A study on Tornabea scutellifera (Lichenized Ascomycete, Lecanorales) in northeastern Iran

The present study shows the morphology, anatomy and chemistry of Tornabea scutellifera occurring in north eastern Iran . Most thalli are corticolouse, even though its thalus also shows some degree of vegetation on rocky substrates

The effect of Self-care educational program on sexu al function and quality of life in patients with ischemic heart disease

Sexual activity is a multi-dimensional relationship, which affected by many factors such as psychological, individual and social factor. Sexual education in patients with ischemic heart disease can reduce many of the consequences of it. Therefore, this study was performed to investigate the effect of Self-care education program on sexual function and quality of life in patients with ischemic heart disease. This semi experimental study was performed on 60 patients with ischemic heart disease, in Holy vali asr hospital in Qom, Iran in 2017. Patients were divided into control and intervention groups by Randomize sampling. Self-care education was provided through CD. Data collection was done through using the “demographic and clinical data questionnaire”, “Seattle Angina questionnaire”, and “Arizona Sexual Experiences Scale”. Questionnaires were completed in both groups, Before and at least one month after education,. Data were analyzed using central indexes, mann-whitney test and Wilcoxon Test. The average age of intervention and control participants were 58.1±5.8 and 57.66±4.5, respectively. Quality of life and sexual function, before and after education, in the intervention group had a significant difference. But the quality of life and sexual function, before and after the education, in control groups were not significantly. The results show that sexual educational programs as film for cardiac patients can improve sexual function and quality of life of these patients. Therefore; it is recommended that nurses must pay attention to education concerning the sexual function and quality of life in patients with Ischemic heart

Diagnostic Accuracy of Ultrasonography and Radiography in Detection of Pulmonary Contusion; a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Introduction: Ultrasonography is currently being used as one of the diagnostic modalities in various medical emergencies for screening of trauma patients. The diagnostic value of this modality in detection of traumatic chest injuries has been evaluated by several studies but its diagnostic accuracy in diagnosis of pulmonary contusion is a matter of discussion. Therefore, the present study aimed to determine the diagnostic accuracy of ultrasonography and radiography in detection of pulmonary contusion through a systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods: An extended systematic search was performed by two reviewers in databases of Medline, EMBASE, ISI Web of Knowledge, Scopus, Cochrane Library, and ProQuest. They extracted the data and assessed the quality of the studies. After summarization of data into true positive, false positive, true negative, and false negative meta-analysis was carried out via a mixed-effects binary regression model. Further subgroup analysis was performed due to a significant heterogeneity between the studies. Results: 12 studies were included in this meta-analysis (1681 chest trauma patients, 76% male). Pooled sensitivity of ultrasonography in detection of pulmonary contusion was 0.92 (95% CI: 0.81-0.96; I2= 95.81, p<0.001) and its pooled specificity was calculated to be 0.89 (95% CI: 0.85-0.93; I2 = 67.29, p<0.001) while these figures for chest radiography were 0.44 (95% CI: 0.32-0.58; I2= 87.52, p<0.001) and 0.98 (95% CI: 0.88-1.0; I2= 95.22, p<0.001), respectively. Subgroup analysis showed that the sources of heterogeneity between the studies were sampling method, operator, frequency of the transducer, and sample size. Conclusion: Ultrasonography was found to be a better screening tool in detection of pulmonary contusion. Moreover, an ultrasonography performed by a radiologist / intensivist with 1-5MHz probe has a higher diagnostic value in identifying pulmonary contusions

Comparison of optimal cardiovascular risk factor management in patients with Type 2 diabetes who attended urban medical health center with those attended a tertiary care center: Experiences from Tehran, Iran

Background: Diabetes is a leading cause of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Moreover, CVD accounts for primary cause of death among diabetic patients. Physicians, especially in the primary care setting, have effective role in the management of cardiovascular risk factors. Therefore, we aimed to compare the prevalence of modifiable cardiovascular risk factors in Type 2 diabetic patients attending to an urban health center as a primary care center with Institute of Endocrinology and Metabolism Diabetes Clinic (IEMDC) as a tertiary center. Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on 200 adult diabetic patients attending urban health center (Abouzar Health Center) and 201 diabetic patients in a tertiary center. The patients′ cardiovascular risk factors including lipid profile, systolic and diastolic blood pressure (BP), and smoking history were recorded. The number of patients who did not achieve the target according to the American Diabetes Association guidelines was determined and compared. Results: The patients in urban health center were older than those who attending IEMDC (P = 0.004). The duration of diabetes was longer among urban center patients (P < 0.001). Comparison of cardiovascular risk factors between two groups of patients showed a significant number of patients with poor-controlled low-density lipoprotein (75% vs. 44.7%) and triglyceride (74% vs. 51.7%) in patients attending primary center (P < 0.001). However, the prevalence of high diastolic BP (60.6% vs. 44.5%) was significantly higher in patients attending IEMDC (P = 0.001). There was no significant difference between the two centers′ findings in glycosylated hemoglobin level, high-density lipoprotein level, and systolic BP. Conclusions: Both centers have failure in target achievement in some risk factors; however, the inability of the primary care center in controlling hyperlipidemia in comparison with the tertiary center is a serious warning to provide training about managing dyslipidemia in these centers

