Physico-chemical properties, fatty acid profile and nutrition in palm oil

The rapid expansion in world production of palm oil over the last three decades has attracted the attention of the oils and fats industry. Oil palm gives the highest yield of oil per unit of any crop. Palm oil is the major oil produced, with annual world production in excess of 50 million tonnes. Throughout the world, 90% of palm oil is used for edible purposes (e.g., margarine, deep fat frying, shortening, ice creams, and cocoa butter substitutes in chocolate); the remaining 10% is used for soap and oleo chemical manufacturing (fatty acids, methyl esters, fatty nitrogenous derivatives, surfactants and detergents). Two distinct oils are produced by oil palms (palm kernel oil and palm oil), both of which are important in world trade. Palm oil contains 50% saturated fatty acids. The saturated fatty acid to unsaturated fatty acid ratio of palm oil is close to unity and it contains a high amount of the antioxidants, β-carotene, and vitamin E. Palm oil contains a high proportion of palmitic acid as well as considerable quantities of oleic and linoleic acids. The physicochemical properties, fatty acid profile and nutrition in palm oils are reviewed

The Correlation between Post-Abortion Grief and Quality of Life in Females With a History of Abortion Visiting Health Centers and Hospitals of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Iran During Year 2016

Background: Grief is a common reaction pf parents to abortion. It may be followed by various psychological complications that affect women's individual-social quality of life. This study aimed to determine the correlation between post-abortion grief and quality of life of women with a history of abortion.Materials and Procedures: This descriptive-correlational study was conducted in 2016. Convenience sampling was applied to select 165 women with a history of abortion from health centers and hospitals affiliated to Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences (Tehran, Iran). A demographic and fertility questionnaire, the Perinatal Bereavement Grief Scale, and the World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire were used to collect data. Descriptive statistics and Pearson’s and Spearman’s correlation tests were administered to analyze the data. All analyses were performed using SPSS 20.Findings: There was a significant relationship between quality of life and post-abortion grief (r = -0.387; p < 0.001) and the mean score of quality of life decreased with an increase in the intensity of post-abortion grief. Women with a history of abortion had a moderate level of post-abortion grief (mean score out of 100: 47.52 ± 9.01 ) and intensity of post-abortion grief in less than 3 months from abortion occurrence until completion of the questionnaire has been at its highest level (with a mean and standard deviation of 421.3 ± 99.3) and has declined over the time. However, there was no significant relationship between the intensity of the grief and the time of abortion. and desirable quality of life (mean score: 91.90 ± 14.43).Conclusion: The findings of this study suggested an association between more severe post-abortion grief and decreased quality of life, i.e. post-abortion grief had adverse effects on women’s quality of life. Therefore, fertility health policy makers are recommended to develop appropriate measures to reduce grief and improve the quality of life of women after abortion.

The Association of Prenatal Depression and Body Mass Index (BMI) in Pregnant Women Referred to Health Centers in Qom

AbstractIntroduction: Pregnancy is a period during which women experience physical and psychological changes. The considerable changes can be found in their bodies and weights and they are quickly exposed to being overweight and obesity. On the other hand, few studies have assessed the association of depression with body mass index (BMI). This study explored whether depression and BMI affect each other in pregnancy. It aimed to investigate the correlation between prenatal depression and BMI in pregnant women in Qom.Methods: This was a descriptive-correlational study conducted on pregnant women referred to health centers in 2016. Participants were selected using multi-stage cluster sampling. Samples of 236 pregnant women were divided into two groups: the second (14-28 weeks) and third (28-40 weeks) trimesters of pregnancy. Height and weight were measured to determine the initial BMI as well as BMI during pregnancy. Demographic information was collected from demographic and obstetric forms. Depression was measured using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II). Data were analyzed using SPSS software and descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, regression analysis and Pearson’s correlation coefficient, significant at P < 0.05.Results: The results showed BMI in the second trimester to be 48.3% in the normal range, 16.1% overweight, and 30.5% obese. In the third trimester, BMI was 16.9% in the normal range, 34.4% overweight, and 46.6% obese. The rate of depression was 19.5% in the second trimester and 17.8% in the third trimester. Pearson’s correlation test showed that the association between prenatal depression and BMI did not exist in the second trimester (P = 0.499). In the third trimester, there was a significant negative correlation (P = 0.024). Based on regression analysis, among the factors related to BMI (depression, number of family members, gravidity, number of living children, parity, mother’s age, unwanted pregnancy by father, unwanted pregnancy by mother), depression and were are the only predictive factors strongly associated with BMI (P = 0.002 and P = 0.028, respectively).Conclusions: In our study, there was an inverse correlation between depression and BMI of pregnant women, so that with increase in depression, BMI decreased. According to the different results of the research, further studies should be carried out regarding the effect of depression on BMI in order to be able to provide further assistance to pregnant women

