A Study of the Effect of Advertising on Attracting Medical Tourism

Introduction: It is predicted that tourism will be the most profitable industry in the world in 2020. The current study aimed to evaluate the influence of advertising on attracting foreign medical tourists based on the marketing mix model. Methods: In this descriptive study, participants (n=136) completed a standard questionnaire containing items on demographic characteristics and advertising practices adopted by Mashhad hospitals (13 hospitals) to attract Arabic tourists (male-female) from seven nations in the period from March 2015 to August 2016. Data description was performed using charts and tables. The software used was spss21. Results: The results showed that 44.1% of medical tourists were satisfied with advertising practices. In terms of education, 85 (62.8%) tourists did not have a high school diploma. Seventy-six subjects (55.9%) were referred to hospitals by friends and acquaintances, 38.2% were referred by their physicians, and only 5.9% of tourists were attracted by other advertising methods. Conclusions: According to the results, most patients did not consider advertising strategies effective, and the advertising methods seemed to be unsuccessful in attracting people with a higher education. Therefore, it is suggested that advertising practices be revised and novel methods be adopted to appeal to a greater range of potential tourists

Taenia ovis in Small Ruminants in Iran: Prevalence, Pathology, and Economic Loss

Taenia ovis larvae can result in economic losses in small ruminants due to condemnation of infected tissues or whole carcasses. From 2017 to 2018, the T. ovis prevalence in 16,180 sheep and 7560 goats at the Najafabad slaughterhouse in Isfahan was determined. More sheep (477; 2.9%) than goats (90; 1.2%) were found to be infected, and the prevalence was higher in animals <1 y (p < 0.0001), and higher in spring in sheep (8.2%) and goats (2.2%). Female sheep were more frequently infected than males (p < 0.0001); this did not hold true for goats. Of the tissues examined, T. ovis was found more often in the heart muscle of sheep compared with other tissues; however, infections in the heart muscle, masseter muscle, diaphragm, and triceps were similar in goats. Granulomas and caseous necrosis in the heart muscles were associated with the accumulation of mononuclear inflammatory cells and the formation of fibrous tissue around the parasite. Based solely on infected tissues found in this study, the economic loss caused by the presence of T. ovis larvae was estimated to be 4167 United States dollars (USD). Control methods, such as proper disposal of infected tissues and anthelmintic treatment of infected dogs, are necessary to decrease infection and prevent economic loss in small ruminants

Cystic hygroma: anesthetic considerations and review

Cystic hygroma (CH) in the cervical region presents as a challenge to the anesthetist. The anaesthetic difficulties are usually associated with CH because of tumor extension into the mouth, airway management, thoracic extension, hemorrhage, involvement of pretracheal region, Post operative respiratory obstruction and coexisting anomalies (Down syndromes, Turner syndromes and congenital cardiac defects). Disorders of the CH relevant to anaesthesia and intensive care medicine are discussed in this review

Glucokinase gene promoter -30G>A polymorphism: a cross-sectional association study with obesity, diabetes Mellitus, hyperlipidemia, hypertension and metabolic syndrome in an Iranian hospital

OBJECTIVE: A -30G>A single nucleotide polymorphism in the promoter region of the glucokinase gene has been previously associated with obesity, insulin resistance and diabetes. The present study aimed to evaluate the association of this polymorphism with obesity and its comorbidities in a population from Northeast Iran. METHODS: Five hundred and forty-two subjects aged 18 to 65 years were included in the study and divided into normal (BMI<25, n=220), overweight (25<BMI<30, n=135) and obese (BMI>30, n=187) groups. All subjects were genotyped for the -30G>A polymorphism using the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism technique. RESULTS: The genotypes and allele frequencies of the three groups did not differ significantly (p>0.05). When the study population was categorized according to diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, hypertension and metabolic syndrome status, no significant difference in -30G>A genotypes and alleles was found between the subgroups with and without these disorders (p>0.05), apart from a significantly higher frequency of the G allele in the hyperlipidemic vs. non-hyperlipidemic subgroup (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The findings of the present study do not support an association between the -30G>A polymorphism and high body mass index in the Iranian population