The effect of curcumin on biochemical and hematological indices of red blood cells during and after taking ecstasy in male Wistar rats

Background: The using of ecstasy pills or 3, 4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) has severe damage to various systems of the body, including blood cells. In this study, we investigated the protective effect of curcumin (turmeric extract) on red blood cells and its hematological and biochemical indices with and after taking ecstasy. Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, 40 adult male rats were divided into five groups: group1; control without MDMA and Curcumin, group 2; received MDMA, group 3; received MDMA and curcumin, group 4; received MDMA for 15 days, then 15 days later, no drug injection and group 5; received MDMA for 15 days, then injection of curcumin for 15 days later. The blood samples were collected and then, blood smears were prepared to assess morphology of red bleed cells mean values morphology of red blood cells. Results: The mean of red blood cell levels were significantly lower in MDMA recipient groups than in the control group. By using curcumin during and after taking ecstasy the level of red blood cells and hemoglobin were significantly decreased compared with that in the control group. Also, red blood cells were significantly decreased in the curcumin recipient groups compared with the MDMA groups. The total bilirubin levels in 2 and 4 groups which received MDMA alone, as well as in 3 and 5 groups received MDMA with curcumin were significantly higher than those in the control group. Conclusion: The effect of curcumin during and after taking ecstasy is likely due to a high digestive absorption of MDMA by curcumin or non-metabolizing of MDMA when using curcumin

Evaluation of bacterial and fungal contamination in equipments used in ladies and gentleman barbers in Shahrekord, 2009

زمینه و هدف: عفونت های قارچی و باکتریایی از جمله بیماری های واگیردار و شایعی هستند که در همه جا یافت می شوند و آرایشگاه ها به لحاظ عمومی بودن در این میان اهمیت خاصی دارند. این مطالعه با هدف بررسی آرایشگاه های شهرکرد از نظر آلودگی های میکروبی استافیلوکوک آرئوس و قارچ های درماتوفیت انجام شد. روش بررسی: در این تحقیق توصیفی– تحلیلی داده ها از طریق تکمیل چک لیست، نمونه گیری میکروبی و قارچی و انجام تجربیات آزمایشگاهی جمع آوری و به کمک آزمون آماری کای دو تجزیه و تحلیل شد. یافته ها: استافیلوکوک آرئوس عامل 4/12 آلودگی میکروبی بود. در بین آلودگی های قارچی کمتر از 1 قارچ درماتوفیت (میکروسپوروم نانوم)، 2/8 کاندیدا آلبیکانس، 11 پنی سیلیوم، 3/3 رایزوپوس و کمتر از 1 اسکوپولاریوپسیس مشاهده گردید. بین نتایج میکروبی و نوع آرایشگاه و همچنین بین نتایج میکروبی و موقعیت محلی آرایشگاه ارتباط معنی داری وجود نداشت. نتیجه گیری: سطح آلودگی به استافیلوکوک آرئوس و قارچ های درماتوفیت در آرایشگاه های شهرکرد در مقایسه با تحقیق های انجام شده در سایر اماکن عمومی نظیر بیمارستان ها، استخرهای شنا، مجموعه های ورزشی و اتاق عمل کمتر است

The comparison of executive functions between active users of methamphetamine and those in abstinence phase

BACKGROUND: Addiction to stimuli causes malfunction and morphologic changes in the nervous system. Representation of these changes in exclusive functions is accompanied by contradictory findings. This study was conducted aiming to compare the executive functions of two groups of users and non-users of methamphetamine in Tehran, Iran.METHODS: This study was conducted in the form of a case–control study from October 2014 to March 2014. In this regard, 30 men who were active users of methamphetamine and 35 men who were in abstinence phase in Tehran were selected using respondent-driven sampling (RDS) method and assigned into two groups. The executive functions of the two groups were evaluated using the software version of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) and the data were analyzed using t-test and chi-square test using SPSS software.RESULTS: The exclusive function index in methamphetamine users significantly decreased in comparison with the control group. Also, the preservation errors in consumer group were greater than the control group (P < 0.050).CONCLUSION: The results of this study showed that exclusive functions in stimulant users were associated with significant damage. Considering the importance of executive functions as a mediating factor in the recurrence of consumption, it is desirable to decrease the function of this index in the treatment of dependence to methamphetamine to be on the center of clinical attention

Comparison of Oral Health-Related Quality of Life, Patient Satisfaction, and Stress Level between Patients Undergone Fixed Orthodontic Treatment and Clear Aligner Therapy