Evaluation of Quality of Life in Women with Abortion Experience in Tehran 2015 - 2016

Introduction: Abortion as a traumatic event in life can have consequences on women's Individual-social quality of life. This study aimed to determine the quality of life of women with an abortion experience. Methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional study in 2016, Convenience sampling was applied to select 165 women with a history of abortion from health centers affiliated to Shahid Beheshti University. A demographic, fertility, and the World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire were used to collect data. Descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation) and Pearson’s correlation tests were administered to analyze the data by SPSS 20. Results: The mean score of quality of life in research units was 78,43, mean score of quality of life dimensions, physical restraint 75.23, emotional limit 77.40, vitality 70,90 , emotional health 49.38, Social score 72.03, pain 73.08 and health was 79.61, the mean score of each dimension was above average, respectively. There was a Significant relationship between age (p = 0.003), women's education (p = 0.001), family income (p = 0.001), number of abortion/previous absences (p = 0.002), gestational age at the time of abortion (p = 0.005), visualization of the fetus in sonography (p = 0.000), pregnancy request (p = 0.003), history of infertility (p = 0.001), abortion method (p = 0.002) and fetus heart hearing (p = 0.005) with quality of life. Conclusions: Given the impact of abortion on women's quality of life and the importance of family and community health, reproductive health policy should be aimed at reducing the consequences of abortion and improving the quality of life

Determining the Most Common Reproductive Health Needs of Rural Women of Reproductive Age, Iran, 2017

Objectives: The frst step in designing a plan is need recognition. Given the fact that rural women are among the most deprived groups in terms of healthcare services, this study aimed to determine the most common reproductive health needs of rural women of reproductive age, which can provide the foundation for designing proper programs with regard to budget constraints. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on rural women of reproductive age referred to rural healthcare centers of Neyshabur, Iran, during 2016-2017. In total, 405 subjects were selected through randomized sampling. The data collection tool was standardized questionnaire evaluating sexual and reproductive health needs. This instrument consists of seven sections, including background information, safe motherhood, family planning, sexual behaviors, sexually transmitted infections, HIV/AIDS, and physical and sexual violence. The answer to each question was categorized into 2 groups of favorable (Score 1 was given to it) and unfavorable (Score 2 was given to it), so low scores were indicative of favorable condition, whereas high scores reflected unfavorable status. Data analysis was performed using descriptive tests in SPSS version 17.0. Results: In this study, about half of the women were within the age range of 31-40 years, and 44.2% of them were illiterate or had low literacy levels. In addition, 84% of the subjects were housewives. Safe pregnancy domain had the most proper status (14.12±10.55), whereas HIV/AIDS domain was the least favorable condition (47.65±21.63). Conclusions: We recommend designing focused programs to improve the health of rural women in the domains of HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), which are the most prioritized areas of reproductive health

The correlation between demographic characteristics and mental health in victims of rape referred to Isfahan province forensic medicine center in year 2015

AbstractBackground and Aim:sexual assault is one of the most important factors posing a serious threat to the health and rights of women in the word. However, factors that affected on the health of victims are less-known. This study aimed to determine the relationship between demographic characteristics and mental health of the victims in the year 2013.Materials & Methods: This was a descriptive study, which was carried out in 2013. The sample size was 93 people who were randomly selected from rape victims in the Isfahan forensic medicine center. Measuring tools was demographic characteristic's questionnaire and 90 item- symptom revised checklist (SCL90-R). The data were analyzed by descriptive statistics and spearman's correlation, Independent t-test and one-way ANOVA test using SPSS 16.Findings:Spearman's correlation test between demographic characteristics and mental health score indicates that factors, including age of victim (p=0.99) and income of victim (p=0.08) did not have a significant relationship with the mental health score. The relationship between victim's father education (p=0.008) and mental health was significant. The victims who had fathers with a diploma degree significantly had higher mental health scores than those who were their fathers had lower education.Conclusion:The majority of the victims had a mental disorder with high or very high degree of severity. Most seen symptoms were depression and aggressive behaviors. For the prevention of psychological consequences of rape, the family and social networks should enforce to identify and treat victims who have suffered trauma

