Effects of respiratory exercises on pulmonary function of chemically afflicted soldiers in Khoramabad

BackgroundFollowing an extensive use of chemical weapons in imposed war of Iran, many known and unknown complications in different body systems particularly respiratory tract have been reported. To treat pulmonary complication of afflicted soldiers, different measures such as drug as well as oxygen therapy and rehabilitation are performed. Purpose This clinical trial was conducted to identify the effects of respiratory exercises (pursed lip and diaphragmatic breathing) on pulmonary function of chemically afflicted soldiers in Khoramabad in 2002.  Methods68 soldiers with respiratory problems were randomly selected and divided in two experimental and control groups. They were matched in terms of age, body mass index, chemical gas type, duration of contact, number of hospitalization, type of cough, forced vital capacity indices, forced expiratory volume in 1 second and ….  Spirometry was used to monitor pulmonary function. The experimental group performed the exercises 15 minutes a day over 10 days. The indices were measured again after 10 days. A questionnaire, an assessment form for dyspnea severity and a special form for classifying the result of pulmonary function tests (PFT) were used for data collection.  ResultsFindings showed a significant difference between the means of PFTs before and after the intervention in the experimental group and no difference in the control group. A significant difference was also found in the mean percentage of dyspnea severity reduction between the two groups before and after the intervention (P=0.000). ConclusionAccording to the results, pursed lip as well as diaphragmatic breathing would improve pulmonary function indices in spirometry and dyspnea severity would significantly decrease, which is similar to other studies.  KeywordsPulmonary exercise, Pursed lip breathing, diaphragmatic breathing, Pulmonary function, chemically afflicted soldier

ANALYSIS OF FREQUENCY OF PHENYLKETONURIA AMONG INSTITUTIONALIZED

Introduction: Phenylketonuria (PKU) is a genetic disease, which is caused by deficiency in phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) enzyme. Untreated patients will develop a severe mental retardation, which is irreversible. In this study, the incidence of the PKU disease among isolated mentally retarded residents in institutions in Isfahan, was investigated.
 Methods: A total number of 1541 patients were involved in the study. Of the patients studied, 611 with no known reason for their mental retardation were chosen for blood sampling. Blood samples were collected on filter papers and examined by Gutheri bacterial inhibition assay (GBIA), which is specific for PKU In patients with positive test, the serum phenylalanine was quatitavely analyzed using high pressure liquid chromatography, HPLC.
 Results: Among the patients examined, 33 were found positive. Quantitative analysis of phenylalanine allowed classification of the patients, indicating 600 with classical, 36% with moderate, and 3% with mild type of PKU Furthermore; it was found that in 68% of the cases, parents are third grade relative.
 Discussion: The results obtained in this screening study indicated that 2.1% of the patients in the institutions for mentally related in Isfahan suffered from PKU The incidence of the disease is relatively high compare to the reports from other countries. Since, a large number of patients (68%) are the results of consanguineous marriages, this kind of marriage could be considered as one of the important factors involved in the prevalence of PKU in Isfahan

Prevalence and determinants of chronic kidney disease in northeast of Iran: Results of the Golestan cohort study

The burden of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is increasing globally in particular in fast emerging economies such as Iran. Population-based studies on prevalence of CKD in Iran are scarce. The objective of the current study was to explore the prevalence and determinants of CKD in the setting of Golestan Cohort Study (GCS), the largest prospective cohort in the Middle East. Methods In this observational study, 11,409 participants enrolled in the second phase of GCS were included. Sex, age, literacy, residence, anthropometric measurements, smoking, opium use, self-reported history of cardiovascular diseases (heart disease and/or stroke), hypertension, diabetes, and lipid profile were the predictors of interest. The outcomes of interest were eGFR and CKD defined as eGFR 60 ml/min/1.73m2. Results Mean (SD) of GFR was 70.0 ± 14.7 ml/min/1.73m2 among all participants, 68.2 ± 14.2 among women, and 72.0 ± 15.0 among men. Prevalence of CKD was 23.7 (26.6 in women, 20.6 in men). The prevalence of CKD stages 3a, 3b, 4, and 5 were 20.0, 3.3, 0.4 and 0.1, respectively. Female sex, older age, urban residence, history of CVD, hypertension or diabetes, larger body mass and surrogates of body fat and opium use were all associated with CKD. Opium had a significant positive association with CKD in adjusted model. All anthropometric measurements had positive linear association with CKD. Being literate had inverse association. Sex had significant interaction with anthropometric indices, with higher odds ratios among men compared with women. A significantly high association was observed between the rate of change in waist circumference and systolic blood pressure with risk of CKD. Conclusion One in four people in this cohort had low eGFR. Obesity and overweight, diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia are major risk factors for CKD. Halting the increase in waist circumference and blood pressure may be as important as reducing the current levels. © 2017 Sepanlou et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited