Cigarette and hookah smoking and their relationship with self-esteem and communication skills among high school students

Background: Tobacco smoking is one of the most important public health problems that may be prevented. There is limited information about its relationship with communication skills. Findings on the relationships between self-esteem and cigarette/hookah smoking are inconsistent. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationships between cigarette and hookah smoking,self-esteem and communication skills among a representative sample of high school students. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a sample of 1321 tenth-grade students (14-17 years) was selected through multi-stage proportionally cluster sampling in Tabriz, 2017. The participants completed a self–administered multiple choice questionnaire including questions about cigarette smoking, hookah smoking, self-esteem, and communication skills. Results: After controlling for potential confounders, the results demonstrated that higher score of self-esteem protects students against being in advanced stages of cigarette smoking (odds ratio [OR] = 0.95, 95% CI: 0.92-0.99, P=0.012). However, there was no significant association between self-esteem score and the hookah smoking. Also, there was no significant association between communication skills score and cigarette and hookah smoking. Conclusion: According to our findings, self-esteem was associated with cigarette smoking,but not with hookah smoking. Furthermore, there was no statistically significant association between communication skills score and cigarette and hookah smoking

HYSSOP and POLIUM could help to prevent COVID-19 in high-risk population: The results of a parallel randomized placebo-controlled field trial

243-253This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of HYSSOP (composed of Hyssopus officinalis L., Echium amoenum Fisch & C. A. Mey and Glycyrrhiza glabra L.) and POLIUM (contained Teucrium polium L., Cuscuta epithymum Murr and Cichorium intybus L.) combined distilled herbal medicines compared to placebo in the prevention of COVID-19. This is a double-blind parallel placebo-controlled field trial conducted on 751 asymptomatic individuals whose one of the family members recently had a positive RT-PCR test for COVID-19. They were divided into three groups including POLIUM, HYSSOP and placebo using random blocks with a 1:1:1 allocation ratio. Participants received daily 5 cc (under 12 years) or 10 cc (over 12 years) of allocated oral medications for 20 days. The primary outcome was the frequency of positive RT-PCR test among participants who became symptomatic. The mean age of participants was 36.6. Nineteen participants get infected by COVID-19 during the intervention; fifteen of them belonged to the placebo and four to the POLIUM group. Fisher's exact test indicated significant differences between HYSSOP and placebo (p<0.001) as well as POLIUM and placebo (p=0.009) groups in terms of COVID-19 confirmed by PCR tests. Cox regression model adjusted for confounders illustrated that the hazard of getting infection by COVID-19 in POLIUM and HYSSOP groups decreased by 66% (OR (95% CI): 0.34 (0.12 to 0.94); p=0.038) and 93% (OR (95% CI): 0.07 (0.01to 0.56); p=0.012) respectively, compared to placebo .Oral administration of HYSSOP and POLIUM with the other supportive health care could decrease the risk of getting COVID-19

Spatial autocorrelation and epidemiological survey of visceral leishmaniasis in an endemic area of Azerbaijan region, the northwest of Iran.

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a common infectious disease that is endemic in Iran. This study aimed to investigate the spatial autocorrelation of VL in the northwest of Iran. In this cross-sectional study, the data of all patients were collected in 2009-2017 and analyzed by SPSS23 and Moran's and General G Index. The MaxEnt3.3.3 software was used to determine the ecological niche. A big hot spot area was identified in five counties in the northwest of Iran. More than 70% of the cases were reported from these regions, and the incidence rate increased in the northwest of Iran from 2013 to 2017. Seasonal rainfall and average daily temperature were the most important climate variables affecting the incidence of VL in this region (p < 0.05). Therefore, it can be concluded that VL in the northwest of Iran is expanding to new areas along the border with the Republic of Azerbaijan, and the northeastern section of this region is a high-risk area

Uncovering the knowledge gap: A web-based survey of healthcare providers' understanding and management of dengue fever in East Azerbaijan, Iran.

BackgroundDengue fever (DF) is increasingly recognized as one of the world's major mosquito-borne diseases and causes significant morbidity and mortality in tropical and subtropical countries. Appropriate and timely diagnosis and risk stratification for severe disease are crucial in the appropriate management of this illness. Healthcare providers (HCPs) play a key role in dengue fever diagnosis, management and prevention. The present study was conducted to determine the knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) among HCPs in East Azerbaijan Province, Iran.MethodsA cross-sectional survey among 948 HCPs, using a structured questionnaire, was conducted in East Azerbaijan Province from May to July 2022. Data analysis was undertaken using descriptive methods, the Chi-square test or Fisher's exact test, and logistic regression. A P-value ResultsOut of the 948 (68.5% female) respondents, 227 were physicians and 721 were health professionals. The knowledge level of DF was found to be largely inadequate in the present study population (80.4%). The physician vs. health professional were a significant factor in differentiating attitude scores. The mean practice score regarding DF prevention and control measures among respondents was 8.40±1.97.ConclusionThe findings call for urgent continuous education and training courses to increase KAP levels and increased capacity and capability for DF prevention and control. This is of outmost importance for the first point of care of DF patients

HYSSOP and POLIUM could help to prevent COVID-19 in high-risk population: The results of a parallel randomized placebo-controlled field trial

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of HYSSOP (composed of Hyssopus officinalis, Echium amoenum, and Glycyrrhiza glabra L) and POLIUM (contained Teucrium polium L, Cuscuta epithymum Murr, and Cichorium intybus L) combined distilled herbal medicines compared to placebo in prevention of COVID-19. This is a double-blind parallel placebo-controlled field trial conducted on 751 asymptomatic individuals who one of the family members recently had a positive RT-PCR test for COVID-19. They were divided into three groups including POLIUM, HYSSOP, and placebousing random blocks with a 1:1:1 allocation ratio. Participants received daily 5 cc (under 12 years) or 10 cc (over 12 years) of allocated oral medications for 20 days. The primary outcome was the frequency of positive RT-PCR test among participants who became symptomatic. The mean age of participants was 36.6. Nineteen participants get infected by COVID-19 during the intervention; fifteen of them belonged to the placebo and four to the POLIUM group. Fisher's exact test indicated significant differences between HYSSOP and placebo (p&lt;0.001) as well as POLIUM and placebo (p=0.009) groups in terms of COVID-19 confirmed by PCR test. Cox regression model adjusted for confounders illustrated that the hazard of getting infection by COVID-19 in POLIUM and HYSSOP groups decreased by 66% (OR (95% CI): 0.34 (0.12 to 0.94); p=0.038) and 93% (OR (95% CI): 0.07 (0.01to 0.56); p=0.012) respectively, compared to placebo. Oral administration of HYSSOP and POLIUM with the other supportive health care could decrease the risk of getting COVID-19