Efficacy of Smoking Cessation on Stress, Anxiety, and Depression in Smokers with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial

Background: Stress, anxiety, and depression have been reported as very common comorbidities in smokers with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This study was aimed to investigate the effectiveness of smoking cessation on stress, anxiety, and depression in smokers with COPD. Methods: Three block-randomized controlled trial groups with a block size of 6 and 9 including guided self-change (GSC) (n = 19), nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) (n = 19), and combined GSC-NRT (n = 19) with a follow-up of 29 weeks were considered in this research. Participants included elderly adult smokers with COPD. The patients carried out 5 weekly GSC counseling sessions and NRT for smoking cessation. Transtheoretical Model (TTM) questionnaire, Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND), Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS), the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) as well as the exhaled carbon monoxide (CO) were evaluated over the baseline and 12 and 29 weeks following treatments. Findings: COPD participants with mean of 23 daily cigarette smoking completed the current study. The odds ratio (OR) of smoking cessation in GSC and GSC-NRT groups decreased more than NRT group. In addition, DASS, FTND, and the exhaled CO in GSC and GSC-NRT groups showed a better performance compared with the NRT group. Conclusion: The results showed that GSC and combined GSC-NRT therapy were significantly more effective than NRT alone. Also, the findings showed that GSC, NRT, and combined GSC-NRT were effective on stress, depression, and anxiety decreasing in smoking cessation. It seems that reducing smoking is associated with recovery in stress, anxiety, and depression in smokers with COPD

Diagnostic and prognostic significance of ALU-based cell-free DNA in colorectal cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

IntroductionColorectal cancer (CRC) is a major global health concern. This study aimed to investigate the role of ALU-based cell-free DNA (cfDNA) in the diagnosis and prognosis of CRC.MethodsWe selected relevant literature from PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, EMBASE, and Science Direct databases based on strict inclusion and exclusion criteria. 17 eligible studies were included in the final analysis (13 studies for diagnostic and 4 studies for prognostic meta-analysis). The search covered relevant publications up to July 1, 2024.ResultsThe pooled sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic odds ratios (DOR) of ALU-based cfDNA in CRC diagnosis were 0.81 (95% CI= [0.70, 0.89]), 0.90 (95% CI= [0.70, 0.96]), and 40.58 (95% CI= [17.87, 92.19]), respectively. The area under the ROC curve was 0.92 (95% CI= [0.89, 0.94]). Patients with higher concentrations of plasma/serum ALU-based cfDNA had poorer overall survival (OS) (pooled hazard ratio = 2.33 ([95% CI= [1.80, 3.03]).ConclusionThe current evidence supports the utility of circulating ALU as a promising non-invasive diagnostic and prognostic tool for CRC. Furthermore, as a potential biomarker, ALU-based cfDNA could play a significant role in clinical application.Clinical implicationsThe evidence suggests that circulating ALU-based cell-free DNA (cfDNA) holds promise as a non-invasive diagnostic and prognostic tool for colorectal cancer, potentially enhancing clinical decision-making.Systematic review registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, identifier PROSPERO (CRD42023486369)

Antibiotic Resistance and RAPD-PCR Genotyping of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Clinical Strains Isolated from Intensive Care Unit Patients

Background: Pseudomonas aeruginosa is one the most important nosocomial pathogens, especially in immunocompromised patients. Identifying the source of contamination in health centers plays an important role in the control of hospital infections. The aim of this study was to determine antibiotic susceptibility and genetic patterns of P. aeruginosa isolated from patients hospitalized in intensive care unit of Masih Daneshvari Hospital, Tehran, Iran. Materials and Methods: Antibiotic susceptibility of the isolates was examined through 10 antibiotics recommended by Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI, 2018) guidelines using the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method. Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis with the short primer of 272 was used to evaluate genetic relationship among the isolates and the results were analyzed by Gelcompar II software. Results: Of the antibiotics used, the most sensitive was found in colistin (96.4%) and the highest resistance rates were observed in cefotaxime (94.6%), chloramphenicol (83.9%) and imipenem (71.4%). DNA fingerprinting was able to identify 12 genetic patterns by RAPD-PCR technique. Conclusion: Antibiotic resistance in isolates of P. aeruginosa is rising and there is possibility of occurring outbreaks in the medical centers. Different sources of strains show their constant exchange via intra- and extra-hospital transmission routes. Thus, according to the data of this study, there is a serious need to control sources of infections by physicians and staff when they are working in several sectors to control and prevent the transmission of the bacterium

Progress towards Every Newborn Action Plan (ENAP) implementation in Iran:obstacles and bottlenecks

Background: Neonatal mortality accounts for more than 47% of deaths among children under five globally but proper care at and around the time of birth could prevent about two-thirds of these deaths. The Every Newborn Action Plan (ENAP) offers a plan and vision to improve and achieve equitable and high-quality care for mothers and newborns. We applied the bottleneck analysis tool offered by ENAP to identify obstacles and bottlenecks hindering the scale-up of newborn care across seven health system building blocks. Methods: We applied the every newborn bottleneck analysis tool to identify obstacles hindering the scale-up of newborn care across seven health system building blocks. We used qualitative methods to collect data from five medical universities and their corresponding hospitals in three provinces. We also interviewed other national experts, key informants, and stakeholders in neonatal care. In addition, we reviewed and qualitatively analyzed the performance report of neonatal care and services from 16 medical universities around the country. Results: We identified many challenges and bottlenecks in the scale-up of newborn care in Iran. The major obstacles included but were not limited to the lack of a single leading and governing entity for newborn care, insufficient financial resources for neonatal care services, insufficient number of skilled health professionals, and inadequate patient transfer. Conclusions: To address identified bottlenecks in neonatal health care in Iran, some of our recommendations were as follows: establishing a single national authorizing and leading entity, allocating specific budget to newborn care, matching high-quality neonatal health care providers to the needs of all urban and rural areas, maintaining clear policies on the distribution of NICUs to minimize the need for patient transfer, and using the available and reliable private sector NICU ambulances for safe patient transfer.</p

Beneficial Effects of Rosmarinus Officinalis for Treatment of Opium Withdrawal Syndrome during Addiction Treatment Programs: A Clinical Trial

Background: Withdrawal syndrome may influence patient's motivation for participation in addiction treatment programs. Management of the symptoms can improve the success rate of addiction treatment programs. In the present study, we have evaluated the efficiency of an herbal product as adjunct therapy for alleviation of withdrawal syndrome in opium abuse. Methods: In the present clinical trial, 81 patients were assigned into case and control groups. The control group was treated with methadone and placebo for 4 weeks. The case group was treated with methadone and powdered dried leaves of Rosmarinus officinalis for the same interval. Occurrence of withdrawal syndrome was compared between groups on days 3, 7, and 14 after beginning of the treatment, and the possible signs and symptoms of withdrawal syndrome were checked. The clinical opioid withdrawal scale (COWS) was used for evaluation of withdrawal syndrome in the patients. Findings: Patients in the case group experienced less severe withdrawal syndrome compared to those in the control group; chiefly bone pain, perspiration, and insomnia. Conclusion: The present study showed that rosemary can be used as an optional extra drug for treatment of withdrawal syndrome during treatment programs for opium addiction and possibly addiction to other opioids. Keywords: Withdrawal syndrome, Rosmarinus officinalis, Opium, Addictio

Family Planning Practice by Patterns of Marriage in the North of Iran

Background: The fertility experience in Iran suggests that the family planning programs had an effective role in the fertility reduction. This study aimed to specify patterns of marriage in Iran and especially in a northern city of Iran and to investigate the association between patterns of marriage and contraceptive use before first pregnancy and current contraceptive use. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, following the implementation of an expert panel in order to investigate marriage patterns, 880 women aged 15-49 yr old, were selected by multistage cluster sampling and completed the "reproductive practices" questionnaire in Babol City, northern Iran, in 2013. The data were analyzed using IBM SPSS ver.16 and descriptive and analytical parameters. Results: There are three patterns of marriage in the northern part of Iran: Traditional, Mixed and Modern marriage and between different patterns there is no statistically significant difference in the contraceptive use. Conclusion: According to the lack of significant relationship between patterns of marriage and the contraceptives use, which is one of the proximate determinants of fertility, the policy makers should pay attention to other determinants of fertility in order to manage the problems and implications of population decline in the country