Evaluation of Touchdown Nested PCR to Circumvent Spurious Priming and Increase Specificity during HIV and GBV-C Gene Amplification

Introduction & Objective: Primer-Template hybridization temperature is one of the important parameters in Nested PCR optimization. Unlike instant temperature for sequence amplification in routine PCR process, Touchdown PCR is a modified form of standard PCR that employs a range of annealing temperature. This study intended to develop a Touchdown Nested PCR in order to circumvent spurious priming and enhancing specify during gene amplification. Materials & Methods: This is an experimental study conducted at Tarbiat Modarres University of Tehran during 2008-2009. Study samples were collected from Digestive Diseases Research Centre- at Shari'ati Hospital and HIV research center – Imam Khomeini Hospital. After extracting the nucleic acid, primer designing for HIV and GBV-C and c-DNA synthesis Nested PCR was performed on negative and positive samples using standard and touchdown protocols. Results: The intended band was observed in all positive samples. No band was observed in any human and viral negative control samples. After electrophoresis of PCR products, non specific band were seen in HIV and GBV-C samples during standard PCR. Using the touchdown protocol, undesirable bands were omitted or significantly decreased. Conclusion: In the present study, despite the formation of uncalled bands in standard reaction using the touchdown method led to omission of non-specific bands without any significant effect on the final products. As for its simplicity, cost and time saving, it seems that using this method is a rational and economical way for fast optimization of PCR reactions

Mental Health and Job Burnout Among Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Personnel

Background: Work environment dictates physical, social and mental tensions each of which affect the staff&rsquo;s health. Likewise, pre-hospital emergency care staff, due to the special nature of their job, are exposed to the tensions of emergency situations which can affect their health. Therefore, this study was conducted to scrutinize the relationship between the job burnout and mental health in pre-hospital emergencies of Qom Province. Materials and Methods: In this descriptive sectional study, 150 employed personnel of Qom 115 Emergency Care entered the study using census method. Data were gathered using questionnaires of &ldquo;Background and Clinical Information&rdquo;, &ldquo;Mental Health&rdquo;, and &ldquo;Job Burnout&rdquo;, and then based on central indices, Pearson correlation test and multiple linear regression statistical tests were run through software SPSS13 and then analyzed. Results: The average age of the participants was 30.8&plusmn;5.8. The averages of the values of burnout and mental health were 69.43&plusmn;12.4 and 60&plusmn;14.1, respectively. According to Pearson correlation test, the values of the burnout and mental health have a significant negative correlation (r=-0.8). The results of multiple linear regression test showed that the correlation of the burnout and mental health considering the confounding variables is significant. (P=0.05) Conclusion: Pre-hospital employed personnel have desirable mental health and [low] burnout. Furthermore, improved mental health results in decreasing job burnout. Therefore, it is advisable to consider necessary facilities for caring for oneself

Cytochrome P-450 1B1 Leu432Val Polymorphism Does Not Show Association With Breast Cancer in Northern Iranian Women With a History of Infertility

The Cytochrome P-4501B1 ( CYP1B1 ) Leu432Val polymorphism has been previously shown to be associated with some types of cancer and affects CYP1B1 -mediated metabolism of various infertility drugs. To establish the frequency of CYP1B1 Leu432Val polymorphism among women with a history of infertility drug use, we studied the genotypes of 147 patients with breast cancer with a history of infertility and 150 cancer-free, infertile women (control group) in Northern Iran. A polymerase chain reaction–based restriction fragment length polymorphism assay was used to detect GG (Val/Val), CG (Leu/Val), and CC (Leu/Leu) genotype frequencies, which did not vary significantly between the 2 patient groups ( P   =  .847). We established for the first time that the incidence of CYP1B1 Leu432Val polymorphism is 46.6% among women with infertility history and breast cancer in Northern Iran. Finally, our results do not show any significant association between CYP1B1 Leu432Val polymorphism and breast cancer in infertile women in this region, who have also received infertility treatment