Introduction: Few studies were conducted on the effectiveness of clear aligners. The present study aimed to compare the quality of life related to oral health, patient satisfaction, and the level of anxiety caused by treatment in patients treated with fixed orthodontics and clear aligners.Materials and Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was conducted on 100 patients undergoing fixed orthodontic treatment six months from the start of their treatment and 100 patients undergoing treatment with clear aligners six months from the start of their treatment. The Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) questionnaire was used to compare the effect of these two treatments on the quality of life related to the oral health of these patients. Additionally, Patient Satisfaction (PSQ-18) questionnaire was used to check patients’ satisfaction and State Trait Anxiety Inventory was used to assess patients’ anxiety status.Results: The patients included 78 (38. 8%) males and 122 (61.2%) females. The average quality of life related to oral health was 53.26 with a range of 19 to 69, the average patient satisfaction was 42. 46, with a range of 14 to 50, and the mean and standard deviation of anxiety caused by treatment was 72. 26 ± 13. 93 with a range of 37 to 99. The average anxiety caused by the treatment in the transparent aligners group was significantly higher than the fixed orthodontic group (P<0.001). The average quality of life related to oral health in the transparent aligners group questionnaire was significantly lower than the fixed orthodontic group (P<0.001).Conclusion: The findings of this study showed that the level of anxiety of clear aligners recipients is higher, and their quality of life is lower

Reproductive morbidity among Iranian women; issues often inappropriately addressed in health seeking behaviors

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Reproductive morbidity has a huge impact on the health and quality of life of women. We aimed to determine the prevalence of reproductive morbidities and the health seeking behavior of a nationally representative sample of Iranian urban women.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A sample of 1252 women, aged 18-45 years, was selected using the multi stage, stratified probability sampling procedure. Data were collected through interviews and physical, gynecological and ultrasonographic examinations.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Reproductive tract infection (RTIs), pelvic organ prolapse (POP) and menstrual dysfunction were the three main groups of morbidities with a prevalence of 37.6%, 41.4% and 30.1%., respectively. Our study demonstrated that 35.1, 34.5 and 9.6 percent of women experienced one, two or these reproductive organ disorders mentioned, respectively, while 20.6 percent of participants had none of these disorders. Findings also showed that the majority of women who suffered from reproductive morbidities (on average two out of three) had not sought appropriate care for these except for infertility.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Reproductive health morbidities impose a large burden among Iranian women and have negative impact on their reproductive health and wellbeing.</p

Global burden of 288 causes of death and life expectancy decomposition in 204 countries and territories and 811 subnational locations, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