Abnormal Neighboring Liability in Islamic, Iranian and French Law

Today, one of the things that is considered in neighborhoods is to enjoy the right to quality of life. Various types of activities in neighboring can disrupt the quality of life of neighbors. Some of these activities attend with fault and some of them are false and illegal. The deep dependence of most civil liability systems on fault precludes the provision of effective remedies for regulated activities can lead to disturbances in the quality of life in neighborhoods. In the French legal system, due to the weakness of the criterion of fault in the face of abnormal neighboring, a new theory called " abnormal neighboring" has been raised. In this theory, it has been tried to provide an appropriate measure for measuring and compensating for the damage caused by these activities. It seems that the system of Islamic civil responsibility can provide a suitable solution to abnormal neighboring through the "benefit-risk" rule

Pattern design for web-based tutoring based on attendance factor

تا به امروز آموزش مبتنی بر وب روند رو به رشدی را طی نموده است. تعداد بی‌شماری از دوره‌های آموزش مبتنی بر وب توسط مؤسسات آموزشی در سرتاسر دنیا ارائه شده است. برغم افزایش چشم‌گیر دوره‌های مبتنی بر وب و فراگیرانی که در این دوره‌ها ثبت‌نام می‌کنند،  نشانه‌های زیادی مبنی بر اینکه دوره‌های فوق در برآورده سازی نیازهای فراگیران ناموفق بوده و فراگیران تجارب ناموفقی را از چنین دوره‌هایی به یاد دارند،  به چشم می‌خورد. در این بین نتایج بسیاری از تحقیقات نشان می‌دهد عامل حضور، عامل مهمی در پیشرفت و موثر بودن همه آموزش‌ها از جمله آموزش‌های سنتی و از راه دور بوده و همبستگی بالایی با پیشرفت تحصیلی و رضایت فراگیران دارد. بر این اساس، پژوهش حاضر باهدف طراحی الگویی برای آموزش‌های مبتنی بر وب بر اساس عامل حضور انجام شد. روش تحقیق مورد استفاده در این مطالعه، تحلیل محتوای کیفی از نوع قیاسی بود جامعه پژوهش، شامل کلیه منابع و مقالات مرتبط نمایه شده در پایگاه‌های اطلاعاتی پروکوئیست، اسپرینگر، ساینسدایرکت، امرالد، ابسکو، سیج، اریک، و گوگل اسکولار بود. نمونه‌برداری از این منابع با روش نمونه‌گیری هدفمند انجام گرفت، 39 مقاله و کتاب مطابق معیارهای مورد نظر بررسی شد و داده‌های حاصله برای تشکیل چهارچوب پیشنهادی تلفیق گردید

The Effect of Premenstrual Syndrome on Quality of Life in Adolescent Girls

"n&nbsp;Objective: "n "nPremenstrual Syndrome (PMS) is a common psychosomatic disorder and about 30%-50% of women in the childbearing age suffer from mild to moderate form of this disorder and 3%-8% suffer from its sever form. The symptoms of this disorder are related to the specific biological characteristics of women&apos;s reproductive age that can start from teen years. The symptoms&apos; devastating effect on these crucial years of life can result in a sense of dissatisfaction and inadequacy. The purpose of this study was to determine the correlation between premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and quality of life (QOL) in adolescent girls. "nMethod: This research is a descriptive-analytic study. The participants were 360 adolescent girls (180 in each group), studying in the second year of high school in south of Tehran. The participants were selected in a multistage randomly- clustered design according to their schools. Respondents completed the demographic questionnaire, premenstrual syndrome symptom daily record scale, and the medical study short form-36 (SF-36). "nResults: Compared with healthy adolescents, those with PMS had a lower score of SF-36 in all the scales (P&lt;0.001). Except for mental health and vitality, no significant difference was observed between other scales of quality of life according to SF-36 in various severities of PMS (P&gt;0.05). However, a statistically meaningful difference was observed in mental health and vitality of SF-36 in severe form of PMS in compare to mild and moderate PMS P=0.002). "nConclusion: Premenstrual syndrome is associated with substantial burden on QOL in adolescents. In addition, increasing severity in PMS symptoms results in decreased quality of mental health and vitality