomonas aeruginosa recovered from cystic fibrosis patients

Objective. Precise identification of various morphotypes of Pseduomonas aeruginosa which developed during cystic fibrosis (CF) is of prime importance. We aimed to identify the isolates of P. aeruginosa recovered from CF patients at the genus and species level through primers targeting oprI and oprL genes via PCR. Methods. Sputum samples or throat swabs were taken from 100 CF patients and plated on cetrimide agar. All suspected colonies were primarily screened for P. aeruginosa by a combination of phenotypic tests. Molecular identification of colonies was per- formed using specific primers for oprI and oprL genes.Results. Based on phenotypic tests, P. aeruginosa isolates were recovered from 40% of CF patients. Forty isolates yielded ampli- con of oprI gene using genus-specific primers confirming the identity of fluorescent pseudomonads. However, 37 of 40 isolates yielded amplicon of oprL gene using species-specific primers, verifying the identity of P. aeruginosa. Conclusion. This study showed that the species-specific PCR tar- geting oprL gene can be used as accurate test for identification of highly adaptable P. aeruginosa in CF patients. This procedure may provide a simple and reliable method for identification of various morphotypes

Prevalence of Home Smoking Bans and its Determinants in Families with Infants

Background Exposure to cigarette smoke has numerous health risks for infants and children. Home smoking ban is a simple way to reduce the detrimental impacts of cigarette smoke. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of cigarette smoking bans in homes as well as associated factors in families with infants in Tehran, Iran. Materials and Methods This study was a population-based cross-sectional survey on 1,112 families with infants, selected through stratified-cluster sampling. In this study, a researcher made questionnaire including four parts: sociodemographic characteristics, smoking status, smoking restrictions, and parental awareness and belief, was completed. The multivariable logistic regression was used to investigate the relationship between smoking bans in homes and associated factors. Results Complete smoking ban in homes was 37.3%. In the multivariable logistic regression, cigarette smoking ban in homes was significantly higher for employed mothers (odds ratio [OR] = 3.03, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.2-7.2, P<0.001), for those who did not have any smoker friends or relatives (OR = 2.3, 95% CI: 1.3-4.4, P<0.001), for those smoking a smaller number of cigarettes (OR = 2.7, 95% CI: 1.4-5.3, P=0.003), and for parents who concurred with the impacts of thirdhand cigarette smoke on infant health (OR = 4.7, 95% CI: 1.4-14.9, P<0.001). Conclusion This study indicates that complete smoking ban is not established in many households with infants in Iran. Furthermore, it is necessary to perform health interventions for reducing infant exposure to cigarette smoke, while considering the factors associated with smoking ban. Keyword

The impact of cancer incidence on catastrophic health expenditure in Iran with a Bayesian spatio-temporal analysis

Background : We investigated the impact of cancer incidence on CHE in Iran by considering spatial variation across provinces as well as temporal trends. Methods : Data from Household Income-Expenditure Survey were merged with cancer incidence rates during 2011-2016. We developed a Bayesian hierarchical model to explore the spatial and temporal patterns of CHE and its associated factors at provincial level. We used a Besag-York-Mollie2 prior and a random walk prior for spatial and temporal random effects respectively. All statistical analysis was carried out in R software. Results : All-type cancer incidence (OR per SD (95% CrI) = 1.16 (1.02, 1.32)), unemployment rate (1.08 (1.01, 1.15)) and income equity (0.88 (0.81, 0.97)) have important association with CHE. Percentage of urbanization and percentage of poverty were not statistically significant. Conclusion : The results suggest the development of new policies to protect cancer patients against financial hardship, narrow the gap in income inequality and solve the problem of high unemployment rate to reduce the level of CHE at provincial level.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Breast cancer-preventive behaviors: exploring Iranian women’s experiences

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer-preventive behaviors are critical for community and women’s health. Although many studies have addressed women’s knowledge and attitudes toward breast cancer, little information is available about their experiences of breast cancer preventive behaviors. This study aimed to explore the experiences of Iranian women regarding preventive behaviors. METHODS: This was a qualitative study. A sample of Iranian women aged 30 years and over was selected purposefully. Data collected through focus group and semi-structured audiotaped interviews and were analyzed by conventional content analysis. RESULTS: The following five main themes emerged from the analysis: attitude toward breast cancer and preventive behaviors, stress management, healthy lifestyle, perceived social support and individual/environmental barriers. The findings showed that women were highly motivated to preventive behaviors of breast cancer but faced considerable challenges. CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicated that increased awareness, positive attitudes, stronger motivational factors, and fewer barriers toward preventive behaviors are most important parameters that might encourage women to practice breast cancer-preventive behaviors

Identification of Klebsiella pneumoniae Carbapenemase-producing Klebsiella oxytoca in Clinical Isolates in Tehran Hospitals, Iran by Chromogenic Medium and Molecular Methods

Objectives: Production of carbapenemase, especially Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemases (KPC), is one of the antibiotic resistance mechanisms of Enterobacteriaceae such as Klebsiella oxytoca. This study aimed to investigate and identify KPC-producing K. oxytoca isolates using molecular and phenotypic methods. Methods: A total of 75 isolates of K. oxytoca were isolated from various clinical samples, and were verified as K. oxytoca after performing standard microbiological tests and using a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method. An antibiotic susceptibility test was performed using a disc diffusion method according to the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines. CHROMagar KPC chromogenic culture media was used to examine and confirm the production of the carbapenemase enzyme in K. oxytoca isolates; in addition, PCR was used to evaluate the presence of blaKPC gene in K. oxytoca strains. Results: Of a total of 75 K. oxytoca isolates, one multidrug resistant strain was isolated from the urine of a hospitalized woman. This strain was examined to assess its ability to produce carbapenemase enzyme; it produced a colony with a blue metallic color on the CHROMagar KPC chromogenic culture media. In addition, the blaKPC gene was confirmed by PCR. After sequencing, it was confirmed and deposited in GenBank. Conclusion: To date, many cases of KPC-producing Enterobacteriaceae, in particular K. pneumoniae, have been reported in different countries; there are also some reports on the identification of KPC-producing K. oxytoca. Therefore