BACKGROUND Regular, detailed reporting on population health by underlying cause of death is fundamental for public health decision making. Cause-specific estimates of mortality and the subsequent effects on life expectancy worldwide are valuable metrics to gauge progress in reducing mortality rates. These estimates are particularly important following large-scale mortality spikes, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. When systematically analysed, mortality rates and life expectancy allow comparisons of the consequences of causes of death globally and over time, providing a nuanced understanding of the effect of these causes on global populations. METHODS The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2021 cause-of-death analysis estimated mortality and years of life lost (YLLs) from 288 causes of death by age-sex-location-year in 204 countries and territories and 811 subnational locations for each year from 1990 until 2021. The analysis used 56 604 data sources, including data from vital registration and verbal autopsy as well as surveys, censuses, surveillance systems, and cancer registries, among others. As with previous GBD rounds, cause-specific death rates for most causes were estimated using the Cause of Death Ensemble model-a modelling tool developed for GBD to assess the out-of-sample predictive validity of different statistical models and covariate permutations and combine those results to produce cause-specific mortality estimates-with alternative strategies adapted to model causes with insufficient data, substantial changes in reporting over the study period, or unusual epidemiology. YLLs were computed as the product of the number of deaths for each cause-age-sex-location-year and the standard life expectancy at each age. As part of the modelling process, uncertainty intervals (UIs) were generated using the 2·5th and 97·5th percentiles from a 1000-draw distribution for each metric. We decomposed life expectancy by cause of death, location, and year to show cause-specific effects on life expectancy from 1990 to 2021. We also used the coefficient of variation and the fraction of population affected by 90% of deaths to highlight concentrations of mortality. Findings are reported in counts and age-standardised rates. Methodological improvements for cause-of-death estimates in GBD 2021 include the expansion of under-5-years age group to include four new age groups, enhanced methods to account for stochastic variation of sparse data, and the inclusion of COVID-19 and other pandemic-related mortality-which includes excess mortality associated with the pandemic, excluding COVID-19, lower respiratory infections, measles, malaria, and pertussis. For this analysis, 199 new country-years of vital registration cause-of-death data, 5 country-years of surveillance data, 21 country-years of verbal autopsy data, and 94 country-years of other data types were added to those used in previous GBD rounds. FINDINGS The leading causes of age-standardised deaths globally were the same in 2019 as they were in 1990; in descending order, these were, ischaemic heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lower respiratory infections. In 2021, however, COVID-19 replaced stroke as the second-leading age-standardised cause of death, with 94·0 deaths (95% UI 89·2-100·0) per 100 000 population. The COVID-19 pandemic shifted the rankings of the leading five causes, lowering stroke to the third-leading and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease to the fourth-leading position. In 2021, the highest age-standardised death rates from COVID-19 occurred in sub-Saharan Africa (271·0 deaths [250·1-290·7] per 100 000 population) and Latin America and the Caribbean (195·4 deaths [182·1-211·4] per 100 000 population). The lowest age-standardised death rates from COVID-19 were in the high-income super-region (48·1 deaths [47·4-48·8] per 100 000 population) and southeast Asia, east Asia, and Oceania (23·2 deaths [16·3-37·2] per 100 000 population). Globally, life expectancy steadily improved between 1990 and 2019 for 18 of the 22 investigated causes. Decomposition of global and regional life expectancy showed the positive effect that reductions in deaths from enteric infections, lower respiratory infections, stroke, and neonatal deaths, among others have contributed to improved survival over the study period. However, a net reduction of 1·6 years occurred in global life expectancy between 2019 and 2021, primarily due to increased death rates from COVID-19 and other pandemic-related mortality. Life expectancy was highly variable between super-regions over the study period, with southeast Asia, east Asia, and Oceania gaining 8·3 years (6·7-9·9) overall, while having the smallest reduction in life expectancy due to COVID-19 (0·4 years). The largest reduction in life expectancy due to COVID-19 occurred in Latin America and the Caribbean (3·6 years). Additionally, 53 of the 288 causes of death were highly concentrated in locations with less than 50% of the global population as of 2021, and these causes of death became progressively more concentrated since 1990, when only 44 causes showed this pattern. The concentration phenomenon is discussed heuristically with respect to enteric and lower respiratory infections, malaria, HIV/AIDS, neonatal disorders, tuberculosis, and measles. INTERPRETATION Long-standing gains in life expectancy and reductions in many of the leading causes of death have been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the adverse effects of which were spread unevenly among populations. Despite the pandemic, there has been continued progress in combatting several notable causes of death, leading to improved global life expectancy over the study period. Each of the seven GBD super-regions showed an overall improvement from 1990 and 2021, obscuring the negative effect in the years of the pandemic. Additionally, our findings regarding regional variation in causes of death driving increases in life expectancy hold clear policy utility. Analyses of shifting mortality trends reveal that several causes, once widespread globally, are now increasingly concentrated geographically. These changes in mortality concentration, alongside further investigation of changing risks, interventions, and relevant policy, present an important opportunity to deepen our understanding of mortality-reduction strategies. Examining patterns in mortality concentration might reveal areas where successful public health interventions have been implemented. Translating these successes to locations where certain causes of death remain entrenched can inform policies that work to improve life expectancy for people everywhere. FUNDING Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

An Examination of Berman’s Negative Deformation Tendencies on Persian Translation of Tess of the d’Urbervilles Novel

The primary purpose of this study was to examine the frequency of deforming tendencies on Persian translation of Hardy’s Tess of the d’Urbervilles based on Berman’s model. Moreover, the study set out to find out how words have been changed from the source language to fit the target language by adopting deforming tendencies. To achieve the aims of study, the researchers relied on content or document analysis as a qualitative type of study to analyze the strategies which were used in the translation of Tess of the d’Urbervilles novel from English to Persian. The data came from a sample of 300 sentences which were randomly selected from the novel translated into the Persian language by Mina Sarabi.The trustworthiness of the research findings was met through inter-rater agreement and it was reported 0.94. The results indicated that Persian translation of the work suffered from lexical mismatches, destruction of rhythm and destruction of vernacular networks, although destruction of rhythms and destruction of vernacular networks were among the most frequently used deformation tendencies. The findings also revealed that the translation has in one way or another maintained the genre and social stance of the author. Overall, it appears that Berman offers a model which is too severe on keeping the form and syntax of the source text in the Persian translation of Hardy’s Tess of the d’Urbervilles