پروفایل سرشت های عاطفی به عنوان یک عامل زمینه ساز برای پسوریازیس پلاک مزمن

مقدمه: اگرچه رابطه نزدیکی بین پسوریازیس و مسائل روانی از جمله سرشت عاطفی وجود دارد، اما مطالعات کمی به این ارتباط پرداخته اند. این مطالعه با هدف بررسی پروفایل سرشت عاطفی در بیماران مبتلا به پسوریازیس پلاکی مزمن انجام شد.روش‌ کار: این مطالعه مقطعی در سال 98-1397 در کلینیک سرپایی پوست بیمارستان امام رضا (ع) مشهد انجام شد. در مطالعه حاضر، 40 بیمار پسوریازیس و 40 داوطلب سالم همسان از نظر جنس و سن شرکت کردند. ابزارهای تحقیق شامل پرسشنامه  ممفیس، پیزا، پاریس و سن دیگو  (TEMPS-A)، پرسشنامه اضطراب بک (BAI) و پرسشنامه افسردگی بک II (BDI-II)  بود. برای مقایسه متغیرهای اسمی و طبقه‌ای از آزمون‌های تی، من-ویتنی و مجذور خی استفاده شد. برای ارزیابی همبستگی ها از آزمون های اسپیرمن و پیرسون استفاده شد.یافته‌ها: در مجموع، 36 نفر از 80 بیمار (45%) مرد بودند. خلق و خوی افسرده، سیکلوتایمیک و مضطرب در گروه پسوریازیس به طور معنی‌داری برجسته‌تر بود (001/0 P<)، در حالی که نمره هیپرتایمیک در گروه شاهد به‌طور قابل‌توجهی بالاتر بود (023/0=P). بین شدت بیماری (نمره PASI) و سرشت عاطفی مختلف ارتباط معنی داری وجود نداشت. مدت درگیری پسوریازیس با تمام سرشت های عاطفی همبستگی منفی متوسطی داشت (05/0 P<) به جز سرشت هیپرتایمیک. شیوع اضطراب (80 درصد در مقابل 30 درصد، 40=n؛ 001/0 P<) و افسردگی (60 درصد در مقابل 5/32 درصد، 40=n؛ 009/0= P) در بیماران پسوریازیس به طور معنی‌داری بیشتر از گروه شاهد بود.نتیجه گیری: به نظر می رسد سرشت سیکلوتایمیک، افسرده و مضطرب و همچنین اضطراب و افسردگی در بیماران پسوریازیس به طور قابل توجهی شیوع بیشتری داشته باشد. با این حال، این ها با شدت بیماری همبستگی نداشتند

Exploring factors behind pregnant women’s quality of life in Iran: a qualitative study

Background and objective: Pregnancy-related physiologic and psychosocial alterations can impact on the body and cause symptoms which may affect quality of life. Since qualitative studies can provide more in-depth understanding of quality of life and its determining factors, this study was conducted with the aim of exploring factors affecting pregnant women’s quality of life. Methods: A qualitative descriptive study with conventional content analysis approach was made using the conventional content analysis approach on a purposeful sample of sixteen pregnant Iranian women in Hamadan, Iran from May 2015 to December 2015. Sampling was continued until data saturation. Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured personal interviews, and were analyzed using the conventional content analysis approach. Results: Data analysis resulted in three main categories, namely, the effects of pregnancy on different aspects of health (including psychological disorders, impaired interactions, disturbances in doing daily activities, disturbed body image, alterations in sexual relationships, physical disorders, and alterations in dietary habits and treatment regimens), pregnancy-related concerns (regarding the gender of the fetus, financial problems, childbirth, health, and the future), and coping with pregnancy (through strategies such as spirituality, positive attitude toward pregnancy, distraction and imagination, and support). Conclusions: This study showed that different factors can affect pregnant women’s quality of life. Nonetheless, prenatal care services are mainly focused on pregnancy-related physical problems, and other aspects of care are usually taken for granted. Consequently, healthcare professionals need to pay greater attention to pregnant women’s quality of life and its contributing factor

The role of fear of childbirth in pregnancy related anxiety in Iranian women: a qualitative research

Introduction: Anxiety disorders have severe complications for a mother and her developing baby. A few studies have focused on pregnancy related anxiety and its risk factors including fear of childbirth. Therefore, the current study aimed to explore components and dimensions of this kind of anxiety. Methods: This qualitative study (conventional content analysis) was conducted with mothers who referred to health care centers from May to December, 2015. In order to collect data, purposive sampling and face-to-face semi-structured in-depth interviews were used. Data analysis was conducted using MAXQDA software. Results: Twenty eight pregnant women from different social backgrounds, educational levels and ethnicities aged 18-41 years old participated in this study and after analysis, fear of childbirth was classified into four categories including the process of delivery (fear of pain, prolonged labor, loss of control, being left alone during delivery, fear of her own incompetency), time of delivery (fear of preterm labor, fear of unknown delivery time, fear of late arrival to hospital),delivery complications (fear of bleeding, fear of death, postpartum depression, delivery accidents, genitalia injuries and fetal health problems) and healthcare quality (hospital facilities, lack of trust in maternity staff and lack of trust in obstetricians). Conclusions: The results suggest that supporting, reassuring and educating pregnant mothers and giving information about delivery room, labor and strategies for coping with fear of pain and childbirth are critical. Changes in maternity care policies are recommended to promote positive attitudes toward normal delivery